Module 6- ECO-TRANS Case study

II. Project Planning

A. Determine the business requirements for the successful development of the project. Justify your

choices.

“Most projects are designed to fix an issue, implement a new system or process, or redesign something

in the business to increase productivity. Thorough business requirements result in fully defined project

objectives, success criteria and potential risks. Developing business requirements also is the first step in

deciding on project resources, time line and budget. Business requirements answer the “what” and not

the “how” questions of a project. Use basic business oriented language in your requirements document.

Have enough detail to answer questions that come up, but not too much that your approvers won’t

bother reading. Where possible, create an “executive summary” followed by more thorough detail of

the requirements. This format will appeal to a variety of readers “(Schatz, T. 2014).

What?- Implementation of New Eco-Stream on board computers on all 53 of SRT's locomotives to help

reduce fuel costs and lower Co2 emissions.

How?

Install new Eco-Steam on board computer system in locomotives in order to monitor when a

locomotive should coast, brake, accelerate, and recommenced speeds. The GPS system should be able

to predict the appropriate approaches and limit wasted fuel and reduce Co2 emissions.

The project will be completed in phases with the first phase implementing and monitoring trial

equipment to ensure the technology is compatible to the locomotives by completing one third of the 53.

(MindEdge, 2016) Eco-Trans must procure and configure all other equipment for the remaining

locomotives while the first phase of implementation is being completed. (MindEdge, 2016) All
equipment procured must be inspected prior to the installation process to identify any defective

equipment to avoid scheduling delays of equipping the remainder of the fleet.All conductors and

engineers must attend training to ensure they are comfortable in operating the equipment.The project

must be completed in its entirety within 15month schedule and within the agreed upon budget.

B. Establish who will provide the business requirements. What approach will be used to solicit the

requirements from the subject matter experts?

Project manager will provide the business requirements. Business requirements are what will be

needed to implement and complete the project. So the project manager along with the subject matter

experts who can provide operation knowledge on what will need to be done will also provide the

business requirements. On the railroad anything involving the locomotive fleet should involve

transportation and also the mechanical departments. A project like this that would require taking

locomotives out of service to install the GPS system will affect customers as well so it will be

important to have sales and marketing involved to handle service delays with customers.

A number of teams and partners should create the BRD:

Project core team

Business partner(s)
Process owner(s) or representatives
Subject matter experts
Change/project/product management, quality department and/or IT management as needed or
available

One way to solicit requirements from subject matter experts is to make sure to keep them involved

in the process. “The sad truth is, your project is not your Subject Matter Experts’ top priority. This is

why you need to find ways to engage them by getting them interested, so that you will be able to easily

find them when you need them. While identifying your goals in the beginning, ask them to answer

questions such as why they think this project needs to exist, how it will improve productivity or

employees’ professional lives, and which is the best way in their opinion to measure the success of the
program. This will not only help clarify the objectives, but also get your expert more involved in your

project” (Pappas, C. 2015).

C. Categorize and organize the business requirements in a standard requirements template.

Package the BRD so it has a logical flow and is easy to follow. An example of a high-level list of

sections follows:

Project overview including project charter information, scope, and objectives

Current environment assessment and systems overview (see additional details below)
Future process map
Process detail table
Overall project business rules and constraints
Impact assessment (fishbone for process functions)
Functional requirements (additional details below)
Data to be held (additional detail available below)
Schedule and budget
Terms and definitions
Approver information
Team information

1. 53 trains in the Sunshine Rail Transit (SRT) fleet will have customized ECO-Stream systems. High
2. During the first phase of this project, there will be system tests to best configure the ECO-Stream
system for SRT operations. High
3. During the second phase of this project, ECO-Stream modules and equipment will be installed on the
entire SRT rail locomotive fleet. High
4. Completion of end user training will occur during the second phase of this project. Medium
5. ECO-Stream computer terminal has defects and it is critical to connecting the communication box
with the terminal. High
6. With the defective computer equipment, an alternative supplier will be considered. Medium
7. Consider additional funding to afford the costs of using an alternative supplier. High
8. Optimize resources by moving forward with installing other components in the trains while awaiting
replacement parts. High
9. Keep project on schedule without increasing costs. High

D. Explain why the format for capturing requirements is important to the overall success of the project.
Why would we consider requirements’ traceability?

Requirements must be traceable. That means for any requirement, one must be able to ascertain

its source and its realization, i.e., a reason why the requirement exists and a guarantee that the

requirement has actually been implemented. Generally, analysts construct a matrix that traces each

requirement to implementation, test cases, and sources. The source of a requirement is generally some
stakeholder but might also be a regulation or mandate.

E. Leveraging the business requirements, translate these requirements into a project schedule using

project management software through the provided template.

