College of Computing Sciences

Progress Report on Senior Project Capstone Courses:Senior Project Capstone Courses:

Prepared by  

Osama EljabiriOsama Eljabiri Director of

Senior Project Capstone Courses

Presented to the OWASP meeting Jan 30th, 2006

The Capstone Experience Started in Fall 2002 Offers a very unique real world

educational experience to NJIT students. Mandates that all seniors majoring in

CS, IS and IT complete a semester-long project. 

Evolved recently to offer access to university-wide human resources including students from :

Five university colleges Graduate students Senior high school students

The Capstone Experience Working in teams of four to six Interdisciplinary student teams analyze,

design and implement software and other IT-driven solutions in collaboration with project stakeholders. 

In addition to in-class training, market-driven capstone Open University sessions, in-class training and evolutionary presentation sessions, each student is expected to spend approximately nine hours a week on the project, and many of them travel to their sponsor companies.

The Capstone Experience The projects deal with different business problems

and applications, from entertainment, finance, health care, education and public sector needs. 

One recurring participant, the CIT Group, a Fortune 500 commercial and consumer finance company, has saved  "hundreds of thousands of dollars" by having NJIT students design and implement a database which CIT uses to comply with rigorous auditing rules mandated under a new federal law.    

Best of all the service is currently provided FREE to our corporate sponsors, though if you are pleased with the results we ask you to consider making a donation to NJIT.  

We also offer other modes and models for more demanding and complex projects.  

The Capstone Experience

If you have a non mission-critical project you have been thinking about doing, but currently do not have either the budget or time to undertake it, why not let NJIT's Capstone Program do it for you.  

Proposals for our summer and fall 2006 semester are due by April 15th, 2006 as our priority deadline.

Please send an email to oe2@njit.edu (Osama Eljabiri) to request an invitation email that has a link to our online proposal form.

Why makes our capstone experience unique?

Students view sponsors as educators and sponsors view students as partners.

We provide a full team-based problem solving package not a number of interns.

True multidisciplinary team formation Adaptive & agile problem solving process through

evolutionary prototyping (sprints/scrum/FDD) High degree of selectivity in projects, sponsors, project

managers and team formation. Emphasis on project managers and leadership training. Collaborative quantitative evaluation of students progress Open university: our free parallel college to train students on

market driven skills Our unique support team : alumni, sponsors, faculty,

administrators, legal advisors, current students, future students, business communities, government agencies, etc.

Fast career development track Except for legal documents, we are completely paperless. We are a learning organization. We improve every semester We adapt to clients timeframes and human resources needs,

Projects Success RateRated by Sponsors

In the last 70 projects we did: 81% were rated between good and

excellent 40% were rated as outstanding 9 projects were rated average and

only 4 were below average

The Triple Win Multi-Stakeholder Satisfaction Triangle

SeniorProject

CapstoneCourse

STUDENTS

SPONSORS COLLEGE

The First WinnerThe First Winner Students

•Real world exposure and problem solving

•Interaction with professional stakeholders

•New skills mastered and experience acquired .

•Effective usage of education and backgrounds

•Substantial value to their resumes

Industry• Cost effective : Students achieve solutions to business problems free of charge

• Productive : Students provide solutions in a short time frame using rapid application development

• Adaptive and Flexible : Students can do projects from 3-12 credits project (one to four semester projects)

• Effective : Teams combined from 4 majors will use their 4 years of college education plus experience and university resources in

tackling problems

• Comprehensive : Students will provide a complete documentation for the full development process from problem identification to final

implementation

• Measurable and Tangible : Project progress can be easily assessed via biweekly progress reports , biweekly prototypes , biweekly presentations ,

testing methods and statistical analysis

• Result-Driven : Through the sponsor evaluation form , no grade is given without user acceptance and customer satisfaction

The Second Winner

The Second Winner Other Industry Benefits

• Creates an opportunity for evaluating potential hires

• Builds strong ties with the university and faculty that may result into research and consulting benefits to the sponsor in fields of interest.

• Makes the sponsor more visible on and off-campus.

• Involves sponsor in supporting educational efforts for future specialists in area of interest to him.

College and University

• Added-value for all academic courses

• Students become as school performance indicators wherever they go.

• Endless windows of opportunities for research , support and placement for graduates .

• The entire school system becomes more attractive which boosts enrollment rates.

