Managing Projects And Programs Group Activity ✓ Solved

Bus 5611 Managing Projects And Programs Group Activitythe Group Acti

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, and risk management. To stay on track, complete the following in each unit:

Unit 3

• Define the project scope of work (SOW): parameters of the work, deliverables, and work methodology.
• Create a work breakdown structure: detailed tasks and subtasks for each part of the project.
• Develop a project schedule: timeline and task sequencing for implementation.

Unit 4

• Identify resources needed for each task, including any special skills required.
• Specify the project budget, aiming to keep costs under the $45K limit.
• Outline procurement strategies, including vendors or subcontractors required.

Unit 5

• Develop a quality plan with assessment criteria for the project.
• Create a communication plan detailing stakeholder communication strategies, including synchronous and asynchronous methods for on-site and remote communication.
• Formulate a risk management plan assessing potential risks and contingency measures.

Case Context

Your client is a US-based IT company specializing in devices for people with disabilities. It employs 25 staff and operates mainly in North America. After rapid growth over five years, recent financials show a sales decline. The sales team has identified opportunities in the Chinese and Latin-American markets, prompting strategic projects, including developing a multi-language website for online sales.

Your team has been tasked with managing this project with the goal of completing it swiftly ("yesterday") and within the tight budget of $45,000 or less. You are permitted to make assumptions about company resources, scope, and other project aspects to craft a comprehensive plan. The project plan should be 8-10 pages, excluding cover and reference pages, incorporating additional research. It should include a breakdown of each team member's contributions. The final draft must be submitted by the end of Unit 6, for approval.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

In an evolving global market, expanding into international territories demands meticulous planning, especially for companies specializing in accessible technology. This project aims to develop a multilingual e-commerce platform for a US-based IT firm focusing on devices for people with disabilities. The project aligns with strategic growth objectives, addressing market entry in China and Latin America. Essential to its success are comprehensive planning, resource allocation, budget management, and risk mitigation.

Project Scope of Work

The scope encompasses designing, developing, testing, and launching a multi-language website supporting English, Mandarin, Spanish, and Portuguese. Key deliverables include a fully operational e-commerce platform, integrated payment gateways, multilingual content management, and user accessibility features compliant with best practices. The methodology involves agile development with iterative testing, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness to client feedback.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• Requirement Analysis and Planning
  • Stakeholder consultations
  • Scope definition
  • Resource assessment
• Design Phase
  • UI/UX Design for multiple languages
  • Accessibility feature integration
• Development Phase
  • Frontend coding
  • Backend integration, including payment systems
• Testing Phase
  • Functional testing
  • Accessibility testing
  • Localization testing
• Deployment and Launch
  • Hosting setup
  • Content upload
  • User training and documentation

Project Schedule

The project is planned over a 12-week period. Initial requirements gathering will take 2 weeks, followed by design development (3 weeks). Development will span 4 weeks, with concurrent testing in the final 3 weeks before deployment. Critical path activities include front-end design, payment integration, and localization testing.

Resources

Resources required include web developers with multilingual expertise, UI/UX designers, accessibility specialists, project managers, and content managers. Additional hardware and software licenses are necessary for development and testing environments. The team will need to subcontract translation services for content localization.

Budget

The budget is capped at $45,000. Cost allocations are estimated as follows: human resources ($25,000), software licenses ($5,000), translation services ($7,000), hosting and infrastructure ($3,000), contingency ($5,000). Cost-saving measures include leveraging open-source tools and in-house content creation where possible.

Procurement

Procurement involves contracting a translation agency for Spanish and Portuguese content, engaging freelance Mandarin-speaking developers, and sourcing cloud hosting services with scalable plans. Vendor selection will prioritize cost-effectiveness and proven expertise.

Quality Management

The quality plan emphasizes thorough testing for functionality, accessibility, and localization accuracy. Acceptance criteria include compliance with WCAG 2.1 standards, seamless user experience across languages, and secure payment processing.

Communication Plan

Regular updates will be shared via weekly videoconferences, emails, and project management software. Stakeholders include the development team, marketing, executive sponsors, and external vendors. A shared documentation repository ensures transparency and version control.

Risk Management

Key risks involve delays in translation, technical integration issues, and scope creep. Contingency plans include engaging multiple vendors for translation, modular development to isolate issues, and clear scope boundaries with stakeholders. Regular risk assessments will mitigate potential project derailments.

Conclusion

Successful delivery of this multilingual website aligns with strategic growth and demonstrates the company’s commitment to accessibility and international markets. Through detailed planning, resource optimization, and proactive risk management, the project is positioned for timely, within-budget completion, offering a model for future global initiatives.

References

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). _A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)_. PMI.
2. Schwalbe, K. (2018). _Information Technology Project Management_. Cengage Learning.
3. ISO. (2018). _Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1_. International Organization for Standardization.
4. Lewis, J. P. (2019). _Managing Project Risks: Strategies for Success_. Harvard Business Review Press.
5. Kerzner, H. (2017). _Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling_. Wiley.
6. Marchewka, J. T. (2014). _Information Technology Project Management_. John Wiley & Sons.
7. Harrison, F., & Lock, D. (2017). _Advanced Project Management_. Gower Publishing.
8. Gido, J., & Clements, J. P. (2018). _Successful Project Management_. Cengage Learning.
9. Snyder, C. (2019). _Effective Communication Strategies for Project Managers_. Project Management Journal.
10. Chen, L. (2020). _Localization and Internationalization in Web Development_. Journal of Digital Content Management.