Plan Inception

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This is the first of a series of five sequential assignments (the course project) in which you will act as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of a hypothetical, e-commerce start-up company of your design. A venture capital group has funded this innovative start-up.

The CEO has given you 90 days to deliver an information technology project plan in anticipation of the company relocating to a new facility. Since this is a start-up company, currently no building or technology infrastructure exists to support the business. All information technology (hardware and software) must be implemented in a hosted solution, an on-site solution, or a hybrid model. The CEO expects you to integrate different technologies from a variety of partners and incorporate industry best practices to develop the company’s technological systems.

Additional background on the hypothetical company

Company InformationCurrent StatusGrowth Projections (over next two years)Facility TypeNew facility is a two-story standalone building–Number of Employees1030Revenue$5 million$30 million

This assignment consists of two parts:

Part 1: Project Plan Inception
You will write a 5-7 page document outlining the project specifics, such as company background information, company business, and an overview of the company’s information systems infrastructure.

Part 2: Supporting Gantt Chart
You will use Microsoft Project to create a Gantt chart for your e-commerce company project.

Note:

You are to create or assume all necessary assumptions to successfully complete this assignment.
You must submit both parts as separate files to the assignment area. Label each file name according to the appropriate part.
Instructions
Part 1: Project Plan Inception
Write a 5-7 page business requirements document for their hypothetical e-commerce company in which you:

Develop your hypothetical e-commerce company’s background information. (Refer to this article, Top 10 Largest Ecommerce Companies in the US in 2020Links to an external site., when developing your company’s background information, which outlines the major types of e-commerce companies in existence. Use this as a guide when deciding what background information to include about your hypothetical e-commerce company in your project plan inception document.)
Document your chosen e-commerce company’s business type, customers, and demographic information.
Describe the key elements of your chosen e-commerce company’s information systems infrastructure.
Develop a high-level block diagram of your e-commerce company’s information systems infrastructure.
Use three sources to support your writing. (Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate. Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment. Access the library or review library guides for help with research, writing, and citation.)
Part 2: Supporting Gantt Chart
Use Microsoft Project to create a Gantt chart in which you:

Identify the major and minor tasks, illustrating dependency relationships between activities.

Sample Solution

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.

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