ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

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Project Charter

ICT508 Assignment 1: EduStream Project

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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................2
2 Business Analysis...............................................................................................................2
2.1 Reason for the Project and General Approach............................................................2
2.2 Stakeholder Analysis...................................................................................................3
2.3 SWOT Analysis...........................................................................................................4
3 PRELIMINARY FINANCIAL ANALYSIS......................................................................7
3.1 ROM Cost and Revenue Estimates.............................................................................7
3.2 Assumptions................................................................................................................8
4 PROJECT PLANNING (OVERVIEW).............................................................................8
4.1 Key Dates....................................................................................................................8
4.2 Key Schedule Milestones............................................................................................9
5 DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS..................................................................................9

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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

1 INTRODUCTION
This Project Charter (PC) relates to the EduStream Pilot Project, which is under consideration
for initiation by EdMedia International Pty Ltd (EdMI). This document intends to provide a
clear synopsis of some critical issues that must be considered so stakeholders can determine
whether this project will be viable.
[Instructions for what to include in the Project Charter: Much of the basic information for the
assignment has been given in the provided materials. The intent is that you will read and
assimilate the material and then put it into your own words. This approach is essential
because this is what is required in the ICT industry. They do not just want people to copy
content without giving any thought to the issues. Consequently, the assignment aims to give
you the opportunity to demonstrate that you can explain the ideas/details provided in the
materials by using your own words and insights.
Additionally, if you just include the information that has been provided, you will
receive about 60% for those sections as a maximum mark. Where you will get the best marks
is by including real-world insights. Once again, the objective is to get you to think about the
practical implications of the situation. It is your ability to go beyond the basic information
and think about the issues realistically and sensibly that would make it more likely that you
can gain success in an ICT career. The intent of these assignments is to give all of our team
members the opportunity to grow this skill now.
Therefore, you can use the material that has been provided, but you need to change
this into your own words. As explained in the assignment material, just copying content will
be treated as plagiarism. The objective is not to catch people out, but to ensure that everyone
can build critical skills that can help them gain success in the industry. Just as importantly,
please go beyond what has been supplied, as developing your ability to think about real-
world issues can greatly help you in your future career.
Finally, there is no word limit for Assignment 1. However, being succinct and to
the point is highly valued in the industry. Consequently, get used to covering the pertinent
information briefly.]

2 Business Analysis

2.1 Reason for the Project and General Approach

[Instructions for what to include in this section: This section should begin by providing a
clear Executive Summary of the project objectives and explain why this will be important to
EdMI. In other words, this should be the synopsis pitch to the Board, so you can convince
them to provide funding. Additionally, you need to supply a very short synopsis of the
implementation approach that will be applicable. When doing this second part, remember that
the key concept is risk management. Therefore, deliver a short set of statements that would
indicate to the Board that the general approach will help to manage the associated risks.
In both of these aspects, your content must be convincing. Consequently, don’t just describe
the project, make sure that the Board will understand the importance of implementing
EduStream. You can get background on these reasons within the project scenario
description available on the LMS. Additionally, make sure that the risk management is
treated as a positive approach. For both aspects, you will need to think carefully about the
real-world issues.

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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

