As you continue working as IT manager for HWE Accessories, you’ll work this week to compile components developed throughout this course and create a post-implementation plan. Finalize your business
Introduction In this paper, we are going to look at project controls and we will identify the control objectives and techniques that will ensure the completeness, accuracy, validity, and authorization of transactions and data for the HWE Accessories website. Let us start by defining project controls. Project controls According to Malsam (2020), project controls are a “set of tools, processes and people skills that are used together to help project managers have the right information, at the right time, to make the right decision”. For the project to be successful, we need to have a skilled team. When it comes to programmers, only senior and mid-level programmers who have more than five years of experience will be picked for the project. Also, other members of the team like the project manager will have a proven track record of successful project completion in the past. The team and the project manager need to be always aware of the project scope. We will have a time tracking program that will track time spent on a task as the project is being executed. This will help us know when there is time wastage. Programmers will use instant messaging apps like Skype for communication to ensure immediate feedback on issues and the smooth running of the project. We will also use the Kanban board to manage our work. The board will show which tasks have been completed and which are in progress etc. We will use a project planning document that we will keep referring to as the project progresses. The project planning document will contain a project brief, estimate, timeline, etc. (Aston, 2020). We will use a communication plan which is a document that will define communication channels and who needs to communicate to who in case of a dispute etc. We will use a quality assurance checklist which will indicate a list of important things that should not be missed as the project progresses (Aston, 2020). References Aston, B. (2020). What are project controls and how to use these 9 to get control. The Digital Project Manager. https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/project-controls-simplified/ Malsam, W. (2020). Project controls: A quick guide. Project Manager. https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/project-controls-a-quick-guide
As you continue working as IT manager for HWE Accessories, you’ll work this week to compile components developed throughout this course and create a post-implementation plan. Finalize your business
Introduction In this paper, we will talk about our project milestones and dependencies by how we will know that our project is on track, steps we will take if a task or subtask is not proceeding on time, and lastly, criteria that will be used to measure the project success. Let us start by looking at how we will know our project is on track. Ways to know that the project is on track According to Anderson (2011), we need to track the critical path. Tasks are not equal, some take longer while others take a shorter duration but as long as the critical path is on track, then the entire project is on track. Another way is to track the objectives and milestone metrics (Anderson, 2011). We can track the objective of a certain phase e.g., delivery of User Interface design and whether the delivery was on time according to the milestone schedule. Steps to take if a task is not on time Sometimes we cannot avoid delays because employees may get sick, the client may change project requirements from time to time, etc. We need to do the following if a task or subtask is not on time. Have a meeting with your team According to Kissflow (2021), you need to have a meeting with your team and evaluate what you can sacrifice e.g., employees may need to sacrifice on time and work more hours than expected to ensure the subtask or task is a success. Prioritize tasks or subtasks According to Kissflow (2021), you may need to prioritize tasks by using Kanban boards and moving other tasks down the priority list. Set new deadlines According to Kissflow (2021), we can set a new realistic deadline for a delayed subtask or task. Communication It is important that the project manager communicates with the team members on any changes that may arise such as client requirements etc. Criteria used to measure the project success We will measure project success using the following criteria Quality According to Westland (2015), we can review the quality of the project process at the end of the project phase and determine whether the project will be a success or not. We can look at the standards set in our quality plan and look at whether they are followed (Westland, 2015). Cost We need to look at what we have spent so far on the project and what we had budgeted (Westland, 2015). If the money spent is less than the budget, then the project is a success. Stakeholder satisfaction If the client is satisfied at every phase of the project, then the entire project will be successful (Westland, 2015). References Anderson, L. (2011). How do you know your project is on track? ProjectTimes. https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/how-do-you-know-if-your-project-is-on-track/ Kissflow. (2021). How to avoid and overcome project delays. https://kissflow.com/project/how-to-avoid-project-delays/ Westland, J. (2015). 5 ways to measure project success. ProjectManager. https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/5-ways-to-measure-project-success
As you continue working as IT manager for HWE Accessories, you’ll work this week to compile components developed throughout this course and create a post-implementation plan. Finalize your business
