CS4457 ­ Project Management in Practice

‘Erasmus students registration system’

Tara Donoghue ­ 10131787

Caitriona Conefrey ­ 10103791

Killian Vigna ­ 10127267

Killian Stone ­ 09005157

Lakshika Serasinhe ­ 09004322

Table of Contents

Introduction ks

Interaction Management........................kv...........ls...................................

Develop Project Charter.....................kv...........................................

Stakeholder Analysis…………………kv……………………...

Project Management Plan...............................ls................................

SWOT Analysis..............................kv.................................

Monitor & Control Project Work..................ls.....................................

Close Project or Phase.................................ls..............................

Scope Management....................................kv ..................(DONE)..........

Collect Requirements...............................................................

Define Scope...............................................................

Create WBS...............................................................

Control Scope..............................................................

Time Management.....................kv.......ls..................................................

Plan Schedule................................................................

Define Activities...............................................................

Estimate Activity Resources & duration..............................................

Develop and Control Schedule.........................................................

(add gantt charts and screenshots)

Cost Management............................ls.......................................................

Plan Cost................................................................

Estimate Cost...............................................................

Determine Budget...............................................................

Control Cost...............................................................

Risk Management................ks................................................................

Identification...............................................................

Risk analysis...............................................................

Risk mitigation ...............................................................

Risk Control ...............................................................

Software Design .................................td cc...ks................................

User requirements ………….

Usability requirements...............................................................

Implementation Technologies...................................................

Concept sketches...............................................................

Scenarios...............................................................

Storyboards………….

Evaluation of Similar Websites………………...

Paper Prototypes ­ Low fidelity …………………..

Evaluation of Paper prototypes……….

Interactive prototype ………….

Medium Fidelity …………….

Progress report………..

Software Development ……………td cc…………………………...…..

Heuristics evaluation of Interactive prototype……

Usability testing…….

Implementing the technology…………

Results and conclusion of the website…..

Technical discovery………………..

Technical collaboration and client review

Template development ………………

Client review …….

Launch……..

Closing activities……….

Appendices....................................................................................

References....................................................................................

Bibliography....................................................................................

Screenshots Appendices......................................................

Prototype mock ups ………………

Questions for industry experts (SAA and website developer) ……..

Introduction (KS) This project sets out to develop a system to help newly arriving Erasmus students settle

faster in the University of Limerick upon their initial few weeks. The Project plan involves

creating a web based system that will cater to the following needs for Erasmus Students;

Registration with the University of Limerick.

Allocation of Student number and student email.

Appointment for Student Card.

Allocation of Timetable.

Module registration.

Extra Information on the area (map, best shops, etc).

Upon the implementation of this system by the University of Limerick we would expect that

all newly arriving Erasmus students would use this web based system in the opening

weeks in order to become better familiarised with their host University. The system will

continue to be maintained year round so that any information that needs to made available

or noticeable to Erasmus students can be placed on this site in order to reach the desired

audience. We would hope for the final system to be maintained by the International Society

of UL.

Interaction Management (KV/LS)

Develop Project Charter

Stakeholder Analysis The stakeholder of a project is the person who has the most to gain or lose in a project.

These are individuals or groups that are affected by our firms actions. These are divided

into two categories, Primary and Secondary Stakeholders. The primary stakeholders are

the individuals or groups involved in the project, where the secondary do not have any

direct economic involvement.The stakeholders affected by our project are:

Potential Erasmus students, UL staff members, UL Erasmus and International Exchange

department, the University of Limerick and Erasmus.org.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_07.htm

From the above Power/Interest chart we can see the following:

We have Erasmus students in the Players section (High Power, High Interest). These are

the people we must engage with most and are they group we aim to satisfy the most.

For the Subjects section (Low Power, High interest) we have included the Erasmus

Department as this website will make their workload much easier.

There are two stakeholders in the Crowd section (Low Power, Low Interest), Erasmus.org

and UL Staff. Although it is our role to monitor these people, they require very little

communication throughout the project planning.

