Case Background:
Coastline Systems Consulting is a small solutions provider company located in Destin, Florida. The staff of seven IT technicians, designers, systems analysts, and programmers provides a range of networking, computer hardware, and software solutions to area businesses. Coastline works with clients to analyze their business needs. They then provide a packaged solution that often combines custom-built hardware, purchased software, and custom programming. In addition to the seven technicians, Coastline has one receptionist/bookkeeper.
As a small organization, Coastline is an informal, "shirt-sleeve" environment. Everyone is on a first-name basis, even with Peter Charles, the president.
Organization Structure:
Information Systems Facilities
PCs
• Each technician works uses a Dell notebook:
o Pentium III class machines with 128 MB RAM, 10-20 GB hard drives
o Pentium 4 class machines with 512 MB RAM, 30-50 GB hard drives
• The bookkeeper/receptionist has a Dell Optiplex desktop running a Pentium 4, 256MB RAM, and an 80 GB hard drive:
• Operating systems - MS Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 Professional, or Windows XP Professional
• Tools - MS Office XP suite plus other software depending on use
• Internet Browser - Internet Explorer (version 6 or higher)
• Various inkjet and laser printers
Servers
• Dell PowerEdge Server
o 512 megabytes of RAM, 40 GB RAID-5 hard drive storage
o Operating system - MS Windows 2000 Server
o Providing DHCP, Security, and Internet Access, and Database Management (SQL Server 2000)
• Dell PowerApp Appliance Servers
o Providing Web hosting
o Operating system - Windows 2000 Server with IIS
Networking
• The company headquarters is equipped with wireless networking so notebooks can roam throughout the building. Notebooks also have integrated Ethernet NICs and modems so they can connect to the Internet at home and at clients' places of business.
The Problem
The IT technicians are drowning in a sea or work and work for clients is not being done in an optimum manner. Clients call and e-mail both to the general office and to individual consultants whenever they have any kind of hardware or software problem. Consultants manage the requests that come directly to them. Kathy Grey, the receptionist/bookkeeper, passes on requests that come through the general office. If the problem is complex it may require multiple trips, and the technician has to keep track of what he or she has done to try to fix the problem. Sometimes a second technician has to be dispatched, necessitating communication concerning the previous work.
The president, Peter Charles, wants to develop a system that is both more responsive to clients and helpful to technicians. He would like to see a system that allows clients to directly enter their service requests. The system would track the status of each request along with the hours spent for billing purposes. Mr Charles also wants the system to be able to generate statistics and reports so he can pursue continuous improvement in this area.
1. Scope management plan( including Requirements, In scope-out scope items, Deliverables and scope verification process) to direct your efforts.
2. Change request form. (Determine what level of changes you as an individual can make without further approval, what changes you as a student team can make, and what changes your sponsor needs to approve.)
3. WBS first using either the free-form or the org chart format.
4. Gantt chart-Take the WBS you have already developed. Define all of the activities that will be necessary to create each deliverable in your WBS. Create a schedule for your project. First create the schedule by hand using Post-it® Notes, and then put the information into MS Project. Take screenshots of the schedule to be pasted ni your word document that you are submitting. Be sure to include all of the summary rows (including the first row for the project title) and any key milestones. Make sure the critical path is easy to see.
5. RACI chart.
6. Histogram of demands on each key participant's time from MS Project.
7. Create a time-phased budget for your example project using bottom-up estimating. To the extent your sponsor will supply rates for workers, use those. Approximate rates for ones you cannot get. Ask your sponsor how they treat indirect costs. Be sure to include direct labour costs for you and your team mates and add 20% for fringe. State all assumptions and constraints you have used when creating your budget. State how confident you are in your estimates and what would make you more confident. Give examples of known knowns and known unknowns on your project. Tell how you have budgeted for both of them plus how you have budgeted for unknown unknowns.
8. Create a risk register ( 4 risks- 3 negative and 1 positive risk)for your example project.