Assignment 1: Due 07/16/2017 At 11:00 PM - Project Plan And

Assignment 1: Due 07/16/2017 at 11:00PM - Project Plan and Presentation

This assignment consists of two sections: a written project plan and a PowerPoint presentation. You must submit each as a separate file, labeled accordingly.

Section 1: Written Project Plan

Imagine you are a software engineer working within a fixed budget to develop a web-based student registration system. The system should enable students to register for classes, authenticate their credentials, choose eligible classes, register students, print confirmation receipts, and generate registration invoices.

Your task is to provide senior management with a detailed summary, including an activity graph and a project plan outlining your approach to executing the project. Write a five to six-page paper that:

• Describes the development of the student registration project as a work breakdown structure (WBS) of actions and transitions among these actions.
• Creates an activity graph from the WBS using Microsoft Visio or an open-source alternative like Dia, identifying time estimates and the critical path.
• Includes a risk analysis, task scheduling, and personnel staffing plan.
• Provides rationale for your decisions to senior management regarding the project plan.

The project plan should be formatted with double spacing, Times New Roman font size 12, and one-inch margins. Attach diagrams and charts created in Visio or Dia as an appendix, citing them appropriately within the plan. The cover page and references are not included in the page count. All citations and references must follow APA or relevant school formatting guidelines.

Section 2: PowerPoint Presentation

Create a five to ten-slide PowerPoint presentation summarizing the project plan for the Board of Directors. The presentation should include:

• An overview of the work breakdown structure, activity graph, risk management strategies, project schedule, and staffing plan.
• Justification for the decisions made in the plan.
• Bulleted speaker notes in the Notes section to facilitate presentation delivery.

The presentation should be professional, concise, and effectively communicate key project elements. Feel free to assume fictitious names, data, or scenarios to enhance realism.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Developing a comprehensive project plan is critical to ensuring the successful deployment of a web-based student registration system within a fixed budget. This plan must encompass a detailed work breakdown structure (WBS), an activity graph illustrating task dependencies and critical paths, risk management strategies, scheduling, and staffing considerations. The presenting documentation should convincingly communicate the rationale behind each decision to senior management, emphasizing efficiency, risk mitigation, and resource allocation.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Development

The development of the student registration system begins with defining key project phases: requirements analysis, system design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Each phase decomposes into more granular tasks. For instance, the requirements analysis involves stakeholder interviews and documentation, while the implementation phase encompasses coding, integration, and user interface development. Transitions among actions include task dependencies and resource allocations, emphasizing parallel activities where feasible to optimize timeframes.

The WBS not only ensures clarity of scope but also facilitates task scheduling and resource management. Breaking down the project into manageable components enables precise estimation of durations and identification of critical tasks that influence project completion.

Activity Graph and Critical Path Analysis

Using Microsoft Visio, the activity graph visually maps the WBS tasks, their dependencies, and estimated durations. The critical path includes tasks such as system analysis, core development, and data integration, which directly affect the project's overall duration. Estimating task durations based on historical data and expert judgment reveals that the project is expected to span approximately six months, with the critical path determining the minimum completion time.

Risk Analysis and Management

Key risks identified include technical challenges, resource availability, and scope creep. To mitigate these, contingency plans involve allocating buffer time for high-risk tasks, cross-training personnel, and establishing clear scope boundaries. Regular stakeholder reviews and progress audits further serve to catch issues early and adapt plans accordingly.

Task Scheduling and Personnel Staffing

Task scheduling adheres to the dependencies mapped out in the activity graph, with Gantt charts supporting visualization. Staffing includes project managers, software developers, QA testers, and technical support staff. Roles are assigned based on expertise and workload balance, with an emphasis on team communication and collaboration. The staffing plan ensures sufficient resources at each phase while controlling costs.

Rationale for Decisions

The decisions within this project plan aim to balance scope, quality, and schedule constraints. A modular approach through WBS promotes clarity and control, while employing open-source tools like Dia reduces costs. Prioritizing risk mitigation and stakeholder engagement aligns with best practices in software engineering. These strategies collectively support project success within fixed resource limitations.

Conclusion

Thorough planning, including detailed task decomposition, visualization, risk management, and resource allocation, positions the student registration project for timely and successful implementation. Clear documentation and justifications serve to communicate confidence and strategic thinking to senior management.

References

• Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (6th ed.). PMI.
• Pressman, R. S., & Maxim, B. R. (2014). Software engineering: A practitioner’s approach (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• Schwalbe, K. (2015). Information technology project management (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Kerzner, H. (2013). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling (11th ed.). Wiley.
• Heldman, K. (2018). Project management jumpstart (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
• Wysocki, R. K. (2014). Effective project management: Traditional, agile, extreme (7th ed.). Wiley.
• Royce, W. (1970). Managing the development of large software systems. Proceedings of IEEE WESCON, 26(8), 1–9.
• ESOFT Consulting. (2016). Open-source diagramming tools comparison. Retrieved from https://www.eopensource.org
• Al-Ahmad, W. I., & Alkharashi, H. (2015). Risk management in software projects: An empirical study. International Journal of Software Engineering & Applications, 9(3), 19–34.
• Kim, D., & Lee, J. (2019). Resource allocation strategies in software project management. Journal of Systems and Software, 157, 134–147.