Practical Product Deployment

Course guarantor:

Iva Tattermuschová

Lecturer:

Petra Jílková, Iva Tattermuschová

Tutor:

Petra Jílková, Iva Tattermuschová

Supervisor:

Institute of Economic Studies

Synopsis:

Practical Product Deployment is a semester-long project-based course connected to the Make-iton incubation programme organised by Maker Institute. Students work individually or in teams on their own product concept and develop it throughout the semester from an initial idea through design, prototyping and testing to an advanced prototype and final presentation.

The course includes expert lectures, practical exercises, work in professionally equipped hardware workshops, consultations with mentors and interim project presentations. The course combines technical product development with user validation, basic principles of product and business thinking, and preparation of the project for further development.

The outcome of the course is an advanced product prototype, product documentation and a final project presentation at Demo Day. At the final Demo Day, three winning projects are selected. Their teams receive financial support in the form of a voucher or cheque to further develop their projects. Emphasis is placed on practical application of acquired knowledge, independent creative work, teamwork, iterative development and the ability to respond to feedback.

IMPORTANT: Enrolment in the course alone is not sufficient for participation in the programme. Students must submit a project through the application form on the Maker Institute website. The submitted projects are then selected according to the programme focus, i.e. projects that can be practically developed and prototyped within the programme.

Requirements:

Entry requirements:

An interest in practical product development, independent creative work and the ability to work on a product project. No specific prior technical skills are required; individual technological processes will be selected according to the needs of each project.

Course admission requirement: Enrolment in the course in the CTU information system does not automatically guarantee participation in the programme. To be admitted to the Make-iton programme, students must submit a project through the application form on the Maker Institute website. Submitted projects are selected according to the programme focus and their potential for practical development and prototyping during the semester.

The project does not need to be fully developed at the time of application. A concrete product concept and its potential for practical development within the programme are the key requirements. Students may apply individually or as part of a team.

Requirements for obtaining the graded credit:

- continuous work on an approved project concept,

- active participation in key course activities,

- completion of the defined interim milestones,

- development of the project to an advanced prototype stage,

- validation of the project or prototype with target users according to the nature of the project,

- submission of product documentation,

- final project presentation at Demo Day.

The graded credit is assessed primarily on the quality and level of development of the final project, the development process, the ability to respond to feedback, and the quality of the final presentation and product documentation.

Syllabus of lectures:

1. Product development life cycle and principles of project management.

2. Product development planning, defining project goals, roles and required resources.

3. Technological processes in hardware product development prototyping, electronics, 3D modelling and printing, laser technologies and other processes according to the needs of individual projects.

4. Principles of product and business thinking target users, value proposition, business model, basic pricing principles and funding opportunities.

5. Product validation and working with feedback from target users.

6. Product presentation, pitching and preparing the project for further development.

Syllabus of tutorials:

1. Introduction to the programme and workshop facilities introduction to the available hardware laboratories, presentation of projects and formation of working groups according to project focus and technological requirements.

2. Project formulation and planning defining the project goal, assigning roles, selecting appropriate technologies and planning the development process.

3. Practical development and prototyping individual and team work on projects in the workshops, using 3D printing, 3D modelling, laser technologies, electronics and other available technologies according to project needs.

4. Interim project presentation and consultations presentation of the project in progress, expert feedback and subsequent iteration of the design.

5. Product testing and validation working with feedback from target users and using the findings for further development.

6. Project finalisation completing the prototype, preparing product documentation, presentation materials and the final presentation.

7. Final project presentation presentation of the completed project at Demo Day.

Key dates:

2 October 2026 introductory meeting, project presentations and team formation

22 October 2026 How to Build Stuff lecture

29 October 2026 Project Planning lecture

6 October 2026 project presentations and introduction to Next Zone

19 November 2026 interim project presentations and feedback

3 December 2026 business and product thinking

17 December 2026 Open Talk: customer-oriented feedback and user testing

14 January 2027 interim project presentations

18 February 2027 final Demo Day

Study Objective:

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

- formulate a product concept and define the main objective of a project,

- plan the basic stages of product development and organise project work,

- design and iteratively develop a prototype using appropriate technologies,

- use expert consultation and feedback to further develop a project,

- validate a product concept with target users and work with the results of the validation,

- understand the basic principles of product and business thinking,

- present a project, its value, current stage of development and opportunities for further development to professional and general audiences.

Study materials:

Study materials are provided throughout the course as part of the individual thematic sessions and consultations. Additional materials and professional resources are selected according to the focus and technological requirements of individual projects.

Note:

Further information:

https://makerinstitute.cz/make-iton/

Time-table for winter semester 2026/2027:

Time-table is not available yet

Time-table for summer semester 2026/2027:

Time-table is not available yet

The course is a part of the following study plans:

• B0413P050061 Ekonomika a management (profesní studijní program) - počínaje od ZS 2023/2024 (compulsory elective course)
• B0413P050061 Ekonomika a management (OZ101 Marketing) od ZS 2023/2024 (compulsory elective course)
• B0413P050061 Ekonomika a management (OZ102 Personální management) od ZS 2023/2024 (compulsory elective course)
• B0413P050061 Ekonomika a management (OZ103 Řízení firemních procesů) od ZS 2023/2024 (compulsory elective course)
• B0413P050061 Ekonomika a management (OZ104 Účetnictví) od ZS 2023/2024 (compulsory elective course)
• B0413P050061 Ekonomika a management (OZ105 Manažerská informatika) od ZS 2023/2024 (compulsory elective course)
• B0413P050061 Ekonomika a management (OZ106 Obchodní podnikání) od ZS 2023/2024 (compulsory elective course)