Critical Reflection

Throughout the final project, the communication skills within my team could be improved. There were sometimes different views on a section of the project and it led us to a mini debate. It is times like this that we learn to accept and understand the other person’s point of view and try to reach a consensus. Working with people is a valuable is skill that we all must master, and this project have allowed me to realise that oral communication is key to working well with people of different background. From the way we present our ideas, to understanding the opposite person’s perspective and that there are no one size fits all solution in communicating with people.

Overall this final project has given various opportunities to learn and improve on my writing and presentation skills. Firstly, I am now more aware of the requirements and standards of how a technical report should be written. Secondly the skill of summarising and writing concisely to achieve the same meaning with lesser words. lastly the skills of preparing and presenting a presentation. Having said that I still have a lot to learn and improve on. With valuable feedback from Ms Lim, I could focus on the areas that I am weak in and improve myself. While change takes time, I would remember and apply these improvements in the future.

The greatest take away from this project would be learning how to write and present a presentation better. Writing skills and presentation skills are both an important skill to have as it enables the writer/presenter to hold the attention of the reader and to deliver its intended message clearly and effectively. 

Technical Report Draft 1(updated)

Proposed Solution

The concept is a table embedded tablet, with a split screen to allow the device to be shared by 2 diners, as shown in Figure 1 & 2.

Diners can access the application through the tablet or opt to scan the QR code with their smartphone linking to the application. On the application, the diner will browse the menu, place orders and make payment. Confirmed orders will generate an order number for the collection of food.
While using the application, the seat will be on-hold by having an orange display on the tablet. When other diner attempt to select the seat, the application will inform that the seat is taken, shown in Figure 3.

For diners who opt out of cashless payment, cash and NETs payment can be made at kiosks, by entering the order number before making payment. Upon confirmation of payment, the application will show a red display, indicating that the seat is occupied. An alert will be sent to the tablet and smartphone when food is ready for collection.

Products will be charged an additional $1, reimbursed upon the scanning the receipt and return of trays, which will release the seat. Tray return stations will be fitted with sensors to detect the minimum tray weight to ensure that diners adhere to the system. If diners do not return the trays, cleaners who carry a specific QR card will scan the code to release the seat and clear the table.

For take outs, a QR code will be scanned with the diner’s smartphones to access the application. Order numbers will be keyed into the kiosk, before making payment. A screen at the designated waiting area will display order numbers to alert the diner to collect food. The full process is shown in Figure 4.
With the Integrated Ordering & Payment System, problems of blocked passageways and the ‘chope’ culture will be eliminated, through systematic ordering and reservation of seats, in turn increasing productivity and consumer comfort.

Analytical Reflection

In the recent mock presentation, there were a few aspects that requires improvement and fine tuning. Firstly, the delivery of the presentation needs improvement in terms of the way my team and I present the contents and the body language we portray throughout. I felt my delivery could be improved with less pauses to recall a particular point and I could be more lively and enthusiastic. My team could also work on being more lively and adopting a more friendly expression. The body language my team and I portrayed was sometimes not ideal, and it is something that we have to iron out and change, a better posture and hand gestures to emphasize a point or to point towards a direction when necessary would be useful. I believe that our voice and body language is the most important thing in a presentation, how we present ourselves and communicate with the audience will directly affect the outcome of the presentation.

Secondly the preparation for the presentation was inadequate, as my team and I was not well rehearsed and lack being seamless. The PowerPoint slides for the presentation was not well designed and could be improved with tips from Garr Reynolds presentation tips such as, limiting words and bullet points in the presentation slides. I believe that we more rehearsals and fine tuning of the PowerPoint slides my team and I would be able to execute the final presentation well.  

In conclusion, the mock presentation did not turn out as ideal as I imagined it to be, but in the process, I managed to find out what my team and I are require to work on and focus before the final presentation.

Technical Report Draft 1

Proposed Solution

To help eliminate the problem of over-crowding due to long queues, a solution will be to implement the Integrated Ordering & Payment System, which is an embedded tablet and smartphone application, which would allow the consumer to order without having to stand in line.

The concept will be an E-table, an embedded tablet on the centre of a table, which will have a QR code specific to the table. Firstly, consumers can access the application through the tablet or they can opt to scan the QR code with their smartphone, which will link to an application. On the application, the consumer will indicate their selected seat, which will display in the system that the seat is on-hold. After which, the consumer will be able to access and browse the menu and place orders through the application, where payment will be made through an integrated payment system on the tablet. Products will be charged an additional $1, which will be reimbursed when upon the return of trays.

