11/22/2015

DIGITAL LEARNING CENTER

KAMRA
PROJECT MANAGEMENT NOTEBOOK

University of Colorado Denver

Prepared by David Kettinger, Divyashree Shivashankar,
Ramaswamy Iyer, and Sanket Wagh
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Project Details

Project Location: Man Soroa, Republic of Niger

Project Title: Digital Learning Center for Second Chance School Students in Niger

Project Organization: Kirker African Medical Relief Association KAMRA

Project Date: October 12, 2015

Prepared by: David Kettinger, Sanket Wagh, Divyashree Shivashankar, Ramaswamy Iyer

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Executive Summary

The objective of this project and all other Kirker African Medical Relief Association (KAMRA)
projects is to provide resources to the poorest regions of Africa. Thus, KAMRA chose Niger to
launch its support initiatives as more
than 85% of the countrys population
lives below the poverty threshold,
which is less than $2 per day.

The Projects specific objectives

include:

Providing computer literacy

to 300 students (figure will change
with refugee additions) currently
enrolled at the Barbara Kirker Second Chance School

Using information and communication technology to create learning materials, enhance

the curriculum, add vocational learning programs, learn entrepreneurial skills, identify
and create employment opportunities, learn to value ones own language and culture and
the resourcefulness of its population, appreciate appropriate technology, and learn to
generate wealth in the disadvantaged local community of Maine Soroa.

Through The Barbara Kirker Second Chance School

Digital Learning Project, it is anticipated that over 300
young girls and boys, aged 9 14 will get basic
knowledge in computer use. Hundreds of more students
will benefit from the initial investment in the
establishment of the computer lab in years to come.

This project will be a great asset for the local community

in that it will significantly contribute to the progress
made in education advancements. Additionally it will
provide job prospects that were otherwise unobtainable

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for this segment of worlds population, as well as providing technical, entrepreneurial and
leadership skills to the regions youth. IT skills will broaden the career choices of young people
in this rural community, help to integrate them into urban and more developed communities, and
enhance their communication skills and competitive advantage for a better future.

The Digital Learning Center project allows for an opportunity to train adolescents of the Maine
Soroa rural community in areas such as word processing, video and VCD (compact disc)
production skills using multimedia programs, and other applications that cover a range of issues
relevant to local communities. Perhaps most important of all, students will be trained to unlock
and access the information and opportunities that are inherent to the proper use of the Internet
and its technological advancements in the WEB 3.0 era.

Integration

Overview of Project

The Barbara Kirker School Digital Learning Center (DLC) Project has been designed to establish
and equip The Barbara Kirker Second Chance School with a modern computer laboratory,
including Internet access. The project does not only promote digital learning for disenfranchised
children who have been given a second chance to access education, but also will inevitably
empower the entire youth of the rural community of Maine Soroa, in the Diffa region of eastern
Niger by giving them access to computing power and the vast knowledge resting in the world
wide web.

Preliminary Project Scope Statement

The purpose of this project is to create the possibility of enhancing the learning environment of
The Barbara Kirker School of the Second Chance in eastern Niger through the installation of a
complete 20-station computer laboratory with Internet capacity and archiving capabilities. This
project is designed to facilitate accessibility to the Internet as an educational tool for enriching
the learning environment for these students. The project is further designed to contribute to the
enhancement of students belief in their own language and culture through the development of
learning materials and archives by the community.

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Project Management Plan

The DLC project notebook will follow the approach and processes outlined in the Project
Management Body of Knowledge Guide, 5th Edition (PMBOK). Each of the ten knowledge
areas will be addressed in further detail throughout this document including, integration, scope
management, time management, cost management, quality control, human resources,
communication management, risk management, procurement and stakeholder management.

Before project kickoff, the project plan should be analyzed and approved by all of the project
teams and stakeholders. Proper communication and transparency will allow for a clear
understanding of the projects initiatives and planned results.

Project Execution

The KAMRA Director, Dr. William Kirker, will be in charge of the current project by directing
team members, holding weekly meetings, and contacting the main office in Columbia, South
Carolina regarding updates. In addition, Dr. Kirker will be the primary fundraiser for this project.

