projectRatings

We rated the projects by secret ballot on each of a number of attributes. Note that most of the attributes don't have simple good/bad semantics - there are reasons for and against choosing an easy project. The fact that one will be used by lots of people and another might provide proof of concept for just one does not make one better than the other. Some of course do equate to good/bad - for example "is this fun?".

Note too that these are the opinions of prospective software engineers, not experienced managers.

After we collected this information we talked about it, hoping that some consensus about the least desirable project would emerge, since a formal vote seemed inappropriate. But none did.

So we proceeded to provide individual first and second choices to see what pattern might emerge. The results showed that the only way in which everyone could get one of his or her choices was to drop Forensic Botany. So we did.

Then after a sequence of simulated job interviews followed by lots of juggling of index cards to meet student preferences, balance teams and provide each team with the skills needed to get the job done, we arrived at the following arrangement. The teams are listed alphabetically, with team leader starred*

Breast cancer oncology:
- Xuedong Chen
- Kimmy Lin*
- Heri Mariwa
- Rui Yu
Managing medical data:
- Suparna Agnihotri
- Ashok Kumar Devineni
- Shaila Gadge*
- Salini Panchumarthi
Molecular genetics explorer:
- Ruchi Dubey*
- Pradeep Kadiyala
- David Portman
- Namita Singla

Teaching kids to type:

Subha Kannath
Sang-joon Kim
Rami Nabulsi*
Yan Zheng

Analysis

Is the project feasible? Is there some reasonable subset of the scope that we think we can actually do in the time allotted?

yes
maybe
no

managing medical data 12
1

forensic botany 10
4

teaching kids to type 4
9
1

virtual genetics and biochemistry 8
6

breast oncology graphics 8
5
1

Would this project be fun/interesting to work on?

yes
maybe
no

managing medical data 6
6
2

forensic botany 7
6
1

teaching kids to type 7
6
1

virtual genetics and biochemistry
8
4
1

breast oncology graphics 10
2
2

Would the product be used after we finished it?

yes
maybe
no

managing medical data 11
3

forensic botany 8
6

teaching kids to type 8
6

virtual genetics and biochemistry 9
5

breast oncology graphics 4
10

How difficult is the project?

hard OK
easy

managing medical data
8
6

forensic botany 3
9
2

teaching kids to type 9
5

virtual genetics and biochemistry 4
8
2

breast oncology graphics 10
4

Would you learn from this project?

yes
maybe
no

managing medical data 7
6
1

forensic botany 11
3

teaching kids to type 10
3
1

virtual genetics and biochemistry 11
3

breast oncology graphics 14

Are you willing to work on this project? (Parenthesized values when maybe is disallowed.)

yes
maybe
no

managing medical data 7(9)
4
3(6)

forensic botany 3(5)
8
3(9)

teaching kids to type 3(6)
6
5(8)

virtual genetics and biochemistry 4(8)
8
2(6)

breast oncology graphics 7(8)
5
2(6)

	yes	maybe	no
managing medical data	12	1
forensic botany	10	4
teaching kids to type	4	9	1
virtual genetics and biochemistry	8	6
breast oncology graphics	8	5	1

	hard	OK	easy
managing medical data		8	6
forensic botany	3	9	2
teaching kids to type	9	5
virtual genetics and biochemistry	4	8	2
breast oncology graphics	10	4

	yes	maybe	no
managing medical data	7(9)	4	3(6)
forensic botany	3(5)	8	3(9)
teaching kids to type	3(6)	6	5(8)
virtual genetics and biochemistry	4(8)	8	2(6)
breast oncology graphics	7(8)	5	2(6)