PSU Capstone Projects

[Mark Grimes]

NedSpacers

A group of PSU students doing some in depth work with your startup as part of their studies over 11 weeks?

Read below, and if 7-8 companies reply directly to me I'll have Bill Jones the PSU capstone facility coordinator come to NedSpace to talk to people about the program in more detail.

We have had over 130 clients in the past two years the program has been in operation with many start-ups and entrepreneurs as clients. As you know the services that we do are entirely free except for the clients engagement time. The projects they do are entirely based on what the client seeks & what can be done w/in the 11 week term.  Since we have seven majors (accounting, finance, marketing, advertising, HR, supply chain, Management/Organization), our project work can be quite varied & tailored to that of the client. 

Below I've posted a brief description of our program that better describes what we do & how we select clients. If you think this program may be of this service to your organization, I would enjoy returning to your location to present.

BA495 PROGRAM IN A NUTSHELL: 

Our BA495 Business Strategy/Capstone Program (course webpage: http://www.pdx.edu/sba/capstone) is an intense 11-week project (Summer Term is 8 weeks) that is offered only to senior business students (roughly 750 business students annually) every term (summer, fall, winter, & spring).  

 

We model our projects as a consultancy and explain to the client that the purpose is for the students to apply their business academic course work (taken over the previous four years) and "test" their core competencies in a "real-world" project with a "real-world" client. We essentially want the students to experience & respond to the same risks and uncertainties that their client faces on a daily basis. The students are not completely on their own, however, as the projects take place under the guidance of the course instructor who often has professional consulting experience & can address the issues that typically occur with consultant projects.

 

Project Elements: 

• Application Process:

• Potential Clients all fill-out & submit a project participation application that provides an overview of the organization, project goals, and project activities & products/deliverables that the client would like to be prepared by the student team.

• Confidentiality:

• Students, faculty, and client all sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to initiating the project. We have an NDA that has been developed by PSU Legal for this purpose.
• We want the students to be aware that the work they are doing may require the exchange of sensitive & confidential information that they must respect and not disclose to others not involved in the project.

• Project process:

• Students work with client to tailor a work scope based on the client's specific need & goal. Work Scope is modeled on a consultant scope with tasks (work descriptions), deliverables/products, and schedule for work flow.

• Work will be scaled to fit w/in the 10-11 (8 weeks summer) week term. 
• If client's project appears greater than can be accomplished w/in the 10-11 week structure, the team will work with the client to design a work scope that focuses on what is most critical to accomplish w/in the time schedule.  We focus on "critical path" as the guideline for developing a project.

• Student/client agree to a communication strategy that fits the client's schedule & time.

• Regardless of the communication, client will receive a weekly work progress report.

• Deliverables/products: tailored to fit the project.  Previous projects have done or are doing the following

• Marketing plan: attorney (sole proprietor)
• Management/marketing plan: social entrepreneurship company
• Finance plan: opening a paper copy store.
• Energy efficiency assessment (cost & feasibility): Eco-district
• Market plan: on-line version control for software coding
• Feasibility study to start a Barber School 
• Business & operations plan: Pharmaceutical company
• New  product development strategy: manufacture lactation device
• Market entry plan: apparel company
• Market forecast: jewelry manufacture
• International market entry plan: high-end clock manufacturer 
• Market plan for on-line video involving athletic events.
• Go To Market strategy for on-board video recording cameras.
• Finance plan for a Theater & arts program
• Business expansion analysis & plan for adding a second food cart
• Feasibility plan for food concession: Mt. St. Helens Volcanic Mounument
• Finance plan: international midwifery program
• Feasibility and market assessment: Cascade Aids Program
• Market Plan: City of Portland Loo

• Client Expectations:  

• Ability to talk to students when they have questions or need information

• The team will prepare a communication plan that is TAILORED TO FIT YOUR REQUIREMENTS. 

·  Allow students to visit your business to see how it operates. 

• Ability to review the deliverables & products that the students will forward to you
• Class room appearance (minimum four times) for Presentations by the client (one time) & the students (three times):

• Pitch: usually the second class of the first week client presents their project to the students who will choose between two clients.

·  Financial: Students present a financial picture of the project they are working on.

·  Competitor's analysis: students present their analysis of the competition & the competitor's environment.

·  Final: Students present their findings & recommendation(s) to the client. 

 

Assessing project outcomes are an important part of our program. We actively seek feedback from clients as a way to improve the program.  The following links are to videos with clients for whom students have completed projects.

• http://capstone.unst.pdx.edu/courses/business-strategy-ba-495-for-sba-majors
•  http://www.pdx.edu/insidepsu/textbooks-meet-reality

--
mark grimes
503-502-0185    
@markgrimes
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nedspace.com
1400 sw 5th ave, third floor, pdx, or 97201
startup your startup
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goals & milestones 2013
7,500 microloans kiva.org/lender/neddotcom
3,750 attendees makerfaireafrica.com