Wentworth Learning System Search

Wentworth Learning System SearchBy Charles Angotto & Ryan McDowallA Work In Progress

Table of ContentsBusiness Needpage 3Project Charter......page 6Project Sponsor.....page 7Project Manager...page 8Project Plan..page 9Project Schedule...page 10Scoring Matrixpage 11Project Team........page 12Negotiation Strategy...page 13RFP.....page 15Benchmark/Pilot.page 22Vendor Sales Team..page 23

Business NeedThe ability to manage and be reminded of the due dates for important projects and or assignments without access to a computer.

The ability to submit and download important documents from limitless locations.

The ability to be in contact with fellow class mates and course instructor.

Supporting FactsStudents will be able to do approximately 80% of all user functions without use of a computer.

They will have access to all documents and or posts from any location.

They will have the ability to view and communicate with all members of the course.

AssumptionsAssuming that students and staff take advantage and have access to the new technology acquisition we are expecting the level of missed assignments to decrease thus increasing the over all grades of the student body.

Project CharterExecutive SummaryBlackboard hosts a site that allows professors to post assignments, host discussions, issue exams, and share vital information with their students.

Project ObjectivesThe project team would like to present Wentworth students and staff with the option of accessing their Blackboard accounts on both their mobile smart phone as well as on their laptops.

Impact AssessmentPositiveThe ability to access Blackboard anywhere and at any time would be a great option for both students and teachers. Having this option would hypothetically increase a students success by assuring student assignments go unmissed and not forgotten.

NegativeThe only way in which you can use Blackboard Mobile is if you possess either an Android device or Apple iPhone. However it is said that nearly 80% of college students have a smartphone.

Measure of Success/RisksMeasure of SuccessIf students were to show at least a 33% increase in assignments submitted on time resulting in better grades, then we can without a doubt consider this operation successful.

RisksStudents are more tempted to download and possibly share assignments via multimedia messaging on their smart phones.Faculty doesnt embrace the full functionality of Blackboard over the mobile version as they are limited to what they can do.

Project PlanProject Management PlanThe project team plans to use what is known as the timeline method for the project. This timeline will include all said activities and tasks the project team plans to accomplish and when the project team feels they should be completed in order of priority.

Risk Management PlanThe project team currently plans to gather and evaluate all possible risks that might be a result of the implementation of this project. The project team will also take research from all parts of this project to help manage possible risks or negative outcomes.

Issue & Change ManagementIssue ManagementPrioritization will be an integral part of the project plan and will be included in our timeline in order to ensure that there are no issues when it comes to meeting deadlines. The project team reserves have the option of posting statuses of the project on an assigned Facebook page.

Change ManagementAny changes made to the project plan shall be proposed to by both team members to whom it concerns. The project team will then weigh the pros and cons of potential changes.

Quality & Cost ManagementQuality ManagementQuality management will be foreseen by constant checks of the excellence level of each aspect of the project.Quality will be controlled by ensuring that each part of the project is produced to the utmost level before proceeding further.

Cost ManagementOverall project cost will be kept to a minimal by using the internet and other relatively cheap resources as the main source of research.Since the product is digital, there are not raw materials that need to be purchased. If the project proposal is put into effect will there be any actual costs.

Project ScheduleTask NameDurationStartFinish Project Schedule85-90 days9/1/201111/23/2011Business Need3 days9/1/20119/3/2011Define Business Need5 days9/3/20119/8/2011Review Business Need1 days9/9/20119/10/2011Project Charter3 days9/11/20119/14/2011Develop Project Charter4 days9/15/20119/19/2011Review Project Charter2 days9/20/20119/22/2011Project Plan3 days9/23/20119/26/2011Develop Project Plan4 days9/27/201110/1/2011Define Vendor List1 days10/2/201110/3/2011Develop RFI3 days10/4/201110/7/2011Select Vendor List3 days10/8/201110/11/2011Decision Scoring Matrix3 days10/12/201110/15/2011Develop Decision Scoring Matrix3 days10/16/201110/19/2011Reviewing Decision Scoring Matrix2 days10/20/201110/22/2011RFP7 days10/23/201110/30/2011Vendor Scoring4 days10/31/201111/4/2011Negation3 days11/5/201111/8/2011Implementation3 days11/9/201111/12/2011Deployment5 days11/13/201110/18/2011Operation4 days11/19/201111/23/2011

