EC-15.1 Choosing a Capstone and Writing the Proposal
You can judge whether a project is the right size for the time available, state what it will demonstrate and how that will be judged, plan it against a real calendar, and write a proposal that a supervisor can agree to or push back on.
Before:OE1-1. Technical Writing SkillsOE1-4. Principles of Entrepreneurship and StartupsEC-14. Engineering Design and System Integration
Choosing badly is the commonest way a capstone goes wrong, and it happens in the first fortnight when nobody is paying attention. This topic is about that fortnight. The test it keeps returning to is whether the project has a demonstrable result, because a project that ends with an explanation of what was attempted cannot be assessed and does not satisfy anyone.
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Judging the size of a project against the time available
Estimate the work, then double it, then check it fits with the other commitments of those weeks. A project sized for the time available is not modest, it is the only kind that finishes.
NPTEL: Project Management (IIT Kanpur) · CourseWhat it will demonstrate, stated before it starts
The result should be something you can show and someone else can judge. A project whose outcome is a better understanding of the area has no way to succeed or fail.
NPTEL: Research Methodology (IIT Madras) · CourseNovelty against usefulness, and neither being required
A capstone does not have to be new to the world. Rebuilding something known, properly and with evidence, is a legitimate project, and it is usually a better one than an original idea half attempted.
NPTEL: Research Methodology (IIT Madras) · CourseThe literature and prior art check, done early
An hour spent finding out what already exists changes most project proposals for the better. It also prevents the discovery, in the final week, that the problem was solved and published years ago.
NPTEL: Research Methodology (IIT Madras) · CourseA plan against a real calendar, with milestones
Dates, not durations, and milestones that are demonstrable rather than proportions complete. Ninety per cent done is an assertion nobody can check; a working subsystem on a date is not.
NPTEL: Project Management (IIT Kanpur) · CourseThe proposal document, and what a supervisor reads it for
Problem, why it matters, what will be built, how it will be judged, the plan, and the risks. A supervisor is checking whether it is feasible and assessable, and both should be visible on one page.
NPTEL: Technical Communication for Engineers (IIT Roorkee) · Course
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