If the consumer does not have any forms of cashless payment, they may opt to pay at the self service kiosks, where the consumer will scan a QR code generated from their orders and make cash payment.

Upon confirmation of payment, an indication in the system will be made to signal that the seat is occupied. When other consumers attempt to select the seat in the system, the system will reject the application by informing that the seat is taken.

Once the food is ready for collection, an alert will be sent to the tablet as well as the smartphone application to notify the consumer. After consumption of food, the consumer is encouraged to return their trays at tray return stations. The consumer will scan the QR code at the tray return station where $1 will be reimbursed. The code will then inform the system that the consumer has finished and will release the seat.

In the event where the consumer does not return their trays, cleaners who will carry a specific QR card will scan the code to release the seat and clear the tray.

Similarly for consumers who opt to take away, they may scan a QR code at the self service kiosk and make payment, where a notification will be sent to the consumer to inform them that their food is ready for collection.

By implementing the Integrated Ordering & Payment System, it will eliminate the problem of over-crowding within food courts due to long queues. The ‘chope’ culture will be eliminated through the systematic reservation of seats. The usage of technology is able to bring productivity to its company and properly manage manpower thus enhance cost effectiveness.

Summary Reader Response Final

In the article “Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times: Experts” (Mokhtar, 2017) states that although there are benefits of cladding on a building, it can be a threat as it serves as a fire hazard. According to Mokhtar’s (2017) article, Fadeyi (2017) mentioned that cladding has been proven to help in the reduction of energy consumption in a building by using lesser energy to cool its surroundings. And Budig (2017) mentions that the function of cladding in Singapore is mainly used to improve the shading of the building. An SCDF spokesman states that in Singapore the materials used in cladding must adhere to the strict requirements of the class ’0’ standard to attain the local product certification (Mokhtar, 2017).

Mokhtar (2017) reports that cladding may have contributed to the fire that struck the Grenfell Tower, which led to multiple fatalities. And In Singapore, several buildings have, in recent times, been tested to have non- class ‘0’ cladding. (Mokhtar, 2017)Stringent rules are critical to the fire safety of the buildings and the prevention of cladding related fires. Hence more stringent rules and fire test should be implemented to ensure that buildings are safe.

The fire safety rules and regulations could be stricter. It was not until the tragic Toh Guan fire that happened in May 2017, where a 54-year-old woman perished that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) decided to carry out an evaluation of their fire safety protocols and certification process of the external cladding of the building (Ng, 2017). The Toh Guan fire was also the trigger for fire safety inspections on several buildings in Singapore that led to the discovery of 36 buildings that did not satisfy the SCDF safety requirements (Ng, 2017). I believe that the SCDF regulations and fire test on cladding could be improved on.

Firstly, in Singapore the fire testing process of a cladding panel involves setting a panel on fire and observing the flame spread. This method of testing is flawed as it is inadequate and overly simple to prove that it is compliant to the class ‘0’ standard set by the SCDF. The current testing process does not fully show how a real fire would react with the cladding material. Hence a full-scale fire test with multiple panels should be implemented as it would be a good representation of a fire should it break out in an entire building (Leong, 2017)

Secondly, the certification process for the cladding could be improved. Currently the cladding material is taken from the production line and sent to the testers for evaluation, this however does not ensure that the materials used on buildings in Singapore are compliant to the standards (Leong, 2017)A suggestion would be to send the materials that is headed for the construction sites to be tested. So as to ensure that the cladding material that is to be used in the upcoming construction has gone through testing.

In conclusion, the loophole in the system must be fixed to prevent another cladding related fire. The SCDF should periodically review their fire regulations instead of reviewing them only after a fatality or incident. Additionally, a full-scale test on the cladding material should be carried out to have a more realistic representation, of how the fire would spread. And this would definitely provide a more precise certification of the material.

References

Leong, W. K. (2017, September 11). Fire tests on building cladding too lenient; certification process can be improved: Experts. Channel News Asia. Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/fire-tests-on-building-cladding-too-lenient-certification-9203268

Mokhtar, F. (2017, june 17). Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times: Experts. Todayonline. Retrieved from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/use-cladding-buildings-here-have-grown-recent-times-experts

Ng, J. S. (2017, August 25). 36 buildings using cladding that may not meet standard. The Straits Time. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/36-buildings-using-cladding-that-may-not-meet-standard

Summary Reader Response Draft 2

In the article “Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times: Experts” from Faris Mokhtar, Today Online (June 20, 2017) states that although there are benefits of cladding on a building, it can be a threat as it serves as a fire hazard. Mokhtar (2017) states that the usage of cladding has shown to provide many benefits for the building. And according to Assistant Professor Fadeyi (2017), cladding has shown to help in the increase of a building’s sustainability and the reduction of energy consumption. Furthermore, Assistant Professor Budig (2017) mentions that Singapore practices another style of cladding which enhances the shade of the building, with the use of minimal insulated material, that might otherwise cause a fire risk. Adding on from Mokhtar (2017) an SCDF spokesman states that in Singapore the materials used in cladding must adhere to the strict requirements of the class ’0’ standard and fulfil the local product certification which involves regular testing.

