Assignment : Planning a Software Development Project

This assignment consists of two (2) sections: a written project plan, and a project plan that is created through the use of MS Project. You must submit both sections as separate files for the completion of this assignment. Label each file name according to the section of the assignment it is written for.

Imagine that you have been hired as a project manager assisting in the development of a mobile application and cloud-based solution which is designed to streamline your organization's delivery operation. As project manager, you are to manage the development and release of the mobile client platform in the cloud-based infrastructure that will use GPS tracking to track the shipment and delivery of goods in trucks across the United States.

The mobile client will have three (3) modules consisting of a search customer screen, search address screen, and confirm delivery screen. Programmers have reviewed the requirements and estimate that each module will take 200 hours to complete by one (1) programmer.

In addition to delivering the mobile-based application, your project will require upgrading the internal network and application infrastructure to a cloud-based model to support the new mobile platform. This effort will require your team to procure network appliances to optimize the security factors of the cloud-based platform.

One last component of the project scope is to provide training to operation support staff and fifty (50) truck drivers staffed across four (4) regions of the U.S. Your project team consists of two (2) programmers, a technical writer, four (4) technical trainers, two (2) network engineers, and one (1) system administrator.

Section 1: Written Project Plan

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:

Determine the factors that must be considered and observed throughout the WBS development process and explain why.

Create a WBS for the scope of the project. Note: The WBS must be in indented format as shown in Figure 5.5B in Chapter 5 of the text.

Analyze the various activities required for this project and provide an estimate of duration for each activity based on the number of resources available for the project. Include assumptions and basis for each estimate.

Recommend the estimation technique that should be used for each activity (i.e., PERT, Delphi, Analogy, Expert Judgment, or Rule of Thumb).

Determine the major milestones that the project will encounter.

Describe the logical sequence of planned activities required to achieve the project and analyze how monitoring durations on the critical path influence the success of the project.

Section 1 of your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

Section 2: Project Plan

Use Microsoft Project to:

Document all resources that would be required for this project within the Resource Sheet form within the software.

List all the activities required for the project. Break down the activities by the major milestones.

Enter the estimate of required durations, dependencies, and assign resources for each activity.

Generate a Gantt chart that shows all of the project deliverables, from beginning to end.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Explain the planning process for software projects.

Develop a software project plan based on IEEE 1058 to solve a business problem.

Compare the planning techniques in software projects.

Explain and prepare project estimation plans.

Use technology and information resources to research issues in IT Project Leadership Strategies.

Write clearly and concisely about topics related to IT Project Leadership Strategies using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.