Decision Tools for Engineering Design and Entrepreneurship Course
From DDL Wiki
Carnegie Mellon University course number 19-484, 19-784, 24-484, 24-784
This course provides engineers with a multidisciplinary mathematical foundation for integrated modeling of engineering design and enterprise planning decisions in an uncertain, competitive market. Topics include economics in product design, manufacturing and operations modeling and accounting, consumer choice modeling, survey design, conjoint analysis, decision tree analysis, optimization, game theory, model integration, and professional communication skills. Students will apply theory and methods to a team project for a new product or emerging technology of their choice, developing a business plan to defend technical and economic competitiveness. Students may choose to select emerging technologies from research at Carnegie Mellon for study in the course, and in some years venture capitalists and other industry leaders will take part in critiquing student projects. This course assumes fluency with calculus and some prior programming experience. Graduate students will conduct an additional independent research project.
Winter 2008 Course Information
Instructors:
- Professor Erica Fuchs, Baker-131E
- Professor Jeremy Michalek, SH-323
Administrative Assistant:
- Nancy Beatty, SH-316, 8-2908
- Susan Stringfellow, 8-6115
Lecture:
- BH-A53
- MW 12:30-2:20
Office Hours:
- TBA
Resources
Winter 2008 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Reading Due | Homework Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 14 | Course introduction, Projects: task, selection, and scope | ||
| Jan 16 | Engineering economics: Profit, Time-value of money (NPV, Discount rate) | Ch 11, 12, 13 ESA | |
| Jan 21 | Production functions | Ch 2 ESA | Team Selection |
| Jan 23 | Cost functions, Constrained optimization | Ch 3 ESA | PS1 |
| Jan 28 | Marginal analysis, Constrained optimization | Ch4 ESA | Project Proposal |
| Jan 30 | Design optimization, mathematical basics, univariate and multivariate unconstrained formulations | PS2 | |
| Feb 4 | Multivariate unconstrained formulations | ||
| Feb 6 | Microeconomics in product design: supply and demand | PS3 | |
| Feb 11 | Mini project presentations: Project selection and scope | ||
| Feb 13 | Basic operations management | Factory Physics, Ch 1 | |
| Feb 18 | Technical cost modeling I | Articles: Technical Cost Modeling, Process-Based Cost Modeling | |
| Feb 20 | Technical cost modeling II | ||
| Feb 25 | Modeling demand for attributes, random utility models | ||
| Feb 27 | Random utility models | ||
| Mar 3 | Random utility models | ||
| Mar 5 | Mini project presentations: modeling production | Production Analysis | |
| Mar 10 | Spring break - no class | ||
| Mar 12 | Spring break - no class | ||
| Mar 17 | Heterogeneity | ||
| Mar 19 | Heterogeneity | ||
| Mar 24 | Decision analysis | Ch16 ESA | |
| Mar 26 | Value of information | CH17 ESA | |
| Mar 31 | Mini project presentations: modeling demand | Demand Analysis | |
| Apr 2 | Competition, game theory | ||
| Apr 7 | Competition, game theory | PS on Decision trees, Value of information | |
| Apr 9 | Business plan creation, model integration | PS on Competition, Game Theory | |
| Apr 14 | Business plan creation, model integration | ||
| Apr 16 | Business plan creation, model integration | ||
| Apr 21 | Design for location? Policy implications? | ||
| Apr 23 | Design for location? Policy implications? | ||
| Apr 28 | Final presentations | ||
| Apr 30 | Final presentations | Project report |
All presentations may be combined into one, 3-hour class. Presentations and/or report deadline may be moved to finals week to allow students more time.
