Engaged.be Final Project Plan1

8/2/2019 Engaged.be Final Project Plan1

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Engaged.BeProject Plan

Trey McNeal & Mary Bennett


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WBS ................................................................................................ 5

Gantt Chart .................................................................................... 6

Site Image .....................................................................................................6

Blog Image ....................................................................................................6

Risk Register .................................................................................................6

Communications Artifacts Example: Supplier Proposal Request ...................6

Dictionary of Project Terms ..........................................................................6


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Section 1: Introduction and Project Charter

Executive Summary

The Engaged.Be project is to create an eCommerce site and blog to coexist in the sale ofengagement rings. The goal of this site is to sell jewelry to bachelors who are new to thisspecific market. The site is accompanied by a blog for users to interact among each other.The site and matching blog will be tailed for bachelors to gain more insight on the art ofproposal. The overall goal is to create a fully functioning eCommerce site in prototype form.This means that instead of the site being a full scale store with the entire variety ofproducts available, only a handful of products will be uploaded to the site. Furthermore,purchases cannot be made from the site by customers while the site is in prototype form.

The team must do the following:

-Create eCommerce account with Shopify and set up storefront presence-Implement the aesthetic design for the eCommerce site and the blog site-Secure accounts with suppliers-Develop a Comma Separated Values (CSV) inventory list based on products offered-Develop marketing plan-Distribute listings to Google base and other online vendors

The Engaged.Be project will be funded by The Launch Pad Group, the client. Funding isnecessary for the eCommerce account with Shopify and marketing. Further, the clientexpressed interest in creating a charity fund from a percentage of the proceeds.

The team plans to have a fully functioning prototype of the Engaged.Be site and blog by theend of the 2011 fall semester.


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Hand-off Plan

The team plans to have a detailed orientation to hand-off the Engaged.Be project plan fromthe team to The Launch Pad Group. As there are many working components required tosuccessfully complete the Engaged.Be project, a thorough review of the project plans is

necessary in handing off this project to another team. The review of the components will bedone in an orientation session in which the project team and the clients will meet.

The orientation will include a review of:-The Project Plan-All technological sources used during the plan development period-The issues that arose and how they were dealt with-The future short- and long-term goals for the project-The planned budget-The communication plan-The marketing plan

This orientation will also be an opportunity to address questions on part of the client, TheLaunch Pad Group. A detailed orientation of the Engaged.Be project plan for The LaunchPad Group will allow for the smoothest transition of the project for full implementation.

Lessons Learned

The planning of the Engaged.Be project has made apparent ideas that would be useful for agroup tackling such a project from the earliest stages of the planning and implementation.

-Establishing the project scope in the earliest stages of the project will result in the mostcompleted project.-In a situation where a particular outcome does not seem to be the favorable outcome forthe team and/or client, the team should stop all operations on the particular situation.-Planning for a certain operation must be completed in totality before the operation isexecuted.-Keeping an up-to-date project plan is essential for the most inclusive project records andsmoothest project hand-off.-Having a working-knowledge and being experienced in the various components of aproject allow for the best execution of the individual components and project as a whole.


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Project Charter

The Engaged.Be project is to create a fully functioning eCommerce site for the Launch PadGroup (formerly branded as Web Traffic Consultants) of the Jim Moran Institute of FSU.

This site will be geared toward bachelors looking to get engaged. The goal of this site is toprovide an atmosphere friendly to bachelors that are new to jewelry buying and to alleviatethe pressure of this nostalgic moment. The team is currently on track to producing afinalized product by the expected completion date. The remaining steps are mostly infinalizing the business plan with the client.

The team will be following the traditional project execution model in the planning andprototype implementation of the Engaged.Be project. The aforementioned traditionalmodel is as follows:

Initiating

PlanningExecutingControllingClosing

By following this traditional model, the team will be able to effectively manage and controlthe project for the best possible outcome.


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Goal Breakdown Schedule

This is a preliminary goal breakdown schedule for Engaged.Be which begins with thehighest level goals and works down through objectives, requirements and specifications as

needed and known at this point.

