Provide here an overview of the contents (structure) of this chapter. Explain the project management approach your group followed and justify why you think it is a good approach.

Defining the scope of Bloem is essential for keeping our efforts focused on the project's core objectives. By mapping out exactly what is included in the project, we can prevent scope creep and make sure every team member understands the roadmap. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in Figure 1 below illustrates how we have divided the project into manageable phases to ensure we reach a successful final prototype.

3.2 Time

In this section, we lay out the schedule and all the major deadlines we have to hit throughout the semester. This is shown in Table 1. Tracking these milestones is really important because it keeps the whole team accountable and makes sure we're actually making steady progress on Bloem. It also helps us see if we're falling behind early on, so we can fix things before they become a real problem.

The cost analysis for this project considers both the physical components required to build the Bloem prototype and the estimated personnel effort needed to design, develop, and integrate the final solution. Based on the current Bill of Materials, the project cost is mainly driven by the structural elements of the capsule, while the electronic system represents a smaller but essential part of the total investment.

3.3.1 Material Cost

The list of materials below summarizes the components required for the construction of the Bloem capsule, including structural materials, interior elements, control hardware and electronic components.

The total material cost of the Bloem prototype is therefore 2539.99 €. Most of this value comes from the structural and interior construction materials, especially the cork insulation, plywood panels, flooring, and seating structure. The electronic system has a comparatively lower cost, with a total of 133.78 €, while still enabling the interactive lighting and sound features required by the concept.

3.3.2 Personnel Cost

In addition to the material cost, the development of Bloem also involves a significant personnel investment. This includes the time dedicated to concept development, structural design, 3D modelling, UI design, electronics integration, sourcing, testing, and documentation. Considering a multidisciplinary student team working on the project over a full semester, the personnel effort represents a much higher value than the prototype materials alone.

Assuming a team of six members, each contributing an average of 6 hours per day over a four-month period, excluding weekends, the total effort corresponds to approximately 3168 working hours. Using a reference rate of 14.00 €/h, the estimated personnel cost is 44 352.00 €.

When combining the physical materials with the estimated labor effort, the total project value of Bloem is 46 891.99 €.

For the Bloem project, quality management ensures that both the final deliverable meets high engineering standards and the development process itself is efficient and reliable. Therefore, we define and monitor quality across two primary domains: the physical product and the project execution.

Product Quality (Physical Performance & Specifications)

The physical prototype of the Bloem capsule must adhere to strict technical and structural specifications to ensure a safe and relaxing user experience. Quality in this domain is evaluated based on the following explicit material and functional requirements:

• Resilience and Durability: The structure must withstand daily entry, exit, and usage. The sustainable materials selected (cork and hemp insulation) must not easily degrade, warp, or tear under normal indoor environmental conditions.
• Weight Load Capacity: The structural frame and base must safely hold specified weight loads. The seating area is designed to support a user weighing up to 150 kg without any structural deformation or stress fractures.
• Dimensional Tolerance: Precision in assembly is critical to maintaining the egg-shaped geometry. The overall structural dimensions have an acceptable tolerance of ±2.0 cm. For connecting joints and the sliding door track, the tolerance is restricted to ±0.5 cm to ensure smooth, friction-less operation.
• System Functionality: Every smart feature—including the ESP32 sensor integration, lighting, and tablet interface—must operate seamlessly. The user must experience low-latency responses when controlling the internal environment.
• Environmental Impact: The product must utilize locally sourced, bio-based materials to maintain a low carbon footprint and adhere to a circular design philosophy.

Project Quality (Process Quality & Delivery Reliability)

To guarantee a successful and professional outcome, we apply strict quality standards to our teamwork, workflow, and documentation.

• Process Quality: High process quality means accurately estimating our effort breakdowns, completing planned sprint tasks with carrying them over only rarely and ensuring clear communication across our team.
• Delivery Reliability: All project milestones—such as the Interim Report, Final Presentation, and Prototype Assembly—must be delivered fully complete and strictly on time.
• Documentation Standards: All reports and wiki pages must maintain consistent formatting. Explanations must be direct and easy to read and all documents must feature the ISEP and Bloem brand logos using the established color palette.

