Group 13 - Gate 1: Project Management

Project Management:

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Work Proposal:

Procedure and Tools:

The first step of reverse engineering will require the team to disassemble the engine completely. This will be accomplished by the work completed in the lab, with the proper tools the team will disassemble the motor, documenting step by step the components and parts removed and the different sub-systems within. This procedure will also be accompanied by a thorough documentation and analysis of the dissection. This documentation will include a presentation of the parts and their roles within the system overall. The engine will be disassembled into the smaller sub-systems first, followed by a closer analysis of the components they are made up of. A record of dis-assembly order of operations will be kept to accurately reassembling the motor, and be able to present a detailed explanation of the systems cycle functions.

The basic tools required for the dissection are as shown in Table-A:

Tool Name	Function
General Metric Socket Set	To remove bolts and fasteners.
Allen Keys	Used for removing fasteners and screws.
Puller	For removing components mounted on a shaft.
Basic Screwdriver Set	For removing regular and Philips fasteners.
Torque Wrench	Wrench that meets specific torque (reassembly only).
Piston Ring Compressor	Compresses piston rings for reassembly.
PB Blaster	For ease of removal for seized and rusted hardware.
Snap Ring Removal Tool	To remove secured snap ring fasteners.
Breaker Bar	To increase mechanical advantage on fastener removal.
Rubber Mallet	To loosen pressed components without causing marring effects.

Table A: Tools Required

Schedule:

To successfully accomplish these tasks within the time permitted the team will break down the requirements into a formatted schedule. This organization will provide a “plan of attack,” and provide the group with internal deadlines to meet within the required gates. With a planned schedule and division of the work the group will maintain an understanding of where the progress of the project is and how it is advancing. Although the schedule will need to be modified to accommodate for unexpected hindrances and delays, the schedule will provide basic guidelines to keep the group on track.

The intended schedule of the work and expected due dates has been broken up in the Chart-A below. Expressed in the following Gantt Chart is the intended work schedule for Group 13:

Chart-A: Gantt Chart of proposed schedule.

Management Proposal:

Group Meetings:

Group 13 meets two to three times a week after class, most commonly on Monday and Wednesday. These meetings are intended to include all group members and accomplish overall tasks required by the group. These main general meeting are accompanied by the addition of smaller meetings to address other concerns as the group sees fit. These meeting have been scheduled to meet in, but not limited to, the Capen Library. These meetings divide workloads between appropriate group members and deal with tasks and concerns. The schedule provided in Table B in the previous section displays the intended work expected to be accomplished by the group, this will provide the basic distribution of work and tasks needed to be focused on in these meetings.

Group Members:

The group has been divided into separate positions to further maximize the potential of the groups work towards the required tasks and deadlines. It is intended that the entire group will be contributing in some way to all aspects of the necessary procedure. Though to provide group order and cover all angles, each group member has been given specific responsibilities.

The following table, Table-B shows the group members accompanied by their position, responsibilities and a generalized set of skills, including short comings:

Name	Position	Responsibilities
Timothy Brady	Project Manager	Organizing team meetings and work schedules, and gate requirements. Making sure work is being accomplished and deadlines respected.
Jonathan Berlad	Documentation Manager	To record information regarding dissections and analyses. Incorporate information into the Wiki and make sure it is presented in a professional manner.
Ryan Nelson	Communication Liaison	Group communication and emails, along with, inter Group relations. Provide necessary communication with professor and TAs when needed.
Christopher Ayers	Technical Expert	Providing supervision and direction of disassembly. Information regarding technical analysis of component design and fabrication.
Brandon Phillips	Technical/Communication Support	Will overlook the technical presentation of data and figures compiled by the group. Make sure information is presented in a clear, relevant and organized fashion.

Table B: Group Member Positions.

The group members have been assigned a role and broken down into separate positions based on their given skill and knowledge they are providing for the group. These skills and knowledge specific to the project and tasks required by the group are as follows. Relevant skills along with possible negative aspects have been documented and were used in the selection of member’s respective roles.

The information used is provided in the following Table-C:

Name	Skill Sets	Skill Developments	Addressed Shortcomings
Brady, T.	Superior organization Time management	Knowledge off engines	Bad Communicator Mechanical Knowledge
Berlad, J.	Organization of information and data Technical writing Computer and software knowledge Basic mechanical and automotive experience	Increased knowledge of engines and components. Website construction and management	Procrastinator Verbal communication and public speaking
Nelson, R.	Automotive background Outgoing	Mechanical and engine knowledge	Procrastinator Unorganized
Ayers, C.	Professional engineering experience Extensive automotive knowledge Experienced with CAD and drafting	Mechanical design proposal and presentation Team work	Procrastinator Writing and communication
Phillips, B.	Basic automotive knowledge Word processing Technical data presentation	Skills in AutoCAD and modeling Working in a group	Procrastinator Public speaking and communication Time management

Table C: Group Skill Sets

Group Conflicts:

If a group conflict should occur, it will be handled internally via an emergency meeting by the entire group. This will allow conflicts to be dealt with quickly and allow each member to provide input. Decisions will be decided by a majority vote and only in severe cases will a third party be consulted, for example the professor.

Project Review:

The following review addresses issues that the team faced during the dissection process. At this time we ran into several problems. Some of these problems, we were able to resolve relatively quickly, while other still needed to be addressed. The problems that we encountered made our team deviate from our original product dissection objectives. The troubles that we encountered were handled in a professional manner, while maintaining a steady group work schedule. Specific examples of what we encountered can be seen in Table D:

Quandary Table

Problem	Solution
Did not split up the engine the way we wanted.	Negotiated with other group and compromised a solution so the other group would take the head, pistons, crankshaft, and two of the carburetors. The transmission, crankcase, and two of the carburetors would stay with our group.
Did not have the correct size Allen key for engine head dissection.	Team member acquired necessary tool for separating the cylinder head from the engine, which caused only a slight delay in dissection.
Did not initially collect enough dissection information.	Had to revisit the laboratory to acquire adequate information.
Piston rings initially did not come out of the piston along with being stuck in cylinder number 4 due to insufficient lubrication.	The piston rings needed to be maneuvered and and the piston itself lubricated within the cylinder in order to get it to come out of the cylinder.