1. Fully functioning eCommerce site that will be ready for sale - End of the semester

a. Create a bachelor friendly online store

2. Start blog and post regularly on relevant topics - Constant

a. Create a blog for the site for users to communicate with one another

3. Communicating and securing suppliers - End of September

a. Suppliers will be the source of the engagement rings

4. Creating CSV database for products - End of October

a. The CSV will be the organizational tool to keep track and keep record of records

5. Helping implement aesthetic design to both eCommerce & blog - End of September

a. The sites template will set the atmosphere for the male users

6. Distribute listings in Google base and other online vendors - End of November

a. Listing in Google Base will allow for the eCommerce become visible on Googlesshopping search engine

7. Create marketing plan - Beginning of October

a. This will allow potential users to become aware of this site and blog

8. Solve issues that happen Constant

a. Spontaneous issues may be unaccounted for and must be resolved


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Assumptions and Constraints

Assumptions

1. The software put forth by Shopify will be fully functional

2. The template put forth by Shopify will appear and function as it did on the demo site3. There is a market for bachelors buying engagement rings4. Any costs required to complete individual deliverables or the final product itself will

be covered by The Launch Pad Group (the client).5. The team is able to make fundamental decisions about the project so long as the

final project meets the criteria put forth by standards and requirements of TheLaunch Pad Group.

Constraints

1. Building a secure relationship with engagement ring suppliers.2. Several test trials will need to be performed to decide the most effective and

efficient way to market to the masses.3. The team may need to acquire outside help for specific portions of the project due to

lack of expertise (ie. Marketing.)


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Scope

In Scope

The scope of the project is to manage the general site creation and design of Engaged.Be.

The goal of this site is to sell jewelry for bachelors in need of direction. The site isaccompanied by a blog for users to interact among each other. The site and matching blogwill be tailed for bachelors to gain more insight on the art of proposal. The overall goal is tocreate a fully functioning eCommerce site in prototype form. This means that instead of thesite being a full scale store with the entire variety of products available, only a handful ofproducts will be uploaded to the site. Furthermore, purchases cannot be made from the siteby customers while the site is in prototype form.

The team will have to communicate with suppliers and secure accounts with them to havean inventory list, implement the aesthetic design into the eCommerce and adjusted for theblog site.

Once the team has a supplier and their inventory, a CSV will be created for the products toupload to Shopify. Shopify is the eCommerce shopping cart that will be used to createEngaged.Be. Then a marketing plan must be developed. Listings will have to be distributedto Google base and other online vendors. This will be a product of the marketing plan.

The team can expect to run into several issues during implementation. These issues includepoor communication with the supplier, technological issues, and niche marketingdilemmas.

The client expressed interest in creating a charity fund from a percentage of the proceed.So long as the charity is for a positive cause, the group is able to make the final decision

who the charity goes to. A stated percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Kiva. Themeans by which this project will be accomplished is facilitated by a budget allocated by TheLaunch Pad Group.

Out of Scope

The team is no longer responsible for operations on the Engaged.Be project after theprototype implementation stage. The team will not be responsible for the maintenanceincluding the updating, alteration, and troubleshooting of the site. The team will also not beresponsible for the sales, shipping, or customer service processes.

Once the team has completed the Engaged.Be project plan and has handed off to TheLaunch Pad Group, The Launch Pad Group Assumes full responsibility of the Engaged.Beproject.


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Deliverables

1. Fully functioning eCommerce site that would be ready for sale2. Start blog and post regularly on relevant topics3. Communicating and securing suppliers

4. Creating CSV database for products5. Helping implement aesthetic design to both eCommerce and blog6. Distribute listing in Google base and other online vendors7. Create marketing plan8. Solve issues that happen as they arise


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Section 2: Project Activities and Work Breakdown

Structure

Work Breakdown Schedule

1. Project Initiation-At this point, the team will meet with the clients to set the scopeof the project. Once the scope is set, a project charter will be developed and modified untilan agreement between project team and project client is agreed upon.

