Computer Asset Manager System
Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment
Green Group
CS 410
April 27, 2006
Table of Contents
Document Pg. No.
NSF Form 1207 (Will Dandridge) 3
Project Summary (Will Dandridge) 5
NSF Form 1359 (Will Dandridge) 6
Project Description (Will Dandridge
/Sean Coogan) 8
Biographical Sketches (All Members) 14
Phase I Technical Objectives (Will Dandridge) 17
GUI Design (Sean Coogan) 20
Conclusion (Mark DeDomenic) 26
Summary Budget Proposal (James Hubany) 27
Works Cited (Sean Coogan) 30
Appendix:
Marketing Plan (Jeff Wolford) 32
Management Plan (Tom Romero) 45
Staffing / Organizational Plan (Jeff Worford) 56
Risk Plan (Jeff Wolford) 73
Mitigation Plan (Mark DeDomenic) 76
Funding Plan (James Hubany 81
Evaluation Plan (Jeff Wolford) 87
Resource Plan (Sean Coogan) 93
Conclusion (Mark DeDomenic) 97
|COVER SHEET FOR PROPOSAL TO THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION |
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|(See GPG II.D.1 For Definitions) FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SMALL BUSINESS MINORITY BUSINESS WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS |
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|TITLE OF PROPOSED PROJECT Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment |
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|REQUESTED AMOUNT |PROPOSED DURATION (1-60 MONTHS) |REQUESTED STARTING DATE |SHOW RELATED PREPROPOSAL NO., |
| | | |IF APPLICABLE |
| |6 |January 10, 2006 | |
| |months | | |
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|CHECK APPROPRIATE BOX(ES) IF THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDES ANY OF THE ITEMS LISTED BELOW |
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|PI/PD DEPARTMENT |PI/PD POSTAL ADDRESS |
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|Computer Science |925 Brandon Ave Apt 5A |
|PI/PD FAX NUMBER |Norfolk, Va 23517 |
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|757-555-1234 | |
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|NAMES (TYPED) |High Degree |Yr of Degree |Telephone Number |Electronic Mail Address |
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|PI/PD NAME | | | | |
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|Janet Brunelle |M.S. |1987 |757-683-4832 |brunelle@cs.odu.edu |
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|CO-PI/PD | | | | |
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|Tom Romero | | | | |
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|CERTIFICATION PAGE |
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|Certification for Principal Investigators and Co-Principal Investigators |
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|I certify to the best of my knowledge that: |
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|(1) the statements herein (excluding scientific hypotheses and scientific opinions) are true and complete, and |
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|required project reports if an award is made as a result of this proposal. |
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|I understand that the willful provision of false information or concealing a material fact in this proposal or any other communication submitted to NSF is a |
|criminal offense (U.S.Code, Title 18, Section 1001). |
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|Name (Typed) |Signature |Social Security No.* |Date |
|PI/PD | | | |
|Janet Brunelle | |000-00-0000 | |
|Co-PI/PD | | | |
|Tom Romero | |000-00-0000 | |
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|Certification for Authorized Organizational Representative or Individual Applicant |
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|By signing and submitting this proposal, the individual applicant or the authorized official of the applicant institution is: (1) certifying that statements made |
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Project Summary:
The Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment (DICE) is envisioned as a stand-alone application with web functionality that will help students succeed by building an online educational community. It will enhance student-to-professor and student-to-student communications by integrating voice chat, application sharing, file transfers, and instant messages. Also included will be a forum/personal message board, a Wiki-database, and all chat sessions can be archived for later viewing.
The Internet has long held the promise of anywhere, anytime education. Online or distance education is become a normal way of attending classes in pursuit of a college degree; however, with the amount of students perusing education outside of the classroom, progress has yet to be made in the way of out-of-class communication between these students. Unfortunately, once the course website has been disabled, or once the cameras have been tuned off (for televised classes) interactive learning has essentially been disabled as well. While advances continue to be made, much is still lacking in the way of online leaning communities. Students living near a satellite campus are effectively isolated from other students and lack the ability to truly enjoy the benefits of study groups as well as other interactive learning activities. These “non-traditional” students are also cut off from campus life in that they find it difficult to participate in student-to-student communication unless, as is sometimes the case, an entire group ends up being near the same satellite. This leads to a feeling of alienation and poor academic performance. The Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment intends to bridge this gap by bringing together both distance students and traditional students into the same forum.
|TABLE OF CONTENTS |
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|For font-size and page-formatting specifications, see GPG Section II.C. |
| |Total No. of | |Page No.* |
|Section |Pages in Section | |(Optional)* |
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|Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) (Submit Page 2 with original proposal only) |
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|A |Project Summary (not to exceed 1 page) |1 | | |
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|B |Table of Contents (NSF Form 1359) |1 | | |
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|C |Project Description (including Results from Prior NSF Support) |7 | | |
| |(not to exceed 15 pages) (Exceed only if allowed by a specific | |
| |program announcement/solicitation or if approved in advance by the | |
| |appropriate NSF Assistant Director or designee) | |
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|D |References Cited | | | |
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|E |Biographical Sketches (Not to exceed 2 pages each) |2 | | |
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|F |Budget |3 | | |
| |(NSF Form 1030, plus up to 3 pages of budget justification) |
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|G |Current and Pending Support (NSF Form 1239) | | | |
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|H |Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources (NSF Form 1363) |1 | | |
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|I |Special Information/Supplementary Documentation | | | |
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|J |Appendix (List below) | | | |
| |Include only if allowed by a specific program announcement/ | |
| |solicitation or if approved in advance by the appropriate NSF | |
| |Assistant Director or designee) | |
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| |: |
|Appendix: |
|Marketing Plan (Jeff Wolford) |
|Management Plan (Tom Romero |
|Staffing / Organizational Plan (Jeff Worford) |
|Risk Plan (Jeff Wolford) |
|Mitigation Plan (Mark DeDomenic) |
|Funding Plan (James Hubany |
|Evaluation Plan (Jeff Wolford) |
|Resource Plan (Sean Coogan) |
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|*Proposers may select any numbering mechanism for the proposal. The entire proposal, however, must be paginated. Complete |
|both columns only if the proposal is numbered consecutively. |
|NSF Form 1359 (10/99) |
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Project Description
Societal Problem Defined:
There is an absence of a comprehensive medium for communication outside of the classroom for distance learning students. Communication, by definition, is the act of communicating or better yet, the act of being connected. Distance can then be defined as remoteness, a sort of disconnect. These two words alone, distance and communication, do not compliment each other in a seamless manor. It is, therefore, necessary to find a way to bridge this disconnect and allow a seamless connection between distance and traditional learning.
An All Too Common Example:
Bob, a distance education student is struggling in his program. He as asked for tutoring help but there is no help available to meet is level of needs. Bob feels isolated in his studies and is quickly falling behind. Without a tutor or study partner Bob will most likely fail the class. Disappointed he may leave the college all together.
[pic]
Sandra, a traditional, on-campus student commutes to her classes and works full-time. Like Bob, Sandra is also struggling. Although Bob and Sandra do not know each other, they would make ideal studies partners. Both Bob and Sandra work full-time and both are late night studiers; however, neither students knows the other and they live 300 miles apart.
[pic]
Currently Bob and Sandra reside in different sections of the same class. Unfortunately unless the students already know each other, there is now way for them to meet. The idea is to create a merger of these two sections thus allowing an effective communication method for students to share their resources (Figure 1).
[pic]
Communication without DICE (Figure 1)
Background:
According to the latest Sloan Consortium’s report “Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States online enrollment increased from 1.98 million in 2003 to 2.35 million in 2004, as seen in Figure 2 (resources/overview.asp).
Prior and estimated enrollment figures (Figure 2)
The 2005 and 2006 estimates are based on the continue growth at the present rate.
Old Dominion University, a leader in online and distance education has also shown dramatic increases in their distance-learning students (Figure 3).
Old Dominion University Distance Enrollment
(odu.edu/ao/upir/factbook/hc_enrollment/hc_by_university/hconoffsum_r.html) (Figure 3)
The growing demand for distance learning is a common theme and a better facilitation of communication among these students must be addressed.
To expand slightly on Old Dominion University, Old Dominion University is one of the largest providers of distance learning degree programs in the country. ODU serves over 4,000 students at 50 sites in 6 states and U.S. Navy ships deployed around the globe, which makes it the ideal site for the initial installation (dl.odu.edu/about_us/). However, these locations do not reach into households or places where students congregate to study. Seventy-five percent of ODU students work and of that percent, thirty-three percent of them work more than 30 hours a week. Nationally, the average of students juggling work and school is 78% (). This is a staggering number and due to this, many students find it hard to meet and form study groups; however, as outline in Old Dominion’s Strategic Plan, ODU is committed to providing quality student support services to students at a distance and strives toward providing services that are at least as good as the services provided to the on-campus population. This is not an impossible task.
Learning Communities:
A learning community is a purposeful restructuring of curriculum to link together courses or coursework so that students find greater coherence in what they are learning and greater interaction with faculty and peers.
Because retention of freshman students is low, Learning Communities were set up to address this need; however, they were intended primarily for freshman coming out of high school. This project intends to take the premise behind Learning Communities and expand it to all students regardless of class rank, so that all students coming into a university will benefit.
On almost all variables related to academic success, Learning Community freshmen out-score non-Learning Community freshmen. These differences are highly significant (Figure 4).
Benefits of Learning Communities (LC)
|Item |LC |Non LC |
|Relationship w/ Faculty |52% |41% |
|Sense of Community |85% |81% |
|Study w/ others |61% |41% |
Benefits of Learning Communities () (Figure 4)
Goal:
The goal of this project is to develop an educational community in the form of a stand-alone application to improve the quality of education for students by allowing them to:
▪ Communicate with each other outside the classroom
▪ Share applications like white board
▪ Form study groups
▪ Find mentors
▪ Volunteer as mentors
▪ Assist with homework
▪ Form an online educational community
▪ To create an environment where all students at ODU can increase their educational resources in order to maximize their success rate.
This project will develop a stand-alone application that will provide students with a real-time communication environment to improve their success.
Previously mentioned was the student’s lack of communication between others in different sections of the same course (Figure 5).
[pic]
Current Student Interaction (Figure 5)
Once the D.I.C.E. is implemented, cross-communication between these sections will be possible (Figure 6)
[pic]
Student Interaction using DICE (Figure 6)
There are a few mechanisms that were presented to address the absence of a comprehensive medium for communication outside of the classroom. Early stages of development indicate that these options will be offered in a software suite to distance education students at the time of registration. The package is to include real time voice and text chat, an interactive message board, virtual white board that enables the student to share applications with other students. The application will also include a customizable profile; to which the students will have an opportunity to share personal information with one another (name, previous and current classes, etc.), to add and delete class groups from the student’s profile and enable the students to form study sessions with one another through the application. Students will have the ability to control what information they wish to be shared or not shared.
