This Project Plan was updated several times during the duration of the project. This Plan provides an overview of the project using plain and un-ambiguous terms, such that it can be used as a reference for all stakeholders. This document outlines the Project Planning elements necessary to produce a website that will launch Boyle Practical Project Management (BPPM) to a global audience and ensure that BPPM services become accessible and purchasable 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Project Initiation section serves as an introduction for stakeholders who only wish to know the basics or the project summary in two pages. The rest of the document serves as a reference for the website project team and for any- who may wish to examine this plan in greater detail.

1.1 Project Initiation

Boyle Practical Project Management (BPPM) started a business to provide project management consultancy services to businesses and designed a Project Management course to help business people help themselves. The course is aimed at individuals involved with or commencing a project. BPPM decided that creating a website was the most professional, effective, and cost efficient way to promote its business on a world-wide stage.

1.1.1 Project Charter

This Charter gives authority to the project manager to create a website for Boyle Practical Project Management (BPPM).

Goal

The Goal of creating the website is to “Promote Boyle Practical Project Management (BPPM)”. The purpose is to (a) Attract Customers, (b) Transact Business and (c) Give Information

Stakeholders

The primary stakeholders are the project sponsor, company employees, and project team. The secondary project stakeholders are the website hosting company, current and past clients, and our suppliers.

Budget & Funding

The budget for the project is €6,000 and is funded from current expenditure. This is exclusive of the costs of internal plant and machinery, heat power and light and use of equipment. The “Success Framework” analyzes the metrics that drive a return on this investment.

Timescale

The website go-live is planned for April, 2013.

Project Team Resources

The Project Team Resources required are project manager, and a website specialist.

Signed

_______________________ Date: ______________________

Project Sponsor

1.1.2 Success Framework

This stage commences officially following Project Charter Approval. The preparatory work for this stage is done while drawing up the charter for approval. The basis for succeeding with this project is through satisfying the success criteria. The critical success factors are represented in the middle of the Theoretical Success Framework Diagram, representing their relationship to achieving both project and product objectives and their influence on satisfying the success criteria. The objectives, the success factors and the success criteria are agreed by the primary stakeholders following a series of brainstorming sessions and a consultation process.

Success Framework

1.1.2.1 Select Project Team Resources

The business requirements are the specifications that describe the functions that the website is expected to provide. The selection of Project Team Resources is the first order of business for creating a website that best meet those requirements.

Contractor Selection

BPPM does not have the in-house website building skills, so it is procuring website consultancy services. The process for identifying the website contractor to meet current and future needs is to be conducted in accordance with BPPM’s procurement policy. The main criteria for choosing a company in this case are:

1. Availability of a resource for brainstorming sessions.

2. Cost. The budget for consultancy services is €3,000

3. Website design and construction start to finish.

4. Track record in search engine optimization (SEO).

5. Company portfolio.

Release Request for Proposal

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is released to those vendors that best meet the criteria based on recommendations and from local company profiles. This exercise is undertaken in order to reduce the potential vendor list to a manageable number. The RFP involves a structured evaluation approach with specific deadlines and processes. Replies are requested within a week from date of issue. The responses to the Request for Proposal RFP are measured against the above criteria. The RFP document for the website is included in Appendix 1.

Select Preferred Provider

From the RFP returned and subsequent discussions BPPM select those companies that best meet requirements, then choose the best one based on reference checks and cost. Information on the preferred Provider is communicated to the primary stakeholders.

1.1.2.2 Project Outputs

The product objectives and the project management objectives are:

●Look Professional ●Provide Access ●Target Audience

●Sell Material ●Register Clients ●Advertise Services

●Give Free Samples ●Answer Questions ●Seek Feedback

●Share Knowledge ● Update Material ●Meet Stakeholder Needs

●Deliver Within Timeframe ● Operate Within Budget

1.1.2.3 Critical Success Factors

The Critical Success Factors for Creating a BPPM Website are:

● Clear Goals and Objectives ●Management of Expectations

1.1.2.4 Success Criteria

The criteria as drawn up by the stakeholders are in the table below. The units of measurement are taken each quarter after go live for the 1st year to determine the success rate against the targets. The website itself is not sufficient to satisfy the specifications as set out as criteria for success. An advertising campaign commences directly after the website is live.