Here are some general rules to remember, when you are drafting this section:
 Keep this relatively short and to the point (aim for 500 words or less).
 Write it so it would convince the Board to proceed with the project (remember – in the
real-world, you may not have a job if the Board does not agree to fund this).
 This section should also be a preamble that will lay the foundation for the following
sections. Therefore, develop this first section so it flows into the stakeholder analysis.]
Finally, when drafting this section use the following structure:
 Always begin by stating the problem. This is an important part of the logic flow that
you will need to apply when working in the industry. In this situation, carefully read the
scenario provided in the Assignment information and work out EdMI’s problems (Hint:
Think about their market share and the impacts on revenue – this is the type of problem
that will have resonance with a Board). Once you have done this, write a short
paragraph that gives a clear statement defining EdMI’s problem.
 Next, identify the cause of the problem. You can get this content from the Assignment
information (Hint: Think about why our clients are not interested in the existing
product offering and what they are seeking – In other words, what do our clients really
want?). Then write this in one or two clear sentences.
 As a next step, broadly explain the solution to the problem. Remember, this type of
Problem/Solution logic is really important. If you apply this approach in your
persuasive writing, you are more likely to convince your reader. The solution must be
focussed on giving the clients what they want, so it is a direct follow on from the
previous point.
 Now that the readers understand the broad solution, in a few sentences list the key
deliverables. In other words, introduce the EduStream project to the Board and outline
what the project will actually deliver (Hint: see the EduStream Technical Architecture
Overview document and cover the headings). Remember, make the project deliverables
really clear. At this stage, don’t go into detail, just broadly explain what will be
delivered. Additionally, work on the fact that the Board will not understand what is
being delivered by EduStream and certainly will not know about the technology issues.
Therefore, give them just enough information to explain the project, without including
too much about the technology as this may confuse the discussion at this stage (i.e.
keep it simple). Finally, in this paragraph, make it clear how EduStream will address
the identified problem and also deliver a useful opportunity (e.g. we can now focus on
the mass market as well as our traditional clients).
 In the following paragraph, explain why it is important to do the EduStream project
soon. This is where you need to address the practical implications of the situation.
(Hint: think about what our competitors could do if we don’t change our current
product offering). In the industry, the best way to explain these issues is to link them to
risk (e.g. what are the risks to EdMI if we do nothing – key terms relate to business risk
and financial risk).
 In the final part of this section, give a very short overview of key steps that will be
needed. This content is discussed in the Topic 2 Workshop. When defining these, it is
always useful to explain that this will help to minimise implementation risks for the
project.]

Insert your material here (and then remove this line).

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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

2.2 Stakeholder Analysis

[Instructions for what to include in this section: This section needs to be a sensible and
thoughtful analysis of what EdMI, and the clients, are actually seeking from this project.
Consequently, there are two parts to the following table. Enter information into these two
table cells as follows:
 Part 1 – What do we want from this project? You need to think about EdMI’s real
business objectives for implementing this project. Some insights on this are provided in
the Project scenario description , and others are covered in the Topic 1 to Topic 4
lectures and associated Workshops. In addition to these points, you need to think about
the real-world issues related to this case. It is expected that you will provide a
minimum of six (6) clear, concise and focussed dot point sentences, which explain the
imperatives for EdMI and outline what we really want to achieve. As a hint, this section
should act as an expansion/clarification of the issues that you covered in Section 2.1
(Reason for the Project and General Approach and General Approach).
 Part 2 – What do our clients want from this project? The first key step here is to
identify who our clients really are. Advice on this aspect is provided in the Project
scenario descriptionand the Topic 1 to Topic 4 lectures. Once you have identified who
will be using this system, think about what they will actually want to gain from using
EduStream. As a hint, remember that we are looking at selling this to schools,
companies, Government departments, and individuals (particularly school children).
Across these various groups, there will be some aspects that will be common (e.g. easy
to use), but there will be some issues that will be quite specific for different groups (e.g.
a primary school student will be looking for different types of content to those needed
for a Government department wanting to provide adult education). It is expected that
you will provide a minimum of seven (7) clear, concise and focussed dot point
sentences, which explain what you believe the clients will want from the EduStream
system. As another hint, begin by listing universal requirements, and you can then
include specific requirements that you would expect from different user groups.
In both of these sections, you need to think realistically about the issues, as these aspects
would normally shape the design of the system. Consequently, think about this carefully, and
make sure that the content that you develop would help the Board to understand the issues,
and the system designers to focus on what will be most important.]

The following tables provide a synopsis of key aspects that have been identified through a
detailed stakeholder analysis.
Table 1. Stakeholder Analysis
PART 1: WHAT DO WE WANT FROM THIS PROJECT?


PART 2: WHAT DO OUR CLIENTS WANT FROM THIS PROJECT?



