Team 10 Project Plan

Spring Quarter 1996

Project Sponsor:

Gregory Abowd

Project Team:

Brian Leslie (Manager)
Dedrick Ducket (Architect)
Geoff Menegay (Programmer)
Jason Pastor (Programmer)
David Daniell (Technical Writer)


Contents


Project Description

The recent advent of the Java programming language has the potential to revolutionize the way computing is done in the future, allowing the Web browser to replace the traditional GUI desktop and software to be written for cross-platform use, interfacing with the Web as a distributed file system. The Future Computing Environments (FCE) group here at Georgia Tech, as part of the CyberDesk project, is promoting the development of a set of personal productivity tools using the Java programming paradigm, to help encourage a break from the GUI desktop.

This project will build a financial manager that will make use of the possibilities of Java. As such, it will be platform independent, able to run from any machine capable of running the Java virtual machine. Also, it will allow remote access to account information from any web browser.

The financial manager will provide for the tracking of several different types of bank accounts, including checking, savings, and credit card accounts. A front-end Java applet will control the access to a user's accounts. Once logged in, the user will be able to select accounts to view, generate reports and graphs, or perform account maintenance (creating or deleting accounts, etc.). The opening of a specific account will spawn another Java applet to handle interaction within that account. Once within a specific account, a user will be able to add, delete, or edit transactions, generate reports and graphs, and perform other various tasks.


Team Task Descriptions

The project team is divided into four major "roles", which are divided among and shared by the five members. Here are descriptions of the four roles:

Manager

The manager is responsible for preparing, maintaining, and enforcing the project schedule, organizing and leading the project meetings, and interacting with the project sponsor where necessary.

Technical Writer

The technical writer is responsible for preparing and maintaining all documentation and reports for the project, both internal and external. This includes the project notebook and all other Web-based documentation.

Architect

The architect is the head technical member of the team. He is responsible for the high-level design aspects of the project, and for organizing the implementation of the design. The architect knows the "big picture" and understands and documents the overall organization of the system.

Programmers

The programmers are responsible for learning the Java programming language and training other members as necessary. The programmers perform the actual implementation and testing of the system under the direction of and in conjunciton with the architect. The programmers handle the details of bringing the system to fruition.

Project Schedule

ACTIVITIES hours per week TOTAL
Meetings 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 12 7 68
Requirements 5 20 25
Documentation 5 25 18 5 5 15 73
Training 40 10 50
Preliminary Design /
Prototyping
5 20 25
Detailed Design 5 15 5 25
Coding 15 30 25 70
Pre-Integration
Testing
10 15 25
Integration 5 30 35
Post-Integration
Testing
5 25 30 30 10 100
Modification /
Enhancements
10 15 5 30
MILESTONES Project Teams Project Plan Requirements
Document
Design Document Final Demo Project Notebook
Apr. 3 Apr. 8 Apr. 22 May 6 May 20-22 May 29
DATE April May
1 - 7 8 - 14 15 - 21 22 - 28 29 - 5 6 - 12 13 - 19 20 - 26 27 - 2
TOTALS 62 62 62 70 62 67 62 57 22 526

Modifications to this original project schedule will be placed on the Project Schedule page.


Schedule Task Descriptions

Meetings

Description:
Each week the project team will meet at regular times to discuss the status of the project.
Roles:
Manager (14 hrs.), Architect (14 hrs.), Programmers (26 hrs.), Technical Writer (14 hrs.)

Requirements

Description:
All functional requirements of the system must initially be assessed. This includes storyboarding potential user scenarios, demonstrating how the system will look and be used. Requirements assessment also includes evaluation of the testing needs and any non-functional requirements related to testing the system for acceptability.
Roles:
Manager (5 hrs.), Architect (10 hrs.), Programmers (8 hrs.), Technical Writer (2 hrs.)

Documentation

Description:
There are four formal documents required for this project:
  • Project Plan (this document)
  • Requirements Document
  • Design Document
  • Final project notebook
It is the the technical writer will spend a majority of the time preparing these documents.
Roles:
Manager (16 hrs.), Architect (10 hrs.), Programmers (12 hrs.), Technical Writer (35 hrs.)

Training

Description:
This project requires the use of the Java programming language. Some time will be needed to train the programmers with the use of this language prior to actual code implementation.
Roles:
Manager (5 hrs.), Architect (13 hrs.), Programmers (26 hrs.), Technical Writer (6 hrs.)

Preliminary Design / Prototyping

Description:
This is the earliest stage of design, consisting primarily of "brainstorming", leading up the the initial basis for analyzing the requirements of the system. This also includes the high-level architectural layout of the system.
Roles:
Manager (2 hrs.), Architect (10 hrs.), Programmers (10 hrs.), Technical Writer (3 hrs.)

Detailed Design

Description:
The detailed design phase consists of the lower-level architectural design and detailing of the modules that the programmers will be implementing.
Roles:
Manager (2 hrs.), Architect (10 hrs.), Programmers (10 hrs.), Technical Writer (3 hrs.)

Coding

Description:
This will be the time spent writing the initial system, as directed by the architect's design.
Roles:
Architect (20 hrs.), Programmers (50 hrs.)

Pre-Integration Testing

Description:
This is the phase of module-level testing prior to the integration of the system's separate software components. It will include any necessary code modifications in reponse to test results.
Roles:
Manager (2 hrs.), Architect (10 hrs.), Programmers (10 hrs.), Technical Writer (3 hrs.)

Integration

Description:
After pre-integration testing has shown the system components to be functioning nominally, the modules will be integrated into a complete system. This system is the final (or "final prototype") of the financial manager.
Roles:
Architect (15 hrs.), Programmers (20 hrs.)

Post-Integration Testing

Description:
This is the phase of system-level testing following the integration of the system's separate software components. It will include any necessary code modifications in reponse to test results.
Roles:
Manager (20 hrs.), Architect (30 hrs.), Programmers (35 hrs.), Technical Writer (15 hrs.)

Modification / Enhancements

Description:
This will be the final phase, in which the entire system will be "cleaned up" and finalized for delivery. Time permitting, this phase will also allow for the addition of some additional "perks"to the final system.
Roles:
Manager (5 hrs.), Architect (5 hrs.), Programmers (10 hrs.), Technical Writer (10 hrs.)


Project Deliverables

There are four formal documents required for this project. Detailed descriptions of the requirements for each of these documents can be found on the Project Milestones page. The deliverables are:

Project Plan

Due: 3 April 1996

The Project Plan (this document) is a brief introduction to the project team members and a preliminary schedule and breakdown of the project's activities.

Requirements Document

Due: 22 April 1996

The Requirements Document is an "extended document that details all functional requirements of the delivered prototype. A section of this document also indicates nonfunctional requirements that will be used to test the system for acceptability and a storyboard that will be used to demonstrate how the system will look and be used."

Design Document

Due: 6 May 1996

The Design Document is a "detailed description of how the system will be built, including, for example, any object-oriented analysis and design to show the system structure."

Final Project Notebook

Due: 29 May 1996

The Final Project Notebook is a "final collection of all of the above information in a well-organized Web page." It will include all revisions of all of the documents and provide access to the system's source code.



to the Team 10 Project Notebook
Comments to: dwd@cc.gatech.edu / home page
Last modified: Fri Apr 12 12:34:38 1996