KAMRA donated the resources to send Joseph Abdou, a Niger citizen, to America where he had
the opportunity to go to school and gain his Masters in Public Administration. Joseph will be the
Project Manager for the Digital Learning Center project and subsequently will be responsible for
delegating the work required for the DLC completion within the allowed time and budget. The
work schedule is listed in the time management sections with the appropriate Work Break down
System (WBS).

Monitor and Control Project Deliverables

After the project is funded and begins to progress, the work should be tracked and monitored by
the project manager. There are various tools that are given within the PMBOK for keeping track
of a projects progress. One of the more simple tools we will be using is a Gantt chart and should
be maintained throughout the duration of the project. With this method the project manager can
estimate and plan resources according to the actual progression of the project using modern

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software. We will be utilizing Project Libra software to help manage tasks and milestones to
ensure successful project completion.

The PM will be responsible for updating the project team regarding the current status of tasks
and initiatives. In addition the PM will be required to inform the project stakeholders of the
overall project status.

Project Closing

The key to ensuring that a project will remain successful and the full value will be gained is to
facilitate a proper project close out phase. During this segment of the project, activities will be
finalized and the project stakeholders will come together for the formal ending of the project to
see if the projects scope was satisfied. Thus, it is vital that the project team coordinates
everything flawlessly.

This involves not only completing the actual DLC set-up but also incorporating continued
support and training for end users. By focusing on proper close out procedures, KAMRA will
maximize the value delivered to the school and the region.

Scope Management

Scope

The purpose of this project is to create the possibility of enhancing the learning environment of
The Barbara Kirker School of the Second Chance in eastern Niger through the installation of a
complete 20-station computer laboratory with Internet capacity and archiving capabilities. In
addition the computer lab will be equipped with modern computer peripheral devices.

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Key Members

Key project members at KAMRA include:

KAMRA Director/Sponsor Dr. William O. Kirker

KAMRA Project Manager Joseph Abdou

Project Team Members

1. Peter Belansick
2. Grant Payne
3. Joel Wolfe
4. Michael Fernandes

KAMRA School Director

Key Milestones

Description of Tasks
6 Months Funding write grants, fundraising events
weeks 1-3 DLC Project Planning
weeks 3-4 DLC Project Design
week 4 Procurement
weeks 5 Transportation
week 5-6 Computer classroom set up
week 7 Networking
week 8 Training Teachers and Employees
week 8 DLC opening
week 9 Training and continued support on-site
weeks 10 Training and continued support- off-site
Weeks 10-11 Float allowed

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Product Description

The final product when this project is completed is a computer learning center equipped with
modern high-speed internet and peripheral computing devices such as printers, scanners, etc.
Once the Digital Learning Center is established the project team will help assist in training and
support for the teachers and students and continue support off-site for one year to ensure full
benefits are achieved.

Time Management

Time management is a key aspect of managing the DLC project. It is an essential subset for
project management and it describes the processes required to ensure timely completion of the
DLC project. The Time Management Plan for the DLC project provides scheduling for all
project activities and multiple tasks to be accomplished within a specific time frame. The DLC
project built time management plan using the below seven PMBOK processes:

1. Plan Schedule Management

2. Define Activities
3. Sequence Activities
4. Estimate Activity Resources
5. Estimate Activity Durations
6. Develop Schedule
7. Control Schedule

Plan Schedule Management

In the Plan Schedule Management phase, the team develops the policies, procedures, and
documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project
schedule. We also provide guidance and direction on how the project schedule will be managed
throughout the project. The aim is to ensure responsibilities are identified and established early on
before mobilization so team can identify the risks early on and helps to manage the issues in the
early stage without affecting the project schedules.

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Define Activities

Activity Definition is a process of Identifying & Defining all specific activities that are needed to
produce the DLC project deliverables. The DLC project team members will develop detailed
project scope statements, WBSs, and project schedules to provide expertise in defining activities.
The team will subdivide the project work packages into activities to provide better management
control. Furthermore, the DLC project activities are generated from the work tasks defined in the
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the Time management plan. The identified activities/tasks
must be performed by the project team members and stakeholders to produce the project
deliverables. Our project team members use Project Libre to determine the schedule and later to
control the schedule, which helps the team to make sure that each task has some relation to the
available resources and that each task had a start and finish date. Activity definition process will
involve team members, which leads to better and more accurate results.