Biographical Sketches
Tom Romero: Tom Romero lives in Portsmouth, Virginia is the Project Manager for the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment (DICE) project. After retiring from the United States Navy in 2002, he decided to pursue a degree in computer science. While in the navy he worked as a system administrator at Naval European Meteorology and Oceanography Center, and for United States Naval Station Rota, Spain. He is currently a senior at Old Dominion University majoring in computer science, with a minor in information systems. The skills Tom brings to the project include management and leadership, C++ and Java programming, and web design.
William Dandridge: William Dandridge lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia and is the Documentation Manager for the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment (DICE) project. Mr. Dandridge is a computer science major at Old Dominion University and plans on graduating in the fall of 2006. He has four years active duty service in the United States Navy and is currently a Navy Reservist. William has worked in the Information Technology field for over 6 years. His specialties are computer networking, helpdesk support, and network security. Mr. Dandridge has a wide range of computer certifications including Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) in Windows 2000, Microsoft Certified Systems Administration (MCSA) in Windows 2000, CompTIA Certified PC Technician (A+), and CompTIA Certified Network Technician (Network+). William is also well versed in C++, Java, and SQL.
Jeff Wolford: Jeff Wolford lives in Charlottesville, Virginia and is a senior at Old Dominion University taking courses in the distance education realm. Mr. Wolford is the Marketing Manager for the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment (DICE) project. Having being thrust in managing smaller projects at the Virginia Department of Forestry, he found a knack for keeping information technology (IT) projects running in light of minimal funding. The “dog and pony” shows for forestry management proved to be a strength and source of enjoyment for Mr. Wolford. He is currently employed at the University of Virginia and is leading a project to implement the third largest IT system at University of Virginia (after their Oracle Financials and PeopleSoft SIS), which is the R25 Academic and Special Event Room Management System. Applying the principals of determining what the market is ready for has proven for a successful phase I implementation. He brings marketing knowledge, promotional presence, and application development support to the team.
Mark DeDomenic: Mark DeDomenic lives in Norfolk, Virginia and is the Risk Manager for the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment (DICE) project. He is a senior in the computer science program at Old Dominion University, with an emphasis in programming and a minor in information technology. He has been working with the Office of Communications and Computing Services on campus since his entry into the University, and is currently employed in the Media Services department in Webb Center, providing audio/visual support for a variety of events. Mr. DeDomenic brings knowledge of the University information systems to the project, as well as skills in Java, C/C++, and networking.
Sean Coogan: Sean Coogan lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Mr. Coogan is the Webmaster for the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment (DICE) project. He is currently a senior at Old Dominion University majoring in computer science, with a minor in information systems. Mr. Coogan earned an Associates degree in Computer Science from Tidewater Community College in 2004. He has been building computers for five years. The skills Sean brings to the project include web design and development, video and audio editing, extensive software knowledge, C++, Java and SQL programming.
James Hubany: James Hubany lives in Hampton, Virginia. Mr. Hubany is the Financial Manager for the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment (DICE) project. He is currently a senior at Old Dominion University majoring in computer science with a minor in accounting. Mr. Hubany brings to the group solid knowledge of C++, Java, graphics programming and parallel computing. He also has extensive financial knowledge and experience.
Consultants
Professor Dennis Ray: Professor Dennis Ray received his Bachelors of Science degree in Marine Engineering from United States Naval Academy in 1964 and his MS in Computer Science from the United States Naval Postgraduate School in 1971. After retiring from the United States Navy he began teaching at Old Dominion University in 1984. Professor Ray has over 20 years teaching at Old Dominion University.
Dr. Ravi Mukkamala: Professor Ravi Mukkamala received his Ph. D. from University of Iowa in 1987. Also in 1987, he was appointed Associate Professor at Old Dominion University, and in 2001 he was appointed Commonwealth Information Security Center (CICC) Computer Science Research Fellow. Currently he teaches undergraduate and graduate students in distributed systems, distributed databases, and operating systems. His areas of expertise and research interests are: Information Security; Public-key Infrastructure (PKI); Distributed Trusted Computing; Modeling of Distributed Database Systems; Performance Modeling and Evaluation; Distributed Systems; Health Usage and Monitoring Systems (HUMS).
Dr Irwin Levinstein: Professor Irwin Levinstein received his Ph. D. from University of Chicago in 1973. His areas of expertise and research interests are Database systems and Intelligent Tutoring.
Steve Crawford: Steve Crawford received his Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science from Old Dominion University in 2001. He has held various positions at the Center for Learning Technologies and Academic Technology Services Faculty Multimedia Lab since 1998; currently he is the Technology Coordinator for the Academic Technology Services.
Christian A. Pucher: Christian Pucher is a technology and implementation expert in the field of delivering media to distance students at Old Dominion University.
Sandra Waters: Sandra Waters is a Banner and SIS expert working for Old Dominion University.
Kai Van De Carr: Kai Van De Carr, an online application-sharing expert currently working with .
Carol Stanley: Carol Stanley is the University of Virginia Registrar and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) expert.
Phase I Technical Objectives
Domain:
The Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment will allow students to have the option to join an online community, and allow them to communicate using voice and audio chat. D.I.C.E also allows for voice and audio chat, file exchange / application sharing also allows users the ability to archive chat sessions. The design of D.I.C.E. does not call for high bandwidth.
A careful distinction has to be made when comparing this product to another product used in the educational environment called Blackboard. Blackboard is a web-based software system, which is used to support flexible teaching and learning in face-to-face and distance courses. It provides tools and facilities for online course management, content management and sharing, assessment management, and online collaboration and communication (vuw.ac.nz/home/glossary) . Blackboard is configured as a classroom management system not a communication device. The Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment will not replace and does not plan on competing with or replacing Blackboard.
Major Functional Components (Figure 7):
To properly implement the project, the following components are required:
1. A server to provided authentication and host sessions. The server will also act as the storage device for archived chat and will host voice sessions.
2. A database to store student records. It is possible to have the system interface from exported data rather than connect directly to the database.
3. A firewall is required to provide security to the system.
4. Connection to the World Wide Web for distance learning students to connect with the system and to connect with other students.
[pic]
Major Functional Component Diagram (Figure 7)
Project Scope (Figure 8):
The scope of the project does not expand beyond providing a software solution to meet the needs of the education facility. The Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment package does not include user PCs; however, a personal computer will be used to load the client software responsible for providing the user with a Graphical User Interface. The solution also does not provide a student enrollment database. The customers will have to provide their own database solutions. DICE will; however, provide the interface to this database.
[pic]
Project Scope (Figure 8)
What’s in the Box? (Figure 9)
At the heart of the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment is the web-based solution. This solution provides the community building software, which is the backbone of the system. This software includes Instant Messenger / Audio Chat. A web based Wiki-style encyclopedia, web forums, etc. This software component of the DICE will follow basic client-server Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol as set forth by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Also included are the required training and technical manuals and software database interfaces.
What is in the Box (Figure 9)
The Graphical User Interface
Log-On and Process Flow Chart (Figure 10)
[pic]
Log in process (Figure 10)
Home:
This is the first screen users will see after logging on to DICE. The Home screen is also the main navigation screen. We aim to allow users to access mentors, tutors, or a study group with in three clicks. This provides a user-friendly system, and allows the student to maximize time efficiency (Figure 11). They will then be given the option to:
1. View the University schedule
2. Check to see if any student mentors are available.
3. View and customize software options
4. Check to see which tutors are online.
5. View which classes are available to them and interact with peers.
[pic]
Home Page GUI (Figure 11)
Schedule:
This screen allows the user to see a list of the school’s offered classes that are available on the DICE system. Through this interface users can access course information, course materials, and professors’ course websites (Figure 12).
[pic]
Schedule GUI (Figure 12)
Mentors:
This screen allows the user to see a list of their mentors whom they have made initial contact with, both professors and peers. The user has two options to contact the mentor; email or instant message. The color codes for the instant message are; green if the mentor is online and available, red if the mentor is online but not available, and grey if the mentor is offline. The user can email their mentor no matter the mentors’ online status (Figure 13).
[pic]
Mentor GUI (Figure 13)
Options:
The options screen allows the user to change or update their picture, adjust their default microphone volume, set their contacts list options (Figure 14).
[pic]
Options GUI (Figure 14)
Tutors:
This screen allows the user to see a list of available tutors. The list is broken down by subject, and then by course number. The user can click any green JOIN button to join that study group. If the JOIN button is red the group is either full or inactive (Figure 15).
[pic]
Tutor GUI (Figure 15)
My Classes:
This screen shows classes the user is currently enrolled in and other class with the same course number, but different section. This screen will allow the student to view the number of peers available across different sections of a course and allows them to join a study groups (Figure 16).
[pic]
My Classes GUI (Figure 16)
Figure 17 is the initial version of the graphical user interface. Starting at the top is the name of the current user, email address, current group (class) the user is logged into, and a link to other groups the student is a member of. Moving clockwise is a picture of the current person speaking, as the speaker changes, so will this picture enabling students to associate a face with a voice. Next to the picture is list of students currently logged into the group, in this example the CS 410 group. Below those two is the audio controls, an enable audio and volume control. The instant messaging portion is next with areas to read and send text. In the bottom left hand corner is the FTP button, which gives the students the ability to quickly exchange files, also, in the lower left hand corner is a list of the most recently archived chat sessions. And finally is the whiteboard/shared application area.
[pic]User Interface GUI (Figure 17)
Conclusion:
American President John F Kennedy once noted that “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.” Modern technology has allowed education to expand beyond the classroom, enabling students to go earn full degrees without ever setting foot on a college campus. However, these advances come at the loss of the sense of community and better communication that a traditional setting provides.
The Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment will help fill this void, connecting students across the nation and potentially improving the quality of education for students. Our solution offers students a comprehensive tool to help them communicate with fellow students and instructors. This tool will keep campuses on the forefront of technology, increase retention rates in distance programs, and hopefully increase overall graduation rates.
|[pic] SUMMARY PROPOSAL BUDGET |FOR NSF USE ONLY |
|ORGANIZATION |PROPOSAL NO. |DURATION (MONTHS) |
|Computer Productivity Initiative | | |
| | |Proposed |Granted |
|PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT DIRECTOR |AWARD NO. | | |
|Janet Brunelle | | | |
|A. SENIOR PERSONNEL: PI/PD, Co-PIs, Faculty and Other Senior Associates |NSF-Funded |Funds |Funds |
| List each separately with name and title. (A.7. Show number in brackets) |Person-months |Requested By |Granted by NSF |
| |CAL |ACAD |SUMR |Proposer |(If Different) |
| 1. | | | | |$ |
| 2. | | | | | |
| 3. | | | | | |
| 4. | | | | | |
| 5. | | | | | |
| 6. ( ) OTHERS (LIST INDIVIDUALLY ON BUDGET EXPLANATION PAGE) | | | | | |
| 7. (1) TOTAL SENIOR PERSONNEL (1-6) | | | | | |
|B. OTHER PERSONNEL (SHOW NUMBERS IN BRACKETS) | |
| 1. (0) POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATES | | | | | |
| 2. (3) OTHER PROFESSIONALS (TECHNICIAN, PROGRAMMER, ETC.) | | | | $24,000.00 | |
| 3. (0) GRADUATE STUDENTS | | | | |
| 4. (6) UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS | | | $42,240.00 | |
| 5. (0) SECRETARIAL - CLERICAL (IF CHARGED DIRECTLY) | | | | |
| 6. (0) OTHER | | | | |
| TOTAL SALARIES AND WAGES (A + B) | | | $66,240.00 | |
|C. FRINGE BENEFITS (IF CHARGED AS DIRECT COSTS) | | | $26,496.00 | |
| TOTAL SALARIES, WAGES AND FRINGE BENEFITS (A + B + C) | | | $92,736.00 | |
|D. EQUIPMENT (LIST ITEM AND DOLLAR AMOUNT FOR EACH ITEM EXCEEDING $5,000.) | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| TOTAL EQUIPMENT | | |
|E. TRAVEL |1. DOMESTIC (INCL. CANADA, MEXICO AND U.S. POSSESSIONS) | | |
| |2. FOREIGN | | |
|F. PARTICIPANT SUPPORT | |
| 1. STIPENDS |$ | | | |
| 2. TRAVEL | | | | |
| 3. SUBSISTENCE | | | | |
| 4. OTHER | | | | |
| TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (1) TOTAL PARTICIPANT COSTS | 0 | |
|G. OTHER DIRECT COSTS | | |
| 1. MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES | $3,040.00 | |
| 2. PUBLICATION/DOCUMENTATION/DISSEMINATION | 0 | |
| 3. CONSULTANT SERVICES | 0 | |
| 4. COMPUTER SERVICES | | |
| 5. SUBAWARDS | | |
| 6. OTHER | | |
| TOTAL OTHER DIRECT COSTS | | |
|H. TOTAL DIRECT COSTS (A THROUGH G) | $95,776.00 | |
|I. INDIRECT COSTS (F&A) (SPECIFY RATE AND BASE) | |
| | |
| | |
| TOTAL INDIRECT COSTS (F&A) | | |
|J. TOTAL DIRECT AND INDIRECT COSTS (H + I) | $95,776.00 | |
|K. RESIDUAL FUNDS (IF FOR FURTHER SUPPORT OF CURRENT PROJECT SEE GPG II.D.7.j.) | | |
|L. AMOUNT OF THIS REQUEST (J) OR (J MINUS K) | $95,776.00 |$ |
|M. COST SHARING: PROPOSED LEVEL $ |AGREED LEVEL IF DIFFERENT: $ |
|PI/PD TYPED NAME AND SIGNATURE* |DATE |FOR NSF USE ONLY |
| | |INDIRECT COST RATE VERIFICATION |
|ORG. REP. TYPED NAME & SIGNATURE* |DATE |Date Checked |Date of Rate Sheet |Initials-ORG |
| | | | | |
|NSF Form 1030 (10/99) Supersedes All Previous Editions |*SIGNATURES REQUIRED ONLY FOR REVISED BUDGET (GPG III.C) |
Budget Detail
Undergraduate Students:
The cost of labor at $42,240 consists of six undergraduate interns, while another $24,000 is allocated for a security expert, network expert and database expert. An additional 40% of salary cost at $26,496 is included as overhead for general and administrative costs.
Our security expert is responsible to over look our security plan, to insure that the Federal Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) is not violated in any manner and to insure methods dealing with the honor code and to keep unethical activities at a minimum. The database expert and the networking expert are one in the same, as they will both provide us with information regarding how much space is needed for each student database and to help us insure that the DICE team will have enough bandwidth to handle the server load.
The primary responsibilities of the undergraduate interns during phase I will involve coordinating group efforts. Each team member will be held accountable to a specific task and responsibilities accordingly. A description of each task can be seen by looking at our staffing plan on page 57. The amount of time required for this work is budgeted to be 704 hours with a cost of $7,040 for each intern. This labor category as well as all others includes an overhead cost estimate of 40%. Table I shows a breakdown of the labor budget for Phase I.
Table 1.
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Materials & Supplies:
Development of the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment will require hard resources. The two Dell Precision 380 machines will be used to run the DICE software package to prove functionality between the computers. The Linksys - 4-Port Ethernet Broadband Router will be used to connect these computers together. The DICE team will not have to worry about additional hard resources as Old Dominion University will provide workstations and software licenses needed to develop the DICE software package. Table II shows the cost of the materials needed in more detail.
Table 2.
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Works Cited
Distance Learning @ North Seattle Community Colleges “Distance Learning
Survey” (2005)
National Association of College and University Business Officers: US Department of
Education Publications and Tools (2004)
National center for education statistics
Old Dominion University: Changing Lives “Old Dominion University Strategic Plan
2005 – 2009”
Old Dominion University Distance Learning: “About us” (2003)
Old Dominion University: Institutional Research and Assessment
Powel, Richard. Conway, Christopher. Ross, Lynda. “Effects of Student Predisposing
Characteristics on Student Success” Journal of Distance Education (1990)
Swan, Michael K, Jackman, Diane H. Comparing the Success of Students Enrolled in
Distance education Courses vs. Face-to-Face Classrooms (2000)
Shape, Marty Smith, Pickering, Worth, and Gile, Roxanne Old Dominion University:
Learning Communities – Assessing the Impact on Students and Faculty
The Sloan Consortium. Sizing the Opportunity: The Quality and Extent of Online
Education in the United States, 2002 - 2003
US Department of Education: Office of Vocational and Adult Education (2005)
Virginian-Pilot
APPENDIX
DICE MARKETING PLAN
OUR CUSTOMER
Total Market
All universities and colleges are our target customer for DICE. By the nature of these institutions, our secondary customer is the faculty and students who will be using DICE to enhance their educational journey. In the fall of 1999, the US Department of Education reported that there is 3958[1] degree granting institutions. This is the total number of possible customers that DICE can reach. When determining our actual market share for the services that we will provide, this number decreases roughly in half. Of these degree-granting institutions, 56% (as reported in 2005 and published by Sloan’s Consortium) have identified online education as a critical long-term strategy[2]. Additionally, United States online enrollment increased from 1.98 million in 2003 to 2.35 million in 2004[3]. These figures, as well as estimated figures can be seen in the chart pictured at right. DICE’s benefits can be realized in the traditional full-time on-campus student profile exhibited by all of the degree granting institutions. However, the benefits are expressed in greater quantity to distance and online education curriculum in these institutions.
First Customer
For our first instantiation of DICE, we have selected Old Dominion University as our premier customer. The reasons for choosing ODU relied on two items: this is the current university that the DICE development team attends and ODU has a vested interest in the success of their distance education program. Old Dominion University is one of the largest providers of distance learning degree programs in the country. It serves over 4,000 students at 50 sites in 6 states and U.S. Navy ships deployed around the globe. These also reflect students who are enrolled at certain sites, but attend their classes in the online setting.
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ODU Distance Education Enrollment 1
Additionally, as outlined in Old Dominion’s Strategic Plan, ODU is committed to providing quality student support services to students who are in distance education and strives toward providing services that are at least as good as the services provided to the on-campus population. This commitment to distance learning is clearly explained in the 6th goal of ODU’s Strategic Plan.
Old Dominion University’s 2005-2009 Strategic Plan Excerpts:
“6a.1 Develop new programs or enhance existing programs in all academic colleges that focus on regional needs or “changing lives” within the region.”
“6b.1 Strengthen our current distance education programs across the Commonwealth of Virginia and the world, specifically through special accessibility agreements with Virginia community colleges but also by initiating new global programming.”[4]
Secondary customers Identified
Finally, our secondary customer becomes the faculty and students who will ultimately use DICE. Our product will be based off of the idea of community. The educational community aspect will be the key element that truly separates DICE from any other product currently on the market. By looking at the success of similar community software packages, we can ascertain the potential success of DICE. Using the product Facebook () and (), we can draw comparisons to the societal acceptance of online communities. Each of these companies reported roughly a three hundred percent increase in daily reach, with reaching upwards of 25 billion people logging in per day. The trends of society flocking to some type of online community are displayed in the following charts detailing the two companies mentioned above.
[pic][pic]
COMPETITION
The following chart details what features DICE brings to the table in comparison to current technologies that are available. As you can see, many other products come close to a complete solution for distance education community building. However, they either lack in functionality or lack community.
[pic]
Most Instant Messaging clients do not include any type of community. They rely on the user to create their own community. This however presents the problem when a student does not know whom they need to add to their community. The current academic products of our competition create a community. However, this community is limited to a single class. If students need additional help, these products do not address this.
All of the features that need to come together to create the comprehensive solution are not available in any existing product. DICE creates the online community and adds each of the modules of communication that are necessary to facilitate the learning environment. Therefore, as shown in the matrix above, DICE is clearly the only solution for colleges and universities who want to facilitate the learning process for their online or distance education faculty and students.
BENEFITS TO CUSTOMER
What physical items are purchased?
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As shown in the above figure, schools will receive DICE, along with Training Materials, and a custom interface to their own Student Information System (Banner, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Matrix, Datatel, etc.). This listing is subject to change as new releases or versions of DICE are instantiated. These three items are outlined below:
• Training Materials
o 20 Printed User Guides
o 20 Electronic User Guide (in PDF format) on CD
o Sample of Promotional Materials to Use for Faculty/Staff/Student Acceptance
o 20 Hours of Onsite Training from a DICE Expert to each school’s identified support personnel
• Interfaces
o Customizations as detailed in the purchase agreement
o Documentation describing interface links and data mapping
• DICE
o Initial setups to link to your database of choice
▪ Supported databases include (MySQL, Oracle, SQL, Solid, Access)
o Installation of client/server and web based tools for management staff
o Customizations as detailed in the purchase agreement
o Reporting mechanisms as detailed in the purchase agreement
• What is not in the box that is required?
o Database to house DICE community information, archived communications, and management data
o Local support staff (1 staff member per 10,000 students recommended)
o Peripherals needed to use certain features of DICE (i.e. computer speakers, microphones, etc.)
