Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Holborow, and welcome to Computing.

I'm so pleased you've decided to join me for the lesson today.

In today's lesson, we'll be using your project management skills to start a new project.

Welcome to today's lesson from the unit, Using IT in Project Management.

This lesson is called Start Your Own Project, and by the end of today's lesson you'll be able to identify the user requirements and constraints of a project and use these to develop project documentation.

Shall we make a start? We will be exploring these key words in today's lesson, feasibility report.

Feasibility report, a document used in project management that assesses whether a project can be completed successfully.

Project brief.

Project brief, this determines what the project is about and what needs to be completed.

Look out for these key words throughout today's lesson.

Today's lesson is split into three sections.

We'll start by identifying the user requirements of a project.

We'll then evaluate the constraints of a project.

And then we'll finish by defining the SMART goals for a project.

Let's make a start by identifying the user requirements of a project.

In this lesson, you're going to start your own project using what you have learned from the Delicious Desserts project to help you along the way.

Time to check your understanding.

Can you put the stages of the project lifecycle into the correct order? So A is execute, B is initiate, C is evaluate, and D is plan.

Can you put these in the correct order? Pause the video whilst you have a How did you get on? Did you manage to put them in the correct order? Let's have a look.

So the first stage was B, initiate.

The second stage is D, plan.

The third stage is A, execute.

And then the last stage is C, evaluate.

Did you get that correct? Well done.

Each stage of a project always consists of the same activities, doesn't matter what the project is about.

So we start with the initiation stage.

So stage one is initiation.

We analyse the brief, we identify the user requirements, we identify the project constraints, we write a feasibility report, and we create SMART goals.

Stage two is the planning stage.

In this stage, we create a task list.

We create a time plan, so how long is everything going to take.

We develop a house style, so thinking about the fonts, the colours, and the style of the work we're going to produce.

And we sketch designs.

Stage three is the execute stage, the doing stage.

This is where we build a product and we test the product.

The final stage is stage four, evaluation.

This is where we evaluate the project.

Was our project a success? What went well and what could be improved? Okay, time to check your understanding.

Put these tasks in the order they would usually be completed in the initiation stage.

So we have A, create SMART goals, B, identify user requirements, C, write a feasibility report, D, analyse the brief, and E, identify project constraints.

Can you put these in the correct order? Pause the video whilst you have a go.

Did you manage to put them in the correct order? Let's have a look.

So the first stage is to analyse the brief.

We really need to understand what needs to be done.

The second stage is to identify user requirements.

The third stage is to identify project constraints.

We then write a feasibility report.

Can the project go ahead? Is it going to be a success? And then the last one is to create our SMART goals.

Let's have a look at the Team Outdoor Obstacles project brief.

Team Outdoor Obstacles is a business that has been running for a few years and they now want to expand what they offer to spectators at events.

They need your help to develop some specific products for them.

You will use the project brief document to assist your initiation of the project.

The project brief is provided as an additional resource for this lesson.

A project brief is analysed to determine what the project is about and what needs to be completed.

You could either keep a list or highlight key points as you go through the brief to help you identify the user requirements.

User requirements are the features or outcomes the client expects from the project.

Let's have a look at the introduction of the project.

Team Outdoor Obstacles, or TOO, is a business that has been running outdoor events for a few years.

They facilitate team building exercises for organisations that have a deep team ethos and encourage team building activities with their employees.

So this is their logo, Team Outdoor Obstacles.

TOO provides inflatable obstacles, which are set up in a course for teams to follow.

This side of the business is successful, but feedback from customers has led them to considering expanding their business.

Customers have said that the obstacle courses that Team Outdoor Obstacles, or TOO, provide would be a great activity for club competitive events or charity fundraisers.

The client thinks this is a great idea, so they want to expand their offer by selling merchandise to spectators at competitive events.

They also pledge to donate 15% of the profits from an event to any charities who hire them.

Team Outdoor Obstacles have an existing data storage system that they are happy with.

The spreadsheet they have begun to develop for daily event sales of merchandise must be completed so that it provides the solutions for the identify needs on the following slides.

Let's have a look at these needs now.

So what does the client need? The sales price calculated after 33.

3% profit is added.

A visual indication if any of the items are out of stock on-site, a total of monies made from sales for each item, an indication, numerically and textually of profit and loss, a total profit for the day, and a charitable donation from the profit made on the day.

In addition to this, the client needs some advertising material in the form of a poster and a business card.

The poster should advertise the services that Team Outdoor Obstacles can offer at a competitive and or charitable event.