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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

2.3 SWOT Analysis

[Instructions for what to include in this section: A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats (SWOT) matrix is used to analyse internal and external factors that can have an
impact on the viability of a project. The first two dimensions are internally focussed on
EdMI’s issues and the latter two address related issues outside the company (e.g. competitors,
clients, etc.). Identifying these aspects is important, because it allows you to leverage your
strengths and manage your weaknesses, so you can take advantage of opportunities and
control threats. In other words, use these as a way of looking at key issues that you will need
to use/address to gain success from the project. However, when doing this analysis, look
beyond the project-specific issues and identify the broader implications of the situation. This
is what you will need to do when you get out into the industry (we do not operate in a
bubble).
Within this framework it is important to think about the fundamentals as follows:
 Strengths. In this section address the aspects of EdMI’s situation and capabilities that
can be considered as strengths. In other words, what will make EdMI more competitive
in relation to implementing and operating the EduStream Project? Remember these are
factors that are currently internal to the organisation (Hint: Think about these in terms
of finance (how much money do we have and how easy will it be to get additional
capital?), market share (how much of the market do we control?), market base (how
diverse and robust is our portfolio of existing clients? – if we have lots, this greatly
reduces risks), staff (what skills do we have in the organisation that can help?), what
products do we have, which we can reuse for this project (what proportion of the
available content do we control and is it any good?), reputation (what is our
reputation? – in the business world this is known as ‘Good Will’ and it is actually
valued because it is a valuable strength), where is our footprint (where do we have staff
who can support the activities?), and many other aspects).
 Weaknesses. What characteristics of EdMI’s business situation can be considered as
weaknesses (e.g. which could have an adverse impact on our ability to implement the
EduStream project successfully, and gain a market advantage)? Don’t forget that these
are internal factors. In many respects, the broad context for Weaknesses is similar to
what is included for Strengths. (Hint: Think about this in terms of market base and
market share (is there an issue with our existing market share?); cashflow (how does
the existing business approach help to ensure that we have good money coming in all
the time? – if this is not the case, this could be a weakness), staff (do we have the skills
required to do the project? – if not this could be a weakness, particularly if we can’t
engage contractors), do we have access to enough material (games and videos) for use
in the EduStream product (do we actually have enough games and videos to do this
currently? – think about this in terms of the information provided and the real-world
issues), finances (do we have the finances required to pay for this in-house? – if not,
this could be a weakness), culture (do we have the right culture to make this change in
our business focus and approach, including the mass marketing? – remember that
EdMI has been doing business one way and now needs to change – this can be a
weakness), organisational structure (will our existing organisational structure be
suitable for this project and the management of the EduStream product in future? – if
not, this can be a weakness that will need to be addressed), and many others).

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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

 Opportunities. In relation to this aspect, you need to think about the conditions outside
of EdMI that could provide opportunities or advantages. For example, issues such as
the economy, changes in technology, evolving client expectations, and the changing
business situation for competitors or future clients can all be of importance. (Hint:
Think about things like the: Australian market opportunity (is there anyone doing this
in the market at the moment in Australia? – look at the internet and see if there are
other companies doing this), overseas market opportunity (is there scope to deploy
EduStream overseas? – again, look at the internet), expansion opportunities (how easy
will it be to expand our market base - for extra marks, think about this in terms of
Porter’s Five Forces), client interest (how interested are the likely customers in this
type of offering? – think carefully about the scenario information that has been
provided and the real-world implications), technology (how well does the existing
technology support this proposal?), the economy (think about local and global
economic issues that could provide an opportunity for us), and many others).
 Threats. In this dimension of the analysis, you need to think carefully about issues
outside of EdMI that could adversely affect EdMI’s ability to deliver the EduStream
project. For instance, you would think about competitors, or other external factors such
as economic conditions, etc. For extra marks think about this in terms of Porter’s Five
Forces. (Hint: Think about aspects like competition (what competition is out there in
Australia and overseas?), skills availability (how difficult will it be for us to get access
to the right skills to develop this project? – think about this in terms of our scenario),
geopolitical issues (are there any geopolitical issues that could affect our proposal?),
economic (are there any macro-economic issues that may present problems for us?),
contractual issues (are there any contractual issues that could affect our approach –
e.g. current licensing of games and videos? – remember if we lose access to the
material we would not have a product to sell), and many others).
It is expected that you will assess these issues rigorously, as they would have a significant
impact on the possibility of success. Therefore, within each of the following tables, you need
to insert a minimum of six (6) clear, short, dot-point sentences that give a synopsis of the
issues that may have an impact on EdMI’s ability to deliver the project successfully. As
another key hint, you should not be directly assessing aspects of the EduStream project
deliverables. What you should be doing is looking at issues that could have a significant
impact on EdMI and our ability to actually implement and deploy a project of this type.
As a final important point – Don’t just put in the identified Strength, Weakness, Opportunity
or Threat. What you need to do is include the implications for each statement. In practice, this
means also explaining what this really means to our project. For instance, for Weaknesses
and Threats, broadly identify what you will need to do to manage these, and for Strengths and
Opportunities state how this will help with achieving the objectives of the project and how
we can take advantage from them.]

