Group Problem Solving

Principles -

• Dont jump to solutions bedfore defining the problem.
• solve problems close to the source
• attend to the interests of all stake holders
• Team-based knowledge driving systems change

Skills-

• Brainstorming
• faciliation
• Process improvement

Brainstorming Guidelines-

• Identify a recorder and facilitator (can be the same person)
  Clarify the issue or question
• If appropriate, first generate ideas individually on paper
• Begin recording ideas from the group --sequentially or otherwise
• Encourage “piggy-backing” and “wild or crazy” ideas
• Discourage criticism or judgmental comments
  
• Push past “the pause”
• Cluster before you prioritize

A Process Improvement Model

Aim (The aim of the process --How are things supposed to happen?)
Reality (How do things actually happen?)
Root Causes (What would account for any gaps between the aim and reality?)
Improvement Options (What are options that might help close the gap?)
Value-added Implementation (Of the many options, which ones will add value? How would they be implemented?)
Evaluation and Continuous Improvement (What are the criteria for success? What is the evaluation plan? What mechanisms will help ensure continuous improvement?)
Source: Valuable Disconnects by Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld and Kevin Ford

Week 15

Monday- Victoria Day

Tuesday - Wasn't Absent.

Wednesday- I had to write the test today and then i had to continue my research for my crane project. i had to put all of the information into a slide show with a minimum of fifteen slides. I did not finish that today, i will have to conitinue it tommorrow

Thursday - Today i finished my slideshow with my reasearch on Tower Cranes. I will next have to start my individual AutoCad drawing of my tower crane plan. This project is going to be fun.

Friday - Today we continued to work on AutoCad, i came up with my own design using Ibeams. My design i think will be very succesfull i did not finish my full box yet. I will have to finish it on monday.

Crane Research

• Large anchor bolts embedded deep into this pad support the base of the crane. cranes are essentially bolted to the ground to ensure their stability
• The crane cannot lift that much of weight if load is at the end of the jib. the closer the loads is positioned to the mast the more weight the crance can lift saftley.
  
• The tower crane is a modern form of balance crane. Fixed to the ground (or “jacked up” and supported by the structure as the structure is being built), tower cranes often give the best combination of height and lifting capacity and are used in the construction of tall buildings. To save space and to provide stability the vertical part of the crane is often braced onto the completed structure which is normally the concrete lift shaft in the center of the building. A horizontal boom is balanced asymmetrically across the top of the tower. Its short arm carries a counterweight of concrete blocks, and its long arm carries the lifting gear. The crane operator either sits in a cabin at the top of the tower or controls the crane by radio remote control from the ground, usually standing near the load. In the first case the operator’s cabin is located at the top of the tower just below the horizontal boom. The boom is mounted on a slewing bearing and is rotated by means of a slewing motor. The lifting hook is operated by a system of sheaves.

• In order for a crane to be stable, the sum of all moments about any point such as the base of the crane must equate to zero. In practice, the magnitude of load that is permitted to be lifted the “is some value less than the load that will cause the crane to tip.
  
  

The Engineering Design Process

Elements of the Design Project :

• Problem identification
• Research Phase
• Requirements Specification
• Concept Generation
• Design Phase
• Prototyping Phase
• System Integration
• Maintenance Phase

Needs Identification:

What is the problem ?

• Collect Information
• Interpret information
• Organize needs hierarchy
• Determine relative importance of needs
• Review outcomes and process

Examples: Need: Drivers have difficulty seeing obstructions in all directions

Objective: Design system to avoid accidents.

Concept Generation and Evalution:

• Explore Many Solutions - Brainstorm
• Select the Best Solution - based on needs and constraints
• Creativity- Development of new ideas
• Innovation - Bringing creative ideas to reality.

Concept Generation:

• Substitue
• Combine
• Adapt
• Modify
• Put to other use
• Eliminate
• Rearrange or reverse

Decision Making Guidelines:

• Decision by authority(leader)
• Expert Member
• Average Member Opinion
• Majority
• Consensus

Project Management:

• Work to be done
• Timeframe
• Rescources Needed
• Responsible Person
• Previous dependent activities
• Checkpoints/Deliverables for monitoring progress

Architectural AutoCad Quizzes

Cross Hatch Symbols

Sectional Drawing Test Review

Part Drawing -> detail drawings completley describe a single part or orthographic projection.Provides all information necessary.