Quality Control Table

To systematically verify these requirements during the assembly and testing phases, we use the following quality control matrix.

3.5 People and Stakeholder Management

At the beginning of the project the team assessed its academic backgrounds to establish initial leads for technical and structural domains. However, recognizing the highly integrated nature of the Bloem capsule, the team adopted a flexible operational model. Resource allocation is adjusted during weekly sprint planning and meetings to ensure a balanced workload.

Beyond the internal team, external stakeholders play a crucial role in the project's viability. To manage these relationships effectively, a structured stakeholder classification model is used, analyzing the following dimensions:

• Power vs. Influence: It is vital to distinguish between decision authority and the ability to affect outcomes. Power refers to formal authority (e.g., grading, funding approval, administrative sign-off), whereas Influence dictates how much a stakeholder can steer the project's success through technical advice, resources, or feedback.
• Type of Influence and Impact: Each stakeholder is evaluated on their level of influence (Low, Medium, or High) and their impact—meaning how strongly they are personally or professionally affected by the project's outcome.
• Level of Support: Stakeholders are categorized by their stance: Supporter (actively aids the project), Neutral (neither helps nor hinders), Blocker (potential source of delay, such as supply chain bottlenecks), or Decision-Maker (holds the ultimate authority on project progression).

Table 4 outlines this classification for the Bloem project.

Stakeholder Communication Strategy

To ensure each stakeholder receives the appropriate information without being overwhelmed, communication is tailored based on their classification:

• Internal Team (Team Bloem):

  • How: WhatsApp for rapid alignment, MS Teams for documentation.
  • Frequency: Daily.
  • Detail Level: Extremely detailed and highly technical.
• Project Supervisors & EPS Coordinator:
  • How: In-person meetings, MS Teams and email.
  • Frequency: Weekly.
  • Detail Level: Medium to high. Focuses on progress overviews, milestone achievements, and specific technical or ethical obstacles.
• Target Group (Office Workers):
  • How: Surveys, interviews, and prototype testing sessions.
  • Frequency: Phase-based (Research and Testing phases).
  • Detail Level: High-level, focusing entirely on user experience, ergonomics, and functional feedback rather than technical mechanics.
• Suppliers:
  • How: Email and direct phone calls.
  • Frequency: As needed during the procurement phase.
  • Detail Level: Highly specific regarding material specifications, dimensional tolerances, quantities, and delivery timelines.

3.6 Communications

Effective synchronization is essential to manage all components of the Bloem project. To maintain progress, the team utilizes specific tools to stay connected. Daily communication occurs via WhatsApp, facilitating quick coordination and immediate problem-solving when issues arise. For formal documentation, Microsoft Teams serves as the central repository for report drafts and all project files. Additionally, the team relies on Jira to manage weekly sprints, providing clear visibility into task assignments and current project status.

Information Flow To ensure organized and professional communication, project information is distributed strictly according to stakeholder relevance:

• Internal Team: Receives raw data, design drafts, daily task updates, and internal meeting minutes.
• Project Supervisors & EPS coordinator Receive weekly progress summaries, milestone deliverables and formal technical/academic questions.

Table 5 shows the general communication channels established for interactions with these stakeholders.

To structure the workflow, specific recurring meetings have been established. Table 6 outlines the formal meeting schedule.

Issue Escalation Protocol When challenges or technical blockers arise, the team follows a defined escalation path to resolve issues efficiently and prevent project delays:

1. Level 1 (Internal Resolution): The issue is first raised via WhatsApp or during a daily working session. The multidisciplinary team attempts to troubleshoot and resolve it internally within 24 to 48 hours.
2. Level 2 (Supervisor Escalation): If the issue persists, requires specific academic guidance, or impacts the budget, it is documented and formally brought to the relevant Project Supervisor (e.g., addressing structural questions to the mechanics supervisor or UI questions to the IT supervisor) during the weekly meeting.

