Project Management - Bringing Efficiency in the Computing Power by Networking Computers - Assignment Example

Project management Name: Number: Course: Lecturer: Date: Assessment 1 Introduction The project is created to bring efficiency in the computing power by networking computers that are used at. Aims and objectives The main objectives of this project are to connect the computers that are found in the Associated Benefits Company. They have computers in place but these computers have not been connected. They fear that connections will introduce security breaches in the network and thus compromise on data integrity. It is therefore the hope of the management that connectivity between the computers be achieved so that resource sharing and the benefits that come with computer networks may be achieved. After wide consultations, it has been agreed that computer networking be done in the company. This will be the main project that will be undertaken by the company. Stakeholders and communication Specializing in the Medical Industry, this company has been using computers for several years now but in a strictly stand-alone sense, due to concerns they mainly have about Security and Administration if they linked their computers together. There has been a concern to have the computers networked together. The initial plan was to have a basic LAN but on further consultation and inquiries it has been agreed that the network be developed into a wireless LAN (WLAN). The advantages that are associated with a WLAN are that more gadgets like laptops and mobile phones can be accommodated in the network. Communication between the stakeholders and the project implementers will be through a project manager. The project manager will be tasked with updating the stakeholders of the far the project has gone. Any information from the stakeholders will also be communicated through the project manager. He is the link between the project and the stakeholders. Deliverables The deliverables are expected to be the following: Milestone Description Duration Network analysis and design correctly specified S – The specific issue here is to get the functionalities that will be solved by the new network. M – It is measurable in that the specific issues are given the right metric A - Achievable so that the team does not set goals too high that they are not able get to them. R – the goals are reality if they can be seen to be attainable in the end. T – The team will give a deadline of the end of the day if the requirements are given specific time that they will be attained 2 days Network design finished S – The technical team will have got the specifications of the new network M – The requirements are definitely measurable they should also be measurable. A – The network design requirements should be achievable in the end when the project is being designed. R – It should be realistic in that the final network should be achieved by the coding team. T – The design process should take a period of 1 day. All computers that will be used purchased Specifically, the computers, which will be used in the project, will have to have been bought. They will have a specific number thus being regarded as measurable. The specifications of hardware will have to be achievable. The budget should be realistic to the project and proportional. The time that all these should be bought should also be stated. 1 Network successfully put in place The specific network, which will be used by the network, will have to have been successfully installed. The network should be measurable in that it should span a specific area so that the bandwidth is good for the task 1 Network tested successfully S - The network should be specifically tested with the various entities that are the students, research, and the faculty staff. M – The phase will be measured by the number of staff, faculty and students who shall have been trained successfully. A – The training will be achievable because specific people will be trained and there is a given number. R – It will be realistic given the fact that the teams trained will be specific number; it will be easier to know how many people have been trained successfully. T – The training will be expected to take one day. 1 Whole network installed S - This stage takes place when the whole network is successfully installed. The specific issue here is that the three entities will be in a position to use it. M – The success will be measured by ensuring that the whole network will have solved all the problems that were experienced previously. A – The network analysis team will ensure that the requirements they out across will have some time limit. R – The network will be realistic because there are specific issues that will be based upon. T – The time expected to finish the project is a period of 1 day. 1 Change successfully managed S – The issue here is the fact that all people will have to use the final network and leave the old way of managing their research M – It will be measured by the number of staff who has confirmed that the new network is by far more comfortable to work with, and have actually started using it. A – It will be measurable by ensuring that all the intended people, especially the risk-averse category have started using the new network. R – It will be realistic in that the category that is against the new network will have been won over to start using the new network. T – The change management training will take place in a dy. Project scope The project that is being developed is that of a wireless LAN. The scope of the project is that at the end of the project, all computers in the company will have to have gotten connected. It is also hoped that the computers will have some form of Internet access. The computers will have to also get good protection from Internet security hazards that are experienced from day to day. When designing the network, there should be some network security feature taken care of. An example is that all computers accessing the Internet should do so from behind