Sequence Activities

Sequence Activities involves identifying dependencies between project activities and documenting
the sequence in which they need to be executed to achieve the project output in time. To
implement this, our team involved in reviewing the activity list and attributes, project scope
statement, milestone list and approved change requests as an aid to the logical sequence, to ensure
that all of the activities are considered and included. Then team identified dependencies for tasks in
order to use critical path analysis and apply leads and lags if and when necessary. The DLC project
team utilized the Critical Path Methodology (CPM) for constructing the project schedule network
diagram to represent sequence activities relationships indicating the sequence and order in which
each activity must be performed. In addition, each activity will have its duration included within
each box or node.

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Figure 1-Simple network diagram from Project Libre 1 of 3

Figure 2-Simple network diagram from Project Libre 2 of 3

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 Figure 3-Simple network diagram from Project Libre 3 of 3

Estimate Activity Resources

Resources are men, materials and machines that are required to execute different project activities.
We determined the different types of resources that will be required, in what quantity and when
each resource will be available to perform the activities all during this process of the planning
phase. The project team will focus on each activity within the schedule to calculate the resource
requirements. Another factor that will need to be considered, along with the hours work effort
required, is the availability of the resources. We determined the projects resources via the HR plan
included in this notebook.

Estimate Activity Duration

In this process, estimation of required time is done to carry out a defined activity based on the
scope & resource availability. Accuracy of this process leads to exact schedule development of
whole project & cost estimation of resources. DLC Project team estimate the amount of work
effort required and the amount of resources to be applied for approximating the work periods
needed to complete the activities. The estimated duration of this project is determined from
different resources such as activity scope, required resource types, estimated resource quantities,

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resource calendars, resources availability and a critical path and PERT analysis from project
network diagrams.

Schedule Development

DLC team members used activity sequences, duration estimation, resource estimation & project
schedule constraints to create the project schedule. Results of the other time management
processes are used to determine the planned start and end dates for every activity & also for the
entire DLC project. Important tools and techniques include Gantt charts, critical path analysis,
critical chain scheduling, and PERT analysis. We used Gantt charts to provide a standard format
for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding
start and finish dates in a calendar format. The project final schedule is designed to serve as a
guide to track progress. Below attached is the proposed schedule of the project.

Figure 4 Gantt Chart from ProjectLibre 1 of 2

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 Figure 5 Gantt Chart from ProjectLibre 2 of 2

Schedule Control

Schedule Control process explains project status monitoring, finding changes in the schedule (early
you find, the less the impact!) and controlling schedule changes to meet planned schedule. To
develop this process, team sets certain goals to know the status of the schedule, influence factors
that cause schedule changes, determine that the schedule has changed, and manage changes when
they occur. We performed reality checks on schedules, allowed contingencies and held progress
meetings with stakeholders and suggest team members to be clear and honest in communicating
schedule issues. Team members has to keep managing stakeholder expectations by advising when
work should be performed, the type of work, which team members will be carrying it out, and how
long the work should take since communication is more important in this process. DLC project
team used project management software, including schedule comparison charts like the tracking
Gantt chart, Progress reports and a schedule change control system.

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Milestone Subtasks

6 Months Funding :
-Study Existing System and document the Idea
-Initial Budget plan
-Fundraising events
-Raise sponsorship funds for corporates
weeks 1-3 DLC Project Planning :
-Project initiation Meeting
-Define the scope
-Define Requirements (based on collected fund)
-Estimate Project Cost
-Draft activity planning and Create Survey
-Analyze the Risks
-Project kick-off Meeting
weeks 3-4 DLC Project Design
-Team formation
-Task Scheduling
-Survey analysis
-Detailed training plan
-Final project design
week 4 Procurement
- Identify Required Product
-Identify Supplier & Issue Purchase Order
weeks 5 Transportation
- Receive & verify the product
-Transportation process
week 5-6 Computer classroom set up
- Assembling Furnitures (Computer chairs, tables, etc.)
- Power supply/Electric works
- Assembling computers

week 7 Networking-satellite
- Network connections
- LAN connection setup for each computers
week 8 Training Teachers and Employees
- Training plans
- Conduct computer classes sessions
week 8 DLC opening
- Opening ceremony
Week 9 Training and continued support on-site
- On-site support
- Weekly sync up meeting
weeks 9 Training and continued support- off-site
- Off-site support
- Weekly sync up meeting
Week 10- 11 Float allowed

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Cost Management

This section of the project report will constitute the knowledge and process of estimating the
cost, budgeting, funding and controlling and management of project expenditures. For the
sponsorship of the project, we need to determine or estimate meticulously, the budget thats
required for the project. This is critical in context to the Digital Learning Center as the funding
towards the project is done by a charitable non-profit organization and hence, there isnt any
probability for an error in budgeting of the project.

