Online Capstone Students Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No

 

 

 

Phases and Activities

 

 

 

What?

 

 

 

 

 

Where?

Details of these deliverables

 

 

 

 

 

When?

 

 

 

 

How?

 

 

 

 

Tools

Doc

PPT

Video

1

Shopping for Projects & Teams

 

 

1.1

Instructor Invites project managers applications

Letter to class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.2

Interested Students apply for Project Managers positions

Project manager application- Online Form (link and password)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.3

Project Managers are selected

Receive approval notice from course instructor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.4

Available Projects are released and updated

Special link and password

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.5

Project managers select / reserve projects

Webboard reservation conference / Must reserve and get approved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.6

Project managers invite team members applications 

Through webct email

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.7

Students apply  to project managers who have vacancies for certain positions

Team position application- on webct  (Forms and Templates) - Via webct email attachment to PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,8

Project managers approve team members   and send a brief explanation  email  to un-accepted applicants

Approval notice by webct email- CC instructor

 

Team position applicants have to re-apply to other teams - if they were not accepted in their initial applications .They need to keep trying   until they find a job and get approved. Unemployment rate should e set to zero in this class. Instructor will give extra help whenever necessary .You need a team to continue with this class. This is a team-driven project class! We will find you a team if you could not find one after 5 documented attempts.

 

 

 

 

 

1.9

Project managers form teams and begin working on their projects

1-Team Certificate Form -Online Form ( link and password)                                             2- Project managers have to fill our online  progress report re: their team according to course schedule

3- Configure your project deliverables with instructor and  sponsor

 

Provide information about project title , sponsor , group members , contact information  and job title descriptions

 

Team Certificate form has to be approved by both instructor and sponsor online .This extra screening process is assure that team skill set matches project requirements as much as possible

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

Project Initiation

 

 

2.1

Define Project Scope

1. Abstract  

2. Group Formation

 

Present your project and team  formally to class and provide brief description of the project and group members , roles and job descriptions

 

 

 

 

 

2.2

Select a life cycle model and carry out a market research (at least : 3 market research resources , 4  life cycle model reviews and 20 glossary items) 

Pre/post analysis required and very important

1- Title, approval, background, glossary                                               2- Problem statement                  3- Literature review (Market Research)                                                    4- Methodology

 

Establish a foundation for the project in terms of clear, user-focused, concise, and comprehensive problem definition. Review literature in project area with full citation. Adopt a software development process model that fits into your project requirements. Provide a weighted-score evaluation matrix to rationalize the adoption of the selection.

 

 

 

 

 

3

Project Planning and scheduling

 

 

3.1

Document project management plans Pre/post analysis required and very important

1- Project WBS, Milestones and Responsibilities                                                       2- Feasibility Study                                              3- Cost Estimation                                           4- Project Scheduling                        5- Risk Management

 

Break project down into activities, assign responsibilities, determine durations and allocate resources. Construct Gannt and Pert charts for your project. Estimate costs using COCOMO and Function Points techniques. Provide a cost -benefit analysis using NPV, ROI and BEP as your financial indicators. Conduct brief technical and organizational feasibility studies. Determine possible risks and carry out a risk management plan to minimize risks.(Use MS project as a CASE tool)

 

 

 

 

 

4

Software Requirements Analysis

 

 

4.1

Document software requirements (should include ( at least six requirements gathering techniques)

1- Business Models                                      2- Stakeholders Identification                                                    3- Gather Requirements                          4- Document requirements               

5- Model Requirements

 

Explain current AS-IS business models for the organization. Identify, structure ,  rationalize and describe system stakeholders. Use traditional and/or modem requirements elicitation techniques to determine system requirements (i.e.: use case scenarios, interviewing, questionnaires, document archeology, brainstorming, Mind maps, story boarding, role playing, Joint application design (JAD) and Snow cards). State and classify requirements definition and specification in terms of functional and non-functional. Model requirements using complete Data Flow Diagrams for the AS-IS system (at least 5) and  Use Case Diagrams (Use MS VISO and SPSS as CASE tools)

 

 

 

 

 

5

Software Architectural Design

 

 

5.1

Document at least six design strategies  (in compliance with standards ,  notations and labels  in software engineering )

 

Midterm presentation is due  after completing phase 5.

