Virtucon's i-Crop Application Project: Teamwork and Reflection

This report details the i-Crop application project, developed for Globex Corporation by Virtucon. The project aims to create an online marketplace, i-Crop, for managing warehoused grains. The report outlines the project's objectives, which include simplifying the buying and selling process, increasin...Read More

Group name: Please Insert
Team work and Reflection

Introduction
The purpose of this report is to identify the different requirements associated the project of developing i-Crop, which is an
online application for managing the warehoused grains. The aim of this application is to provide an easy access to the
warehoused grains thus enhancing the domestic as well as the export business opportunities. With the increase in the use of
smart phone and internet across the globe, the smart phone applications provide different business opportunities. However, it
is often seen that the clients in the remote locations have certain connectivity issue. The i-crop application that will be
developed aims in incorporating a practical solution to the problem of transaction issues that might arise due to the remote
location or because of the connectivity problems. One of the striking features of the application is that it will enable the
buyers to bid for a particular grain and on finalization of the price the buyer can directly contact with the seller and make
cash payments of the services provided. Apart from that, the project aims in enabling certain features in the i-Crop
application that will enable the growers of the grain to develop a preferred list of buyers, whom they agrees to sell the grains
or due to the viability in their payment terms. Furthermore, this will help the growers to establish a trusted relationship of the
buyers. The project in the initiation stage and therefore a lot is needed to be planned. This includes identification of the
objectives, analysis of the requirements development of the communication plan and so on. The different aspects of the
project in discussed in the following sections.
Part One
1. Project Name/Team: Please Insert
Team Name: Please Insert
S.
No
Team
Member
Contact
Number
Email Role
1 x Please Insert Please Insert Project Manager
2 y Please Insert Please Insert Team Supervisor
3 z Please Insert Please Insert Resource manager
2. a. Project Description
Globex Corporation was founded in the year 2013 and has been a long standing client of Virtucon. In order to develop the i-
Crop application, Globex has therefore contacted Virtucon. I-Crop is an online cash marketplace platform that will be built
to control and manage the warehoused grains effortlessly. One criteria of the the i-Crop application and the project of
Globex is that the application should be developed in house and as much inexpensively as possible. Virtucon has agreed on
the development of the app in house and has taken the responsibility of delivering the application as soon as possible. i-Crop
application will provide a convenient as well as an easy way of managing and selling of the warehoused grains. The
application will make use of an easy interface that will help the buyers and the sellers in easy management of the grains
coupled with a convenient way of buying and selling the grains.
The application will enable the crop growers to set the cash price or the selling price of the grains. The price set by the
farmers is immediately sent to the marketplace from where the buyers can access the price. The sellers will be able to bid for
the grains on the application and the growers are given the authority to compare and choose the bids.
The application that will be built can be accessed both by the browsers and by the dedicated application. The application can
be available both for the iPhone as well the android application. The application will be easily available in the app store and
play store for free although the network charges might apply. The application will support the print option along with a
secure login facility. Both the growers and the buyers will be able to access each other’s profile effortless via the application.
The application will further look into the connectivity issues as well that might arise if the clients are accessing the
application from a remote location or if a network issue is detected. The clients of the application can be both buyers and the
sellers and therefore it is necessary for the clients to login to the application or the website before any transaction. The
objective of the project is discussed in the following section.

b. Project Objectives
The main objective of the project is to develop an inexpensive application that will help the growers to easily sell and
manage the warehoused grains. The application is named as i-Crop and it will work for the grains of the current station that
are no longer visible. The application can be accessed both by the web browser and by the dedicated application. There are a
number of features that will be supported by the i-Crop application. The system will completely be an online platform that
will make use of technology to make the process of buying and selling of the goods even simpler. A bidding system is
proposed that will improve the transparency in the process of buying and selling of the goods. Virtucon has taken the
responsibility of developing the application as inexpensively as possible and in a less time. The objective of the project are
pointed below-
 The objective of the project is to reduce the hassle of selling and buying of the warehoused grains through the
traditional process.
 The objective of the project is to provide an easier way of managing the warehoused grain
 The objective of the project is to increase the transparency in the process of buying and selling of the goods.
 The objective of the project is to provide the growers a freedom and the opportunity of choosing its buyers.
 The objective of the project is to ensure that the grains are being bought directly from the growers
The above identified points are the major objectives of this project. Apart from this, the project aims in making an optimal
use of technology in replacing the age old traditional methodologies of buying and selling of goods.
3. Team Charter
The team charter outlines the roles and the responsibilities of the most significant team members associated with the project.
The roles, skills and responsibilities of each of the team members are outlined in the following table-
x y z
Role(s) Project Manager Project Supervisors Resource
manager
Responsibilities
1. The responsibility
of the project manager
is identify the needs
and the requirements
of the project
(Kerzner & Kerzner,
2017)
1. The project
supervisors ensures
that the project team
has adequate
resources and time
for better
management of the
projects (Burke,
2013)
1. The responsibility
of the resource
manager is to
allocate the resources
according to the
needs and the
requirements of the
project
2. Project manager
taken in charge of the
project management
team and applies
different project
management
principles in efficient
team management.
2. The supervisor
settles the team
disputes if arises
2. Is responsible for
identifying the skills
of the team members
(Marchewka, 2014)
3. Project manager is
responsible for
showing efficient
leadership skills for
efficient team
management (Fleming
& Koppelman, 2016)
3. the supervisor is in
charge of assigning a
correct role to a
particular resource
3. Is responsible for
ensuring continuous
resource availability

