Sample Essay: Project Management Case Study

2.0 PROJECT ORGANIZATION

This section of the case study details the organization of the proposed plan. Sections detailed here are the software life cycle model, organizational structure, organizational boundaries and interface, and project responsibilities.

2.1 Software Life Cycle Model

This section details and justifies the decisions for the organizational model chosen for this project.

2.1.1 Chosen Life Cycle Model

The life cycle method chosen for this project plan is the Agile Life Cycle Model. This model was chosen after much deliberation due the cohesiveness of its capabilities and aims to our project’s goals. A graphical presentation of the Agile Life Cycle Model is noted below:

Figure 1: Agile Method Format in two-week time period intervals

2.1.2 Justification

In discussions we reviewed the dilemmas facing DropBy Bar and Restaurant. These were:

Repetition of Music Played

Types of Music Played

Choice in Music Played (determined by staff)

Loss of compact discs

Music Atmosphere Affects Business Potential

Therefore the new media management system to be created needed to provide ample customer interaction, replace the current, error-ridden compact disc music system, and have a limited degree of ‘trial and error’ on the system developed to gauge customer satisfaction. The constraints implemented by Mr. Barlow were:

Play Music and Videos

Development of Scheduled Playlists

Flexibility According to Clientele Choices

Advertisements Viewed upon End of Video Stream

Administrative Control by Mr. Barlow -music/videos, playlists, schedules

Staff can select Playlists and Individual Songs

Of these constraints, the administrative control held by Mr. Barlow was a non-negotiable requirement. Therefore this requirement was of the highest priority. Items that were reasonably negotiable were requirements for staff and clientele access to playlists and the development of scheduled playlists. Highly negotiable items were the system’s ability to play music and videos, and the viewing of advertisements.

This system of non-negotiable and negotiable requirements meant that a waterfall model would be too rigid for the implementation method required. However, utilization of prototyping was entirely inappropriate due to this model’s lack of control, inability to enforce certain standards, and the experience of our team made the prohibitions of this model unnecessary for our potential work.

The agile life cycle model was chosen due to its ability to:

Diversify Project with New Ideas

Customer Interaction Required through a Running System

Ability to Prioritize Requirements

Ability of Group to Work in Pairs (everyone equally experienced, increases productivity)

Mr. Barlow Retains Control of the Project

Quality Assurance Maintained

2.2 Organizational Structure

This section details how the project’s tasks will be divided. This section details internal management structure, external information, and the organizational chart of the company.

2.2.1 Internal Management Structure

2.2.2 External Information

The role of the project manager is to communicate with the client, Mr. Barlow, on the plans developed, schedule, progress, and on the completion of the project. The project manager is the leader of the project personnel. It is the project manager’s duty to review, control, plan and manage the team.

The role of the quality engineer implements service quality and control to the product system. The quality engneer must develop quality control systems, inspect procedures, evaluates methodology, evaluate cost concepts and techniques and administer information systems. The quality engineer also controls the output of the systems analyst designer and programmers.

The systems analyst designer evaluates systems to determine errors and other componenets. With this knowledge, systems can be modified to work efficiently.

The role of a progammer is to evaluate, create, fix and maintain systems. They often fix whatever is found to be in error by the systems analyst designer.

2.2.3 Organizational chart

2.3 Organizational Boundaries and Interfaces

The predominant relationship is that between the project team and Mr. Barlow, our company’s client. As the project is implemenented this relationship will extend to the staff of DropBy Bar and Restaurant, as well as the customers to this establishment. These relationships are crucial to the success of this project, and full cooperation is dire. Stakeholders in this project include the client, project sponsor company and its end users. As well, this includes from the project plan company the project manager, project team members, project company, and the project company employees.

2.4 Project Responsibilities

This section details the responsibilities administered to each member of the project team. These details are noted in the following sections of project manager, quality engineer, systems analyst designer and programmer.

2.4.1 Project Manager

The project manager is the leader of the project group. It is her job to develop, schedule, monitor, manage, and record the events within a project. Active communication between the project manager and client is necessary to maintain a strong professional relationship between the two parties. Upon completion of the project, it is the project manager’s job to detail the findings to the client and to determine any errors made. It is the responsibility of the project manager to review, control, plan and manage the project team. As a leader, if the team fails it is the project manager’s responsibility.

2.4.2 Quality Engineer

The quality engineer must insure that the greatest quality assurance is maintained within the project. This means that the quality engneer must develop quality control systems, inspect procedures, evaluates methodology, evaluate cost concepts and techniques and administer information systems. The quality engineer also controls the output of the systems analyst designer and programmers. The quality engineers job is important as he or she must maintain the highest standards in favour of the client’s goal.

2.4.3 Systems Analyst Designer

The systems analyst designer evaluates systems to determine errors and other componenets. There job is important as they maintain system efficiency and feasibility.

2.4.4 Programmer

The role of a programmer is to evaluate, create, fix and maintain systems. Without this exceptional role, the system cannot be implemented correctly, making the creation of the system impossible.