Hello,

I am trying to understand communication process between a user who wishes to develop a project and a developer responsible for its execution. I aim to understand the key project requirements that a user should convey to the developer, as well as the relevant questions the developer should ask the user to effectively bring the project to fruition.

To illustrate this, let's consider a specific scenario where the user's project involves the development of a remote-controlled toy car.

As user I have list of requirements for remote-controlled toy car in a professional manner:

Requirement:

Speed and Control Precision
- The remote-controlled toy car shall have adjustable speed. It should control under 20 meters
- The control system shall provide precise turning capabilities.

Power Source Requirement:
- The toy car shall be powered by a 7.4V lithium-polymer (LiPo) rechargeable battery with a capacity of at least 2000mAh.

Charging and Battery Life
- The car shall support a quick-charging feature with a full charge time not exceeding 2 hours.
- The battery shall provide a minimum continuous runtime of 30 minutes on a full charge.

Safety Features Requirement
- The system shall incorporate an emergency stop button that can immediately halt all motor activity.
- The car shall be equipped with collision detection sensors to prevent collisions with obstacles.

Terrain Compatibility Requirement:
- The toy car shall be capable of operating on both flat surfaces and moderately rough terrain such as short grass and uneven pavement.

Size and Weight Requirement:
- The car's dimensions shall not exceed 30 cm in length, 20 cm in width, and 15 cm in height.
- The maximum weight of the car, including the battery, shall be limited to 1.5 kilograms.

Remote Control Interface
- The remote control shall feature a user-friendly interface with a minimum of four directional controls and a speed adjustment feature.

Additional Features Requirement
- The toy car shall include front and rear LED lights for improved visibility.
- It shall also incorporate a camera module for live video streaming to the remote control unit.

Cost Constraints Requirement:
- The overall cost of the toy car, including materials, components, and development, shall not exceed $150 per unit.

As an embedded devloper do you have any questions that's not clear for you

 

Read through your specification pretending you are an evil engineer who wants to cheat you, and think of the most ridiculous design that would meet the requirements. That is what you should expect to get.

For example, look at this one:

- The remote-controlled toy car shall have adjustable speed.

So I will design you a car with a controllable range of speeds from 1 to 1.1 inches per day. And you cannot argue that it does not meet your specification.

Also, avoid over specifying as well. For instance, why are you specifying the tyoe, voltage and capacity of the battery? The selection of an appropriate battery should be up to the engineer, constrained by your performance requirement.

For example: “The battery shall be rechargeable, capable of a full charge in 2 hours or less, and operate the car continuously for 30 minutes before needing charging.” Which is the same requirement you had, but not specifying the battery chemistry, voltage and capacity.

 

Read through your specification pretending you are an evil engineer who wants to cheat you, and think of the most ridiculous design that would meet the requirements. That is what you should expect to get.

Thank you for your feedback. I want to ensure I understand your points correctly. Could you please provide more specific examples or explanations for how I can improve the project requirements ?

 

Instead, why don’t you take another another line from you spec and do what I did, come up with the most ridiculous design you can think of that meets the spec. Then try to fix the spec so that you cannot do that.