Case
Study, Stage 5: Outline of Next Steps
Before you begin this assignment, be
sure you have read the “ Haircuts Case Study”, the Case Study Staged
Projects 1-4, the “Walmart Example,” and feedback on your graded work so
far.
Purpose of this Assignment
This assignment gives you the
opportunity to apply the concepts of this course to address the planning,
development, implementation and on-going management of the technology solution
you have proposed for the Haircuts business. This assignment specifically addresses the
following course outcome to enable you to:
·
identify
and plan IT solutions that meet business objectives.
Outline of Next Steps for Haircuts
Following
your presentation of your Stage 4 project, the owner of Haircuts has decided to move ahead and implement your
proposed solution. Prior to beginning
the project, the owner has asked you to prepare an outline explaining the next
steps. For this assignment, you will
develop an annotated outline that identifies the next steps to implement the
solution described in Stages 2-4, addressing a number of areas such as project
management, system development life cycle, change management, etc.
Assignment
Using at least one external resource (a
source other than those provided for the class) develop an annotated outline
2-3 pages in length, not including References and cover sheet, responding to
the bulleted items below. Remember to correctly
cite and reference your sources with APA format. Use the Grading Rubric to be sure you have covered
everything. Your outline should be in
Microsoft Word outline format. Submit
your paper as a Word document (or a document that can be read in Word) with your
last name included in the filename.
An annotated outline provides the
basic information in full sentences, but in outline form rather than in
paragraph form. In this case, you will
address each aspect of the next steps to be taken to implement your technology
solution. You should provide all of the
important facts, without the expanded discussions used in full papers. Each of the topics in the list
below should be explained as they apply to your proposed technology solution
and to Haircuts, using a few sentences for each topic and providing information
specific to your solution.
Your annotated outline should
address the next steps in each of the following areas that Haircuts will
take to implement your technology solution:
- VERY brief description of
proposed technology solution, including such things as what process is
being improved, major hardware employed, what major software will be used,
what type of communications will be used, who will provide the services,
and what facilities are needed.
This should be done in just 3 or 4 sentences, to set the stage for
the rest of the outline. Also,
include the following from the end of Stage 1 (with any recommended
changes): - Generic Strategy
- Strategic Business Area
- Process to be improved
- Project Management (schedule, management
of resources-both human and financial, deliverables) - System Development Life Cycle
(all phases and how they apply to your solution) - Change Management (Note that
there are two aspects: managing the change introduced with your technology
solution and managing changes to the solution after it is implemented.) - Employee Training
- Leadership Expectations (the
owner’s expectations of how the project will be managed and what it will
produce) - Defining Success (what will be
“measured” to determine if the process has been improved, and if the
business strategy and objectives are being met) - Reference(s)
Also, you need to do some external
research (using resources other than those in the classroom) on at
least one aspect of the assignment – your choice – and incorporate it and cite
it in APA format in your response.
The “right” and “wrong” answers have to
do with whether or not you correctly incorporated the concepts from the course
and addressed all areas of the assignment. Your “next steps” must be
defined specifically for Haircuts, addressing its operation and its environment
and your technology solution. Use
the Rubric below to be sure you have covered all aspects.
Concepts
(from Weeks 6-7):
·
Project Management: Solution Management Module (Week 6)
·
SDLC: Solution Management Module (Week 6)
·
Change Management: Leadership
& Change Management Module (Week 7)
·
Employee Training:Leadership & Change Management
Module (Week 7)
·
Leadership Expectations: Leadership
& Change Management Module (Week 7)
·
Defining Success: This
is a good area for some external research
·
Project Management Best Practices:
Project Management Best Practices(Week 7)
