Capstone Project Collaboration Checklist

Several criteria are required for successful collaboration between OSE and University Capstone Projects and other collaborators. (OSE and Collaborator from here onwards.)

1. Principle of dogfooding - the developers must have a direct and first hand interest in developing a technology. The technology cannot simply be developed for others or as a product for sale, without the User being the Developer on the Collaborator's side.

These are the requirements for a successful Collaboration:

1. Project Manager. The Project Manager is responsible for guiding the progress of a Capstone Project through its phases of development. Permanent staff, advisor, or liaison must be available to interface between OSE and the Capstone Project.
2. OSE's provides technology review upon milestones being met, and OSE is involved in the Final Project Presentation.
3. The role of OSE is to provide specifications for a product, and for the Capstone Project to follow the specifications.
4. Along the lines of the Principle of Dogfooding - The Direct Stakeholder must be involved in the design discussions, and must not be merely a beneficiary or consumer of the technology that is being developed.
5. A continuity plan must exist for subsequent iterations on the to occur based on the development, as opposed to producing a single iteration. OSE does not have the resources to continue direct development on all Capstone collaboration. The Capstone must come to the table with a continuity plan for carrying on further iterations towards product release.
6. Conditions of Satisfaction must be pre-defined, and agreement must be obtained on these Conditions prior to a collaboration taking place.
7. For communications purposes, a Capstone collaboration is official once a Memorandum of Understanding is achieved.

Conditions of Satisfaction

• Project Charter - roles and responsibilities of contributors
• Specification of Effort requirement (Commitment) on the part of the Collaborator, Project Manager, and OSE
• Specifications of Outcomes with specific Metrics for each outcome
• Scope of Work - what is included and what isn't
• Metrics - how outcomes will be measured

Project Phases

Phases of a collaboration are:

1. Agreement on Process
2. Clarifying the Scope of Work
3. Making Commitments and defining a budget
4. Setting Milestones and Timeline
5. Defining Metrics