The final section is Context Setters (High Power, Low Interest). Here we have the University

of Limerick itself. With the objective of this website being based on making life easier for

potential Erasmus students studying in UL, it is essential to put in enough work with the

University to keep them satisfied, but not so much information that they will become bored

of.

Project Management Plan

SWOT Analysis Strengths:

Students can pre­register online.

Here potential UL erasmus students will have access to all relevant

documents and forms.

They are assigned their own unique student ID number.

Can arrange an appointment to receive their student card.

Allows students to choose their own modules before arriving in Ireland.

They can create their own timetable using their account.

They can access a forum to converse with past erasmus students.

Weaknesses:

Miscommunication between the students and website due to language

barriers

Not setting up the project with a realistic budget could cause major problems

during the later stages in the project

Irresponsibly cutting corners to keep the cost down could result in poor

quality of the website.

Not preparing for problems in advance

Opportunities:

Students can only access relevant forms through each college’s own

Erasmus department.

This will be the only website providing a potential Erasmus student with all

the relevant information before they move over.

Threats:

Online user security.

Malware(malicious software online that attempt to gain private information)

Monitor & Control Project Work This process involves the tracking reviewing and reporting what has been done up until this

point. This is achieved by meeting the performance objectives defined in the project

management plan. The main objective of this process is to allow the stakeholders involved

an update into the progress made so far.

Close Project or Phase

Scope Management (KV)

Collect Requirements Collecting requirements is a process that involves determining, documenting and

managing stakeholder needs. This can be done through interviews, focus groups and

facilitated workshops. For this section we interviewed Patricia O’ Flaherty, the University of

Limerick coordinator for Erasmus & International Exchange before performing a

brainstorming session as a group.

We contacted patricia through a series of emails as she was too busy to meet up with the

increase of incoming and outgoing Erasmus students this year. Once we had received her

answers we formed a group brainstorming session to find out what exactly happens in the

Erasmus office, how students enrol into a college, the process behind registering each

student, and how the process can be made easier.

Define Scope This process involves the development of a detailed description of the project and product.

Scope Statement ______________________________________________________________________________ Project Name: Erasmus Students Registration System

Group: DesignFix

Project Manager: Caitriona Conefrey

Date: / /2014

______________________________________________________________________________

Prepared By

Document Owner(s) Project/Organization Role

Killian Vigna Cost Manager

Project Justification

At present, the only online resource for Erasmus students enrolling into a new

college is www.esn.org a resource website. This website however only assists

students in cultural, accommodation and the social aspects of studying abroad.

Project Product

An online resource for students coming to Ireland to study in the University of

Limerick. This is website separate from UL where foreign exchange students can

find everything about enrolling in UL.

Project Deliverables

Carry out an heuristic evaluation on the current UL Erasmus page.

Obtained information from Patricia O’ Flaherty, UL’s Erasmus & INternational

Exchange coordinator.

Design a fresh, original and user friendly website.

An easy to access and navigate through website.

make information more refined and clearer for students.

Prototyping.

Carryout user testing on the new design.

Project Objective

A one stop solution for future Erasmus students looking to enrol at the University of

Limerick. This website will allow potential students to create an online account,

receive their own student ID number, pick their desired modules for the year and

organise their own timetable where they will be automatically registered for each

module. Students can obtain all relevant documentations and forms required to enrol

at UL and forums will be provided for these students to get into contact with other

past, present and future Erasmus students.

