ECO-Trans Project Case Study, Exams of Economics

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QSO 640 ECO-Trans Project Case Study (Milestone 2)

Southern New Hampshire University fall 2024

ECO-Trans Project Case Study ECO-Trans is in the business of providing “driver assist” technology called ECO-Stream to mass transit vehicles. (MindEdge, 2016) This technology provides recommendations to the driver on fuel saving techniques, traffic delays, road conditions or any other issue that may arise that will assist the driver in staying on schedule. (MindEdge, 2016) ECO-Trans plans to implement this technology on Sunshine Rail Transit’s (SRT) 53 locomotives within 15 months. (MindEdge, 2016) In order to execute this endeavor on schedule and within budget a plan of execution must be developed and approved to essentially lay the ground of how this technology implementation will take place. Business Requirements 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 15 month schedule and within the agreed upon budget. These business requirements are deemed necessary by the subject matter experts and the stakeholders to ensure the project remains focused, scheduled and budgeted. The reality is

project can be productive so all of the equipment must be inspected prior to implementation to allow for equipment replaces if necessary. The equipment will not be valuable to SRT if the people do not understand how to operate the technology so it is imperative to the success of the project and the company to have all of the necessary employees trained sufficiently on the ECO- Stream. SRT must not interfere with commuter schedules so the designated schedule and budget are non-negotiable and ECO-Trans must make every effort to comply with these requirements. Subject Matter Experts Prior to the defining of the business requirements the subject matter experts at SRT were consulted via individual interviews and focus groups. The project manager consulted with SRT’s Project Sponsor, John Schaller, through an interview regarding the goals of the company who emphasized the system delivery must be on time and within budget. (MindEdge, 2016) The project manager also conducted a focus group that included the Project Sponsor, SRT’s Transportation Department Training Manager, SRT’s Mechanical Department communication specialists, SRT’s Operations Planning Director and two of the senior locomotive engineers. This focus group had the opportunity to discuss their concerns of this initiative and request training and a smooth transition to the use of ECO-Stream. The group decided on the phase implementation schedule, equipment inspections and pertinent training. Business Requirements Category/Priority Business requirements must be categorized and prioritized to ensure proper tracking and implementation of the requirements into the business plan. Potential categories include: Functional Requirement defining how a product function with direct end-user interaction,

Operational Requirements defining operation to be carried out in the background to keep the process functioning, Technical Requirements defining technical issues to be considered to

Traceability was created to influence completeness, consistency and traceability of a project’s requirements by creating a downstream following of requirements to actions. (Levy,

1. It is imperative to a project’s success that any changes made to a requirement be documented and communicated in order to keep the stakeholders and team members up to date in case of priority and project alterations. (Levy, 2010) The Requirements Traceability Matrix is the visual aid that is used to document any requirement changes so it is easily reviewed and updated. (Levy, 2010) Project Schedule and Estimated Duration of Tasks This is the estimated project schedule based on predefined milestones and business requirements. The below table shows each task by number and the associated duration of time along with the Gantt Chart below providing a visual aid of the timeline. Task

Task Name Duration Start Finish 1 Implement equipment for control room 0 days 10/28/ 6 10/28/ 2 Confirm Project Funding 0 days 8/30/2016 8/30/ 3 Project Initiation 0 days 4/11/2016 4/11/ 4 Phase 1 Trial Equipment Implementation 40 days 11/30/ 6 1/24/ 5 Procure equipment for remainder locomotives 30 days 11/30/ 6 1/10/ 6 Inspect equipment for defects 10 days 1/10/2017 1/23/ 7 Equipment^ Training^2 week^ classes^ scheduled^ through^ April^60 days^ 1/25/2017^ 4/18/ 8 Phase 2 Installation of Equipment on remaining locomotive 6 mons 1/25/2017 7/11/ 9 Complete Project 0 days 7/11/2017 7/11/

Project Cost Estimate The below is a cost estimator that puts this project at about $553,750 in 15 months. It was developed using the business requirement tasks documenting equipment implementation, testing, and training.

Communication Approach

A Project Manager spends a majority of their time communicating and coordinating whether it’s with team members or stakeholders. (MindEdge, 2016) First, all team members and stakeholders must be identified and all contact information gathered to ensure they receive any pertinent correspondence. An excellent way to manage communication via a communication matrix as seen below. This states the types of communication, objective, medium, frequency, audience, owner and any deliverables that are required for each method of communication. (Piscopo, 2015) This visual aid assist in keeping the Project Manager on track with providing data and information on the prescribed schedule and manages the expectations of the stakeholders and team member as to when and how they will receive project updates. Communication Type Objective Medium Frequency Audience Owner Deliverable Kickoff Meeting Team and project introductio n

. Project objectives and managemen t approach Face to Face Once (^) Sponsor Team Stakeholde r s Project Manage r Agenda Meeting Minutes Project Team Meetings Status review with team Concall or Face to Face Weekly (^) Project Team Project Manage r Agenda Meeting Minutes Schedule Tech Meetings Tech design solutions Face to Face As needed -Tech Staff Tech lead Meeting Minutes Monthly Status (^) Project status reporting to management Concall or Face to Face Monthly PMO (^) Project Manage r Updates - Schedule Status Reports (^) Project status report of -Email Monthly (^) -All member s Project Manage r Status Report Schedule