Clients Needed

Client Requirements

Twice per year we solicit projects from industry, government, educational and research organizations. What we ask of you is to:

  • Provide a problem that can be completed by a team of (typically) 3-5 students with approximately 120-140 hours of development time.
  • Engage the students in every phase of the solution from design through implementation.
  • Be flexible with the work schedule so students can attend required meetings on campus.
    • This course should not be viewed as an internship or free labor (it may, of course, be an "extended interview" for an internship following the session).
  • Meet with the students regularly, typically once per week in the Summer session or once every two weeks in the Fall session.
  • Mentor the students.
    • Students are encouraged to learn new languages/technologies as part of this course, so your assistance can be invaluable.
  • Provide the necessary tools, if project uses languages/tools not readily available on campus.
  • Help us evaluate the students. Students commonly receive the same grade, but not always. You won't assign a grade, but you will provide feedback (on individuals as well as the team) via a survey.
  • Attend the final presentation, if possible. Dates/times will be coordinated prior to the event.

Proposal Submission

If you have a project that you think is suitable, the process is:

  1. Submit a proposal. All proposals will be posted in .pdf format, but you may submit either a .doc(x) or .pdf file. Proposals should include:
    • Company background
    • A description of the work to be done
    • Any desired skill set for the students (but remember that students are expected to learn new technologies/languages as part of the course)
    • Preferred team size. Probably a range, we prefer projects that can support at least three students.
    • (optional) Whether there is a potential to offer student(s) an internship at the end of the course
    • Location where work should be performed. Keep in mind that Fall session students may find it difficult to work off-campus due to their other academic responsibilities. Note: If you would like students to work on-site, we ask that you pay mileage (one way from Golden to your location, assuming students carpool). This minimizes out-of-pocket expenses for students.
    We typically have more project proposals than teams, so it is to your benefit to make your proposal as appealing as possible.
  2. If you will ask students to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), please include a statement in your proposal to that effect.
  3. If you will ask students to assign intellectual property rights to your organization, please include a statement in your proposal to that effect. Otherwise, students will retain ownership of their work and all artifacts produced.
  4. Proposals are posted online for students to review. See project descriptions from previous years (bottom of home page) to get an idea of the typical project scope.
  5. 2-3 weeks after proposals are posted, the students submit their top three project choices.
  6. Based on student selections, teams are assigned and we let you know if you will have a team.
  7. Students should contact their clients prior to the start of field session to set up the initial meeting. To ensure a good start, these meetings typically occur on Monday or Tuesday during the first week of the session.

Course Outline

The course schedule necessarily varies from the 5-week Summer session to the 16-week Fall session, but here is a rough outline of what to expect:

  • Getting started - collect requirements, establish development environment, learn new languages and tools. This may take a few days in the Summer session and up to 2 weeks in the Fall session.
  • Implementation - students will develop in "sprints" (a sprint includes a planning consultation with the client, coding, and a product demo with the client). You will typically meet with the teams at least once per sprint, to set priorities (planning) and give feedback on the product (demo). Sprints in the Summer session will be 1 week. Fall sprints will vary somewhat due to academic breaks, but will mostly be 2 weeks in duration.
  • Delivery and final presentation (1 week) - prepare final documents and present work to the the class and the client. Students should ensure that the product is delivered to your satisfaction.

If you would like to submit a proposal, send your .doc, .docx, or .pdf file to Kathleen Kelly, kathleenmariekelly@mines.edu.

“Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.”