Assumptions/Limitations

Time

Cost

Skill

Inexperience of required skills

Overall Project Priority:

High

Comments:

Approved By: KIllian Vigna

Project Manager : Caitriona Conefrey Date: 01 / 03 /2014

Create WBS

http://www.wbstool.com/WBSEditor.php

Work Breakdown Structure Indepth:

1 Erasmus Students Registration System

1.1 Gather Requirements

1.1.1 Technical Specifications

1.1.1.1 Expected Bandwidth

1.1.1.1.1 User Registration

1.1.1.1.1.1 Restricted Areas

1.1.2 User Requirements

1.1.2.1 Menu Navigation

1.1.2.1.1 Interactive Modules

1.1.2.1.1.1 Static Pages

1.1.2.1.1.1.1 Flash Elements

1.1.3 Reporting Requirements

1.1.3.1 Bandwith & Usage

1.1.3.1.1 Page Views

1.1.3.1.1.1 Session Length

1.2 Establish Design

1.2.1 Design Elements

1.2.1.1 Banner

1.2.1.1.1 Footer

1.2.1.1.1.1 Logo

1.2.1.1.1.1.1 Colour Scheme

1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1 Font Usage

1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Images

1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Photography

1.2.2 Overall Layout

1.2.2.1 Column Setup

1.2.2.1.1 Optional Modules

1.2.2.1.1.1 Navigation Layout

1.2.3 Content Elements

1.2.3.1 About Page

1.2.3.1.1 Contact Page

1.2.3.1.1.1 Services Page

1.2.3.1.1.1.1 FAQ Page

1.2.3.1.1.1.1.1 Photo Gallery

1.3 Select Technical Framework

1.3.1 Evaluate Options Against Requirements

1.3.2 Evaluate Cost and Time to Develop

1.3.3 Make Decision

1.4 Implement Technical Framework

1.4.1 Build or Acquire Back End

1.4.2 Build or Acquire User Interface

1.4.3 Integrate Back and Front

1.5 Create Content

1.5.1 Create Content

1.5.2 Establish Content

1.5.3 Assign Content Creation

1.5.4 Create Detailed Content

1.6 Load Content

1.7 Test Site

1.7.1 Navigation

1.7.2 Interactive Elements

1.7.2.1 Contact Form

1.7.2.1.1 User Registration

1.7.3 Browser Compatibility

1.8 Roll Out Site

1.8.1 Establish Target Date

1.8.2 Create Communication Plan

1.8.3 Make Site Live

Control Scope A Control Scope is used to compare the current scope of a project and the baseline scope

information, and find any changes or differences that has or will take place. A control scope

is only necessary when the project manager agrees it will make an impact. If the impact of

change is big enough, it is required to make updates to requirements documents and the

requirement traceability matrix. In this case there are no changes in the projects scope plan

and therefore there is no control action required.

Time Management (KV/LS)

Plan Schedule

Define Activities

Estimate Activity Resources & duration

Develop and Control Schedule

Cost Management (LS)

Plan Cost

Estimate Cost

Determine Budget

Control Cost

Risk Management (KS)

Identification In order to identify all the potential risks to this project we first met with our Industry Client,

Patrica O’Flaherty, from the SAA in the University of Limerick as well as a web developer.

From our two interviews with these Industry Clients we outlined a list of potential areas of

risk for this project. We then used this information to create a RBS (Risk Breakdown

Structure) in AgenaRisk. This allowed us to outline the categories and subcategories

where we thought issues may arise during the course of this project.

The RBS satisfies the minimalist requirements described by Chapman and Ward [a]

where they recommend that any approach to risk quantification:

“should be so easy to use that the usual resistance to

appropriate quantification based on lack of data and lack of comfort with subjective

probabilities is overcome”.

Our RBS is outlined below. Orange is high risk, yellow is low risk.

As can be seen from the above RBS Cost Management has the highest potential risks

involved followed by the Project Management itself. Our lowest area for potential risk is the

design area, this is because as a group of designers we feel confident in controlling this

area with some level of expertise.

Risk Analysis Risk Analysis involves assessing the identified risks according to the possibility of them

impacting and affecting the project. The probability of a certain risk occurring by the impact

the occurrence would have on the project equals the total risk itself.

Risk = Probability x Impact.

We used a program called COCOMO in order to assess all of the risks and costs involved

in creating a website for Erasmus Students in the University of Limerick. By creating a

table in the program and entering the risk data we gathered through interviews and our risk

map we can produce probabilities based on how likely a particular risk is to occur and

what financial impact this may have.

