Project Management

Final Submission
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[Please note that I have combined the seven sections in one single submission and uploaded
the same file across questions. Please be careful while marking. Thank you!]

Section 1. Narrative Charter Statement

Business Problem Overview

The aim of this project is to build an automated attendance maintenance system for schools, colleges, and
other educational institutions [and also professional organizations] to be used for Work From Home [WFH]
scenarios during and after the pandemic.Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, most educational
institutions and professional organizations have shifted their focus to the WFH or hybrid model. In such
scenarios, one difficulty is the maintenance of the attendance sheets which could be done easily in a
physical setting.

Objectives
The need of this project is the following:
1> In educational institutions, attendance management is required since student performance needs to be
tracked, and in many institutions, the grades of the student are linked to their attendance.
2> In professional organizations, attendance management is required since employee performance needs
to be tracked, and in many offices, the remuneration of the employee is linked to their attendance [and
they might have to pay a fine for breaching the allotted number of leaves].
3> Maintenance of attendance would be easy in physical settings [roll calls in educational institutions, tags
in organizations, etc.], but it becomes difficult to maintain the same in a virtual environment.

Targeted Goals and Metrics

The targeted metrics for this project are:
1> ~100% automation of manual efforts needed for attendance maintenance,
2> Reduction of manual errors in attendance maintenance to ~0%,
3> Linking performance of students/employees to attendance and increasing performance by ~50%,
4> ~100% automated statistical analysis of attendance data through dashboards.

Key High-level Business Requirements

There should be an automated system integrated with the backend platform for monitoring the attendance
of the students/employees. The system should do the following:

Stage Business Requirements

Logging In 1> When a user is logging in, there should be an identifier to know who the user is.
2> The user ID should be validated to check that no unknown person is entering the
system.
3> Once the user logs in, an attendance should be marked against the user.
4> Attendance should be logged if and only if the user is logging in the first time for
 the given session.
5> Once the attendance is logged, the user should be redirected to the session.
6> If the user joins late, they could be marked accordingly [if needed].

During Session 1> Once the session is in progress, if the user gets logged out due to some issue,
they should be allowed to rejoin the session under the same attendance mark.
2> However, if the user drops off from the session without attending the session for a
predetermined amount of time, they should be marked as absent.
3> The user can log out from the session at any point given the above two points are
valid and true.

Session End 1> The user should be given a feedback form for handling cases where there is some
discrepancy in terms of attendance registration.
2> A backend admin should handle the discrepancies and close these incidents.

Aggregation 1> The data should be aggregated against a given employee/student.

2> The data should also be aggregated at group levels [class sections, office teams].
3> The data should be available as a dashboard for the admins.

Assumptions and Constraints

1> The budget is assumed to be available and the plan has been built according to the same.
2> It has been assumed that video conferencing portals, like Zoom, can be integrated with our automated
system. This needs to be validated.
3> It is assumed that the administrator knows the basics of IT and will be able to manage tickets.
4> Bandwidth of the concerned stakeholders has been assumed to be available.

High-Level Risks
1> There is risk of data security issues and personal information being leaked since an online portal would
be used for the data storage needs,
2> There is a risk of exceeding budget in case the project is not completed in time.
3> There is a risk of exceeding timelines if the stakeholders are not available during the project dates.

Project Milestones
Sl. No. Tasks Priority

1. Hire a developer for building the attendance management tool. P0

2. Secure server space for hosting the attendance management tool [cloud/on-premise]. P0

3. Complete the end-to-end development of the attendance management tool. P1

4. Complete the end-to-end testing of the attendance management tool. P1

5. Create documentation for the users to get onboarded to the tool. P2

6. Arrange a small session for the users to get a live demo of the tool. P2

7. Launch the attendance management tool and use it for daily scheduled sessions. P0

8. Assign administrator duties for the management of open tickets. P2

 9. Build dashboard for the tracking of attendance and other aggregate parameters, P2

Budget Summary
The cost benefit analysis for the project is as follows [for schools]:

Cost Headers Cost per Month Benefit Headers Benefit per Month

Server Maintenance $330 Manpower Requirements $1060 [2 People]

Developer Salary $530 [1 Person] Time Reduction Benefits $260

Administrator Costs $130 [1 Person] Manual Dashboards $660 [1 Person]

Total $990 Total $1980

Benefit-Cost Ratio = 2:1 [Good for Implementation]

Section 2: Work Breakdown Structure

Work Breakdown
The work breakdown can be shown as below:

Section 3: Sequence Project Activities

Project Activity Plan

The project activities can be planned as below:
ID Activity and Task Name Predecessor