However according to Mokhtar (2017), cladding may have contributed to the fire that struck the Grenfell Tower, which led to multiple fatalities. The use of cladding in the Grenfell tower fire incident contributes in the rapid spreading of fire, as oxygen from the gaps of the bottom exterior of the building gets drawn up by the flames, further escalating the fire states Assistant Professor Budig (2017). And In Singapore several buildings have, in recent times, been tested to have non- class ‘0’ cladding. Stringent rules are critical to the fire safety of buildings and cladding related fires. Hence more stringent rules and fire test should be implemented.

There is certainly a loophole in the system regarding the fire safety of cladding in Singapore. It is not until the tragic Toh Guan fire that happened in May 2017, where a 54-year-old woman perished that the Singapore Civil Defence Force(SCDF) then, decided to carry out an evaluation of their fire safety protocols and certification process of the external cladding of the building (Ng, 2017). The Toh Guan fire was also the trigger for fire safety checks, on several buildings in Singapore. Which led to the discovery of 36 buildings that did not satisfy the SCDF safety requirements. (Loh, 2017)I believe that the SCDF regulations and fire test on cladding could be improved on.

Firstly in Singapore the fire testing process of a cladding panel involves setting of a panel on fire and observing its flame spread. This however does not fully show how a real fire would react with the material, a full-scale fire test with multiple panels should be implemented as it would be a good representation of a fire in a full-scale building .(Lee,2017)

Secondly the certification for the cladding could be improved. Currently the cladding material is taken from the production line and then sent to the testers for evaluation (Arjen, 2017), this however does not ensure that the correct materials are used by the buildings(Filierman,2017). A suggestion would be to send the materials that is headed for the construction sites to be tested.

In conclusion the loophole in the system must be fixed to prevent another cladding related fire, and the SCDF should periodically review their fire regulations instead of reviewing them only after a fatality or incident. Furthermore, a full-scale test on the cladding material should be carried out despite its higher cost to have a more realistic representation, this in turn would provide a more accurate result for the certification of the material.

Reference

Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times: Experts (2017). Todayonline. Retrieved, June17, 2017 from http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/use-cladding-buildings-here-have-grown-recent-times-experts

36 buildings using cladding that may not meet standard (2017).TheStraitstime. Retrieved, August 25,2017 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/36-buildings-using-cladding-that-may-not-meet-standard

36 buildings may have combustible cladding that doesn't meet safety standards; police investigating (2017) . ChannelNewsAsia. Retrieved, August 24, 2017 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/36-buildings-may-have-combustible-cladding-that-doesn-t-meet-9153588

Fire tests on building cladding too lenient; certification process can be improved: Experts. ChannelNewsAsia. Retrieved, September 11,2017 http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/fire-tests-on-building-cladding-too-lenient-certification-9203268

Summary Reader Response Draft 1

Summary
In the article “Use of cladding in buildings here have grown in recent times: Experts” from Faris Mokhtar, Today Online (June 20, 2017) states that although there are benefits of cladding on a building, it can be a threat as it serves as a fire hazard.

Mokhtar (2017) states that the usage of cladding has shown to provide many benefits for the building. According to Assistant Professor Fadeyi (2017), cladding has shown to benefit in the reduction of energy consumption and the increases sustainability of the building.  According to Assistant Professor Budig (2017), he mentions that Singapore practices another style of cladding which enhances the shade of the building.

However, usage of cladding has been contributing in the rapid spreading of fire as it endangers the fire safety in the building as the oxygenation could escalate the fire (Mokhtar, 2017). According to Mokhtar (2017), cladding may have contributed to the fire that struck the Grenfell Tower, which led to multiple fatalities.

Thesis statement
In recent times, some buildings with cladding in singapore have been tested to have non-Class'0' cladding. As such, more stringent rules and fire test should be implemented. These stringent rules are critical to the fire safety of the building and the prevention of another cladding related fire.