CS 410 Professional Workforce Development I Spring 2019 Module 3: Project Selection and Presentation Skills 02/09/2019 - 03/01/2019 Week 5 –12 February 2019 Instructor: Jim Brunelle (jabrunel@odu.edu) Office: E&CS 3111 (757-683-7722) Office Hours: Tuesday 1300-1400 or by Appt

Lecture Agenda 1030-1045: Welcome/Top 5 Results 1045-1055: Discussion: Significance of On-Time Delivery 1055-1115: Group Collaboration – Websites, “LCD” 1155-1210: Product Development – Establishing Feasibility /Managing Risk 1210-1215: Upcoming Assignments (expectations/approach) “Top 5” Results CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

On-time Delivery (OTD) A Critical Component of Sound Business Performance OTD: The ability of a business to fulfill orders or other transactions within the period of time promised to a client or customer.  OTD Drives: Customer relations (satisfaction, confidence), cash flow, product throughput, reputation If you don’t deliver on time – you won’t get paid! Significance for CS410: OTD is a group and individual responsibility (individual performance drives group performance) Sequence of “Deliverables” paces the course Penalties for “Late” will not be insignificant. CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

“...People thrive in environments which free them to communicate and work together. ...The best way to transition from an individual to a collaborative mindset is to equip each team member for active participation in the group dynamic.” https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/302126 CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Group Collaboration Website Setup/”LCD” Exercise Everybody MUST Contribute!! “Ugly” Website – Include: Tabs for Problem, Deliverables, Team, Solution, etc. (Note previous CS410 projects as examples) Team ID (Bios, Photos) – make them “professional” Problem Description References E Problem Description to include the following: Problem Description (from Idea Presentation – updated to reflect your most recent perspective) Problem Characteristics (what/who/why – NOT how/when) – must be supported by research (references...) Problem “Statement” – use LCD process to decompose problem description into a concise statement https://www.cs.odu.edu/~cpi/old/410/goldf17/ https://www.cs.odu.edu/~cpi/old/410/yellos17/index.html https://www.cs.odu.edu/~cpi/old/410/yellof17/ Due: 02/17/2019 CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Problem Statement Development “LCD” Process Objective: Capture the essence of the Problem description in one concise “Problem Statement”. LCD - Least Common Determinator Approach: Note: Determinator is a new word, created for CS410 by the other Instructor Brunelle - aka a “Brunelle-ism”... Make a list of each type of word (noun, verb, adjective) in your problem description and identify the ones that are critical for defining the problem. These are the “LCDs”. Your research must support each selection. Using the LCDs, form a more simple and concise Problem Statement. Make sure to leave out the fuzzy/non-quantifiable/non-qualified aspects typical of first attempts at this, such as Some people - NO which people, how many? 54%? May suffer from - NO they must suffer, how badly? Research! Inefficient - NO Identify what is exactly wrong! The Discussion Forum will be used by your team to critique and evolve the statements. CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Product Development Determining Feasibility/Managing Risk (An Intro to Module 3) Commit or Abandon? Danger Zone if Feasibility not assessed and/or Risks not mitigated CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Product Development Management Stage Gate Process Concepts A key objective of any new development initiative is to reduce project risk as rapidly as possible as a basis for deciding whether or not to continue investing in the development project. Establishing Feasibility, assessing Risk, and identifying mitigating factors are key decision points. A common process organizations use is some variation of a “Stage Gate Process”. The process establishes “Stages” where activity is conducted and “Gates” that are GO/NOGO decision points. http://stagegateprocess.com/ CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Stage Gate Process Essentials Concept every “Gate” is a decision point failure to “open” stops the process Application “Gates” are decision events “Stages” are activity that prepares for the next “Gate” event. CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Stage Gate Process Essentials CS410 CS411 Approach Collaboration is critical Early, Often, Always Who Uses This? Many well known/established organizations CS410->411 applies this Concept CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Module 3 - Feasibility CS410 CS411 Modules 1-4 CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Evaluating Feasibility Challenges Feasibility assessments attempt to address the uncertainties of a yet-to-be structured problem solving approach. They rely heavily on the efforts – and judgement – of stakeholders. Sources of uncertainty: Customers may be unsure of the scope of the project – or what exactly they really want. Benefits are usually very hard to quantify. Approach is usually ill-defined. Resource requirements (time, people, equipment, money) are rough estimates. Organizational changes may be necessary. Recognition and establishing approaches to mitigation of these uncertainties (should the project proceed) helps minimize their impact. Mistakes made at the beginning of a project are the most difficult to correct. CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Feasibility Assessment What Does it Accomplish Evaluates a combination of factors to help an organization decide whether to begin a major software project. Key considerations include: Customer/Client: Who is this project for? Scope: What are the boundaries of the project? Benefits: What are the benefits? Can they be quantified? If the software is a product, what are the forecasts of likely sales? If investment is required, is the ROI (Return on Investment) worth proceeding with the project? CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Feasibility Assessment What Does it Accomplish Key considerations (Continued): Technical: Is the project possible? Is there at least one technical way to carry out the project? Risks/Challenges: What must be overcome to succeed? What can go wrong? How can these be mitigated? Resources: What are the estimates of staff, time, equipment, cost, etc.? Alternatives: Are there other approaches? What are the options if the project is not done? CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Assessing Feasibility Example of Issues to Consider CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Evaluating/Assessing Feasibility Essential Inputs Tangibles: Facts, Figures, Data... Technical Data: Major component characteristics/capabilities, specs; current/future trends; state of technology vs. leading edge... Business Perspectives: Cost/benefit, marketability, competitive field, potential risks... “Soft” Information: Societal viewpoints, legal concerns, HIPPA constraints... CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Evaluating/Assessing Feasibility Methods Research: Fact Finding/Verification Observation: Empirical, Subjective?, In-situ Interviews: First-hand perspectives, informed or otherwise, experts/professionals Questionnaires: Potentially broad reaching, may receive consistent responses across a population, age/gender/culture may influence CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Evaluating/Assessing Feasibility Tools/Resources Internet (searches, blogs, etc) Communities of Interest “SMEs” (Subject Matter Experts) Conference Literature Competitive/Market Assessment Resources Government Agency Public Information (FDA, FAA, IRS, DoD) CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Evaluating/Assessing Feasibility Essential Output Thorough understanding of the problem, characteristics and domain Refinement of solution concept, characteristics, and benefits Assessment of resource requirements (personnel, equipment, licensing, TIME, etc) Identification of challenges, risks, mitigations Market and competitive field assessment CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

Feasibility – Light Reading https://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/tip/Defi ning-requirements-during-software-project-feasibility- analysis http://www.ambysoft.com/essays/projectJustification. html http://ecomputernotes.com/software- engineering/feasibilitystudy CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February

What’s coming… February 17 (to be reviewed during 2/19 Recitation): Initial Group Web Site setup (including Team pics/bios) LCD-driven Problem Statement Problem Characteristics Note: Each team needs to meet with me via Hangout (or other means) prior to 2/17 to review the website and problem statement February 24: Feasibility Deliverables (#1) Template Feasibility Presentation Appropriate slide headers/footers (e.g., page number, CS 410, presentation name) Table of contents slide Title Slide Team Biography slide Problem Statement slide Problem Characteristics slides Draft Current Process Flow slide Draft Major Functional Component Diagram (MFCD) slide Initial Competition slides References Glossary and Appendices (if appropriate) Note: Each team needs to meet with me via Hangout (or other means) prior to 2/21 to review the Feasibility Deliverables Deliverables to be reviewed during 2/26 Recitation CS 410 Spring 2019 Week 5: 12 February