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E-Cloth Online Store’s Project Management Report

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Introduction

The fashion industry is one of the most dynamic sectors around the globe, and the dynamism arises from the diverse needs of the client base. Fashion is a personal statement and a symbol of societal status that also defines a person’s culture and individuality. As a result, clients are always curious about fashionable pieces that serve several factors while maintaining a particular budget.

Although many clothes stores stock a variety of fashionable clothes, they do not capture the clients’ personality and individual needs because the designs are premade. Most stores such as Zara and H&M invest significant funds into identifying the unique needs of their clients. However, their reach in identifying these needs is not yet global, and this implies that a significant section of the target market buys what is available. Therefore, bridging the gap between what the clients want from their preferred clothes stores and what the stores are offering is crucial in promoting customer satisfaction.

Our project, Be-Unique, intends to solve this problem by leveraging technology to bring the services closer to the clients. The purpose of the project is to provide a highly integrative platform through which customers can digitally access their favorite clothing stores. The platform intends to revolutionize the fashion industry by offering clients an opportunity to present their unique designs for customization.

Online clothes from stores such as Zara and H&M are made using standard sizes that may not fit all body sizes within the standard measurements. Our online stores’ mandate is to ensure that clients have easy access to thigh-quality fashionable items that can be customized to fit their unique sizes. Therefore, our mandate will include offering the clients an opportunity to submit their sizes to our platform, whereby their clothes can be tailor-made to fit their unique sizes. Our highly skilled team will be on standby to take clients’ measurements and submit them to the famous clothes stores for customization.

Additionally, our project seeks to offer the clientele the option of designing and developing their unique designs from famous luxury clothes stores such as Zara and H&M. As aforementioned, clothes are a statement of personality, culture, and individuality. Therefore, our project will focus on promoting these aspects of fashion by allowing clients to make recommended changes to available designs online.

Our project mission, utilizing local potentials in delivering high-quality unique clothes designs made to customer preferences by using high quality, reliable efficient online platform interface which ensures high customer satisfaction, privacy, and security, will guide these business operations. The statement of work, a quality plan, the work breakdown structure, the Responsibility Matrix, and the project network diagram will highlight the project’s activities, objectives, quality assurance, and control methods, and work organization involved in completing the project.

Project Overview

Project nameBE UNIQUE ( E-Cloth online store)
Creation date
Project manager
Project sponsorKhalifa fund for enterprise development
Project Start and End date
Project membersSoftware Engineer and Programmer
Finance Manager
Local suppliers H&M, ZaraResponsible for order fulfillment

Project Initiation

In this phase of the project, we draw the main guideline for our project by identifying clearly our purpose, description, and the objectives. Also, as a team we negotiate and decide about several points related to the project such as the project sponsor and fund, estimate the initial cost, project duration which is eight months start from the kickoff meeting, and project milestone schedule.

The second part of the initial study covers the following points:

  • Acceptance Criteria.
  • Project deliverable.
  • Success Criteria.
  • Initial risks.
  • Assumptions and requirements.
  • Preliminary roles and responsibilities.
Project Purpose or Justification:
Fashion has rapidly and widely developed and improved nowadays, where it has affected many peoples’ tastes and preferences in terms of the clothes they choose to wear on every occasion. The consumers in the market are looking for the dress as per their few specific requirements which are still untapped by the current market players and mostly, these companies such as Zara and H&Mprovide readymade garment and clothing solutions to the consumers.

Clothes is not only a piece of fabric to wear rather than it define a person’s personality and characteristics among the society. Due, to the different tastes and basic fashion awareness perspectives that has developed these days, many people wish to have the chance to express themselves through a piece of clothes that have been designed by them. Thus, Be Uniqueonline store is the platform where these wishes will come true to those customers.

Project Description:
Our website named Be Unique(E-Clothes), which consists of famous online fashion store designs such as Zara and H&M in addition to the local suppliers where the local suppliers will help in adjusting the selected design and take it to the next level of creativity which will satisfy, customer needs.Theclothes type could be either abaya, dress, traditional clothes, pajamas or etc. for both males and females. Moreover, the website will provide exclusive and different fabrics to satisfy our customers preferences.

In addition, it will have a feature of providing services such as sending a specialized person to the customer’s doorstep to take their correct measurements to design a perfectly fitted dress. The uniqueness in our website is it allows customers to design their own preferred clothes and be able to change the design that they don’t like and add what they want on a dress or change its color or add some piece or remove either on the dress, or abaya or whatever they choose.

Project mission: Utilizing local potential in delivering high-quality unique clothes designs made to customer preferences by using high quality, reliable efficient online platform interface which ensures high customer satisfaction, privacy and security.

