Evaluation against Specification

How long have I got for this section? Due in: 7/3/07
How many marks is this bit worth? 4
How many pages should it occupy? Maximum 3

Look through your specification. It will contain a list of things that you wanted your project to do way back last October. Re-write the sub-headings (Function, Shape & Form, Ergonomics etc) and now compare what you have made with what you said you were going to make.

Don’t be too harsh on yourself. This isn’t Ricky Lake so don’t confess how awful your project is! Use positive statements like, ‘ If I had used my time better, I would have spent a greater proportion of it ensuring that the surfaces were smooth before painting’.

Don’t use simple statements, yes/no answers.
‘My product is safe’ does not sound as convincing as
‘My product uses a low voltage power supply and the electronics are sealed within a secure compartment’.

If you can provide evidence, in the form of a photograph, even better.

By all means mention the materials, components, tools and equipment that you have used as a means of explaining where things haven’t quite gone to plan or turned out as you hoped they would.
‘I wanted my product to fit into a space no greater than 120mm x 150mm x 50mm but, unfortunately, because of the size of the circuit (something I had little control over) and the battery pack required to power the components that were available to me, it ended up exceeding this specification criteria’.
Or
‘The finished quality of my product was restricted by using the vacuum former and not having the specialist tools to cut out the vacuum formed shape from the plastic sheet’.
This is also an opportunity to state how batch producing further products might turn out differently (better) because of lessons learned when constructing your prototype.

You must produce a full cost analysis. This must be based upon the cost of the electronic components that you used (not just the ones that you ordered) and the materials that you used, too. Material costs can be calculated using the ‘Cost Calculator’ spreadsheet (also available in ‘Exchange’, ‘Design & Technology’, ‘Year 10’). Again, you will get credit for acknowledging that purchasing components in bulk would reduce the cost.

Look through your original specification and state how well your project meets the different criteria.
Provide photographic evidence, if possible.
Comment on how well you used the resources (materials, tools, equipment) that were available to you when making your project. What worked well, what hampered your progress.