Estimated Budget
The estimated budget for the project is determined from the lab equipment needed, the present
cost of the materials and the vendors locally available who offer the cheapest rates with good
quality products. The implements needed for the project arent considered in the estimated
budget as they will be sponsored by the PMOs team. The PMO here is the Kirker African
Medical Relief Association (KAMRA)s Dr. William Kirker and his organization thats going to
sponsor the equipment thats vital for the deployment of the project. The cost of toil wont
impact the expenditures made for the project except for the IT Lab Advisors hired for the Digital
Computer Learning Center (DLC). The Project Manager for the project will be the authority that
takes critical decisions of vendors, equipment and materials that will have to be purchased and
used for the project.

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 Designation Unit Cost ($) Quantity Total Amount US $

Purchase of Chrome Laptops 280 15 4,200

Purchase of digital Cameras 200 2 400

Purchase of Camcorders 250 2 500

Purchase of Desktop Scanner 200 1 200

Purchase of Tape Recorders 50 2 100

Purchase of all in one Desktop Computer 500 1 500

Purchase of computer tables/chairs 54 15 810

Hiring of IT Lab Advisors 350 12 4,200

Internet Set up (Router, wiring, etc.) 1,000 1 1,000

Monthly Internet fees 100 12 1,200

Miscellaneous Expenses (shipping & handling, etc.) 1400 1 1,400

Monitoring & Evaluation (7% of total cost) 897

Overhead (10% of total cost) 1,281

Total 16,688

IX. Barbara Kirker Second Chance School Digital Learning Center Project Budget

Monitoring and control of the Project Budget

With the equipment and materials required for the project, an estimated budget can be made for
the project on a biweekly basis. Below is a table that outlines the most current task budget.

Task Estimated Cost

Monitoring and Evaluation (Week 10-11) $897.00

Chrome Laptops (week 5-8) $4200

Desktop Scanners (week 6) $200

Digital Cameras (week 4) $400

Camcorders (Week 9) $500

Tape Recorders (Week 9) $100

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 All in one Desktop Computer (week 4) $500

Computer tables/Chairs (week 1-week3) $810

Hiring of IT Lab Advisors (Week 10) $4200

Internet Setup (Router, Wiring, etc.) (Week 5- $1000

6)
Possibilities to happen (Week 1 Week 11) $250 / week

Quality Management

Plan
In this section of project notebook we will be concentrating on maintaining and
checking the quality of Digital Learning Center project. These goals will be achieved
by determining the responsibilities, standards and the aims that have been considered
for this project. For managing the quality of the product and the end results of this
project Quality assurance will be the major part which can be achieved from the
below listed approaches:

Surveying
Community center installation
Digital Learning Center installation
Continuous Improvement
Create Opportunities
Cost of Quality

By following the above mentioned approaches for this project the Quality Plan, Cost
of quality and Continuous Improvement can be achieved and will always be in
control. Surveying is an important task to be carried out in rural areas in order to
understand the levels of interest and the education required for the age groups where
some will be given basic training, some with immediate training and some will be
given high level of training which will be achieved with the help of Community
centers. The Digital Learning center installation which is the main product of this

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project should maintain its quality in terms of technicality and well as satisfy its
specifications in order to meet the standards of this project. Continuous improvement
will assure the quality improvement throughout the project cycle right from planning,
to implementing, to executing the project. Create Opportunities in order to provide
quality of life and growth in the region. Cost of quality which states the quality of
inputs and the work provided by everyone contributing to this project in order to
maintain standards so that its easier to be on track from the first stage of the project.

Quality Checklists
In order to track and maintain the quality of this project, several checklists may be
required in order to project the standards, in order to determine the output of this
completion.

Project Prerequisites: Complete Date/Initials Remarks

Have all the standards and the specifications

been clearly defined?
Have the project specific additions and
exceptions been identified?
Is the team given the necessary training in
order to cover all the knowledgebase areas?

Is the team aware of the requirements of the

project?