What Do You Get That is Not in the Box?
When purchasing DICE, your benefits will start coming in a chain reaction fashion. Starting with a higher retention of students and ending with increased money from tuition payments of these retained students. Learning communities, like DICE, will increase study with others by 20%[5]. This amount of increase is key to retaining freshman that will get lost in the shuffle, for recruiting non-traditional students, and for offering support to students in higher-level classes.
Benefits of Learning Communities:
Once student retention is achieved, federal funding will increase. Although it may be a bad indicator, graduation rates are key in determining how much federal funding a school will receive. To the federal government, higher graduation rates are an indicator that the institutions are performing well. However, this does not take into account the non-full time students, who decrease this number drastically. DICE will help to even the playing field in this regard. Students will be able to take more classes since the amount of time they spend looking for help will be reduced to a negligible number. This idea will help ODU tremendously, since they have one of the lower graduation rates for 4 and 5 years in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Graduation Rates in Virginia:
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Finally, a return on investment for schools is in the increased tuition that they will see from student retention. Just bumping up retention or recruitment to one percent well outweighs the monetary cost of DICE. In the example below, we can look at the benefit that ODU would receive if one percent of their student population took 12 credit hours more than usual. This directly relates to retaining freshman and increasing the amount of classes that part-time students can take.
• If we can increase ODU enrollment by 1%
o 208*12*181=451776
▪ Student * 12 hr * $181 cost per credit hour = $451,776
o $45,1776 * 2 semesters = $903,552
o Annual comparison:
▪ 1% retention/recruitment +$903,552
▪ Cost of DICE -$35,000
▪ Increase realized by ODU +$868,552
CUSTOMER RETENTION AND NEW CUSTOMER SOLICITATION
We will need to continue to address the needs of our current customers, as well as using them to promote our product. We will employ certain forums that will encourage the word-of-mouth sales tool. Using word-of-mouth publicity, we can reach markets without spending a lot of time and money. In essence, we are employing our customers to create the buzz on DICE to increase our customer base.
Our post-sales/retention plan consists of:
1. Educational conferences
2. User Conferences
3. Training of users
o Step-through demos
o FAQ listing
o Online help “wiki” format
o List serves
4. Customer feedback forums
5. “Golden User” reviews
We will explore what Educational Conferences are attended by faculty and administrative officials who make decisions on IT solutions and on distance education curriculum. Some conferences that we will plan on attending include: Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning as sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, TCC Worldwide Online Conference as sponsored by the University of Hawaii, etc. Once our customer base increases to several institutions, we can then create our own annual User Conference where we can facilitate the word-of-mouth publicity. Finally, we will create an intensive company website that will allow customers to get direct feedback, updated notes on DICE and the company, and online tutorials/help. Each of these items will be available to current and interested customers so that the materials can play a dual role of education/support and marketing.
BREAK EVEN ANALYSIS
DICE will use a strategy to bring its first customer on-board at a special discounted price. This will allow our product to take root into the market and create a buzz. Since DICE will be roughly $9.000 shy of breaking even (after the federal grants are applied and our ongoing or Out Years costs are ignored), we will be able to sell this product to ODU for a $10,000 one-time fee. This will essentially wash the loss that DICE will experience in its initial implementation. The next cost that must be considered is the recurring cost, or Out Years cost of DICE. This is roughly $346,000. It makes absolutely no sense to license this product to one individual school for such a large amount. Just looking at the recurring cost quickly, we can see that 10 schools paying $35,000 yearly licensing fee will cause a break-even point. The DICE staff has agreed that setting a goal of the break even point to be 10 schools is acceptable. There are 29 potential customers in the commonwealth of Virginia alone who we can sell DICE to. Additionally, there are over 3900 schools where DICE is a product that may be of interest. This makes our break-even point at .25% of the total potential market. Therefore, any amount that we charge ODU can be applied as promotional discounts. We have chosen $25,000 as the discounted yearly licensing fee for ODU. This number was derived as a medium point so as not to have the discount a stumbling block or point of frustration for new customers.
The chart below shows our break even analysis in simple form:
|Total Cost of DICE |$1,206,213 | |
|Phase 1 grant |-$100,000 | |
|Phase 2 grant |-$750,000 | |
|OutYears Cost |-$346,431 | |
| |$9,782 |Cost of 1st Implementation |
| | | |
| |$74,963 |Cost of new customer implementations |
| |One time |Annual |
|Total Costs |$74,963 |$346,431 |
|Price to Cust |$75,000 |$35,000 |
|Customers, after ODU, needed to|0 |10 |
|break even | | |
| | | |
|Special ODU Price |$10,000 |$25,000 |
After DICE is rolled out to around 12 customers, we will start seeing a net profit of about $35,000 per year. There is some point at which we will need to increase staffing levels to accommodate for the size of our customer base. This will increase the OutYears costs that we have listed. We will not estimate at what size our customer base needs to be to account for this staffing increase. Instead, our marketing plan will be adjusted after 15 customers are welcomed into the DICE family since the Out Years costs will not fluctuate for these 15 institutions.
A chart listed below shows our net income potential on the basis of charging customers (after ODU) a price of $75,000 one time set up fee and $35,000 yearly licensing cost:
|Customer # |Profit/Loss |Amount Profit/Loss |
|1 - ODU |Loss |-$321,431 |
|2 |Loss |-$286,431 |
|3 |Loss |-$251,431 |
|4 |Loss |-$216,431 |
|5 |Loss |-$181,431 |
|6 |Loss |-$146,431 |
|7 |Loss |-$111,431 |
|8 |Loss |-$76,431 |
|9 |Loss |-$41,431 |
|10 |Loss |-$6,431 |
|11 |Profit |$28,569 |
|12 |Profit |$63,569 |
|13 |Profit |$98,569 |
|14 |Profit |$133,569 |
|15 |Profit |$168,569 |
DICE Management Plan
Program Identification:
This Program Management Plan (PMP) is for the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment (DICE). The program will deliver the DICE hardware, software and documentation for the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment. Computer Productivity Initiative group is responsible for the integration, acceptance testing and training of the Total Computing Environment.
Program Management Overview:
Execution of the Program will be performed in accordance with the procedures defined by the set of planning documents. These documents include Program Management Plan, Development Plan, Evaluation Plan, Marketing Plan, Scheduling Plan, Organizational Plan, Financial Plan and Risk Management Plan (RMP) (see Figure 1). The responsibilities of the Program Team, the capabilities of the system, and the Program deliverables are detailed under the contractual provisions, as well as Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment’s technical, management, and cost proposals.
Figure 1. Program Management
This Program Management Plan describes the management philosophy, program organization, schedule, and major milestones that serve as the guide for execution of the Program. The PMP also provides the customer and the quality team with the information they need to monitor and evaluate the progress of the effort. This plan provides the following pertinent information:
• Corporate Organization
• Program Team Organization With Areas of Responsibility
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Program Planning
• Progress Reporting and Team Management
• Detailed Program Schedule and Milestones
The Program Management Plan provides guidance for the content and execution of the following plans:
• Risk Management
• Financial
• Evaluation
• Development
Corporate Structure:
The entirety of Computer Productivity Initiative supports the DICE Program. In 1995, Old Dominion University started the Computer Productivity Initiative from a grant by the National Science Foundation to give Computer Science students the opportunity to develop solution to real world problems. Over the past 11 years, this commitment has resulted in students utilizing the knowledge and skills they gain in their undergraduate courses to research and solve real world problems. The following is Computer Productivity Initiative's Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment Corporate organizational structure:
• Old Dominion University
• General Manager, Computer Productivity Initiative
• Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment Program Office. Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment Program Office will execute the program and provide day-to-day senior management supervision, management, engineering, and administrative resources necessary to manage and administer the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment program.
1 Management Approach
Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment’s management goal is to work closely with the customer to fully understand the system requirements and field a system that meets those requirements. The management approach to executing contracts at DICE is based on the philosophy that successful Programs are delivered by goal-oriented teams. A Program Manager (PM) will lead the DICE team. The PM is responsible for all planning, programmatic, technical, and financial aspects of the Program. The PM is the primary Point of Contact (POC) for the customer. The primary duties include supervision of all planning, scheduling, financial, and technical activities, and customer liaison. The PM is responsible for all Program-related decisions and commitments with approval, as required, from the Corporate Management Team.
A key element of Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment’s program management approach is customer involvement. The DICE team encourages the customer to retain an active role in monitoring the progress of all aspects of the project from proof of concept, to critical design, and continuing into the production and the out years. The customer is encouraged to discuss technical details directly with members of the project team, provide planning and schedule recommendations, and assist in resolution of technical and programmatic issues. In order to facilitate customer involvement, DICE will provide access to program information including, but not limited to:
• program plans and schedules
• program status
• Profit
• formal review material
• action items
• system drawings and documentation
2 Program Team:
The Program Team is committed to provide the best value by delivering reliable real world solutions utilizing advance easy-to-use, low-risk solutions at the lowest cost. This commitment is attainable because it is based on the re-use of existing technology that is field-proven. Through strategic teaming and an extensive system selection process, Computer Productivity Initiative has assembled a cohesive Program Team that is experienced with the implementation of each component that will comprise the DICE system.
▪ Program Manager. Overall management responsibility for DICE is assigned to a Program Manager who is responsible for planning and coordination of the day-to-day technical, contractual, and financial aspects of the program. The PM is responsible for the generation and management of all program schedules, for the coordination of program staff assignments and for coordinating all program activities. The PM's principal assistants are:
• Documentation Specialist. The DS provides overall documentation direction for the Program Team. The DS will ensure that everyone on the team has met the required documentation specifications, and that each person is aware of the tasks he/she has been assigned. The DS will also provide documentation of each meeting in which an overview of tasks assigned is given
• Financial/SBIR Specialist. The FS works in coordination with the rest of the team to devise a specific and schedule based budget plan, that will be reviewed by each of the team members and approved by both the PM and the customer. The FS will also determine the best agency to pursue to get funding for the project. The FS must also compile the materials from each of the various plans into one SBIR Proposal Document that will be sent to the agency to request funding.
• Marketing Specialist. The MS is responsible for developing a marketing plan that includes the specification of an initial target market. The MS is responsible for the development of an in-depth plan on how to advertise and sell the DICE program to the specified target market. The MS must also determine the various risks involved and the best way to mitigate them.
