appendix a to sbir project management plan team green ...cpi/old/410/greenf11/... · plan this...

Appendix A to SBIR

Project Management Plan

Team Green - SchedulePRO

Author Justin Roberts

Last Updated 14 December 2011

Document Purpose Describe and reinforce the management

practices of SchedulePRO

Green Team SchedulePRO Management Plan

Contents

Program Identification…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Project Outlook …………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………...4

Corporative Management. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Management Approach.…..……………………………………………………………………………………………………5

Tool Utilization …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…5

Team Organization ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6

Work Breakdown Structure …………………………………………………………………………………………………..11

Major Milestones ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12

Progress Reports …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13


1 Program Identification

This document is the Program Management Plan (PMP) for the CS 410 Green Team, also known as

SchedulePRO. This plan discusses the hardware, software, and documentation requirements as they

pertain to each team member. The SchedulePRO team will be responsible for integration, deployment,

testing, and training through this product’s life cycle.

1.1 Program Management Overview

Execution of the Program will be performed in accordance with the standards established by the

planning documents. The documents are the Project Management Plan, Staffing Plan, Marketing Plan,

Funding Plan, Resource Plan, and Risk Management Plan. These plans will outline how SchedulePRO will

be conducted.

Staffing

Plan

Marketing

Plan

Funding

Plan

Resource

Plan

Risk

Management

Plan

Management

Plan

This Program Management Plan describes the management philosophy, program organization,

schedule, and major milestones that serve as the guide for execution of the software development. The

PMP also provides the customer with the information needed to monitor and evaluate the progress of

SchedulePRO’s development.

The following topics will be covered in this plan:

Project outlook

Corporate organization

Tool utilization

Description of responsibilities of each team member by phase

Overview of the work breakdown structure (WBS) and major milestones

Progress reports

Figure 1. Project Plan Outline


2 Project Outlook

The goal of SchedulePRO is to provide an easy to use tool that efficiently allows a business or

organization to plan meetings while keeping personnel and resource availability in mind. SchedulePRO

will streamline current business practices by replacing the pen and paper and other time consuming

types of planning techniques. SchedulePRO wants to take the grunt work out of coordinating meetings,

allowing a business to focus on the real goal: an effective and well attended event.

The core of SchedulePRO is an optimization algorithm that works on the concepts of best fit, greatest

fitness, and resource and personnel priority. The concept of best fit and fitness is that the meeting

coordinator is given options to choose when the event should be scheduled and how the adjustment of

event parameters can resultantly give the best attendance. It is very hard for a human to efficiently plan

meetings when the number of attendees, resources, and their availabilities become large. The

combination of the previously mentioned concepts guarantees the coordinator has definite options with

adjustable parameters.

SchedulePRO users will interact with the system through a number of user interfaces that facilitate

successful meeting creation. SchedulePRO also includes a custom notification system that enables users

to be notified of events being created that affect them.

3 Corporate Organization

The CS 410 Green team members (the SchedulePRO team) are computer science students at Old

Dominion University. All team activities are under the guidance of Professor Janet Brunelle in support of

requirements for CS 410 Professional Workforce Development.


The SchedulePRO team has had the consultation of outside advisors through professional interviews as

noted in this document.

4 Management Approach

The success of the SchedulePRO project depends on the ability of the team to effectively solve a

problem inherent in most businesses that schedule meetings in a shared calendar environment. The

SchedulePRO team members are focused on delivering a product that meets the needs of its users.

Positions were selected to influence the professional experience of SchedulePRO team members as well

as their academic and personal interests. The Project Manager manages the day-to-day administration

of the project including the scheduling of meetings, team communication, and overall organization. All

SchedulePRO team members are encouraged to clinch their roles within the structure of their listed

responsibilities.

5 Tool Utilization

The team members of SchedulePRO will mostly use e-mail as the primary means of communication and

will be checked daily by every team member. Weekly meetings are conducted in person at regularly

scheduled intervals and in locations conducive to productivity. Documents will be created and handled

in Microsoft Office formats and posted onto the SchedulePRO website when appropriate.

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6 Team Organization

This section describes the necessary personnel and their various skills required to successfully complete

each phase of the project.

6.1 Phase 1- Implementation of Prototype

Figure 2 Phase 1 Staffing

During Phase 1 the SchedulePRO prototype will be designed and implemented. Phase 1 will require a

Software Lead, three Software Engineers, and GUI Design Expert.

Software Lead

The Software Lead will be needed for 160 hours. The hourly rate of the Project Manager is $15, which

will cost a total of $2,400. The main responsibilities of the Software Lead will be to prepare project

plans, organize team meetings, review project deliverables, and ensure the project stays on schedule.



Software Engineer

Three Software Engineers will be needed for a total of 384 hours. The hourly rate of a Software

Engineer is $15, which will cost a total of $5,760. The main responsibilities of the Software Engineers

will be to develop, implement, and test the SchedulePRO algorithms and test harness interfaces.

GUI Design Expert

The GUI Design Expert will be needed for 168 hours. The hourly rate of a GUI Design Expert will be $15

for a total cost of $2,520. The main responsibilities of the GUI Design Expert will be to design and

implement our look and feel aesthetics for the coordinator and user interfaces.

6.2 Phase 2- Full Production

In phase 2, the team will complete all development and SchedulePRO and have a market-ready release.



