3-1 Final Project Milestone One: Project Introduction, Overview, Tasks, and Resources

Jacob Wright

Southern New Hampshire University

QSO-355: Resource Estimate & Schedule

Professor Duchac

28 May 2023

Table of Contents

Introduction

I. Project Overview

A. Roles and Responsibilities

B. Scope and Schedule

II. Tasks

A. Description

B. Time

C. Dependencies

III. Resources

A. Alignment

B. Evaluation

IV. Risk

A. Sources

B. Strategies

V. Budget

VI. Schedule

Introduction

A&D High Tech is a technology business that offers services to clients and small business enterprises and sells computer hardware and accessories. Ted Walter established the business in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1988. Mr. Walter insisted on providing customers with courteous service, and this principle was at the very heart of the Midwestern culture, where Walter spent his whole life. The corporation has experienced enormous growth in just ten years, bringing in roughly $400 million during the fiscal year 2000. Most of the firm's early clients were from states in the Midwest, making it primarily a regional player. However, the entrepreneur prepared to expand the business's reach by catering to the global market.

Purpose:

Background Information:

The company sold its products mostly in Midwest shopping malls and by phone. The Lincoln call center handled phone orders. Phone orders were written on paper and sent to order entry clerks, meaning that order processing took longer, delaying shipment and lowering accuracy. Due to stock constraints, salespersons had to communicate with clients to correct inaccurate information or provide other solutions. The company called back 30% of orders, whereas its primary competitor called back 5%.In 1999, the corporation reorganized. The J. D. Edwards ERP program was the first to be implemented. This software was selected because it could control the company's multiple production elements. An outstanding team of technologists and professionals planned and executed this programming, but they left almost as soon as the software was installed. This raised concerns about how the system would be maintained without trained employees. Despite this hurdle, the project was a commercial breakthrough that reduced customer callbacks to less than 1% of phone orders. After integrating the enterprise resource planning system in 2001, A&D invested in more technology to manage its operations. These gave the company lower production costs and more profits.

Purpose of Project Plan:

The purpose of this project plan is to guide the successful execution of A&D High Tech's online store project. It is a contract between the project manager, executive sponsor, project team, and stakeholders. The plan defines the project, its business goals, and its objectives. It aligns with the company's strategic initiatives to leverage technology, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. The CEO places Urgency on the project, aiming to regain competitive advantage through online sales. Despite time constraints and the absence of the current project manager, the plan will provide recommendations to expedite progress and ensure a timely launch.

Pro

Project Approach: Explain how the various behavioral and team management techniques, methodology, and task structure will be utilized most effectively to meet the requirements and objectives of the project.

Project Approach:

To effectively meet the requirements and objectives of the project, a combination of behavioral and team management techniques, methodology, and task structure will be utilized. The project will employ effective communication and collaboration strategies, promoting open dialogue and fostering a cohesive team environment. Agile project management methodology will be implemented to ensure flexibility, adaptability, and quick responses to changing requirements. Clear task structures and assignments will be established, allowing for efficient resource allocation and accountability. Regular progress tracking, milestone reviews, and performance feedback will be incorporated to monitor and manage project deliverables effectively. By leveraging these techniques, methodology, and task structure, the project team will work synergistically toward achieving project success.

Project Overview

Introduce the project overview section. Only a couple of sentences are needed. This section should also indicate the below upcoming subtopics.

Project Overview:

Despite the company's success in embracing technology, it has mostly ignored a pressing issue: the online market. A team headed by Johnson was formed in 2003 to find ways for the business to control the online market by creating an online store from which customers worldwide could make purchases. Clearly, if the corporation neglected the online market, it would lose its leading position in the current market.

A. Roles and Responsibilities

· CEO, Ted Walter: Provide overall vision and support for the online store project.

· CIO Matt Webb: Guide technology aspects and ensure alignment with IT strategy.

· VP of Sales, Jeff White: Provide input on sales and customer requirements.

· Current project manager, Eric Robertson: Assist with knowledge transfer and support during the transition.

Their duties included:

· Describing the business requirements

· Defining the process flows

· Making the architectural design of the project

· Making a simple model of the system

· Develop a structure for how the project's work will be broken down

· Estimating the resources needed for each task in the work breakdown structure (WBS)

· Describing the project's resources and assigning each task an amount.

Other functional employees include:

1. Chris Johnson (Project Manager)

2. Ryan Neff (Functional Lead),

3. Stacy Lyle (Functional Analyst)

4. Rick Burke (Infrastructure Lead)

5. Ryan Neff (Functional Lead),

6. Rick Burke (Infrastructure Lead)

B. Scope and Schedule

Scope: What is the project scope? Identify the key deliverables that are part of the project scope. Note that the scope statements should include what is in scope as well as specifically call out what other considerations are out of scope.

Schedule: When does the project need to be completed? Describe the timeline for the project. This section of the schedule should only identify a high-level timeline of the major deliverables. A full schedule will be requested later in the project plan.

Scope:

This project has a very broad scope. It includes everything from creating an online brand to offering a forum for clients to interact with the business and provide feedback on how well their products meet their demands. Both the number of customers and their satisfaction rise as a result.

Schedule:

This team has just over two months to develop the online market, so the project's timeframe is extremely constrained. The business's proprietors aim to attract students who will soon return home for the summer. To ensure the project is operational when the students return from their vacations, they should take full advantage of every available minute.

Tasks

Introduce the project tasks section. Only a couple of sentences are needed. This section should also indicate the below upcoming subtopics.

Tasks Overview:

A&D sells most products that govern the Windows 2000 operating system; most applications are specialized. The architecture of the online store was N-tiered to increase flexibility and allow for future enhancements. The first layer was the web server. Determining the business's requirements and defining the process flows are just a few of the activities involved.

