In this chapter, we will develop our project managment approach by describing several aspects such as the scope, time, project plan and our understanding and use of Jira, particularly with sprints.

The scope of our project focuses on the research and development of a solution up to the proof-of-concept stage. Indeed, in this project, we are following the demonstration process to prove that the solution we propose can be developed and be viable in the future.

Boundaries of the project: We are studying and developing the idea of a Healing Cocoon to reduce children's anxiety in the waiting room before a medical appointment. We are focusing on the structure, design, materials, app and devices.

Product scope (extent of what the project will produce): Throughout the project, deliverables will be produced, such as: flyer, leaflet, 3D models, drawings, designs, detailed schematics.

Project scope (summary of the work needed to produce it = WBS still to do)

To make sure we finish this project within the 15-week semester, we break our work down into small, weekly goals. We use task-tracking software to organize who is doing what every week. This flexible approach allows us to design the physical pod and write the software at the same time. While our weekly tasks are flexible, we make sure to always pay attention to the major deadlines and closely monitor progress over time.

Here the details of the milestones of our project:

2026-02-28 Choose and share top-3 preferred project proposals via email (epsatisep@gmail.com)
2026-03-11 Upload “black box” System Diagrams & Structural Drafts to Deliverables
2026-03-18 Upload List of Components and Materials (Deliverables)
2026-03-21 Define the Project Backlog (what must be done and key deliverables - every member should preferably participate in every task), Global Sprint Plan, Initial Sprint Plan (which tasks should be included, who does what) and Release Gantt Chart of the project and insert them on the wiki (Report)
2026-03-25 Upload detailed System Schematics & Structural Drawings (Deliverables) and do the cardboard scale model of the structure
2026-04-12 Upload Interim Report and Presentation (Deliverables)
2026-04-16 Interim Presentation, Discussion and Peer, Teacher and Supervisor feedbacks
2026-04-22 Upload 3D model video (Deliverables)
2026-04-29 Upload final List of Materials (local providers & price, including VAT and transportation) to Deliverables
2026-05-02 Upload refined Interim Report (based on Teacher & Supervisor Feedback)
2026-05-13 Packaging solution (Deliverables and Report)
2026-05-27 Results of the Functional Tests (Report)
2026-06-13 Final Report, Presentation, Video, Paper, Poster and Manual (Deliverables)
2026-06-18 Final Presentation, Individual Discussion and Assessment
2026-06-23 Update the wiki, report (suggested corrections), upload refined deliverables in shared section of MS Teams (source and PDF), printed copy of the poster, brochure and leaflet for EPS coordinator
2026-06-25 Submit prototype and user manual, prototype demonstration

We need to clearly separate two different prices: the price of the final product and the budget we have right now. While the final Healing Cocoon will be sold to clinics for about 2000€ to 2500€, our goal right now is just to build a working test model (prototype) to prove our technology works.

For this first prototype, the EPS program gave us a 100€ budget limit. To make sure we don't spend too much, we are using affordable, easy-to-find materials for the physical frame. For the smart system, we are using low-cost electronic sensors and a basic microcontroller (ESP32).

Document quality metrics that will apply to your project deliverables, associated thresholds and how they should be reviewed.

Enumerate all people relevant to your project, including the project team and key stakeholders. Document their roles and responsibilities. Document your stakeholder management plan and strategy.

Document how your team will manage communications, describing communication channels, meetings, etc.

Identify key risks (product and project level), evaluate them and define how they should be handled (responses) and monitored. Perform quantitative and qualitative risk analysis and use the results to define the appropriate risk responses.

Document your procurement management strategy including make vs buy decisions, materials/services to be acquired, sources, costs, timings, etc.

1. Description of the project schedule and its key phases using a Gantt chart
Document the project schedule, and the key project phases, using a Gantt Chart. Highlight the key project phases and milestones.

We decided to organize the tasks according to whether they belong to:

• the initiating phase of the project (Figure 1)
• the development phases of the project (Figure 2)
• the deliverables to be submitted (Figure 3)

We divided the tasks according to our strengths and areas of expertise, but some compromises had to be made to meet the needs of the project's progress. For example, marketing tasks are primarily managed by Hanna and Ronja, even though their fields of study are unrelated to this topic.
The figures below correspond to the first version of the Gantt chart, before the update.
Here is the updated Gantt Chart: healing_cocoon_gantt_chart_updated_v2_.pdf

Figure 4 contains the semester schedule (before the last update of the Gantt Chart for the interim report): each purple bar represents the planned time for its completion, with the start and end dates set. The gray area indicates the progress of the task, allowing us to see if we are ahead of schedule or if we still need to do more work on the task.

We observed that the beginning of the project was lengthy in terms of identifying the problem and potential solutions. Indeed, we had several different ideas, and we were only recently able to choose and focus on the final topic of our project. This required a great deal of time for reflection, discussion, and research, some of which were successful, others not. We now have to complete numerous tasks within the same timeframe, some with imminent deadlines; these are the tasks we must focus on first.

2. Sprint backlog and sprints created in Planner on Jira:
Describe how your plan was mapped to multiple iterative sprints. Document how the sprint backlog was planned and managed for each of the sprints you have created in Planner.

First of all, discovering and using Jira was not easy. Despite the explanations that we thought we understood, some parameters and steps were not completed sucessfully on time, notably the timely launch of certain sprints.

Figure 5 is one of the first sprint we organized (but forgot to launch it on time).
Figure 6 is the last sprint we launched, which takes place from April 7th to 14th.

Figure 7 is the curent backlog (edited on April 9th) with tasks that still need to be completed.

Finally, 8 is the Jira planner in which we created the Epics, Stories, and corresponding tasks.

3. Prioritization, estimation process and underlying challenges
Describe how prioritization was done. Document how the estimation process was implemented, and any underlying challenges.
We tried to prioritize tasks based on the deadlines and deliverables to respect, but it was also based on our estimated workload and the time it would take.

The tricky part was finding compromises based on each person's areas of expertise and the time the tasks could take.

Provide a summary of the sprints that were executed, along with sprint goals.

Include the outcomes of all sprint reviews (what was the sprint backlog, completion status, planned capacity vs. achieved velocity).

Include the summary of all the sprint retrospectives, including any actions implemented as part of the team’s continuous improvement strategy.

Provide here the conclusions of this chapter and make the bridge to the next chapter.