Summer 2012

INTE 5160

Managing Information and Learning Technology Programs

Final Project Plan CU-Cloud

A project managed by Bringing Ideas to Life

Dolores Alexander, Shelly Nebel and Janet Yowell July 22, 2012 Analysis Learning Need The learning need that has been identified is the need to reduce inefficiency and increase productivity in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder campus. We plan to do this by educating employees in the College in the implementation of cloud technologies as a means to accomplish this. Audience For this pilot project, we are specifically focusing on implementation in the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory (ITLL) in the College of Engineering and Applied Science on the Boulder campus. Project Value Education is no longer confined to the classroom, and employees work is no longer stationed at a desk in the office. Education can be achieved online, and work can be done at off-site locations. With an expanding number of students and faculty on and off campus, the need to provide broader, state-of-the-art computing and technical resources is greater than ever. And, with current advances in technology, employees expect greater IT resources at their fingertipsin spite of tighter budget constraints that limit the power of new innovations (HP Tech Dossier, n.d.). How can services be provided that businesses can afford and easily transition into their employees routines? Currently, the College of Engineering and Applied Science is using data storage tools that are out dated and labor intensive due to the vast amount of maintenance required to keep the current technology operable. With the rollout of this Wiki training, there will be a major reduction in the amount of time employees spend transferring files via email or using an FTP (file transfer protocol) hostboth of which are time consuming if an employee is working off site. Example of Need: The ITLL Director travels from Denver to Washington, DC, for a conference. She struggles to make progress on a deadline-driven proposal, because she has to e-mail large data files back and forth with her colleagues who are simultaneously working on the same proposal in Boulder. Because of the conference schedule, she has to work on the files late at night. She received so many e-mails throughout the day that she has difficulty determining which file is the most recent. She spends valuable time sorting through her e-mail inbox, attempting to decipher which file to work on next. Because of these typical situations, Bringing Ideas to Life believes that this department would benefit immensely from using Googles Cloud Drive Technology. Google Cloud Drive, the new

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name for Google Docs (Googles suite of business applications) is a synchronize storage product that allows you to store and update files on Googles Servers or in the cloud. Files stored here are automatically updated on other devices that are connected to the drive. This is not a physical storage, but a link to the location on the Cloud. The value that this brings to the ITLL staff is the ability to collaborate and share large documents, calendars, and emails. Employees will rest secure in knowing that the document they are viewing is the most current, and less time will be spent removing messages to reduce mail box size or in transferring files the old fashioned way (i.e., file transfer protocol). In addition, documents stored on the Cloud can be accessed on any kind of computing device (e.g., desktop, laptop or mobile phone) anywhere in the world at any time of the day or night. Smartercommerce (2011) noted that the benefits of using Cloud Technology or Cloud Computing include the following: Data gathering can be done in real-time and analyzed. Reduced burden on IT resources (costs less because less people are required to run it). Highly secure environment. The ability to engage and collaborate more quickly. The benefits of cloud e-mail solutions, according to Sonian (2012), are as follows: Every e-mail sent and received can be stored in perpetuity and is searchable and accessible and remains secure. No hardware/software maintenance or installation is required. Unlimited disk space for storage of e-mails. Allows organizations to focus on their core business and not be distracted with infrastructure hassles. Overall, the value that this technology provides will have far-reaching benefits to the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratoryfinancially, collaboratively, and accessibly. Scope Chosen Topic Bringing Ideas to Life will develop a plan to educate and train the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory employees on the use of cloud-based technologies to expand document accessibility, allow for cross-platform collaboration for both hardware and software (Mac/PC); thereby increasing productivity and reducing inefficiency. Defined Scope This project, CU-Cloud, intends to provide the infrastructure needed to offer cloud-based technology and create a truly mobile workplace for the employees of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, utilizing the existing Google Cloud Drive (formerly called Google Docs) platform, a cloud-based technology. Imagine the solution to the example from above: the Director traveling to Washington, DC, can view, at any time of day or night, the most recent versions of the proposal files and easily contribute her changes when the files are stored in the cloud. Her colleagues will then have instant access to her changes when they arrive to work the next day, without worry that the most recent version was revised by their manager. Everyone is on the same page, working on the same document. The proposal progresses smoothly even through their manager is working off-site.