Varga developed a project schedule that consisted of seven key milestones within a fifteenth

month range. It was noted that the first four milestones were completed without a hitch,however, the

team ran into their first issue with the implementation of the fleet equipment. Varga was not able to

come up with a solid solution to this problem because she originally did not allow room for product

quality checks. Quality assurance is any systematic process of checking to see whether a product or

service being developed is meeting specified requirements. A quality assurance system is said to

increase customer confidence and a company's credibility. This process could have been added into the

schedule and this would have allowed for better communication as well as discovering earlier on that

there were defects. She than would have had more time to come up with a better solution and perhaps

not so much pressure placed upon her from her manager and the client’s project sponsor.

One additional scheduling conflict would have appeared to of been that face the the first phase of

installation was giving a four month window and only allowing one month for the final stage of the

install. However, there was a lot more work involved on the backend of the installation. I would think

the timeframes would be better suited if they were in fact revered. Allow one moth for the initial install

since its limited to 1/3 the locomotives and the 4 month window on the backend due to more

locomotives needing the equipment installed and for a chance to iron out any other issues that arise.

F. Estimate the duration of project tasks using common business knowledge, and assign resources to

complete each task.

Varga will have to shuffle resources around to make it work. Subject experts have

requirements about on how many hours per week they can allocate to the project and Varga is
above the allocations in some case. This may lead some of the experts to sour on the project. Frank

Hermann is unavailable in November. His material can be covered by Vin Siedek on 11/3 (5H) and

Rohan Singh (5H) on 11/17 as they as per their availability. Frank Hermann will cover 2H for Susan

Weitz on 10/27.

III. Project Execution

A. Determine the best implementation approach—agile or waterfall project—for the organization based

on its organizational structure. Provide examples to support your rationale.

I would say in the case of implementing Eco-Stream in SRT's 53 locomotives the Agile method

would best be suited for the organizational structure that's in place as it allows for change.

Advantages of the Agile Methodology

1. The Agile methodology allows for changes to be made after the initial planning. Re-writes to the the
program, as the client decides to make changes, are expected.

2. Because the Agile methodology allows you to make changes, it’s easier to add features that will keep
you up to date with the latest developments in your industry.

3. At the end of each sprint, project priorities are evaluated. This allows clients to add their feedback so
that they ultimately get the product they desire.

4. The testing at the end of each sprint ensures that the bugs are caught and taken care of in the
development cycle. They won’t be found at the end.

5. Because the products are tested so thoroughly with Agile, the product could be launched at the
end of any cycle. As a result, it’s more likely to reach its launch date. (Hasbi, R. 2015).

For the ECO Trans project, the best methodology to use is agile.It’s efficiency with issues
during the project would help mitigate risk from parts being defective.The Eco-Trans project team is
already limited on time, and resources, agile methodology would help in quickly reassigning tasks
when the department training manager requests a demo of ECO-Stream before beginning education
(MindEdge, 2014 M6).Agile’s use of smaller teams works well with the limited resources and their
availability

B. Explain how the project schedule can be resource leveled, fast-tracked, or crashed if needed based

upon execution results.

The project can be fast tracked by incorporating more training in the beginning rather than waiting. I

think it will be important to get engineer's engaged in the process from the offset. This way they feel a

sense of ownership over the project and it will get them talking and collaborating ideas. Also, this will

provide engineer's with more knowledge of the equipment and a chance to share some of that with co-

workers who may not have picked up on it as fast. I think this will streamline the process and when it is

in it's final stages it will cut down on training time and human factor errors.

Varga decides that she can use crashing to get the necessary components from an alternate

supplier. She knows that this supplier will charge more per part, especially with expedited delivery,

but she cannot think of another way to restore the terminal manufacturing schedule and meet the

client's installation target (MindEdge, 2016)

C. Propose communication approaches and the frequency that should be used to keep leadership

apprised of the project execution. Include examples to support your claim.

I think it is important to communicate project status in a variety of different ways, but also equally

important no to over communicate. Finding the perfect balance of communication for your project is

essential.

Type/technique Description

E-mail Allows project teams to communicate text,

audio, and video files between the team
members

Interoffice memos Provides a formal forum to communicate

key dates, policies, and procedures
Instant Messaging Allows team members to communicate real-
(IM) time

Project status meetings Provides regular status updates and reviews

of the project

Telephone/video Provides a medium to involve team

conferences members located in other geographic
regions

Intranet, Internet Formally communicates status, progress,

boards highlights, and objectives to all

Project road show Provides feedback to stakeholders or users

Walk-about Involves a hands-on face-to-face approach

with your team and clients

References

Hasbi, R. (2015). Agile & Waterfall Methologies. Retrieved from:

http://www.base36.com/2012/12/agile-waterfall-methodologies-a-side-by-side-comparison/

Pappas, C. (2015). Working With Subject Matter Experts. Retrieved from:

https://elearningindustry.com/working-subject-matter-experts-ultimate-guide

Schatz, T. (2014). Project Management Business Requirements. Retrieved from:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/project-management-business-requirements-4502.html