Project Selection and Initiation
After having been recently laid off from his job of 35 years as a Sales Manager at Hightower Global Solutions, Tony DiBello got a call from his former boss Peter McKenzie asking him to return to the organization to help get a new initiative off the ground.
The Project
Based on McKenzie's brief description over the phone, DiBello understood that the project was to develop a "sales training intranet" (code named
HighLEARN) for Hightower's 350 geographically dispersed sales associates.
Final Graded Case Study: Project Management Plan, Hightower Global Solutions Project Selection and Initiation After having been recently laid off from his job of 35 years as a Sales Manager at Hightower Global Solutions, Tony DiBello got a call from his former boss Peter McKenzie asking him to return to the organization to help get a new initiative off the ground. The Project Based on McKenzie's brief description over the phone, DiBello understood that the project was to develop a "sales training intranet" (code named HighLEARN) for Hightower's 350 geographically dispersed sales associates. A Fortune 500 firm specializing in financial services technology and outsourcing solutions, Hightower had more than 100 complex products and services to offer its diverse client base of banks, mutual fund complexes and insurance companies. In addition, Hightower's executive leadership was pursuing an aggressive acquisition strategy, buying small companies and further expanding the product portfolio. As a result, both new and experienced sales associates were struggling to get up to speed on all of the Hightower offerings, and sales leadership was concerned that they were missing opportunities to pitch new products to clients. McKenzie, the Head of Hightower's Sales organization, had become an evangelist for what he called "Blended Learning"—combining traditional classroom training with online learning opportunities—and he was determined to develop a highly interactive "portal" to help improve sales performance. He envisioned a custom intranet where Hightower sales associates across the globe could log on to get comprehensive product information and presentations, access webinars and videos with product specialists, and share tips and feedback through blogs, forums and social features. McKenzie's enthusiasm for the intranet project was infectious. Even Carol Bailey, Hightower's CEO, had come to believe that connecting people in this way was critical to ensuring Hightower's success and sustainability in the global market. Due to the breadth and diversity of the company's product offerings—and the rate at which they were acquiring new products—there was immense pressure on everyone in the sales organization to become experts on as many products and services as possible in order to meet aggressive sales targets. To support the CEO's strategic agenda, the following project elements, team members, and constraints were provided. Project Budget and Roll-out Date Project Budget $1.5 million Project Scheduled to Start June 1, 2017 HighLEARN Roll-out January 1, 2018 QSO 640: Project Management Copyright © 2014, %year% MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited. PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMBOK, and the PMI Registered Education Provider logo are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. Project Team Members Name Role Ricardo Contin Director of Learning and Development Steve Quan Hightower IT Operations Specialist Shannon Valley Hightower IT Systems and Security Monica Ianucci Content Specialist Jonathan Brant Content Specialist Initial Project Risks 1 Website does not meet user requirements or functionality. 2 Shannon Valley and Steve Quan are not available to contribute to the project until July 15, 2017. 3 Marketing department has not endorsed the approach; believes they should go with Microsoft ® SharePoint® system. 4 Security of intranet/portal: no external access beyond firewall. Project Activity Duration Portal Development User Interface Design Complete and Tested 2 days Style Sheets for Portal 3 weeks Theme Design for Website 8 weeks Portal Administration Complete and Accepted 2 days Administrative Page Groups 10 weeks Administrative Access Control Design 7 weeks Content Management & Coding Complete and Tested 2 days Content Display from Repository 28 days Content Upload and Functionality 8 weeks Configure/Code Indexing and Functionality 13 weeks Infrastructure and Security Architecture Approved for Implementation 1 day Servers for Development, Staging, and Production 13 weeks Configure Firewalls 4 weeks Integrate Infrastructure and Security Systems 8 weeks Log-in/Registration System Complete and Tested 3 days Create Log-in/User Profiles 4 weeks Content Creation and Editing Product Content Modules Completed and Accepted 5 days Interviews with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Sales Representatives 2 weeks QSO 640: Project Management Copyright © 2014, %year% MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited. PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMBOK, and the PMI Registered Education Provider logo are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. Product Sales Summaries 4 weeks Sales Case Studies for Content Modules 7 weeks Edit/Film SME Videos 1 week Upload Presentations, Demos, and Webinars for Content Modules 2 weeks Documentation Development and Document Coding Standards and Procedures 15 weeks Develop Test Acceptance Plans and Procedures 15 weeks HighLEARN Database Test and Acceptance 1 week HighLEARN Roll-out Hightower Global Solutions Organizational Chart Hightower Global Solutions Staffing List IT Systems and Security Harold WilliamsQSO 640: Project Management Copyright © 2014, %year% MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited. PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMBOK, and the PMI Registered Education Provider logo are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. Cyber Security Harold Williams Dennis Callahan Beth Stroller Systems Engineering Juan Felipe Susan Xiao Cheryl Bolden Business Operations John Petrel Steven Johnson Steve Quan Learning and Development Human Resources Christina Alston Elizabeth Carol Judy Wilson Terrence Holober Frederick Concern Training Department Kimberly Contos Nicholas Bergh Tyler Burns Dianne Harrison Content Development Jonathan Brant Monica Ianucci Henry Stephenson Sales, Marketing, and Budgeting Domestic Sales James Youngster William Feller International Sales Tracy Woodster Andrew Levitt Marketing/Advertising Sasha Fiercer Jason Holdmeer Acquisitions and Product Portfolios Product Management Meagan Golden Melvin Simpson Acquisitions Management Nicole Smith Evelyn Lovelace Strategic Management Richard Mattingly Teresa Berry-Van Helbing QSO 640: Project Management Copyright © 2014, %year% MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited. PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMBOK, and the PMI Registered Education Provider logo are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. Please use the information above to complete your final Graded Case Study. Return to Blackboard to submit your work. QSO 640: Project Management Copyright © 2014, %year% MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited. PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMBOK, and the PMI Registered Education Provider logo are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. Final Graded Case Study: Project Management Plan, Hightower Global Solutions Project Selection and Initiation The Project Hightower Global Solutions Organizational Chart