Scoring MatrixCategory PointsGroup PointsVendor ABlackboardVendor BMoodleFunctionality30The ability to manage and be reminded of due dates1088The ability to submit and download important documents1096The ability to contact involved members1079Technology40Compatible with WIT Network151515Compatible with Windows 7 and OSX151515Compatible with multiple Web Browsers10100Strategic Partnership Potential20Automated Maintenance1094Instructional Assistance1076Costs10Initial Cost525Ongoing Costs515Totals1001008373

Project TeamCharles Angotto - Project SponsorJunior at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Technology ManagementRyan McDowall Project ManagerJunior at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Technology Management

Negotiation StrategySummaryThe new version of Blackboard will allow Wentworths faculty and student body to take advantage of mobile access via smartphones and other devices.On the other hand Moodle Inc. was truly a close competitor throughout most of the research allocation primarily due to fact its free.

Vendor AgendaChoose the best possible learning system software for use at Wentworth.Choose most cost effective program to increase students timeliness and productivity.

LeverageWentworths LeveragePotential future sales are possible from Blackboard due to mass license quantity.Multiple options are available for Wentworth to potentially choose from. (Bargaining Power)Long term future business is a strong possibility.

Vendor LeverageBlackboard is very well known and has a highly recognizable name in the market.Moodle is free; however it will take ample time to be put on every computer.Blackboard is accessible without use of software and makes it very compatible.

Objectives & StrategyObjectivesWe plan to find the most suitable and cost effective learning system software to be used at Wentworth in near future.

StrategyDirectly imply to vendors that both options are capable of meeting the majority of the requirements. State that this is a budgeted project to try and negotiate a better overall deal in the end, both long and short term.

Request for ProposalGeneral InformationPurpose of RFPTo set forth the technical requirements and operational aspects for the Learning System search project that best meets Wentworths needs.

RFP CommunicationsCharles AngottoRyan McDowallWentworth Institute of TechnologyWentworth Institute of Technology550 Huntington Ave550 Huntington AveBoston, MA 02115Boston, MA 02115(617) 123-4567(617) 765-4321

Evaluation Criteria & Right to RejectEvaluation CriteriaThe ability to manage and be reminded of the due dates for important projects and or assignments without access to a computer.The ability to submit and download important documents from limitless locations.The ability to be in contact with fellow class mates and coarse instructor.

Right to RejectWentworth project team has every right at any given point to either accept and or reject any offers or submitted proposals and its down discretion.

Vendor ProfileDescribe the overall background of your company with the Learning System marketplace and how you got to where you are today.If possible provide reports of past business history to show how prestigious you are as a company.Describe any possible problems that may occur with your software and any given time. This includes scheduled maintenance.If not confidential please provide us with any possible software changes and or upgrades in the near future.

Training & SupportTrainingDescribe whether or not there will be training provided for Wentworths technical department and its users.Will there be available resources to be used for training at any time?

SupportIf any problems surface will there be representatives from your company that will fix it?How frequently will routine maintenance be done on your site or program?Describe your companys policy regarding system upgrades, new releases, and or improvements. Is it covered under your maintenance and support agreement?

Implementation Plan & CostsImplementation PlanDescribe what it is youre going to do in order to implement your software if a deal is made. Do we have to do it on our own?What is the typical time frame for the implementation process? If possible show specific time frames.How long before the process is 100% completed?

CostsSoftwareCost per user?Flat fee?Duration of license?Number of members before excess charge is implemented?HardwareDo we require any hardware upgrades?Other Possible Expenses?

Vendor Feedback(Vendor Requirements)The ability to manage and be reminded of due dates.The ability to submit and download important documents.The ability to contact involved members.Compatible with WIT Network.Compatible with Windows 7 and OSX.Compatible with multiple Web Browsers.Automated MaintenanceInstructional AssistanceCosts

OperationsProject ClosureOnce every aspect of the vendors product has been implemented, tested, and has successfully been operating for an agreed upon period of time is when the project is closed.This project will be considered successful only if students show signs of improvement as a whole.Success will be measured by the overall average increase in students grades by collecting data from teachers grade books and the end of next semester. Also the project team will gather information on the number of assignments that were either missed or forgotten and compare those numbers to previous semesters.Thanks for ViewingIf you have any remaining questions or concerns that werent addressed in this presentation please feel free to contact to obtain a hard copy of the acquisition project.