Project Management For Development Of ICrop Application

Objectives of the Project

Measurable organizational value or MOV is a goal of the project that is used for defining the value that the project will bring to the client. The MOV of an organization is mainly associated with the mission, vision and the strategy of the organization (Beringer, Jonas & Kock, 2013). The project is expected to increase the transparency in the process of managing the buying and selling of the warehoused grains. The desired area of impact associated with this project includes strategy, customer, financial, operation and the social issues associated with the project. The ranking of the areas of impact in terms of importance in the project are as follows-

Rank 1- Operation- This project is expected to improve the operational business process of Virtucon and Globex.

Rank 2- Financial- It will help in improving the transparency in the process of managing the warehoused grains.

Rank 3- Strategy- This strategy will help in easier management of the warehoused grains

Rank4- Customer- Customers will be highly benefited by this strategy.

Rank 5- Social- the project has less impact on social area.

With the reference to the project that deals with the successful implementation of an application iCrop, the values that the project will offer to the organization are as follows-

Faster: The project will ensure faster processing of the warehoused grains

Better: The project will increase the transparency in the process of management of the warehoused grains. The online bidding and processing will be better both for the growers and the buyers.

The metrics that will help in ensuring whether the expectations of the stakeholders are met are as follows (Burke, 2013)-

1. Process Metrics calculating the errors per 1000 lines of code
2. Program and Project metrics that helps in analysing whether the project will be completed within the set schedule.

The measurable organisational values of the project are expected to be achieved before the project closure phase (Mir & Pinnington, 2014). The MOV will be achieved by ensuring that the project is delivered within a set schedule and the allocated budget, and for that proper project monitoring and control is needed to be enforced.

The scope of the project is to deliver a website and an i-Crop application that will ensure easier management of the warehoused gains by implementing easier buying and selling options. The scope of the project will be managed by ensuring accurate project monitoring and control (Schwalbe, 2015). The deliverables of the project is needed to be met and delivered within the set schedule and for that a project supervisor has been appointed (Heagney, 2016). The list of resources that have been identified for the project is represented in the following section.

Enforced Rules within the Project Team

The resources associated with the project are as follows-

Resource Name	Max. Units	Std. Rate	Ovt. Rate	Cost/Use
Project Manager	100%	$80.00/hr	$0.00/hr	$0.00
Project Supervisor	200%	$40.00/hr	$0.00/hr	$0.00
Resource Allocator	300%	$50.00/hr	$0.00/hr	$0.00
Coders	500%	$40.00/hr	$0.00/hr	$0.00
Testers	500%	$36.00/hr	$0.00/hr	$0.00
Database Administrator	200%	$28.00/hr	$0.00/hr	$0.00
Software licensing cost		$0.00		$75,000.00
Website Upload Cost		$0.00		$50,000.00
Trainers	200%	$20.00/hr	$0.00/hr	$0.00
Training Venue		$0.00		$7,000.00
Archieve		$0.00		$5,000.00
Content writer	200%	$15.00/hr	$0.00/hr	$0.00

The major milestones associated with the project are as follows-

M1: Project is successfully Initiated

M2:Project Plan Approval

M3: Application development completion

M4: Completion of Testing

M5: Users’ Training Completion

M6:Project Ends

The tasks and the activities that are needed to be completed are as follows-

WBS	Task Name
0	Project iCrop
1	Project Initiation
1.1	Requirements Gathering
1.2	Identification of the Specifications
1.3	Documentation and sharing with client
1.4	Client Approval
1.5	M1: Project is successfully Initiated
2	Project Planning
2.1	Scheduling the Project implementation
2.2	Estimating the Budget of the Project
2.3	Planning the resources requirement
2.4	Allocation of the resources according to the activities
2.5	M2:Project Plan Approval
3	Project Execution
3.1	Website development and Coding
3.2	Coding the iCrop Application
3.3	Linking with database
3.4	Documentation
3.5	Sharing the documents with clients
3.6	M3: Application development completion
4	Testing
4.1	Unit Testing
4.2	System testing
4.3	User acceptance testing
4.4	Bug Fixing (if any)
4.5	Documentation
4.6	M4: Completion of Testing
5	Training
5.1	Developing training manuals
5.2	Selecting Venue
5.3	Imparting training
5.4	M5: Users’ Training Completion
6	Project Closure
6.1	Completion of documenting
6.2	Record Archival
6.3	Payment Completion
6.4	Resource Release
6.5	Client Sign off
6.6	M6:Project Ends

The Gantt Chart of the project are as follows-

Figure 1: Representing the Gantt Chart of the project

(Source: Generated by Author using MS project)  

The work activities marked in red in the Gantt chart above depict the critical path of the project

