I-Crop: An ICT Project Management Case Study (ITC505)

Desklib offers past papers and solved assignments; this project report details the I-Crop software development.

ITC 505 ICT PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ASSESSMENT ITEM 2
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Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Part One......................................................................................................................................5
Project Name/ Team / Description.........................................................................................5
Team Charter..........................................................................................................................7
Part Two...................................................................................................................................11
Learning Cycles....................................................................................................................11
Part Three.................................................................................................................................13
Communication Plan............................................................................................................13
Part Four: Reflection...............................................................................................................16
Conclusion................................................................................................................................17
References................................................................................................................................18
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Introduction
It is said that a project without project management is a great project loss. Project
management is all about keeping a check on all aspects of the project, delivering it on time
under a stipulated scope and time. Moreover, it is all about uniting client and team members
and developing vision and objectives for success. A project manager brings all the teams
working on a project on the same page. In this project report, project management of a project
named ‘I-Crop Software’ will be discussed and that too in the context of two organisations,
namely Virtucon and Globex Corporation. The latter is the client of the former organisation
that provides services to the farmers and the cultivators in Australia. Globex Corp has asked
Virtucon to develop software that will keep the payment process transparent. This report will
talk about developing a project plan by Virtucon for its client Globex Corp. Here, the
communication plan along with team ethics will be elaborated along with team charter.
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Part One
Project Name/ Team / Description
The first and foremost requirement of any project is to provide it a name for future reference.
This would be very useful for the team working on the project to discuss it in the future
meeting. Since the Globex Corp wants Virtucon to design a software that would help the
local farmers and cultivator, the software is named related to the agriculture. The software is
given the name ‘I-crop.' It will be very useful in making the payment process easy and hassle-
free while keeping the transparency in the process along with the confidentiality of the
transaction information. Overall, the software will be a game changer for the farmers as it
will completely transform the traditional mode of payment.
Project Description
I-Crop will be a major breakthrough for the farmers as there is very few software developed
specifically for the farmers to ease of their farming experience. This software will be very
helpful for them to make a hassle-free transaction of money from one account to another
without any transaction cost. In addition to this, it will be useful in making payment for the
purchase of farming-related equipment. It will be a secure mode of payment as it is protected
by a firewall.
Title Details
Project Name I-Crop software
Client Globex Corporation
Project type Online transaction and communication software
End-users Cultivators, small, medium, and large farmers.
Location Riverina Region of NSW, Australia
Team Description
It is very important to form a team while working on the development of I-Crop as it will
help in setting goals and timelines for the project. It will bring the work in coordination and
help in getting the work done within the stipulated time. In addition to this, it will bring better
results. All the team members are required to carry out the roles and responsibilities as well
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in order to contribute to the project and fulfilling the needs of the project (Cockburn &
Highsmith, 2012).
Team Members
S. No. Name Contact Number
1. Krishna (Project Manager) **********
2. Hanish (Analyst) **********
3. Lava Kumar (software developer) **********
4. Vivek (Software designer) **********
Project Overview
It is important to well-describe the project as it is the best way for the project manager to
work. I-Crop will be a noteworthy leap forward for the agriculturists as there are not very
many programming grown explicitly for the ranchers to the simplicity of their cultivating
background. This product will be exceptionally useful for them to make a problem-free
exchange of cash starting with one record then onto the next with no exchange cost. What's
more, it will be helpful in making instalment for the buy of cultivating related hardware
(Fleming & Koppelman, 2016). It will be a safe method of instalment as it is secured by a
firewall. The project manager needs to concentrate on the key particular in the advancement
of the product. Virtucon Consultancy has given IT and business solutions. The task director
needs to concentrate on the key particular in the advancement of the product. Virtucon
Consultancy is given business and IT arrangements. This organization will grow better
programming as indicated by the desires for the Globex Corporation. A portion of the key
focuses is given underneath about this task IT arrangements. This organization will grow
better programming as indicated by the desires for the Globex Corporation. A portion of the
key focuses is given underneath about this task.
 I-Crop is the advanced level programming software that will help in improving the
purchasing experience of farmers.