Project Outputs	Success Criteria Measurement Units	Time Base	Target
Look Professional	Opinion of stakeholders	July 2013	n/a
Provide Access	% of total time site is accessible	July 2013	98%
Target Audience	Number of visitors	July 2013	3000
Sell Material	Number of sales made	July 2013	15
Register Clients	Number of clients registering for course	July 2013	5
Advertise Services	Number of pages viewed per visit	July 2013	3
Give free Samples	Number of downloads	July 2013	6
Answer Questions	Number of questions asked	July 2013	6
Seek Feedback	Number of reviews left	July 2013	6
Share Knowledge	Requests to include more information	July 2013	6
Update Material	Number of site updates each month	July 2013	2
Website Go-Live Date	The Go-Live Date for Website	April, 2013	11th April, 2013
Cost	The cost of creating BPPM website	April, 2013	€6,000

1.1.2.5 Risk

The risks, their likely impact and the necessary response are set out in the following table:

Risk No.	Risk Identified	Likely Impact	Risk Response
1	Scope creep/change to scope	Changes to scope may occur and delay timelines.	Mitigate. Outline in specific detail the boundaries to scope.
2	Project exceeds time schedule	Will have knock on impact on other schedules.	Accept. Draw up contingency plan
3	Cost escalation	Extra funding will be needed.	Mitigate. Keep check on cost through detailed management plan.
4	Capacity of IT hardware	Slow processing of data & operation of communications.	Avoid. Assess current hardware against requirements.
5	IT infrastructure not sufficient	High volumes of traffic may slow up communications network & data input process.	Accept. Draw up contingency plan

Risk 1 Scope

The following conditions apply to the scope of the project:

1. No enhancements or additional functionality with the capacity to extend the project end date or increase cost shall be considered, without the prior approval of the project sponsor.

2. For transacting business online, the initial payment method and registration shall be via pay-pal and email respectively.

3. For giving information, answering questions and seeking feedback shall initially be in the form of “frequently asked questions” and via email respectively.

Risk 2 Schedule

The contingency is the number of days calculated with Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). The website marketing shall be delayed by the number of days the project is behind schedule. Any delay to the project will affect the final cost.

Risk 3 Cost

The project sponsor must be notified regarding any circumstance that the actual costs are greater than planned by more than 5%.

Risk 4 Hardware

Assessment of current hardware against requirements is outlined in the following table:

Component	Requirements for Office 2010	Current
Computer and processor	500 MHz	2.6GHz
Hard disk	3 GB	4GB

Risk 5 Infrastructure

This contingency is for exceptionally high volumes of business and will not come into play until a period has elapsed after the project is complete. The contingency for this risk shall be approached on three fronts:

a. Upgrade Plan with Host Provider.

b. Upgrade Broadband capacity from Service provider.

c. Recruit resources to deal with high levels of activity.

1.1.3 Constraints

The project inputs explain how the product will be done and are defined, by the work breakdown structure, responsibility chart, schedule, and budget. These inputs are further decomposed into work package activities and tasks.

1.1.3.1 Work Breakdown Structure

The activities required to deliver the output objectives are:

● Create Content ● Complete Registration ● Apply Design

● Carry-Out Development ● Conduct Tests ● Go-Live

These product work inputs are decomposed into work packages. The WBS below is a picture of the project inputs subdivided into hierarchical units of work, and represented as a tree.

1.1.3.2 Time Schedule

Work package activity durations deduced by the project team are as follows:

Project Schedule

The work breakdown structure (WBS) code 1.1.2 with the description of “Outline Success Framework” is estimated to start on “Tue 28/02/12” and finish on “Wed 29/02/12”. The sequence for each work package is outlined in the “predecessor column”. It is estimated that “Outline Success Framework” can start 3 days after “Produce Project Charter” has been completed, (3FS+3d).

The project team is 95% confident that the Website will be completed in 36 working days. A contingency of 4 days will be required to increase the confidence of completing the project from 95% to 99%.

1.1.3.3 Resources

The roles and responsibilities are assigned to the various members of the project management team. The level of effort required by the resources named beside each activity indicates the % of their time each day. Where there is no % indicated, the resource is assigned 100% of their time for the duration of that activity. The material resources used for the completion of activities are the hosting company and the Domain Registration.

