Industrial Engineering Design Projects

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECT GUIDANCE

Principles for Processes Related to Industrial Engineering Design Projects

Students in the Industrial Engineering (IE) undergraduate program at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) are required to complete an Industrial Engineering Design Project (IEDP) as part of the END4901 or END4901E and END4902 or END4902E courses.

Characteristic Features

The IEDP must include an “engineering design” and have the characteristics of a culminating capstone project that integrates all courses in the current curriculum of the IE undergraduate program at ITU. To meet these requirements, the IEDP must have the following features:

A business model or product/service/process must be designed.
The project must include an application.
A detailed system analysis must be provided at the beginning of the project report, clearly identifying the subject, scope, purpose, stakeholders, needs, and requirements of the project.
The design must be developed to meet the needs of stakeholders and system requirements.
All relevant constraints must be considered.
More than one IE-related technique must be utilized.
Multiple solution alternatives must be generated and evaluated before a single solution (design) is eventually presented after evaluating these alternatives considering various factors.
The final design's economic, social, and environmental benefits must be evaluated.
Students must reference more than one END-coded course from the current curriculum.

To demonstrate that the project contains all these features, students must complete the “IEDP Information Form.”

Content

The final IEDP report to be submitted in END4902 or END4902E must include six sections: Introduction, System Analysis, Literature Review, Methodology, Application, Conclusion, and Suggestions.

Details on the content can be found in the “IEDP Content” document. Format requirements related to the content can be found in the “ITU Graduate Thesis Template” under the “Class Files” tab in your online class on Ninova.

Project Management

For the proper execution of an IEDP, the following steps must be followed:

For END4901 or END4901E:

Choosing an advisor (before the start of the semester and the 1st week of the semester): Students agree to work together by contacting instructors about the project that they plan to do and they report their keyword preferences in the second week of the semester.
Project Proposal (5^th week of the semester): Industrial Engineering Design-1-Project Proposal Form
IED-1-Interim Report (8^th week of the semester): Industrial Engineering Design Project Information Form, Project Interim Report (Content: System Analysis and a partial Literature Review)
IED-1-Final Report (End of the semester): Project Final Report (Content: Introduction, System Analysis, Literature Review, Methodology, Conclusion) and Project Defense (the same content provided in the report to be presented)

For END4902 or END4902E:

IED-2-Interim Report (8^th week of the semester): Industrial Engineering Design Project Information Form, Project Interim Report (content: System Analysis, Literature Review, Methodology, partial Application)
IED-2-Final Report (End of the semester): Industrial Engineering Design Project Information Form, Project Final Report (content: all subsections), and Project Exam (the same content provided in the report to be presented)

A detailed calendar is provided in the section titled “IEDP Calendar.”

Guidelines

According to the Senate principles for receiving, delivering, and examination for ITU design projects/diploma projects, students enrolled in courses END4901, END4901E, END4902, and END4902E are to prepare a design project.
The project will be completed in groups of two students. In exceptional cases, such as interdisciplinary work, the advisor must petition the Department Head for approval of larger groups.
Advisor assignments are based on student preferences and the approval of instructors. If a student does not have any advisor preference, the assignment will be done based on the student’s keyword preference, and the available instructors’ IEDP workload. Further details are explained in the “Assignment of Students to the Instructors” section below.
Design projects are supervised by an advisor and reviewed by two jury members. There is no co-advisory practice. Interdisciplinary studies may involve multiple advisors and a larger jury.
IED-1 and IED-2 should be planned as a continuation of each other, and on the same topic. In exceptional cases, if the project topic is changed mid-year, all content must still be prepared within the scope of IED-2.
The Industrial Engineering Design Project Information Form must be submitted with the approval of both students and the advisors.
According to the “Design Project Calendar,” the project will be graded as follows:

IED 1/ IED 2	Evaluator	Weight
Interim Report	Jury Members	30%
Format	Research Assistants	10%
Final Report	Jury Members	40%
Final Presentation	Jury Members	20%