Introduction This is a system testing document for the HWE Accessories e-commerce website. The document will look at how the e-commerce website will be tested, and it will contain black-box testing, white box testing, environment, security testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), and lastly, unit testing. Let us start by looking at black-box testing. Black Box Testing According to Johnson (2020), black-box testing is a “broad category that includes a variety of techniques and technologies that check software from the outside without scanning the code”. Johnson (2020) adds that black box testing is the testing of an application without knowing the internal working and structure of that application. Johnson (2020) says that black box testing can be done on several levels, including system testing, unit testing, integration testing, or acceptance testing. Black box testing looks at the input supplied to the application and the output expected (Johnson, 2020). The types of black-box testing are non-functional testing, functional testing, and regression testing. Functional testing Functional testing is the testing of specific functions of a system. In our system, we will test whether the payment system is working as expected and whether the payment system is secure. We will also check whether the registration functionality is working as expected i.e., it can register new users and only authorized users can access the “user dashboard”. Non-functional testing Non-functional testing is the testing of other aspects such as performance, usability, stress, compatibility, etc. (Johnson, 2020). We will test whether the website works well on mobile devices, how fast it loads on mobile devices, whether it can be accessed with ease by blind and even color-blind people, and usability in general. Regression testing Regression testing is done after a system upgrade, version update, and maintenance and its purpose is to check whether the changes have affected the non-functional and functional aspects of the system (Johnson, 2020). We will perform regression testing after updating plugins, website templates, and underlying software such as Content Management System (CMS) e.g., WordPress, and database e.g., MySQL database. White Box Testing According to Thomas (2020), white-box testing is the testing of “data structures, code structures, and internal design of application software”. Thomas (2020) adds that white box testing is also known as clear box testing, open box testing, and glass testing. Thomas (2020) says that testers performing white box testing need to understand programming. White box testing can be performed on various levels of testing such as unit testing, integration testing, regression testing, etc. and its main purpose is to analyze whether the code is well-formatted and supports performance, analyze security issues from the code, analyze loopholes from the entire code, etc. The people responsible for white box testing are the quality assurance testers from the third company that is responsible for designing and developing the website. Functional Testing According to Shah (2018), functional testing is a “type of black-box testing whereby each part of the system is tested against functional specification/ requirements”. Under functional testing, we will look at various functions such as whether the payment processing is working as expected, whether the payment processing process issues an alert to the user when he/she has entered the wrong card number, whether the payment processing system informs the user when there is no money in his/her account, the registration process of users, whether the system allows authorized users to log in and issue alert message when wrong password or username is entered, etc. Environment According to Hamilton (2021), a test environment is a “setup of software and hardware for the testing teams to execute test cases”. There will be a testing environment where code done by programmers will be integrated and tested on that server. When the website is finished and ready to be deployed it will be uploaded to the production server. The testing environment will be a true replica of the production environment and the only difference will be that the testing environment has test cases. Security Testing According to Zola (2020), security testing is a “type of software testing that’s deployed to identify vulnerabilities that could potentially allow a malicious attack”. Penetration testing will be performed by the company developing the website to ensure that vulnerabilities are identified and fixed before the website goes live. The security areas that will be looked at are SQL injection, Cross-site scripting, Distributed Denial of Service, etc. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) According to Kariuki (2021), user acceptance testing is done before the software is taken to live production and its purpose is to check whether it meets business requirements. This is done by end-users (Kariuki, 2021). It is the responsibility of the company designing and developing the website to select end-users who will perform user acceptance testing before the website is deployed to the production server. Unit testing According to Sherrif (2020), unit testing is a “type of software testing where you test each of your code units (the smallest functioning part of your code – typically an individual method, function, or class) as independently as possible to ensure they behave as they are expected to”. It is the responsibility of the company designing and developing the website to perform unit testing. Automated tools will be used to perform unit testing and a good example is JsLint which will be used to test JavaScript code. References Hamilton, T. (2021). Test environment for software testing. Guru99. https://www.guru99.com/test-environment-software-testing.html Johnson, P. (2020). Black box testing: what you need to know. WhiteSourceSoftware. https://www.whitesourcesoftware.com/resources/blog/black-box-testing/ Kariuki, B. (2021). How to carry out effective user acceptance testing. Section. https://www.section.io/engineering-education/how-to-carry-out-effective-user-acceptance-testing-uat/ Shah, H. (2018). What is functional testing? Explained with test cases and example. Simform. https://www.simform.com/blog/functional-testing/ Sherrif, Q. (2020). Introduction to unit testing. Section. https://www.section.io/engineering-education/software-testing-part1/ Thomas, S. (2020). Understanding white box testing. Einfochips. https://www.einfochips.com/blog/understanding-white-box-testing/ Zola, A. (2020). What’s the role of security testing in software development? Information-age https://www.information-age.com/whats-role-security-testing-software-development-123487978/
