Plan Inception
Part 1: Project Plan Inception
Company Background Information
The company is a hypothetical e-commerce start-up company that has been funded by a venture capital group. The company is in its early stages of development and does not yet have a physical building or technology infrastructure. The company is planning to relocate to a new facility in the near future.
Company Business
The company will sell a variety of products online, including electronics, clothing, and home goods. The company will use a drop shipping model, which means that it will not carry any inventory. Instead, when a customer places an order, the company will contact the supplier and the supplier will ship the product directly to the customer.
Overview of the Company's Information Systems Infrastructure
The company's information systems infrastructure will be based on a hybrid model. The company will use a hosted solution for its e-commerce platform and its customer relationship management (CRM) system. The company will also use an on-site solution for its financial management system and its inventory management system.
Hardware
The company will need the following hardware for its on-site solution:
- Servers
- Storage devices
- Networking equipment
- Workstations
Software
The company will need the following software for its on-site solution:
- Operating system
- Financial management software
- Inventory management software
- Antivirus software
- Backup software
Hosted Solutions
The company will use a hosted solution for its e-commerce platform and its CRM system. The company will choose a hosted solution provider that offers the following features:
- Scalability
- Security
- Reliability
- Technical support
Integration of Different Technologies
The company will need to integrate the different technologies that it is using into a cohesive system. The company will use a variety of tools and methodologies to achieve this integration, including:
- Application programming interfaces (APIs)
- Enterprise service bus (ESB)
- Cloud integration platform (CIP)
Industry Best Practices
The company will incorporate industry best practices into its information systems infrastructure. Some of the industry best practices that the company will incorporate include:
- Data security
- Disaster recovery
- Business continuity planning
- Patch management
- Vulnerability management
Project Plan
The project plan will include the following components:
- Scope statement
- Work breakdown structure
- Schedule
- Budget
- Risk management plan
- Communication plan
Scope Statement
The scope statement will define the scope of the project, which includes the following:
- The goals and objectives of the project
- The deliverables of the project
- The constraints of the project
Work Breakdown Structure
The work breakdown structure will break down the project into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Schedule
The schedule will identify the start and end dates for each task in the work breakdown structure.
Budget
The budget will identify the estimated cost for each task in the work breakdown structure.
Risk Management Plan
The risk management plan will identify the potential risks that could impact the project and develop mitigation strategies for those risks.
Communication Plan
The communication plan will identify the stakeholders in the project and develop a plan for communicating with those stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle.
Conclusion
This document has outlined the key components of the project plan for the hypothetical e-commerce start-up company. The project plan will be developed in more detail over the next 90 days.
Additional Considerations
In addition to the components listed above, the project plan will also need to consider the following:
- The company's growth projections: The project plan will need to be scalable to support the company's growth projections.
- The company's security requirements: The project plan will need to incorporate security measures to protect the company's data and systems.
- The company's compliance requirements: The project plan will need to incorporate any compliance requirements that the company must meet.
Next Steps
The next steps for the project are to:
- Develop the project plan in more detail.
- Identify and select vendors for the hardware, software, and hosted solutions.
- Negotiate contracts with the vendors.