Table-D: A representation of the quandaries that needed to be addressed during the product dissection period.

Having dealt with group issues, the group has been able to reach the necessary goals of the project thus far. Looking back at our original management proposal for what we needed to accomplish, we were able to do such things like break down our subsystems in a quick manner, as well as an overall complete and thorough documentation of the dissection process.

Coordination Review

Cause For Corrective Action (Part 1)

This section addresses the internal issues that Group 13 had to deal with during the third portion of the project. At this point in the project Group 13 was working efficiently together, moving smoothly through the gates and following the proposed schedule. Although this initial success was not achieved without overcoming internal and external challenges. The following table, Table-E, contains an overview of the different conflicts Group 13 has dealt with so far:

Group Problems

Problem	Description	Current Status	Proposed Solution	Resolution
Head Dis-assembly	First we did not have the right tools to properly remove the parts of the head, we needed a 10mm Allen key and a specialty tool to remove the valves. We were not able to fully remove the valve components without the proper tools, so we needed to analyze the parts the best we could.	Resolved, by alternate solution.	It was proposed to get the proper tools but Group 13 was not able to acquire them, and could not fully remove the valves with the current tools.	A maintenance manual was acquired so the proper components that could not be removed could still be documented and analyzed for Gate 3.
Limited Time	Group 13 had trouble meeting as a group and accomplishing the necessary work according to the proposed schedule. Other classes and exam dates conflicted with the meeting times that were required for Group 13, members had important exams and outside class work that made it difficult at times to put in the required effort for the gate.	Unresolved	Group 13 needed to be as efficient as possible with the allotted time and because of complications had to divide up work to available members that were free at the time the work needed to be done.	Group 13 is working on dealing with this and there has been no definite solution.
Engine Complexity	The engine was so complex that there were almost countless amounts of components for the varying subsystems.	Resolved	To select the most important and unique components to include in the summary.	The group decided to take the most important and complex components of each subsystem and incorporate them into the component summary. The component were selected based on uniqueness and contribution to the subsystem. In the end, the component list was cut down from around 175 components to just under 100, including only the most important.
Organization	During the dis-assembly of the engine there were so many parts and components to the engine that it became difficult to document them all. There were many parts that went with more than one subsystem, and the division and information became overwhelming at times.	Resolved	It was proposed to go through each component carefully and thoroughly.	In reality there were so many pieces after the dis-assembly that the group had to choose the most important ones and documented them carefully going through each one at a time, taking pictures and recording analysis information.

Table-E: Table E shows the different problems that Group 13 faced during Gate 3, and the status, proposed solutions, as well as the way the problems were dealt with in reality.

Group 13 had many obstacles to over come during the process of Gate 3, but with the proper effort and productivity of group meeting, Group 13 was able to overcome these problems. With the collective effort of the group members the gate was finished in time with a satisfactory level of detail and information.

Cause For Corrective Action (Part 2)

This section summarizes the issues during the final gate of the project. So far group 13 was still working quite efficiently and have all become good friends, making the required work easier with such a compatible team. Although the work of group 13 has been productive, there have been small issues during the remaining gate which needed attention. The following table, Table-F, contains a summary of the different problems that Group 13 has dealt with during the completion of gate four:

Group Problems

Problem	Description	Current Status	Resolution
Broken Fastener	During the reassembly of the Honda engine one of the fasteners was over torqued and sustained a small crack in its threads.	Resolved	The bolt was able to be loosened without any major damage, and was reinserted with a lesser force, not putting as much strain on the bolt. Although the fastener was still able to safely secure the component in which it was intended.
Parts Bag	During the dissection portion of the project, group 13 discovered a plastic bag full of random components left inside the air box of the Honda motor. This bag consisted mostly of bolts and screws which had not been properly secured in the motor in which they were intended. This did not affect the dissection, but during the reassembly group 13 tried to replace the neglected fasteners in their proper positions.	Unresolved	Group 13 replaced what they could find in the motor, noting places they had found which contained missing bolts and other fasteners. But not knowing where they all had initially come from not all of them could be replaced and the bag was left partially full after the reassembly.
Reassembly Issues	During the reassembly we had different groups working on different parts of the reassembly, putting separate subsystems back together. Once they were ready to be mated, certain parts were to hard to connect fully assembled.	Resolved	During the reassembly group 13 was required to disassemble some of the subsystems once again to get them properly fastened during the reassembly. One major example of this was the timing chain. Certain parts of the head and of the crankcase needed to be taken apart to allow the timing chain to be properly seated within the engine.
Time Constraint	Being within the final weeks of the semester, it has been crunch time for everyone in group 13. Because of this it had been harder to get everyone together at specific times to collectivity work on the gate.	Resolved	Group 13 has been meeting in smaller groups and working on portions of the work together when people were able to meet. This has been a successful working strategy so far, and group 13 has been accomplishing the work needed without any major problems.

Table-F: Table F shows the different problems that Group 13 faced during Gate 4, and the status, as well as the way the problems were dealt with internally.

With the gates rapping up and the semester coming to a close, the portion of the project is now finished. Looking back, group 13 has dealt with many issues but has handled them successfully and without an major consequences affecting the functionality of the group.