Project Objectives:
  • The project manager’s goal is to complete the project within 8 months.
  • The estimated cost will be provided from Khalifa Fund for enterprise development since the owner is Emirati national.
  • Providing easy access to our unique online platform and services (E-clothes), through the designed website for our customers to be able to design their own unique piece of clothes as their satisfied preferences and needs.
  • Increase the reach ability to customers and achieve bigger marketing through using web portal and social media apps.
  • Simple, easy, and secure payment option.
  • High-quality services and good website which save time and distance.
  • Efficiency, easiness, and fast ordering and delivery for the customers.
  • Easy Communication with customers (for example: in case of wrong measurements or returning designed clothes) either via chat box, email, or WhatsApp number.
  • Gain high profits (with increasing 10% every year) since the low number of competitors in the UAE market.
  • Detailed sales reporting to check the performance of the project and to help in taking action to enhance the effectiveness of it.
Project Milestones ScheduleDue Date
Baseline plan to be submitted to the Sponsor.April 24
Sponsor approval to be received.July 26
First Project Kickoff to be conductedOctober 30
Website designing stageDecember 12
Signing contract with local suppliers and partners: Zara & H&M and courier
Advertising and website lunching
Acceptance Criteria:
  • Solid and reliable online platform interface which is user friendly and can be operated in different mobile systems.
  • Build secure website and secure customer access specifically.
  • Secure Payment through Master card and Visa.
  • Effective and fast delivery for customers in term of courier selection.
  • High quality website makes the process and functions which save our customer time.
  • Create logo and invoice and packaging also interface.
  • Easy reporting generation for customer orders.
  • Marketing development plan through website, network and communication services and social media.
Project DeliverablesSuccess CriteriaPerson Approving
Deliverable #1:
E-cloth online store
  • Completed online E-cloth by the end of the project period.
  • Appealing website interface, which is easy to use and manage, requires minimum training.
  • The published website can work on different platforms and operating systems.
  • Reliable dependable online E-cloth.
  • Secure login is working on the website for security requirements.
  • Fully integration between the website interface and background infrastructure.
  • Project Manager.
  • Software Engineer – programmer.
  • Sponsor.
Deliverable #2:
High-Performance DatabaseHighly available Database which has the capacity to handle two completed sections. One section for the clothes design and related information such as available colors, fabrics etc. and the other for customer information– Software Engineer – programmer
Deliverable #3:
Configuration ManualsReceiving detailed project documentation from all the project members even the outsourced members if there are any. This will ease optimization process if required in the future.– Project Manager
Deliverable #4:
Logo and interfaceReceiving a copyrighted creative logo, interface, and design for Online E-cloth store.
  • Project Manager.
  • Software Engineer.
Deliverable #5:
Setup marketing plan for the online store in social media including advertisements.High number of customers reached, high sales, and profit.– Project Manager. – Sponsor.
Initial Risks:
All business has risks and these risks might be related to the demand, business operation regulatory requirements, technologies, etc. The business faces the risk of low demand, lack of technological advantages in developing a good website, and lack of funding for the project. A risk register will be used to monitor the risk and contingency plan would be used to mitigate the risk. Marketing and advertising strategies will be used to increase the demand and create attention for our product to reduce the risk of low demand. Technology consultants will be hired to get advice on the software and technical requirement of a business.
Estimated Budget and funding:
  • Khalifa Fund estimated funds of 1,000,000 DHS per project.
  • Technology:
    • Software: Justinmind, SQL server, Microsoft tools = 100,000 ADE.
    • Hardware: Computers, Network, Server = 250,000 DHS.
  • Manpower= 170000 DHS.
  • Courier Contract=240,000 DHS (Annually).
  • Local Supplies and partners will be taking a percentage from the profit as agreed in the contract.
Preliminary Roles and Responsibilities:
  • Sponsors (Khalifa Fund): to provide the required Funding.
  • Supplier (local suppliers, Zara and H&M): to provide the cloth designs and re-designing services.
  • Project Manager : to be in charge of the whole project.
  • Software Engineer and programmer: to provide the necessary software requirements and the overall detailed software entities interactions and to do the programing tasks and the configuration.
  • Finance personnel: to take care of the financing work and book keeping.
Assumptions:
  1. Estimated increase of the profit will get as a 10% percentage at least from selling re-designed E-cloth after second year of lunching the website.
  2. Customer will prefer to re-design the presented collection from partner such as Zara and H&M to suits their needs more than buying a ready-made design.
  3. Customer will prefer Cash on Delivery option which most of competitors doesn’t offer.

Requirements:

  1. Secure registration and easy profile management.
  2. Easy E-cloth designing, purchasing, and delivery.
  3. Secured Payment gateway.
  4. Ability to control customer actions.

Project Planning

Statement of Work (SOW)

Defining the work details, the scope of the project, schedules, deliverables, terms and conditions, and the expected outcomes is crucial in ensuring that the team achieves all project objectives. E. shall be developing the online digital platform through which Zara and H&M clothing stores can supply their designs and offer re-designing services. Therefore, the contract will cover the agreement between these two entities, and it will ensure that each partner complies with their end of the bargain.

Another contract will cover the agreement between Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and E., who is the software and hardware developer. Khalifa Fund will provide the necessary financial resources to manage the project and requires that the software/hardware provider complies with the terms and conditions. Other parties that will be involved in the project include the project manager and finance personnel, who will work in liaison with the project sponsor.