Our COCOMO Risk Table can be seen below;

Probability and Impact Matrix

The above Probability and Impact Matrix shows all the areas of potential risk according to

both the Probability of them occurring and the impact they would have on the project in the

event of their occurrence. The credibility and quality of the risk analysis

requires different levels of risk probability and impact to be defined that are specific to this

project context for building a web based system.

Risk Mitigation Risk Mitigation is “the process of developing options and actions to enhance opportunities

and reduce threats to project objectives.” [b] It is the act of preparing for risk impact. Risk

Mitigation involves developing contingency plans in case of a risk impacting the course of

the project. In the case of this project where the project is to build a website there are a

number of risks involved where a contingency plan may be necessary. They are listed as

follows:

Potential Risks Contingency Plan

Product fails heuristic evaluation. Worst possible outcome. Product will be brought back to designers and redesigned

from scratch.

Poor Website Usability. Website will undergo another heuristics evaluation.

Unrealistic Time Management. Time Management will be evaluated on a weekly basis.

Security Flaws. High Class Security will be brought on board if product fails security tests.

Missing Requirements. Requirements will continuously be assessed throughout each evaluation.

Bad Cost Estimation. Project Spending will be evaluated at the end of each month.

Lack of/Low Funding. Further funding may be secured by securing sponsorship from UL.

Risk Control Risk Control is the process of “tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks,

identifying new risks, executing risk response plans, and evaluating their effectiveness

throughout the project life cycle”.[c] This project has not run into any issues as of yet,

therefore we have been unable to evaluate the risk responses. However we have evaluated

certain aspects. We can confirm that all project assumptions outlined above in the

document are still valid and project management policies and procedures are being

adhered to in this project by all members of the team.

If any new risk is identified or scope is changed during the course of this project

then a new contingency plan should be developed in order to deal with the worst case

scenario. Risk control should be reassessed multiple times over the course of the project.

Risks will be accessed and updated throughout the process. Risks will be accessed every

fortnight.

Software Design (TD/CC)

User Requirements Poslad (2011) refers to the importance of user­awareness, and being aware of the context

of the user, in supporting centered tasks and goals. Before looking into design concepts,

the profile of the foreseen user is essential. This would include identifying their needs and

objectives when interacting with the device. The main challenge in the first phase of

designing a website is eliciting use requirements (Hengst, Van de Kr, Appelman, 2004).

The chosen demographic who will benefit from the website are international students who

will be completing erasmus in UL. When managing a project it is important to identify user

requirements of international students coming to study in UL. User requirement define what

should be developed. (Hengst, 2004).

Main requirements for users of this website;

Appropriate links

Appropriate documents and resources

Answers to frequent questions

Contact information

A social element

Usability Requirements The primary aim is to design a website that will ease the stresses an erasmus student

make face when they have chosen to study at the university of Limerick. This is a crucial

stage as it allows for the usability requirements to be included in the final design, as a

result ensuring that a functional and usable website is designed.

Requirements for this website design;

Straightforward and easy to use.

Fun but informative

Good user interface

Recognisable functions

Number of languages

Ease of use and mapping is very important because it makes the website easier to use.

Ease of use and mapping proved to be very important. As Nielsen says “Consistency of

the most powerful usability principles: when things always behave the same, users don’t

have to worry about what will happen. Instead, they know what will happen based on earlier

experience”

During the design of the website, Jakob Nielsens ten heuristics were applied to ensure

usability requirements; visibility of system status, match between system and real world,

user control and freedom, consistency and standards, error prevention, recognition rather

than recall, flexibility and efficiency of use, aesthetic and minimalist design, help users

recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors and help and documentation (Nielsen, J.

Molich, R. 1990).

Implementation Technologies Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator­

Adobe Systems have developed, among others, the desktop software products known as

Photoshop and Illustrator. Photoshop is a popular graphics­editing program, used in many

creative areas, with a selection of tools to edit, create and manipulate graphics. Illustrator

can be used alongside Photoshop, creating original outline of graphics to then be edited in

Photoshop. Available drawing tools allow for the basic details needed when creating logos,

symbols or fonts.

