Final Project

You are the CIO of your organization that you are currently working for and you will make a set of recommendations of how to further leverage a project to gain a competitive advantage with technology.  Be creative and detailed using both Microsoft Project and research and case study skills.
A Project Plan is the final project assignment for the course. The Project Plan will be built in three parts: a Project Plan Overview, a Task and Risk Management Plan, and a Project Plan Forecast. Besides the paper, you will prepare a Microsoft® Project® that highlights the major points of your Project Plan.

A.	Project Plan Overview
Plan Overview that includes the following:
1)	A description of the project
2)	The problem/result statement (What is the project going to solve or achieve?)
3)	A mission justification (How does the project relate to the mission and goals of your organization?)
4)	High-level scope (A brief description of the scope of the project)
5)	A brief description of how you expect to measure the success of the project
6)	Two best practices in project management that could be applied to the project to ensure its success
7)	Three key learning points from the “Selecting and Initiating Projects” simulation that you will apply as you work on your Project Plan
B. Task and Risk Management Plan
1)	The specific tasks and milestones required for your project plan
2)	Five specific project risks (including size of the project and context within the organization) that could arise as the plan is implemented
3)	An assessment of each risk’s impact on project outcomes (in quantifiable terms)
4)	Mitigation strategies for each risk
5)	A change management plan
C. Project Plan Forecast
1)	A communications plan, addressing how progress will be reported to the various project sponsors and executives
2)	A forecast of the time required to complete the project
3)	The project closure process that will be employed
4)	A brief explanation of the project audit process and how it will be applied to your project
5)	Budget estimates for the project
6)	Forecasted project outcomes, using quantifiable measures of success for the project and verifying project alignment with your organization’s goals
Also include:
1.	What are some strategies that could be used by a project manager to successfully manage the relationships among project team members and the relationships among the project team and external resources (e.g., subcontractors, government agencies)? How would these strategies differ under the conditions described in the scenario?
2.	A work breakdown structure of direct, general administrative overheads
3.	A time-phased budget (based on your work breakdown structure)
4.	A brief to the project manager in the scenario justifying your work breakdown structure and time-phased budget. In this brief, do the following:
5.	Identify the primary data sets used by the team to determine the budget.
6.	Identify some factors that could influence the accuracy of the team’s estimates.
7.	Explain whether the team took a macro or a micro approach and justify the approach.
8.	Identify the major constraints and explain how the team prioritized them according to risk in determining the dollar amounts assigned in the budget.



Final Paper Guidelines

Description of the main problems/major issues in the case
Analysis of the problems to identify root causes
Recommendation with supporting arguments
Suggestions for implementation and evaluation of the changes recommended

Analysis
1. Does the paper contain analysis of the major issues?
2. Does the analysis incorporate the relevant tools properly?
3. Are the assumptions made in the analysis stated explicitly?
4. Does the analysis isolate the fundamental causes of problems in the cases?
Strategic insights
1. Are the recommendations based on sound strategic concepts?
2. Are the recommendations consistent with the concepts of supply chain management?
3. Are the effects of any recommendations on the business well thought out?
4. Are the recommendations feasible?
Recommended Actions
1. Are the criteria for choosing among alternative recommendations stated?
2. Are the criteria appropriate?
3. Is the plan of action linked to the analysis?
4. Is the action plan specific, complete, and practical?
5. Is it likely that the recommendations will achieve their intended results?
Exhibits
1. Are the analyses in the exhibits done correctly?
2. Do the exhibits support and add to the text on the key points?
Coherence
1. Is the paper too long?
2. Is the paper of professional quality?
3. Is the paper logically consistent and effectively structured to sell the recommendations?