WBS Code	Task Name	Resource Names
1.1.1	Produce Project Charter	PM
1.1.2	Outline Success Framework	PM, PS, CON
1.1.3	Constraints	PM
1.2.1.1	Define Content Areas	PM[25%], CON[10%]
1.2.1.2	Organise Content Areas	PM[50%], CON[10%]
1.2.1.3	Outline Navigation Structure	PM[50%], CON[10%]
1.2.2	Complete Registration	Hosting [1 Annual Charge]
1.2.2.1	Arrange Hosting	PM[25%]
1.2.2.2	Register Domain Name	PM[25%], Domain Registration [1 annual]
1.2.2.3	Specify Mail Server	PM[25%]
1.2.2.4	Specify Storage	PM[25%]
1.2.3.1	Create Template	CON
1.2.3.2	Create Graphics	CON
1.2.4.1	Create Pages	CON
1.2.4.2	Insert Content	CON
1.2.5.1	User Acceptance Testing	CON[50%], PM[50%]
1.2.5.2	Reporting Requirements	CON[50%], PM[50%]
1.2.6.1	Rollout Plan and Execution	CON[50%], PM[50%]
1.2.6.2	Maintenance Documentation	CON[50%], PM[50%]
1.3.1	Lessons Learned Report	PM
1.3.2	Project Closure Event	PM

*** PM = Project Manager. PS = Project Sponsor. CON = Contractor

1.1.3.4 Cost

Resource Cost

The rates and the estimated amount of time required from resources for Creating BPPM Website are:

Resource Names	Type	Units	Std. Rate
PM	Work	80.33 hrs	€20.00/hr
PS	Work	8.67 hrs	€50.00/hr
CON	Work	146.93 hrs	€20.00/hr
Domain Registration	Material	Once -off	€40.00
Hosting	Material	Annual	€35.00

Cost Breakdown Structure

The cost breakdown structure allows the costs of the project to be viewed, as a weekly cost histogram or by the cost allocated to each activity.

Week Ending	Cost per Week	Cumulative Costs per Week
26/02/2012	240.00	240.00
03/03/2012	1,166.66	1,406.66
10/03/2012	505.34	1,912.00
17/03/2012	741.64	2,653.64
24/03/2012	711.08	3,364.72
31/03/2012	863.96	4,228.68
07/04/2012	1,146.66	5,375.34
14/04/2012	600.00	5,975.34

WBS	Task Name	Total Cost
1	Create BPPM Website	€5,975.33
1.1	Project Initiation	€1,686.67
1.1.1	Produce Project Charter	€240.00
1.1.2	Outline Success Framework	€780.00
1.1.3	Complete Project Plan Document	€666.67
1.2	Product Work Inputs	€4,048.67
1.2.1	Create Content	€345.33
1.2.1.1	Define Content Areas	€121.33
1.2.1.2	Organise Content Areas	€112.00
1.2.1.3	Outline Navigation Structure	€112.00
1.2.2	Complete Registration	€316.67
1.2.2.1	Arrange Hosting	€80.00
1.2.2.2	Register Domain Name	€106.67
1.2.2.3	Specify Mail Server	€40.00
1.2.2.4	Specify Storage	€40.00
1.2.3	Apply Design	€986.67
1.2.3.1	Create Template	€666.67
1.2.3.2	Create Graphics	€320.00
1.2.4	Carry-out Development	€1,013.33
1.2.4.1	Create Pages	€693.33
1.2.4.2	Insert Content	€320.00
1.2.5	Conduct Tests	€720.00
1.2.5.1	User Acceptance Testing	€373.33
1.2.5.2	Reporting Requirements	€346.67
1.2.6	Go Live	€666.67
1.2.6.1	Rollout Plan and Execution	€320.00
1.2.6.2	Maintenance Documentation	€346.67
1.3	Closeout	€240.00
1.3.1	Lessons Learned Report	€240.00
1.3.2	Project Closure Event	€0.00

1.2 Product Work Inputs

This section of the plan outlines the specifications for the website to satisfy stakeholder requirements. The focus of the product work inputs is in attracting visitors to BPPM.ie, and converting them to customers while they are on-site.

1.2.1 Create Content

Website content is the information presented on the website. Quality content is provided to visitors, such as information on BPPM. Within the content, keywords used within Project Management are included. The focus is on keeping visitors on the site, by defining and organising content areas such that visitors are engaged with the content. The team sketch out page images and write some content on note paper in draft format to get a feel for what looks best.

1.2.1.1 Define Content Areas

Content areas are created with different functions in mind and therefore have different sets of fields. The most common content areas for a consultancy business like BPPM are:

●Services - the products and services BPPM offers

●About BPPM - information about the company

●Frequently Asked Questions - more detailed information in question and answer format.

●Contact Details – methods for making contact

1.2.1.2 Organise Content Areas

The organisation of content areas is largely dependent on volumes. Content areas are written in a logical format for ease of navigation while also addressing the main heading. The aim is to offer the reader good quality substantial information.

