PICS Design Review Evaluation Form - Guidelines for Reviewers

Thank you again for your participation in the EPICS Design Reviews.

General information

  • Please complete a separate evaluation form for each of the different projects on a team.
  • Feedback for virtual reviews is done via MS Forms. A link will be provided in the review.
  • For in-person reviews completed evaluation forms should be given to the teams’ advisor, TAs, or returned to the boxes in the presentation room.
  • Feedback is shared with the teams to help improve their projects and design and communication skills.
  • Please talk to Andrew Pierce if you have any questions about the process.

The team should identify the type of review they will be conducting with their project:

Project

  • Typically made in the first semester of a project.
  • Teams should have completed a “Project Charter” which identifies the need and stakeholders of the project.
  • The team should be working on or have completed project specifications and have considered some conceptual designs.

Design

  • Conducted from the first semester of the project until it is ready for delivery. Teams should focus on work completed since the last design review.

Delivery

  • Conducted in the semester that project is to be delivered. As a reviewer, give feedback on whether you feel a project is ready to be delivered. The final approval for delivery is made by the EPICS advisors and administrators. Your review is advisory in nature only and does not imply any liability on your part.

Quality of design or concept

  • Rate the overall quality of the design or concept given its stage in the design process. Please comment on any issues relevant to the design or concept quality. The questions provide prompts for the types of issues that might be addressed in the comments.
  • Note that many of the projects that you will be evaluating are not completed, so your assessment of the items related to “project quality” should indicate whether the design is progressing appropriately (“on track”) to achieve a quality solution in the area being evaluated. If you have concerns about the approach that is being pursued, then the item would not be “on track.” Likewise, if an area has not been explored in sufficient detail for the current phase of the design, then it would not be “on track.”
  • Note that your assessment of the safety ideas is not to be considered a professional and thorough evaluation of the safety, but one opportunity to identify potential safety items.

Design process

  • Rate and provide comments on the project team’s demonstration of the design process as appropriate for the current design phase and the decision-making processes of the team.

Ability of the designers to explain the project and answer questions

  • Rate and provide comments on the designer’s ability to explain the project and answer questions.
    • Did they provide sufficient information on the context and the scope of the project?
    • Were they able to address questions appropriately?

Quality of the documentation and presentation

  • Rate the quality of both the written design review documentation and the presentation.
  • Comment on any issues related to completeness, effectiveness, and/or clarity.
  • Comments provide very valuable feedback. Please include comments to help the students improve.