project

BUS 5611 – Managing Projects and Programs Group Activity

The group activity for this course spans Units 3-6. Your group will create a project plan based on a short case. The final project plan should address the following:

• project scope • work breakdown structure • schedule • resources • budget • procurement • quality • communication • risk management

To stay on track it is suggested that your group complete the following in each unit:

Unit 3

• Project Scope of Work (SOW) – define the parameters of the work to be done. The scope should outline what will be done, the deliverables of the project and how the work will be done.

• Work breakdown structure – create the specific tasks and subtasks for each part of the project • Project schedule - add time elements for each of the project activities and sequencing the

implementation

See chapters 8, 9, and 10 in the Project Management text for reference information

Unit 4

• Resources – what resources are needed for each task, including any special skills necessary to complete specific project tasks

• Budget – specify the budget, including an approximate cost of the entire project • Procurement –vendors or subcontracting needed for the project

See chapters 11, 12 and 13, in the Project Management text for reference information.

Unit 5

• Quality plan – quality assessment criteria will be used for the project • Communication plan – communication strategy for all project stakeholders, including synchronous

and asynchronous communication for people on and off site. • Risk Management plan – assessing possible risk and contingency plans if needed

See chapters 14, 15, and 16 in the Project Management text for reference information.

Case:

Your client is an IT company specializing in devices for people with disabilities. Based in the US, it employs 25 people and sells its products mainly in North America. During its first 5-years, the company has experienced rapid growth, but last year’s financials have shown some decline in sales. The sales department has recently identified an opportunity for entry into the Chinese and Latin-American markets. As a result, the management team has approved a set of strategic projects to enable that purpose.

One of the projects being launched is the development of a multi-language website platform to enable online purchases of the company products. With that purpose, your team has been hired to manage the project. You have been asked to submit a project plan in the next few weeks that is efficient (you were told by a Vice President that this project needs to be done ‘yesterday’) and for the smallest budget possible. The management team has approved up to $45K for the project, but you have been asked to bring it in under budget if possible. Your team will gather the necessary information to define a robust project plan.

Your team allowed to make assumptions, as needed, to assist you in completing the project thoroughly

Deliverable

Your group should create a project plan outlining each of the assigned parts, plus anything else you feel is important. The project plan will be shared with the Management Team for final approval of the project. Your plan should be 8-10 pages (exclusive of a cover page and reference page) in length and include additional research done by your team. You can make any assumptions about the company, resources and other considerations in order for you to do a thorough job in producing the plan.

Please include a breakdown of how the project plan work was completed (who did what?) by your group.

Each group member will be required to submit the final version of the project plan in Unit 6.

This paper is due by the end of Unit 6.