Content Areas

The text within each content area is formatted to enable quick and easy comprehension. The focus is on clear headings, short phrases, short paragraphs, bullet points and simple language.

Services

1.2.1.3 Outline Navigation Structure

The navigation structure is the road map for guiding visitors around the site, so that they know how much content is available, and where to find the information they want. Visitors will not always arrive on the "Home Page”. A search engine may take them to any page within the site. The characteristics we will consider in our navigation structure are:

Clear links – let the visitor know where the link will take them

Text links – for user and search engine friendliness

Informative page titles - let the visitor know where they are on the site

Page jumps – for long pages with multiple sections.

Three clicks – visitor can reach every part of a website within 3 clicks

Sample_Project_Wireframe

1.2.2 Complete Registration

The domain name points to a server that holds the files and is the address (URL) by which visitors access BPPM on the internet.

1.2.2.1 Arrange Hosting

The criteria for selecting a Hosting company are included with the RFP (Appendix 1).

1.2.2.2 Register Domain Name

A domain name gives the business credibility. BPPM’s domain name is expected to describe the company's business as briefly as possible so that people can remember it easily, and likewise remember email addresses associated with it. Obtaining an ie suffix involves registering the name with the IEDR. The IEDR is the registry for .ie Internet Domain Names and maintains the database of .ie registered Internet names for Companies based in Ireland. An Irish company provides their business name registration number, as issued by the Company Registration Office and details are verified online. The CRO is the statutory authority for registering new companies and business names in the Republic of Ireland. A business name such as BPPM is a trading name which differs from the names of the persons or the company who own the business. The process takes up to ten working days to complete.

1.2.2.3 Specify Mail Server

Sending e-mail through the website domain name gives the company a more professional and official appearance on the World Wide Web. The number of email addresses required to fulfill current and future needs is estimated at between 6 and 9.

1.2.2.4 Specify Storage

As with the mail server, we need to leave room for growth with enough storage space. Storage needs is determined by current content which is expected to be in the region of 80-140mb and future plans which could be a further 3 GB.

1.2.3 Apply Design

The areas of web design outlined here are sufficient for building the site to meet BPPM’s requirements.

● Graphics ●User Interface (UI) ● Coding

● Software ● Searches ● Site Structure

1.2.3.1 Create Template

The template acts as a master page to be used across all pages of a website. This ensures consistency, which aids navigation and in turn contributes towards retention of visitors.

Create_Content

1.2.3.2 Create Graphics

Appropriate images and graphics are added to the pages for visual effect as follows:

1.2.4 Carry-out Development

This section refers to generating the HTML code required to develop BPPM’s website. HTML tags are used as containers for text, images, and links. The template determines how menus, images, and all other content appear in visitor’s browsers. We lay out the web pages using a cascading style sheet (CSS) that controls the appearance of content on a web page. The HTML tags are the building blocks of a CSS layout.

1.2.4.1 Create Pages

The number of web pages on the BPPM is estimated at 50 and is to consist of graphics and text written in HTML.

Create_Pages

1.2.4.2 Insert Content

The website content, are stored in HTML files. The pages are uploaded to the hosting server location. Different kinds of content are added to the web pages, including graphics, text, and links, as development progresses. The creative use of colour gives the website a professional look.

1.2.5 Conduct Tests

Tests are conducted throughout the build and on completion. This ensures that all content is appearing as intended and all hyperlinks are working.

1.2.5.1 User Acceptance Testing

A sample of users is selected to test the site to ensure that the key points highlighted above and in the RFP have been tested adequately on different devices and browsers.

1.2.5.2 Reporting Requirements

In order to measure success the following metrics will be among those measured:

● Site traffic (traffic sources)

● No of pages viewed per visit & average visit duration

● Bounce rate

1.2.6 Go Live

BPPM’s "go live" refers to the period the website becomes viewable to the public and the handover for maintenance taking place.

1.2.6.1 Rollout Plan and Execution

In order to complement efforts of optimising our site for search engine traffic we set out a marketing plan for the website to encourage people to visit immediately after go-live. The Go-live signals the end of the project and the commencement of operations.

1.2.6.2 Maintenance Documentation

To enable operations a set of processes are drawn up to document:

●Content updates - for adding updates to the website as required.

● Test scripts – for checking that technical features work correctly

●Design Updates – for checking and design remain up-to-date

1.3 Closeout

Project Closeout sees the formal end of the project. The closeout will verify that the objectives have been accomplished.