1.1. Kickoff Meeting - Initial meeting of the product team to outline the project and set goals

1.2. Develop Engaged.Be Project Charter - Write up the charter describing the project topresent to the client

1.3. Charter Signed - Have the client sign off on the charter

2.Project Planning-The planning stage of the project is the most crucial time for theteam to make initial decisions for the course of the project and to create a guide for projectexecution.

2.1. Develop eCommerce Design and Marketing Plans- chose user interface and respectivemarketing schemes

2.2.1. Create Shopify Account2.2.2. Select interface template

2.2.3. Select marketing strategies

2.2. Develop Supplier Contact List- The team will do research to find a list of potentialsuppliers to contact.

2.3. Develop CSV prototype- Developing a CSV prototype by uploading a sample product tothe Engaged.Be Shopify database will allow for a simpler process when uploading thesuppliers products.

2.4. Review tasks 2.1-2.4

2.5. All Project Plans Approved- Present finalized project plans to client for approval

3.Project Execution-In this stage of the project, the team will begin implementationof the different components of the projects including interface design and marketing.

3.1. Finalize Supplier Contract- Develop template for supplier contract to send to thepotential suppliers on the aforementioned supplier list.


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3.2. Implement Marketing Strategies- After choosing the most effective marketingstrategies in the planning stage, these strategies must be implemented to start thedevelopment of a customer base.

3.2.1. Apply SEO on keywords-3.2.2. Apply Google DoubleClick

3.3. Implement Site Design- At this stage, the template interface will be installed in to theEngaged.Be Shopify account.

3.3.1. Apply Interface Template

3.4. Organize Product Inventory into CSV Prototype- Once the supplier is finalized and theproducts are received, the products should be organized into the CSV prototype.

3.5. List Products on eCommerce- After organizing the products into the CSV prototype, theproducts should be uploaded to the Engaged.Be site.

3.6. Implement Shipping Information- Test purchases should be made to test to thefunctionality of the shipping function. If necessary, the group should make alterations to fixthe functionality.

4.Project Control-The project control stage is a time for the team to measure thesuccess of the implemented components against the goals that were initially set in theproject charter for those components.

4.1. Test to Determine if eCommerce is Functional- At this point, the team will proceed withfurther testing to examine the functionality of the site in its entirety.

4.2. Status Reports - Status Reports will be created at different intervals throughout theproject to report key updates and progress made

4.3. Report Performance- This is a point at which the team needs to report the currentstatus of the project to the client. The client will also be able to determine the success of theteams work.

4.4. Control Changes - The team will need to comb through the project to see if any finalchanges or updates need to be made in any of the areas

5.Project Closeout-The project close will be the final stage in the implementation ofEngaged.Be for the team. The team will resolve any incomplete tasks and test thefunctionality of all finalized components. In this stage, the team will also present the finalresult to the client, The Launch Pad Group.

5.1. Prepare Final Project Report- At the completion of the project and all of itsdeliverables, the team is to create a final report of the project.


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5.2. Present Final Project- Once the report is completed, the team should present the reportto the clients for a final evaluation.

5.3. Project Completed- Once the client verifies the teams final project report, the teamsrange of tasks, described by the project scope, are completed and the project is handed off

to the client.


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Section 3: Project Schedule

Start: September 1, 2011End: December 9, 2011Duration: 3 months

Milestones:-Charter Signed -

Project charter is presented to The Launch Pad group. The project charter includes adefinition of the project and major deliverables.

-Implementing Interface-The interface is the most significant communication between the client, The Launch

Pad group, and the customers. A properly presented and function interface is one of themost crucial components of the Engaged.Be project.

-Implementing Marketing Strategies-With the Engaged.Be project being a start-up company, the marketing strategies

chosen will be essential in developing an initial customer base.

-Finalize Supplier Contract-A supplier will allow for an in- and out-flow of product for the Engaged.Be site. The

supplier will also be responsible for customer service questions and concerns, the shippingof the product and peripherals, and for the customization of the rings (ie. resizing) if needbe.

