Enhancing Capstone Program Workflow: A Case Study on a Platform for Managing Academic-Industry Projects
2026-02-23 • Computers and Society
Computers and Society
AI summaryⓘ
The authors describe a web tool they created to help manage big final projects called Capstones at their university, Insper. These projects are done by student teams on real problems from outside organizations but can be tricky to organize because they involve picking projects and forming groups carefully. Their tool focuses on making it easier to find projects and create balanced student teams. They also talk about the challenges they faced building the tool and share data from its recent use to help others doing similar work.
Capstone projectsgroup formationproject managementweb-based toolexternal stakeholdersstudent teamsreal-world problemsuniversity assessmentacademic rankingsoftware deployment
Authors
Rafael Corsi Ferrao, Luciano Pereira Soares
Abstract
Capstone projects are widely adopted by universities around the world as a culminating assessment in bachelor's degree programs. These projects typically involve student teams tackling complex, real-world problems proposed by external stakeholders, such as companies, NGOs, or research centers. Although they offer valuable hands-on experience, managing Capstone projects can be challenging due to their multiple stages and demands. The process typically begins by identifying students' interests, followed by sourcing and selecting potential projects from external organizations. After presenting these options to students, groups must be formed based on various criteria, including academic ranking, GPA, previous experience, and individual skill sets. In this paper, we detail a web-based tool designed to streamline the management of Capstone projects at Insper, with an emphasis on project sourcing and group formation. We also discuss the technological solutions and the challenges encountered throughout development and deployment. Furthermore, we present usage data from recent years, offering insights that may prove valuable for institutions or teams developing similar tools in the future.