1.3.1 Lessons Learned report

The identification and recording of issues arising on the project will help to reduce or eliminate the chances of re-occurrence on similar projects in the future. A “lessons learned” report is completed immediately after go-live and details incorporated into future project plans.

1.3.2 Project closure event

To signal the end of the project, BPPM holds an informal gathering to recognise the work completed by the team.

2 Appendix 1 Request for Proposal

Website

Request for Proposals

(RFP)

(Please note that this sample RFP may be edited for your project. You may wish to copyright your own RFP)

This RFP is a private, copyrighted document that may not be shown to others.

1. Introduction

Boyle Practical Project Management (BPPM) seeks a company to help build a website to launch BPPM’s brand around the world. This is a “by invite only” request for proposals issued to you as a member of five companies which were chosen based on recommendations received and some initial investigation.

2. Description of BPPM

Boyle Practical Project Management (BPPM) started a business to provide project management consultancy services to businesses and designed a Project Management course to help individuals and business people help themselves. The course is aimed at individuals involved with or commencing a project. BPPM shall be compiling a library plans for projects which have been completed in many disciplines. We do not currently have a website. The domain name we wish to use is http://www.bppm.ie/ .

3. Purpose and Objectives of Web Site

BPPM decided that creating a website was the most professional, effective, and cost efficient way to promote its business on a world-wide stage.

Objectives_Tree_Diagram

4. Cost Estimates

The budget for consultancy services for this project is €3,000. This sum is funded from current expenditure. The budget encompasses all requirements planning, site definition, design, production, software acquisitions necessary for development and initial maintenance of the web site.

The price you quote should be inclusive of consulting fees and costs to train two of our staff to use site tools to maintain and update the website. Please also include charges for a resource to participate in a half day (3 hour) brainstorming session. If your price excludes certain license fees or charges, please provide a detailed list of excluded fees with a complete explanation of the nature of those fees.

5. Hosting

Hosting and domain name registration will be addressed separately and costs for hosting are not included in the budget for this RFP. Please identify whether hosting is provided as an option with your company, and if so, please specify:

● no. of current clients ● file uploading method ● customer support ● storage capacity ● mail Server capacity ● backup frequency ● % down time ● once off and recurring costs

6. Requirements and Specifications

The website will have:

● Circa 50 pages with a common look and feel as regards fonts and layouts

● No databases needing to be imported

● Pay-pal as the online payment method

● Registration details sent via email

● A secure members area with a login.

● A contact form

● A simple and fast file uploads process

● A consistent mix of text and graphics with fast loading pages throughout the site

● A common header with BPPM’s logo displayed on every page

● A “drill down” for users to find Information with no more than three “drill down” levels

●A responsive design for both computers and mobile devices

● a site search capability

● a process to incorporate a searchable bibliography database

7. Development Guidelines:

To compliment your normal testing, BPPM will also test the site to ensure it works as expected on browsers, such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, Fire-Fox, Safari, and Opera. Testing will consist of a basic round of usability testing to determine how well the design and build works in practice with some of our customers using different devices and operating systems (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, BSD, UNIX). While BPPM is not particular about programming language BPPM reserves the right to full ownership of all content, coding and graphics, to support the acquisition or development of enhancements based on future business needs. BPPM is open to suggestions optimising site quality while remaining within budget.

8. Timelines for Completion

The Key milestone dates for Creating BPPM Website are:

Description	Completion Date
Project Initiation	Fri 22/02/13
Request for Proposal Issued	Fri 22/02/13
Closing Date for Proposals	Fri 01/03/13
Successful Bidder Notified	Tue 05/03/13
Contracts and Purchase Order Finalised	Wed 06/03/13
Initial Project Scoping Meeting	Thu 07/03/13
Create Content	March 2013
Complete Registration	March 2013
Apply Design	March 2013
Carry-out Development	March 2013
Conduct Tests	April 2013
Go Live	April 2013
Produce Maintenance Documentation	April 2013

9. Contact Information

The preferred delivery method for RFP is by email to Sean@bppm.ie. The RFP must contain the signature of a duly authorised officer of the company submitting the proposal. Negotiations will begin immediately with potential vendors and conclude no later than Tuesday, 5th March, 2013.

Sean the project manager is responsible for sign-off on key decisions, keeping the project on schedule and within the budget. He will be maintaining relationships with stakeholders and is your point of contact.

10. Reference and Qualifications

Please list relevant web sites your firm has produced that best reflect examples of your work and relevancy to this project.

Please provide a company profile and any other reference information that would support your RFP.

Signed

_______________________ Date: ______________________

Project Manager

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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