As you continue working as IT manager for HWE Accessories, you’ll work this week to compile components developed throughout this course and create a post-implementation plan. Finalize your business
Introduction This is a business plan for HWE Accessories, and it contains the problem statement, analysis of the situation, cost-benefit analysis, and preliminary feasibility study, the total cost of ownership (TCO), return on investment (ROI), solution options, and lastly, recommendations for the proposed solution. Let us start by looking at the problem statement. Problem statement HWE Accessories is a small company that has a website that is only informational and now it wants a new website that will allow clients to browse inventory, compare items, and even make purchases. Analysis of the situation According to Guthrie (2020), situation analysis is a “process that helps you identify opportunities and challenges, both internal and external to your organization/service or product”. Guthrie (2020) outlines the steps of performing situation analysis as analyzing your customers, analyzing your products and services, analyzing what your competitors are doing, and lastly, putting your resources together e.g., budget, workforce, etc. We analyzed our customers and realized that most of them would love to purchase goods online at the comfort of their couch instead of making a trip to the business premises. We also learned that customers like comparing products and prices from different vendors before deciding. When it comes to our products, clients agreed that our products are popular and are preferred in the market. Our competitors have websites where their clients can purchase goods online and the goods delivered to their doorsteps. When it comes to mapping our resources, we realized we don’t have a skilled team that can come up with an electronic commerce website, so we have the option of hiring a new team or outsourcing the work to a third-party company. Cost-benefit analysis According to Landau (2021), cost-benefit analysis is a “process that is used to estimate the costs and benefits of decisions to find the most cost-effective alternative”. Landau (2021) adds that cost-benefit analysis evaluates the following costs: direct costs, indirect costs, opportunity costs, intangible costs, and costs of potential risks. It also looks at direct and indirect benefits, net benefits, and total benefits (Landau, 2021). We will analyze the cost in terms of having the website developed internally and giving the contract to a third party. Having the website designed internally We will need to buy a website server that will host our website which costs $1500 to $3000 We will need to hire at least six skilled personnel: one graphic designer, two front-end developers or UI/UX developers, two back-end developers, and one content writer. An e-commerce website can take up to three months to design; therefore, the following are the salaries of these developers: Graphics designers can charge $30 to $150 per hour amounting to $4800 to $24000 per month per person (Exposure, 2021). A front-end developer can charge $60 – $80 per hour amounting to $9600 to $12,800 per month per person (Code mentor, 2021). A back-end developer can charge $60 – $80 per hour amounting to $9600 to $12, 800 per month per person. A content writer can charge $15 – $40 per hour amounting to $2400 to $6400 per month. The following table shows the entire cost of having the website developed in-house: Quantity Price Server $1500 – $3000 Front-end developer $57,600 – $76,800 for 3 months Back-end developer $57,600 – $76,800 for 3 months Graphic designer $14,400 – $72,000 for 3 months Content writer/Search Engine Optimization expert $7200 – $19,200 for 3 months Total $138,300 – $247,800 According to Smith (2021), e-commerce can cost $ 10,000 to $500,000 or more to develop depending on the company size. Benefits Clients can buy products online and we will be able to expand our market. Preliminary feasibility study According to Sampliner (2021), a feasibility study is “used to determine the viability of an idea, such as ensuring a project is legally and technically feasible as well as economically justifiable”. If we design the website in-house, we will need to comply with PCI DSS compliance since we will store and transmit the client’s credit card information. If we outsource the job to a third-party company, we will ensure that they comply with PCI DSS compliance. The total cost of ownership (TCO) According to Rock content (2020), TCO is a “metric that measures the amount of money spent on acquiring any asset”. Rock content (2020) adds that it also entails money that will be spent in the long term on maintenance and operation. The following table shows the breakdown of our total cost of ownership of letting a third-party company design and host our website: Process Price Design $10,000 Programming $25,000 Integrations $1000 Hosting (annually) $500 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (annually) $1000 Updates and maintenance (annually) $400 Total cost ownership $37,900 Return on Investment (ROI) According to Proctor and Saad (2021), return on investment is a “metric used to assess an investment’s efficiency or profitability”. Proctor & Saad (2021) add that “return on investment is calculated by dividing the net return earned on an investment by its total cost”. Return on investment is calculated as: ROI = (Net investment/ cost of investment) * 100 The company expects to increase clientele using a newsletter to facilitate