The Purpose and Objective of the Project

The primary aim of the project is to develop a platform that allows potential customers to interactively engage with established clothes stores like Zara and H&M. The interaction will offer customers an opportunity to purchase clothes from the online stores, while also enabling them to request custom-made outfits.

Implementing this project will enable the clients to order custom-made fashionable clothes that define their personality and character, in contrast to the ready-made clothes that do not offer the uniqueness of individuality. The website, Be-Unique, will facilitate the interaction between the luxury clothing stores and our clients. Therefore, our objective is to also enhance client satisfaction through enhance service delivery.

Project Scope and Deliverables

The project team will take a variety of actions, processes, and steps to achieve the above objectives. The scope of work defines these steps and processes, and how the team will utilize each step to achieve the acceptable project outcome. The initial step will involve drafting contractual agreements with the partners, Zara and H&M companies. The contracts will comprehensively cover each party’s responsibilities, tasks, and duties.

The table below represents the project’s overall scope:

Tasks and ResponsibilitiesResponsible Person/BodyExpected MilestoneDeliverables
Receive propositions for purchasing the required hardwareProject managerPurchasing the relevant hardware and other peripheral equipment
Meet software vendors and developersProject managerSelect the most suitable vendor/software developer
Request funding for the projectProject managerReceive funding for the project from the sponsor
Designing and developing the modules of the platformSoftware developer/vendorA safe and reliable online platform that works on all mobile platformsLogo and interface
Testing the different modules for errors and bugsSoftware developerAn error-free and bug-free online platform
Deploying the interfaceSoftware developer/vendor and project managerIntegrated primary source code that can perform the expected operationsE-clothes online store
High-performance database
Configuration manuals
TrainingSoftware developer and project managerHighly qualified team of staff membersTraining manuals
MaintenanceSoftware developerFrequently updated softwareMarketing plan for the online store

Requirements and Tasks: Main Customer Requirements

Developing the Be-Unique website will involve a multitude of tasks and requirements from all stakeholders. The software development team will perform the bulk of the activities required to create and implement the website. Collaboration between all stakeholders will play a critical role in ensuring that the whole project is a success.

A System Development Lifecycle Cycle, SDLC, will provide a guideline for tasks and requirements assessment. According to Brewer and Dittman (2018), the SDLC is a comprehensive logical model that outlines the procedures, processes, and policies that the project team should follow when developing or altering a system. SDLC framework has seven distinct phases, under which a variety of tasks and activities take place.

The table below shows the requirements and processes for the different development steps of the project:

PhaseTasksRequirements
Planning
  • Identifying the system that the team will develop (Be-Unique website).
  • Problem definition.
  • Scope evaluation.
  • Assessing project feasibility.
  • Definition of the objectives.
  • Highlight the required resources.
  • Outline the project schedule.
  • Provide a proposed budget for the whole project.
  • Propose possible funding sources.
Meeting between all stakeholders, including the project team, sponsor, and owner of the project
Analysis
  • Gathering insights from the potential users.
  • Prototype definition.
  • Outline system requirements.
  • Critical evaluation of other alternatives.
  • End-user needs.
  • Software/hardware requirements.
  • Network requirements.
Collaboration between the software developer, hardware provider, and project team leader
Design
  • Identify the most feasible user interface.
  • Prototype a system interface.
  • Identify network requirements.
  • Database prototype for the most ideal database.
Funds and other resources from the sponsor and collaboration between team members
Development
  • Writing source code.
  • Developing the admin menu.
  • Building a taxonomy.
  • Creating contacts form module.
  • Developing other modules such as social media module, themes, location, and notification and messaging modules for the website.
  • Compiling the application.
Funding and expertise
Testing
  • Testing the programs for bugs and defects.
  • Tracking the bugs and defects.
  • Fixing defects.
  • Retesting the system for remnant bugs.
  • Evaluating the overall system to ensure it meets the quality standards.
Funds and expertise
Implementation
  • Integrating the different modules.
  • Deploying the system into the working environment.
  • Training the users.
Expertise, funds, compatible hardware
Maintenance
  • Continued evaluation of the system.
  • Regular updates for security and efficiency.
Software expertise

Project Scope Millstones

The time frame and budget outline the finances and time that the project team will require to complete the project. The table below highlights the budgetary requirements and time frame for the whole project:

Task/time schedule (in months)29/6/2120/7/2125/7/2125/8/2101/11/2116/02/22
Completion of the project proposal and submission to the sponsor
Sponsor approval
First project kickoff
Website design
Contract signing with local suppliers and partners
Project delivery

Cost Estimate

RequirementsBudget
Technology: Hardware250,000 DHS
Software100,000 ADE
Human resource170,000 DHS
Courier contract240,000 annually
Local Suppliers and partners(as agreed in the contract)
Total Khalifa Fund1,000,000 DHS

Quality Plan

A project quality plan is a tool that the project team uses to promote quality assurance, and it outlines a set of systematic actions that the team must undertake to ascertain the integrity of the system and the standard of the final product (Laporte & April 2018). The plan also highlights the activities, processes, and tools that the project management team and other stakeholders require to attain a high-quality final product. The quality plan falls under the maintenance phase of project development, which involves various actions and processes to maintain an error and defect-free system. The quality plan is also critical in maintaining the system’s overall security.

