Assignment task:
A project that you have the ability and desire to implement. You will have the choice to implement a fully functional hands-on solution or a fully fleshed out and justified solution plan.
Ensure that your project is something that you will be able to accomplish in the next eight weeks. Scope it appropriately. If it is too easy, it will not provide much additional learning. If it is too large, you run the risk of stress due to overpromising and not being able to deliver.
You will need to clearly define the initial goals of the business; this represents what the business wants to accomplish and why. The why may include addressing problems, exploiting opportunities, and eliminating pain points.
Provide an initial definition of project objectives. Objectives are SMART statements that define what the project will need to be composed of in order to meet business goal.
Define each project objective, and show how it relates to a business goal.
Create each project objective using SMART methodology.
Supplemental Information:
In the next unit, you will further refine and expand on these objectives by going through a process of requirements gathering and analysis. You will also separate requirements into functional and non-functional groups.
Functional - What the system does relative to users.
Non-functional - Refers to system changes and upgrades made necessary in order to enable the functional requirements; often (but not always) they will address the performance requirements expressed in SMART objectives.
Further on in the course, you will break down each objective into a structured series of tasks.
Main Task
/Sub Task (1 or more), and
/work package Task level (1 person 3- 5 hours)
The Task breakdown (creation of a highly detailed WBS - Work Breakdown Structure) is the primary and most important activity of the project manager; it is used both for planning the project and for driving and monitoring the execution of the project. In any project, the accuracy and detail of the WBS is determined by the accuracy and detail of the SMART objectives. If they are not well done, the WBS will lack detail and will be of little value. The WBS will be submitted as a part of every assignment from Unit 3 onward; it is critically important to your evaluation for the course.