A. Description

Describe the tasks and sub-tasks that will fulfill each of the project deliverables. What impact do the tasks and sub-tasks have on the project schedule? In industry practice it is common to use a work breakdown structure (WBS) Dictionary to capture this information. A sample document and template has been provided for this section entitled You are free to use other templates, tools, or formats to convey the requirements outlined within the Final Project Part I Document as long as you satisfy the rubric requirements.

B. Time

Impact of Time Estimates on Project Schedule:

Accurate time estimates play a critical role in determining the project schedule. They directly impact the project's timeline, resource allocation, and overall management. If time estimates are underestimated, it can lead to unrealistic deadlines, increased risk of delays, and potential quality issues due to rushed work. Conversely, overestimating time can result in inefficient resource utilization and unnecessary delays. Accurate time estimates enable effective project planning, sequencing of tasks, and identification of critical path activities. They allow for realistic project scheduling, helping to manage expectations, allocate resources appropriately, and ensure timely delivery of project milestones. Thus, the impact of accurate time estimates on the project schedule cannot be overstated in achieving project success.

During planning, task estimates were created for each task. Since the team that calculated the estimates was very knowledgeable in IT-related subjects, the estimates would provide a good representation of the actuals. The databases for the online market should be updated initially, but planning and work have started after the estimates have been produced while establishing the online market.

Analyze the time estimates for task completion. You can complete this section by adding another column to your Task Description—WBS Dictionary Excel spreadsheet. How do the task time estimates impact the project schedule?

C. Dependencies

Identify dependencies between tasks. In other words, which tasks must be finished before other tasks can be started? Note applicable order/dependencies by adding another column to your Task Description—WBS Dictionary Excel spreadsheet. The new information should be noted for all deliverables that have applicable schedule dependencies.

Resources

Please introduce the resources section. Only a couple of sentences are needed. This section should also indicate the below upcoming subtopics.

Resources Overview:

The key resources identified for the online store project include software developers, IT professionals, and external recruitment services. The corporation lacks internal developers and has engaged a company to fill these positions. IT professionals possess the necessary knowledge for software maintenance. This approach saves costs by recruiting individuals when their services are needed rather than maintaining them on staff continuously.

A. Alignment

Align resources to each of the sub-tasks you described. Justify your reasoning for your alignment decisions. In other words, why does the company need the resource types to complete the sub-tasks? In industry practice it is common to use a WBS Resource Alignment to capture this information. A has been developed to use for this section. You are free to use other templates, tools, or formats to convey the requirements outlined within the Final Project Part I Document as long as you satisfy the rubric requirements.

B. Evaluation

Evaluate the company’s resources. Does the company have the resources available to support the project? Are there any areas where the necessary resources may not be available to complete the sub-tasks?

Resource Evaluation:

Of all the resources needed for the project, only the software developers have not been identified. If the developers had been employed internally, $75 per hour would have been the rate utilized for estimation. However, in this instance, the corporation does not have any internal developers; as a result, a company has been engaged to fill these positions. In this situation, the corporation lacks the personnel to create its online store. However, recruiting these individuals is less expensive than keeping them on staff when their services are not frequently required. The IT professionals have the fundamental knowledge needed to maintain the software.

Note: For Milestone Two, complete the following sections of this form and the associated templates as instructed: IV. Risk and V. Budget

Risk

Introduce the risk section. Only a couple of sentences are needed. This section should also indicate the below upcoming subtopics.

Risk Overview:

The risk section of the project plan addresses potential sources of risk and strategies for risk mitigation. It includes subtopics on sources and strategies. Using the Risk Register Template, the sources identify likely risks based on project scope, budget, and time. Strategies are then determined to minimize the impact of identified risks, utilizing the Risk Register or other templates, tools, or formats to fulfill the requirements of the Final Project Document while meeting the rubric requirements.

A. Sources

Identify likely sources of risk for the project. Make sure to consider the project scope, budget, and time. In industry practice it is common to use a risk register to capture this information. A has been developed to use for this section. Note: You may not need all columns of the Risk Register to fulfill this element, but you should be aware of the industry standard for assessing risk, so those columns have been left in the register. Use whatever columns are useful to you in fulfilling the requirements of this critical element. You are free to use other templates, tools, or formats to convey the requirements outlined within the Final Project Document as long as you satisfy the rubric requirements.

B. Strategies

Determine risk mitigation strategies for the areas you identified. What strategies could you recommend to minimize the impact of the risks you identified? You can use your Risk Register, provided in the prior section, for this section also. You are free to use other templates, tools, or formats to convey the requirements outlined within the Final Project Part I Document as long as you satisfy the rubric requirements.

Budget

Develop an initial high-level budget based on the individual costs of the project deliverables. In other words, ensure the costs identified in your budget align with the deliverables. In industry practice it is common to use a cost estimating worksheet to capture this information. A has been developed to use for this section. You are free to use other templates, tools, or formats to convey the requirements outlined within the Final Project Part I Document as long as you satisfy the rubric requirements.

Note: You will complete section VI as part of your final submission of your Initial Schedule and Budget Report.

Schedule

Create a schedule for the project using your task time estimates and the dependencies you identified. In industry practice it is common to use a Gantt chart to capture this information. A sample document and template has been provided for this section entitled “Gantt Template.” You are free to use other templates, tools, or formats to convey the requirements outlined within the Final Project Part I Document as long as you satisfy the rubric requirements.

Note: For your final submission, you will submit a complete project management plan using this form. All feedback received on milestones should be evaluated and incorporated as necessary. Remove all guiding notes and submit a clean and professional plan as if you were submitting it to upper management.