E-Clothes store is an online platform that seeks to bridge the gap between luxury clothes stores like Zara and H&M, and the customers in our country. Although the stores have a client base here, our online store will provide a more personalized platform where the clients can place requests for customized outfits. Previously, clients could place their orders directly from Zara and H&M’s online stores. However, the websites did not offer the clients an opportunity to purchase customized clothes.

The client base in our country recognizes fashion as a social symbol, hence the need for customized pieces. Therefore, our platform will enable such clients to customize clothes and have access to cultural and traditional attires like the abaya dress. Maintaining the integrity of the online clothes store is crucial to the clients and our partners. The quality plan will play an important role in ensuring that the website’s quality aligns with the stakeholders’ requirements, in addition to reducing the risk of non-compliance and security threats.

The online store will be operational in our country and work in collaboration with stores from other countries. The labor laws, business practices, and business permits and compliance measures differ in these countries. The quality plan will outline all effective procedures necessary for quality planning, compliance, and reducing risk threats. Therefore, the plan will include quality assurance and control methods, quality standards, quality codes, and essential tests.

Quality Assurance and Control Methods

Quality assurance and control methods play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and integrity of a project. Laporte and April (2018) define quality assurance as a process of ensuring that the project processes efficiently utilize the available resources to generate the expected outcomes. Optimizing the resources, including human resources, time, and finances promotes efficiency and reduces the risk of waste and losses.

Laporte and April (2018) acknowledge that humans is to err and recommend using various quality assurance methods to promote the projects’ integrity. Quality assurance focuses on the whole system, rather than separating the project’s sections like the source code. Securing the source code only would not be sufficient assurance of the project’s quality. Therefore, the team will implement an integrated quality assurance strategy.

Quality planning also involves implementing quality control measures to enhance the integrity of the system. Quality control involves regular inspection, testing, and frequent measures against the quality standards to ascertain that the product meets the quality standards and the client’s needs (Ibarra & Muñoz, 2018).

The primary role of quality control is to prevent internal and external problems that may interfere with the efficiency of service delivery. Quality assurance and control are essential to E-Clothes online stores because they will earn the partners’ and clients’ trust. Therefore, the quality plan will be an integrated document that specifies the standards, practices, resources, and activities associated with the E-Clothes store.

Developing the plan will involve several crucial steps that guarantee comprehensive coverage of the whole system in quality assurance. The first step will involve identifying various problem areas that may compromise the quality of the system (Ibarra & Muñoz, 2018).

Areas of focus will include the processes the software developer used to develop the source code, overall project objectives, responsibilities and duties, procedures, and areas of testing such as the source code. The next step will involve identifying the measurement indicators or key indicators. The indicators will provide the baseline on which the project team can compare quality assurance and control measures after testing. The indicators will also help the project manager to determine whether the quality control measures achieve their intended purpose.

Comparing the system’s quality before and after implementing the quality assurance and control measures will be the next step in the quality plan. The comparison will demonstrate whether the quality control and assurance measures effectively address the identified problem areas (Ibarra & Muñoz, 2018). Assessment analysis will be the last quality assurance and control process, and it will aim at measuring the outcomes of the quality measures. It is important to note that quality assurance and control is an iterative and continuous process.

The table below is a representation of the E-Clothes store’s quality plan components:

Project ProcessQuality Assurance StandardIncluded InputsResponsible
User requirementsObjective: Ascertain user requirements are met
Acceptance testing
Per Test management plan
Self-explanatory testing procedures
Definition of test review procedures
Well-defined test tracking procedures
User feedback
Testing standards and IT procedures
  • project manager;
  • software engineer and programmer.
System specificationsObjective: validate quality performance and system security Performance testing
Per Test management plan
Well-defined test procedures and review process
Align stakeholder expectations
Testing standards and IT procedures
  • project manager;
  • software engineer and programmer.
Hardware specificationObjective: validate performance testing
Align user requirements with hardware specifications
Per Test management plan
Well-defined hardware specification
Self-explanatory test procedures
Clear test-tracking guidelines
List of qualified suppliers
ISO/IEC 29136:2012
  • project manager;
  • software engineer and programmer.
Source code quality and integrityObjective: Validate performance testing
Align user specifications with code performance
Per Test management plan
Well-defined software specification
Self-explanatory test procedures
Clear test-tracking guidelines
ISO/IEC 9126
ISO/IEC 25000:2005
  • project manager;
  • software engineer and programmer.
Threats and risksObjective: identify system weaknesses
Per Test management plan
Well-defined software specification
Self-explanatory test procedures
Clear test-tracking guidelines
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119
Other international standards for testing software for bugs and defects
  • project manager;
  • software engineer and programmer.

Quality Assurance and Control Methods that Will Be Used in the Project

There are various quality assurance and control methods available to the project management team. The suitability of each method largely depends on the user requirements, the complexity of the system, and the comprehensibility of the system outcomes. Involving a quality assurance team is the first step toward conducting a proper system analysis. E-Clothes online store will utilize the Plan-Do-Check-Act method of quality assurance and control. The method will cover various areas of quality check, including product review, user training, compliance with standards, the strength of the source code, the efficiency of the administration, and processes.