4. Project Manager is
responsible for
ensuring that the
requirements are met
in each deliverable of
the project.
4. is responsible for
holding status
reporting meets
(Heagney,2016)
4. Is responsible for
developing a
resource
management plan.
Skills/
Knowledge
1. The skills of
applying the project
management
theories and
knowledge in the
project
1. Skills of effective
project monitoring
and control
1. Skills of
understanding the
resource
requirements
2. The skills of
leading a complex
project
2. Skills of
understanding and
solving any disputes
arising in the team
2. Skills of
identifying the
resource shortages
3. The skills of
managing a large
project team
3. Skills of holding
progress meeting and
leading the meeting
(Stark, 2015)
3. Skills of
identifying the team
capabilities
4. The skills of easy
dispute resolution and
ethical decision
making (Mir &
Pinnington, A2014)
4. time
management skills
4. Skills of
managing the
resource
shortfalls.
4. Team Rules & Expectations
The team rules that will be followed by all the team members and expectations of the project owner from the project are
represented in the following Table. The team values and the code of ethics that will be followed by the team are represented
in the table as well.
Team Rules  The team will be following a planned approach of project implementation
 The team members will abide by code of ethics and professional conduct
(Nicholas & Steyn, 2017)
 Status report meeting will be held on a regular basis in order to monitor
and track the project progress
 No delays in the task implementation will be accepted
 A communication plan will be made for ensuring effective communication
in the team (Rowe, 2015)
 The project will be implemented in an inexpensive manner and will be
delivered on schedule.

Expectations
(previous
experience)
 It is expected that the project team will be able to deliver the project on
time as Virtucon has previous experiences in the field of development of IT
projects (Leach, 2014).
 It is expected that by no way, the i-Crop project will go over budget
 It is expected that the resources that have been allocated for the project
would be sufficient to meet all the requirements and the objectives of the
project (Lock, 2017)
 It is expected that the project team will not involve in any internal conflict
(Morris, 2013).
 It is expected that the expectations of the stakeholders will be met.
Values
 The team members will not engage in any internal conflict
 The Team members will help the other members if required
 A transparency in the project processes will be maintained
 The team will not involve in any unfair means while implementation and
execution of the project (Pemsel & Wiewiora, 2013)
 All the requirements of the client will be met.
Code of
Ethics  The team members will be fair to the organization and towards the project
(Kerzner, 2018)
 The team members will take the responsibility of delivering the project
on time (Edwards & Bowen, 2013)

Name Signature Date
1. x Please insert Please insert
2. y Please insert
Please insert
3. z Please insert
Please insert

Part Two
1. Meeting Minutes and Outcome:
Meeting1
Role Project manager Date/Time&
Attendees
Organiser
x
To Discuss the Requirements X y z
Globex
Virtucon
Scribe  The requirements of the project is discussed
 The requirements specifications are finalized
Outcome of the meeting:
1. A project plan will be developed as per the final requirements
2. The Project Plan will be authorised by Globex
Meeting2
Role Project Supervisor Date/Time&
Attendees
Organiser
Y
The need for communication plan is discussed
along with the strategies of project monitoring
and control
X y z
Globex
Virtucon
Scribe  A communication plan is needed to be
developed
 The project supervisor will report to the
project manager with progress updates
Outcome of the meeting:
1. A communication plan will be developed and will be shared to the team
2. Project progress updates is a must to be co ordinate.

