PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

GANT MOBILE
CONNECTIVITY
FEASIBILITY STUDY
Project Reference

The aim of the Plan is to detail the project outputs and how the delivery of those projects
output will be undertaken and managed. The Plan represents the contract between the
Project Manager and the Sponsor.

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Contents
1

Project Background.......................................................................................... 3

Project Objectives and Success Criteria...........................................................3

Outline Business Case..................................................................................... 3

Project Approach............................................................................................. 3

Project Scope................................................................................................... 3

Project Deliverables......................................................................................... 4

Constraints...................................................................................................... 4

Interfaces and Dependencies..........................................................................4

Assumptions.................................................................................................... 5

10

Project Plan.................................................................................................. 5

11

Schedule...................................................................................................... 6

12

Communication Plan.................................................................................... 7

13

Initial Risk Log.............................................................................................. 7

14

Project Organisation..................................................................................... 7

14.1 Detailed Project Organisation Structure....................................................7

14.2 Resources.................................................................................................. 7
14.3 RACI.......................................................................................................... 7
15

Project Controls............................................................................................ 7

16

Project Management Plan Review and Approval...........................................8

Document History
Date

Version
Summary of Changes Made
Number

28/9/2011

Initial draft based on INYT document

17/10/2011

Feedback from MK and LM

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Project Background

Today the GANT project partner NRENs provide an exceptional level of data connectivity to
their respective constituencies. This is a result of the NRENs management and operation of
nationally organised infrastructures that use leading edge technologies from the backbone to
the campus. This is typically facilitated through generous public subsidy, strategic
procurement initiatives and significant technical expertise.
Increasingly, however, end users require connectivity when they are not present on the
campus where their connectivity is typically delivered. In recent years, the NREN community
has responded to this requirement through the development of eduroam within TERENA;
this is now delivered within Europe by GANT, and globally coordinated by the Global
eduroam Governance Committee organised within TERENA.
While this service satisfactorily addresses this requirement by providing WiFi connectivity at
over 3500 service locations across the GANT service area, it does not address the case of
an end user who is not present either on his own campus, or another campus associated
with the GANT eduroam service. An end user who is located in any other type of location
generally has the following connectivity options:

Obtain connectivity from a free or commercial WiFi service. These services

generally provide very satisfactory level of connectivity, although generally only within
very restricted geographical regions (for example, within a railway station or airport).
They may directly impose a cost on the end user in the case of a commercially
provided service. It is possible that this cost can be reimbursed for certain classes of
end user (such as staff), but not for others (such as students). In a relatively few
cases, NRENs or campuses have negotiated deals with commercial providers to
provide access at no cost to the end user; this is normally absorbed by the NREN or
campus. Freely provided services are generally offered by organisations who benefit
from the end users custom (for example, at a coffee shop or hotel) and so cannot
always be accurately described as free. Free services are generally offered as a
best-effort service, with no or limited end user support.

Obtain connectivity from a mobile telephony operator. These services generally

provide a satisfactory level of connectivity for applications that do not make
significant demands of the network. They generally have good geographical
coverage, particularly within urban areas where coverage can be generally
considered near ubiquitous. These services always impose a cost, although the
operators billing models always allow the cost to be directly absorbed by the end
users organisation, without requiring up-front payment, if the organisation is willing to
bear this cost. Again, this varies between different classes of user and from
organisation to organisation. Owing to the high cost, international (roaming) usage is
frequently not permitted or otherwise greatly restricted by organisations. As with WiFi,
end users are able to easily purchase connectivity at their own expense but roaming
usage may be prohibitively expensive. Recently some operators have begun offering
more reasonable tariffs, but these appear to be restricted to a subset of countries; it
is possible (and perhaps likely, given the political pressure being applied by the EC)
that these tariffs will continue to become more competitive. In the non-roaming case,
data is becoming quite inexpensive but the cost is still likely to be an impediment for
students and others.

There is therefore a goal of improving mobility connectivity within the GANT service area by
making it more accessible to end-users.
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Project Objectives and Success Criteria

The primary objectives of this project are to:

1. Consider the options for extending network connectivity to end users within the
GANT service area who are roaming away from their home organisation.
2. Produce a Business Case that articulates the case for investment necessary to
implement one or more of these options.