A1. Float Job Description None

A2. Gather Applications A1

A3. Complete Selection A2

B1. Select Admin for Project None

B2. Define Responsibilities B1

B3. Train Admin B2

C1. Buy Server Space None

C2. Setup Server Config C1

D1. Complete Backend Code [for the Attendance Tool] A3

D2. Complete UI Code [for the Attendance Tool] A3

D3. Review Full Code [for the Attendance Tool] D1, D2

E1. Complete Backend Code [for the Dashboard] D1

E2. Complete UI Code [for the Dashboard] E1

E3. Review Full Code [for the Dashboard] E1, E2

F1. Complete UAT [for the Attendance Tool] D3

F2. Complete Stress Testing [for the Attendance Tool] F1

F3. Review Final Testing [for the Attendance Tool] F2

G1. Complete UAT [for the Dashboard] E3

G2. Complete Stress Testing [for the Dashboard] G1

G3. Review Final Testing [for the Dashboard] G2

H1. Documentation for Users D3, E3

H2. Demo for Onboarding H1

H3. Final Project Sign-off H2

I1. Live Launch of Tool H3

I2. Launch of Dashboard H3

I3. Review and Feedback I1, I2

 Section 4: Project Schedule

ID Activity and Task Name After Start Finish Duration Resource

A1. Float Job Description None 1 1 1 HR

A2. Gather Applications A1 2 8 7 HR

A3. Complete Selection A2 9 22 14 HR

B1. Select Admin for Project None 1 3 3 HR

B2. Define Responsibilities B1 4 4 1 HR

B3. Train Admin B2 5 9 5 HR

C1. Buy Server Space None 1 14 14 PM

C2. Setup Server Config C1 15 21 7 PM

D1. Complete Backend Code [for the Tool] A3 23 52 30 Engineer

D2. Complete UI Code [for the Tool] A3 23 52 30 Engineer

D3. Review Full Code [for the Tool] D1, D2 53 54 2 PM

E1. Complete Backend Code [for the Dashboard] D1, D2 55 75 21 Engineer

E2. Complete UI Code [for the Dashboard] E1 55 75 21 Engineer

E3. Review Full Code [for the Dashboard] E1, E2 76 77 2 PM

F1. Complete UAT [for the Tool] D3 55 59 5 Engineer

F2. Complete Stress Testing [for the Tool] F1 60 64 5 Engineer

F3. Review Final Testing [for the Tool] F2 65 67 3 PM

G1. Complete UAT [for the Dashboard] E3 78 82 5 Engineer

G2. Complete Stress Testing [for the Dashboard] G1 83 87 5 Engineer

G3. Review Final Testing [for the Dashboard] G2 88 90 3 PM

H1. Documentation for Users D3, E3 78 80 3 PM

H2. Demo for Onboarding H1 81 81 1 PM

H3. Final Project Sign-off H2 82 82 1 PM

I1. Live Launch of Tool H3 83 83 1 Engineer

I2. Launch of Dashboard H3 83 83 1 Engineer

 I3. Review and Feedback I1, I2 84 90 7 PM

Section 5: Project Budget

Budget Breakdown
The cost benefit analysis for the project is as follows [for schools]:

Cost Headers Cost per Month Benefit Headers Benefit per Month

Server Maintenance $330 Manpower Requirements $1060 [2 People]

Developer Salary $530 [1 Person] Time Reduction Benefits $260

Administrator Costs $130 [1 Person] Manual Dashboards $660 [1 Person]

Total Per Month $990 Total Per Month $1980

Project Total $2970 Project Total $5940

Benefit-Cost Ratio = 2:1 [Good for Implementation]

Section 6: Project Responsibilities

Functional Requirements
The functional requirements for the project are as follows:

Stage Functional Requirements

Logging In 1> There should be an UI for the user to enter the user ID and password.
2> The user ID and password should be validated against the database to check that
no unknown person is entering the system.
3> Once the user logs in, an attendance should be marked against the user and
stored in the database. This should also be visible to the user through a message on
the UI.
4> Attendance should be logged if and only if the user is logging in the first time for
the given session.
5> Once the attendance is logged, the user should be redirected to the session.
6> If the user joins late, they could be marked accordingly [if needed] and the user
should be informed on the UI. This would be configured based on the requirements.

During Session 1> Once the session is in progress, if the user gets logged out due to some issue,
they should be allowed to rejoin the session under the same attendance mark.
2> However, if the user drops off from the session without attending the session for a
predetermined amount of time, they should be marked as absent.
3> This amount of time should be stored in the database based on the requirements
of the client as needed.
4> The user can log out from the session at any point given the above two points are
valid and true.
 Session End 1> The user should be given a feedback form for handling cases where there is some
discrepancy in terms of attendance registration.
2> This form should be accessible from the UI.
3> On registering a complaint, a ticket number should be assigned to the user.
4> A backend admin should handle the discrepancies and close these tickets and
send appropriate communication to the user.
5> The ticket status should be visible on the UI.