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Project Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Employees of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory in the College of Engineering and Applied Science will use Google Cloud Drive, a cloud-based file storage application to increase productivity. Objective 1a: Using Google Cloud drive, employees will be able to easily post and retrieve documents to meet deadlines. Objective 1b: Employees will be able to identify the benefits of using a cloud-based application compared to traditional storage options (i.e., home computing system or departmental server). Goal 2: Employees of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory in the College of Engineering and Applied Science will use Google Cloud Drive to increase their efficiency. Objective 2a: Employees will demonstrate increased proficiency in their work, both in the time that it takes to deliver a final task and in reduced file transfer time (i.e., less down time, especially when using slower internet connections or off-site locations that must utilize file transfer protocol procedures). Product Goals and Objectives Goal 1: A wiki page will be created as a resource for the employees of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Objective 1a: Employees will experience a seamless transition from traditional file storage procedures to using Google Cloud Drive. Objective 1b: Employees will easily understand and use Google Cloud Drive as a means of document transfer. Stakeholders Primary Stakeholders The Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory in the College of Engineering and Applied Science is part of the University of Colorado Boulder. The University itself has a far-reaching group of stakeholders, including regents, faculty, staff, administrative support, volunteers, students, parents, and the communities that the campus serves. For the initial phase of this project, Bringing Ideas to Life is focusing on implementation for the employees of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. The representative for this stakeholder group is: Kenny Hirschmann, Adjunct Lecturer, University of Colorado Denver. Identified Requirements For employees to take advantage of using Google Cloud Drive, the following items are essential: A computer with high-speed internet capability, A high-speed internet connection, and A Google Cloud Drive account (free to obtain).

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Each employee of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory will need to create a Google login and password in order to access Google Cloud Drive. A resource with a variety of built-in tools, Google Cloud Drives accessibility is as easy as connecting to the internet. This type of virtual storage has the capability of replacing the large server systems that have been a cost drain on the department. Management of Communications/Expectations with Stakeholder Group Bringing Ideas to Life will develop an online training, placed in the cloud, available to employees at any time of the day or night. Each employee in the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory will receive an e-mail with instructions on accessing the Bringing Ideas to Life Wiki Page and completing the training. Should difficulties arise, employees will have access to phone or online support. Employees will be notified of the rollout during a staff meeting, followed by an email with all necessary training details. Training will be required for all employees (date to be determined); all employees will be expected to have completed the training by a specified date. All skills necessary to effectively use CU-Cloud will be taught at these trainings; employees will not be expected to perform any education beyond the provided online training sessions. Employees who do not complete the CU-Cloud training by the date specified by their manager will be ineligible to receive annual pay increases. (Note: This policy is similar to the existing policy which states that those employees who do not complete Discrimination and Harassment training are ineligible for pay raises upon successful annual performance reviews.) Milestones Bringing Ideas to Life will follow a schedule of deliverables for the CU-Cloud Project, as demonstrated in Table 1 below.
Table 1. CU-CloudSchedule of Deliverables

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Task/Deliverables of Hours

Due Date

Estimated # Group meeting to determine/propose project idea 2012 Task Analysis Cost EstimateJune 11, Delegation of Task Deliverable 1: Project Plan

Kick-offProject Plan Meeting - Learning Need - Scope ConsultationStakeholder identification - with SME - Milestones
Develop Objectives for Lessons

1 1

$0 $80

Project Team Members, StakeholdJune 11-13, 2012 ers representative Alexander, Nebel, Yowell June 13, 2012 June 15, 2012 June 17, 2012

Cloud Project Explained Peer Feedback - The problem Project Draft I (version 2) Delivered 6 - Cloud Deliverable 2 solution - Benefits Request - How it works for authorization to proceed Google Resubmit Creation Account authorization to proceed 2 SME Selection Document Creation/Upload Wiki Plan Design - Types of documents - Resource management 6 - Allowed extensions & mitigation plan - Risk analysis - Creating & uploading - Quality Assurance Cloud Drive Account Set Up and Project Draft II Delivered 4 Software Download Peer Feedback
Project Product Design Draft II Delivered Deliverable 3: Wiki Development

Project Draft I Delivered

$300

Yowell

$100 $300

June 18, 2012 June 24, 2012 Alexander June 26, 2012 June 26, 2012

Nebel
June 27, 2012 Alexander June 29, 2012 July 01, 2012

$200 $600 $600 $50

Final Project Design Instructional MaterialPlan & Wiki Page Deliverable 4: Wiki Implementation