The Plan-Do-Check-Act method comprises four distinct steps that enable project managers to identify weaknesses and areas of improvement within the project. The first step, plan, involves a comprehensive analysis of the project’s objectives, professional standards, customer and stakeholder expectations, performance measures, and quality processes (McGrath & Loper, 2018). This step takes place during the planning, analysis, and design phases, which helps the project manager to align the objectives with the final product.

The second step, Do, involves aligning all processes, procedures, and activities with the approved standard operating procedures. The step also ensures that the project does not violate any laws and that all procedures and processes comply with the existing laws. For example, there are federal laws that govern e-commerce, online transactions, and cyber activity in the UAE. Quality assurance technique will ensure that our project does not violate Federal law No.1 on e-commerce and online transactions, and decree federal law on cybercrime.

On the other hand, quality control will conduct regular checks and frequent updates on the system to reinforce security against cyber threats and enhance the quality of the system. Systems that involve online financial transactions are particularly the target of cybercriminals who conduct cyber fraud. Therefore, the aim of the quality assurance and control team under the Plan-Do-Check-Act method will be to identify weak areas that may predispose the system to such threats.

The third phase, check, will involve performing technical reviews, verifications, and management oversights and comparing them to the project management standard operating measures (McGrath & Loper, 2018). This phase also involves checking whether the client’s quality objectives align with the project’s processes and procedures. The project management team conducts this phase during the project execution and maintenance phases of the SDLC.

The final step in the quality assurance and control method that the project team will use is Act, which involves instituting corrective measures against performance measures that surpass performance thresholds. This step relies on the outcomes of the first three phases to institute the corrective measures (McGrath & Loper, 2018). Deficiencies, non-performance, noncompliance, defects, and other errors are corrected at this stage. Project managers institute this process at the testing, execution, and maintenance phases of the SDLC. The Plan-Do-Check-Act quality assurance and control method will be useful to the E-Clothes project as it will help the management team to maintain the quality of the system.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

Collaboration between different organizations, agencies, and people plays a crucial role in successful project completion. The E-Clothes project will engage various providers, including vendors, a sponsor, the software developer, finance personnel, and the project manager. A successful partnership between the team members will promote the successful completion of the project by averting the wastage of time and resources. The cooperation will also be essential in establishing responsibilities and accountability between the key players.

A responsibility assignment matrix, RAM, is a diagrammatical representation of the relationship and participation between the different key players in a project. Project managers utilize RAM to clarify team members’ roles and responsibilities throughout all project development stages. The matrix is important in distinguishing responsibilities from accountability during project development.

WBS ItemWork ItemKhalifa FundLocal suppliers H&M, Zara(project manager(Software Engineer)(Finance Manager)
1PlanningSPPPS
1.1Problem definitionSPPPS
12.Project process diagramsSPPPS
1.3Systems requirementsSPPPS
1.4Project schedulePSPPP
1.5Project scopeSSPPS
1.6Project planSSPPS
1.7TimelinePSPPP
1.8Risks and constraintsSSPPS
1.9Work breakdown structureSSPPS
1.10Risk analysisSSPPS
1.11Quality planSSPPS
2.0Analysis
2.1Business requirements reportSPPPP
2.2Systems requirement reportSSPPS
2.3Logical systems design planPSPPP
2.4Project charterSSPPS
2.5Project strategy documentationSSPPP
2.6Configuration manualsSSPPS
3.0Design
3.1Interface prototypeSPPPS
3.2Logo prototypeSSPPS
3.3Design documentationSSPPS
3.4Initial contractual agreementsSPPPS
3.5Budget approvalPSSSP
3.6Quality assurance charter that includes risk assessment and quality assuranceSSPPS
4.0Testing
4.1
4.2
Testing strategyPPP
4.3Quality assurance planPP
4.4Test EstimationSPPS
4.5Quality control strategiesPP
4.6Risk assessmentSPP
4.7Test planSPP
4.8Use case scenariosPPP
4.9Test scenariosPPP
4.10Incident documentationPP
4.11RecommendationsPP
4.12Test ClosurePP
5.0Implementation
5.1Handing overPPPPP
5.2Test performanceSPPPS
5.3User trainingSPPPS
6.0Maintenance
6.1Frequent risk and quality assessmentPPPS

Note:

  • P: primary Responsibility.
  • S: Supporting Responsibility.

Work Breakdown Structure

Effective project management relies on important tools such as the work breakdown structure, and WBS. WBS is a product-oriented tool that consists of various work elements that define the project scope (Burghate, 2018). The multi-level graphical representation of the project activities, processes, procedures enables project managers to easily identify project priorities and relationships. The logical diagram is made up of descending levels of project components that transcend the previous activities. All activities in the WBS are scheduled, budgeted, and estimated, and should contain the scope, schedule, and cost (Burghate, 2018).