3.7 Risk Management

Risk management is essential to identify, evaluate, and mitigate potential issues that may arise during the development and implementation of the Bloem capsule. Each identified risk is assessed based on its probability of occurrence and its potential impact on the project. A 5×5 risk matrix is used to classify risks and support decision-making regarding mitigation strategies. This matrix is shown in Figure 2.

Table 7 shows a risk assessment of the system. Here is a definition of the probability and impact levels.

The probability levels are defined as:

• 5: Almost certain
  * 4: Likely
  * 3: Moderate
  * 2: Unlikely
  * 1: Rare
  

The impact levels are defined as:

• 5: Severe
  * 4: Major
  * 3: Significant
  * 2: Minor
  * 1: Insignificant
  

Risk levels are calculated by multiplying probability by impact and are interpreted as:

• 1–4: Acceptable
  * 5–9: Adequate
  * 10–16: Tolerable
  * 17–25: Unacceptable
  

The risk analysis shows that most identified risks fall within the adequate and tolerable categories. These risks can be managed through proper planning, iterative testing, and continuous monitoring throughout the project lifecycle. No risks were classified as unacceptable, meaning the project is considered feasible within the defined scope, provided that mitigation strategies are effectively implemented.

3.8 Procurement

Procurement is an important part of the Bloem project because the solution combines architectural materials, furniture elements, and electronic components that must be acquired from different types of suppliers. For this reason, the purchasing strategy was defined to balance cost, availability, delivery time, and reliability, while also keeping the overall concept feasible from a construction point of view. Our procurement plan is shown in Table 8.

The structural and interior elements of the capsule are mainly sourced from building-material suppliers and wood specialists. Components such as cork insulation, wooden slats, plywood boards, brackets, and adhesives are purchased from suppliers that can provide materials in the required dimensions and in relatively short lead times. Whenever possible, local or regional suppliers are preferred, since this reduces transportation effort and simplifies replacement in case of damaged or unavailable items.

The electronic subsystem follows a different procurement approach. Microcontrollers, sensors, converters, and low-cost supporting modules are acquired from specialized online suppliers, since these components are generally more affordable and easier to find through international platforms. At the same time, items such as the speaker and LED strip are sourced from retailers with faster shipping and easier purchasing conditions. Backup suppliers are also identified for the most relevant electronic elements in order to reduce the risk of delays during assembly and testing.

For the user interface, the team selected a commercial tablet that offers sufficient performance for session booking and environmental control without requiring advanced specifications. This avoids overspending on hardware while still ensuring that the interface can be demonstrated under realistic conditions.

Overall, the procurement strategy for Bloem is based on using reliable suppliers for large structural materials, specialized vendors for electronics and alternative sources whenever delivery or stock issues may arise. This mixed approach provides flexibility during implementation and supports both the physical construction of the capsule and the integration of its interactive features.

Procurement presents significant risks in three areas: price fluctuations, delivery times, and supplier dependencies. There are sometimes substantial price differences between primary and backup suppliers that cannot be explained solely by market variations but are usually attributable to differences in packaging sizes, quality grades, or distribution channels (retail vs. B2B). Particularly notable are wood and fastening materials such as wood glue, hinges, screw sets, and individual wood panels, where prices vary by a factor of approximately 2 to 5 depending on the supplier. This creates a procurement risk, as actual unit costs depend heavily on the chosen supplier and are not consistently comparable across all sources.

In terms of time, the system is clearly segmented: local retailers such as Leroy Merlin or Worten typically deliver within 0–3 days, while specialized dealers for wood or material products tend to require 2–5 days. Electronics components sourced through distributors like Mauser or DigiKey, on the other hand, have the longest shipping times of up to 5–10 days. This creates a critical path in project planning, as microcontrollers, sensors and power components in particular can delay the entire system integration if they are not available on time.