Gather and Organize Materials 4 (x3) Draft of Final Storyboard Design Project Plan & Wiki4Page Due (x3) Peer Feedback Storyboard Consultation w/ SME 1 Develop Instructional Material Presentation Due Presentation of Wiki 6 (x3) .75 (x3)
65.25

Alexander, Nebel, Yowell

July 18, 2012 Alexander, Nebel, Yowell July 20, 2012 Yowell July 22, 2012

$900 Alexander, Nebel, Yowell July 23, 2012 $112.50 Alexander, Nebel, Yowell
$3,242.50

Total Hours/Cost

Client Authorization For this project to be a success, the project management team will seek University/Clients authorization to proceed at the beginning of Phase 2 (i.e., prior to Deliverable 2), which will start the week following the Needs Analysis (Phase 1) and prior to undergoing additional critical investment in the project. Resource Management Plan Working Relationship For this project, we assume that the Project Management Team factors in the required hours in their weekly schedule to accommodate the mandates for this class. As such, the estimated hours and cost are averages. The Project Management Team, acting as Instructional Designers in this project, are each billed at $50.00 per hour, and the SME is billed at $80.00 per hour. Since this is a class project, we assume that the kickoff meeting and peer reviews will not incur a cost.
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The Bringing Ideas to Life Project Management Team members are all students of the INTE 5160 course. They will jointly manage this project and complete the design and build of the product. They will consult with two SMEs, as needed, to obtain their expert opinion on the product solution chosen. The project members will be communicating with a representative from the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory to ensure that the departments need is being achieved. The means of communications used will be primarily phone and e-mail. The resource management plan is illustrated in Table 2. The schedule of the entire project which includes the product stages and deliverables for this project are outlined in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Charts and the Gantt Chart (see Figures 1-3 and Table 3). Table 2. Resource Management PlanCU-Cloud Project

Figure 1. CU-Cloud Project Work Breakdown Structure, Initiation Stage

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Figure 2. CU-Cloud Project Work Breakdown Structure, Analysis Stage

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Figure 3. CU-Cloud Project Work Breakdown Structure, Design and Build Stage

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Table 3. CU-Cloud Project Gantt Chart

Task
Week 1 June 4 - June 10 M-T W Th Week 2 June 11 - 17 Th F Week 3 June 18 - 24 S-S M-T W Th F Week 4 June 25 - July 1 S-S M-T W Th F S-S

F S-S M-T W

INITIATION STAGE Need Analysis Scope

Stakeholder Identification Draft of Project I Due Peer Review Project Draft I Due ANALYSIS STAGE Resource Mgmt Risk Analysis Quality Assurance Draft of Project Draft II

Task

Week 5 July 2 - July 8 M-T W Th

Week 6 July 9 - July 15 Th F

Week 7 July 16 - July 22 S-S M-T W Th F

Week 8 July 23 July 28 Th F S-S

F S-S M-T W

S-S M-T W

Peer Review Project Draft II Due

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Task
DESIGN & DEVELOP. Develop Lesson Objectives Design Storyboard Build Training Product Draft of Final Product Plan & Wiki Page Due Peer Review Final Project Plan & Wiki Page
PRESENTATION

Week 5 July 2 - July 8

Week 6 July 9 - July 15

Week 7 July 16 - July 22

Week 8 July 23 July 28

Risk Analysis and Mitigation Plan The following risk analysis chart depicts the anticipated risks and counter measures associated with the CU-Cloud Project. Table 4. Risk Analysis Chart for CU-Cloud Project.
Risk ID Risk Type Date Identified Description Probability Impact Counter Measures Last Updated

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SME unresponsive to 6/29/12 project feedback/critique

Low

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Inadequate explanation of cloud technol6/29/12 Medium ogy for audiences needs Difficulty with 6/29/12 Google Cloud Drive account set-up

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Low

Set up meeting time(s) with SME to Medium 6/29/12 meet her schedule; confirm meetings. Obtain audience feedback; perform a High needs survey and 7/01/12 make adjustments to instruction material. Create test account well in advance, prior High to instruction roll out; 6/29/12 test and retest account creation.

