Meridian Social So cial Welfare Welfare Agency
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Peak LAN Project Christopher Lamar Cooper, Ken Charpkowski, Sasidi lores !racy "#er $cto%er &', &()) !ony Sines So#thwestern College Professional St#dies
Meridian Social Welfare Agency
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Peak LAN Project Introduction/Background
Peak Systems is a small information systems cons#lting firm located in Meridian, Lo#isiana* !he company was awarded a contract to design and install a local area network +LAN for the city of Meridian-s Social Welfare Agency* !his is a .ery #ni/#e project for Peak Systems as reso#rces for the project incl#de two interns from the local #ni.ersity* Peak has a tight project sched#le of 0( days to complete installation of the LAN system with a fi1ed %#dget of 23(,(((* !he project re/#ires twenty workstations and twenty laptop comp#ters, a ser.er with d#al core processors, two laser printers, Windows &((4 5& ser.er workstation that can r#n +6ista7Windows 8* Peak System m#st also pro.ide fo#r ho#rs of introd#ction training for the clients and personnel that will %e #sing the system and si1teen ho#rs of training for client network administrator* !he milestones that has %een gi.e to the company is a 9an#ary &&nd date for hardware, setting #sers- priority and a#thori:ation on 9an#ary &;th, and an in
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!he technical re/#irements for the Peak System +e1panding from the work statement listed a%o.e are workstations with )8" 5AM, 4? @6@5W, wireless card, Bthernet card, 4( >" hard dri.e* !he laptops with )&" 5AM, 4? @6@5W, wireless card, Bthernet card, ;( >" hard dri.e and weigh less than ' l%s* !he system m#st pro.ide sec#re e1ternal access for field workers and the system m#st s#pport Windows 6ista7Windows 8 platform* Peak LAN Risk An important piece to any project is risk management* 5isk management is a proacti.e rather
than reacti.e approach whichD
5ed#ces s#rprises and negati.e conse/#ences
Prepares the project manager to take ad.antage of appropriate risks
Pro.ides %etter control o.er the f#t#re
Empro.es chances of reaching project performance o%jecti.es within %#dget and on time
!he first step of risk identification is to generate a list of possi%le risks thro#gh %rainstorming, pro%lem identification and risk profiling* !he initial emphasis sho#ld %e on Macro risks, then specific e.ents* +Meredith, &((3
!echnical 5isks
Constraints related to the networked se/#ence in which project acti.ities m#st occ#r
"ack#p strategies if chosen technology fails and if re/#ired Windows platforms are not a.aila%le
Assessing whether technical #ncertainties can %e resol.ed
Sched#le 5isks
Emposed d#ration dates +Fardware && 9an G !raining complete of ); e%
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Compression of project sched#les d#e to a shortened project d#ration date
5eso#rce Constraints
!he a%sence, shortage, or #ni/#e interrelationship and interaction characteristics of reso#rces that re/#ire a partic#lar se/#encing of project acti.ities
Manpower a.aila%ility of two college interns co#ld %e affected %y %etween school session iss#es* i*e* grades, t#ition payments, or personal iss#es pre.enting ret#rn for spring semester
Mardi >ras B.ent r#ns 9an ); thr# e% &) and co#ld impact clients personnel-s a.aila%ility for training
Costs 5isks
!ime7cost dependency linksD costs increase when pro%lems take longer to sol.e than e1pected*
Price protection risks +a rise in inp#t costs increase if the d#ration of a project is increased*
#nding 5isks
Changes in the s#pply of f#nds for the project can dramatically affect the likelihood of implementation or s#ccessf#l completion of a project*
Meridian Social Ser.ices fall #nder the state of Lo#isiana and co#ld %e impacted %y state %#dget red#ction*
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Risk Assessment Matrix
5ESK B6BN!
LEKBLEF$$@
EMPAC!
@B!BC!E$N @EECHL!I
WFBN
Hardware Delay
4
5
3
Scheduled installation date
3
4
4
Resource Constraints
3
3
3
$echnical %alfunction of new Hardware
&
5
5
&
&
4
&
5
5
Backup Failures
Bud!et Cost Risk Fundin!
After installation users can not access old system files ntern schedule conflicts durin! pro"ect installation# 'ccurs at installation# (nplanned costs or delays create Bud!et o)errun due to time*cost dependency State A!ency has risk of losin! fundin!
!he a%o.e matri1 e.al#ates the risk, se.erity of the risk and the pro%a%ility the risk will occ#r and how diffic#lt the detection is to disco.er* !he project for Meridian Social Ser.ice Agency incl#ded a fi1ed %#dget of 23(,((( and a tight 0( day sched#le* "oth risks can %e managed with contingency plans= howe.er they are interdependent #pon each other* Simply stated if delays occ#r, the more likely the %#dget co#ld %e impacted* 5isks need to %e e.al#ated in terms of likelihood the e.ent will occ#r and the impact or conse/#ences of the occ#rrence* +Meredith, &((3 En terms of the Peak LAN Project, e.al#ating the risks proacti.ely pro.ed to %e a challenge for the technical risks* !esting the risks co#ld not %e completed prior to installation or deli.er of the hardware* !he project manager wo#ld need to react to these sit#ations and de.elop sol#tions that co#ld res#lt in increased costs as well as sched#le delays* En addition to technical delays, Peak LAN #tili:ed interns co#ld lead to reso#rce constraints d#ring installation* !he project manager co#ld eliminate this risk %y o%taining sched#le commitments from the interns so that additional reso#rces co#ld %e contracted to eliminate the shortage of reso#rces*
Meridian Social Welfare Agency
; Risk Response
RS+ ,-,.$
R,S/'.S,
/repare desi!n and installation of 2ocal Area .etwork2A.