Team Dynamics: Complete Date/Initials Remarks

Is each and every team member committed

to the project?
Is each and every team member committed to
comply with the standards and practices of the
project?

Is each team member aware of his or her

roles and responsibilities?

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 Customer Needs: Complete Date/Initials Remarks

Will the people achieve and be satisfied

from this project?
Are the projects goals clear to everyone right
from the team to the people?
Has the team documented all the design plans
that will be useful for the locals to
understand?

DLC Set-up Activities: Complete Date/Initials Remarks

Have all the safety regulations for installation of

lab equipments been recognized and complied
too?
Have all the lab installation setup
implications been documented and
investigated?
Have all the standards and procedures for
the Lab installation setup been clearly
categorized and comprehended?

The below mentioned table is a checklist of what will be utilized to validate the key metrics to be
fulfilled.

System Section Quality Metrics

Lab Infrastructural Plans Computer Classroom setup
Power Supply
Electronic switches and gauges
Network and LAN connection
International Standards
Other Recommendations
Procuring Materials for Classroom Equipments for Labs
Computer Standards
Equipments Quantity
Other Recommendations
Lab Design Standards Quality of Computers and Digital Devices
Networking process
Fully functional Labs
Other Recommendations
Financing Fundraising Levels Met
Grant Management
Outside gifting

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Quality Planning-Process Enhancement Plan
Throughout the execution of this project, process and developmental improvement
will be executed. The identified improvements during the execution of the project
will be estimated and implemented by the project team members. The identified
changes and modifications will be assessed and estimated as required.

Quality Planning-Quality Baseline

Estimated digital lab requirements
Consumer Satisfaction in order to achieve the goal of education and
opportunities.
Conclude and complete the project according to the PMBOK standards.

Execute (Quality Assurance)

The DLC project team members will be executing a quality assurance system in order
to ensure delivery of an organized digital learning center for the people of Niger. The
quality checklist will be used to accomplish the tasks for this project in order to
understand and implement process improvement during the project execution.
The quality audit checklist will safeguard the compliance to the requirements of this
project plan. Audits will help the project meet the outcomes according to the plan
projected. In order to achieve the schedule and performance targets process
improvements will be employed throughout the execution of the project.

Monitor and Control

The main reason for a quality section in the project notebook is to ensure that the
customer/community is receiving a bridge that is to the standards required. This
section will help to keep track of the quality throughout the project, and to note
changes that are necessary. If there are changes that need to be made, will be brought
to the attention of the project manager and will be executed accordingly.

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Human Resource Management

The purpose of the human resources management plan is to achieve project success by ensuring
the appropriate human resources are acquired with the necessary skills, resources are trained if
any gaps in skills are identified, team building strategies are clearly defines, and team activities
are effectively managed.

It includes the following process:

1. Developing the human resources plan

2. Acquiring the project team
3. Developing the project team
4. Manage the project team to the successful completion of the project

Develop the HR Plan

The DLC Project, Project manager is responsible to identify the number of team members and
their respective skills. He must also define roles and responsibilities of all team members.

Table 1: Team Member Roles and Responsibilities

Role: Responsibility:
KAMRA Director Has ultimate authority and responsibility for a project, He directs team
(William Kirker) members and conduct weekly sync up meetings
Project Manager Oversees the project and is responsible for the projects planning,
(Joseph Abdou) execution, monitoring & controlling and completion of project
Finance and
Procurement Manages financial budgeting and controls money and purchasing
Manager
Project Engineer In charge of all technical aspects of the project
Contractor/Skilled
Assist in setting up the computer laboratory with Internet capacity
worker
Team member / Off- Assists in managing the project through the project lifecycle and
shore Coordinator coordinates and support on-site team
Team member /on- Contributes to overall project objectives and specific team deliverables
site Coordinator and assist in training and support for the teachers and students
Teaching Director Conducts activities as assigned and trains the students

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 Table 2: Responsibility Matrix:
Team Team
Finance and Contractor
Project Project member member School
Procurement Engineer / Skilled
Director Manager (off- (on- Director
Manager worker
shore) site)
Funding R R A A I I
Project
R R I R A I
Planning
Project
A R I R A I
Design
Procurement I A R A A I
Transportation I I R I I I
Computer
classroom set I A A A R R R I
up
Networking-
I A A A R R R I
satellite
Training
Teachers and I A R R R
Employees
DLC opening A R I A I I R I
Continued
support on- I A R A R R
site/off-shore
R = Responsible, A = Accountable, P = Participant, I = Informed

The responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) is shown above. It lists all major project activities on
the left and project roles (Person/Group) across the top. It clearly shows who is responsible for
what task and also the level of responsibility for each task.