It must include, one, what obstacles are available, two, how many team members are needed per event.

Three, the minimum outdoor area needed, and four, the type of surface needed for the course to be set up on.

They expect the service to appeal to sports teams and stag or hen parties.

The business card must include the company logo, the contact name, which in this case is Dave Venture, the contact number, the website address, which is www.

TOO.

co.

uk.

And here's a reminder of what the logo looks like.

Okay, we're moving on to task A of today's lesson.

For part one, read through the project brief to familiarise yourself with it.

We've already gone through sections of it in this lesson, but it's a good idea to go back through and read it again.

For part two list or highlight the key points as you are reading.

For part three, project documentation can be used to set out what you hope to achieve during a project.

Start your feasibility report by writing the first two sentences.

A, the introduction, and B, the user requirements.

Pause the video here whilst you complete the task.

How did you get on with the first sections of your feasibility report? Well done.

Let's have a look at Aisha's sample answer together.

So this is Aisha's feasibility report and this is the introduction section.

Team Outdoor Obstacles, TOO, is an established business that provides inflatable obstacles for organisations to use when completing team building activities.

Following feedback from participants in these team building events, TOO have decided to extend their services they offer to club competitive events and charitable fundraisers.

The user requirements are, one, merchandise sales spreadsheet, two, advertising poster, three, business card.

Did you have some similar things in your user requirements? Remember, if you need to, you can pause the video and go back and make any changes.

Okay, so so far we've identified the user requirements of a project.

Let's now evaluate the constraints of a project.

Identifying possible constraints in the TOO project will help a business to mitigate them.

This will also support the business in developing contingency plans if required.

Okay, time to check your understanding.

I'd like you to match the words to the definitions.

The words are mitigations, constraints, and contingency.

And the definitions are things that can be done to prevent negative things from happening in the future, predefined actions intended to respond to potential disruptions in the future, and things that could prevent the success of the project.

Pause the video here whilst you match the words to the definitions.

How did you get on? Did you manage to match the words to the definitions? Well done.

Let's have a look at the answers together.

So, mitigations.

These are the things that can be done to prevent negative things from happening in the future.

Constraints, things that could prevent the success of a project.

And contingency, predefined actions intended to respond to potential disruptions in the future.

Can you think of any possible constraints in the TOO project? Maybe pause the video here whilst you have a think.

Possible constraints in the TOO project include, running out of time.

How long are things going to take? How long have you got to complete this project? Violating copyright law.

So you need to make sure that any images or graphics you use are copyright free.

Forgetting how to use functions and formulas in a spreadsheet.

Losing documents and products.

So if you're working online especially, you need to make sure that you're saving regularly and backing up.

Your feasibility report will need to include a constraints table.

This will identify the possible constraints and how likely they are to occur.

So whether it's a high, medium, or low risk.

Okay, time to check your understanding.

How could you mitigate the following constraint, Losing documents and products? A, make sure the plan is detailed and includes every aspect of the project and can be completed in the set times.

B, create a folder structure and name all of the documents and products sensibly.

Or C, use the images provided which are copyright free.

Pause the video whilst you think about your answer.

Did you select B? Well done.

In order to prevent or mitigate the risk of losing documents and products, you could create a folder structure and name all of the documents and products sensibly.

That way you're less likely to lose them.

Okay, we are moving on to task B of today's lesson.

For part one, create a constraints table as part of your feasibility report.

This table should include the risk, the level of the risk, and any mitigation steps that you could do to prevent the risk from happening.

For part two, write your conclusion to complete this aspect of initiating a project.

Based on your feasibility report, do you think the project should be continued? Pause the video here whilst you complete the task.

How did you get on? Did you manage to complete your constraints table? Well done.

Let's have a look at Aisha's example together.

So Aisha has listed the risks down the left hand side.

So we've got run out of time, violate copyright law, forget how to use functions and formulas, and lose documents and products.

And she set all of those level of risks to low.

Let's have a look at the mitigation step.

So for running out of time, Aisha has said to make sure that the plan is detailed and includes every aspect of the project and can be completed in the set times.

For violating copyright law Aisha has said, use the images provided which are copyright free.

For forgetting how to use functions and formulas Aisha has said, refer back to the previous lesson where spreadsheets were used and revise spreadsheet skills.

And then for the last one, losing documents and products, Aisha has said, create a folder structure and name all of the documents and products sensibly.

Let's now have a look at Aisha's conclusion.

