Project Selection & Initiation: Uber Driver App - Analysis Report

This project report analyzes the Uber Driver App project, focusing on project selection and initiation using the PMBOK methodology. It explores two main project selection methods: benefit measurement and constrained optimization, with the latter being applied to the Uber case due to its emphasi...Read More

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Project Selection & Initiation
Uber Driver App
4/16/2019

Contents
Contents................................................................................................................................................1
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Project selection methods......................................................................................................................2
PMBOK Methodology..........................................................................................................................3
Project Charter.......................................................................................................................................3
Overview...........................................................................................................................................4
Project Objectives..............................................................................................................................4
Project Scope.....................................................................................................................................4
Major Milestones...............................................................................................................................4
Major Deliverables............................................................................................................................4
Project Assumptions..........................................................................................................................4
Stakeholder Register..............................................................................................................................5
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................6
References.............................................................................................................................................7

Introduction
It is necessary to select an appropriate project so that the organization efficiency and
performance is enhanced. In this scenario, the case of Uber Driver App is undertaken and it is
analysed to decide the initiation process that shall be followed. The use of PMBoK
methodology will be done to determine the projects that shall be selected and the initial
process groups that must be involved.
Uber is an organization that is currently planning to re-build and launch its driver app and has
incorporated over hundreds of engineers for the task. The report covers the detail of the
selection methods used and the initiation document details along with the information of the
initial process groups involved in the project.
Project selection methods
There are primarily two categories of project selection methods that can be applied in the
project. The first category includes the benefit measurement methods and the second set of
methods includes constrained optimization methods.
Benefit measurement methods comprise of the techniques, such as cost benefit analysis for
the project, determination of the payback period, calculation of the rate of return, net present
value, and determination of the opportunity cost. The monetary impact of the project is
determined through these methods and the associated benefits or loss is determined
accordingly (SAEO, 2015). Constraint optimization methods are the ones that include non-
monetary parameters and factors to select a project. For example, customer service
relationships, customer satisfaction levels, organizational policies and goals, government
policies, etc. are some of the factors that are considered.
In the Uber driver app, the selection methods utilized is constrained optimization method.
The drivers are a significant stakeholder group associated with the organization and their
viewpoints are collected and analysed to enhance the customer satisfaction rate (Clements &
Gido, 2006).
The organization has made a decision to include this project as they wish to improve the
engagement levels and user experience of the drivers. This in turn will allow the drivers to
serve the customers in a better way. The overall operational efficiency for the organization
will improve as a result. The mechanism that the drivers follow to interact with the
application and the organization will also change as an outcome. The project will also include

investigation of the working environment and set-up for the drivers and the plans will be
developed accordingly (Gardiner, 2005).
PMBOK Methodology
In the PMBoK guide, it has been defined that the first step that shall be followed for project
development is the initiation of the project. It is the stage in which the initiating process
group is set-up for the project so that the collection of the requirements is effectively done
and the authorization on the same is obtained.
In this process group, the tasks, procedures, and skills are required for execution. The
stakeholder identification is one of the critical steps conducted in this process group. The
presentation of the outcomes is usually done in the form of a Project Charter document that
includes these high-level details for the project (PMI, 2013).
Two of the critical processes that are included in the initiation process group include the
development of the Project Charter documentation along with the identification of the
internal and external stakeholders for the project. The development of the stakeholder register
is done as a result of this process. Project Charter is a significant project initiation document
to make sure that the rest of the project tasks and activities are streamlined. The Project
Sponsor will also obtain the details on the further project decisions to be made as per the
information included in the charter document. The viability and feasibility of the project is
determined on the basis of the information included in the document. The stakeholder register
will allow the project resources and management to understand the stakeholder details and
information. The level of influence, interest, and contribution of the stakeholders will also be
identified using the details of the stakeholder register. The enhanced level of project planning
will be carried out using the information included in the register. Stakeholder management is
one of the key areas included in the project and the details covered in the register will be used
for project planning activities. The stakeholder needs and requirements will also become
clear and the stakeholder expectations will be met through the plan developed (Beringer &
Kock, 2013).
Project Charter
Project Charter is the project initiation document that defines the objectives and goals of the
project along with the information on the key project stakeholders, roles and responsibilities
of the team members, associated project risks, budget constraints applicable on the project,