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Organizational Structure

An organizational structure must be designed for the team to shows clear reporting structure and
relative ranks of its parts and positions. A simple organizational chart for DLC project is shown
below, Finance and procurement manager and project manager reports to director. Team members
and project engineer are directly below project manager. Employed teachers reports to on-site
team member and part time contractors/skilled workers reports to project engineer.

Director

Finance and
Project Manager Procurement
Manager

Team Member
Project Engineer
(Off-shore)

Contractor / Skilled
Team Member worker
(On-site)

Local Teacher

DLC project organizational chart

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Next is the resource histogram to shows the resource usage for a given period of time, and is key
when considering the availability of staff and when they will be needed. This graph is normally
created as an output from assigning resources to activities and scheduling as it describes the
resource usage for a given period of time. The week with most work to be done is August
(Computer setup, DLC opening and training) and the week with less work to be done is during
April to June (fund raising)

800
Resource Histogram
700 Local teacher

600 Team member (on-site)

Contractor / Skilled
Hours Per Month

500 worker
Engineer
400
Team member (off-
shore)
300 Finance and
Procurement Manager
Project Manager
200

100

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Acquire Project Team

DLC project will be implemented in collaboration with a local NGO, Kirker Foundation/Niger.
This partnership will help us to hire deserving local candidates (onsite members) who possess all
necessary skills, common interest and basic knowledge on computer and also the skilled workers
to setup computer classroom. This onsite team will be formed after funding. The project manager
should find one off-shore team member who has common interest and is devoted to project
success. He will be involved in all project activities and should have good communication skills
to coordinate with offshore team members

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Develop Project Team

Continuous training and support will be provided to the employed team to improve their skill
sets and also they will be trained to use information and communication technology to create
learning materials which will help students to enhance the curriculum, learn entrepreneurial
skills, identify and create employment opportunities, learn to value ones own language and
culture and the resourcefulness of its population, appreciate appropriate technology, and learn to
generate wealth in the disadvantaged local community of Maine Soroa.

Quarterly team building activities along with students to spend time together outside the school,
this will increase team cohesiveness, trust, and working relationships

Manage Project Team

To track team performance we conduct weekly onsite offshore meeting and monthly stack
holders meeting, any problems or issues will be addressed in the meeting.

To add additional competencies, team members will be trained on soft skills, personality
development and communication

Regular feedback will be received from the student and teachers to check the quality of training
and performance of students. And if needed recommended corrective actions will taken to
improve overall performance of the project.

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Communication Management

Plan
The communication plan has been created in order to maintain a communication
channel between all the hierarchies of the project. This will help each member of the
group understand each others advancement right from the start till the end of the
project and issues/concerns can thereby be dealt in a better manner.

Person Daily Weekly Monthly

Project Director Email Progress report on project
Project progress and plan
Email, Call, Progress report on project
Project Manager update meeting in person
Text and invoice.
or through video
Project progress and plan
Email, Call, update meeting in person
Lab Designer Invoice design update.
Text or through video
conference
Project progress and plan
Email, Call, update meeting in person Invoice and Inspection
Technicians
Text or through video report.
conference
Project progress and plan
Email, Call, update meeting in person
Skilled workers Invoice and progress report.
Text or through video
conference
Project progress and plan
Email, Call, update meeting in person Progress report on
Lab Advisors
Text or through video functionality of Labs
conference

In case of this project the daily form of communication will be by email/call/text.

This will help all the members connected to each other in case of any doubts during
the installation or construction of the labs.

In order to keep everyone updated bout everyones work, one team meeting will be
conducted by the end of every week so that team members can discuss the progress
of the project and can discuss about any concerns or issues required to be resolved
for the project.

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It is important to document all the meetings as well as the progress of the project
which will be important in order to track the progress of the project. Also in order to
keep a track of the finances, it is necessary to submit and record all the invoices for
compensation and management purposes. This will help resolve any financial
problems or concerns and timely action can be taken in order to correct those
problems.

