Professional Practice Skills
PPS 2: Goals and
Assessment
(Adapted from MPS-3, Don Woods 1998)
Pre-class assignment
What is It?
Goals are desired results. Goals should be unambiguous and stated in
terms of measurable criteria. Assessment
is the comparison of the measured result to the specified criteria.
New Concepts
Goal,
Assessment, Sub goals, Objectives
Why Do It?
A good
engineering drawing is the simplest example of an unambiguously defined goal with clearly measurable
criteria. If the vendor gives you a part
that meets the print specification, they have achieved the goal. Inspection of the part, which usually
involves measurement of dimensions and material characteristics, constitutes
the assessment. Without clear criteria, clear assessment is
impossible.
Unfortunately,
most goals given to the engineer are stated much more ambiguously (“We want
this part to be cheaper”), and the engineer must define the goal and clarify
the criteria.
You may
also have the responsibility of evaluating employee performance (assessment) in your role as project
manager. This is a difficult task for
everyone, but much easier with clearly defined goals and measurable criteria.
How to Do It
Often you
will start with a goal that is a general statement of what you want. Rose-Hulman’s goal of “Being the best
undergraduate school of science, math, and engineering” is like that. It is a noble and ambitious goal but needs
specific unambiguous, measurable sub goals (some use the term objectives).
Our
objectives or sub goals should be specific
and measurable. One such sub goal or
objective could be to “Be named No. 1 in the US News and World Report Survey on
Colleges”. Another could be to have the
highest average entering freshmen SAT score in the
In
developing design goals, we often use quantitative
goals. Suppose we are asked to redesign
an icemaker to “be cheaper”. “Cheaper”
could be stated as costing no more than $20..
“Cheaper” could be also quantified by saying “The new design should cost
at least 15% less than the old design.
Focus on results rather than actions. If you were trying to get thinner, you may
say that you goal is to eat less and exercise more. Those actions may indeed be the means to the
end, but they are not the goal. Better
statements of goal may include “Weigh 20 lbs less” or “Reduce waist diameter by
4 inches”. Statement of goals as results
opens up alternatives in what actions lead to the goal. Perhaps you can skip the exercise and go
straight to surgery.
With
technical goals, a focus on results is also preferred. The ANSI drawing standards for a hole used to
allow the statement “Drill Hole 1.00 inch diameter”. Now, the standard says to just state the hole
size without constraining the manufacturing method.
Use of
specific standards such as the ANSI
drawing standard can make defining measurable objectives easier. In the Rose example, US News is a type of
standard. For the icemaker, UL
certification could be a specific objective.
Finally, some
people use the SMART acronym for
setting goals or objectives. In that
nomenclature, a goal should be
In this
unit we will concentrate on the first two.
The last three are particularly relevant for addressing business or
personal goals.
Learning Objectives
You should
be able to:
In-Class
Exercise 1 (3
min.): As part of a small group, consider the following goals. Determine if they are unambiguous and
measurable.
Goal:
·
A
child should not be able to open the pill bottle.
·
To
really understand calculus.
·
To
determine the heaviest of five bowling balls.
·
To
run faster.
·
To
eat three McDonalds Quarter pound hamburgers in three minutes.
·
To
run a
Exercise 2 (3
min.): As part of a small group, rewrite two of the ambiguous goals from Exercise
1 to make them unambiguous and measurable.
Exercise 3 (4min):
As part of a small group, determine how you would set up a competition to
determine who in the class is the fastest writer.
Exercise 4 (6
min): As part of a small group, select one of the numbered goals in the
following example, state if it is unambiguous and measurable, and, if not,
write down suggested modifications. Note
that this is not about values. It doesn’t
matter if you think this is a good or bad goal.
Only concern yourself with ambiguity and measurability.
PPS-2 Assessment
Assignment 1
A company
for which you would like to work has asked you to submit an application. From their literature you know that they want
engineers who can a) manage a project independently and b) work cooperatively
with others.
Write a cover
letter in which you present evidence from your own life that you have met those
goals. This is a case where you don’t
get to define or refine the goal, but need to develop specific evidence to show
an independent observer that you have met those goals (assessment).
Write the
letter to
Ms. I.M.
Sincere, Director Human Resources
Engineering
Teams Inc.
Your first
paragraph can read “I am writing to apply for a position in your Engineering
Start summer internship program. I see
from you literature that you are looking for engineers who can a) manage a
project, and b) work cooperatively with others.” And then describe how you meet
those objectives. This will be evidence
from your life, not from you imaginary friend.
Evaluation:
You will be
scored in two areas, Writing and Quality of Assessment
Quality of Assessment:
Excellent (10): Assessment is specific, quantitative and
clearly relates to the criteria (e.g. independent project management). Example: “In my Eagle Scout project, I
proposed a plan to the city parks department, coordinated with the city
forester, and then planted 25 new trees in a park. I maintained them for one
year with only two of the trees needing to be replaced.”
