| Phases | Activities |
| Need | Analysis of needs and conditions. Study of similar cases and their solutions. |
| Idea | Individual proposals for solutions. Group presentations and selection. |
| Development | Technical drawings. Measurements and budget calculations. Creation of a production plan. |
| Construction | Making the product. |
| Verification | Evaluation. Preparation of a summary report. |
| Marketing | Public presentation. |
Your teacher will describe a problem that needs to be solved. This problem should be specific enough to have a possible solution and open enough to allow for various options.
In real life, projects are often defined by a tender document which specifies how the task must be completed. A tender document is an official statement of conditions which forms part of a legally-binding contract for a project.
When we are faced with a technological problem, we should consider the possible causes and consult any relevant information that may be available. The following are some sources of information.
After consulting information from various sources and studying similar problems that have been solved previously, each person in your group should draw a sketch with an idea for a new solution.
The sketches should express the idea clearly, so that other people can understand them. They should also contain information about the size of the object, its function, its main parts, the possible challenges involved in building it, and what it is going to look like.
While everyone is doing their sketches, it is very important to work individually so that you don't influence other people's ideas in any way. You should not talk about your ideas to the rest of your group too early on. The goal is to produce as many different ideas as possible. At the same time, you should not let people from other groups see or copy your work. That would be ‘industrial espionage' and it could result in two very similar proposals, rather than two unique ones.
At this point, group members should present their individual solutions, which are also called strategic alternatives. After that, the group should select one alternative or combine several suggestions, taking the best ideas from each idea.
The solution should be a combination of a variety of factors: originality, reliability, functionality, aesthetics and ease of construction. Remember that you should not copy any existing solution, but rather suggest something new and improved. Sometimes it is difficult to choose the best solution.
The Strategic Alternatives Matrix (SAM) offers a mathematical solution which can guide you through the decision-making process. As a group, you can set up a SAM by listing the characteristics that you want to evaluate. Then, you should give each characteristic a certain weighting based on its relative importance.
If we use our own project as an example, we could consider the following points on a scale of 1 to 10: simplicity (5), cost (7), use of recycled materials (6) and originality (8). Each member of the group should evaluate each item on a scale of 1 to 10 and should then find the result by multiplying the number by figure for the weighting that has been assigned. After that, the results are added together. Each member of the group should evaluate each sketch. Finally, the points for each sketch are added together to give a final score.
Look at the example below. Pablo evaluated his own idea and his classmates' ideas. When the results were added together, Irene's sketch had the highest total score.
| Group 1: The Creators |
Student evaluator: Pablo |
||||
| PABLO | LUCÍA | ||||
| Items | Weighting |
Score |
Weighted score |
Score |
Weighted score |
| Simple | x5 | 7 | 35 | 9 | 45 |
| Cost | x7 | 6 | 42 | 8 | 56 |
| Recycle | x6 | 5 | 30 | 5 | 30 |
| Original | x8 | 4 | 32 | 3 | 24 |
| 139 | 155 | ||||
| IRENE | MIGUEL | ||||
| Items | Weighting |
Score |
Weighted score | Score 0-10 |
Weighted score |
| Simple | x5 | 5 | 25 | 4 | 20 |
| Cost | x7 | 6 | 42 | 5 | 35 |
| Recycle | x6 | 7 | 42 | 8 | 48 |
| Original | x8 | 6 | 48 | 4 | 32 |
| 157 | 135 | ||||
Noun clauses
The documents explain ...
In this phase, the entire project is defined in terms of structure, function, cost and method of construction.
The following is a sample budget for materials:
| No. | Quantity | Material | Unit price | Total cost |
| 1 | 10 units | Board: 20 cm x 80 cm x 2 cm | €2.00/unit | €20 |
| 2 | 2 units | 5 V motor | €3.00/unit | €6 |
| 3 | 20 m | Single wire cable | €0.25/m | €5 |
| 4 | 8 m | Thin wire | €0.50/m | €4 |
| TOTAL | €35 |
When you build an object, it's a good idea to start with the support elements or pieces that will be difficult to join together; other pieces can be added later on. The successful construction of a project demands certain basic requirements: careful handling of any necessary materials and tools; precision and cleanliness while you are working; a certain amount of skill that comes with practice.
During construction, unexpected problems may arise. We should keep a record of these problems in an incident report sheet. We should also record any solutions or modifications that have been applied to solve the problems.
Once the object has been built, we must analyse the results critically. We should check that everything works properly and evaluate any aspects that could be improved. We must also check that the product fulfils the demands which were in the initial proposal.
When we have finished checking the object, it should be presented to the class. Then we need to do a final evaluation, which may include a self-evaluation and/or a series of reciprocal evaluations with other groups.
Marketing is a combination of activities that a company uses to sell or trade its products. By doing this, a company can recover its initial investment and even earn a profit.
To start the marketing process, you must have a detailed understanding of your product and its advantages. You should also analyse similar objects that are already on the market, as well as any official standards that exist.
In the case of our portable air conditioning unit, we must use three criteria to evaluate it: the social, economic or environmental impacts that it may have. In other words, we should study the effects that our product will have on socioeconomic and environmental contexts, looking in particular at energy consumption, job creation potential, client satisfaction and the recycling of waste products.
If possible, we should create a marketing plan that includes the following aspects:
Businesses can develop their own marketing plans, although some prefer to use independent experts for that task.
Activity 7
Sometimes companies create a necessity for something which is not really needed and that doesn't benefit either society or the environment. Invent three such unnecessary ideas that a company might invent, and describe what an object might be made of.
Activity 8
Describe the needs you want to address with your project proposal. Prioritise them.
Activity 9
Write possible solutions to the problem and how you would do it:
Activity 10
Write definitions of the following terms:
Activity 11
Write a list of the criteria for an item for a Strategic Alternatives Matrix table.
Activity 12
Choose your group solution. Describe it here:
Activity 13
After you have chosen your group solution, what should you do next?
Activity 14
Match the development steps with their definitions.
Activity 15
Move the boxes around for the correct order in the technological process so far.
Activity 16
Suggest some questions which might be useful at the verification stage.
Activity 17
1. Name two useful forms for analysis of a project idea:
Activity 18
Fill the gaps for the examples of objects which have a 'planned-obsolescence'.
Activity 19
You are designing a new soft drink. Write four questions to start your market research for the market research of this new product.
Activity 20
Give four ideas for marketing your product, for example, putting posters up in a city announcing its availability.
Activity 21
Match each concept to its meaning.
Activity 22
At which stage would you perform a quality control check on your product?