Activities:

The activities that the team will have to perform for the Engaged.Be project are as follows:

1. Fully functioning eCommerce site that would by ready for sale2. Start blog and post regularly on relevant topics3. Communicating and securing suppliers4. Creating CSV database for products5. Helping implement aesthetic design to both eCommerce and blog6. Distribute listing in Google Base and other online vendors7. Create marketing plan

8. Solve issues that happen as they arise


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Scheduling issues:

Creating an eCommerce business from the ground could be a very complicated processdepending on the nature of the business and the intricacy of the site interface. The

Engaged.Be project presents scheduling issues of its own for various reasons.

-The CSV cannot be completed and uploaded to the site in its entirety.The more products a supplier provides for Engaged.Be, the more difficult it will be toorganize the products into the Comma Separated Values Database. The team will be able toupload only a sample amount of products to the Shopify site to be able to develop afunctioning CSV database to manage the products.

-The site will be missing a few key elements that competing jewelry sites have.For example, an application that allows users to slide buttons on different axis (carat,clarity, cut, color) and it will give the user an estimate of diamond of the designated

specifications. While such an application is most useful for users, coding the application isout of the teams range of time to complete all other deliverables in the original scope of the

project.

*Refer to Appendix for Gantt chart view of timeline


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Section 4: Project Budget

Total monthly budget: $40 + 5% of proceeds for charityThis is a low cost project as there are few components that entail a cost. The Shopifysoftware requires a reoccurring monthly cost of 29 dollars. The other component thatwill cost the client is the marketing. Two marketing strategies will be used: DoubleClick(which is a pay-per-click service) and Search Engine Optimization on keywords. Themarketing costs will range from 10-15 dollars per month. The final source of outflowwill be directed toward Kiva. Kiva is charity organization that will receive 5% or theEngaged.Be proceeds.

Category: Source: Cost:

Software Shopify $29/month

Shopify Template $0

Marketing DoubleClick $5

SEO on keywords $5

Charity Fund Kiva 5% of Proceeds


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database which could be very time consuming. In terms of costs, the supplier would have tonot only update their database, but also send the new information so that the team couldupdate the information. In terms of quality of deliverables, if the team is not up-to-date onthe pricing, the quality could be deemed poor and if the information is incorrect, ultimatelyuseless.

5- Advertising approaches not being effective:Advertising approaches are the most important in the initial stages of a project. In terms ofscheduling, the team may need to budget more time on the schedule if the advertisingtechniques already being used are not effective. However, if there is a lot of web traffic onthe site then no extra time should be budgeted to advertising. In terms of costs, the teamwould need to measure and analyze the most cost efficient way to effectively advertise tothe targeted audience. In terms of quality of deliverable, the advertising approaches takenby the team does not necessarily affect the quality of the final product.

6- Site Usability:

This is a type of risk that could be assumed in any type of user interface. Any one type ofuser interface will not always please an entire audience of people. In terms of scheduling,the team would have to budget more time to fix or find a new template if the site has lowweb traffic. In terms of cost, the team may or may not have to budget more money to thesite design if the web traffic is not on target. In terms of quality of deliverables, the sitelayout is the most influential factor of the quality of the final product.

7- Noncompetitive prices:Prices are what ultimately decide the success of a company. In terms of scheduling, thepricing would minimally affect the project. The team would have to adjust the markuppercentage of the product if the prices are not competitive. This assessment would have to

wait until the site is completed and enough time has been given to users to make plentifulpurchases. In terms of costs, a poor pricing scheme could affect the overall revenue boththe supplier and the teams client. In terms of quality of deliverable, a price does notnecessarily affect the quality of the products. However, this could vary from user to user.

8- Defective Template:Since the template is essentially the user interface, the template is one of the mostimportant components of the project. In terms of scheduling, the team would have to takeno more than a day to decide from the list of backup templates which would be the nextbest template to install. In terms of costs, a defective template would present no extra costsas all the templates the team selected are of no cost. In terms of quality of deliverable, the

original template being defective could mean a less effective user interface which is whythe secondary templates were not chosen in the first place.