Outline Business Case

Achieving these objectives will require expenditure of XKe (ex. VAT) and X man months over
the period November 2011 until November 2012. The breakdown of these costs is:

Commercial Consultancy services: XKe (ex. VAT)

GANT effort: X MM
o Product Manager: X MM
o Project Manager: X MM
o Technical Advisor: X MM
o Advisory Group: X MM

2x Workshops & travel: XKe (ex. VAT)

Project Approach

This project will be split across two phases of six months duration:
Phase 1 (November 2011 May 2012)
The project would obtain the services of a Consultant specialising in commercial aspects of
mobile connectivity (the Commercial Consultant). The Commercial Consultant would be
tasked to deliver a Feasibility Study providing:
1. A general description of the mobile technology and services landscape.
2. One or more options for achieving the objectives described previously, including
estimates of feasibility and cost.
3. A recommended approach, including an outline business plan.
The Commercial Consultant would be required to become familiar with the NREN
environment, with a particular focus on eduroam and other existing initiative in the WiFi and
3G areas. The Commercial Consultant would be required to initiate discussions with relevant
providers and potential partners, in order to obtain commercial information that could inform
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planning. The Commercial Consultant would also be required to understand the nature of the
relationships between the operators and their significant customers, such as TomTom and
Amazon.
The Commercial Consultant would be responsible for delivering the Feasibility Study, in coordination with the project manager, product development manager and technical advisor.
A workshop will be organised approximately midway through this phase (February 2012),
which will provide an opportunity for the Commercial Consultant to brief the community and
receive feedback.
Phase 1 (June 2012 November 2012)
At the end of the first project phase, the Project will evaluate the Feasibility Study. If the
results of the Feasibility Study do not meet the expectations of the GANT Project, the
project will be terminated. Otherwise, the project will proceed to the second phase of work.
The project will deliver a complete Business Case based on the outline Business Case
developed in the previous phase and feedback from project and NREN management.
A second workshop will be organised approximately halfway through this phase (September
2012) allowing the project to brief the community on the Business Case and receive futher
feedback.
During the first half of this phase, the Commercial Consultant would be required to provide
further guidance to the project in the development of the Business Case. During the second
half of the task, the Commercial Consultant would be expected to assist with the commercial
aspects of preparing for a potential implementation of the Business Case (procurement
preparation, initial negotiations, etc).

Project Scope

The project will be organised as a small task within GN3 SA3. The Product Development will
act as Task Leader, reporting to the SA3 Activity Leader. The Commercial Consultant,
Project Manager and Technical Advisor will report to the Task Leader.

Project Deliverables

Deliverabl
e
Reference
D1
D2

Deliverable Description
Mobile Connectivity Feasibility Study
Mobile Connectivity Business Case

Stage to
be
Produced
M36

Approver

M44

Constraints

The majority of the work within this project be organised in a simple sequential order, and so
there are no external constraints on timings.

Interfaces and Dependencies

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This Task will be expected to liaise closely with GN3 SA3 T2 (GANT eduroam service),
GN3 JRA3 T1 (Roaming developments) and the TERENA Mobility and Network Middleware
Taskforce. The Task Leader will be responsible for managing these relationships, supported
by the Activity Leader.
The project will also need to co-ordinate closely with GN3s marketing and communications
functions. The project will depend on these functions research and dissemination roles to
achieve its goals. The Task Leader will be responsible for managing these relationships,
supported by the Activity Leader.
There are no significant external dependencies.

Assumptions

This project assumes that there is significant market demand for enhanced mobile
connectivity services within the GANT service area. This appears likely, on the basis of
various on-going related NREN initiatives.

10 Project Plan
Milestone
Reference
M1

Task established and roles filled

Milestone
Date
31/11/2011

M2

First workshop

29/2/2012

M3

Decision to proceed to phase 2

31/5/2012

M4

Draft business case

31/7/2012

M5

Second workshop

30/9/2012

Milestone Description

Milestone
Stage

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11 Schedule

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12 Communication Plan
The marketing and communications plans will be developed with NA2.