• Webmaster. The WM is responsible for the creation and maintenance of a product website which will include the display of all relevant documents and presentations. The WM will update the website on a weekly basis as new documents and milestones are reached.
• Technical Specialist (Hardware and Software Development). The TS is responsible for making sure the team understands all the aspects of the technical aspects of the technology involved in the design of the DICE. Areas of software research include determining the best programming language to use, an appropriate tool for the GUI, program control flow, and test plans. Other areas of research include determining the server specifications and network connection requirements for the application to run.
Program Duration:
The DICE program is a planned 1109 workday project starting January 1,2006. Phase 0, the conception of the project, is schedule from January – May 2006. The next phase, Phase 1 is Proof of Concept where a lab prototype will be built along with the creation of several documents including a user's manual will last from August – December 2006. The Critical Design phase, Phase 2, will last from January 07 – December 08, is where the DICE team will develop and prepare the DICE software for the final phase. The final phase, Phase 3, will consist of producing a final product to sell to the target market. While Phase 3 will last 438 working days, it is understood Phase 3 is the production and out years, which means the program will review its current state and plan for the future implementations and support.
Work Breakdown Structure:
The program Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) reflects the budgeted cost versus resources required to complete each task. The WBS phase numbers are integrated as part of the master program schedule. Assuming SBIR funding, the budget will be carefully planned out against the set deadlines set by SBIR guidelines. The budgets are created by the Financial Manager, reviewed by the DICE program and set by the Program Manager. The WBS will be used to mark the different milestones throughout the phases and to make sure the team is on time and under budget. The WBS management tool that DICE will use is Microsoft Project.
Program Planning:
The Dynamic Interface Communication Environment program team office will maintain the program master schedule. The master schedule contains a line item for each WBS element and will be used to track the progress of each element. All deviations from the master schedule must be coordinated with the program office. It is the responsibility of each team member to call attention to possible schedule deviations at the earliest opportunity. The program office will coordinate the program schedule with Computer Productivity Initiative. The program will be developed in phases; within each phase, formal reviews will play an integral part in monitoring program progress. All formal reviews will be announced four weeks in advance of the starting date.
DICE will take a “top down approach” to the Program Schedule, meaning that we will pace our workload to fit the overall Program requirements. Particular attention will be given to timely milestone completions. It is recognized that the schedule is particularly tight, containing critical program milestones during the first year, and adequate personnel will be available in order to keep the program moving forward.
Progress Performance Assessment:
All Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment team members will participate in progress reporting and team management. DICE will track technical and financial progress of the program. Reviews will be held monthly or as mutually agreeable between Computer Productivity Initiative and DICE.
• Report on progress to date
• Present work to be performed during the next month
• Present status of all deliverables and review planned delivery dates
• Plan and coordinate activities, including next review date
• Discuss technical or programmatic issues as necessary.
In preparation for the meetings the DICE Program Manager will collect the current status data on relevant on-going activities, progress against schedule and budget, and planned activity for the next reporting period. Quality reviews of all program documentation and procedures will be held periodically. Peer editing groups set by the PM will hold continual quality reviews. In particular, the quality program will be involved with program deliveries and milestones and will work off of the master program schedule to plan program audits. Technical, financial and quality progress and status reporting will be conducted according to the following general guidelines.
1 Technical Progress and Reporting:
The schedule for the program is established during the planning phase and monitored throughout the performance period. The schedule contains an entry for each WBS element. The percentage of completion for each WBS element is determined as necessary to manage program progress and is reviewed at least quarterly during the General Manager’s review.
2 Financial Management and Reporting:
The financial profile for the Program is established during the planning phase and monitored throughout the performance period. Assigning accounting phase numbers to each WBS element generates this profile.
The PM is provided an information package that identifies the phase numbers assigned to each WBS activity, the corresponding budgets and schedules, the overall spending profile for the program, and a synopsis of all major deliverables and milestones specified in the contract.
The PM uses this information, combined with an on-line financial summary of the Program to track its financial status on a weekly basis. The Financial Manager on a monthly basis, or upon request provides an updated spending profile automatically to the PM. The PM uses the financial summary in conjunction with his assessments of technical progress to track the overall status of the efforts.
3 Profit and Cost:
Profit will be viewed as all those monies incurred above and beyond the overall cost of the program. Profit will be reviewed upon later phases to monitor the financial success of the program.
Cost is calculated by the following formula:
Cost = Labor Costs * Time + Direct Costs + Indirect Costs
Monthly Progress Report:
DICE will submit a monthly progress reports. The report shall cover, at a minimum, the following:
• Progress Summary
• Milestone Deliverables, planned actual and forecast
• Cost and Profit report
• Dependencies: a ‘critical items list’ of all items, which could jeopardize timely completion of the work or any significant parts of the programme
• Risk Status: update of risk register
• Look Ahead (Future action and Forecast)
• Resource Profile
• Work Package/Activities planned, actual & forecast status
• Milestone/Deliverables planned, actual & forecast status
• Configuration Change Control issues
• Quality Actions (Reviews, audits)
Reviews:
Reviews will play an integral part in the management and monitoring of all phases of the Dynamic Interface Communication Environment Program. Informal reviews with the program team members will be held at all levels on a bi-weekly basis to ensure that the program stays on track. Formal technical reviews will be held to ensure that the program is proceeding as planned. The PM will meet with each team section and ensure that they are up to speed with the course of the project. In turn, the team members will timely report all successes and difficulties they have encountered that have had any effect on the course of the project. Formal reviews will be completed at least every three months. The formal reviews will deal with those issues that can be fixed in the future, and will also use the evaluation plan as a way of gauging the success of the program through the current time.
STAFFING AND SCHEDULE / ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN
The personnel needed for DICE will change as the project progresses. The personnel needed for each phase are shown below.
Phase 0
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During the initial phase, the DICE team will consist of five Old Dominion University seniors in the Computer Science department. They will be tasked with the research and development of DICE and will be required to prove its rationale and feasibility. In addition to these students, there will be an active searching for experts who can aid in the SBIR proposal. These experts will aid in the research and risk assessment areas. These experts include: Kai Van De Carr - a online application sharing expert who currently works with , Carol “Stash” Stanley - the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) expert and is the University Registrar at the University of Virginia, Steven Crawford - Technology Coordinator at Old Dominion University and the expert for distance learning/archive of materials, Dr. Levinstein – the enterprise database expert and professor of this material at Old Dominion University, Sandra Waters – a SIS, specifically Banner, expert and Director of Academic Continuance and Undergraduate Services, Christian Pucher – a technology and implementation expert in the area of delivering media to distance students at Old Dominion University.
Phase I
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Once the SBIR approval has been reached and funding secured for the project, the DICE team will have a slightly different look and feel for phase I. The student team members will shift into new duties, while still maintaining their individual managerial roles. Jeff will become the security specialist; James will become the software specialist, and Will will take on the added tasks of being the database specialist, while Sean will become the GUI Developer and Webmaster. Mark will become the Testing Technician, while Tom will continue to manage all aspects of the project. Experts will be added in order to provide oversight to the team. These include a Security Expert, a Networking Expert, and a Database Expert.
Security Expert:
Responsibilities include consulting with Security Specialist on: examining DICE for any potential security or FERPA violation in the interfaces between communication technologies, interface software between Course Enrollment Databases and DICE, individual components of system, and complete prototype.
Required skills and experience: Must be a graduate of an accredited computer science school, completion of a Master’s Degree and 5-8 years of experience.
Security Specialist:
Responsibilities include examining DICE for any potential security or FERPA violation in the interfaces between communication technologies, interface software between Course Enrollment Databases and DICE, individual components of system, and complete prototype.
Required skills and experience: Undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred. Previous experience in C++, Java, and other programming languages, hardware integration knowledge, and databases is required.
Software Specialist:
Responsibilities include developing interfaces between communication technologies, developing interface software between Course Enrollment Databases and DICE, testing of individual components of system, and complete prototype testing.
Required skills and experience: Undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred. Previous experience in C++, Java, and other programming languages, hardware integration knowledge, and databases is required.
GUI Developer:
Responsibilities include designing and developing a number of GUI screens to be used in final product, integration of GUI screens with other components of the system, and testing each screen individually and each GUI as a whole.
Required skills and experience: Undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred, previous experience in graphical design and GUI development. Proficiency in Dreamweaver, JavaScript, and Database-Interfacing Web Application Development preferred.
Testing Technician:
Responsibilities include developing interfaces between input and output devices, developing interface software between for a kiosk and for a database, testing of individual components of system, and complete prototype testing.
Required skills and experience: Undergraduate student majoring Computer Science. Senior level status preferred, experience in C++, Java, and other programming languages, hardware integration knowledge, and databases.
Networking Expert:
Responsibilities include consulting with Networking Specialist on: designing and developing a number of GUI screens to be used in final product, integration of GUI screens with other components of the system, and testing each screen individually and each GUI as a whole.
Required skills and experience: Must be a graduate of an accredited computer science school, completion of a Master’s Degree and 5-8 years of experience.
Networking Specialist:
Responsibilities include designing and developing a number of GUI screens to be used in final product, integration of GUI screens with other components of the system, and testing each screen individually and each GUI as a whole.
Required skills and experience: Undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred, previous experience in graphical design and GUI development.
Database Expert:
Responsibilities include consulting with Database Specialist on: developing and building a database with linked tables for a PC, testing individual components of the database, testing entire database, and system testing.
Required skills and experience: Must be a graduate of an accredited computer science school, completion of a Master’s Degree and 5-8 years of experience.
Database Specialist:
Responsibilities include developing and building a database with linked tables for a PC, testing individual components of the database, testing entire database, and system testing.
Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Oracle certification preferred; previous experience in designing and implementing databases courses taken in database development such as CS450 at Old Dominion University.
Phase II
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Phase II the members of the DICE Implementation team will have matured in the project development process and many will have received bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science. To meet the development timeline, a Senior Software Engineer will also be hired to assist in the development of the system and provide leadership in the development as needed. The team will consist of three software engineers, two GUI programmers, one technical writer, a project manager, a database specialist, one GUI programmers, and two testing technicians. During this phase, the legal assistance will be provided by Old Dominion University or an equivalent will be acquired from the local community. We will also add two Testing Technicians to help with the evaluation and testing in this phase. Experts will be added in order to provide oversight to the team. These include a Security Expert, a Networking Expert, and a Database Expert.
Security Expert:
Responsibilities include consulting with Security Specialist on: examining DICE for any potential security or FERPA violation in the interfaces between communication technologies, interface software between Course Enrollment Databases and DICE, individual components of system, and complete prototype.
Required skills and experience: Must be a graduate of an accredited computer science school, completion of a Master’s Degree and 5-8 years of experience.
