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Software Engineering  This website demonstrates using wikis as teaching and learning tool. The course instructor is also happy to share the teaching materials here with those who find it readable. |
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Student Team Project for Academic Year 2008-2009OverviewYou will form a team of around 4 members to do a software engineering project as a coursework requirement. This year's project theme is Software Start-up Competition. Your team will write a software start-up proposal, and present your idea, application, product or service. Your team will also build a prototype that demonstrates the features and functionality of your proposed software. IntroductionThe aim of this year project is to provide hands-on learning experience in entrepreneurship and new ventures for you as a Computing student. As explained in the book Go It Alone! by Bruce Judson, nowadays, it is dramatically easier to start your own business by using the leverage of technology and the remarkable array of off-the-shelf business services. Magnified by these new services, it is also possible to create, for the first time, a highly focused business. Another book titled Getting Real by 37signals teaches you a smaller, faster, better way to build software. By any means, it is much easier than you think to start your own software and service business. You don't need much capital, or much risk-taking, to start a business. You use your good knowledge about computing and software technologies, find a way around obstacles, follow your passion and face down your fear, then you can also become a successful young entrepreneur on the Internet, software or other service industry. Form Your TeamIn the first place, form a project team of about 4 members. The team will work together for the project in the coming 8 months, so you should be more thoughtful of your team composition; talk to your fellow classmates about your background knowledge, interests and ideas. You will have two weeks' time before you finalize your team composition. Submit Your Start-up ProposalYou need to write a proposal that provides a summary of your start-up idea and your business system. In particular, you have to address the following key questions:
Please submit your proposal to your instructor before 12 December 2008. Present Your IdeaYou need to present your start-up proposal in class for assessment and sharing purpose. Each team will have 20 minutes to showcase your idea and present your business case. The schedule and details of the project presentation will be announced in due course. Build Your Software PrototypeFinally, you need to come up with a software prototype to show how to turn your ideas into working business prototype. Each team will have at most 30 minutes to explain and showcase your software prototype. The showcase and demonstration sessions will be scheduled in early April of 2009. It Is A ContestI make the software project a contest. I hope this will encourage your participation and motivate you in some way. At the end, the whole class and I will select a winner, a first-runner up and a second runner-up of the project based on a number of criteria. I will award these three projects with some prizes. Various Resources for Your ProjectBusiness ModelsModel #1 : Build little but useful online tools and ...Examples: Warning Label Generator, Print Free Graph Paper
Examples: Online Calculator, Online Calculator, Tax Calculator, Graphing Calculator, Depth of Field Calculator
Challenge: What online tool you can make? How to make it popular?
Source of incomes: be a place for advertising, be advertisement itself
Something more ambitious: how about being one that make tools for others?
Model #2 : Build a high-traffic website with very low cost and ...Examples: 香港地區資訊網站
Model #3 : Software as a Service (SaaS)Examples: Blinksale - The easiest way to send invoices online, FreshBooks - The Fastest Way to Track Time and Invoice Your Clients
Can you create your own? Example: BambooInvoice, Simple Invoices
Model #4: Create custom advergame to advertise brands, products or servicesApproaches: Bottom-up or Top-down?Online tools for startupsUseful software for startups
Random Thoughts
Possible Inspirations
Some examples of software startups by Hong Kong people
Project Assessment One - Start-up Proposal Presentation
Project Assessment Two - Demonstration of the Software PrototypesEach team has 30 minutes to demonstrate and explan your prototypes. Please book your time slot. I will find venues for you.
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