Page 28 - Anatomy of a Robot
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                              The following might be included in the HLD for an embedded electronics system:
                                Hardware considerations:                       PROJECT MANAGEMENT 13
                                   Block diagrams of boards, major chips, and buses
                                   Documentation (PDF files) of major chipsets
                                   Power and cooling plans
                                   Connectors and all package breakouts
                                   Preliminary layout and plans for the board fabrication.
                                   Compliance issues
                                Software considerations:
                                   Block diagram of major software modules
                                   Performance estimates
                                   Major algorithms
                                   Interfaces to third-party software
                                   Stack issues
                                   Network issues
                                   Operating system issues
                                   License issues
                                General issues:
                                   Reference specifications (files or URLs)
                                   Application notes
                                   Memory map
                                   Interrupt map


                            EXECUTING THE PLAN

                            Executing the plan and actually developing the robot are up to the PM and the engi-
                            neers, and these tasks take up the bulk of the time during the project. Now we’re up to
                            the point where we’ve got a mandate to execute the project and a reviewed spec. We’ve
                            got people on board and a green light to proceed. So now what? Here’s some words of
                            advice on various topics:

                                Spec   Get all parties to read the specification and the HLD. Listen to the senior
                                 engineers (if there are any) about how to proceed. Don’t be afraid to move a cou-
                                 ple of squares backward at this stage. If any senior engineer has significant ques-
                                 tions about the spec or any part of the project as laid out, heed them well. The best
                                 chance to make corrections occurs early in projects.
                                Leadership   Even if you’re the only person on the project, you need to consider
                                 how you will lead the project as a PM. Leadership is especially important when
                                 more people are involved. Many books have been written on the subject that you
                                 might consult, ranging from classics like Sun Tzu’s classic book The Art of War
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