Project Charter: Jay Wehling, Jeremy Harlow, Julie Jenkins,

Project Charterjay Wehling Jeremy Harlow Julie Jenkins Jen Quon Ke

Develop a comprehensive project charter for a company undertaking a network and database infrastructure redesign to secure sensitive information, particularly focusing on human resources data, ensuring data protection and compliance across multiple locations within a specified budget.

Paper For Above instruction

The organization in focus, a prominent manufacturing company specializing in classified military small arms and light weapons, recognizes the critical importance of securing its information infrastructure. This realization stems from the sensitive nature of its operations, which involve transmitting and storing highly classified data across various interconnected systems and geographical locations. The initiative to redesign and enhance the network and database infrastructure forms an essential part of their strategic approach to safeguarding critical information assets and maintaining operational integrity.

Project Purpose and Justification

The primary purpose of this project is to develop a robust, secure, and efficient human resources database framework that consolidates employee data across multiple facilities nationwide. Given the classified nature of the company's operations, securing this data from unauthorized access, breaches, and other cyber threats is imperative. The project aims to overhaul the existing infrastructure by introducing a centralized system that facilitates secure data transmission and storage while ensuring accessibility for authorized personnel. This initiative aligns with the organization's broader risk management and compliance objectives, which include adhering to national and international security standards and protecting proprietary military information.

The justification for this project is rooted in the increasing sophistication of cyber threats and the escalating volume of sensitive information transmitted daily within the organization. Current systems are deemed inadequate in defending against potential breaches, which could have severe repercussions, including compromise of classified data, financial losses, and damage to operational integrity. Therefore, building an improved security framework will enhance data confidentiality, integrity, and availability, ultimately supporting the company's ongoing defense contracts and maintaining its market dominance.

Project Goals and Objectives

The overarching goal of the project is to create a secure, scalable, and compliant network and database infrastructure that effectively safeguards human resource data across all company locations. Specific objectives include:

  • Design and implement a centralized client-server human resources database system with enhanced security protocols.
  • Develop and deploy a secure corporate network infrastructure capable of handling current and future data loads.
  • Establish comprehensive data access controls and user authentication mechanisms aligned with security best practices.
  • Implement monitoring tools to ensure ongoing compliance and detect potential security incidents in real-time.
  • Provide extensive training to personnel on the new system functionalities and security policies to prevent errors and ensure proper usage.
  • Maintain system scalability to accommodate organizational growth and evolving security requirements.

Project Scope

The scope of the project encompasses the entire lifecycle of designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining the new human resources database framework and associated network infrastructure. Key components include:

  • Construction of a secure, centralized server environment capable of managing sensitive employee information across multiple branch offices.
  • Development of a secure intra-organizational network capable of handling bidirectional data flow securely with minimal latency.
  • Integration of access controls, audit logging, and security monitoring tools to safeguard data and ensure regulatory compliance.
  • Migration of existing employee data to the new system with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.
  • Training programs for relevant staff to ensure proficient use of the new infrastructure and awareness of security protocols.
  • Testing and validation phases to verify system integrity, security, and performance before full deployment.

Budgetary Considerations

The project is allocated a budget of up to one million dollars, with the expectation that costs will be managed prudently to stay within this limit. The organization emphasizes cost-efficiency in vendor selection, requesting competitive bids through formal RFI and RFQ processes. Contracts for hardware, software, and service providers must undergo thorough review and approval by senior leadership, specifically the CIO and CEO, to ensure alignment with organizational policies. The inclusion of contingency funds provides a safety net against unforeseen expenses, helping ensure the project remains financially viable and on schedule.

Roles and Responsibilities

Effective project governance hinges on clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The organizational structure for this project includes:

  • The executive sponsor, comprising the company's executive management and the board of directors, responsible for securing funding and final decision-making.
  • The business sponsor, typically the Chief Operating Officer (COO), acts as the project champion, working closely with the project team to define success criteria.
  • The steering committee, led by the COO, provides oversight, resolves escalated issues, and guides strategic direction.
  • The project manager manages day-to-day project activities, schedules, resource allocation, and communication among stakeholders.
  • Specialist representatives from the IT department, including network, security, and support personnel, contribute technical expertise throughout implementation.
  • Participants from the Human Resources Department assist in requirements gathering and user acceptance testing.
  • A designated user testing group validates the system’s functionality, security, and usability before go-live.

Conclusion

This project charter forms the foundation for a comprehensive initiative aimed at securing and optimizing the company's human resources data infrastructure. By systematically planning, executing, and monitoring the project activities within the specified budget and timeline, the organization seeks to bolster its security posture, ensure regulatory compliance, and support its strategic mission of delivering classified military components securely and efficiently. Effective leadership, stakeholder engagement, and adherence to best practices will be essential to achieving project success and safeguarding critical data assets in an increasingly hostile cyber environment.

References

  • Office of the Secretary of Defense. (2014). Cybersecurity DoD Strategic Plan. Department of Defense.
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2020). Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
  • ISO/IEC. (2013). ISO/IEC 27001:2013 - Information Security Management Systems. International Organization for Standardization.
  • Stallings, W. (2017). Network Security Essentials: Applications and Standards. Pearson.
  • Whitman, M. E., & Mattord, H. J. (2018). Principles of Information Security. Cengage Learning.
  • Saravanan, R., & Subramanian, M. (2019). Secure Intranet Design for Military Applications. International Journal of Computer Science and Security, 13(2), 42-58.
  • Cowie, D. (2015). Building Secure Network Infrastructures for Military Applications. Cybersecurity Journal, 2(1), 45-59.
  • Choudhury, S., & Schmidt, R. (2021). Data Security and Privacy in Cloud-Based Military Systems. Journal of Defense Systems, 14(3), 212-226.
  • Rouse, M. (2020). Human Resource Information System (HRIS). SearchHRIS. Retrieved from https://searchhris.techtarget.com/definition/Human-Resource-Information-System
  • Brumley, D., & Poovendran, R. (2018). Cybersecurity Strategies for Military Data Infrastructure. IEEE Security & Privacy, 16(2), 44-50.

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