Software Engineer:
Responsibilities include developing interfaces between communication technologies, developing interface software between Course Enrollment Databases and DICE, testing of individual components of system, and complete prototype testing.
Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred. Previous experience in C++, Java, and other programming languages, hardware integration knowledge, and databases is required.
GUI Programmer:
Responsibilities include designing and developing a number of GUI screens to be used in final product, integration of GUI screens with other components of the system, and testing each screen individually and each GUI as a whole.
Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred previous experience in graphical design and GUI development. Proficiency in Dreamweaver, JavaScript, and Database-Interfacing Web Application Development preferred.
Technical Writer:
Responsibilities include creating formal documentation for the DICE, both for source code as well as design plans and such.
Required skills and experience: Knowledge of the product and general knowledge of the programming practices being used as well as a bachelor’s degree, preferably in English or writing.
Project Manager:
Responsibilities include assembling the team, contracting with vendors for necessary supplies (Dell, MySQL, etc.), assign tasks to team members, oversee project to ensure it is on time and under budget, assist in the development of the product when needed, ensure all necessary deliverables and milestones are met, act as liaison between project team and upper management.
Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Previous experience in project management, personnel management, and scheduling preferred.
Senior Software Engineer:
Responsibilities include providing expertise and help to the software developers. Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science and five years of work experience: experience in C++, Java, and other programming languages, hardware integration knowledge, and databases.
Database Expert:
Responsibilities include consulting with Database Specialist on: developing and building a database with linked tables for a PC, testing individual components of the database, testing entire database, and system testing.
Required skills and experience: Must be a graduate of an accredited computer science school, completion of a Master’s Degree and 5-8 years of experience.
Database Specialist:
Responsibilities include developing and building a database with linked tables for a PC, testing individual components of the database, testing entire database, and system testing.
Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Oracle certification preferred; previous experience in designing and implementing databases courses taken in database development such as CS450 at Old Dominion University.
Testing Technician:
Responsibilities include developing interfaces between input and output devices, developing interface software between for a kiosk and for a database, testing of individual components of system, and complete prototype testing.
Required skills and experience: Undergraduate student majoring Computer Science. Senior level status preferred, experience in C++, Java, and other programming languages, hardware integration knowledge, and databases.
Network Expert:
Responsibilities include designing and developing a number of GUI screens to be used in final product, integration of GUI screens with other components of the system, and testing each screen individually and each GUI as a whole.
Required skills and experience: Must be a graduate of an accredited computer science school, completion of a Master’s Degree and 5-8 years of experience.
Phase III
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Phase III is the actual production of our product. The Managerial roles of the team will continue through this phase and will exhibit themselves either in the production of evaluation of the project. During this phase, the necessary personnel become more customer oriented rather than technology oriented. The phase requires a software engineer, a customer service manager, a technical support manager, a GUI programmer, a database specialist. Additionally, we will add a Finance Director, a Marketing Director, a Lawyer, a Webmaster, several technical support staff and several office staff.
Customer Service Manager:
Responsibilities include answering telephone call inquiries, and promoting DICE products and services, researching and resolving complaints to ensure customer retention and satisfaction.
Required skills and experience: A minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent and 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area.
Technical Support Manager:
Responsibilities include managing a team of support personnel who troubleshoot DICE issues, implementing policies and procedures regarding how problems are identified, received, documented, distributed, and corrected,
Required skills and experience: A bachelor's degree with at least 7 years of experience in the field.
Technical Support Staff/DICE Experts:
Responsibilities include troubleshooting DICE issues, implementing policies and procedures regarding how problems are identified, received, documented, distributed, and corrected,
Required skills and experience: A bachelor's degree with at least 2 years of experience in the field.
Financial Director:
Responsibilities include coordinating the with the marketing director on sales of DICE, documenting records for tax recording and auditing purposes, general booking, forecasting of finances, preparation of financial statements.
Required skills and experience: A bachelor's degree with 2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. A CPA license is desired.
Office Staff:
Responsibilities include answering phones, opening mail, answering customer questions, filing documentation and contracts, etc.
Required skills and experience: Associate’s Degree in some business related field and 1 year of experience in the field.
Production Manager:
Responsibilities include managing production workers, maintaining inventory of available products, overseeing packaging and shipping, ordering supplies for packaging.
Required skills and experience: A bachelor’s degree with at least 7 years of experience in the field.
Marketing Director:
Responsibilities include coordinating the marketing activities of the DICE including: advertising, direct mailing, printing, customer events, and trade shows.
Required skills and experience: A bachelor's degree with 2 years of experience in the field or in a related area.
Lawyer:
Responsible include providing legal advice to the organization, preparing resolutions and forms, and participating in major legal actions, and foreseeing and protecting the company against legal risks.
Required skills and experience: Must be a graduate of an accredited law school with 5-8 years of experience and admitted into the state bar.
Database Specialist:
Responsibilities include developing and building a database with linked tables for a PC, testing individual components of the database, testing entire database, and system testing. This will require maintaining DICE and producing all viable updates, patches, and hot fixes that pertain to the database.
Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Oracle certification preferred; previous experience in designing and implementing databases courses taken in database development such as CS450 at Old Dominion University.
Software Engineer:
Responsibilities include developing interfaces between communication technologies, developing interface software between Course Enrollment Databases and DICE, testing of individual components of system, and complete prototype testing. This will require maintaining DICE and producing all viable updates, patches, and hot fixes that pertain to the application.
Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred. Previous experience in C++, Java, and other programming languages, hardware integration knowledge, and databases is required.
GUI Programmer:
Responsibilities include designing and developing a number of GUI screens to be used in final product, integration of GUI screens with other components of the system, and testing each screen individually and each GUI as a whole. This will require maintaining DICE and producing all viable updates, patches, and hot fixes that pertain to the user interface.
Required skills and experience: Undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred previous experience in graphical design and GUI development. Proficiency in Dreamweaver, JavaScript, and Database-Interfacing Web Application Development preferred.
Webmaster:
Responsibilities include designing and maintaining the DICE webpage. This will include updating customers on latest versions, FAQ listings, support documentation, as well as informing customers on latest marketing/promotional ventures of DICE.
Required skills and experience: Undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science. Senior level status preferred, previous experience in graphical design and GUI development. Proficiency in Dreamweaver, JavaScript, and Database-Interfacing Web Application Development preferred.
Project Manager:
Responsibilities include assembling the team, contracting with vendors for necessary supplies (Dell, MySQL, etc.), assign tasks to team members, oversee project to ensure it is on time and under budget, assist in the development of the product when needed, ensure all necessary deliverables and milestones are met, act as liaison between project team and upper management.
Required skills and experience: Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Previous experience in project management, personnel management, and scheduling preferred.
Risk Management Plan
Overview:
These are the potential risks to the Dynamic Interactive Communication Environment development project. Risks have been analyzed and classified in two categories: the probability of the risk occurring and the how difficult it will be to correct the risk should it occur. This listing of risks has been evaluated and ranked according to these characteristics.
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Risk Chart
Risk:
Our most significant risk is that of technology compatibility. We are tapping into several different communication methods, such as streaming voice, application sharing, and other instant messaging mediums. Being able to leverage these resources to fit into the different web browsers and operating systems on the market today will be a challenge. Choosing how to implement these, either with a homegrown solution or from tapping into open-source tools, will require certain mitigation. We have determined that the best mitigation for this risk is through extensive testing, software compatibility research, and getting advice from experts in these communication areas. This risk is defined with a probability of 4 and an impact of 5, making it a serious risk.
Our second risk is database availability. This risk is defined as the potential for a specific college or university to have a “closed door” policy with its student enrollment database. Although most schools do have to have daily data dumps, which are made available, there must be some political roads that need to be navigated to ensure this interface can happen. A possible mitigation if this occurs is to create a voluntary sign up that is faculty and staff controlled. Another mitigation would be to look at other systems in the university, which have similar data which information can be transferred from. This risk has a probability of 3 and an impact of 4, making it a moderate risk.
University (customer) acceptance is the next risk to address. Embracing a new enterprise-level application on the university or college level can be difficult, since it requires significant cost. The cost factor is usually why customers do not embrace the new technologies or applications. However, with marketing techniques we can mitigate this risk. We must make the customer aware of the benefits that they will receive, along with the features of the product. Additionally, we need to make the ROI clear and easy to understand for the customer, so that they can identify the impact on their financial aspects and how in the long run, DICE is a money saving application. This risk gets a 3 for probability and a 4 for impact, making it a moderate risk.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) clearly states that information pertaining to the current enrollment of a student is sensitive information that cannot be disclosed, unless permission is granted, to a third party. We will face this issue as DICE creates the community of educational resources. Our team has agreed that giving enough time for planning and testing will mitigate this risk. By allowing the software to give students opt-in and opt-out capabilities and how this methodology is structured will be key. This risk gets a 3 for probability and a 3 for impact, making it a moderate risk.
Funding and cost are issues that almost every project faces. This is similar for DICE. We will be required to secure funding, as well as small business loans until our break-even point is realized. Mitigation for risk comes down to planning and marketing. We must identify how many customers in what time frame that DICE can be rolled out to. The better we can leverage our successful implementation, the better this risk can be addressed. This risk gets a 3 for probability and a 3 for impact, making it a moderate risk.
Student acceptance is another risk facing our project. Since the students are the secondary customer to DICE. Therefore, if they do not embrace the benefits, then the primary customers, the colleges and universities, will not continue to use DICE or will choose not to implement DICE at all. The key mitigation that can be applied to this risk is marketing. If DICE uses other successful community applications as a model, then the acceptance will be a natural fit. This is a low risk with a probability of 2 and an impact of 2.
The maintenance complexity of DICE must be addressed as well. The greater complexity that DICE becomes, the more resources and education must be utilized to maintain the system. For mitigation, we will work to create a seamless system that is based on administrative simplicity. This means that documentation and using standard, accepted technology will be key. This risk gets a 2 for probability and a 1 for impact, making it our lowest risk.
Mitigation
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Risk Mitigation Chart
#1 Technology Incompatibility
Probability: High Impact: Very High
The concepts behind DICE involve a highly integrated, easily navigated user interface to appeal to a wide variety of students and faculty. Therefore the underlying tools must seamlessly work behind the scenes, which could be difficult considering the wide variety of software out there, which could be licensed or modeled upon for the separate components, which comprise DICE. Among the major software with which compatibility is desired are other educational packages such as Blackboard.
Mitigation: Extensive research and testing must be done to ensure that the different parts of the system can be assembled to work cooperatively. If existing software cannot be found which will integrate with each other, individual parts can be developed or software connectors can be used to bridge components. Internal alpha testing will ensure functionality before the system is deployed to any campus systems.