The WBS of the project is represented below-

Figure 2: Representing the WBS of the project

(Source: Generated by author using MS schedule Pro)

The resource assignments of the project are as follows-

Task Name	Duration	Resource Names
Project iCrop	144 days
Project Initiation	18 days
Requirements Gathering	5 days	Project Manager, Project Supervisor
Identification of the Specifications	10 days	Project Manager
Documentation and sharing with client	2 days	Archieve [1],Content writer
Client Approval	1 day	Project Manager
M1: Project is successfully Initiated	0 days
Project Planning	7 days
Scheduling the Project implementation	2 days	Project Manager, Resource Allocator
Estimating the Budget of the Project	7 days	Project Manager, Project Supervisor
Planning the resources requirement	5 days	Project Supervisor
Allocation of the resources according to the activities	2 days	Project Supervisor
M2:Project Plan Approval	0 days
Project Execution	63 days
Website development and Coding	15 days	Coders, Website Upload Cost[1]
Coding the iCrop Application	30 days	Coders, Software licensing cost[1]
Linking with database	15 days	Coders, Database Administrator
Documentation	2 days	Archieve [1],Content writer
Sharing the documents with clients	1 day
M3: Application development completion	0 days
Testing	36 days
Unit Testing	10 days	Testers
System testing	7 days	Testers
User acceptance testing	12 days	Testers
Bug Fixing (if any)	5 days	Testers
Documentation	2 days
M4: Completion of Testing	0 days
Training	12 days
Developing training manuals	5 days	Trainers
Selecting Venue	5 days
Imparting training	7 days	Trainers
M5: Users’ Training Completion	0 days
Project Closure	11 days
Completion of documenting	2 days	Archieve [1],Content writer
Record Archival	2 days	Archieve [1]
Payment Completion	7 days
Resource Release	1 day	Project Manager
Client Sign off	2 days	Project Manager
M6:Project Ends	0 days

The time estimates for each activity are as follows-

Task Name	Duration	Start	Finish
Project iCrop	144 days	Mon 08-10-18	Thu 25-04-19
Project Initiation	18 days	Mon 08-10-18	Wed 31-10-18
Requirements Gathering	5 days	Mon 08-10-18	Fri 12-10-18
Identification of the Specifications	10 days	Mon 15-10-18	Fri 26-10-18
Documentation and sharing with client	2 days	Mon 29-10-18	Tue 30-10-18
Client Approval	1 day	Wed 31-10-18	Wed 31-10-18
M1: Project is successfully Initiated	0 days	Wed 31-10-18	Wed 31-10-18
Project Planning	7 days	Thu 01-11-18	Fri 09-11-18
Scheduling the Project implementation	2 days	Thu 01-11-18	Fri 02-11-18
Estimating the Budget of the Project	7 days	Thu 01-11-18	Fri 09-11-18
Planning the resources requirement	5 days	Thu 01-11-18	Wed 07-11-18
Allocation of the resources according to the activities	2 days	Thu 08-11-18	Fri 09-11-18
M2:Project Plan Approval	0 days	Fri 09-11-18	Fri 09-11-18
Project Execution	63 days	Mon 12-11-18	Wed 06-02-19
Website development and Coding	15 days	Mon 12-11-18	Fri 30-11-18
Coding the iCrop Application	30 days	Mon 03-12-18	Fri 11-01-19
Linking with database	15 days	Mon 14-01-19	Fri 01-02-19
Documentation	2 days	Mon 04-02-19	Tue 05-02-19
Sharing the documents with clients	1 day	Wed 06-02-19	Wed 06-02-19
M3: Application development completion	0 days	Tue 05-02-19	Tue 05-02-19
Testing	36 days	Wed 06-02-19	Wed 27-03-19
Unit Testing	10 days	Wed 06-02-19	Tue 19-02-19
System testing	7 days	Wed 20-02-19	Thu 28-02-19
User acceptance testing	12 days	Fri 01-03-19	Mon 18-03-19
Bug Fixing (if any)	5 days	Tue 19-03-19	Mon 25-03-19
Documentation	2 days	Tue 26-03-19	Wed 27-03-19
M4: Completion of Testing	0 days	Mon 25-03-19	Mon 25-03-19
Training	12 days	Tue 26-03-19	Wed 10-04-19
Developing training manuals	5 days	Tue 26-03-19	Mon 01-04-19
Selecting Venue	5 days	Tue 02-04-19	Mon 08-04-19
Imparting training	7 days	Tue 02-04-19	Wed 10-04-19
M5: Users’ Training Completion	0 days	Wed 10-04-19	Wed 10-04-19
Project Closure	11 days	Thu 11-04-19	Thu 25-04-19
Completion of documenting	2 days	Thu 11-04-19	Fri 12-04-19
Record Archival	2 days	Mon 15-04-19	Tue 16-04-19
Payment Completion	7 days	Wed 17-04-19	Thu 25-04-19
Resource Release	1 day	Wed 17-04-19	Wed 17-04-19
Client Sign off	2 days	Thu 18-04-19	Fri 19-04-19
M6:Project Ends	0 days	Fri 19-04-19	Fri 19-04-19

