Project Management Plan

This deliverable will assist the team in defining and planning the activities that will be required for the successful completion of your project. The project plan will reflect your understanding of the project at the time it is developed. You should update your plan throughout the Fall Semester. You will also be asked to submit an updated version of your plan at the beginning of the Spring Semester. Your plan should include a work breakdown structure (WBS) with a brief but understandable identification of major activities. Your WBS should cover at least three nested levels. One level should address a conceptuual grouping of activities (perhaps even somewhat generic to most product design and business development projects). A second level should address specific project deliverables (the course deliverables are intended to contribute to the accomplishment of the first level groupings). A third level should address the tasks that you believe will be necessary to complete to develop each deliverable. The plan does not require extensive detail, but does require careful thought.

Read Chapter 15 in Ulrich and Eppinger for an overview of planning related to product development. Apply the methods in the text when planning your project.

Document the plan using Microsoft Project to display the time line and activity structure. Use the duration and precedence of activities freatures of Project, but you do not need to use the resource management features of Project. When posting the plan to the team web site, create a jpg or pdf version.

Update your plan frequently.