Project Scope Management
At this initial stage, there must be clearly defined the boundaries of the project: the project’s goals and objectives and the deliverables that it must produce are addressed here (PM4Dev, 2007). The goal of the project is to create a new software for the wand product, which is already in the use, in order to comply with the new governmental regulations. An important objective is to incorporate new functionality and software fixes, which are not required by regulations, but are pursued by PROVISION for enhanced quality purposes. The deliverables will consist in:
A new software that respects the patient safety governmental regulations and will be compatible with the hardware (the wand).
Software fixes and new functionality incorporated in the released software.
A formal approval, plus commitment to meet these goals, objectives and deliverables are demanded at this step.
Schedule Management
This part of the project implies estimating the work in progress and deadlines for all the activities involved in the project, offering a status on each activity completion level, based on a graphic that is shared with all the members of the team (PM4Dev, 2007). The schedule that will be designed for the release of the new software for PROVISION wand will focus on the milestones, while also indicating all the activities needed for reaching the milestones. Such milestones include: Alpha and Beta phase of software development, compatibility with the hardware, product design and packaging, pre-sales promotion for the upgraded software and its benefits, final tests, release, sales (Ison, Rice & Bleasby, 2011). This level requires an informal approval, as the deadlines for the scheduled activities might change, depending on external or internal factors influencing the activities.
Budget Management
The cost component of the project management establishes the amount of money required to complete the project, defining the defalcated costs for all the activities needed for upgrading the software. This aspect of the project development plan requires market and organizational analysis for establishing the prices of each activity from the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in a realistic manner, in order to avoid budgetary corrections (PM4Dev, 2007). There will be considered the costs for software improvement that will meet the new governmental regulations. There will also be considered the software corrections and the new functionality, requested internally. For these deliverables, budget management includes formally approved defalcated costs for human resources, technology purchase, promotional activities (for marketing) and product development for new wands with the upgraded software included. The budget management process should align with the governmental demands for patient safety, while also focusing on delivering improved functions for patients, as part of PROVISION’s organizational objective.
Quality Management
This process is meant to align the external demands (imposed by governmental regulations for patient safety) with customer satisfaction. The company will strive to ensure that the needs of the beneficiaries will be satisfied as a result of the upgrades (PM4Dev, 2007). At this step of the project, the tests, performed by the software and hardware teams are stringent for releasing a sound product that will meet the expectations of the beneficiaries.
Team Management
The profiles, roles and responsibilities required for completing the project and releasing the expected deliverables are clarified at this point. There are also established the reporting relationships through team management (PM4Dev, 2007). A formal approval for creating and organizing teams is required.
Stakeholder Management
All the groups of people who are interested in this project will be described at this point (PM4Dev, 2007). In this case, the government is the client, as it requested the software modifications. The patients are the beneficiaries. Other stakeholders include the health care centers, as secondary beneficiaries and the internal human resources, as the agents delivering the project, including the team leaders, coordinators and managers. A formal approval is required for establishing the stakeholders, so that their needs or demands to be properly satisfied.
Information Management
This process refers to the communication flow between all the parties involved in creating the upgraded software and it implies reporting, emailing, phoning, creating presentations or participating on meetings, so that information are available to the entire project team (PM4Dev, 2007). Informal communications are not formally recognized, while the formal tools are formally approved.
Risk Management
This process implies evaluating the occurrence of events that might jeopardize the project’s success, analyzing their severity and responding to such events (PM4Dev, 2007). This process cannot be formally approved, because not all risks can be predicted from the beginning of a project. As the project unfolds, threats or unexpected events may arise, which will demand responses that might change the course of other activities.
Contract Management
The required goods, services and resources need to be formally approved through contracts that regulate the nature and conditions of the procurement (PM4Dev, 2007). Connected with the budget management, this process will include procurement for technology, specialists, marketing promotion or materials for product development.
References
Ison, J.C., Rice, P.M. & Bleasby, A.J. (2011) EMBOSS developer’s guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
PM4Dev (2007) Project management development organizations. PM4Dev.