Meeting 3
Role Resource Manager Date/Time&
Attendees
Organiser
Z
The resource needs and the strategies of resource
allocation are discussed.
X y z
Globex
Virtucon
Scribe  There is a need for resource management plan
 The resources will be allocated according to the
project requirements
Outcome of the meeting:
1. A resource management plan is developed and shared
2. The resource manager will ensure continuous resource availability and there is no chances
of resource shortages
2. Team Learning Record
What we know What we think we know What we don’t know
The Project Status Estimated Budget The actual budget
.Project Requirements Estimated Schedule The users’ acceptance status
Project objectives Project aims Details about training
Team Structure Team capabilities The scope

Problem: Any
change in scope
Reflect and
Learn: Scope
creep in
project should
be avoided
Learnin
g
Cycle1
Plan:
Accurate
identification
of the project
requirements
Act: Development of
Project Plan (Bourne,
2016)
Learning Cycle

Problem: Cost control
Reflect and Learn: Delays in the project is needed to be reduced
Learning
Cycle2
Plan: A cost benefit analysis repor
Act: Analysis of project cost and its ROI

Part Three
Communication Plan:
Project
Objectives 1.To develop an online platform for buying and selling of warehoused grains
2. To enable an easy manageability of the warehoused grains
3. To ensure transparency in the process of buying and selling of grains
4. To implement the project as inexpensively as possible
5. To ensure optimal resource usage
Targeted
Audience 1. Globex
2. Virtucon
3. Growers
4. project Team
5. Project Stakeholders (others)
Stakeholder
name
Information to be
shared
Frequency Location Purpose Mechanism
Who What When Where Why How
1. Globex • Project
Requirements
Once (During
project
initiation)
Project Site To clarify the
requirements and the
detailed objectives of the
project
Face-Face
Meeting,
Email
2. Virtucon • Deliverables Monthly Project Site To discuss the project
deliverables
Face-Face
Meeting, Email
3. Project Manager • Project
Progress
Daily Project Site To distribute the progress
reports to the team and to
the stakeholders
Email

4. Resource
manager
• Resource Needs Weekly Project
Site
To discuss the status of
the available resources
Email

Part Four
I have understood that it is essential to possess efficient leadership qualities in management of a project or a team. This is
because a leader is a person who motivates and leads the team towards its success. While working on the project I have
understood the importance of time management. Time management is an essential technique for ensuring the success of a
project. The project i-Crop is needed to be delivered within a scheduled time and therefore time management is a critical
need of the project. Apart from the skills of effective time management an efficient leadership, it is important for a project
manager to be an effective negotiator as well. The project manager has a responsibility of developing the project plan and
therefore a project manager should posses the skills of identifying and understanding the requirements of the project. It is
very important to schedule the releases associated with a project as it will help in timely delivery of the project. Apart from
this, a project manager should engage in regular communication for effectively leading a team.
Conclusion
The document identifies the different objectives of the project and the requirements of the project. The project is based on
development of an online application name i-Crop. The owner of the project is Globex and Globex has given the
responsibility fo application development to Virtucon. One of the major criteria set by Globex is that the development of the
application should be as inexpensive as possible. Virtucon will be developing the application in house and therefore it is
essential for Virtucon to identify the requirements of the project. The document identifies the aims and objectives of the
project and discusses the meeting minutes of the project. A communication plan is developed which will help in easier
communication of the processes of project. The project will ensure and easier management of the grains of current year and
will increase in the transparency in process of dealing the with the warehoused grains.

References
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Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA.
Edwards, P., & Bowen, P. (2013). Risk management in project organisations. Routledge.
Fleming, Q. W., & Koppelman, J. M. (2016, December). Earned value project management. Project Management Institute.
Heagney, J. (2016). Fundamentals of project management. Amacom.
Kerzner, H. (2018). Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence. John Wiley & Sons.
Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling.
John Wiley & Sons.
Leach, L. P. (2014). Critical chain project management. Artech House.
Lock, D. (2017). The essentials of project management. Routledge.
Marchewka, J. T. (2014). Information technology project management. John Wiley & Sons.
Mir, F. A., & Pinnington, A. H. (2014). Exploring the value of project management: linking project management
performance and project success. International journal of project management, 32(2), 202-217.
Morris, P. W. (2013). Reconstructing project management. John Wiley & Sons.
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Pemsel, S., & Wiewiora, A. (2013). Project management office a knowledge broker in project-based
organisations. International Journal of Project Management, 31(1), 31-42.
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