Group Project Assignment

Please organize into teams of four people (four is preferable, but some teams may have three or five members). No more than two should be in the same department. To the extent possible, each team should have at least one technical graduate major and at least one non-technical graduate major. [Team assignments are listed on the class list page].

Project objective. Your project is to analyze the external factors affecting the use of a new technology or an emerging technological innovation. Your report should identify a specific primary client, either an industry group, a technical association, or a public entity, who is significantly concerned with this innovation.

A list of potential topics is attached (Appendix A). You may pick one of these technologies or propose another alternative. In general, you should select a technology with a potentially broad applicability and which raises interesting and challenging "external" issues.

Project outline. By 4.00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, you should email to the instructor (ps25@prism.gatech.edu) a project outline of about 1,000 words. Your project outline should cover:

• Project title
• Team members (with majors; email addresses); Name of one primary team contact.
• Description of your topic
• A brief outline of how you will address the topic (see list below for guidance) and what your methods will be (including literature review, comparative analysis, interviews, etc.)
• Some initial literature references and listing of other resources

Presentations. On Wednesday, October 22, in class, you should be prepared to give a brief (3-4 minute) presentation of your idea. Beginning on Wednesday, November 26, groups will be asked to make presentations based on their final report. You should also be prepared to make an oral presentation of between 10-12 minutes, supported as necessary by visual aids and or summary handouts for the whole class. With prior notification, a web-based presentation may be possible (check with instructor in good time so that equipment may be placed in classroom using the room's internet connections). Members from other groups will serve as discussants after team project presentations. [Select here for presentation and discussant schedule]

Final report. On Friday, December 5, by 3.00 p.m., your team should hand in a written final report of between 10 to 12 pages (single spaced, 12-point type), with appended charts, supplemental materials, and references. Please also either (a) email a copy of the report to the instructor, as a Word or HTML attachment; (b) hand in a disk in Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 format containing a file of written report in Word or HTML format; or (c) post your report to a web site and email the URL address. Hand in reports to the D.M. Smith main office, room 110, to my mailbox.

The kinds of topics your final report should address may include the following (although you should vary it according to the intended client and the nature of the technology):

• Basic description of the technical aspects of the technology, how it operates, what it replaces (if applicable), and how it might be used. This should be brief - no more than one page.
• Key aspects of the technological environment, including essential and supportive complementary assets, necessary to support the commercialization of the technology.
• Issues of marketization and competition, such as size and nature of the potential market, customer analysis, user acceptance, financing and competition from other companies, technologies, or countries (as appropriate).
• Other issues related to the control and viability of the innovation and technology deployment process, such as intellectual property, product life cycle, regulation, environmental hazards.
• Organization and teaming: who will champion the technology, what organizational changes need to be made, what strategic or production partnerships or alliances should be formed?
• Policy issues: what roles should government be expected or asked to play (if any). And, if applicable, what roles for industry associations or groups. Be very specific here.

The above is not meant to be your project outline, but simply suggestive of the kinds of issues you may wish to cover. Credit will be given for raising and addressing critical issues beyond those mentioned above. How you develop and address these issues will vary according to the nature of your technological innovation (fundamental or incremental) and the characteristics of your client.

Guidance. This project aims to challenge you to draw upon, think about, and apply the course materials and discussion on the external environment for the management of technological to an explicit innovation situation. You are encouraged to bring in other experiences, knowledge, and materials.

The project will receive a single team grade. Each group should prepare a brief statement, to be submitted on December 5 along with the project report, saying that all members contributed in a reasonably equitable way (with the names of the group members). If not all the team members can agree that this is the case, then a statement from either the majority of team members and/or one or more individuals should be submitted which indicates whether one (or more) members has not contributed a fair share. If necessary, grades will be distributed in accordance with this latter statement. But, please avoid this! Each of you is held accountable for making the group work. In other words, do not complain after the fact expressing surprise and dismay at the group's displeasure with your performance.

Remember, in conducting the analysis, writing up your report, and making the class presentation, your focus should be on the external factors affecting the use of your chosen new technology or emerging technological innovation. Do not exceed the one page limit on the technical aspects of the technology.

Communication. As you proceed with the project, please contact the instructor if you have any questions or you would like guidance. At various points during the class schedule, selected groups may be asked to report on their progress.

Appendix A. Possible Team Project Topics

[OTHERS, NOT LISTED HERE, MAY BE PROPOSED]

• Video on demand (order movies, over telecommunication lines, to your home).
• FTV--Factory TeleVision--a cable channel focused towards industry to assist them in technology awareness, process improvement, and technology management
• Internet-based entertainment applications for the home market (including introduction of high-speed cable modems)
• Next generation commercial aircraft.
• Electric-powered automobiles
• IVHS--Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems
• Intelligent mass transit (new ways to make mass transit more flexible and usable)
• High speed trains
• Multimedia applications for K through 12 schools
• Medical bioceramics (e.g. for implants)
• Smart cards (for point-of-sale transactions or for medical and personal records)
• One-check utility billing (all utility bills on a single bill and paid each month with one check)
• Biodegradable plastics.
• Advanced composite materials (e.g. for highway bridges)
• Intelligent translation (e.g. real-time phone translation)
• Gene splicing for new food products
• Conversion or application of a specific defense-technology to civilian markets
• Commercialization of a specific technology developed by a national laboratory
• Rapid prototyping technologies
• Composite materials for construction (e.g. carbon fibers in concrete)
• Development of "intelligent" buildings
• Electronic commerce technologies (using the Internet)
• Introduction of "V-chip" technologies to guide choice in television viewing
• New telephone systems (e.g. cellular, cable-based, Internet-based)
• New sustainable energy technologies
• High definition television
• Promotion of environmentally conscious ("green") manufacturing techniques
• Promotion of new management techniques

TOP | COURSE FRONT PAGE