A2 Applied ICT Major Project Culcheth High School

Re-Branding for the Future

In year 13 you have to undergo a major project that will cover two of the three units you will be studying, which are Unit 8 Managing a Project and Unit 10 Multimedia Software Products. Full copies of the Unit specifications can be found in the appendix.

Produced: Mr Bolton July 2007-Amended: Mr Nolan July 2010

Introduction
Culcheth high school is currently in the process of undertaking a full rebranding initiative that will ultimately result in the design and construction of a new school building. As part of this initiative they are looking to design and create an effective and up to date Web Site that will encompass these changes as well as provide their target audience with a broad picture of the school as a whole. The Web Site is due to be launched on 1st April 2011 and they need the project completed by Friday 4th March 2011 to allow time to upload the whole presentations. The Web Site you have been asked to help design will include the following information: Home Page with an introduction form the Head School Prospectus (PDF document of original) Calendar of Events School Shop Job Vacancies Subjects (Profiles of teachers / syllabuses / extra curricular activities / trips / interviews with students) Links (external educational Web Sites subject specific) Students Section (revision guides and general information) Parents (specific information about subjects and important dates / events) Governors (reports and notes from meetings) Current News

The project Manager, Mrs Stevens, has asked if you could help with the Subjects section of the Web Site. This will involve designing a presentation that makes good use of multimedia software to attract potential students and parents to the school as well as provide existing parents and students with all the information they will need to know about the subjects they are studying. It should: Have a style and format consistent with the new school image Be interactive Have a modern / futuristic appeal Suitable for both adults and students to use

Project Personnel
Below is a list of the people who will be involved with your project. You will have to liaise with throughout its duration and record your conversations / communications as best you can. Personnel Peer reviewers Mr Bolton Mr Mullens Mrs Stevens Head of Department / Faculty User Yourself Initials ??? NB CM AJS ??? Role 3 fellow students who will help review and evaluate your progress Senior Manager in charge of ICT developments at CHS Web Site manager CHS Re-branding Project Manager Provide details about the department / faculty People who will be using / viewing the presentation live You are the person in charge of this section of the project

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Task As part of your Project Proposal you will need to use the above personnel details to outline the following people, their roles and the part they will play in your project. Senior Management Customer / Client User Project Manager Team Member Peer Reviewer Supplier

Project Phases & Planning

To begin with you will need to outline a progress chart that identifies the key features of your project as well as the dates you intend to complete them by. A calendar is provided in the appendix to help you. Project Phases You will also have to plan the progress of your project and monitor your progress throughout. The plan should include: Analysis (Client needs and Project Proposals) Initial Design (refers to all the features of the software you will be creating) Prototyping and Formative Testing (specific features of the project similar to the above) Summative Testing Documentation (design features and user guides etc) Hand over to customer

Project Planning Your plan above should also include: Activities to be carried out at each phase Start and end date for each activity Dependencies (what is each section relying on) Resources required for each section Dates for Key Milestones (see below) Potential Risks Key Milestones Throughout the project you will need to arrange interviews and discussions with key personnel to help your project run smoothly. Initial meeting with Client Initial meeting with supplier Prototype testing / feedback Interim meetings to check progress of your designs Testing deadlines and times

Handover dates

Project Proposal
Once you have established your client needs the proposal needs to be addressed. Some of the issues may have been mentioned in the Client Needs but more detail is needed. It should include: A description of the project and what it will include. (This may have been addresses in the client needs so just make reference to it) What the project will deliver (describe what it will solve and how it will solve your problem) Benefits (list the advantages successful completion will bring) Risks (what problems may be brought about with the completion of the project?) Impact on personnel( who will be in charge of monitoring and amending the presentation if necessary?) Impact on practices (How will the inclusion of the presentation affect the way the web site is run / up dated / technicians time) Functional Requirements (what does the system have to do? This may have been covered in the client needs, if so make reference to it) Who will use the product (end users need to be described in detail) Time scale (how long do you think it will take / have you been given) Hardware & Software required (list the items needed to create and operate the system)

Planning the Design (on paper)

Once you have all your written documentation for your plan together you need to start on the initial design stages. This is a series of drawings that will help to map out the structure and features of your presentation. It should include: Map of the structure of the presentation to show how it will all link together Hand drawn designs that indicate: Graphics to be used (imported and original) Interactivity (buttons and links) User Interface features (background / font details) Multimedia components (Animation / video / sounds) Master slides (basic layout of similar pages) Detailed testing plan (Indicates how each of the above feature you have described will be tested as well as the expected outcome. See page 8 for more details of what to include)

Prototyping This section should also include some images of what you think your presentation will look like. This does not have to be done in Flash just make sure that it is clear what the layout of different pages in your presentations will look like. Client Approval Once you have completed your initial proposal you need to present it to your client to gain their approval of your plans. You will need to prepare the following documents: Agenda for the meeting Minutes of the issues that were discussed and the actions that now need to be taken Approval form signed by your client to show they accept your proposals and have agreed to you designing the presentation for them.