The Third Winner

Example SponsorsFor Spring 2006

NO Sponsor Contact Name Project Title

1 Department of Army (3 Projects)C4ISR - SEC – ITED Dominic Motolla

• Suspense Tracking System• Software Quality Assurance Tool Assessment

•Software Quality Assessment Video Presentation

2 Edentify, Inc. (Project 1) Terrence Defranco Advanced Reporting Module

3Monmouth County Friends of

Clearwater, Inc. Edward Dlugosz Electronic Traveling Environmental Festival (eTEF)

4 Morphos Financial LLC (Project 1) Enrique Nunez Test Environment Infrastructure

5Career Development Services

@NJIT Greg Mass Online Career Development System

6 Johnson and Johnson Ketul Patel Global Supply Chain Management System

7 IMS Health Gail Pecota Data Variation Tag Database

8Homeland Security Technology

Center @ NJIT Bill Marshall Emergency Preparedness System

9 Orthotic Enterprises, LLC. Frank Ferrari Reinventing Orthotics

10

Rational Solutions Corp(R.I.M.S) Milind Shah Brand Recognition Solution

Added-value Community Benefits

Sposnor-Sposnosr Collaboration Open-house Participation Collaboration across teams and across semesters Non-Profit and public service projects NJIT departments projects Commercialization of students ideas Students published empirical research EDC bi-directional support

New Statistics Number of completed projects will reach at least [250] full-

scale projects

A minimum of [300] products or sub-projects carried out by more than 300 teams after 10 semesters

This is an average of 30 products per semester plus CIS490 first-phase teams.

Many of these projects have had multi-phases and some have involved multi-teams

Up to 6 semesters /phases for some large-scale projects. up to 4 teams in some extremely complex or demanding industry-projects .

Key sponsors offer more than one project every semester (CIT provided 14 projects in Spring 2004 alone and Cyberextruder

offered 9 projects in Spring 2003 )

At least 1500 students have participated in the capstone program since Fall 2002 from CS , IS , IT and HCI.

More Facts

Sponsors and projects diversity demonstrate a broad array of interest

Examples : entertainment , finance , health , education , public sector entrepreneurships

Geographical Distribution :These projects came from all round NJ (North , Central and South) , NY or PA . We even had a project from Boston , MA . This expands our reach beyond short-distance businesses.

A number of companies have offered our students excellent support for their careers .

Examples : CIT, Saint Clair health system , Edu-Global , Cyberextruder , All-fine-dining , IMS health

Support forms : Full time employment , part-time employment , internships , rewards , financial support , research support , recommendation letters , direct support calls , software purchase , company resources , certified training , after graduation training.

MethodsAnd

Strategies

Evaluation •Continuous

•Metrics-Based•Collaborative

Interdisciplinary Team structure

Roles and Backgrounds

Well-Defined Plan •Clear Agenda •Standardized

Process

Motivation• Online Feedback

•Competitive environment•Presentations

•Live MentorshipHelp/Support

FacilitatingResources

Leadership Project

Managers

Multi-dimensional Collaboration

•JAD •Value-Based•Long -Term

Productivity•Prototyping

•Iterative Development•RAD

Position Cod

e

Position Job Description/responsibilities Qualifications

01 Project manager In addition to managing the team, project managers will be responsible for project management deliverables including feasibility study.

Should use project management tool (Microsoft Project Manager) to plan project tasks, allocate and mange resources, assign team members to complete tasks, compile team members' weekly time sheets, report task completion and actual hours worked on tasks, prepare periodic reports on project progress.  Receives extra credit when successful.

In addition to the criteria stated in the previous section, background in software economics, process life cycle models and project management techniques is essential.

02 System Analyst System analysts will be responsible for requirements gathering and documentation

(Problem definition, requirements report, DFD’s, process specifications, data dictionary , etc) and coordinating with other team members.

Experience/ background in requirements analysis, requirements elicitation techniques, and project documentation.

03 Back-end designer

0301 Data Base

Designer

Responsible for designing the backend of the system including data structures, entity relation ship models normalization, SQL, normalization, system structure and other architectural models (repository , client-server, abstract machine model , object-oriented design in UML ,etc.)

Experience/ background in DBMS, CASE tools and modeling techniques in software engineering.

0302 Network Designer

04 Front-end designer Responsible for designing the user interface for users (including GUI components , forms , reports , navigation , etc.

Experience/ background in HCI , cognitive psychology , user interface design, user manuals

05 Programmer Implementing the system at the unit level and system level. Testing and Maintaining the system Writing user manual .

Experience in web programming and other programming such as C++ , Visual Basic , Java, and the like)

Testimonials

Testimonials

“We have 50 NJIT student interns who are studying information technology and computer science, working on eight projects. Having them work for us has allowed us to jump ahead in our work.”

Larry Gardner CEO and Founder of Cyberextruder

Testimonials

This was a huge project and required much attention to detail. The team asked the right questions and we very helpful to Arc of Monmouth staff in deciphering what needed to be done. They provided many useful suggestions.