The project proposal, interim report, final report, and presentations are evaluated, and graded (except project proposal), and feedback is given to the students by all jury members.
Students who do not submit the final report on time for both IED-1 and IED-2 will receive a grade of FF. They will also not be allowed to participate in the project presentation (exam).
A presentation (exam) will be conducted at the end of the semester for both IED-1 and IED-2. Each presentation is allotted a maximum of 20 minutes. Failure to present the study will result in a grade of FF.
All students must upload their documents on Ninova. Only one student from each group needs to upload the documents. Any files or forms sent by e-mail will be ignored.
The Ninova platform will be used for sharing announcements and files related to the design project. It is the student’s responsibility to regularly check Ninova during the process.
Students enrolled in courses taught in English are required to write their reports in English.
Format checks for IED-1 and IED-2 will be conducted by research assistants and students will be given a certain amount of time to do corrections after the first format check. The corrected IED-1 and IED-2 projects will then be submitted for grading. After the first format check, the student is responsible for ensuring the correctness of formatting for any additions made to the project report. The necessary documents for formatting will be shared with students through Ninova.
Plagiarism will be checked using the Turnitin system. Students must upload their final reports to a class opened on the Turnitin system and check the similarity rate. If the rate is below 25%, the student must download the similarity analysis file and upload it with the final report in the homework section on Ninova. If the similarity rate is above 25%, the student must make the necessary corrections and upload it again for another similarity check. Any similarities over 25% when submitted will be considered as plagiarism and will result in an unsuccessful design project.
The maximum number of design projects that instructors can take has been determined by the Department Board and is updated when necessary, taking into consideration the total number of students enrolled in the IED-1 course.

Effective Date: These rules will be in effect starting from the 2022-2023 Spring semester.

Assignment of Students to Instructors

Advisor assignments are made based on student preferences and instructors’ approval. Students who do not have any advisor preference are assigned based on their preferred keywords, and the available instructors’ IEDP workload.
At the beginning of the semester, the keywords representing the working areas of the instructors are announced through Google Sheets and the Department’s website.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11rcDMhq485If1m86wYQ4wkFlFTtbAOaTlagtTghV8PI/edit#gid=0

Before the semester begins, students contact their preferred instructors. On the Wednesday of the second week of the semester, students are required to report their group members and preferred keywords to the Graduation Committee.
On the Friday of the second week of the semester, the instructors send the list of students they accept to work with to the secretariat and the Graduation Commission.
Students on the lists are assigned to the relevant instructors as advisees.
Unassigned students are assigned to the available instructors, taking into account their keyword preferences and the IEDP load balance among the instructors. These appointments are announced on Wednesday of the third week of the semester.
If an interdisciplinary project (with the participation of students from two different departments) is to be carried out, a group project can be done with a total of 4 students, in the form of 2 students from each department. In this case, one advisor from each department will be co-advisors.
Keywords for interdisciplinary projects are determined together with the relevant department. Students who want to collaborate are matched. In this case, an IEDP jury of 4 people is formed with 2 advisors + 2 members.
Jury members and research assistants are determined within two weeks after students are assigned to their advisors.

Best Project Competition

To be eligible for the best project award, students must submit a two-page project summary signed by their advisors and a poster presentation to the Graduation Committee.

Students who wish to compete for the best project award must submit their work by Wednesday of the 12^th week of the semester.

Projects submitted before the deadline will be evaluated by a large jury consisting of faculty members, and the winner will be determined accordingly.

The best projects are to be published on the website of the ITU Industrial Engineering Department.