Team Outdoor Obstacles already have a system in place to store client's data, but they need a sales spreadsheet for merchandise sold at the new events, completed with formulas and functions so that it works effectively.

This is an achievable activity, as is the production of an advertising poster and business card to promote their new venture.

So it sounds like Aisha thinks this project should go ahead.

Did you come to a similar inclusion? Aisha says a logo already exists, so this will facilitate the creation of the products and will support the development of a house style for the business.

This is an achievable project in the timescale allowed.

Okay, so we've identified the user requirements and evaluated the constraints of a project.

Let's now move on to define the SMART goals for a project.

Let's remind ourself of the aims of the TOO project.

One, create a merchandise sales spreadsheet.

Two, create an advertising poster.

Three, create a business card.

Each of these aims has been broken down into the objectives for you.

Objectives are subparts of the aims that have been identified as user requirements.

Let's take a closer look.

So, for the merchandise sales spreadsheet the objectives are, one, the sales price is calculated after 33.

3% profit is added.

Two, a visual indication if any of the items are out of stock online.

Three, a total of monies made from sales for each item.

Three, an indication, numerically and textually, of profit or loss.

Five, a total profit for the day.

And six, a charitable donation from the profit made on the day.

Let's now have a look at the poster.

Remember, this poster is to advertise the services that TOO can offer.

It must include, one, what obstacles are available.

Two, how many team members are needed per event.

Three, the minimum outdoor area needed.

And four, the type of surface needed for the course to be set up on.

Let's now look at the business card.

It must include the company logo, the contact name, which is Dave Venture, the contact number, and the website address, which is www.

TOO.

co.

uk.

And here's a reminder of what the logo looks like.

These objectives tell us what we need to do, but not how to do it effectively.

To be successful, we need to have more specific tasks, SMART goals, to complete.

Okay, time to check your understanding.

I have a fill in the gaps activity for you.

Each of our projects aims is broken down into.

Objectives are of the that have been identified as user.

The quality of the goals or objectives set will determine the or failure of a project.

And the words provided are subparts, aims, success, objectives, and requirements.

Pause the video whilst you fill in the gaps.

How did you get on? Did you Manage to fill in the gaps correctly? Well done.

Let's have a look at the answers together.

Each part of a project's aims is broken down into objectives.

Objectives are subparts of the aims that have been identified as user requirements.

The quality of the goals or objectives set will determine the success or failure of a project.

Let's do a quick recap.

What does SMART stand for? Pause the video whilst you have a think.

Can you remember? That's right, S stands for specific, M stands for measurable, A stands for achievable, R stands for realistic, and T stands for timely.

SMART goals need to be specific.

Goals need to be specific to ensure the project meets the clearly defined requirements of the client.

Setting specific goals means that you can monitor the progress of the project.

SMART goals need to be measurable.

Goals need to be measurable so that you know whether a specific goal has been met or not.

SMART goals need to be achievable.

You need to know that the staff team have the time, knowledge, and skills to complete the tasks assigned to them.

You also need to ensure that the business has the required resources to be able to meet the goal.

SMART goals need to be realistic.

Goals need to be challenging, but realistic.

But they must not be too challenging to complete or the project will just fail.

SMART goals need to be timely.

It is important that each task has a start and end date or time allocated to it to ensure that the project is completed within the timescale provided.

Okay, we are moving on to our final task of today's lesson, task C.

For part one, create a set of SMART goals for the TOO project.

For part two, identify which aspects of SMART are met by the goals that you've set.

So are they specific, measurable, et cetera.

Here's an example.

Develop a house style for the visual elements of the task using the logo as inspiration.

This is specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic.

It's not timely because we haven't listed any timeframe in this objective.

Pause the video here whilst you complete the task.

How did you get on? Did you manage To set some SMART goals for the TOO project? Well done.

Let's have a look at Aisha's examples.

Use conditional formatting to show if any of the items are outta stock on-site.

This is specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic.

Use the data in the spreadsheet to calculate the sales price after 33.

3% profit is added.

This is specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic.

Develop the posters to advertise the new services offered by the client and obtain audience feedback within the allocated timeframe.

This is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.

Okay, we've come to the end of today's lesson, Start Your Own Project.

Let's summarise what we've learned together in this lesson.

A project brief is analysed to determine what the project is about and what needs to be completed.

User requirements are the features or outcomes the client expects from the project.

Project documentation can be used to set out what you hope to achieve during a project.

I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson, and I hope you'll join me again soon.

Bye.