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Addressing Project Risks:

Project risks will be addressed based on their perceived significance. Some of these riskswill be addressed and resolved upfront in the project plan. Other risks, however, will beconsidered but not acted upon until the actual risk presents itself. Most of the risks

identified have a significantly large impact on the project should they occur. The actionstaken to prevent these risks are planned to eliminate or minimize the probability ofoccurrence or the impact of the issue(s).


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Section 6: Communication Plan

Introduction

This document provides a summary of the communication plan for project Engaged.Be. Itincludes a list of the main audiences for this project, the goals for each of those audiences,the method(s) used to reach of the audiences and the timing of the communications. Inmany cases these communication activities will be included and described further in theprojects work breakdown structure.

Key Stakeholders

1.1 The Launch Pad GroupThe Launch Pad Group is the audience requesting this project and is also the leadstakeholder. The team is in frequent contact with the throughout the development andimplementation process.

1.2 Communication GoalsThe teams communication goals are to keep this group informed on a weekly basis.Duringeach correspondence the stakeholder is updated on what progress has been made and anymajor changes that occur.

1.3 MethodThere are several methods for reaching this audience. Typically, the team is in their officeworking on the project and communication is face-to-face. On more important milestone-related questions, the communication medium is through email so that there is a receipt of

the communication.

Project TeamThe project team includes the individuals most involved in the completion of this project.The project team is the primarily internal stakeholder group. Since this team contains onlytwo members, both members must receive all information regarding the project

1.4 Communication GoalsThe goals of the team are to communicate at least bi-weekly to see the progress that hasbeen made and the steps that need to be taken next.

1.5 MethodThe methods for the project team vary. The team communicates through text andtelephone to schedule meetings, and communicates through Google Docs and email forsharing documents. Further, the team meets face-to-face on a bi-weekly basis to work onthe project and to make sure that the project is on schedule and progressing according tothe plan.


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Appendices

A1- WBS


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A2-Gantt Chart


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A3-Site Image


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A4-Blog Image


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A5-Risk Register

Risk Description Category Root Cause Triggers

Potential

Responses Risk Owner Probability Impact Status

A loose

relationship

with a supplier

Since this is a

start up, we

are

dependent

on our

suppliers.We are not

in relation

with the

source of the

materials. If

the supplier

decides to

back out, the

entire

project may

fall through. People Risk

Supplier

backing out of

the

agreement

Supplier is

unhappy with

progress, Poor

communication

; Supplier feels

relationship is

not in their

best interest.

Find back up

suppliers, set

up several

supplier

accounts. Engaged.Be Medium High

PM is workin

to stabilize

relationship

with the

supplier.

The site being

viewed as

biased

The

Engaged.Be

site is geared

toward

bachelors.Some who

do not

classify as

such may

find this

offensive. People Risk

Non-Bachelors

may be

offended and

question the

site's

legitimacy.

Negative

feedback,

Negative

reviews

Provide

positive

feedback to

all parties,

provide

alternatives

for those

who find the

site offensive Engaged.Be Low Low

This issue is

always taken

into

consideratio

However, if

when it arise

is when it wi

be handled

carefully.


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No interested

buyers (no one

is looking to

get engaged)

With our

economic

status,

bachelors

may be

postponing

possible

engagement

or looking for

cheaper

alternatives

for

engagement

rings.

Economic

Risk

The economy

and

decreased

employment

levels

High product

prices, low

income levels

Decreased

markup Engaged.Be Medium High

The project

plan has

already take

this risk into

consideratioand has mad

the markup

level minimu

The prices of

diamonds/goldconstantly

fluctuating

With the

prices of the

materials

used to

create

engagement

rings rising

and

decreasing,

the

management

of our

databasecould be

difficult.