Software Lead

The Software Lead will be needed for 168 hours, at an hourly rate of $45. The total cost for the Project

Manager will be $7,560. The main responsibilities of the Software Lead will be to prepare project plans,

organize team meetings, review project deliverables, and ensure the project stays on schedule and

budget.

Software Engineer

Three Software Engineers will be needed for a total of 288 hours. The hourly rate of a Software

Engineer is $35, which will cost a total of $10,080. The main responsibilities of the Software Engineers

will be to develop and implement the SchedulePRO Engine, shared calendar system interfaces, and

associated algorithms.

Security Expert

A Security Expert will be needed for 112 hours, at an hourly rate of $100. The total cost of the Security

Expert will be $11,200. The Security Expert will be in charge of ensuring our product maintains user

confidentiality in all aspects of networks and communications.

GUI Design Expert

The GUI Design Expert will be needed for 240 hours. The hourly rate of a GUI Design Expert will be $35

for a total cost of $8,400. The main responsibilities of the GUI Design Expert will be to advance the

design and implementation of our look and feel aesthetics for the coordinator and user interfaces.



Database Expert

The Database Expert will be needed for 112 hours. The hourly rate of the Database Expert will be $100

for a total cost of $11,200. The main duties of the Database Expert will be to finish designing and

implementing the prototype database. The Expert must ensure that database information is uploaded in

the correct format.

6.3 Phase 3- Post Production

In phase 3, the team will support SchedulePRO as it becomes a mature product, including

version and sub-version releases and bug fixes.


Software Lead


The total cost for the Software Lead will be an annual salary of $84,000. The main responsibilities of the

Software Lead will be to prepare project plans, organize team meetings, review project deliverables, and

ensure project stays on schedule and budget.

Software Engineer

Two Software Engineers will be needed for this portion of the product life cycle. The total cost of the

Software Engineers will be $136,000 per year. The main responsibilities of the Software Engineer will be

to implement new features, update software, and testing.

Customer Support

Three Customer Support personnel will be brought on to play the vital role in product assistance to our

newly acquired and prospective customers. The combined annual salaries for these employees will be

$105,000 per year. Named as such, their main role will be telephone support, email support, and the

point of contact for all software issues that may arise.

Web Developer

A Web Developer will be kept on staff during the full life cycle of the product. The total cost for the Web

Developer will be $50,000 per year. The Webmaster will need to be proficient in scripting languages,

CSS, and SQL. The Webmaster will be in charge of maintaining the website.

Procurement Manager

A Procurement Manager will be brought on to be responsible for all aspects of legal documentation,

licensing, and contracting by creating contacts and overseeing the process of licensing. Procurement

Manager total cost will be $50,000 per year.


7 Work Breakdown Structure:

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a helpful chart that shows the team plan moving forward. The

chart breaks the project into components that cover a wide arrange of elements. It helps the project

manager secure a path for the project with the most logical steps and helps to determine what is

required. The SchedulePRO team is using Microsoft Project for the work breakdown structure.

Figure 6. Work Breakdown Structure


8 Major Milestones

The plan is split up among the phases for the development of the project. These phases are considered

milestones, or major improvements and changes, to the project.

8.1 Phase 1

The team enters into phase 1 with their business plans after their proposal for the project has been

approved. The business plan contains internal plans that include:

Requirements

Management

Resources

Staffing

Marketing

Funding

The team at this time has already developed a prototype which includes testing and demonstration of

the project.

8.2 Phase 2

Transitioning into phase 2 from phase 1, the team is getting ready for deployment of the project. The

deployment plans for the project include:

Final Business Plan

Developed product

Beta Testing

User manual for product

Obtaining customers

Proceed with Marketing Plan

Product Website



8.3 Phase 3

The final phase for the project includes post-deployment. The team has a plan for maintenance,

training, and support of their product to their customers. New feature and bug fix releases will

occur and marketing and sales will continue.

9 Progress Reports

Several different reports will be required throughout the design and development of this project. These

include monthly progress reports, technical reports, budget reports, and reviews. All reports will be sent

to the Project Manager, who will measure the project and ensure the schedule is being maintained.

9.1 Monthly Progress Reports

During the development of our product, a series of reports will be written to keep the Project Manager

up to date with production rate of the team. Reports include progress of the project, peer reviews, self-

evaluation, budget reports, and technical reports.

9.2 Progress Reports

Each month team members will submit a brief report of the individual’s accomplishments. These

reports will be collected and verified by the Project Manager. This will help the manager gauge progress

of the project as a whole. A plan is established and if adjustments are necessary then the manager has

proper documents to make decisions.



9.3 Peer & Self-Evaluation Reports

To ensure a stable and productive work environment, members will submit their monthly review of their

peers and themselves. They will be reviewed by the Project Manager and handled appropriately. These

reviews will help to keep members focused and goal-oriented.

9.4 Budget Report

The Financial Manager will submit bi-monthly budget reports to the Project Manager. Any budget

changes to the status of the financial plan have to be reported immediately. This will help the team

properly adjust to any changes and help mitigate future problems.

9.5 Technical Report

The software development team will submit reports on any technical issues, errors fixed, resolution

strategies, or any other possible needs for problems that hinder the project. These reports will be

collected and reviewed by the Project Manager.