a firewall. A firewall is a protection that will shield the networks from unauthorized access. Risk scope management There are risks that are expected to be encountered in the course of implementing the project. Risk management is required to manage the uncertainties that might happen and thus affecting the project either in the positive or in the negative way. There should be a way of dealing with these risks. Risk factors Sponsorship risk factors These are risks which might arise from the sponsor of the project. They include factors such as the management of the organization losing interest in the project, an environment which is not stable, failure of the management to make decisions at critical times, conflict between the departments who are going to use the project, unethical behavior. Management strategies The strategies which will help solve this risk is the use of avoidance; trying to deal with the problems before they occur. There should be a vision for all to follow in order to manage this risk. Finance and scheduling risk factors The factors that come as a result of this include requiring budgeting the entire project at the outset leading to underfunding in later stages, deviation from the set budget, having a user lead the project. Budgeting at the onset of the project is another risk which might cause serious flaws. There are changes which can occur in the course of project implementation. Impact of this risk This risk will bring the impact that the project might be underfunded. This is because the factors of inflation are not taken care of when the initial budget is created. Management strategies For this risk to be minimized, the initial budget on it should not be an issue so much. There should be funds which are used for emergency so that when some issues arise, they can be dealt with effectively. To manage this risk, there will be need to realign the strategies stated and that the sponsor, Curve-R, commit into further funding or limit the extent of the project. Personnel risks These are risks which arise due to human resource. The lack of people with the right skills is the most significant risk. Management strategies For the project to really go on well there should be other expertise on the reserve so that the three experts working on the project can have replacement in case they, by any chance, are not able to go through with project implementation. If the project is already underway and it is not possible to have new staff with the required skills, it will be reasonable to obtain temporary resources, and replace or reassign the already taken people. Requirements are handled poorly This factor arises when the team chases technology and fails to solve the problem they were working on in the first place. Chasing technology instead of satisfying legitimate requirements causes serious problems because in the end, a new technology has been used but the problem has not been solved. Work breakdown structure WBS Gannt chart Project governance and accountabilities The following are the responsibilities of the various personnel in the carrying out of our project. Project manager (Myself) This is the person who will be responsible for project management from initiation to approval through to project finalization. The role will include the development, implementation and finalization phases of the project. He will take accountability for establishment of baseline for the project. The key responsibilities of project manager will include: 1. Project integration management 2. Project scope management 3. Project time management 4. Project cost management 5. Project quality management 6. Project human resource management 7. Project communication management 8. Project risk management 9. Project procurement management • Customer representative/HR Officer—Denise, to be the primary focal point for the company. • Business analyst—Brian, to define the needs of the end users and the organization to support the development of functional requirements and benefits. • System analyst—Evan, to define the existing system as part of the requirements analysis. • Engineer—Jared, to provide the technical expertise necessary to design the system. • Software developer—Eric, to develop the software for the system. • Software developer—Pete, to perform independent system testing. • Operations representative—Sophie, the system operations manager at the company to assist with preparing for operational support of the wireless LAN. • Managing Director—Bob to support and maintain funding for the project. Projected costs Item Quantity Cost for each Total Estimated cost Wireless adapters 10 $80 $800 Access points 10 $50 $500 Ethernet boards 5 $90 $450 Network operating system 1 $1000 $1000 Application software 3 $800 $2400 Cabling and other equipment 1 $2000 $2000 Total Costs $7150 Resources and labor cost Project handover The incoming network engineer will need to know that the network users are segmented into different domains. There are the normal users, managers, and support and administrators. The normal users are given less privileges. These users make use of basic applications that are installed in the system. the managers are able to access sensitive information that pertains company secrets. The administrators and the support team have access to most domains and they have the privilege to change the access rights and privileges of most of other users in the system. the network administrators will also have to know that the wireless LAN has WPA2 security mechanism which has to be monitored from time to time to prevent intruders from getting access to the system. ABC will have to know that the wireless LAN is controlled from a server room. Server rooms are known to emit a lot of heat to the environment. For this reason, they have to make sure that they have an efficient cooling system for the server rooms. There should be a well developed system for the cooling system so that the heat is not released to the environment. All this effort is in effort to conserve the environment