The estimated budget of the project is as follows-

Task Name	Duration	Cost
Project iCrop	144 days	$204,792.00
Project Initiation	18 days	$17,080.00
Requirements Gathering	5 days	$4,800.00
Identification of the Specifications	10 days	$6,400.00
Documentation and sharing with client	2 days	$5,240.00
Client Approval	1 day	$640.00
M1: Project is successfully Initiated	0 days	$0.00
Project Planning	7 days	$11,040.00
Scheduling the Project implementation	2 days	$2,080.00
Estimating the Budget of the Project	7 days	$6,720.00
Planning the resources requirement	5 days	$1,600.00
Allocation of the resources according to the activities	2 days	$640.00
M2:Project Plan Approval	0 days	$0.00
Project Execution	63 days	$152,800.00
Website development and Coding	15 days	$54,800.00
Coding the iCrop Application	30 days	$84,600.00
Linking with database	15 days	$8,160.00
Documentation	2 days	$5,240.00
Sharing the documents with clients	1 day	$0.00
M3: Application development completion	0 days	$0.00
Testing	36 days	$9,792.00
Unit Testing	10 days	$2,880.00
System testing	7 days	$2,016.00
User acceptance testing	12 days	$3,456.00
Bug Fixing (if any)	5 days	$1,440.00
Documentation	2 days	$0.00
M4: Completion of Testing	0 days	$0.00
Training	12 days	$1,920.00
Developing training manuals	5 days	$800.00
Selecting Venue	5 days	$0.00
Imparting training	7 days	$1,120.00
M5: Users’ Training Completion	0 days	$0.00
Project Closure	11 days	$12,160.00
Completion of documenting	2 days	$5,240.00
Record Archival	2 days	$5,000.00
Payment Completion	7 days	$0.00
Resource Release	1 day	$640.00
Client Sign off	2 days	$1,280.00
M6:Project Ends	0 days	$0.00

There are certain assumptions that have been considered for successful implementation of the project. The assumptions are as follows (Turk, France & Rumpe, 2014)-

1. It is assumed that the time allocated for the project will be enough for successful completion
2. It is assumed that the project will be completed within the set budget
3. It is assumed that the resources will be easily available.
4. It is assumed that Virtucon will be able to complete the project as inexpensively as possible.

There are certain risks associated with the implementation process of the project which are as follows (Hwang & Ng, 2013)-

1. Technical Risk (Verzuh, 2015)
2. Risk of improper coding
3. Risk of improper scheduling
4. Risk of Resource Shortage
5. Risk of inaccurate testing

The analysis of the risk on basis of its severity and the mitigation approach is discussed in the following section.

In this section, the risks associated with the project, its severity and the mitigation strategy is discussed in the following table-

Risk	Severity	Risk Responsibility	Strategy for Mitigation
Technical Risks (Kerzner, 2018)	High	Project Manager	Use of modern technology and presence of a technical team is recommended
Risk of improper coding	Medium	Coders	Proper monitoring and control of the errors identified per 1000 lines of code
Risk of improper scheduling	High	Project Manager	A realistic schedule is to be proposed
Risk of Resource Shortage	High	Resource Manager	Resource allocation should be completed after the planning phase
Risk of inaccurate testing	Low	Tester	Proper time should be allocated for testing

Managing the quality of a project is important in ensuring that the project meets the standard as identified by Globex. As a quality management plan in this proect, a quality assurance team will be hired who will inspect the website and the application to understand its working process and the features (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017 ). Only after successful inspection, the project will be considered as successful.

The project will further follow a set of verification and validation activities as a part of quality management in the project. The verification activities are as follows-

1. The testing will mainly be a requirement based testing and for that the test implementation plan will be developed
2. Code review will be done after the coding process.
3. The specification review will be carried out.

The project will also see certain validation activities, which are as follows-

1. The working of the website and the application will be checked in order to ensure whether the required characteristics are met (Larson, Gray, Danlin, Honig & Bacarini, 2014).
2. Prior to the go live, Globex will inspect the developed application and the website.

Jones, H., Moura, F., & Domingos, T. (2014). Transport infrastructure project evaluation using cost-benefit analysis. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 111, 400-409.

According to Jones, Moura and Domingos (2014), cost benefit analysis is one of the significant techniques of project evaluation. Each project involves a certain degree of investments and therefore it is essential to analyse whether the investments made will be profitable or not. Cost benefit analysis is considered to be a significant process that evaluates whether the economic investments in the project is positive or not. The use of cost benefit analysis in project evaluation is important mainly because it analyses the pros and cons of the economic investments in a project.

