Introduction
The concept of ridesharing provides the opportunity to use various means of transport, such as a bicycle or a car, or to have a platform for traveling. In 2020, the global ridesharing market was valued at $21.42 billion, with researchers predicting significant growth by 2026 at an average rate of 17.32% (Global ridesharing market, 2021, para. 1). Due to the growth in demand for convenient, affordable, and, most importantly, safe transport, there will be a significant stimulation of the ridesharing market. In addition, the trend has the potential for significant growth worldwide, which can lead to international business. Thus, this project aims to create a sharing software that provides customers with a simple, fast, and efficient way to book a trip and share the financial burden of travel.
Overview of the Project
The Lyft service wants to start working toward sharing, so the project will be completed for a specific customer. It will be a separate application for students who live in or near large educational institutions and need affordable transportation. The project aims to develop a mobile application for collaborative mobility. It should consider student-centeredness, protect customers and employees, and drive Lyft’s business development. The latter comes at the cost of improving the working environment through higher career salaries, expanding the workforce, and strengthening competitiveness in the travel-sharing industry.
Stakeholders
The project’s stakeholders are primarily Lyft’s management, who are responsible for implementing it, complying with all business rules, and maintaining an advantage over competitors. In addition to the company itself, shareholders and investors are also interested in the project’s economic development, and regulators are responsible for enforcing laws that protect operators and customers.
Passengers and drivers are the main benefactors of the initiative, as the project not only takes into account their comfort but also aims to provide more opportunities and increase protection. In addition, by increasing ridesharing, the need to purchase a personal vehicle is reduced, and there is a positive impact on the environment. That is because safe and efficient ridesharing reduces traffic congestion and air pollution and benefits everyone in the community.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Predecessors
Software developers Logan Green and John Zimmer developed Lyft as an extension of Zimride, a sprawling interstate ridesharing company they created in 2007. Since its founding, Lyft has offered over a billion rides in more than 640 US and Canadian cities. The company wants to offer its customers reliable and safe transport at a reasonable price and generate income for its employees. Now, they want to expand its offerings, and the app for students is a good option.
Tasks, Subtasks, and Their Duration
First, in the project implementation process, analyzing the market on which the application specification will depend is essential. A general project drawing will be created and completed based on the established specifications. The first preparatory phase will occur ten months after project confirmation. The next step will be the development of the internal architecture of the ridesharing application. It is related to creating and processing databases, APIs, and access to other third-party products.
After creating a plan for the application’s primary functions, the pre-programming phase will go through, which includes creating mobile applications, visual concepts, and implementing alert systems. At the analytics stage, a detailed study of all system elements occurs: necessary functions, business processes, security requirements, performance, scalability, and fault tolerance are described. All this is collected in a technical task. The designer then develops a visual concept, working with the analyst and technical lead to describe technical solutions. That ensures that the described solutions are feasible and do not carry risks for the budget and deadlines.
The design itself is divided into two large stages: UX, or User Experience, and UI, or User Interface. UX aims to understand the target user and create an understandable interface for him. As a result of the UI, the customer receives a full-fledged user interface design, which makes the application unique and recognizable. Before the verification phase, evaluating the test scripts, their effectiveness, functionality, and, most importantly, security will be necessary. Next, the release, marketing, and improvement process based on user experience will be carried out.
Milestones
The main milestones of the project are the first approval of the project, the approval of the design of the mobile application, the presentation of the project to the stakeholders, and the launch and testing. The starting point for the project team to start working is the project’s approval by stakeholders and management. Its design is essential for a successful mobile application, so this is considered the project’s next milestone. Presenting the design and the pilot to the stakeholders brings the project to the final stage when the client interacts with it for the first time at launch.
Resources
Project implementation activities can be carried out remotely, so there is no need to look for additional premises. The project manager is the leading constant participant in the project; they are responsible for implementing the project and fulfilling the customer’s and investors’ instructions. They carry out planning, control, and coordination of the work of all project participants, monitoring throughout the project’s life cycle to ensure that its goals and results are achieved, considering the timing, quality, and budget. The project team is the central resource for completing tasks successfully. In addition to the team working on the project, engineering, legal, and consulting companies involved in the project’s implementation are also significant resources. Temporary employees of the project are the application designer and the programmer.
Cost Details
Table 2. Project budget allocation details.
Risk Management Plan
There is a risk that not enough end users will be recruited after the application is released. First, one should conduct feedback with the audience; perhaps some improvements in the project are still needed. On the other hand, the marketing campaign is also essential for successfully launching the application (Kraus et al., 2019). A way to overcome the risk can be to determine the approximate target audience, plan to attract users before the release, and start attracting users (Li et al., 2020). In addition, vulnerabilities such as legal compliance, safety concerns, and competition must be controlled to create successful and long-term ridesharing programs and attract customers.
Quality Plan
To assess the main aspects of the quality of the developed application, the main criteria for the quality of applications were determined, namely, functionality, performance, usability, reliability, and user satisfaction. The leading resource that will allow one to evaluate the quality of the finished product is a questionnaire that keeps one in touch with customers. QA is systematic monitoring and a way to check and prevent any errors or defects in product development. Quality assurance at every development stage helps create a product that meets customer expectations. Before starting a project, it is also essential to conduct a peer review, which a professional specialist carries out to study the functioning of the process parameters.
Communication Plan
During the coordination of communications with the client, the methods of reporting and approvals are discussed in detail. Through which channels to communicate, what time the team is in touch in routine and emergencies, how often to provide performance reports, who is responsible for communication, and more. At the development stage, every week, the project status must be reported to the client (Kerzner, 2018). It is essential to allocate a separate account manager and project manager. The first is responsible for customer relations, and the second manages the project and the product creation process.
Conclusion
The development of modern mobility allows people to use various resources to move around, and shared mobility has been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years, both among drivers and passengers. The paper presents an IT implementation project plan for a ridesharing application for students of prominent educational institutions. This project involves Lyft management, drivers, customers, legislators, shareholders, and the public.
The project has a $250,000 budget will be spent on hiring engineers and designers. It also includes research, development, quality assurance, and marketing costs. Creating an application requires careful planning and strict quality control. With the plan’s successful implementation, developing a profitable ridesharing application is possible.
References
Global ridesharing market – growth, trends, COVID-19 impact, and forecasts (2021 – 2026). Market Research Reports. (2021). Web.
Kerzner, H. (2018). Project Management Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kraus, S., Palmer, C., Kailer, N., Kallinger, F. L., & Spitzer, J. (2019). Digital Entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). Web.
Li, F., Larimo, J., & Leonidou, L. C. (2020). Social media marketing strategy: Definition, conceptualization, taxonomy, validation, and future agenda. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49(1), 51–70. Web.