Introduction: In the preparation of the Software, ten software engineers were given the task of bringing together software for tax preparation. Over the past one month, the given targets to these software engineers have indeed been fulfilled, even as most of our engineers claim to be able to deliver their targets two weeks ahead of the scheduled time.
Targets achieved in last month -- A list of the milestones achieved or the items incorporated in the project is as follows:
Inclusions of various types of returns and refunds have been achieved.
Chat Help has also been included in the features.
Outputs of the project -- Till date, the software has been successfully tested for the following features:
All the major IRS forms have been incorporated and with the formulas and programming in place, the calculation of the tax, as per the IRS norms is done.
Any major provisions, such as student loan, health insurance etc has been accounted for and included within the programming structure of the software.
Additional features such as Chat Help, Phone Help and database search is also provided for.
Project Related Issues -- For the completion of the project, the only task that remains is to fully incorporate and submit the IRS laws and update the database. Further, work on bringing out an application for the android phones based on this software is on and is scheduled to be delivered within the next week's time. Once these issues have been dealt with, the software will be ready for its final testing.
Risk Analysis - While the project is on time, even as few of the engineers claim to be able to finish their targets ahead in time, certain factors need consideration:
Three of the engineers involved in the project are located in Florida, where hurricane season has been declared. Owing to this, the deliverables from their end might get delayed. In case the hurricane does make these developers unavailable, we have been asking constant, daily updates from these developers, along with any resources or raw materials they might have. Therefore, we can ask other developers working on the same project to finish the remaining of the targets.
Furthermore, another engineer involved in the project has announced early retirement. Even though he promises to be able to finish his target within the next week, before leaving, this leaves a kind of uncertainty for his targets. Further, this developer was the only person on the project who had ties with the IRS to get the product (the software) approval. With him gone, getting approval from the IRS for this software might get a little tricky or delayed. While achieving his target is not a major threat, getting approval from the IRS is. Even as there is a week before this particular engineer leaves, we can request him the contact and references available in the IRS, who would help us get the required approval of the software.
Conclusion -- So far, since the targets are all being achieved in time and the developers are fully cooperative, no additional resources are required. Therefore, any need of additional budget or overtime is not being apprehended. However, in case of any unforeseen circumstances or the onset of all the factors highlighted within risks, need for an extra developer might arise.