Values Offered by the Project

Project evaluation is an important consideration for any project manly because it checks whether the project has been successful in achieving the desired goals or not. Cost estimation is generally done at the beginning of the project and it is recommended for the project managers to ensure that the cost benefit analysis of the project is carried out at the beginning of the project as well. However, it is seen that in majority of the project, the project evaluation phase is mainly carried out before the project closure. The cost benefit analysis is considered one of the most important project evaluation tools and thus its use is recommended.

Willcocks, L. P. (2013). 9 Evaluating the Outcomes of Information Systems Plans Managing information technology evaluation—techniques and processes”. Strategic Information Management, 239.

Project evaluation is important for information technology project. According to Willcocks (2013), project evaluation is important to ensure that the investments in the project are justified. The project evaluation method involves easier identification of the inappropriate measures, inappropriate budgeting and the risks associated with the project. Project evaluation helps in easier identification of the issues associated with the project. Furthermore, the project evaluation phase is important to check whether the objectives of the project are met. Project evaluation is critically important for information technology project mainly because it helps in identifying and analysis of the issues in the system that is developed. Thus every project should involve a project evaluation phase prior to the project closure that will help in easier identification and elimination of the issues in a project.

Project evaluation is a process of critically examining a program that involves in collection and analysis of the information associated with the project. It aims in determining the level of achievement of the objectives associated with a project. Thus project evaluation increases the efficiency and effectiveness of project implementation.

Agyei, W. (2015). Project planning and scheduling using PERT and CPM techniques with linear programming: case study. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 4(8), 222-227.

Another important tool for project evaluation is the use of PERT technique. Completion of a project within a scheduled time and budget is important for its successful completion. The  main aim of a project evaluation phase is to ensure that the objectives of the project are met. Project Evaluation and Review Technique can be used for analysing the viability of the investments that is made to the project. PERT is a technique that helps in managing a particular task on basis of the activity time, critical path and the activities that have been performed in the project. For project evaluation, it is essential to gather the evidences supporting the activities performed in the project. The evidences will help in ensuring whether the project is able to meet its requirements or not. There are a number of factors that decides whether the project is successfully implemented or not.  PERT chart helps in analysing whether the project has been implemented as expected or not. The PERT technique is particular useful for calculating whether each activities in the project has been successfully executed or not.

The project closure checklist is as follows-

Objectives of the Project are met ü  Project Goals are met ü  Project is delivered within the specified time ü  Project is delivered within the set budget ü  Project evaluation is successfully completed ü  Project training is completed ü

The measurable organization value for Globex and Virtucon will be evaluated by inspecting the following project criteria. These criteria are as follows-

1. The MOV will be measured on basis of the working of the project (Leach, 2014). The application and the website should ensure the presence of the characteristic features that has been identified by Globex and only then the project will be successful
2. The Users should be able to navigate through the application quite easily after the training session (Marchewka, 2014).

With the successful achievement of the above two identified points, the project will be considered as successful.  

References

Agyei, W. (2015). Project planning and scheduling using PERT and CPM techniques with linear programming: case study. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 4(8), 222-227.

Beringer, C., Jonas, D., & Kock, A. (2013). Behavior of internal stakeholders in project portfolio management and its impact on success. International Journal of Project Management, 31(6), 830-846.

Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA.

Heagney, J. (2016). Fundamentals of project management. Amacom.

Hwang, B. G., & Ng, W. J. (2013). Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges. International Journal of Project Management, 31(2), 272-284.

Jones, H., Moura, F., & Domingos, T. (2014). Transport infrastructure project evaluation using cost-benefit analysis. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 111, 400-409.

Kerzner, H. (2018). Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence. John Wiley & Sons.

Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Larson, E. W., Gray, C. F., Danlin, U., Honig, B., & Bacarini, D. (2014). Project management: The managerial process (Vol. 6). Grandview Heights, OH: McGraw-Hill Education.

Leach, L. P. (2014). Critical chain project management. Artech House.

Marchewka, J. T. (2014). Information technology project management. John Wiley & Sons.

Mir, F. A., & Pinnington, A. H. (2014). Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success. International journal of project management, 32(2), 202-217.

Schwalbe, K. (2015). Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.

Turk, D., France, R., & Rumpe, B. (2014). Limitations of agile software processes. arXiv preprint arXiv:1409.6600.

Verzuh, E. (2015). The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley & Sons.

Willcocks, L. P. (2013). 9 Evaluating the Outcomes of Information Systems Plans Managing information technology evaluation—techniques and processes”. Strategic Information Management, 239