conversion and to make sales of phone accessories worth $500,000 through the website. ROI = ((200,000 – 37,900)/37,900) * 100 = 427.70 Solution options We have the option of building the website in-house Pros of building it in-house We will have total control of everything, e.g., hosting machine, data, etc. Future changes will easily be incorporated because the skilled developers understand the system Cons of building it in-house We will incur the cost of hiring skilled developers We will incur cost of purchasing the hardware platform such as hosting server We will need to employ personnel who will maintain the website We have the option of outsourcing the job Pros of outsourcing the job We won’t incur the cost of hiring personnel We won’t buy hardware for hosting the website Every process will be done by skilled personnel e.g., security of data by security specialists, etc. Cons of outsourcing the job Our data including sensitive information such as credit card information will be stored and maintained by a third-party Company Recommendations for the proposed solution We recommend that the job be outsourced because it will take a lot of time and money to hire the right personnel and to also retain personnel that will ensure maintenance of the website. References Code mentor. (2021). Freelance front-end developer hourly rate. https://www.codementor.io/freelance-rates/front-end-developers Exposure, (2021). Graphic design pricing – how much do designers make? https://www.eksposure.com/graphic-designer-rates/ Guthrie, G. (2020). What is situation analysis, and why is it so important? Cacoo. https://cacoo.com/blog/what-is-situation-analysis-and-why-is-it-so-important/ Landau, P. (2021). Cost benefit analysis for projects – a step by step guide. Project Manager. https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/cost-benefit-analysis-for-projects-a-step-by-step-guide Proctor, C. & Saad, A. (2021). What is ROI? This simple financial metric assesses an Investment’s potential return in relation to its cost. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/roi-return-on-investment?r=US&IR=T Rock content, (2020). What is total cost of ownership and how to calculate the TCO. https://rockcontent.com/blog/total-cost-of-ownership/ Simpliliearn, (2021). Feasibility study and its importance in project management. https://www.simplilearn.com/feasibility-study-article Smith, J. (2021). eCommerce website pricing: determining cost of an eCommerce build. Outerboxdesign. https://www.outerboxdesign.com/web-design-articles/ecommerce_website_pricing
As you continue working as IT manager for HWE Accessories, you’ll work this week to compile components developed throughout this course and create a post-implementation plan. Finalize your business
Introduction This is an implementation plan for HWE Accessories, and it includes the changeover approach, data insertion and migration, configuration management, and lastly, the release process for updating the system. Let us start by looking at the changeover approach. The Changeover Approach According to Lightfoot (2021), system changeover is “concerned with the smooth shift from one way of doing things to another and the mitigation of disruption to business activities during the changeover”. There are three examples of the changeover approach, and they include parallel running, direct changeover, and phased implementation (Lightfoot, 2021). Phased implementation involves changing a part of the system and when it is fully working, you can change other areas (Lightfoot, 2021). Parallel running is when the new and the old system run in parallel to compare the reliability and the efficiency of the new system (Lightfoot, 2021). Direct changeover is when the old system stops being used, and the new system is used instead (Lightfoot, 2021). We will use parallel running, where the testing server and the production server will run in parallel to compare how they work. Data Insertion and Migration According to Raymond (2021), data migration is the “process of transferring data between different types of file formats, databases, or storage systems”. Raymond (2021) adds that “data migration can involve more complicated processes like data mapping and re-formatting”. We will use the trickle data migration where the entire process will be broken down into different phases and each phase will have its timeline, scope, quality checks, etc. The data migration process will entail planning, data auditing and profiling, data backup, migration design, execution, testing, and post-migration auditing. Configuration Management According to Roseke (2019), the project configuration is the “process of tracking and controlling changes to important project documents and products”. Roseke (2019) adds that this “includes the project’s deliverables as well as project management documents like the schedule”. We will use the CFEngine configuration tool. According to Software Testing Help (2019), CFEngine is a “configuration management tool that provides automation configuration for huge computer systems, inclusive of the unified management of servers, systems, users, embedded networked devices, mobile devices, and systems”. Release Process for Updating the System The website will use WordPress as the Content Management System and WooCommerce plugin as the online payment plugin. We will update WordPress and WooCommerce soon as the third-party companies have released updates. References Lightfoot, D. (2021). What does system changeover mean? Hrzone. https://www.hrzone.com/hr-glossary/what-does-system-changeover-mean Raymond, M. (2021). Data migration guide: strategy success & best practices. Varonis. https://www.varonis.com/blog/data-migration/ Roseke, B. (2019). What is project configuration management? Project Engineer. https://www.projectengineer.net/what-is-project-configuration-management/ Software Testing Help (2021). 11 best software configuration management tools. https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/top-5-software-configuration-management-tools/