E-Clothes WBS consists of the primary outcome or deliverable, which is the complete online clothing store. The project management team will achieve the final product by breaking down activities into five broad categories – planning, analysis, design, execution, and maintenance. The categories will be further broken down into individual tasks as outlined in the WBS table.

Each task will be completed within its schedule as highlighted in the Gantt chart, with the activities following each other consecutively. Completion of one task will be followed by the immediate initiation of another, which will help the project manager to complete the project within the given schedule. The diagram below represents the WBS for E-Clothes online store.

Key

Task No.Task/Activity/Immediate Processors
1Problem identification
2Planning
3Identify business and system requirements2
4Propose a project schedule, timeline, scope, and budget3
5Develop a work breakdown structure for the whole project3
6Submit the proposal to the sponsor3
7Receive sponsor approval2,3,4,5,6
8Analysis5
9Develop a business requirements report7,8
10Submit business requirement report to the sponsor and await approval9
11Develop the logical systems design plan10
12Create a project charter11
13Approval for the go-ahead to the next phase6,7,11,12
14Create configuration manuals14
15Design
16Budgetary approvals4
17Develop system prototype14,15,16
18Design system specification prototypes17
19Develop quality assurance and control charter18
20Produce design documentation19
21Testing
22Define a suitable test strategy21
23Identify areas for testing22
24Outline a testing plan21,22,23
25Develop test scenarios and use cases24
26Incident documentation25
27Recommendations22
28Implementation
29Project handover to owner/users26
30Integrate high-level database28
31Implement logo and interface26
32Publish the E-Clothes online store platform29,31
33User training30
34Conduct tests to ascertain the quality and integrity of the system32,33
35Maintenance
36Quality control34
37Quality assurance tests34,35
38Hosting and publishing E-Clothes36
39Maintenance37
40Implementing marketing strategies41,42

Project Network

Project Network

Justifying the time schedule and budgetary requirements is important in providing a rationale for the project. Sponsors want to invest in projects that make sense in terms of financial investment and time. A project diagram provides a rationale for the financial and time investment in a project. The network is a logical representation of the order in which the project team must complete all activities. The diagram highlights the project activities, time schedule, and relationships between the different tasks. The team must conduct these activities sequentially, and this order ensures that the project management team does not overlook or omit any activity or task.

The network structure also helps the project manager to clearly delineate the roles and responsibilities. E-Clothes online store project will involve various tasks, activities, and processes that will be performed sequentially. The network diagram below will identify the primary and secondary tasks and activities that will be involved during the development of the E-Clothes store project. The table shows the actual tasks that the team will complete at each phase and the final product that the project owner will receive.

MS Project

MS Project

Project Schedule

Updated Network diagram with duration

Three Tasks from the Network and Explanation of the Estimated Duration.

Task/Activity No.Task /ActivityEstimated Duration (in days)How duration is estimated /Details
2Problem definition7
  • This is the starting point in change project management. It outlines the deficiencies that the project will address.
  • The phase requires active participation of the stakeholders in the organization to ensure that the user requirements in the Be-Unique integrative platform are well defined.
  • The project manager will conduct observations, meetings, and document analysis to establish the gaps that should be filled in the new online platform.
  • It is estimated that seven days will be sufficient to perform the activity.
7Project plan7
  • The project plan outlines the objectives, scope, resource allocation plan, schedule, risk management plan, and monitoring and evaluation criteria. It guides the execution and control stages to achieve goals.
  • The activity will take place after the problem definition, process diagram mapping, definition of the system’s requirements, schedule, and scope phases are complete.
  • This implies that the activity will entail consolidating the previously performed activities and a seven days’ timeline is sufficient.
17Project charter7
  • The project charter is a brief outline of the entire project plan that identifies the objectives, stakeholders, activities, resource plan, and risk management plan.
  • It is useful for informing the project’s sponsors of the project’s purpose to obtain authorizations to spend resources.
  • It is also a planning document that will serve throughout the project’s execution.
  • The activity will take seven days since the project plan had been developed in activity 7.

Time analysis of the network: ES, EF, LS, LF, Total project duration, project slack, and critical path