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator were used in developing the final prototype. Both

applications used together produced adequate design work. The style and layout

aesthetics of the website was designed using these programs.

A design visualization module allowed us to become familiar with these programs by

drawing and rendering designs. These fundamentals learned were of great help in the

mock­up and final design stages.

Axure­

Axure is a wireframing mock­up tool that can be used to create mock­ups of application

user interfaces. This tool allows for the building of interactive prototypes without requiring

the skill or time of coding. Along with websites, Axure is also used in creating tablet and

mobile application prototypes.

This software helps in making design decisions and to communicate design concepts in a

clearer and more accurate way. With Axure we can develop a fully interactive website

prototype, that can be presented and testing on any computer monitor or laptop. It's

important to have such prototypes to allow for user feedback from devices, which reflect the

final product with accurate size and display. This results in more decisive and detailed

modification.

Concept Sketches(T) Concept sketches not only helped in communicating ideas to others but also for

discovering new possible features and working out difficult obstacles of how the website

will operate. The concept sketches show the content of the website. The concepts will be

used to produce low fidelity prototypes and a medium fidelity prototype.

Scenarios (T) Scenario­based design allows us to identify users and show how they will interact with a

product in everyday life. Scenarios can be helpful to both the designer and clients. A

description of end users is clearly expressed, while adjustments of functionality can be

easily made in the early stages. A scenario was generated keeping the stakeholder in

mind and In order to understand how the website would be used by an erasmus student, a

step by step scenario was created.

Scenario 1

Camilla is a 21 year old student from sweden who has decided to study for a year in

Ireland. Having looked at the courses available in the University of Limerick, she has

decided to complete her Erasmus year of study in UL. She logs onto the erasmus website

for incoming students to find out everything she needs to know and in order to retrieve all of

the documents she needs. When she opens the webpage, she sees a tab named

resources. When she goes to that tab she finds all of the forms and documents she needs

prior to her visit in Ireland. The forms on the website allow her to complete tasks she would

have had to do when she arrived in Limerick.

Camila is nervous about moving away from home and to a new country. She wants to get

some more information about the registration process from someone who has been

through a similar experience. She clicks on the forum tab and writes to Francesca, another

swedish student who completed erasmus in UL last year.

Storyboarding(T) Following the description of a scenario comes the storyboarding, where we can visualize

the concept. This step also allows for further correction of details, which may have been

missed or overlooked. Storyboarding is one of the most important aspects when designing

something new (Williams, 2009). Creating a storyboard for the website is very important

because it provides an outlook as to how the website will look and progress (Williams,

2009). Creating a storyboard made the process easier and gave direction and scope.

Storyboarding was used during the research and design process of developing the

website for erasmus students. The storyboard consists of a number of hand drawn

illustrations and sketches. The aim of the storyboard is to assist in visualising the layout

and design of the website. It also shows how the website will be used in a scenario like the

one mentioned previously. Storyboarding allowed our project group to convey “functionality

of a proposed solution, product or service” and “Collecting requirements and generating

feedback on how the events and functionalities” (Beaudouin­Lafon & Mackay, 2003)

Storyboard images(killians drawings)

Evaluation of Similar Websites(T) Screenshots of the existing website

Produce and design

“A good design is better than you think” (Rex Heftman, 2000). There are a number of

stages in the design process. These include the design of, low, medium and high fidelity

prototypes. Each prototype is further developed than its predecessor and the development

is based on feedback from testing using prototypes. A prototype is a “Concrete

representation” of a design. (Beaudouin­Lafon, Mackay, 2003). Prototypes provide the

means for examining design problems and evaluating solutions. Prototypes both inform

the design process and help designers select the best solution. (Beaudouin­Lafon,

Mackay, 2003). Low fidelity prototypes are the first prototypes developed. In this case the

low fidelity prototypes were developed following an assessment of the current information

provided on the UL website and feedback from industry experts. Low fidelity prototypes

are commonly cheap and are easily altered. Medium fidelity prototypes include a more

developed design. The development is based on the results from testing using low fidelity

prototypes. Medium fidelity prototypes include functions but redesign and further

improvements can be made.