Another risk stems from de facto single-supplier structures. Some components either have identical primary and backup suppliers or have only very limited interchangeable alternatives. This increases dependence on individual distributors and makes the system vulnerable to stockouts or delivery delays, particularly in the electronics sector.

This results in a clear procurement strategy with two modes: Under normal circumstances, the cheapest supplier is selected to minimize total costs. In time-critical phases or when bottlenecks are imminent, however, the system deliberately switches to the fastest available supplier, even if this results in higher costs. This dual strategy strikes a balance between budget efficiency and project security while reducing the risk of delays on the critical path.

The project is organized into one-week sprints to support an iterative and flexible development workflow. The full timeline is presented in Table 9, which serves as a structured reference for monitoring progress and ensuring alignment with the overall project goals.

Our project backlog works as a roadmap for the team, helping us stay on top of all the EPS milestones. We’ve arranged these tasks to make sure the workflow stays consistent and that we're hitting our deadlines as we build Bloem. The detailed list of these items and their current status is provided in Table 10 below.

To manage our time effectively, we’ve broken the project down into one-week 'sprints.' This allows us to focus on specific tasks each week and ensures that we are making steady progress toward our final goals. Table 11 shows our schedule, including the duration of each task and who is responsible for leading them.

Figure 3 provides a visual overview of our complete schedule. It allows us to track the duration of each task at a glance and see how they fit together over the semester, making it easier to manage the long-term deadlines for Bloem.

Table 12 shows the outcome of sprint 1.

Sprint 1 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Held our first team meetings to discuss project interests.
• Researching and ranking our top 3 project choices for the supervisors.
• Agreed on the initial vision for a dehumidifier structure.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Workload Stats:

• Tasks Planned: 1
• Tasks Finished: 1

Unfortunately up until sprint 11 we were no correctly assigning points to our tasks as well as marking them as done evenly throughout the sprint. For those reasons the burndown charts do not show how we were working correctly, so we will not be including them in the outcomes.

Table 13 shows the outcome of sprint 2.

Sprint 2 Summary:

What we got done:

• Explored different “Smart Building” ideas and officially chose the wellness capsule.
• Developed the “Black Box” diagrams to map out how the sensors and systems will interact.
• Carlota started the first structural sketches to visualize the egg-shaped design.
• Amalie and Timon began writing the Background and Related Work sections for the report to provide the research foundation for our project.

Current Status: All 4 tasks for this sprint were completed on time.

Workload Summary:

• Planned Tasks: 4
• Completed Tasks: 4

Table 14 shows the outcome of sprint 3.

Sprint 3 Summary:

Tasks Completed:

• The whole team researched sustainable materials (like cork and hemp) and technical components to ensure the capsule meets our wellness goals.
• Amalie and Lena compiled the initial material list and uploaded it to the project wiki.
• Timon drafted the Marketing chapters.
• Lena refined the Black Box diagram based on the new research and feedback from our supervisors.

Status Update: 100% of tasks were finished by the end of the week.

Efficiency Metrics:

• Tasks in the plan: 4
• Tasks carried out: 4

Table 15 shows the outcome of sprint 4.

Sprint 4 Summary:

Key Results for this period:

• Officially rebranded the project to Bloem and finalized the core logo concept to match our “nature meets wellness” theme.
• Kaiko built the first physical scale model using cardboard to test the dimensions and the egg-shaped curve of the capsule.
• Amalie and Carlota produced the detailed technical schematics and structural drawings needed for the upcoming prototype phase.
• We started working on the Project Plan and Development chapters.
• Updated our material list and created a first draft of the marketing flyer to promote Bloem's benefits.

Current Status: Sprint successfully completed with 100% of tasks finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks in the plan: 7
• Tasks carried out: 7

Table 16 shows the outcome of sprint 5.

Sprint 5 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Reworked the technical schematic drawings and advanced both the Smart System HW and SW components.
• Developed the Ethics Case Study presentation and successfully distributed presentation topics among the team.
• Wrote and finalized the Risk and Procurement sections for the Project Management report.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 8
• Tasks Finished: 8

Table 17 shows the outcome of sprint 6.