A)oid6 Re)iew Desi!n
Re)iew Hardware
System /erformance %onitorin!
(ser Criticism
C'.$.0,.C1 /2A.
dentify the Critical /ath and make the necessary chan!es to prepare for a delay
%iti!ate6 Re)iew the /eak Systems trainin! methods for possi7le tweaks
3H' S R,S/'.SB2,
Behind schedule
/ro"ect %ana!er
%onitors not workin! and C/(8s not loadin!
%iti!ate6 Select relia7le )endor $ransfer6 arranty
%iti!ate6 $est System
$R00,R
'rder replacement
Correct errors accordin!ly and work on issues until assistance is needed
Create a trou7leshootin! lo!ic tree
$wo interns
.ot sol)ed within 49 hours
Call from Director
/ro"ect %ana!er and /eak professional
/ro"ect %ana!er and /eak /rofessional
En a systematic process of project risk management, after risk assessment is implemented, the risk analysts enco#nter the phase of assessment and selection of the project risk response actions +5A +Seyedhoseini, Noori Fatefi, &((3* Within the realm of project management, there are many challenges that will %e enco#ntered* !he 5isk response matri1 assists project managers %y, s#mmari:ing how the project team plans to manage risks that ha.e %een identified +Larson >ray, &())* En assessing the risks associated with this project, the team will ha.e to address the contingency plan that will %e implemented for each risk* !he design stage in.ol.es how Peak Systems will install a local area network +LAN for the Meridian Social Ser.ice Agency* !he one trigger that the project manager is concerned a%o#t in this stage is falling %ehind on sched#le* !he project manager has determined that to a.oid this iss#e, identifying the critical paths and making all the necessary changes to prepare for a delay will ens#re that the project mo.es along smoothly* !he ne1t risk e.ent re.ol.es aro#nd the hardware* !he contract for this project incl#des the deli.ery of twenty workstations, twenty laptops, one ser.er, and two color laser printers* !he
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project manager #nderstands that when this m#ch hardware is in.ol.ed in any contract the chance of recei.ing fa#lty e/#ipment will increase* En order to mitigate this risk, the two interns will track the deli.ery of the hardware from %eginning to end* !his will allow the team to know in ad.ance, if any, flaws within the deli.ery logistics of the hardware is present* Ef an e.ent of this nat#re sho#ld occ#r, the team will immediately arrange for the hardware to %e deli.ered %y another company* !he project manager #nderstands that this co#ld possi%ly ca#se some delay, %#t the team wo#ld %e a%le to sa.e half of the delay time depending on how soon the deli.ery pro%lem is assessed* Altho#gh it is impossi%le to eliminate all risk e.ents, some specific risks may %e a.oided %efore yo# la#nch the project +Larson >ray, &())* !he simplest way to a.oid certain risks is to ens#re that the team p#rchases pro.en technology* En the same respect, the project manager has to keep a keen eye on the %#dget allotted* !his is where project managers earn their money, %eca#se they #nderstand that some phase of the project has to %e compromised to keep within %#dget, and the /#estion then %ecomes, what gets compromised Within the scope of this project, the project manager has p#rchased pro.en e/#ipment and limited the system maintenance and repair to one month* @#ring the system performance monitoring, the in
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!hro#gho#t this co#rse, we ha.e disc#ssed organi:ational c#lt#re and office politics, and %oth can %ecome e.ident in this project if the team does not properly prepare for it* !he final risk e.ent of this project will in.ol.e training* !he risk of red tape when setting #ser priorities and a#thori:ations is going to %e dependent #pon the c#lt#re of the organi:ation* B.en tho#gh it is spelled o#t in the contract that the client will %e responsi%le for any additional time allotted for training, the team has decided to create a tro#%leshooting logic tree as a contingency plan for any delays within this task* !he team will make the training as #ser friendly as possi%le to allow for those employees with a slower learning c#r.e*
Conclusion
Peak Systems, LAN project consisted of a tight sched#le and a fi1ed %#dget* !he team addressed 5isk Matri1 and 5isk 5esponse in order to help mitigate any iss#es that may come #p in the project plan* !echnical installation project s#ch as this project pro.ide an e.en %igger challenges than other projects as many of the risks cannot %e identified #ntil the act#al software and hardware are installed*
Meridian Social Welfare Agency
3 References
Larson, B*W*, >ray, C** +&())* Project management the managerial process fifth edition* New Iork, NID Mc>raw
Meredith 9*5*, Mantel S*9* +&((3 Project Management w/CD 7th Ed. Fo%oken, N9D Wiley P#%lishers*
Seyedhoseini, S*, Noori, S*, Fatefi, M* +&((3* An Entegrated Methodology for Assessment and Selection of the Project 5isk 5esponse Actions* 5isk AnalysisD An Enternational 9o#rnal, &3+J, 8J&<8;0* doiD)(*))))7j*)J03<;3&'*&((4*())48*
