An Eggs-cellent Way to Plan

Step 1. Define your goals and objectives

Our goal was to create a device and method by which a representative from our group could drop an egg on the floor without breaking its shell, standing on a table from a height of approximately 10 feet, using only six straws and a piece of electric tape.

Step 2. Determine your resources and current status vis-a-vis objectives

Our resources: One uncooked egg with shell; six straws; one piece electric tape; one pair of scissors; seven human brains; and one android cell phone with internet access. Our strength was our number and access to google.com. Our weakness was the limited resources with which we were provided for the experiment.

Step 3. Develop several alternative strategies

We discussed a few strategies that didn’t seem very viable until we decided to search what the best method of protecting and dropping the egg would be via google search. Our weakness was our failure to brainstorm more strategies, as well as the skill with which we imitated the strategy found on the internet. The instructions we found were not very descriptive and lacked diagrams and clear instructions, so we still had to improvise a bit.

Step 4. Make a tactical plan

We chose to replicate the method we found on the internet, as it was guaranteed as the most practical method of transporting the egg. The plan called to tape two of the six straws around the circumference of the egg (in a cross pattern) so that it would act as a brace/shock absorber. The remaining four straws were to be taped together into a “mat” to drop the egg on.

Step 5. Implement the plan and evaluate results

We replicated the method to the best of our abilities, however the “engineering” apparently was not as sound as we’d hoped. It was a fun and useful lesson, however. Our strength was our groups cooperation, efficiency and organization. Our weakness was, obviously, the engineering, as well as our reliance on google to provide us with the most accurate method. We did brainstorm, but we couldn’t come up with any valid plans or ideas – I do believe if we were able to better execute the instructions we found from our google search, we would have succeeded. Everyone worked perfectly together – we were each occupied with our specified roles in the project: one member was in charge of blueprints and design; one managed the resources (and even managed to “steal” a scissor for us!); another member kept inventory and named our egg; we had our engineer, who constructed the apparatus; and last but not least, we had our official egg dropper, whom we chose on account of her height (we assumed the shorter she was, the better chances there would be of the egg not shattering). We were all very coordinated and timely, and adhered to the plan to the best of our abilities