Mediocre:(5) Assessment is vague, and reader has to make assumptions. Example: “I ran a Lawn Service in the summer.” This could mean your parents made you mow the
lawn. It would be improved by stating
that you were “responsible for mowing, trimming and edging n different
residential lawns for x months. I
recruited customers, estimated costs, performed the work, and collected the
fees.
Weak:(0) “I am a very hard worker who can manage projects and has had
lots of experience with projects”. The
reviewer will conclude that you have CDD (clue deficit disorder) and burn your
resume.
Writing
Excellent (10): Neat, mistake free (spelling, punctuation,
grammar, etc.) with clear topic sentences followed by supporting
sentences. One paragraph per topic.
Mediocre:(5) Two mistakes. Missing topic sentence(s), two concepts per
paragraph.
Weak:(0) More than two structural mistakes. Everything shoved into one paragraph.
PPS-2 Goals
Assignment 2 Engineering Drawing
From the
sketch and description below, make a fully dimensioned and specified detail
drawing that could be sent to a job shop for fabrication.
Evaluation
(10 pts) All necessary dimensions are present, with no over-dimensioning
(4 pts) All the dimensions are measurable with commonly available
inspection equipment.
(2 pts) The material is stated clearly and unambiguously.
(8 pts) Who, What, Where, and When are clearly indicated on the title
block.
(2 pts) Consistent with ANSI drawing standard.
PPS-2 Assessment
Assignment 3 Engineering Drawing
Determine
if a particular object meets the requirements of the engineering detail
drawing. Use the available equipment to
measure the dimensions of the hardware, then compare those dimensions with the
dimensions on the print.
Given: An engineering drawing, a part that is
supposed to be made to that drawing, and measurement equipment (calipers,
micrometers, etc.)
Task:
For each
dimension on the drawing, measure the corresponding feature on the part.
Compare
each measurement and note any dimensions that are out of specification
Evaluation:
You will be
graded on how closely your assessment agrees with that of the instructor
Excellent (10): All print dimensions are measured and recorded. Each measured dimension that is not within
spec is noted. Agreement between
instructor and student is within the inherent accuracy of the measuring device
multiplied by a factor of three. (e.g.
If a micrometer is accurate to 0.001 in, the agreement must be within 0.003)
Mediocre:(5) Some dimensions not measured.
Several dimensions disagree with instructor’s measurement
Weak:(0) Many measurements missing or inaccurate.
PPS-2 Goals
and Assessment
Assignment 4: Personal Goal
Select some
personal goal for your life that is reasonably attainable within one month.
Part 1 -Turn in a memo that
Evaluation:
You will be
scored in two areas, Writing and Quality of Assessment
Clarity of Goals:
Excellent (10): All sub goals or objectives were unambiguous
and measurable.
Mediocre:(5) Some sub goals or objectives were ambiguous or not measurable.
Weak:(0) Goals were primarily ambiguous and un measurable
Writing
Excellent (10): Neat, mistake free (spelling, punctuation,
grammar, etc.) Clear memo format with To, From, Date, Subject. One page or less.
Mediocre:(5) Poor format with grammar/structure errors.
Weak:(0) Several mistakes and/or missing format.
Part 2 - In one month, turn in a second memo
that
Evaluation:
You will be
scored in two areas, Writing and Quality of Assessment
Quality of Assessment:
Excellent (10): Evidence is specific, concrete, and clearly relates
to the criteria.
Mediocre:(5) Evidence is partly specific, but has vague aspects and/or is not
directly related to the criteria
Weak:(0) Evidence is all vague, missing, and/or unrelated to the
criteria
Writing
Excellent (10): Neat, mistake free (spelling, punctuation,
grammar, etc.) Clear memo format with To, From, Date, Subject. One page or less.
Mediocre:(5) Poor format with grammar/structure errors.
Weak:(0) Several mistakes and/or missing format.
Goals and Assessment Feedback Form
Name _______________________
1.
At
the outset of this unit, place a “B” in each category of the chart to indicate your self assessment
of your initial, or baseline skill level.
2.
At
the end of the unit place an “A” in each category of the chart to indicate your
self assessment of your skill level after practicing the skill. Be prepared to provide documentation for your
assessment.
|
Novices (less successful) |
Beginner (Need lots more practice) (1-2) |
Good Start (some progress, but could do
better) (3-4) |
Getting There (5-6) |
Almost There (just a
little more practice) (7-8) |
Expert (9-10) |
Experts (more successful) |
|
Goals are
stated as actions |
|
|
|
|
|
Goals are
stated in terms of results |
|
Goals are
not measurable |
|
|
|
|
|
Goals are
observable and measurable |
|
Goals are
vague and subject to interpretation |
|
|
|
|
|
Goals are
clear and unambiguous |
Reflection
(after
completion of the unit)
What did I
learn from this?
Which of
the skills do I do pretty well? (List
Evidence)
Which skills could use some work?
(List Evidence)
Possible In class Example
Modify the following goals to make them unambiguous and
measurable.
Want a hole such that one inch diameter shaft will fit in
it.