Sarah LoganOffice ManagerThe Arc of Monmouth

Testimonials

I was so impressed with the whole process. I am amazed at how talented, professional and responsive the team was to the project. The group of students that worked on this project quickly understood the scope and was able to deliver the requested tool within a very short period of time. The entire experience was one that I am going to recommend to other managers at IMS.

Marilyn Mahon Group Manager, Quality Assurance IMS Health 100 Campus Road Totowa, NJ 07512 USA

Testimonials

“If I had to pay a consultant to do the work that the NJIT students did for CIT as part of the Capstone Program it would have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars”

“The program gives NJIT students a chance to integrate real world experience into their academic experience, which is invaluable to them and to us.”

Harold OlmsteadVice president of Systems and Technology Services CIT

Testimonials

“The solution for Cocomats created by the group reflected a keen assessment of both the weaknesses of Cocomats and the needs of the Office of Constituent relations “

Ian Thomas Brennan New Jersey Office of the Governor,

Office of Constituent Relations Aide to the Governor

Testimonials

This group was very prompt in implementing suggestions, very professional and timely. Based on the scope of work initially developed, we are very pleased with the results.

Juan Rosario Newark Housing AuthorityActing I.T. Administrator

Testimonials

This group hung in there and were able to work around these problems and move steadfastly through the project. This group communicated well and worked very efficiently. They were always on time for the meetings and handled themselves in a very professional manner. I was very impressed with the work that they did. They fulfilled all of our needs and produced a product that is above and beyond what we expected. Overall all I was pleased and would look forward to participating in

upcoming projects.

Jerri Drakes CEO The Workstation Inc.

Testimonials

Very well diverse group of dynamic individuals with many skills equipped to create a website, write a business plan, business marketing, hard working, and capable of delivering a complete product.

Henri BollPresident Go2Museum.com Inc

Testimonials

As a whole the team preformed extremely well. The direction given by TMS was an outline. The team was able to understand what we were looking for and implement our needs into the finished program.

Sean P McShane PresidentTransportation Made Simple

Testimonials

Jeremy (Jeremy Dela Rosa) has been very accommodating regarding my extremely busy schedule. He has demonstrated a strong ability to learn and adjust throughout this experience. Jeremy performed a terrific job in coordinating the efforts of the team, a task that is very difficult for any leader. He was also able to work well as a liaison between me and the team, ensuring that my requests were communicated properly to all the members. Additionally, as project manager, he was involved in nearly every aspect of the project, and demonstrated a solid understanding of every one of the team’s

Jason HuangProject LeaderHoneywell International Inc

Senior Project CapstoneSenior Project Capstone CourseCourse

What is new?What is new?New Strategies

Adaptable business Modes and Models Four new tracks : - Entrepreneurship track (Restructuring) - Research Track - Education Track - Public Sector (Enhancement) Exploratory and Evolutionary Prototyping Pioneers groups

New CRM

Extensive Sponsor Engagement (in breadth and depth)

Strategic alliances with key Sponsors Capstone Advising Community Showcase Every Semester New marketing channels

Former Students Channel Media Channel Sponsor-Sponsor Channel

New Resources & Educational Benefits

Collaborative training for students Certified Training for Students

(Microsoft, Six Sigma) Fast Career Development for Students Multi-Grant Support (proposal phase)

Our Sponsors

Sponsors Statistics

Initial Collaboration (Pending/Upcoming) 6

Small to Low-medium size companies 23

Small Business ( EDC companies) 14

Small Business (Other Entrepreneurs Companies ) 2

Public Services Organizations 5

University / Educational Institutions 8

Medium Size companies (Company Size estimated) 6

Large Size companies (Company Size estimated) 3

Fortune 500 Companies ( Excluding J&J) 5

Students Professional Organizations or College Advisement 3

Entrepreneurship Track (only success stories - Good to excellent) 6

NJIT faculty or academic departments (Except for one) 10

Total Number of Sponsors (All categories) 91

Companies (with Fortune 500) 60

Companies (excluding Fortune 500) 54

External Sponsorship (Not from NJIT- 2) 70

External Sponsorship (%) 76.9

List of some of our External List of some of our External Sponsors -1-Sponsors -1-

Large Companies Large Companies • McKesson ,Systems & Technology Solutions, Revenue Cycle Mgmt. Services,

Somerset, NJ 08873• CIT @ Livingston , NJ • Scholastic Books Inc., 26 Glen Oaks Ct., Clifton, NJ 07012• AVIS car rental • Recent contacts with UPS and PSE&G for Summer and Fall 2003 projects

Medium-Size Companies Medium-Size Companies • Professional Resources Corporation (PRC) ,8 Twin Lakes Dr Manalapan, NJ 07726 .• Green Roof Suites , 45 River Road, Suite-301, Flemington, NJ 08822• PF Laboratories Inc., Damon G. Douglas CO.,700 Union Blvd., Totowa, NJ 07512

Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs • Wendy’s Fast Food Restaurants (one branch) , 59 Central Avenue , Union , NJ• MGR Enterprises, 421 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001• Heights Service Station, Inc., 70 Glen Ave., Midland Park, NJ 07432• “ Intellinetix “ Inc.,35 Parchment Drive New Hope, PA 18938 • Duet Designer Consignment Boutiqu, 79 S. Livingston Ave, Livingston, NJ 07039• Pomarico Pharmacy, 239 Old Bergen Road, Jersey city,NJ • A-1 Construction Services, Inc. , 33 Sackett St., Jersey City ,  NJ 07304 .• CyberExtruder• DocuMat

List of some of our External List of some of our External Sponsors -2-Sponsors -2-

Educational Institutions Educational Institutions • Newark Public Library ,(973)-733-3607• Rutgers University –New Brunswick, Cook College,

Department of Food Science• Essex County College 303 university ave (IT

department) Newark, 07102, NJ• Torah Academy of Bergen County ,1600 Queen Anne

Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666.• Global Education Mission ,2184 Kennedy ,Boulevard,

Jersey City,  NJ  07305 Federal Organizations Federal Organizations • NSF (National Science Foundation)NSF (National Science Foundation)• NASANASA

National Guard National Guard

No Sponsors Name

1 Web-based Appointment System

2 EMG, Inc.

3 Interclipper / Documat LLC

4 CyberExtruder

5 Educate Global

6 Adeena , LLC

7 Nano Medica

8 LMI Technologies

9 Mask Business Solutions

10 All-fine-dining /Go-To-Museum

11 Workstation

12 Sandbox Technologies

13 Qplay Interactive

14 Geo-Interactive

15 MindPillar LLC

16 4+ Inc

17 Supertron Technologies, Inc.

18Rutgers University - Cook College, Department of Food Science

19 NJIT- Human Resources Department

20 NJIT- Main Library

21St. Philip’s Academy (SPA)

22Rutgers University - Jazz Institute

23 Essex County College

24 Torah Academy of Bergen County

25 NJIT- Research office

26 “ Intellinetix “ Inc.

27 Global Education Mission

28 Entrepreneurship Track :Dr. Roger Cubicciotti (W.Khori)

29 Entrepreneurship Track : Dr. Roger Cubicciotti (Dipesh Patel)

30 Entrepreneurship Track : Dance Online

31 Entrepreneurship Track : Control My home

32 Entrepreneurship Track : ERS (Emergency Recovery system)

33 Entrepreneurship Track : Police Vehicle System

34 McKesson

35 CIT

36 PSE&G

37 Honey Well

38 Bayer

39 J&J

40 Scholastic Books Inc.

41 AVIS car rental

42 Saint Clairs Health System

43 Professional Resources Corporation (PRC)

44 Green Roof Suites

45 PF Laboratories Inc

46 IMS Health

47 The Arc of Monmouth

48 GMS Group LLC.

49 NSF Funded Project - NJIT Faculty-Dr. Bieber

50 NASA Funded - NJIT Faculty -Dr. Bieber

51 WTC Case -NJIT faculty -Dr. Mendonsa

52 AI Systems -NJIT Faculty- Dr. Baltrush

53 The Information Exchange -Dr. Withworth

54 20 Component-Project (Audio system)- Dr. Tremaine

55 Interactive Course Performance Feedback. Dr. lm and Dr. Tremaine

56 IE Department at NJIT (PM :Alb Arasalan)

57 GIS (Geographiic Information systems) with Rutgers

58 High Schools Programming Contest -Dr. Giller

59 Philipino Students Organization (National)

60 Career Development services @ NJIT (Newark City & NJ Services)

61 Newark Public Library

62 Newark Housing Authority

63 National Guard

64 NJ Governor's Office

65 Wendy’s Fast Food Restaurants (one branch)

66 MGR Enterprises

67 Heights Service Station

68 Duet Designer Consignment Boutiqu

69 Pomarico Pharmacy

70 A-1 Construction Services

71 Survey-Sez.com

72 Parts Infinity

73 Joseph N. and Joseph A. Rispoli (Magnabid)

74  Electronic Software Solutions, Inc.

75  RiverWays Enterprises

76 TRANSPORTATION MADE SIMPLE

77 AL Systems

78 DPE Consulting / DPE Enetrpreises , LLC

79 ICG, Inc

80 Movie Plex

81 NJ Rent a Car

82 Mycor Services

83 Cottage Computers

84 LAHMS Capital LLC

85 Visual Web Slutions

86 Kerness Consulting Group LLC

87 IT Initiatives Corporation

88 Clean18.com

89 Tu PC Doctor

90 ACM at NJIT

91 Open Source/Linux at Rutgers

Thank YouThank You