Exercises: The stages of a technology project

These stages of a technology project are out of order: (a) building the prototype, (b) identifying the need, (c) evaluation and improvement, (d) researching information, (e) designing the solution. Put them in the correct order and explain in one sentence what is done in each stage.

Explain what is done during the research stage and why it is useful to do it before designing. Give an example applied to this challenge: building a mobile phone holder using recycled materials.

The diagram shows the stages of a technology project, but one of them is covered by a question mark. State which stage is missing and explain what it involves.

Define in your own words what the 'need' that sets a technology project in motion is, and write down two real needs in your classroom or school that could become a project.

In the manufacturing stage, why is it better to follow the plans and the list of materials instead of improvising as you go along? Explain two specific risks of improvising.

Match each deliverable with the stage in which it is produced: (a) list of materials and plans, (b) test report with proposals for improvement, (c) finished prototype, (d) collection of data and existing solutions. Stages: research, design, manufacturing, and evaluation.

Explain what a prototype is and explain why the first prototype is almost never the final product.

A team writes their need as follows: 'we want to make a cool device'. Rewrite it in a specific and verifiable way: for whom, what problem it solves, and in what context it will be used.

A group wants to improve the lighting over the desks in their classroom. These are their actions: (a) they measure the light level with a phone app in several classrooms, (b) they draw three lamp proposals, (c) they assemble the chosen one with an LED board, (d) they test whether it causes glare and note improvements, (e) they state the problem: 'we lack enough light to read without straining our eyes'. State which project stage each action corresponds to.

Explain with an example why the evaluation stage may force a return to the design stage, or even to research, and explain why going back should not be considered a failure.

Explain the difference between the design stage and the construction stage, and explain why it is advisable to have the design finished (plans, list of materials, and budget) before starting to build.

In a project to create a school raised bed, research reveals that watering at dusk significantly reduces evaporation. Explain how this information can alter the design of the irrigation system and why doing research first saves work later.

Distinguish between evaluating the process (how the team worked) and evaluating the product (the constructed object). Give an example of each type of question applied to a shelving unit project.

Your team has ten sessions for a complete project. Divide the sessions among the five stages in a reasoned way and justify why evaluation needs its own time slot rather than 'whatever is left over'.

Explain what the project report is and explain why it is advisable to write it throughout all stages rather than only at the end.

A prototype awning works well on the workshop bench but moves and makes noise when installed in the playground. In which stage is this fault detected and what design changes could result from it?

A team installed a 4 × 3 m awning in the school yard anchored with standard eyebolts to a hollow brick wall. During the first storm with gusts of 65 km/h (estimated dynamic pressure of 200 N/m²), the anchors were pulled out and the fabric tore. The team claimed that "the physical assembly was perfect according to their initial sketch."

1. a) Determine in which phase of the technological project (needs analysis, technical specifications, technical design, or quality control) the critical failure occurred and what previous calculation or test was omitted.
2. b) If the total wind force on the awning at the worst angle reaches 2,4 kN distributed among 4 anchors, technically justify the choice between chemical anchors or plastic expansion plugs, and design a testing protocol to validate the strength of the anchor at scale or with controlled load prior to final assembly.

In the computer lab, 30 workstations suffer recurring headphone breakages due to tugs on the jack connector and cable twisting at the edge of the desks (average lifespan: 3 months per unit; replacement cost: €8,50 per unit). You have 3D printers and standard hardware items available.

1. a) Draft the Technical Specifications document for the project with at least 4 quantifiable requirements: mechanical, ergonomic, assembly, and maximum cost per workstation.
2. b) Design the protocol for mechanical fatigue and tensile tests that the prototype must pass before approving its mass production, indicating the quantities to be measured, loading method, and quantitative acceptance threshold.

A school cooperative designs and manufactures 50 portable solar lamps to sell at a charity fair. The team considers the project finished after assembling the last unit and distributing the profits. Two months later, 40% of the lithium batteries degrade due to the lack of an undervoltage cutoff circuit, and several buyers demand repairs or safe recycling.