Industrial Engineering Design Project Calendar

Week	Activity	IEDP 1 or 2?	Person in Charge	Resource	Explanation
Before semester begins	Keywords for each instructor are announced.	1	Design Project Comission	www.end.itu.edu.tr
Before semester begins	Students should contact the instructors thry would like to eork with before the term starts.	1	Student	Announcement is made via Ninova / DAN course.
1^stWeek	IED 1 ve IED 2 courses are opened on Ninova and necessary resources are uploaded.	1 & 2	Design Project Comission	Ninova / Course Resources: Design Project Calendar Design Project Contents Design Project Template Design Project Proposal Form Design Project Information Form Turnitin Guide	Student list is updated at the end of Add-Drop week.
1^stWeek	Students start reporting their keyword preferences.	1	Student	Ninova / Announcements: Google Forms - Keyword Preferences Form
2^ndWeek	An informative presentation is shared with the students who will make a Design Project.	1 & 2	Design Project Comission	Ninova / Course Resources: - IED process presentation recording
2^ndWeek	Wednesday: Students' keyword reporting is completed.	1	Student
2^ndWeek	Friday: Instructors submit their student lists to the commission.	1	Instructors	Google Forms - Student Preference Form
2^ndWeek	Friday: Titles for IED 2 are reported by the students.	2	Student	Ninova / Announcements: IED 2 Titles	The reported title and the title in the submitted report must be exactly the same.
3^rdWeek	Tuesday: IED 2 advisors and project titles are entered to the system.	2	Department Secretary
3^rdWeek	Wednesday: Advisor and jury assignments are announced.	1 & 2	Design Project Comission	Ninova / Announcements: Jury Assignment File	The assignment of students who is mot on any list recieved from the instructors are assigned an advisor based on the their prefered keywords and advisory load distribution among the instructors.
4^thWeek	Wednesday: Last day to change advisors.	1	Student		Students who want to change advisors can request a change by sending an e-mail to the Design Projects Commission with both instructors cc'ed after getting approval from both of them.
4th Week	Friday: Titles for IED 1 are reported.	1	Student	Ninova / Announcements: IED 1 Titles
5^thWeek	IED 1: Design Project Proposal Form is submitted.	1	Student	Ninova / Assignments / Design Project Suggestion Form
6^thWeek	Feedbacks for Design Project Proposal are given.	1	Jury	EMT-SİS Feedbacks are shared with students via E-mail
7^thWeek
Spring Break
8^thWeek	Interim Report and Design Project Information Form is submitted.	1 & 2	Student	Ninova / Homeworks / Interim Report	Within the scope of the Interim Report, the System Analysis work is expected to be completed.
9^thWeek	Friday: Interim Report feedback is given, grades are given.	1 & 2	Jury	EMT-SİS Feedbacks are shared with students via E-mail
10^thWeek
11^thWeek	Wednesday: Extension requests are received.	2	Student - Advisor		Students who take IED-2 in the fall semester can receive an extension until the end of the spring semester, and students who take it in the spring semester until the end of the summer semester. The requests of these students are submitted to the Dean's approval with a reasoned petition by their advisor.
12^thWeek
13^thWeek	Friday: Design Project is submitted for first format check.	1 & 2	Student	E-mail	This control is not graded. It is only a practice to give feedback to students. It is not compulsory.
13^thWeek	Friday: Classes activated on Turnitin for similarity check.	1 & 2	Design Project Comission	Turnitin	The entire report to be submitted is uploaded to Turnitin. Similarity check report is saved.
14^thWeek	Monday: Applications for the best project competition are made.	2	Student - Advisor	Ninova / Homeworks / Graduation Competition	For the best project competition, students submit a 2-page summary signed by their advisor, Turnitin report, presentation poster and the entire project work.
14^thWeek	Tuesday: First format check feedback is given.	1 & 2	Research Assistant	E-mail
Finals Week	Design Project, Design Project Information Form and Similarity Check report are submitted.	1 & 2	Student	Ninova / Homeworks / Final Report	Completion of the Methodology section is expected in IED 1. The report should also include Introduction and Conclusion sections.
IED 2 submission must also include work done in IED 1.
Finals Week	Exit Survey is filled.	2	Student	Ninova / Announcements: Veti - Exit Survey
Finals Week	IED presentation schedule is announced.	1 & 2	Design Project Comission	Ninova / Announcements: Presentation Schedule
Design Project Exam	Monday-Wednesday: Design Project presentations are made.	1 & 2	Student		Students who do not make a presentation are considered unsuccessful (get FF).
IED 1 feedback will be given during the presentation.
Design Project Exam	Thursday: Design Project are graded.	1 & 2	Jury	EMT-SİS
Grade Entry Week	Letter grades are finalized and grades are entered into the system.	1 & 2	Design Projects Commission - Head of Department

Where can I find information and documents related to IED?
All necessary information and documents are provided under the Industrial Engineering Design Projectssection of the students’ tab on the ITU Industrial Engineering website. → https://end.itu.edu.tr/en/students/graduation-thesis

Additionally, each semester, a class is opened on Ninova where all IED students are added. In the Course Resources section of this class, the IED Project Timeline and related documents are shared.