Aggregation 1> The data should be aggregated against a given employee/student and stored in
the database.
2> The data should also be aggregated at group levels [class sections, office teams]
and stored in the database.
3> The data should be available as a dashboard for the admins.

Non-Functional Requirements
The non-functional requirements for the project are as follows:
1> The attendance monitoring system should load within a quick duration [Tentatively <30 seconds],
2> The rate of failure of the system should be minimal [Ideally 0%],
3> One administrator should be assigned to handle the escalations and discrepancies,
4> Backend server needs to be maintained to be able to store this data,
5> Third-party integration would be needed to redirect to the corresponding session after attendance

Test Cases
The test cases for the project are as follows:

Stage Test Cases

Logging In 1> There should be input boxes to enter the employee/student ID and password.
2> If the user ID exists in the system and the entered password also matches, the
employee/student ID should be allowed to log into the system.
3> If the user ID does not exist and/or the password does not match, the employee
or student should not be allowed into the system.
4> Once the user logs in, a message should be visible to the user that attendance
has been registered [assuming the user is not late].
5> Attendance should be logged if and only if the user is logging in the first time for
the given session.
6> If the user rejoins a session, attendance will not be registered.
7> Once the attendance is logged, the user should be redirected to the session.
8> If the user joins late, they could be marked accordingly [if needed] and a message
should be visible on the screen.

During Session 1> Once the session is in progress, if the user gets logged out due to some issue,
they should be able to rejoin the session under the same attendance mark.
2> However, if the user drops off from the session without attending the session for a
predetermined amount of time, they should be marked as absent.
3> The user can log out from the session at any point given the above two points are
valid and true.

Session End 1> The user should be given a feedback form for handling cases where there is some
discrepancy in terms of attendance registration and this form should be accessible
 from the UI.
2> On registering a complaint, a ticket number should be assigned to the user.
3> The ticket status should be visible on the UI.
4> The admin should be able to view the tickets and send messages against the
ticket and take action on the ticket [open/close/reopen].

Aggregation 1> The data should be aggregated against a given employee/student.

2> The data should also be aggregated at group levels [class sections, office teams].
3> The data should be available as a dashboard for the admins.

Overall IT Portfolio Plan

The overall IT portfolio plan would be as follows [for schools]:
1> The project would be managed by the IS/IT team of the institution and/or organization,
2> The server space would be rented and allotted for the attendance management,
3> Latency and other non-functional requirements would be tested out by the IS/IT team as well,
4> A developer would be hired to handle the implementation,
5> An administrator would be required to handle the escalations and queries,
6> The users would be handed over learning documents to onboard them to this automated scenario.

Monetization Plan
Once the automated attendance management system is ready, it can be monetized by selling the software
as a service [SaaS] to other educational institutions. Since the annual costs for running the software would
be around ~$4000 per institution, we can charge ~$500 per month per institution to keep the software
services running. As the benefits are ~$1000 per month for the institution, they would also be able to drive
benefits from the system.

Section 7: Project Risks

High-Level Risks
1> There is risk of data security issues and personal information being leaked since an online portal would
be used for the data storage needs,
2> There is a risk of exceeding budget in case the project is not completed in time,
3> There is a risk of exceeding timelines if the stakeholders are not available during the project dates,
4> There can be gaps in the business continuity if the online servers break down,
5> There can be incorrect information and missing data if there is any error in the system,
6> There can be complaints from the users if the data is not managed correctly,
7> There can be incorrect data being reported in the dashboards if there is any systematic error.

Risk Mitigation Plan

The risk mitigation plan for the project is as follows:
1> The server should have a backup for ensuring business continuity if there is any breakdown of the main
server at any time,
2> The data quality, correctness, and completeness should be monitored to ensure that no attendance is
being missed and/or incorrectly marked,
3> Security should be strong to ensure that no external entity gets access to the system and the sharing of
credentials among users is restricted,
4> User complaints should be dealt with and closed on priority and changes made to the attendance due
to such complaints should be automatically maintained,
5> The dashboards should be monitored for health so that the data is always up to date as per the most
recent time period,
6> The team must ensure that any variation from the allotted budget is approved correctly,
7> The team must ensure that the timelines are committed to by the stakeholders and there is minimum
deviation from the plan.

Conclusion
The project can be given a go-ahead since the technological changes are feasible, have business impact,
are low on efforts, and can have long-term benefits. The detailed analysis shows that the benefits outweigh
the costs and, hence, it would benefit the company or the institution.

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