and to tame global warming which is taking shape. After the project has been completed, there will be the need to handover the project. There will be the need to ensure that the users shall have understood the project. The handover will take place when the training has been undertaken. After the stakeholders have approved the project, the whole network will be handed in and expected to be managed by ABC. There will be an agreement with the stakeholders so that maintenance be done after some agreed upon period. This is important so that the network is optimized. Project assumptions and constraints There are a number of assumptions that will be taken in this project. One of these assumptions is that it is expected that the resources that will be required will be available when required. This project will require server racks and servers. The project members assume that these computers will available when they are needed. There will also be some hardware and networking material and tools that will be required when working on the project. All these resources will be expected to be there when the project is initiated. It is also expected that the technical expertise will be available when the project development will require new technologies to be used. It is expected that the chosen programmers will be able to handle all the technical issues that will arise in the execution of the project. It is expected that the two programmers will be able to source and learn new technologies when required. It is also expected that there will be no industrial action that will affect the execution of the project. Changes like change of rights and licenses of media to hospitality organizations like bars and restaurants will not be changed. The development of this project will continue with the assumption that the government will not change the rules and regulations concerning the playing of music and videos in bars and restaurants. It is also assumed that the modules in this project will be capable of being integrated with minimum rework. The components which will be developed in this project will include database module, security module and the virtual environment module Assessment task 2 In the course of the project, there were problems which were experienced. These problems were solved using either getting technical skills or by making use of management skills. The problems are outlined in the section that follows. Project incidents 1. At the start of the project, there was stress that loomed the members of the project. The reason for this stress is that most of the members expected that the first project of implementing the LAN would go as planned. They were not happy about the project sponsor changing his mind. In total, 50 staff was stressed. The 50 staff at ABC was stressed at the start of the project because they expected the implementation of the 1st project LAN to go ahead. Some staff do not like the Managing Director changing his mind. 2. Another problem that was experienced is that of delay in the delivery of the whole project. The delay was caused by the fact that there was no agreement between the contractors and ABC Company on the terms of the project. The project therefore delayed for two weeks. The project milestones and deadlines for completion are now 2 weeks overdue 3. Actual purchases for hardware and software increased by 15% from the initial budgeted figure. The actual figures of the costs were not realized until three weeks into the project. This was due to underestimation by the sponsors of the project. 4. The commitment from the stakeholders at the start of the new project was excellent but at the fourth week stage, Pete and Sophie appear not as committed and have not attended any project meetings since the first meeting in the preliminary stage. In addition the managing director Bob has gone overseas for one month and is not due back until the implementation date week 11. This absence made the whole team to be reluctant and most members of the team started doing other things and taking the process of implementing the project casually. Most of the problems in this situation was due to lack of commitment towards the project. 5. There was a disagreement between Chris and the contract system integration company regarding the testing and trailing of the system which apparently was not done in Week 9. The mode of testing the system became a bone of contention in the course of undertaking the project. The reason for this is that the methods that the contractors chose was not in tandem with some members of the project. Assessment task 3 PV = $6250 EV = $12500*0.4 = $5000 AC = $6250 CV = EV – AC = 5000 – 6250 = -1250 SV = EV-PV = 5000 – 6250 =-1250 CPI = EV/AC = 5000/6250 = 0.8 2. Progress report Due to the delay that was seen in undertaking the project, it is expected that the project will delay in the delivery of the project. The first factor that will be affected is that of budget. The budget will be affected as the hardware costs increased by 15%. This will mean that the project will delay for some time as the extra funds are sorted. The project might not complete if the funds are not got in the end. The project also delayed for two weeks. This means that the scheduled time will not be used. The project will have to run past the scheduled time. The delay will also affect the quality of the project. This is so because the project will have to be rushed if extra funds will not be achieved. References Harrison, D., & Lock, J. (2004). Advanced project management: a structured approach‎. Illinois: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Ireland, L. (2006). Project Management. Columbia: McGraw-Hill Professional. Joseph P. (2003). PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide. Columbia: McGraw-Hill Professional. Martin S. (2002). Project Management Pathways. London: Association for Project Management. APM Publishing Limited. Young-Hoon Kwak (2005). A brief history of Project Management: The story of managing projects. Vol. 2. Read More