Sprint 6 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Divided the interim presentation content between the team members.
• Refined and improved the report based on the current project progress.
• Reviewed the report and presentation together to maintain consistency between both deliverables.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 3
• Tasks Finished: 3

Table 18 shows the outcome of sprint 7.

Sprint 7 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Uploaded the interim presentation and report for submission.
• Practised the presentation as a team to improve timing and transitions.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 4
• Tasks Finished: 4

Table 19 shows the outcome of sprint 8.

Sprint 8 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Held a meeting about the electrical schematics to clarify the technical requirements of the system.
• Continued development of the 3D model and reviewed it through team consultation.
• Created initial app drafts to define the visual direction and interaction flow of the Bloem application.
• Started preparing the final material list for the project.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 8
• Tasks Finished: 8

Table 20 shows the outcome of sprint 9.

Sprint 9 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Created and organized the prototype materials list.
• Developed the app UI layout and planned the navigation structure for the Bloem application.
• Updated the electrical circuit design after consultation and feedback.
• Continued development of the door mechanism and prepared material for the 3D video.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 6
• Tasks Finished: 6

Table 21 shows the outcome of sprint 10.

Sprint 10 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Developed the packaging solution and explored how the product could be transported or delivered.
• Continued writing the scientific paper and improving its technical content.
• Reviewed the poster and leaflet content and identified areas that needed refinement.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this sprint is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 6
• Tasks Finished: 6

Table 22 shows the outcome of sprint 11.

Sprint 11 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Continued the development of the scientific paper by working on the structure, proposed solution, smart control, packing, and conclusion sections.
• Developed the electronics for the prototype, focusing on the smart system implementation.
• Added and refined the prototype section in the project wiki report.
• Started preparing the user manual for the final deliverables.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 10
• Tasks Finished: 10

In this sprint we can finally see a somewhat correct burndown chart. The sprint began with a commitment of 37 story points, but the burndown chart shows that progress was logged primarily in large batches at the end of the cycle rather than steadily.

Table 23 shows the outcome of sprint 12.

Sprint 12 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Collected the required materials for the prototype.
• Continued Arduino development, including the on/off button and LED functionality.
• Integrated app files needed to connect the application with hardware components.
• Completed stress analysis work, including material choice, force choice, mesh setup, and simulation.
• Prepared functional testing documentation and installation instructions.
• Worked on the poster design and completed the final poster.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 26
• Tasks Finished: 26

For this sprint, we improved our workflow by breaking down large deliverables into smaller, more precise Jira tasks. This approach made it much easier to distribute and manage our massive 116-point workload. Although the burndown chart still shows a late drop-off due to batch-updating task statuses, this detailed tracking ensured majority of the final project components were completed successfully before the deadline.

Table 24 shows the outcome of sprint 13.

Sprint 13 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Successfully built and assembled the wooden structural components of the prototype.
• Finalized the 3D model's internal functions and generated high-quality renders of the capsule.
• Executed and documented the results of the hardware and software functional tests.
• Made significant progress on the scientific paper, drafting sections for the proposed solution, structure, smart control, and user application.
• Updated the prototype section of the Wiki report and completed the individual personal outcome papers for team members.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 11
• Tasks Finished: 11

This burndown chart demonstrates a highly improved and much more steady progress tracking across a workload of 53 story points. Instead of a single massive drop at the end, the red line shows a consistent step-down pattern that closely tracks the ideal grey guideline throughout the sprint.

Table 25 shows the outcome of sprint 14.

Sprint 14 Summary:

Main Achievements:

• Assembled the cardboard side panels.
• Considerably advanced the 3D modeling workflow, completing the electrical component modeling, LED wire connections, motion studies, and the final 3D model video with captions and audio.
• Improved project management tracking by fully migrating daily meetings and retrospectives into Jira.
• Reviewed and reworked key documentation, heavily updating the Procurement, Quality, and Stress Test sections on the Wiki, alongside revising the User Manual.
• Enhanced the Bloem mobile application by successfully integrating music features.