Task IDTask NameStartPredecessorsTotal SlackEarly Start
1PlanningMon 19-04-21123 daysMon 19-04-21
2Problem definitionMon 19-04-210 daysMon 19-04-21
3Project process diagramsWed 28-04-2120 daysWed 28-04-21
4Systems requirementsTue 04-05-2130 daysTue 04-05-21
5Project scheduleTue 04-05-2135 daysTue 04-05-21
6Project scopeTue 04-05-2135 daysTue 04-05-21
7Project planThu 13-05-212,3,4,5,60 daysThu 13-05-21
8TimelineThu 06-05-2159 daysThu 06-05-21
9Risks and constraintsMon 24-05-217,80 daysMon 24-05-21
10Work breakdown structureThu 27-05-2190 daysThu 27-05-21
11Risk analysisTue 01-06-21100 daysTue 01-06-21
12Quality planFri 04-06-21110 daysFri 04-06-21
13AnalysisThu 13-05-21104 days?Thu 13-05-21
14Business requirements reportThu 10-06-216,7,11,120 daysThu 10-06-21
15Systems requirement reportTue 15-06-21140 daysTue 15-06-21
16Logical systems design planThu 13-05-21421 daysThu 13-05-21
17Project charterFri 18-06-2114,15,160 daysFri 18-06-21
18Project strategy documentationTue 29-06-21170 daysTue 29-06-21
19Configuration manualsFri 02-07-21180 daysFri 02-07-21
20DesignWed 07-07-2186 daysWed 07-07-21
21Interface prototypeWed 07-07-21190 daysWed 07-07-21
22Logo prototypeMon 12-07-21210 daysMon 12-07-21
23Design documentationThu 15-07-21220 daysThu 15-07-21
24Initial contractual agreementsMon 19-07-2121,22,230 daysMon 19-07-21
25Budget approvalWed 21-07-21240 daysWed 21-07-21
26Quality assurance charter that includes risk assessment and quality assuranceThu 22-07-21250 daysThu 22-07-21
27TestingTue 20-07-2157 daysTue 20-07-21
28Testing strategyThu 15-07-212214 daysThu 15-07-21
29Quality assurance planMon 02-08-21260 daysMon 02-08-21
30Test EstimationTue 20-07-212814 daysTue 20-07-21
31Quality control strategiesMon 02-08-21262 daysMon 02-08-21
32Risk assessmentMon 09-08-2129,310 daysMon 09-08-21
33Test planFri 23-07-213014 daysFri 23-07-21
24Use case scenariosMon 16-08-2132,330 daysMon 16-08-21
35Test scenariosMon 23-08-21340 daysMon 23-08-21
36Incident documentationMon 30-08-2134,350 daysMon 30-08-21
37RecommendationsMon 06-09-21360 daysMon 06-09-21
38Test ClosureThu 09-09-21370 daysThu 09-09-21
39ImplementationThu 18-11-217 days?Thu 18-11-21
40Handing overThu 18-11-2141,420 daysThu 18-11-21
41Test performanceFri 10-09-21380 daysFri 10-09-21
42User trainingThu 30-09-21410 daysThu 30-09-21
43MaintenanceFri 19-11-210 days?Fri 19-11-21
44Frequent risk and quality assessmentFri 19-11-2136,400 daysFri 19-11-21

Discussion

The orange-shaded activities are the critical activities. The project’s slack days. Against a period of 232 days, the project requires 48 days savings to be completed on time.

Project Budget

Task NameRemaining Cost
1Planning
2Problem definitionد.إ.‏ 56,000.00
3Project process diagramsد.إ.‏ 32,000.00
4Systems requirementsد.إ.‏ 56,000.00
5Project scheduleد.إ.‏ 16,000.00
6Project scopeد.إ.‏ 16,000.00
7Project planد.إ.‏ 56,000.00
8Timelineد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
9Risks and constraintsد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
10Work breakdown structureد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
11Risk analysisد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
12Quality planد.إ.‏ 32,000.00
13Analysis
14Business requirements reportد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
15Systems requirement reportد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
16Logical systems design planد.إ.‏ 61,000.00
17Project charterد.إ.‏ 56,000.00
18Project strategy documentationد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
19Configuration manualsد.إ.‏ 45,000.00
20Design
21Interface prototypeد.إ.‏ 45,000.00
22Logo prototypeد.إ.‏ 45,000.00
23Design documentationد.إ.‏ 16,000.00
24Initial contractual agreementsد.إ.‏ 16,000.00
25Budget approvalد.إ.‏ 8,000.00
26Quality assurance charter that includes risk assessment and quality assuranceد.إ.‏ 56,000.00
27Testing
28Testing strategyد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
29Quality assurance planد.إ.‏ 40,000.00
30Test Estimationد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
31Quality control strategiesد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
32Risk assessmentد.إ.‏ 40,000.00
33Test planد.إ.‏ 16,000.00
34Use case scenariosد.إ.‏ 61,000.00
35Test scenariosد.إ.‏ 61,000.00
36Incident documentationد.إ.‏ 40,000.00
37Recommendationsد.إ.‏ 24,000.00
38Test Closureد.إ.‏ 29,000.00
39Implementation
40Handing overد.إ.‏ 29,000.00
41Test performanceد.إ.‏ 133,000.00
42User trainingد.إ.‏ 301,000.00
43Maintenance
44Frequent risk and quality assessmentد.إ.‏ 77,000.00

Notes

If the project costs exceed the initial budget, it is necessary that the project manager take a number of steps. First, the project manager can reassign resources to a lower-cost resource. Secondly, the manager should consider reducing the project scope to focus on a less expansive choice. Another alternative that the project manager can take is to seek more funding to meet the extra cost that is beyond the initial budget.

MS Project

The projected cost of the project is 1,740,000 AED.