From the outset of the project, our project management group felt it was extremely crucial

to prototype early and regularly in order to ensure that my final design goals were achieved.

Paper prototypes, low fidelity prototypes and medium fidelity prototypes were made using

AXURE, Illustrator and Photoshop. Prototypes were used to gather valuable feedback

from users.

Paper Prototypes ­ Low Fidelity Following an exploration of similar websites and what makes for good website design, low

fidelity prototypes were carried out. This allowed us as designers to envision the websites

layout and also to finalise relevant features. Prototypes come in a number of different

forms. A number of quick sketches on paper can be considered a prototype. Paper

prototypes help the designer in a number of ways. Offline prototypes also known as paper

prototypes do not require a computer or technological device. Offline prototypes can be

created quickly and cheaply. By beginning with paper prototypes we were able to map out

the structure of the website. The paper prototypes show how the website will function.

Paper prototypes demonstrated the overall usability.

Evaluation of Paper Prototypes Some of our course colleagues were happy to offer feedback on the Paper Prototype

design. As we wanted to use these prototypes to test and improve on the overall layout,

usability and design, we concentrated on the negatives more than positive feedback

received. Areas we set out to improve from here are the background design, text details,

and implementing icon/symbols.

Interactive Prototype ­ Medium Fidelity (T) The Interactive Prototype can be accessed at:

http://nn7n8p.axshare.com/home.html here

A bright and colourful homepage was designed using photoshop. At the top of the

webpage is all of the tabs the students may need. These include an about page which will

tell visitors of the webpage about the site. A FAQ page which will features some frequently

asked questions. These questions will be questions past erasmus students may face.

Finally a contact page where students will be able to find contact details for the University

of Limerick and website creators.

The resources page provides all of the documents an erasmus student may need. These

include fact sheets, registration form, information on paying fees and the university

campus. Students will be able to download all of these files onto their PC.

Here Erasmus students who will be coming to UL in the future will be able to talk to past

erasmus students who have completed the experience in UL. Future students are able to

talk to former students who are willing to offer advice and guidance. Through a chat

service, students can interact and talk to these students.

Progress Report Each task from the Software Design stage was met on target regarding time and quality

where applicable.

Software Development (TD/CC)

Heuristic Evaluation of Interactive Prototype

Usability Testing (T)

Implementing The Technology Photoshop and Illustrator (T)

§t

Axure (C)

Results and Conclusion of Design

Closing activities

Appendices

References

KS [a] Lowrence W, The Nature of Risk, in Societal risk assessment: how safe is safe

enough?, R Schwing & W Albers (eds), 5­14, New York: Plenum, 1980. [Accessed

28 April 2014].

[b] Risk Mitigation Planning, Implementation, and Progress Monitoring | The

MITRE Corporation. 2014. Risk Mitigation Planning, Implementation, and Progress

Monitoring | The MITRE Corporation. [ONLINE] Available

at:http://www.mitre.org/publications/systems­engineering­guide/acquisition­syste

ms­engineering/risk­management/risk­mitigation­planning­implementation­and­pr

ogress­monitoring. [Accessed 29 April 2014].

[c] Project Management Institute (2004). A Guide to the Project Management Body of

Knowledge. 3rd ed. USA: ANSI. 237. [Accessed 30 April 2014].

Nielsen, J. Molich, R. (1990) 'Heuristic evaluation of user interfaces.' In ACM

Poslad, S (2011) 'Ubiquitous Computing: Smart Devices, Environments and

Interactions.' Wiley.

Bibliography

Screenshots Appendices

Prototype mock ups

Questions for industry experts (SAA and website developer)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GIVEN

QUESTIONS FOR AN ERASMUS STUDENT AND ANSWERS

Questions and answers for a website designer.. NB­ What

management tools do they use!!!!