Assembly Drawings -> used to show the position and functional relationship parts in an assembly.
They have no dimensions.

Section Views ->are used to clarify internal detail and to avoid dimensioning to hidden lines. They are established by refrencing a cutting plane. They depict the exact location on the part from which the section view will be projected, and should have associated arrowheads, indication the direction from which the section view will be observed. Cutting planes are constructed as an integral feature of the parent view, and cutting plane arrowheas always indicate the direction for the observers line of sight.

Cross Hatching -> a repeating graohic pattern which is applied throughout all areas of the part that would be in contact with the cutting plane. . The recommended angle for the standard cross hatch patter is 45,30,60 degress horizontal.

Half Sections -> views are the result of cutting planes being positioned on parts in such a manner that only half of the resulting view or projection is show in section. Used on objects of symmetry.

Offset Sections-> allows us to provide greater breadth of detail with fewer section views. all of the features are aligned with the cutting plane.

Week 14

Monday - Today we opened our blogs for Mr.D to mark to check our progress this year. He made sure we were doing our journals. And then we watched the structural view of the twin towers and 911. We watched it to learn about the planning in building something for our next project where we have to build a crane out of popsicle sticks. This movie was very interesting.

Tuesday - Today we did a note on sectional drawings, then we had to make sure our logs where up to date with everything loaded onto them and all of our journals done.

Wednesday- Today we did three quizzes in chapter 8 on Architectural drawings for Auto Cad. We did them for review for our test tommorrow. If we do not have the test tommorrow we will be having it on tuesday after Victoria Day. After that we got our crane project and i searched collapsing cranes on youtube.com.

Thursday - Today was dress down day. We did a note on engineering and its whole purpose was to guide us along in our Crane Project. Then after that we had to do research for our crane project. We had to research different ideas and information on how a crane works

Friday - Today I was at Skills Canada

Control Bracket Auto Cad Drawing

Week 13

Monday - Today i did seven orthographic drawings. I had to find the missing view and then go from orthagraphic to pictorial. These worksheets where college/university, and they were challenging however when we took them up i got them all right, however i sometimes forgot to put in hidden lines.

Tuesday- Today I handed in my orthographic drawings with the corrections done to them. Then we got our final cad drawing, and it seems challenging. We have to do a control bracket. First i started with the grid then did the limits to 150,200. They seem reasonable. Then i started the front view however I am not finished just yet.

Wednesday- Today i continued my final Cad Drawing i did the right side view and the top view. It was very challenging because we had to learn new commanads to make a hexagon. Which was "poly". I will have to add all of my dimensions and hidden lines tommorrow.

Thursday - Today i added the hidden lines to my Final Cad drawing, i still have to add the ceneter lines and the dimensions then i will be done.

Friday - Today i finished up my Final Autocad drawing. this drawing was harder then most of the other ones we have done

Vertical Brace AutoCad Drawing

Week 12

Monday - started to do our own drawings. Orthographic, we had to figure out the top front view drawing the top view and the right view. And then we had to open it on AutoCad and set up our grid or limits and our dimscale.

Tuesday - Today we learned more about orthographic drawings. Then we continued on the AutoCad orhtographic drawings. Today i only started the second piece which is the right view. I will soon have to add then hidden lines and the dimensions , and then post it onto blogger.

Wednesday- Today i continued to work on my vertical brace in AutoCad. I finished the drawing and then had to finish the measurements because they where on the right view instead of the front view. I then had to change the spacing of how far the views were from eachother. After that i had to change my limits because my right side view was going off the page.

Thursday- Today i put my vertical brace onto paper in AutoCad and uploaded it onto blogger, then i updated my journal from yesterday. After this i was done all of my assignments.

Friday - Was not present, was in Toronto at OCAD