and the level of authority for the Project Manager. The Project Charter will have the
following details for the Uber Driver App project (Fournet, 2011).
Overview
The project includes the re-building and re-development of the Uber driver app that will be
carried out by a team of application developers and engineers.
Project Objectives
The primary project objective is to create a driver app with enhanced user interface and
functional specifications to improve the engagement and satisfaction levels of the drivers.
Project Scope
 Requirements identification and classification as per the information gathered from
the drivers.
 Communication of the information to the stakeholders so that the stakeholders are
always updated on the project progress.
 Execution of the design activities to develop responsible and adaptable design for the
application.
 Conduction of the development processes by incorporating the Uber engineers
(Berbec, 2014)
Major Milestones
 Analysis of the current work environment for the drivers
 Information collection from all the data sources and analysis of the collected data sets
 Development of the design on the basis of the information collected
 Source code development
 Testing of the new system
Major Deliverables
 Document capturing the requirements from all the drivers
 Design of the application as per the requirements collected from all the drivers
 Application module developed comprising of the source code of the application
Project Assumptions
 The development of the application will make sure that the overall experience of the
users is enhanced.
 The application will be accepted by the users in the market.

 The application will have positive implication on the user experience levels.
Stakeholder Register
The stakeholder register will allow the project resources and management to understand the
stakeholder details and information. The level of influence, interest, and contribution of the
stakeholders will also be identified using the details of the stakeholder register. The enhanced
level of project planning will be carried out using the information included in the register
(Beringer & Kock, 2013).
Stakeholder
group
Type of
stakeholder
Requirements Communicatio
n needs
Expectation Frequency Influence Interest Power
Designers Neutral To obtain an
understanding
of the
expectation of
the drivers in
terms of design
needs and
requirement
The
information
provided by the
drivers shall be
shared
To have
elaborated
and accurate
requirement
for designing
the app
Weekly Moderate Moderate Low
Engineers Supporter To obtain an
understanding
of the
expectation of
the drivers in
terms of
development
needs and
requirement
The
information
provided by the
drivers shall be
shared
To have
elaborated
and accurate
requirement
for
developing
the app
daily Moderate High Moderate
Drivers Positive The application
design and the
developed
application
shall be able to
have positive
influence on
the tasks and
activities
carried out by
the stakeholder
group.
During the
requirement
gathering and
subsequent
project phases
(C.R &
Thomas,
2011)
To enhance
the functional
and non-
functional
specifications
of the
application
and to make
sure that the
user
experience
levels are
improved.
As and when
they have
time to
communicate
High Moderate Moderate
Project
Sponsor
Supportive The company
profits and
revenues shall
increase with
the
implementation
Project
planning and
estimates
To achieve
enhanced
profits and
revenues with
the
improvements
During the
project
initiation
stage and
post
milestone
High High High

of the re-
developed and
re-build system
(Heerkens,
2015)
in the
application
developed
completions
Customers Neutral To make sure
that the
necessary
services and
requirements
are integrated
in the
application.
During the
requirement
gathering and
subsequent
project phases
as per the
requirement
To enhance
the functional
and non-
functional
specifications
of the
application
and to make
sure that the
user
experience
levels are
improved.
Project
initiation and
project
closure
High Moderate Moderate
Conclusion
There are primarily two categories of project selection methods that can be applied in the
project. The first category includes the benefit measurement methods and the second set of
methods includes constrained optimization methods. In the Uber driver app, the selection
methods utilized is constrained optimization method. The drivers are a significant stakeholder
group associated with the organization and their viewpoints are collected and analysed to
enhance the customer satisfaction rate. In the PMBoK guide, it has been defined that the first
step that shall be followed for project development is the initiation of the project. In this
process group, the tasks, procedures, and skills are required for execution. The stakeholder
identification is one of the critical steps conducted in this process group. Two of the critical
processes that are included in the initiation process group include the development of the
Project Charter documentation along with the identification of the internal and external
stakeholders for the project.

References
PMI. (2013). A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge. PMI.
SAEO. (2015). Cost Estimating Manual for Projects . SAEO.
FME. (2014). Project Scope Management: Project Skills. FME.
Berbec, I. S. (2014). Aligning Project Scope And Deliverables With Business Strategy. KTH
Royal Institute of Technology .
Beringer, C. J., & Kock, A. D. (2013). Behavior of internal stakeholders in project portfolio
management and its impact on success. International Journal of Project Management,
31(6), 840-846.
C.R, K., & Thomas, S. M. (2011). Requirement Gathering for small Projects using Agile
Methods. IJCA, 122-128.
Clements, J. P., & Gido, J. .. (2006). Effective Project Management. Thompson.
Fournet, B. (2011). PM unusual: the three key challenges facing project managers over the
next five years. TX. Newtown Square, PA: PMI® Global Congress.
Gardiner, P. D. (2005). Project Management: A Strategic Planning Approach. Macmillan
International Higher Education.
Heerkens, G. (2015). Project management. Mcgraw-Hill Education..
Jainendrakumar, T. D. (2016). Project Stakeholder Management. PM World Journal, 5(5), 1-
9.