Great Strides with PLC and Interim Report Completion
This has been another very busy week for the team. After the focus on project management last week, it was important that attention returned to the technical aspects. In addition, the interim report was due today and a number of final changes were required during the week prior to submission.
It was now Elizabeth's turn in charge as project manager and this brought the introduction of a new management style to the team. In particular, organisation has been key based on the outcome of the Quality Stand-Down Day with a strict project management schedule to adhere to. Jamie has taken over as the project planner during Elizabeth's time as leader to give an even distribution of tasks. Knowledge exchange meetings have taken place to ensure a smooth transition and at first glance this has been successful. This week saw the day of what can be described as the team's most effective breakthrough in the PLC programming. The new team structure coupled with a relentless desire to complete this task has brought forth a signifcant push in the PLC side of the project. The team has now applied various combinations of logic to the virtual factory, transforming the simulation into an event based process. It is hoped that by the end of the coming week, with the introduction of additional logic, the initial virtual factory with PLC program can be completed.
Although the PLC programming has made great strides, the team feel that the most significant achievement this week has been the completion of the interim report, a fifteen-page document detaling the progress of the group to date. Week 9 has proved to be one of the most challenging but productive weeks to date for SPEAR. Team morale at the beginning of the week was low due to the looming interim deadline, although through excellent organisation, interaction and team dyamic, spirits were boosted and the team finished the week on a high.
