CSE 403, Spring 2009
Assignment #1: Project Proposal Presentation

Due: Thursday, April 2, 2009, 7:30 AM (before class)
Presentations: in class, Thu Apr 2 and Fri Apr 3
Voting: Fri Apr 3, by 8pm

A wealthy software entrepreneur is looking for ideas for new software products, and has enlisted the help of the CSE 403 staff. Your job is to pitch your idea in hopes of getting funded. You will also be pitching your idea to other team members, trying to attract them to your project. A project proposal like this is sometimes called a Lifecycle Objectives or “LCO” document.

This assignment must be completed in groups of 2 or 3. Use the course bulletin board to find partners if you need them. Place all partners' names and UW netids atop your documents.

You are allowed to propose whatever project you like. Here are some recommended constraints.

• A project should have some connection to the real world. For instance, a traditional video game like Pac-man is not a good choice. (Your project might have some game-like components, but most projects will not.) The best projects will satisfy someone's need for automation — maybe even your own.
• The project must involve use of substantial existing components or frameworks — not just standard libraries such as the Java JDK. We are not looking for standalone libraries or self-contained command-line applications. (This is not a very difficult constraint; to build interesting applications requires making use of existing software rather than starting over from scratch.)
• The project must be able to be installed and run on CSE computers such as the undergraduate lab. Please let us know of any new software that you think you might need installed; in many cases this can be installed, within reason.
• This must be a new project for this class. For instance, you could create a new plugin or application for some existing software, but not merely create version 2 of something that you or others have built in the past. Furthermore, you may not receive monetary compensation or credit in another course for working on this project (no double-dipping).
• The project should be of suitable size and scope for to be completed (including design, testing, and documentation) in one term; not much more or less.

You will produce two deliverables for this assignment:

• a 1-2 page document
• a presentation consisting of 1-3 slides

The two deliverables should address similar issues, though they should do so in different ways, since different formats demand different ways of conveying the same information. Some of the points you should address include the following. This is not an exhaustive list; we expect you to think in this class, not just follow outlines that are provided you you.

• What is the project?
• Why is this project compelling (and worth developing)? What problem does it solve? What alternatives are available today?
• What is interesting about this project from a technical point of view?
• What do you anticipate will be the biggest risks or problems that you encounter during the project?
• (Optional) What tools might you use to complete this project?

You will submit both deliverables electronically, in PDF, before section. Each deliverable should include at least one figure or diagram (possibly the same, possibly different).

You will present your LCO material to the class. All group members must participate in some way in the presentation. You should practice your presentation ahead of time. You will have a time limit of 3 minutes, strictly enforced. Taking less than 3 minutes is perfectly OK; padding out your presentation to 3 minutes is not.

The audience will be asked to rate your presentation and its content. Everyone will then have the opportunity to review the material and vote on the projects they feel most compelling and feasible, and that they would most like to work on. (The staff will try to accommodate your wishes, both regarding projects and partners, but just as in the real world, you don't always get your first choice.)

Some projects will not go beyond the presentation stage, and others will be staffed and actually implemented. At that point, we will reorganize you into larger teams to actually build those products. Your grade is not based upon whether your project is chosen (by other students or by the course staff) to be implemented. Rather, your grade is based on the quality of your materials and your presentation.

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Changelog

4/1/2009: Changed turnin format: PDF only. Changed due date to be 1 hour earlier (now 7:30am) to allow staff time to collate the assignments. Clarified that 3 minutes for the presentation is an upper bound, not a requirement. Made some other minor clarifications that do not change the assignment.

4/1/2009: The project must be able to run on department computers. (You will suffer no loss of credit on your proposal if it can't, but such projects won't be selected for continuing.)

4/1/2009: Please include the UW netids as well as names of all group members at the top of all assignments.