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Risk ID

Risk Type

Date Identified

Description

Probability Impact Counter Measures

Last Updated

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Inaccessibility to 6/29/12 Google Cloud Drive software (download)

Low

Publish on wiki computer specifications and technical requireHigh 7/01/12 ments for use of Google Cloud Drive software. Project Manager keeps team on task and follows through High 6/29/12 with communication on deadlines and expectations. Meet to review needs analysis and resolve Medium instructional content 7/01/12 to ensure content is on target. Develop adequate training materials and Low incentives to adapt to 07/01/12 the wiki as the mode of training. Review cost and time estimates in the Resource Management High 07/01/12 Plan and issue a change order request to the Client.

05

Business 06/29/12 Delay of deliverables

Medium

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Project Team not in 6/29/12 agreement with Wiki content. Employee resistance 6/25/12 to use of Wiki for training.

Low

007

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High

008

Business

6/25/12 Cost overrun

Medium

Statement of Quality Assurance Bringing Ideas to Life will implement guidelines to help keep the team on task and ensure that the projects Wiki page/training meets the needs of the target audience. The project management team will develop checklists, quality assurance procedures and a user guide to ensure the Wiki provides the instructions necessary to access the proposed CU-Cloud project. These procedures will provide a means for cross-checking the usability and understandability of the Wiki page and eventual CU-Cloud transition. The goal is to provide a quality product with the least amount of interruption to the end userthe employees of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory. To help us achieve the desired quality level, the project management team will seek peer review, as well as a SME content audit to ensure that the project Wiki Page and training meet the needs of the learners as a viable educational tool. Project Evaluation

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Bringing Ideas to Life will put in place an evaluation plan to ensure the developed Wiki page/training is meeting the needs of the employees of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory. The goal of the Wiki is to allow employees to move from one familiar platform of computing (i.e., data storage specifically) to a broader file storage capability that will ultimately increase their efficiency on a day-to-day basis. The Wiki is intended to provide employees with the knowledge to become easily trained in using CU-Cloud at their leisure, but to implement the system for their business use within a fixed schedule. Overall, the CU-Cloud project will be successful if the following occur: There is reduced server space used by the college. There is increasing e-mail functionality due to elimination of maximum size limits set on e-mail accounts. There is increased collaboration between employees of the college. Employees are able to share documents more efficiently. There is reduced burden on IT resources.

Bringing Ideas to Life believes that the CU-Cloud Wiki Page and training will be successful when the following occur: Employees experience a seamless transition from traditional file storage to Google Cloud Drive. Employees easily understand and use Google Cloud Drive as a means of document transfer.

Projects are ever changing during the project life cycle. Therefore, Bringing Ideas to Life will administer a series of anonymous online surveys allowing each employee in the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory to provide valuable feedback on their experience using the Wiki. This evaluation cycle will lead to adaptations of the Wiki as needed, and project improvements during future rollouts of the project (i.e., with other departments, and eventually across all four CU campuses). And, as mentioned previously, an SME, Julie Graham, with the University of Colorado Boulder was consulted on this project. Ms. Graham possesses twelve years of experience working in the computer information technology field and applications development. The SME was consulted throughout this projectreceiving valuable feedback during the initial planning stage. Her expertise allowed the team to understand the value of cloud technology in the workplace.

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References Carroll, J. (2009). Project management for effective business change. Warsickshire, UK: In Easy Steps. Everything your business needs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business/benefits.html The Google Doc FAQ. (2012). Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-5742040293/the-google-drive-faq/ HP Tech Dossier (n.d.). Strategy guide to the cloud in government and education institutions: Strategy guide. Retrieved http://campustechnology.com/Whitepapers/2012/06/HP_Strategy-Guide-CloudGovernment-Educational-Institutions/Asset.aspx Shakelford, B. (2002). Project managing e-learning. Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training & Development. Smartercommerce. (2011). Smarter Commerce on Cloud. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIF0sxVuHgA&feature=relmfu Smartercommerce. (2011). Smarter Commerce on Cloud. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AQRUMw7opY Sonian. (2012). Cloud-Powered Email Archiving Service - Key Benefits. Retrieved from http://blog.sonian.com/Portals/55486/docs/sonian%20datasheet%20-%20overview.pdf Source: IT Governance, Ltd. (2012). Cloud computing. Retrieved from http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/cloud-computing.aspx

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