Throughout the semester, necessary announcements are made via the Ninova classes, and all forms and reports are submitted through assignments created in these classes.
Is the IED Project Timeline strictly followed?
The IED Project Timeline is uploaded under the Course Resources section on Ninova at the beginning of the semester. It is prepared weekly, covering both pre- and post-semester periods. However, changes may occur due to delays in evaluation and feedback processes or unforeseen events (such as snow days, natural disasters, etc.). All changes are communicated to students via announcements on Ninova.
Is there a specific format for IED reports?
All submission forms and report templates required for IED are provided under the Design Projects section of the students’ tab on the ITU Industrial Engineering website. → https://end.itu.edu.tr/en/students/graduation-thesis

Additionally, each semester, a class is opened on Ninova where all IED students are added. In the Course Resources section of this class, the relevant templates are shared.
Is it mandatory to follow the IED templates exactly?
The IED templates (available in both Turkish and English) must be followed in terms of required sections and formatting requirements. Formatting accounts for 10% of your grade in both IED-1 and IED-2.
In which language should IED reports be written?
If any group member is enrolled in the English program course (END 4901E or END 4902E), all forms and reports must be prepared in English.
Can I enroll in IED-1 in Turkish and IED-2 in English (or vice versa)?
There is no restriction on enrolling in different language programs for IED-1 and IED-2. (For example, you can take IED-1 as END 4901 and IED-2 as END 4902E or IED-1 as END 4901E and IED-2 as END 4902). However, IED courses are integrated, and a final report is expected at the end of both terms.

Therefore, if you plan to take IED-2 in English, the reports prepared in IED-1 must also be integrated into the IED-2 report in English. Similarly, if you take IED-2 in Turkish, IED-1 reports must be integrated into the IED-2 report in Turkish.
Which IED-1 course can I enroll in?
Students in the 100% English program can enroll in END 4901E, while students in the 30% English program can enroll in either END 4901 or END 4901E.
Which IED-2 course can I enroll in?
Students in the 100% English program can enroll in END 4902E, while students in the 30% English program can enroll in either END 4902 or END 4902E.
Can I prepare an IED project with a friend from a different department?
If an interdisciplinary project (involving students from two different departments) is to be conducted, the group must consist of four students, with two from each department. In this case, the group will have an advisor from each department, meaning the IED jury will consist of two advisors and two jury members, totaling four members.
How are IED advisors assigned?
Students are expected to choose their advisors by contacting faculty members of the Industrial Engineering Department. Before the semester starts, students should review the keywords listed in the following link and reach out to the relevant faculty members:

Google Docs

At the beginning of the semester, all students enrolled in IED-1 must submit their group members' information along with the selected keywords. Likewise, faculty members will report the students they have agreed to supervise to the IED Executive Committee. Advisor assignments are made by matching the information received from both sides.
What happens if I cannot find an advisor?
Students who cannot find an advisor are assigned to a faculty member based on their preferred keywords and the faculty members’ workload.
Can I change my advisor in IED-1 or IED-2?
For IED-1: Students who wish to change their advisor must obtain approval from both their current and new advisor before the 4th Wednesday of the semester. They must then send an email to the Department Secretariat (endmuhsek@itu.edu.tr) and the IED Executive Committee, including both advisors in CC, to request the change.