Progress Check: 100% of the planned work for this week is finished.

Effort Breakdown:

• Tasks Planned: 18
• Tasks Finished: 18

This sprint's burndown chart begins with an initial commitment of 56 story points and shows steady, incremental progress during the first half of the week. Around June 11th, there is a clear scope increase where new tasks were added to the sprint, causing the remaining work line to jump back up above 50 points. Despite this significant late addition, the team successfully burned down all remaining points to close the sprint on time.

Sprint 1 Evaluation

In the first sprint, the team focused on getting organized. We chose our initial topic and attended the introduction sessions. It was mostly about figuring out how we would work together and getting the basic tools ready. The reflection is shown in Table 26.

Sprint 2 Evaluation

During this sprint, we did a deep dive into Smart Buildings and officially decided to create the wellness capsule. We started on the first structural drawings and the Black Box diagrams to see how it would all work. We also began the first research chapters for the report. The reflection is shown in Table 27.

Sprint 3 Evaluation

Sprint 3 was all about research. We looked into sustainable materials to see what would work best. While the marketing chapters were being drafted, we focused on refining the system. We also uploaded our first official list of components. The reflection is shown in Table 28.

Sprint 4 Evaluation

This was a big week for us. We officially rebranded to Bloem, finalized the logo and built a physical cardboard model to check the scale. We also did the detailed technical drawings and worked on the “Project Plan and Development chapters” to document our progress. The reflection is shown in Table 29.

Sprint 5 Evaluation

Sprint 5 showed strong progress in the physical design and planning of the capsule, but highlighted that the electrical system and integration still need clearer definition and further development before the interim milestone. The reflection is shown in Table 30.

Sprint 6+7 Evaluation

In sprint 6+7 we worked on the interim presentation and report completion, but highlighted that software development and app functionality definition are still missing and must be prioritised going forward. The reflection is shown in Table 31.

Sprint 8 Evaluation

Sprint 8 improved technical developing after schematics review with Luis, and material list completion. 3D integration still require further development. The reflection is shown in Table 32.

Sprint 9 Evaluation

Sprint 9 shows strong progress in system design and integration (door mechanism, seating, lighting, and app layout). The reflection is shown in Table 33.

Sprint 10 Evaluation

Sprint 10 reflects continued progress in packaging, 3D modeling, and scientific documentation, but also highlights further work on the deliverables. The reflection is shown in Table 34.

Sprint 11 Evaluation

In sprint 11 we had strong overall progress in technical development, design, packaging, and documentation, but still have challenges with the door mechanism. And Jira workflow clarity that still need to be resolved. The reflection is shown in Table 35.

Sprint 12 Evaluation

Sprint 12 shows progress on app and hardware integration, while still needing completion of scientific writing, rendering development, and improved coordination between team deliverables. The reflection is shown in Table 36.

Sprint 13 Evaluation

Sprint 13 shows strong overall progress in scientific writing, modeling, and prototype development, but is constrained by materials for the prototype. The reflection is shown in Table 37.

Sprint 14 Evaluation

Sprint 14 shows strong final progress across documentation, design, and prototype development, with most major deliverables completed. The reflection is shown in Table 38.

This chapter showed how we kept the Bloem project organized from the very first week. By using tools like Jira and a Gantt chart, we were able to map out a clear timeline and make sure everyone knew their roles. Breaking the semester into weekly sprints was really helpful because it allowed us to stay on top of the workload and adjust our plans as we moved from brainstorming to technical design.

Throughout these first four weeks, the team successfully navigated the shift from a broad “Smart Building” concept to the specific Bloem wellness capsule. We've now reached a point where we have a solid technical foundation, including detailed drawings and a physical cardboard scale model.

With the project management and initial planning now established, the following chapter will focus on our Marketing Plan and how we intend to position Bloem in the wellness market.