 Communication process for the end-users will be improved by making use of I-Crop
 It will bring the completed transparency in the process of making payment and users
will be able to track and check the status of their orders.
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Team Charter
Team charters are a type of records that characterize the attributes of the group and its
motivation, how the group will work, and what results the group will provide. These are for
the most important 'guides' that are made before the start of the task and it helps in making
the colleagues clear about their activity jobs and duties. A team charter for the project I-Crop
has been provided below:-
S.
No
.
Team member Required skills and
knowledge
Roles and responsibilities
1. Project manager
(Vivek)
Basic leadership, arrangement,
organising abilities, and
critical thinking, time
management and so on
abilities are required in a
project manager of I-Crop.
This arrangement of aptitude
will help the task supervisor to
perform better.
PM has a great role in
arranging, executing, and
observing, controlling and
closing project. They are
responsible for the whole
scope of the project,
teamwork and management,
arranging resources, and
complete success or failure.
2. Company analyst
(Hanish)
For the company analyst, the
basic skill is to analyse and keep
a check on the key required
ability in the organization
investigator which can support to
break down the key necessities in
the product. Correspondence and
arrangement are required in the
organization.
The role of the company
analyst is to keep a check on
the resources needed for the
project to get completed on
time and efficiently (Mitchell
& Golden, 2012).
3. Software
developer (Lava
Kumar)
He should be well aware of
the software designing
platforms and languages, such
as UX/UI, HTMS, CMS, and
The software designer needs
to consider the particulars of
I-Crop and update it
regularly. It needs to work as
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CSS for developing one of its
kind product called ‘I-Crop'.
indicated by the design
finalized in the meeting as
per the demand of the client.
4. Software designer
(Krishna)
It is quintessential for the
software designer to have a
strong command in technical
skills as these are required for
writing the codes and
algorithm. He should have an
in-depth knowledge of
programming language.
Source Code Writing,
documentation,
troubleshooting, Training
end client, Creativity,
Communication,
Typography.
Team Communication
The motivation behind completing group meeting is to follow the project's progress, examine
the issues influencing the advancement of the task based on the information exchanged in the
meeting, and substantially more (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). It likewise helps in building up
a communication channel. Directors should help in deciding the issues looked by the
colleagues and give quick mastery and assets in settling them. For the confounded task like I-
Crop. A calendar for a group meeting of Virtucon is given here.
S.
No
Members Date Timing Method of a team
meeting
Purpose
1. Company
analyst
29-12-
2018
12 PM – 5
PM
Face to face
meeting or video
conferencing,
Financial funds
are the basic need
of every project
and company
analyst provides
the necessary
funds. The
meeting will be
done with them
to make them
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invest in the
project in order to
get returns of
their investment.
2. Software
designer
6-01-
2019
2 PM – 4
PM
Skype video
conferencing or
Face to face
meeting.
The progress
report and the
specification
details of each
stage should be
provided by the
designer to the
project manager
in the meeting.
3. Software
developer
11-01-
2019
1 PM – 5
PM
Face to face
meeting or video
conferencing,
Project designs
and resources
needed for the
project is to be
discussed and the
same is conveyed
to the project
manager.
Team rules and expectations
Since the team is working on a software, there is a strong need of management and direction
on regular basis. I have seen project turning into a turmoil due to lack of expectation and
team rules. Based on my experience I can say that the project manager is efficient if he is able
to get the task done within a stipulated amount of time. In case the team is unable to meet the
deadline, the manager is responsible for that. Team rules help the manager and team to get
the things done in the right way.
Team values are some sort of characteristics or particular beliefs based on which the right and
wrong or ethical and unethical conducts are decided within the team. It is the duty of the
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project manager to inspire the team members to follow team values. The team values are
listed down below:-
 Making sound decisions based on facts and figures
 Respecting every member’s suggestion in the team meeting
 Avoid being arrogant and helping others to solve
 Promoting goodwill and integrity in the team
 Sharing legit information and experience.
Code of Ethics: Code of ethics are some written and well-defined principles that guide
professional working on a project. Some code of ethics are defined in here:-
 It is required from the team member to get their task completed before or on time. If
they are facing any issues, then they must ask for help.
 There should be a well-established communication channel by which the team
member should be able to exchange the information.