For IED-2: Students who wish to change their advisor must obtain approval from both their current and new advisor at the beginning of the semester. They must send an email to the Department Secretariat (endmuhsek@itu.edu.tr) and the IED Executive Committee, including both advisors in CC, to request the change. If the topic of study also changes, the student is expected to revise their work from IED-1 accordingly.
How many students can be in an IED group?
IED projects are carried out in groups of two or three students.
Is it possible to complete an IED project individually?
IED projects are designed as group work. As an exception, a student may work on the project individually if their advisor provides a reasonable justification to the Industrial Engineering Department Chair. Approval from the department chair is required.
In which language should IED-1 and IED-2 titles be written?
You should select project titles in the same language as your report. If any group member is enrolled in the English program course (END 4901E or END 4902E), all forms, reports, and titles must be in English.
Can I change the IED-1 and IED-2 project title later?
Project titles are requested at the beginning of the semester and recorded in the system. IED-1 titles can be more general and may be updated at the beginning of IED-2 to better reflect the project’s scope. Since the titles are registered in the university system, they cannot be changed after submission. In exceptional cases, if a change in the title is absolutely necessary, students must provide a reasonable explanation for their request via email to the Department Secretariat (endmuhsek@itu.edu.tr), including their advisor and the IED Executive Committee in CC.
What is expected from students in IED?
- A product/service or process must be designed, and the project must include an application.
- At the beginning of the project, a detailed system analysis should be conducted to define the project topic, scope, objectives, stakeholders, needs, and requirements.
- The design must be developed based on stakeholder needs and system requirements.
- Constraints, relevant professional standards, and legal regulations must be taken into account during the design process.
- The design should incorporate multiple industrial engineering techniques.
- Alternative solutions should be generated, and these alternatives should be evaluated based on various factors to present a single final design. By "alternative solution," it is meant that apart from the method you use, you should consider what other approaches could be taken to solve the problem or how the proposed design could be implemented using different methods.
- The economic, social, and environmental benefits of the final design should be assessed.
- The Results section should discuss how professional standards, principles, or legal regulations have influenced the design.
What are the expected submissions for IED-1 and IED-2?
Submissions to be done in IED-1:
- IED-1 Project Proposal: IED Project Proposal Form
- IED-1 Interim Report: IED Project Information Form, Interim Report (Includes: System Analysis and partial Literature Review)
- IED-1 Final Report: Final Project Report (Includes: Introduction, System Analysis, Literature Review, Methodology, Results) and Project Exam (conducted as a presentation, containing the same content as the report)
Sections to be prepared in IED-2:
- IED-2 Interim Report: IED Project Information Form, Interim Report (Includes: System Analysis, Literature Review, Methodology, partial implementation)
- IED-2 Final Report: IED Project Information Form, Final Report (Includes all required sections) and Project Exam(conducted as a presentation, containing the same content as the report)
Can I change my project topic in IED-2?
IED-1 and IED-2 should be planned as a continuation of each other and should cover the same topic. In exceptional cases, if a topic change is necessary, all content must be prepared from scratch within IED-2.
Can IED-1 and IED-2 be extended to the next semester?
IED-1 cannot be extended.

Students who take IED-2 in the Fall semester can extend their project until the end of the Spring semester. Students who take IED-2 in the Spring semester can extend their project until the end of the Summer semester. These extensions require advisor approval and must be formally requested with a justified petition submitted to the Faculty of Management Dean’s Office.
Can I take IED-1 or IED-2 during the summer semester?
No, IED-1 and IED-2 are only offered during the Fall and Spring semesters. It is not possible to enroll in these courses during the summer semester.
Do all group members need to attend the IED presentations?
According to ITU Senate Regulations on Graduation Projects/Diploma Projects (Article 6), even if a student has submitted their report, they will fail the course if they do not attend the IED exam (presentation).
Are IED grades given as a group or individually?
No, each student is graded individually. Throughout the IED process and presentations, the advisor and jury evaluate the students' performances separately, meaning students in the same group may receive different grades.
When is the Best Project Competition held?
The Best Project Competition is organized only in the Spring semesters.
However, organizing this competition is at the discretion of the Industrial Engineering Department Administration, meaning it is not guaranteed to be held every Spring semester.
Are students responsible for conducting their own Turnitin similarity check?
In the 13th week of each semester, Turnitin classes are opened and remain open until the final report submission deadline. All students are automatically enrolled in these classes using their ITU credentials, and they must complete their registration using their ITU email addresses. The Turnitin Student Guide is available under the Course Resources section in Ninova.
Can I submit my report to Turnitin more than once?
Yes, you can submit it multiple times.
How long does it take for Turnitin to generate a similarity report?
Whe submission traffic is low, reports are generated quickly. When submission traffic is high, reports may take up to 24 hours to be generated. It is strongly recommended not to wait until last minute to submit your report to Turnitin.
What is the maximum allowed similarity percentage?
The similarity score must be 25% or lower. Reports with a similarity score higher than 25% will be considered unacceptable, and the student will not be allowed to take the IED exam.
Are there any restrictions on AI-generated content in IED reports?
You may use AI tools for language and grammar checks. However, you may NOT generate reports using AI. If AI-generated content is detected and exceeds 30% similarity, the report will be considered unacceptable, and the student will not be allowed to take the IED exam.

1. IEDP-Proposal-Form
DOCX, 23.45 KB
2. IEDP-Information-Form
DOCX, 30.88 KB
IEDP-Template
DOCX, 609.48 KB
IEDP-Content
DOCX, 20.49 KB
IEDP-Calendar
XLSX, 14.60 KB