1- System Structuring                                                   2- Control Models                                                           3- Modular Decompositions

 

Build key architectural models (such as system structure, repository, client –server, and abstract machine models). Provide control models (i.e.: centralized control such as structure charts or event-driven systems such as broadcasting models). Deliver relevant modular decompositions such as DFD for the TO-BE system using complete Data Flow Diagrams (at least 5), process specification techniques (such as structured English , decision trees and decision tables -one of each) and at least 10 fully decomposed  data dictionaries items in BNF-Short Form . Model Object oriented concepts using class hierarchy diagrams, sequence, state transition and collaboration diagrams  (all UML-based).  Construct ERM and normalization models for the backend. Build strategic user front-end model with HCI characteristics well mapped.(Use MS VISO 2000 and Oracle designer 2000 as CASE tools)

 

 

 

 

 

6

Software Integration and Testing

 

 

6.1

Conduct and document integration tests

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.2

Prepare product for next phase

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.3

Integrate software with hardware and others

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.4

Conduct functional testing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.5

Conduct reliability testing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.6

Install software per plan

Installation testing in customer  environment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.7

Software Acceptance tests

Acceptance tests

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.8

Deliver product per contract

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

Final Project Deliverables

 

 

7.1

Prepare your complete project CD

 

Documentation is no longer required as a hard copy starting  from Spring 2005 .The CD format will completely replace the  hard copy format

1-Sponsor evaluation form .This alone represents at least 20% (200 points) of your final evaluation and probably much more in some projects.       

                                                                                                                                                         2- A short 15 minutes - 100 points final exam is conducted to assess individual performance and help eliminate free riding.

 

The PROJECT CD (Compact Disc) is an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and MANDATORY deliverable in your final presentations. Every CD should include the following items (every item should be in a separate folder on your CD) - [Remember no CD means no grade]:
i. Documentation Folder: A soft-copy of your entire final report complied and integrated in ONE and ONLY ONE Word Format. This is an extremely important component.
ii. Coding Folder: The source code of your implementation (well organized and labeled for each component and/or subsystem) including interfaces and databases.
iii. Presentation Folder: Your PPT or PDF presentation file for the FINAL PRESNETTAION.
iv. Application folder: The product itself (including all working pieces for the front end or backend of the system) . You can package it for easy setup and installation which is a plus in the evaluation. If you developed a website please provide a full working link on a word document that you should store in the implementation folder. Include automatic run/setup/installation as part of your extra credit work –if any- at the end of your report.
v. Extras Folder: This can include the following OPTIONAL but EXTRA CREDIT components (Don’t forget to include these items in the extra credit sheet in your final report):
1. A separate User manual and/or Tutorial documents (This can give substantial extra credits if done really well)
2. Online help as part of the software system itself.
3. An automatic demo done in either Lotus Screen Cam or Camtasia software or any similar packages.. This would allow automatic presentation of your software package with a much longer time demonstrating all features and unique components with audio inputs (if you wish) . This can help in giving your sponsor and myself a better and more in breadth and in depth  idea about your implantation . It can  be viewed at our own convenience and you can even use part of it as part of your final live presentation

 

 

 

 

 

7.2

Final Presentation

 

 

1- Your presentation itself should take no more than 15 minutes and we will allow 5 additional minutes thereafter for sponsors and audience feedback.  You should spend at least 8 minutes on your implementation and the rest of the time for highlighting the key issues in the problem solving process (project management, analysis, design, testing, etc). Be innovative and creative and train your team several times in advance

2- Sponsor attendance will be highly appreciated and will reward your team a great deal of  30 points (3%) and not only 3 or 5 points as we used to do in partial presentations .Please arrange with your sponsor ahead of time and don’t wait until the last week or minute in invite

 

 

 

 

 

Optional

Training and Support

Optional / Bonus points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A

Develop a user manual

Optional / Bonus points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B

Develop a help system

Optional / Bonus points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C

Determine training needs, develop plan

Optional / Bonus points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D

Training Material Development

Optional / Bonus points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E

Develop training presentation materials

Optional / Bonus points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F

Training Plan Implementation

Optional / Bonus points