13 Initial Risk Log

1. Lack of market demand.
2. Lack of a workable technical solution.
3. Lack of interest from commercial providers.

14 Project Organisation
14.1 DETAILED PROJECT ORGANISATION STRUCTURE
The project will be organised as a new fifth task within SA3 (GN3 SA3 T5).
The project will contain the following roles:

Product Manager (X man months). The Product Manager will be responsible for the
delivery of the project and, in particular, the development of the Business Case. The
Product Manager will define the product strategy by obtaining requirements from the
relevant stakeholders across the GANT service area and mapping these to
potential implementation approaches. The Product Manager will work closely with
the Commercial Consultant to understand the business implications of each
approach, documenting this within the Feasibility Study. If a credible approach is
identified, the Product Manager will develop a Business Case to support the
implementation of the approach with the support of the Commercial Consultant. The
Product Manager will act as Task Leader, and report to the SA3 Activity Leader.

Commercial Consultant. The Commercial Consultant will be responsible for

identifying and defining the options within the Feasibility Study given the commercial
opportunities and constraints. The Commercial Consultant will be responsible for the
delivery of the Feasibility Study and the Draft Business Case, and act to support the
Product Manager in developing the Business Case. The Commercial Consultant will
work closely with the Product Manager and Technical Advisor to ensure that the
option(s) are consistent with the requirements of the GANT, its Partners, other
potential customers and the technical constraints and capabilities within the GANT
community.

Project Manager (X man months). The Project Manager will be responsible for
administrative aspects of the project, such as the organisation of meetings,
workshops, contracts and generation of supporting collateral and materials. The
Project Manager will report to the Product Manager.

Technical Advisor (X man months). The Technical Advisor will be responsible for
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advising the Product Manager and Commercial Consultant on the technical

implications associated with the project. The Technical Advisor will report to the
Product Manager.

Advisory Group (X man months). The Advisory Group will consist of a number of
community representatives acting in an advisory capacity to the Product Manager.
The GANT eduroam service manager will be a member of this group.

14.2 RESOURCES

Commercial Consultancy services: XKe (ex. VAT)

GANT effort: X MM
o Product Manager: X MM
o Project Manager: X MM
o Technical Advisor: X MM
o Advisory Group: X MM

2x Workshops & travel: XKe (ex. VAT)

14.3 RACI
The table below describes the RACI breakdown for the project.
Milestone
or
Deliverable
Reference
D1
D2
M1
M2
M3
M4
M5

Description
Mobile
Connectivity
Feasibility Study
Mobile
Connectivity
Business Case
Task established
and roles filled
First workshop
Decision to
proceed to phase
2
Draft business
case
Second workshop

Responsible

Accountable

Commercial
Consultant

Product
Manager

Product
Manager

SA3 Activity
Leader

GN3 Project
Office
Project
Manager

SA3 Activity
Leader
Product
Manger

SA3 Activity
Leader

SA3 Activity
Leader

Product
Manager
Project
Manager

SA3 Activity
Leader
Product
Manager

Consulte
d

Informed

All GN3
Partners

All GN3
Partners

All GN3
Partners

All GN3
Partners

n/a

GN3
EXEC
All GN3
Partners
GN3 PC

n/a
GN3
EXEC
GN3
EXEC
n/a

GN3 PC
All GN3
Partners

15 Project Controls

This project will be controlled using the following controls.

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Weekly project meetings to discuss the day-to-day implementation of the project.

These will include the Product Manager, Commercial Consultant, Project Manager,
Technical Advisor and Advisory Group.

Fortnightly review meetings between the SA3 Activity Leader and the Product
Manager to discuss progress, risks and issues.

Monthly review meetings between the SA3 Activity Leader and the GANT Project
Office to discuss progress, risks and issues.

Quarterly review of financial reports by the SA3 Activity Leader.

The project lifecycle and change control will be subject to the standard GN3 framework.

16 Project Management Plan Review and Approval

The Project Management Plan must be signed off by the Project Executive and the Project Mnager. Prior to sign off, the
document should be reviewed by the Project Board and other key stakeholders.

Decision Taken and Rationale/Comments

(Tick as appropriate)

Stop the Project

Rework/Postpone the
Project

Name

Signature

Proceed to the Execute

stage of the project

Date

Project Executive

Project Manager

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