A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted in

relation to the implementation of the EduStream project. The following table provides a
synopsis of the key points that were identified in this analysis.

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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

Table 2. SWOT Analysis

INTERNAL ISSUES OF IMPORT FOR EdMI AND THE EDUSTREAM PROJECT
STRENGTHS


WEAKNESSES



EXTERNAL ISSUES OF IMPORT FOR EdMI AND THE EDUSTREAM PROJECT

OPPORTUNITIES


\

THREATS




3 PRELIMINARY FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

3.1 ROM Cost and Revenue Estimates

The following table contains the Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost and revenue
information for the EduStream project. These figures have been adjusted to take into account
the discount rate, which includes expected inflation and the cost of capital.
Table 3. ROM Costs and Revenue Estimates

Description Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Discounted ROM $1,205,000 $674,500 $738,000 $731,000

Costs/Expenditures
Discounted ROM $256,000 $1,059,250 $1,620,000 $2,125,000
Benefits/Revenues
Expected NPV adjusted $(949,000) $(564,250) $317,750 $1,711,750
Profit/Loss

The figures within the previous table were used to implement a rationalised financial analysis
for the project. Results from these calculations are provided in the following table. This table
lists the calculated Net Present Value (NPV), Return on Investment (ROI) and expected
Payback Period for the EduStream project. These figures are influenced by the assumptions
outlined in Section (below).
Table 4. NPV-ROI-Payback Period
NPV $1,711,750

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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

ROI 51%
Payback Period ~2.64 years

[Instructions for what to include in this section: In this section, you need to explain what
these figures mean in real terms. Remember that you are writing to the Board, who will
understand the basic concepts, but you will need to provide a short paragraph that explains
the implications of these results and also aligns them with the bigger strategic framework for
the company. Hint: Do not just provide definitions of the terms. You need to explain what
these financial figures really mean for this project. Please remember that this is designed to
be a business paper, rather than an academic paper. In the real world, the key is to determine
what the figures actually mean and then explain this in a sensible way. Just a short paragraph
that explains what the figures mean is all that is required. Then finish this off with a statement
as to whether this indicates whether the project is viable or not viable.]

Insert your material here.

3.2 Assumptions
[Instructions for what to include in this section: You will need to insert clear statements that
outline the assumptions that were used when defining the expected costs and revenues. You
can find many of these in the Assumptions section of the Project scenario description (on
Pages 5 and 6). Here are the key points to remember, when developing this section.
 Do not just copy the information provided in the project scenario description.
Cutting and pasting any information directly from other material will be assessed as
plagiarism. You will, therefore, need to put the assumptions information into your own
words.
 There are also a number of other issues discussed in the Project scenario description
that should be included in this section. Consequently, read all of the information
carefully and make sure that this section covers all of the elements that are explicitly
provided.
 If you only list the information that is provided in the Project scenario description, you
will get a maximum of about 60% for this section. To get more marks you will need to
also think about the real-world issues that are likely to be pertinent. Remember, this
ability to look at the bigger picture is what will help you gain success in an ICT career.
Therefore, build this skill now.
 It is expected that you will develop a minimum of ten (10) assumptions. More marks
will be gained by providing a more comprehensive listing.]