A communication plan is therefore necessary for each and every project which can help determine
important inputs, resolve issues/conflicts and maintain a healthier relationship between each and
every team members.

Risk Management

Plan
While understanding the improvements and the potentials upgrades in the Digital
learning Center project. It is also essential to understand the risk pertaining to the
project which includes the impact and its analysis, Likelihood of the impact, Total
risk percentage and the mitigation strategy which are mentioned in checklist
mentioned in the below table. Also risks which are not mentioned in the risk register
will be included in the unidentified risk who will have an impact on the project. Risk
register will updated on timely basis as and when risks are identified.

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The above table shows the impact of the risks and how can the risks be mitigated.
Most of the risk mentioned in the register have either low or low-medium impact.
While some risk like environmental changes and medical emergencies can occur
anytime due to which they will have a higher impact. While delays in implementing
the required machines for the labs and construction will have moderate delays and
will have a low impact on the project budget and schedule. These delays can be
considered and can be integrated into the schedule as long as the construction does
not take place during snowy or rainy seasons.

Procurement

The following are the steps used for the procurement of the project.
Making a strategic procurement plan.
Leading the procurement.
Supervising the procurement
Concluding the procurement plan.

Procurement Plan
The procurement plan mainly includes sections where there are lab equipment and materials
being outsourced from a vendor. The work will be deployed in the site where the accessibility of
the materials is local and the worth of the materials arent as monitored; hence, there should be a
thorough care given to quality plaid and purchasing agreements. The extenuation authorities take
care of organizing the collaborations and agreements on meeting abroad. There are numerous
challenges in the project as well as the procurement procedures and these are looked at in the
Risk Sections.

Outsourced Items
These are the materials required to be brought for the deployment of the digital lab.
Laptops.
Desktop Scanners.

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 All in one desktop.
Tables and chairs for computers.
Internet Setup.
Camcorders.

Subcontracted Items
Cited below is a list of the items that will be subcontracted from local firms and the expenses
associated with the same will be included in the cost chart. Wiring, Construction and installation
of the Internet along with other services such as digital cameras, camcorder installation needs to
be performed. Procurement analysis charts are created for augmenting subcontractor selection.

Internet setup (construction, wiring and implementation)

Digital camera and Digital Signage setup.

Camcorders and Tape recorders.

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Stakeholder Analysis

Its vital to identify and mention all the stakeholders and the role that they play for the project.
This also includes documenting how this stakeholder would add value the project and what
would they gain if the project is successful. Before we can manage stakeholders, we must
identify each one. This includes itemizing what each stakeholder has to gain from project
success.

Digital Computer Learning Center (DLC)

Name Role in the Project Gains from the project

Joseph Adbou Project Manager Promotion to Senior Project Manager.

Dr. William Kirker Project Sponsor Business Gains

Century Link Contract/Skilled Worker Company Advertised, service benefits.
Peter Belansick Team Member/Lab Advisor Job offer for higher positions

Grant Payne Team Member/Lab Advisor Job offer for higher positions
Joel Wolf Team Member/Lab Advisor Job offer for higher positions

Michael Fernandes Team Member/Lab Advisor Job offer for higher positions

Project Engineer Monitoring project roles along Job offer for higher positions
with the Project Manager.

Students in Niger Customers Free use of Computer Labs

Finance and Managing the expenses of the Sponsor recognition

Procurement manager project.

Subcontractors Subcontractors Business

KONAK Digital Cameras and Digital Company Recognition to give cameras
Signage for non-profit organization project.
Team member / Off- Helps is managing the project life Job offer for higher positions
shore Coordinator cycle and supports on-site team.

Team member /on-site Contributes for overall project Job offer for higher positions
Coordinator objectives and team deliverables.
Teaching Director Provides initial training as Job Experience in terms of Teaching.
assigned to the students

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The IT Lab Advisors/Teaching directors are the actual stakeholders in the project and each of
them being promoted depends on the successful execution of the project. Joseph Adbou is the
project manager for the deployment of the project and might be promoted to a senior project
manager for the IT office once the project is implemented successfully. The team receives
funding from KAMRA and other non-profit firms. Finance is managed by the Finance and
Procurement manager. Once the project is implemented successfully with Digital Learning
Services for the students in Niger, theyll be able to elucidate themselves about how technology
works in the real world. This project would be a stepping stone not only for the children in Niger
but also for the stakeholders in the project as theyd get experience in teaching about computers
to a country where theres scarcity of basic computer resources and Internet. This would
basically have a much impact on their CV to be promoted to a higher position.