Communication
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Throughout the course of the project you will need to communicate with most of the people mentioned in the personnel section. You will need to use and document the following types of communications: Formal Meetings (minutes / agendas) Informal Meetings (notes) Questionnaires (record responses) Email (evidence of contacts and attachments) Conversations (recorded evidence of interviews) Memos (saved copies of those sent and received)

Scope of the Problem

Once you have received approval for your project ideas you need to identify scope of the project. It includes: Reasons for undertaking the project (relate to client needs) Benefits to the organisation (in relation to the web site and your presentation) Objectives (measurable targets - qualitative and quantitative) Success criteria (how will you know you have achieved the objectives) Constraints (what do you have to consider about what you cannot do in your presentation eg. Students photos / data protection) Areas of risk (complexity of software / time constraints / end user ability) Roadmap (make links to your plans here) Resource requirements (materials / people / time reference to plans) Interim review points (reference to plans)

Testing
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You should have designed Testing Plan at the start of the project. You also need to make sure that the project is tested throughout its implementation. You need evidence of:

Formative Testing Evidence that the presentation has been tested by yourself and the end user at regular intervals before the final test plan is completed.

Summative Testing This is conducted at the end of the project in 2 sections. ALPHA TESTING This is done by you and must address the following issues: Does the product meet all the requirements listed in the Functional Specification Do all the Interactive features work correctly Do all the links take the user to the correct place Is there a way for the end user to disrupt the program Is the product user friendly Are there enough instructions Also at this stage it would be useful to involve other students (min of 3) to get their opinions and thoughts about the quality of your work. BETA TESTING - This is where your client will test the product to make sure that it meets all of their needs identified at the start of the project. The above will need to be conducted in the END OF PROJECT REVIEW MEETING with your client. It needs to be documented in the appropriate way and can use a variety of documents to collect the test data such as: Questionnaire / Test Data / Test Instructions

Evaluation

Once the testing is complete you need to evaluate your project as a whole. The evaluation needs to be in 2 sections. Evaluation of the Product This is where you evaluate the success of your presentation against your original specifications and includes: How well does it meet the client needs? Any shortcomings (flaws) in the project The effectiveness of the solution (how well does it work / look) Suggestions for enhancements if you had more time / skill (what would you like to add or have done) A description of your current skill level and the effect this had on your presentation Documented feedback from other students Description of how your work could be improved using this feedback

Evaluation of the Plan Once you have conducted your End of Project Review Meeting you need to comment on the following making reference to the information gained in the aforementioned meeting: Success of the project measured against the original objectives (should be covered in the above evaluation) The effectiveness of the Project Management methods used (how well did your plan work / was it thorough) Explain the key lessons that you learned from the experience Justifying the actions and decisions you made Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your performance as a project manager Identify areas for improvement based on your own and other opinions of your performance as a project manager

Project Activity Check List Unit 8 Folder

Proposal Folder
Project Proposal
This section may overlap with the Client Needs in some places. If this is the case make sure you include a heading and a link to the necessary information. Describe what the project is about Explain what it will deliver Describe the benefits to the organisation from a successful completion Describe the potential risks involved with the project Explain how the project will impact on Personnel in the organisation Explain how the project will impact on practices in the organisation List the functional requirements of the project (what must it be able to do / objectives) Explain time lengths Describe Hardware and Software needed to complete the project Describe who else will be involved in the project List the ways you could tackle the project Make recommendations about why you are doing it in a specific way Create a Structure diagram to show how a user will navigate through the presentation (mind map)

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Plan Folder
Project Planning & Phases
Produce an Initial Plan that covers in detail the phases mentioned below and breaks them into smaller sections Analysis Initial designs Prototyping Formative testing (see testing on p8) Summative Testing Documentation User Guides as well as plans to show how your design was developed Handover Date Review Documents Review Point 1 change on plan and comments on changes that occurred Review Point 2 change on plan and comments on changes that occurred Review Point 3 change on plan and comments on changes that occurred Review Point 4 change on plan and comments on changes that occurred Final review point with completed plan/timeline of project and comments on changes that occurred

Communication Folder
A main page that has a table outlining the following communication both formally and informally Initial ideas meeting with Stakeholders Design Meeting with Stakeholders Initial product review meeting First completion of product meeting Alpha & Beta testing completion meeting Final Handover meeting A range of memos\emails communicating with head of department setting up meetings\sharing information etc Evidence of you acting upon comments and feedback given by head of department.