The following table lists the key assumptions that are applicable to the financial analysis
information provided in the preceding sections.
Table 5. Project Assumptions
FINANCIAL/PROJECT ASSUMPTIONS



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ICT508: Assignment 1 - Project Charter EduStream Project

4 PROJECT PLANNING (OVERVIEW)

4.1 Key Dates

[Instructions for what to include in this section: You will need to carefully check that the
dates listed in the following table are correct. These should reflect the information
provided in the Project scenario description . Make any changes you think may be necessary].

The following table lists the key dates applicable to this project.
Table 6. Project Key Dates
Submission to the Board
Project Start Date
Project End Date

4.2 Key Schedule Milestones

[Instructions for what to include in this section: You need to include a listing of the key
milestones that should be included, so you can outline the project. Therefore, add rows as
necessary to the following table.
As a first step, you should paraphrase (put in your own words) the key milestone information
listed in the Project scenario description (which commences on Page 2). Remember, simply
copying in that information will be viewed as plagiarism and this will adversely affect your
mark. Therefore, you need to put this information into your own words.
Most importantly, once you have added in the key milestones already provided in the Project
scenario description, you need to include others that are implicit (i.e. not explicitly listed).
For example, look at the tender preparation issues that need to be covered (see Page 3 in the
Project scenario description ) and work out other key milestones that you should include.
There are also lots of other hints provided in the Project scenario description and the Topic 3
Workshop. For instance, we need to think about training for the marketing team, engaging the
Datacentres and so on. Additionally, review the EduStream Technical Architecture document
that is provided in the LMS and think about any other milestones that may be required to
effectively deliver this system.
It is expected that you should add a minimum of seven (7) additional milestones to those
that have already been provided in the Key Milestones section of the Project scenario
description. Obviously, the more detailed (and realistic) your listing is, the higher the mark
you will receive. As a last hint, when developing your milestones, make sure that you comply
with the SMART principles outlined in the Topic 4 lecture.]

The following table lists the key project milestones that have been identified. Meeting these
milestones will help to ensure that the project can be delivered on time.
Table 7. Key Schedule Milestones
Date Event/Milestone

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5 DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS

[Instructions for what to include in this section: Provide a comprehensive listing of the
meaning for the key technical terms and acronyms that are associated with this project.
For example, provide descriptions for all of the technologies listed in the Project scenario
description and the EduStream Technical Architecture Overview. Include this information in
the following table.
At a minimum, cover the terms listed in the left-hand column within the following table.
However, you will do better if you add others that are pertinent. It is expected that you
will provide a standard definition, and then put this into context for the EduStream project,
where this is appropriate. For instance, when discussing the ‘client’ platforms align your
response to the information provided in the Project scenario description. Please note that the
term ‘client’ listed in Table 8 refers to the hardware that will be used and not the individuals
using the system.
Make sure that you define these terms in your own words, as it will be important that you
understand these issues (both for the discussions of the scenario for this unit, and when you
get out into the ICT industry).]

Key technical terms associated with the EduStream project are provided in the following
table.
Table 8: Key Terms, Acronyms and Definitions
Term or Abbreviation Meaning/Definition of the Term
Batch Updating (for OCA & DB)
Client (define this in terms of the
scenario – e.g. define this in terms
of the hardware)
CODEC (Coder-Decoder)
Colo (co-located) Datacentre
Content Delivery Network
(CDN)
Database replication
Firewall (software/hardware)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Flash Video (FLV)
High Efficiency Video Coding
(HEVC/H.265)
HTTP (HyperText Transfer
Protocol)
MPEG-4 (MP4)
Node (define this in terms of the
CDN Nodes listed in this scenario)
Service Desk (define this in
terms of the scenario)
Open Connect Appliance
(OCA)

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Term or Abbreviation Meaning/Definition of the Term

Real Time Streaming Protocol
(RTSP)
Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP-IP)
Tier 3 Datacentre
Web server

Remaining elements of the standard PC template are not included in this assignment.

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