The stakeholder communication management and planning over 11 weeks is as shown below:

Stakeholder Communications Management Plan

Individual/Group Communication Management Plan Duration

IT lab Advisors Text, calls, e-mail, memoranda, Team meetings. Daily

Project Engineer Regular e-mails, project evaluations Weekly

Project Manager Regular meetings, text and e-mails Bi-Weekly

Project Sponsor Official project evaluation (documentation) Every month

Communication through regular email updates provides stakeholders with a chance to tackle
issues by focusing on them and expressing any worries they have in relation to the project. In
such situations, the project manager, the leads and the lab teachers can take decisions
appropriately to resolve these worries in a timely and flexible manner.

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What Ive Learned

Working in a team environment always presents challenges especially when most meetings are
held virtually or threw discussion threads. Furthermore, adding adversities like working on
projects in first world countries experiencing massive refugee insurgencies due to civil wars is
sure to make any project tough. While working on the Digital Learning Center project for
KAMRA, I was able to pick up valuable techniques managing a project group to help ensure
tasks were completed even when the obstacles are stacked against you. With solid relationships
and a established communication frameworks (and positive attitudes), it is much easier deal with
both expected and unforeseen issues. For example, during the middle of our project we had a
team mate drop the course without notice. We were able to come together as a group and work
through most issues like this one by being transparent, flexible, and able to play to one anothers
strengths.

-David Kettinger

Without proper co-ordination and team work, a team crumbles and cant succeed on assigned
projects. My experience in working on this project and in a team environment helped me build
each other up and strengthen myself as well as the team members on creating a cohesive group.
Throughout, I learnt about Project Libre and Project management tools to create Gantt chart.
Team work necessitated more confidence in my abilities to work in the project alongside
assisting each other. The main factor here was reliance on team members and the trust that we
had on each other. As David mentioned in his part of what he learnt, one of our team members
had to leave the course in the middle of the project but we coordinated immediately with each
other on dividing her parts by assigning one of her parts to each team member. Also, working
with my teammates allowed new ideas to emerge making me to evolve my learning experience
and encouraging each other by providing effective solutions to the project. Also, flexible and
timely communication with my team members helped me in getting my work done sooner than
expected. Cutting the long story short, working in a team environment helped me approach a
group project with the sensibility to assist each other in a team environment and present my ideas
along with expanding my knowledge by learning new stuff through other team member opinions
and work experiences in the project.

-Iyer Ramaswamy

The Digital Learning center project has taught me a lot of project management skills which will
be really useful for my career. Most of the team members were unknown to each other and to
break those bridges we held weekly meetings right since the start of the project. This helped us
gain valuable input for our project work as well as bonded us well. Even due to unavoidable
circumstances the group was ready to help each other when one of the group members left the

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course at the end moment. I also learnt to use and manage the project management tools like
Project Libre and MS Project which I used to prepare Gantt chart, define milestones, S-curve,
Resource Usage and Network diagram. I also learnt about the Risk registers, Quality metrics and
Communication management plans which are of utmost importance while building the project. I
will surely take this ahead from here onto my other courses in future which will help me plan and
prepare my other projects.
- Sanket Wagh

"Throughout this project and course I have learned a great many things. I learnt the different
ways the tools and charts that can be used effectively to make a project perform in best way. I
now know the importance of Gantt chart, network diagram, S-curves, HR charts and how to
manage and read them to know if a project is doing well or needs intervention. I also learnt that
if we cannot communicate effectively then we are wasting time, money, resource and efforts.
Project execution is a more simple process if all planning is done ahead of time rather than
spread throughout the project duration. I look forward to learning more about project
management and how it is used in everyday projects."

-Divyashree Shivashankar

References:

1. A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide), fifth edition

(5th Ed.). (2013). Newtown Square, Pa.: Project Management Institute.

2. Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Project 2007

3. Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Office 2010

4. Project Libre

Acknowledgements

Bob Kois University of Colorado Denver

Dr. William Kirker Kirker African Medical Relief Association

Joseph Abdou Kirker African Medical Relief Association

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