Information Systems Project Management Plan
As a graduate student you are expected to be proficient in the use of the English language. Errors in grammar, spelling, or syntax will affect your grade. As your professor, I will not provide remedial help for writing problems. If you are unable to write clearly and correctly, I urge you to contact the program office for sources of remedial help.
Following is a description of each section that should be included in the project plan. Use the following headings and subheadings to organize your plan. Approximate length (in pages with single-spaced narrative) for each sectionis provided in parentheses.
Templates are provided at the end of this document.
Section 1: Project Definition(5-6 pages)
1a. Background: This is a short description (1-2 paragraphs) that gives the reader an understanding of how the project came to be.
1b. Project Scope Statement: Use the scope statement template to develop a scope statement for your project. See a snapshot example on page 105.
1c. Project Priorities: As a project manager, you will need to manage the trade-offs among time, cost, and performance. Create a priority matrix (See figure 4.2 on page 107) to determine which criterion (i.e., time, performance, and cost) are constrained, enhanced, and accepted. Provide a brief explanation about your decisions to accompany the matrix.
1d. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) or Process Breakdown Structure (PBS) and Cost and/or Time Estimates: Once you have completed your scope statement including the identification of your deliverables and the project priorities, you will create either a work breakdown structure (WBS) or Process Breakdown Structure (PBS) to delineate the tasks. Refer to pages 108-113 and the WBS/PBS template (at the end of this document) to prepare a WBS or PBS for your project. Estimate the project costs and/or timeand explain how you went about achieving your estimates. See Chapter 5: Estimating Project Times and Cost for guidance.
Section 2: Project Communication (1-2 pages)
2a. Responsibility Matrix: In order to ensure good communication among the project team, create a responsibility matrix (see Figure 4.7 on page 118 for an example). Include at least 10 tasks and make sure it is clear what individual is responsible for each task. Be sure to include a short paragraph that introduces the responsibility matrix and its purpose.
2b. Power/Interest Map:The power/interest map is a tool that is used as part of the stakeholder analysis and it will also help you determine your communication plan because depending on where they are placed on the map, you will communicate with them in various ways (i.e., frequently with a lot of detail or infrequently with high level bullet-pointed information). Who are your key stakeholders (e.g., customer, sponsor, project team, etc.) and what are their communication needs?Do the need to have a lot of day-to-day detail about the project? Do they just need an update after each major milestone? See Figure 4.9 on page 120. Letters on the map represent various stakeholders. Create a power/interest map for your project. Make sure to include a key with your map.Identify at least five stakeholders and briefly describe their placement on the map. That is, why did you place them where you did and what are the implications on how you plan to communicate with them? You will address stakeholder analysis again later on in Section 6.
Section 3: Project Plan (1-2 pages)
3a. AON Project Network:From your WBS, develop an activity-on-node (AON) project network. Apply the eight basic rules listed on page 164 for constructing a project network. Remember the AON method uses nodes (boxes) for activities and arrows for dependencies. Include at least 15 activities on your network. Show at least one merge activity, one burst activity, and one set of parallel activities. Identify the critical path.
Section 4: Project Risk Management (1-2 pages)
4a. Risk Assessment and Risk Response:Identify and describe at least five potential risks associated with your project. Use a risk assessment form to analyze your risks(See Figure 7.6 on page 212 for an example).Develop a risk response matrix similar to Figure 7.8 to outline how you would deal with each of the risks.
Section 5: Project Change Control Management (1-2 pages)
5a. Change Request:Controlling project changes is very important to project managers. It is a major element in managing risk. If your project is new, create a hypothetical change. If you are documenting a past or existing project, identify on major change that has occurred. Completethe Change Request Form template (at the end of this document) to document the change.
Section 6: Project Leadership (1-2 pages)
6a. Stakeholder Analysis - Mapping Dependencies: Refer to pages 347-349. Create a dependencies diagram by identifying the stakeholders (at least five) on whom your project depends for success. Think about the following questions and include a brief description of each stakeholder and their relevance to the project.
1. Whose cooperation will we need?
2. Whose agreement or approval will we need?
3. Whose opposition would keep us from accomplishing the project?
6b. Keys to Success: Reflect on your role as a project manager. What are potential management issues (e.g., motivation problems, conflicts) that are likely to arise in completing this project? What should you, as the project manager, look out for in managing this project? How will you ensure that your project is successful?
Guidelines and Suggestions for Creating Your Project Management Plan
1. Your AON project network should include at least15 and no more than 25 activities to keep the paper manageable.
2. Your paper must tell a story! Don't just include the matrices, diagrams, etc. You must explain their purpose and relevance to your project plan.
3. Pick a project that allows you to demonstrate the principles covered in the course.
4. Think ahead to the resources that will be used. Regardless of whether you are doing this assignment individually or as a team, the project you select should involvemore than two people on the project team. You should also be able to identify at least five stakeholders.
5. Submit only one file that includes your full plan (preferably in MSWord). You may insert screen captures from work you did in other programs (e.g., MSProject, MindView, Excel, etc.). Assume that top management is reviewing this report. Time is precious, so organize your report so that it is easy to comprehend and follow. Embed figures and tables into the text.
6. Constructing patios, garages, pools, and trivial projects are not valid projects for this course. Aim to identify a project within your present or future profession.
7. Be realistic and create a project scenario that is either cost restrained, scope constrained and/or time constrained.
8. Your goal is to demonstrate your understanding of the systems, tools, and concepts discussed in the class through your project narrative.
9. Templates for the project scope statement, work breakdown structure/process breakdown structure, risk assessment matrix, risk response matrix, and change request form are provided at the end of this document. References are from the course textbook, Larson and Gray, 6th edition.
Attachment:- Project plan.rar