Developing a Project Initiation Document to Examine the Feasibility of a Changing Room app for Smartphones and Tablets
Tutorial 1: Background to the project
1. Background
You have identified a problem with the on-line purchase of clothes because suppliers have to deal with many returns as the items supplied did not fit or did not look the same on the person as the image on the website.
Your solution is for customers to take selfie images of themselves from several directions using a smartphone or a tablet. An app on the device will then deduce key measurements from these images. These measurements will then be sent to the on-line clothing supplier for the item of clothing the client would like to purchase. The supplier will then send details of the key measurements of the item that best matches the clients measurements. Another app on the smartphone or tablet will then display the item by superimposing it on the images of the client. This solution is suggested in general terms; you might wish to revise it to a simpler or more complicated bespoke approach. You will also have to decide which items of clothing will be covered by your app(s).2. Project Requirements
You and your team, as entrepreneurs are now to come up with a project plan, called a Project Initiation Document (PID), which will determine the feasibility of this solution. This plan, which will be part of a complete business plan (not part of this assignment), is to be submitted to your bank to obtain funding for the project.The areas to be covered are detailing the requirements of the app(s), obtaining quotations from software developers, supervising the development, testing and marketing of the Changing Room app(s) and negotiation with on-line clothing suppliers to use these app(s).a) Your PID must determine the tasks, costs, schedule and risks to determine the feasibility of developing a Changing Room app(s).
b) Your plan must include carrying out the following tasks (not necessarily in this order or a complete list)
Discussion and negotiation with suppliers
Deciding the functionality of the app(s)
Discussion and negotiation with software suppliers
Monitoring the development of the app(s)
Testing of the app(s)
Installation and commissioningc) The Project Initiation Document (PID) is to have the following contents:Group Work
Executive Summary and Recommendations
Project Objectives
Scope (Summary of the main headings of the WBS)
Functionality of the app(s)
Constraints
Assumptions
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)Individual Work
Project Organisation and Responsibilities
Schedule of activities with estimated durations
Dependencies and a Network Diagram showing critical path
Resources required
Project Organisation and Responsibilities (team to manage the development and marketing of the two app(s), etc.)
Stakeholder Analysis
Cost Estimation, Assumptions, Budget on a month by month basis
Project Risk Management plan, including an initial assessment of key risks.
Monitoring and Control (Groups of 4 and 5)
Testing Plan (Groups of 5)
d) The PID will be ready for inclusion with the complete business plan by Thursday 2nd April 2014. Your project team is responsible for producing the Project Initiation Document, (PID). The project period for this is to be from May to December 2015.Assumptionsa) You can give yourself roles within the project team shown above and employ further staff as you feel necessary. These roles are different to the A, B, C, etc., roles, which you adopt when you submit the assignment. See Assignment Submission.
b) Assume you will have met with one supplier and they have said they will give you 5% of sales using your app (provided the item is not returned!). You can assume this rate for calculating your costs. You must then decide how many suppliers you will deal with and the types of clothes that will be supported. You also need to decide, as mentioned above, the measurements taken and how the app(s) will interface with the suppliers.
c) You will use external software developers and assume the rate charged will be 250 per day. You must estimate how many days are required to develop your app(s).
d) As entrepreneurs you will only charge a notional amount to cover day to day costs, say 100. You are hoping to make your fortune later!
e) You will pay a similar amount to outside testers 100 per day.
Project Initiation Document (PID) Contents and Allocation of the Tasks for Groups of 4 and 5.PID Contents
Sub-sections 5 Team Members 4 Team Members
Team Work Allocation
Matrix and Marking* Table As Below indicating Who is A, B, C, D and E or
A, B, C and D GROUP GROUPTerms of Reference for the Feasibility Study for the pilot project, include:
? Executive Summary
? Project Objectives
? Scope (summary of headings of WBS)
? Constraints
? Assumptions
? Functionality of apps
? Work Breakdown Structure GROUP GROUPTeam Structure and Roles** ? Project Organisation, Roles and Responsibilities A AInitial Project Plan, order: ? Stakeholder Analysis E B
? Schedule of Activities with Estimated Durations C C
? Dependencies and a Network Diagram showing critical path C C
? Resources Required A A
? Cost Estimation, Assumptions, Budget on a Month by Month Basis D D
? Project Risk Management plan, including an initial assessment of key risks. B B
? Monitoring and Control B D
? Testing of apps E N/A
Recommendations ? Recommendations GROUP GROUP
Diary of Team Meetings See Diary Template over page GROUP GROUP
References GROUP GROUP
For the groups the Team Work allocations shown above are to be strictly followed*Each group has the responsibility to clearly show the Student Id for A, B, C, D and E using the Matrix below. This must be presented on the Front Page of the Group assignment. Failure to do so will result in a Group mark deduction of 10%.** Note this is the team that will carry out the planning, development, testing and marketing of the Changing Room app(s), etc. Not you, the group members A, B, etc., specified above preparing the plan.Group
Letter
Student Id Individual Mark
(/50%) Group Mark(/50%) Total Mark(/100%)
A
B
C
D
EThe PID must show references for the project management techniques used and rationale for any estimates made.More Information will be made available to the team as their investigation and plans progress.A Team Diary (Minutes of Meetings) (1-2 Pages) MUST be kept and submitted on Studynet within 3 days of the meeting. They must also be submitted along with the report. The format for the report is as follows:Meeting Date and Time Members AttendedTopic Discussion Action ResponsibleFailure to submit a meeting diary within the report will result in a 10% deduction of marks.Allocating Roles and Working on the Assignment1. Registering the Group
a. Form the groups. The size of the group can be four or five students.
b. Decide a name for your group.
c. Submit Group Agreement form to tutor with the names and IDs of the members so a group can be created on StudyNET
d. Decide the role A, B, C, D, E for each member2. Starting the Assignment
a. Decide in detail on the functionality of your app(s)
b. Produce the Work Breakdown Structure for your project.
Note that it is very important that you start this straight away. All the other tasks Network Drawing, Costings, Risk, etc., need the WBS before they can be started.3. Content of the PID
a) Whole Group
? Executive Summary and Recommendations
? Project Objectives
? Scope (Summary of the main headings of WBS)
? Functionality of the app(s)
? Constraints
? Assumptions
? Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
b) Individual MembersThese are to be done by the individual members as indicated below
? Project Organisation and Responsibilities
? Schedule of activities with estimated durations
? Dependencies and a Network Diagram showing critical path
? Resources required
? Project Organisation and Responsibilities
? Stakeholder Analysis
? Cost Estimation, Assumptions, Budget on a month by month basis
? Project Risk Management plan, including an initial assessment of key risks.
? Monitoring and Control
? Testing Plan (Groups of 5)