1. a) Demonstrate which three post-construction phases of the product life cycle were completely omitted and which technical document should have anticipated each problem.
2. b) Design the end-of-life plan (WEEE waste management / recycling) and the preventive maintenance sheet that should have been delivered with the product to mitigate the environmental and economic impact.

Analyze the following real engineering case: in a city, a 60 m steel footbridge was installed over a river. A few days after opening, it had to be closed because the simultaneous crossing of hundreds of pedestrians generated a synchronized lateral oscillation that caused dizziness and structural danger, even though the structure more than supported the stipulated maximum static weight.

1. a) Accurately identify what methodological deficiency occurred in the "Information and background search" phase regarding the phenomenon of resonance and crowd-induced dynamic loads.
2. b) Design how the "Modeling and prototyping" phase should have been planned (finite element simulation, dynamic scale model, or vibration testing) to predict this behavior before building the actual structure.

In the Technology workshop, final cleanup takes 14 minutes of a 50-minute session. A timed sampling reveals:

• 5,5 min looking for misplaced or lost tools.

• 4,0 min queuing to store projects in the single main cabinet.

• 3,0 min cleaning shavings with shared brooms.

• 1,5 min checking paper checklists by the teacher.

Your challenge is to reduce the total cleanup time to a maximum of 6,0 minutes with a budget cap of €15.

1. a) Apply the "Root cause analysis" and "Conceptual design" phases: propose two low-cost technical solutions (visual management, spatial layout, or organizational automation), linking each one to the timing data it aims to reduce.
2. b) Define the quantitative validation metric (KPI) and design the experimental protocol to evaluate over two weeks whether the implemented system meets the objective or requires iteration.

For a mobile line-tracking robot, chassis brackets must be selected between two prototypes to carry a delicate optical sensor:

• Prototype A (printed in PLA, 20% infill): mass = 45 g, cost = €1,80, manufacturing time = 2,5 h, withstands a drop from 0,5 m, excellent aesthetic finish.

• Prototype B (machined aluminum sheet): mass = 110 g, cost = €6,20, manufacturing time = 6,0 h, withstands a drop from 2,0 m, rough finish.

The specification requirements demand: minimum weight so as not to overload the servomotors, withstanding impacts from accidental drops of at least 1,0 m, and tight cost.

1. a) Develop a multi-criteria decision matrix with 5 weighted criteria (the sum of weights must be 1,00). Assign scores from 1 to 5 to each prototype in a numerically justified manner.
2. b) Calculate the total weighted score of both, determine which one should be chosen, and propose a specific design modification to mitigate the weak point of the winning prototype.

A group is working on a school wind turbine to power a 5 V circuit. Their test log shows the following data:

• Version 1: 3 flat PVC blades (0° angle), wind at 20 km/h → 0,8 V generated. Diagnosis: the rotor does not generate enough torque due to a lack of lift.

• Version 2: 3 curved profile blades (15° angle), wind at 20 km/h → 3,6 V generated, but with critical vibration on the shaft at 400 rpm.

• Version 3: Same blades as V2 at 15°, dynamic balancing counterweights and ball bearings are added → 4,9 V at 450 rpm without vibration.

1. a) Based on the data, technically refute the statement: "The team failed twice before getting it right". Demonstrate how each step constitutes an iteration based on the 'measure - learn - redesign' loop.
2. b) Explain what would have happened if the team had resorted to 'blind trial and error' instead of technological iteration guided by physical parameters.

A team has 6 weeks (12 1-hour sessions) to build an automated greenhouse with microcontroller-based irrigation control. Their initial linear planning was:

• Weeks 1 and 2: Information search and 3D design of the model.

• Week 3: Purchase of sensors and materials.

• Weeks 4 and 5: Construction of the model and circuit assembly with Arduino.

• Week 6: Code programming.

Upon reaching week 6, they discover that the soil moisture sensor outputs an analog signal that is incompatible with the configured reference voltage and the water pump draws more current than allowable, burning out an output on the board.

1. a) Identify the critical task sequencing and dependency errors in this linear planning. Why should programming and unit testing of components not be left for the final phase?
2. b) Restructure the project using a concurrent (parallel) task diagram and introduce at least three intermediate "control milestones" with technical passing conditions to avoid reaching the end with integration failures.