MS Project

MS Project

Cost Estimate-Explanation

Task/Activity No.Task /ActivityEstimated CostHow Cost is Estimated /Details
21Interface prototype45,000.00 AED
  • The interface prototype requires the input of system designers and a, of the shelf software.
  • The projected labor costs are 24,000 AED. The activity is estimated to last three days. Therefore, one employee working eight hours a day at an hourly wage rate of 1,000 AED will be paid 24,000 AED.
  • The estimated cost of the software is 20,000 AED. A per use cost of equipment depreciation, office rent, utilities, and other indirect cost are appropriated to the activity at the rate of 1000 AED.
  • This gives a total of 45,000 AED for the activity.
29Quality Assurance Plan40,000.00 AED
  • This is the defect prevention mechanism to ensure that the quality requirements are met.
  • A quality assurance expert will be employed to develop standards, checklists, quality audit procedures, and quality documentation.
  • The task is projected to last five days working eight hour a day. The expert will be paid 1000 AED per hour for the five days.
  • No overtime costs are projected, implying that the cost of the activity is 40,000 AED.
36Risk Assessment40,000.00 AED
  • Risk management is concerned with identifying risks and taking actions to reduce their occurrence or impact.
  • The project manager will collaborate with the risk department employees to identify the hazards, their impact, and risk management plans.
  • The task is projected to last five days working four hours a day. The project manager will be paid 1,000 AED per hour for the five days amounting to 20,000 AED. Two risk management staff will be paid 500 AED per hour for the five days amounting to 20,000 AED. This gives a total of 40,000 AED.
  • No overtime costs are projected for the activity.

Cost Analysis of the Network, Cost Reduction, and Monitoring Cost Plan

Project Risks Matrix

Sq.RiskImpactLMHDegree of impactAction triggerResponsibilityResponse plancost
1Exit of team membersPush back scheduleHHComplain from membersFind an alternative team member6,000
AED
2Loss of data from DBImmediate impact on the projectMHAbnormal warningsEstablish backup
Regular checks
12,000
3Cyber attacksLoss of dataMHAbnormal warnings and trafficAdditional ant-malware systems12,000
4Poor customer acceptanceLow sales volumeMHNegative customer responsesUser-friendly system
Develop customer relations
Loss of suppliersPoor supply systemLHBad business reportDevelop effective business relationship approaches
6Poor access to the siteSome customers cannot access the websiteLMFailure to work during testingApply compatible platform technologies

Project Performance and Monitoring (Execution)

Once the project is running, the project manager will assume control, review, and report on every stage, delivery, cost, change, issue, risk, progress, and other aspects of the report. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the project manager to maintain the cost, date, and time of the project. In addition, the project manager will be responsible for considering the appropriate actions for correcting issues, risks, and errors in the system. The project manager is fully responsible for the problems and issues facing or likely to face the project. Therefore, the project manager has a number of actions to take.

  1. Develop a strict time schedule.
  2. Develop key performance indicator measurements.
  3. Establish strict project inspection.
  4. Monitor project deliverables and objectives.
  5. Keep a track of overall project budget cost at all times’.
  6. Check for quality assurance at all times.

Project Closure

After completion of all the preceding steps, the final step is to formally close the project and report the progress and success to the sponsor. The process will involve handing over the deliverables, arranging supplier contracts, passing the project documentation to the owner, releasing the workers and equipment, and formally informing the stakeholders. Then, a post-implementation review shall be conducted to determine the success of the project and identify the key takeaways. The following activities will be accomplished in the project closure phase:

  1. Establish closing procedures.
  2. Obtain feedback from all the stakeholders.
  3. Accomplish all administrative activities.
  4. Settle the financial liabilities and concerns.
  5. Complete the contract closures.
  6. Complete scope requirement verifications.
  7. Obtain formal acceptance from the key stakeholders.
  8. Write and submit the final performance report.
  9. Archive all documents for the project.
  10. Document the key takeaways from the project.
  11. Final handover.
  12. Release the resources.

Conclusion (Project Lesson Learned)

The following table provides a list of the key takeaways from the project

LessonImportance
Leadership skillsLeadership skills are necessary to complete projects with success. Communication, in particular, was a very crucial tool in this case. Conflict resolution was also an important tool
Communication skillsThe entire team relied heavily on communication, without which it was impossible to make progress
Planning skillsWithout a plan for time, budget, activities, workforce, and communication, it is impossible to achieve the project objectives
Negotiation skillsBecause a project involves various parties of stakeholders, each wants to achieve some goal or gain. But there must be negotiations to agree on certain aspects
Risk management skillsAny project faces a number of risks that can cause its failure or inability to achieve the objectives. Risk management involves identifying any possible factor likely to affect the project and developing strategies to mitigate or alleviate these factors.

Reference

Brewer, J. L., & Dittman, K. C. (2018). Methods of IT project management. Purdue University Press.

Burghate, M. (2018). Work breakdown structure: Simplifying project management. International Journal of Commerce and Management, 3(2), 453-461.

Ibarra, S., & Muñoz, M. (2018). Support tool for software quality assurance in software development. In 2018 7th International Conference On Software Process Improvement (CIMPS) (pp. 13-19). IEEE.

Laporte, C. Y., & April, A. (2018). Software quality assurance. John Wiley & Sons.

McGrath, E., & Loper, K. (2018). Quality Management. In Establishing a Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit (pp. 219-230). Springer, Cha.

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