Economic

Risk

Taxes

fluctuating,

mining costs

fluctuate,

where the

supplies are

beingimported

from

How "precious"

the materials

are,import/export

laws, tax laws

Adjust prices

accordingly Engaged.Be Low Medium

The project

plan has

already take

this risk into

consideratio

and assume

this is aninherent risk

this business

Advertising

approaches

not being

effective

Inadequate

target

advertising

through the

wrong

methods People Risk

Targeted

audience is

unable to

view

advertisemen

ts

Poor strategies,

not enough

advertising, not

enough

knowledge to

correctly

advertise

Evaluate

which

techniques

worked in

the past and

which did not

and adjust

accordingly. Engaged.Be Medium Medium

The PM has

evaluated

which would

the best

methods as

now to reac

targeted

audience.


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A6-Communications Artifacts:Sample Supplier Proposal Request

THELAUNCH PADG R O UP

ECOMMERCE SITE

Proposal to:THE GEM COLLECTION

November 9th, 2011

850 -325-0791info@ thelaunchpadgroup.com


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ECOMMERCE SITE

Mission:To create a relationship with the Gem Collection to supply products for Engaged.Be. Also to give theGem Collection an opportunity to market theirproducts through another nationwide onlineretailer.

Company Background:Through the student business incubator at FloridaState University and our many clients from allfields, we have developed expertise in conversionoptimization. Our expertise derives from ourextensive web design experience and our userinterface studies performed on many sites as wellas our mobile site development for the JMIInstitute. We are composed entirely ofentrepreneurs who were born into webtechnology. Our culture is data driven decision

making. We use actual results and research todrive our decisions.

Products/Services:Ecommerce site that allows an opportunity forbachelors to engage with content while providing areward to further influence Howtogetengaged.comblog readers and contributors. This leads to astronger connection between the two parties and amore interactive experience. We have focused a lotof our client work around conversion optimizationand this will directly apply to engaging the visitorswith the content on the site.


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[email protected]

ECOMMERCE SITETOTAL COSTSBREAKDOWN

BUY:We will purchase a piece of your jewelry for itsadvertised retail price.

MARKUP:We will then mark up the price of your product by 10%.

SELL:We will sell your products on our online retail site.

COST TO YOU: $ 0.00

850-325-0 791


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ECOMMERCE SITE

Example Process:The Buying Process:The buyer would purchase the product fromEngaged.Be. If the product is offered by the GemCollection for $1000, the product would be sold for$1100 on Engaged.Be. The Gem Collection wouldreceive $1000 revenue and Engaged.Be would receive$100 revenue.

The Customer Service:If the buyers have any questions, wewould encourage them to contact the GemCollection. Customers would call our Google Voicenumber and the Gem Collection would be able tosee that it is an Engaged.Be customer callingthrough the caller ID. Knowing the caller is an Engaged.Be customer, the Gem Collection wouldbe able to take an factor into consideration: thepricing is not the same as the in store products.The Gem Collections Approaches to the Customer Service:If the Gem Collection decides to discuss with thecustomer the in store price of the product,Engaged.Be would receive a 10% commission perproduct. If the Gem Collection discusses with thecustomer the price of the product on theEngaged.Be site, the Gem Collection would receive100% of their in store price and Engaged.Be wouldreceive an addition 10% of the in store price asdiscussed in the above section.


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A7-Dictionary of Common Project Terms:

-client- The Launch Pad Group; the group initiating request for the Engaged.Be project

-DoubleClick- marketing technique; an advertisement manager and server

-eCommerce- online store

-Google Base- a Google database that acts as an online classified advertisement service

-Kiva- the charity organization to which 5% of Engaged.Be proceeds will be applied to

(refer tohttp://www.kiva.org/)

-pay-per-click- online advertising technique that pushes web traffic toward certain sites;

site owners pay advertisementpublishers every time a user clicks on the sites

advertisement.

-prototype- the Engaged.Be site, the blog site, and the necessary files to support the

functionality

-SEO- search engine optimization

-Shopify- eCommerce software service

-supplier- the group that will be responsible for providing the products to Engaged.Be

-template interface- the aesthetic design of what the users will see

-WBS- work breakdown structure
http://www.kiva.org/http://www.kiva.org/http://www.kiva.org/http://www.kiva.org/

Documents

Engaged.be Final Project Plan1