 The project manager should figure out a way to resolve the conflict within the team as
conflicts are obvious in the team project.
 The team members are required to behave ethically and in a rightful manner and live
and work in harmony with each other.
Rules and expectation: The team rules are enlisted below:-
 Every team members who are a part of the team developing I-Crop should understand
their responsibility to act and work according to the set guidelines
 The team member should communicate every issue to the project manager and also
the progress of the work
 The work should be completed well before the set deadlines
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Part Two
Learning Cycles
A learning cycle can be defined as a progression of various parts of the realizing which will
be utilized in the group meeting for the development of the project named I-Crop and its
progress. Comprehension and formulating an issue is the initial segment of the learning cycle.
Once this is done, the planning starts. A group meeting is regularly held for the discussion of
team issues and progress of the work. In addition to this, the resource allocation is also
discussed in the meeting (Turner, 2014).
Fig.1: Team Learning Cycle
Source: Author
It is the duty of the team members and the project manager that the team meeting is being
held on a regular basis. For that purpose, the organiser and the scriber play a crucial role in
conducting team meetings. These significant roles have been explained below:-
Organiser: This person is solely responsible for organising team meeting based on the need
of the time and issues faced by the team working on I-Crop. In addition to this, he is
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Framing and comprehensing the issue
Problem Breakdown Developing a solution
Resolving the issue as per
the suggestion in the
meeting
Planing and reflecting the
issue.

responsible for breaking up the problem into small and solvable segments instead of asking
the team to work on the complex task. Moreover, the organiser will facilitate the team
members to implement a proper plan after the issues are clarified in the team meeting. He is
required to elucidate the hidden factors associated with any project. The project manager is
also required to solve the challenges with the right implementation and good planning
(Qarareh, 2012).
The duties of the organisers are enlisted below:-
 To prepare the meeting schedule as per the requirement of the team and project.
 To decide the time and place of the next meeting to be held by the project manager.
 To negotiate with the team members on different aspects of the project in progress
and to know the suitable time of holding a meeting.
 Decide the agenda to be discussed in the meeting by determining the issues and needs
of the team members.
Scriber: This position is also an important part of any team meeting. This person is
responsible for writing down the key points and issues discussed in the team. The key
function includes making the record for the team meeting and documenting the discussion
done in every team meeting. The scriber is required to have top-notch writing and
communication skills along with the good command in the English language as these two
skills are quintessential for documenting the information. In addition to this, it is required
from the scriber to maintain the record and store the information in some safe storage. The
issues should be well documented and conveyed to each and every member of the team
working in a team. Solutions provided in the meeting are also noted down by the scriber. The
team analyst can be a good scriber as he/she knows the team members and issues coming in
the project. In addition to this, the analyst has good communication skills and can perform the
role of scriber in an efficient way. Some major functions of the scribers include (Thompson,
2013):- The key functions include making notes and documenting the core issues of the
project the team is facing To store the information regarding the team meeting in the safest way possible and
provide them to the team member whenever needed.
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Part Three
Communication Plan
The PM is the key responsible for establishing a communication channel and formulating a
plan for improvement and execution in the project work. It is fundamental to consider the key
partners of the undertaking to build up a communication plan for the project ‘I-Crop’. There
are many key partners of the project that will be discussed later in the report. It is noteworthy
to keep efficient communication between team members and the management which is the
key obligation of the PM. An explicit communication plan is required to create for I-Crop
which can deal with the correspondence in the middle of the group which has created for
executing the task.
Name of
Stakeholder
Information to
be shared
The
frequency of
Meeting
Location of
Meeting
Purpose of
Meeting
Mode of
Communication
Who What When Where Why How
I-Crop
Developing
Team
The progress
report and the
specification
details of each
stage should be
provided by the
team members
to the project
manager in the
meeting.
The meetings
should be held
on a weekly
basis until the
product is
released in the
market.
The
organizer
will decide
the place
and time of
the meeting.
However,
the majority
of the
meetings
will take
place in the
meeting
The team
specification
, project
progress,
and issues in
the project
will be
discussed.
Face to face
meeting or video
conferencing,
pdf., hardcopy
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