| The QBCon Way |
Project Origination
The phase starts with an internal meeting by the sales department to brief and outline the client’s required business solution. All of the client meetings are facilitated by the Project Manager or Business Analyst to communicate QBCon’s procedures for Development. The basic points that will be discussed during the internal meeting are to gain a background on the company, its client project owner, general requirements, deliverables and scope. Project Managers and Project Sponsors are identified to ensure all relevant expertise is acquired for the project. The time frames and resource availability along with the client expectations are discussed. Once potential risks have been identified and assessed, all techniques to manage the risks are proposed. An initial meeting with the client will be arranged and will be facilitated by the Project Manager or Business Analyst to communicate QBCon’s procedures for development and all other points discussed in the internal meeting. The sales department analyse the information gained during client meetings and prepare a proposal that is presented to the client. Once the client has accepted the project the phase is completed with the signing-off of the proposal to do a URS.
Project Initiation
The Business Analyst completes an analysis of the client’s needs based on the user requirement. Standard Operating Procedures are the focus in this stage and the outcome will be an indication of deliverables and the basis for the pricing of the software development and the creation of the Functional Requirements Specification. The URS documentation provides the client with a full and complete specification for the new software product and is based on the requirements of the client. The URS project manager can define a cost estimate for the project once the URS is complete. A Project scope is written to serve as guide for future project planning. The project scope documents the needs of the business or problems the project will address, the project objectives and the project’s expected outcome. The client is given a QBCon standard development proposal.
Project Planning
Project planning defines the exact parameters of the project and ensures that all the pre-requisites for project execution and control are in place. It is a detailed plan that defines and expands on the activities and tasks identified during the Project Initiation phase. A communication plan is developed in this phase to identify all people with an interest in the project. All progress to date is described according to accomplishments, changes in tasks, resources with new target dates. Description of the action plan for addressing open issues and potential impacts on the project are also supplied. Any changes to be made to the project follow the procedures provided by the scope variation plan. The client is then informed of the timeline for the project and how/when progress will be completed during the Client Kick-off Meeting. To define the internal workings of the software a Functional Requirements Specification is drawn up to help the developer understand why the requirements are needed.
Project Execution and Control
Activities in this phase include the completion of a communication plan that ensures the receiver not only understands the information, but the information is received correctly and complete. When a change to the scope is considered, all parties must agree to the change and understand the impact. When this process is instituted early the effectiveness of the change is tested. The client and project sponsor soon become accustomed to the way changes will be managed throughout the project. The software is implemented, monitored and the client tests the product to confirm all requirements are met. Any further adjustments can be made before implementation.
Project Close-out
Results of the project are assessed with feedback and survey results from team members, customers and other stakeholders. Best practices and performance patterns are communicated with a Post-Implementation Report. Feedback on the performance of the project formally closes once the client has signed-off the project.
| The QBCon Way |
Project Origination
The phase starts with an internal meeting by the sales department to brief and outline the client’s required business solution. All of the client meetings are facilitated by the Project Manager or Business Analyst to communicate QBCon’s procedures for Development. The basic points that will be discussed during the internal meeting are to gain a background on the company, its client project owner, general requirements, deliverables and scope. Project Managers and Project Sponsors are identified to ensure all relevant expertise is acquired for the project. The time frames and resource availability along with the client expectations are discussed. Once potential risks have been identified and assessed, all techniques to manage the risks are proposed. An initial meeting with the client will be arranged and will be facilitated by the Project Manager or Business Analyst to communicate QBCon’s procedures for development and all other points discussed in the internal meeting. The sales department analyse the information gained during client meetings and prepare a proposal that is presented to the client. Once the client has accepted the project the phase is completed with the signing-off of the proposal to do a URS.
Project Initiation
The Business Analyst completes an analysis of the client’s needs based on the user requirement. Standard Operating Procedures are the focus in this stage and the outcome will be an indication of deliverables and the basis for the pricing of the software development and the creation of the Functional Requirements Specification. The URS documentation provides the client with a full and complete specification for the new software product and is based on the requirements of the client. The URS project manager can define a cost estimate for the project once the URS is complete. A Project scope is written to serve as guide for future project planning. The project scope documents the needs of the business or problems the project will address, the project objectives and the project’s expected outcome. The client is given a QBCon standard development proposal.
Project Planning
Project planning defines the exact parameters of the project and ensures that all the pre-requisites for project execution and control are in place. It is a detailed plan that defines and expands on the activities and tasks identified during the Project Initiation phase. A communication plan is developed in this phase to identify all people with an interest in the project. All progress to date is described according to accomplishments, changes in tasks, resources with new target dates. Description of the action plan for addressing open issues and potential impacts on the project are also supplied. Any changes to be made to the project follow the procedures provided by the scope variation plan. The client is then informed of the timeline for the project and how/when progress will be completed during the Client Kick-off Meeting. To define the internal workings of the software a Functional Requirements Specification is drawn up to help the developer understand why the requirements are needed.
Project Execution and Control
Activities in this phase include the completion of a communication plan that ensures the receiver not only understands the information, but the information is received correctly and complete. When a change to the scope is considered, all parties must agree to the change and understand the impact. When this process is instituted early the effectiveness of the change is tested. The client and project sponsor soon become accustomed to the way changes will be managed throughout the project. The software is implemented, monitored and the client tests the product to confirm all requirements are met. Any further adjustments can be made before implementation.
Project Close-out
Results of the project are assessed with feedback and survey results from team members, customers and other stakeholders. Best practices and performance patterns are communicated with a Post-Implementation Report. Feedback on the performance of the project formally closes once the client has signed-off the project.