#2 Database Availability
Probability: Medium Impact: High
In order to populate each student’s class information and allow him or her easy access to classmates and potential study groups, DICE must be able to query an educational institution’s enrollment database to obtain this information. However, this is considered sensitive information, and therefore access to these databases may be difficult to obtain or be restricted depending on the campus’ information systems policies. In certain cases such as smaller campuses, online databases may not be available at all.
Mitigation: DICE will be developed with the mentality of making it customizable to each campus that it is deployed at. Thus the system’s interface with the campus database will be able to be scripted as needed to meet that IT department’s standards. If access to this database is still unavailable, DICE will be capable of being deployed with a standalone database that can be populated by students setting up their own accounts and entering information or having that data entered by faculty.
#3 University Acceptance
Probability: Medium Impact: High
As our primary customer, gaining the interest and support of the educational community is critical to the success of this project. While DICE seeks to fill a niche that has yet to be filled, it will be difficult initially to distance ourselves and compete with other educational software packages, as well as simpler and more widely available products such as instant messaging clients.
Mitigation: An aggressive marketing plan will emphasize the benefits of DICE to higher education campuses across the country, touting the features set of the product and illustrating the lack of community, which is clearly present in current distance education. In addition, partnerships with companies such as Blackboard and textbook manufacturers will be attempted to gain market presence and recognition.
#4 Privacy Issues
Probability: Medium Impact: Medium
The Federal Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 governs and protects student educational information and its distribution. Accordingly, any software which uses student enrollment data, such as DICE, must be FERPA compliant and capable of securing private information. Students must be unable to access other student’s confidential data and all communications between the DICE system and database servers must be encrypted and confidential.
Mitigation: While privacy concerns are an acknowledged risk to the project, compliance with FERPA can be ensured with extensive testing and emphasis on security during network communications. During Phase 1 further research will be done on FERPA to make sure that all data students can access concerning other students will not violate protected information.
#5 Project Funding
Probability: Low Impact: Medium
Funding is an issue that affects any development project, and DICE is certainly no different, as it will have no initial support from any outside software houses or other businesses. Hiring experts will comprise the bulk of expenses in the initial phases as the development team will be using Old Dominion University equipment and software. As the project expands and begins to deploy software at campuses across the country it will have to increase staffing and equipment to meet the demands.
Mitigation: SBIR grants will provide the initial funding for the project, allowing the development team to hire experts and do the required research to begin implementation. In the latter part of Phase 2 and subsequent out years, if additional money is needed a small business loan can be obtained to offset costs until DICE begins earning profit.
#6 Student Acceptance
Probability: Low Impact: Low
Although students are the ultimate end users of DICE, they are classified as secondary customers. However, it is still important to gain student interest and appreciation for the system, as campuses will be unable to establish learning communities without the participation of their students. As such, it will be important to have a feature set and interface that will attract students to use the application.
Mitigation: Ideally once deployed at an institution, the faculty and staff at that campus will encourage use of the software, whether that is in the form of posting supplements to the class or setting up study times and groups for students to use. Once the student population begins to use it, the community should grow at a steady rate as students begin to encourage their peers to give it a try.
#7 System Maintenance
Probability: Very Low Impact: Low
As with nearly any information technology system, DICE will need to be periodically maintained and updated to include new features and ensure continued compatibility between tools. This process needs to be as non-disruptive as possible to allow campus IT staff to deploy updates in between semesters or during other short periods when the system will not be as heavily used. If the system is unable to update easily and painlessly, campuses may be reluctant to invest in it.
Mitigation: Maintenance cycles will be taken into consideration during the development cycle, and provisions for distributing patches and updates will be built into the server and client software packages. DICE will be designed so that IT departments will be able to take over maintenance after a set period of time to avoid overtaxing project staff during the out years.
FUNDING PLAN
In order to make DICE a success, we must provide enough revenue to cover the cost of the project. The green team will submit a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant proposal for Phase I and Phase II to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The team will apply for small business or government loans to help with additional funding needed in Phase III.
The National Science Foundation is an organization whose primary goal is to increase incentives and opportunities to small businesses to take under new cutting edge, high risk research that has the potential to have an outstanding economic payoff. Under the Directorate for Engineering Office of Industrial Innovation, is the topic of Information Technology; this topic solicits many innovative proposals that can increase quality of business and commerce, industry processes, education, work life and personal life. The organization break down for DICE is as followed:
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation SBIR
Division: Directorate for Engineering Office of Industrial Innovation
Topic: Information-Based Technologies (IT)
Subtopic: Education Applications
Area: Applications in Support of Learning
Deadline: June 13, 2006
Awards Amount:
Phase I award: $100,000
Phase II award: $750,000
Budget Phase Breakdown:
. The DICE team will be using NSF funding for Phases I and II. For Phase III the team will apply for small business loans and grants to help with the cost of implementing DICE. Below is the breakdown on how the team plans to use the funding:
Phase I.
|Preliminary Cost Phase I | | | |
|Proof of Concept | | | |
|Allocated Time: 6 months | | | |
|Budget: $100,000 | | | |
|Hardware: |Number Required |Cost |Total Cost |
|Dell Precision 380 |2 |$1,490 |$2,980 |
|Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel |6 |$0 |$0 |
|Linksys - 4-Port Ethernet Broadband Router |1 |$60 |$60 |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|Total Hardware Cost: | | |$3,040 |
| | | | |
|Staffing |Number of Hours |Pay Rate |Total Pay |
|Student Interns: | | | |
|Sean |704 |$10 |$7,040 |
|William |704 |$10 |$7,040 |
|Mark |704 |$10 |$7,040 |
|Tom |704 |$10 |$7,040 |
|James |704 |$10 |$7,040 |
|Jeff |704 |$10 |$7,040 |
|Experts: | | | |
|Security Expert |200 |$40 |$8,000 |
|Networking Expert |200 |$40 |$8,000 |
|Database Expert |200 |$40 |$8,000 |
| | | | |
|Overhead (40%) | | |$26,496 |
|Total Labor Cost: | | |$92,736 |
|Total Resource Cost: | | |$3,040 |
| | | | |
|Total Preliminary Cost Phase I | | |$95,776 |
Phase II.
|Preliminary Cost Phase II | | | | |
|Critical Design | | | | |
|Allocated Time: 2 years | | | | |
|Budget: $750,000 | | | | |
|Software: |Number Required |Cost |Total Cost | |
|Microsoft Project 2003 Standard |6 |$599 |$3,594 | |
|Microsoft Office 2003 Pro |15 |$499 |$7,485 | |
|MSDN Universal Subscription |2 |$2,799 |$5,598 | |
|Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium |2 |$415 |$830 | |
|Microsoft Project Server 2003 |1 |$999 |$999 | |
|Windows® Server 2003, Web Edition |2 |$0 |$0 | |
|Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP 2 |15 |$0 |$0 | |
|Macromedia Studio 8 |1 |$1,000 |$1,000 | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Total Software Cost: | | | |$19,506 |
| | | | | |
|Hardware: | | | | |
|Dell PowerEdge SC1425 |4 |$1,750 |$7,000 | |
|Dell Precision 380 |15 |$1,490 |$22,350 | |
|Cisco 2610XM T1 Router |1 |$1,478 |$1,478 | |
|Dell Color Laser Printer 3100c |1 |$473 |$473 | |
|25' CAT6 Network Cables |8 |$25 |$200 | |
|Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel |15 |$0 |$0 | |
| | | | | |
|Total Hardware Cost: | | | |$31,501 |
| | | | | |
|Staffing |Number of Hours* |Pay Rate** |Yearly Salary |Total Pay |
| | | | | |
|Project Manager |832 |$42 |$79,128 |$35,018 |
| | | | | |
|Senior Software Engineer |480 |$41 |$77,500 |$19,787 |
|Software Engineer 1 |2352 |$32 |$59,700 |$74,689 |
|Software Engineer 2 |2352 |$32 |$59,700 |$74,689 |
|Software Engineer 3 |2352 |$32 |$59,700 |$74,689 |
|Testing Technician 1 |208 |$35 |$65,100 |$7,203 |
|Testing Technician 2 |208 |$35 |$65,100 |$7,203 |
|GUI Developer |120 |$31 |$57,600 |$3,677 |
|GUI Developer |120 |$31 |$57,600 |$3,677 |
|Technical Writer |400 |$28 |$53,500 |$11,383 |
|Database Specialist |400 |$32 |$60,000 |$12,766 |
|Networking Specialist |400 |$29 |$54,100 |$11,511 |
|Security Specialist |600 |$33 |$62,000 |$19,787 |
|Overhead (40%) | | | |$142,430 |
| | | | | |
|Total Labor Cost: | | | |$498,507 |
|Total Resources Cost: | | | |$51,007 |
|Money Allocated for Additional Purchases | | | |$20,000 |
|Total Preliminary Cost Phase II | | | |$538,507 |
Phase III.
|Preliminary Cost Phase III | | | | |
|Deployment | | | | |
|Software: |Number Required |Cost |Total Cost | |
|Microsoft Project 2003 Standard |6 |$599 |$3,594 | |
|Microsoft Office 2003 Pro |4 |$499 |$1,996 | |
|Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP 2 |4 |$0 |$0 | |
|MSDN Universal Subscription |1 |$2,799 |$2,799 | |
|Macromedia Studio 8 |1 |$1,000 |$1,000 | |
|Total Software Cost: | | | |$9,389 |
| | | | | |
|Hardware: | | | | |
| | | | | |
|Dell Precision 380 |4 |$1,490 |$5,960 | |
|Cisco 2610XM T1 Router |1 |$1,478 |$1,478 | |
|Dell Color Laser Printer 3100c |2 |$473 |$946 | |
|25' CAT6 Network Cables |4 |$25 |$100 | |
|Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel |4 |$0 |$0 | |
| | | | | |
|Total Hardware Cost: | | | |$8,484 |
| | | | | |
|Staffing |Number of Hours |Pay Rate |Yearly Salary |Total Pay |
| | | | | |
|Project Manager (Tom) |744 |$42 |$79,128 |$31,314 |
| | | | | |
|Maketing Director |1848 |$33 |$62,600 |$61,534 |
|Finance Director |480 |$34 |$63,200 |$16,136 |
|Technical Service Manager (Jeff) |500 |$29 |$54,000 |$14,362 |
|Customer Service Manager (James) |500 |$29 |$54,000 |$14,362 |
|Software Engineer (Mark) |300 |$35 |$65,100 |$10,388 |
|Webmaster |300 |$35 |$65,700 |$10,484 |
| | | | | |
|GUI Developer (Sean) |120 |$31 |$57,600 |$3,677 |
|Database Specialist (Will) |400 |$32 |$60,000 |$12,766 |
|Customer Support Technician (5) |1000 |$20 |$37,600 |$100,000 |
|Office Staff Technician (5) |1000 |$20 |$37,600 |$100,000 |
|Lawyer |300 |$49 |$92,800 |$14,809 |
| | | | | |
|Overhead (40%) | | | |$155,933 |
| | | | | |
|Total Labor Cost: | | | |$545,765 |
|Total Resorce Cost: | | | |$17,873 |
| | | | | |
|Total Preliminary Cost Phase III | | | |$563,638 |
*For more information about the budget breakdown please refer to the DICE Resource plan and the DICE Staffing plan.