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Product Folder For unit 8 you just need a link to your product within unit 10 folder on your e-portfolio homepage. Project Evaluation Folder
Project Evaluation
Success of the project measured against the original objectives (should be covered in the above evaluation) The effectiveness of the Project Management methods used (how well did your plan work / was it thorough) Explain the key lessons that you learned from the experience Justifying the actions and decisions you made Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your performance as a project manager Identify areas for improvement based on your own and other opinions of your performance as a project manager

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Project Activity Check List Unit 10 Folder

Functional Specification Folder

Identifying the Clients Needs
Identify the whole problem that you have been asked to solve and then the specific section you will be working on Include the dates for the project completion Provide background details of the company and the Clients Describe the reasons why your client wants you to complete the project for them Describe the content of the Web Site that they want to construct / develop Describe the specific task you have been asked to do Provide a list of measurable objectives that you have been set by the client

Identifying the Stakeholders

For each of the following identify the person(s) you will be communicating with, their role in the organization and their role in your project Senior management Customer / Client User(s) Project manager Team member Peer reviewer(s) Supplier

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Design Folder
Produce hand drawn designs that show Graphics to be used (custom / digital / imported) Interaction (buttons / navigation) User Interface (background / font / styles / layout) Media components (sound / animation / video clips) Produce a prototype design for the presentation including all of the above features (it does not have to be animated) Agenda for your Initial meeting with your Client Minutes from the initial meeting with your client Agreement form signed by the client authorizing you to proceed with the project Prototyping You need to create a page that shows all the ideas you came up with during the planning and creation of your product to show how you ended up with the final version. Even if you did use them but did consider them put them into the table, try to include: Ideas for background images Ideas for buttons Ideas for video clips Ideas for pictures Ideas for sound clips Evidence of feedback sought from head of department and the decisions that they took on the ones to use.

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Product Folder
Implementing the Design
Your completed presentation must include the following features of Multimedia software Navigation linear / hierarchical Graphical designs : User Interface Effective use of colour Effective impact of your design Effective use of Fonts Consideration of presentation method Consistency throughout Corporate image has also been considered Interactive Design: Buttons / Hot Spots / Text Links / Roll over / menus User response- text boxes / list boxes / check boxes Image capture and manipulation Capture ready made images paper based and digital Create original images digital camera / graphic software Manipulate images Video Capture ready made clips Record original video clips Edit video clips Select and use appropriate file formats Sound Record live sound Select and import pre-recorded sound Manipulate sound Cut & edit / speed up / slow down Assign sound to an action / event Select and use appropriate file formats Animation Include Stop Frame animation Create and use Motion Tweening Include an Animated GIF

User Interface
Used a consistent layout Used graphics to illustrate a message Prompts have been used to help users navigate your

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presentation Interactive features used to initiate certain features Implementation Report A detailed report on how you created your product and the different elements you included. User Guide How to install the product on a computer/website How to use the product

Testing Folder
Testing
Produce a detailed Testing Plan that covers the following criteria Are all the functional specifications met Do all interactive features work Do all the links work Is the presentation robust Can it be used without help Feedback from other sources (min 3) including the Final Project Review Meeting

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Product Evaluation Folder

Product Evaluation
How well does it meet the client needs? Any shortcomings (flaws) in the project The effectiveness of the solution (how well does it work / look) Suggestions for enhancements if you had more time / skill (what would you like to add or have done) A description of your current skill level and the effect this had on your presentation Documented feedback from other students Description of how your work could be improved using this feedback How well does it meet the client needs? Any shortcomings (flaws) in the project The effectiveness of the solution (how well does it work / look) Suggestions for enhancements if you had more time / skill A description of your current skill level and the effect this had on your presentation

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Key Dates for Handing in Work

Each section although created for an E-Portfolio will be required to be printed out and handed in for marking and improvement suggestions.

Activity
Project Proposal Plan & Plan Home Page Communications page setup and initial meeting Client Needs and Stakeholders Hand Drawn Designs for Backgrounds + Buttons Hand drawn designs for each page Prototyping + Second Client Meeting + 1st Plan Review Flash Home Page Flash 2nd page Flash 3rd Page Flash 4th Page Complete initial Flash document + third client meeting + 2nd plan review Alpha Testing Beta Testing Improvements to Flash File 2nd Beta Testing + test meeting with client Implementation Guide User and installation Guide Product Evaluation Project Evaluation + Final Client Meeting Initial Hand in

Date Due 10/9/10 17/9/10 24/9/10 1/10/10 8/10/10 15/10/1 0 29/10/1 0 19/11/1 0 26/11/1 0 3/12/10 10/11/1 0 17/12/1 0 8/1/11 15/1/11 22/1/11 29/1/11 5/2/11 11/2/11 25/2/11 4/3/11 4/3/11

Final Hand in

25/3/1 1

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