EVALUATION PLAN
DICE will be evaluated comprehensively in order to ensure a complete and robust product that will be destined for success. The individual phases of the project, as well as the project as a whole will be evaluated based on specific criteria. The testing and evaluation periods of the project are outlined in the WBS. Although we have documented and placed these items on the project timeline, we have recognized the need to be flexible and to “take a step back” to look at the project to ensure we are reasonable and complete with our efforts. As noted in the WBS, all phases will be considered complete when the tasks that are associated within the phase are successful and this success is documented. Below, you will see a conceptual diagram of our evaluation strategy for DICE.
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Each phase will be evaluated based on the evaluation checklist for that phase. Evaluation will occur every 3 months or as deemed necessary by the PM. The evaluation checklist consists of four identification points. They are as follows:
• Marketing: the current target customers, the scope of this market audience and an updated list of competitors will be validated.
• Management: scheduling, task breakdown analysis, application of human resources, and overall project scope is included in this evaluation identification point.
• Technical: the components of the software, hardware, interfaces and overall system will be evaluated for completion, and interoperability.
• Cost: the scheduled budget for the current phase will be evaluated for cost efficiency, funding allocation, and mitigation/impacts of potential risks.
Marketing:
The identification of customers, market share, and competition helps to mold how the product will eventually look. In order for user acceptance to occur, the market must be explored for consistency or for changes in societal and technological trends.
Success is when the following are obtained:
• Customer base is clearly and accurately defined
• Documentation is update on competitive threats
Management:
The DICE team is driven by upholding professionalism amongst its team members. The team will strive to become a performing team as quickly as possible, as well as to maintain this performing status. This will require oversight and insight from the team leader and constant positive communication amongst the team members. Viewpoints and ideas are to be respected and discussed with only constructive criticism. On an aggressive project like DICE, negativity is the breeding ground for failure.
Success is when the following are obtained:
• Collaboration is the leading factor in discussions
• Open, Honest, and Direct Communication is present
• Each members’ contributions are satisfactory
• Schedule for meetings clearly articulated
• Every meeting is documented
Cost:
One of the largest driving factors of all projects is the bottom line (how much will it cost and how much will I profit from it). Each phase of the project hinges on the funding and the wise spending of this funding. Truly, the only successful way to migrate into the next phase of the project and to achieve success of the outlined goals in the WBS is to be sensitive to the cost. The break even points for the business and its sustainability must be monitored by all team members. Forecasting, budgeting, and reconciliations will all prove critical tools in this indication point.
Success is when the following are obtained:
• Budget that meets the SBIR funding allocated
• Budget broken down by phase and reviewed periodically
• Breakeven point is documented and realized
Technical:
There are four components in determining the technical success of the project: hardware, software, interfaces and overall system integration.
Software:
Software is managed and evaluated under the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI: ).
Testing will be performed whenever new features are added to ensure functionality. Integration testing will be performed at every level of development.
Hardware:
The hardware to be used will undergo exhaustive testing (if it performs well under a heavy load, then other states will be non-issues). The network infrastructure will be also tested to determine sufficiency of bandwidth.
Interfaces:
The interfaces are the key aspect to creating the community on DICE. With our first instantiation to be housed at ODU, we must successfully create the tie in to their SIS, which is Banner. Other schools will have different SISes that will need to be accounted for. By creating a model for the Banner information pull, these principles and data elements will be examined and documented for future implementations.
System:
The system will be tested to ensure that the software and hardware components work together seamlessly to provide a quality product. Rigorous in-house testing will be performed on a regular basis and in fact may encapsulate both the hardware and software testing once both facets of the project are sufficiently complete.
Success is assured when the following are obtained:
• Functioning GUI prototype
• Functional interface with Enrollment Database
• Functional hooks to enterprise level databases
• Documentation of interoperability components are published
• Functional integration of hardware and software
• Technical documentation for software and hardware
Testing Defined:
The DICE project is going to be taking a unique approach to testing. There are three identification points that must be evaluated by an expert on the team. These are outline in the WBS and listed below:
• Marketing: Marketing Director
• Management: Project Manager and Operations Manager
• Cost: Financial Director and Risk Manager
It should be noted that the Technical testing and evaluation are missing from the above list. This is where the uniqueness of DICE’s evaluation plan coming into being. As contained in our WBS, DICE is gong to hire 1 testing technician in Phase 1. This individual will eventually become the lead DICE expert in the technical realm. We will hire another testing technician in Phase 2 and will continue with the two technician approach throughout the project. When we have achieved success and are experiencing the OutYears portion of the project, we will convert the testing technicians to DICE Experts. These experts will act as second layer support to the DICE system, as well as becoming intimately involved in the inner workings of DICE. Please refer to the following diagram:
[pic]
Resource Plan
Abstract: This document describes what hard resources are required to complete the DICE project. The resources are broken into four phases ranging from 0-3. Each phase will provide a short description of why the resources are needed and the estimated cost associated.
Phase 0:
Phase 0 is primarily the idea phase of the project and thus does not require any hard resource requirements.
Phase 1:
The objective in Phase 1 is to prove the concept that this product is needed and it is technically feasible. We will develop and test a basic prototype of DICE.
|Hardware: | | | |
| | | | |
|Dell Precision 380 |2 |$1,490 |$2,980 |
|Linksys - 4-Port Ethernet Broadband Router |1 |$60 |$60 |
|Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel |2 |$0 |$0 |
| | | | |
|Total Hardware Cost: | | |$3,040 |
Dell Precision 380 (Workstation PC) – At this phase in the project we will be purchasing two personal computers from Dell to develop the prototype. One computer will represent a server and the other will represent the client.
Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel – These monitors come with the Dell Precision 380 (Workstation PC) for free.
Linksys - 4-Port Ethernet Broadband Router - Connects up to 4 computers to share broadband Internet access, files, printers and more. It comes equipped with a built-in 4-port switch and an advanced SPI firewall.
At this phase in the project we will be utilizing the software licenses acquired by Old Dominion University.
Phase 2:
The objective in Phase 2 is to design and develop a functional prototype and design testing scenarios that will accurately represent conditions that our product will confront. We will be producing productions specifications, contracts, management plan, personnel plan, test and evaluation plan, and marketing plan.
|Software: |Number Required |Cost |Total Cost |
|Microsoft Office 2003 Pro |15 |$499 |$7,485 |
|MSDN Universal Subscription |2 |$2,799 |$5,598 |
|Microsoft Project 2003 Standard |6 |$599 |$3,594 |
|Macromedia Studio 8 |1 |$1,000 |$1,000 |
|Microsoft Project Server 2003 |1 |$999 |$999 |
|Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium |2 |$415 |$830 |
|Windows® Server 2003, Web Edition |2 |$0 |$0 |
|Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP 2 |15 |$0 |$0 |
|Total Software Cost: | | |$19,506 |
| | | | |
|Hardware: | | | |
| | | | |
|Dell Precision 380 |15 |$1,490 |$22,350 |
|Dell PowerEdge SC1425 |4 |$1,750 |$7,000 |
|Cisco 2610XM T1 Router |1 |$1,478 |$1,478 |
|Dell Color Laser Printer 3100c |1 |$473 |$473 |
|25' CAT6 Network Cables |8 |$25 |$200 |
|Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel |15 |$0 |$0 |
|Total Hardware Cost: | | |$31,501 |
| | | | |
|Total Resource Cost: | | |$51,007 |
Dell Precision 380 (Workstation PC) – There will be 15 team members in phase 2, so naturally 15 workstations will be required. The systems will have Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Office Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 suite, Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server. Two of the machines will also feature Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium for GUI development.
Dell PowerEdge SC1425 – (Servers) the server will hold as our mock datacenter for initial testing. The server will be installed with Windows® Server 2003, Web Edition.
Dell Color Laser Printer 3100c – Used to print our documents and other necessary hard copies.
Cisco 2610XM T1 Router – This is used to network the computers together. In phase 2 we will be developing and testing the functional prototype. We will need a larger, more stable network. This justifies the more expensive Cisco router.
25' CAT6 Network Cables – These are used to patch the PCs into the switch.
Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel – These monitors come with the Dell Precision 380 (Workstation PC) for free.
All software must be updated as new versions are released and as new hardware is purchased.
Phase 3:
The objective in phase 3 is to produce and sell our product. We will also need to support existing customers for a negotiated timeframe, until they train there own support team.
|Software: |Number Required |Cost |Total Cost |
|Microsoft Project 2003 Standard |6 |$599 |$3,594 |
|MSDN Universal Subscription |1 |$2,799 |$2,799 |
|Microsoft Office 2003 Pro |4 |$499 |$1,996 |
|Macromedia Studio 8 |1 |$1,000 |$1,000 |
|Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP 2 |4 |$0 |$0 |
|Total Software Cost: | | |$9,389 |
| | | | |
|Hardware: | | | |
| | | | |
|Dell Precision 380 |4 |$1,490 |$5,960 |
|Cisco 2610XM T1 Router |1 |$1,478 |$1,478 |
|Dell Color Laser Printer 3100c |2 |$473 |$946 |
|25' CAT6 Network Cables |4 |$25 |$100 |
|Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel |4 |$0 |$0 |
|Total Hardware Cost: | | |$8,484 |
| | | | |
|Total Resource Cost: | | |$17,873 |
Dell Precision 380 (Workstation PC) – We will need four workstations in phase 3. The systems will have Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Office Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 suite, Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server.
Dell Color Laser Printer 3100c – Used to print our documents and other necessary hard copies.
Cisco 2610XM T1 Router – This is used to network the computers together. We will still need a large and stable network in this phase.
25' CAT6 Network Cables – These are used to patch the PCs into the switch.
Dell 19 inch UltraSharp™ 1907FP Flat Panel – These monitors come with the Dell Precision 380 (Workstation PC) for free.
All software must be updated as new versions are released and as new hardware is purchased.
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