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I need to add the reference source to be used for my paper. https://books.google.com/
Using Project Management Methods in the Creation of an Effective IT Project Plan
The Problem:
Assume that you are working for a large accounting firm. You are in the
Human Resources Division and you have just been given the responsibility
to manage an IT project to install a new system to process everything
related to your company?s payroll, payroll tax records, and vacation and
health benefits. The system maintains records on insurance, state and
federal taxes, social security, and the like ? everything that you would
find on a typical pay stub. You pay employees both hourly wages and
annual salaries. The system is called PAYMASTER.
As part of your work you have decided to develop an outline of your
planning process using the structure of a knowledge areas/process groups
matrix as a basis for your outline?s first two levels. Then you want
to prepare a 2000 word summary of the plan. The following information
is designed to take you through that work. In your response you will be
providing either sample or full answers, depending on the nature of the
planning element that you are describing. In many cases you will need
to invent a number of the specifics as you develop your plan ? just use a
little imagination because there are literally thousands of elements
that would go into an actual plan or system.
Where specificity is required you will need to invent it. For example,
in your written plan it is inappropriate to say something like ?update
the scope statement.? However, ?Modify the scope statement to reflect
new tax codes for PAYMASTER? is acceptable and correct (sorry, you may
not use this example as part of your response.)
Prepare a single document as your response. The first part of your
document is your outline and the second part is your written plan.
First, Your Complete Outline:
Begin this section with the title: ?PAYMASTER Project Plan Outline,? and
outline your plan from beginning to end. Your outline must have four
levels. Remember, you are preparing an outline of how you would go
about planning the implementation of the PAYMASTER payroll and
associated records system using the knowledge areas/process groups
matrix as a basis for your outline?s first two levels.
Level-one like this ? level-one activities should have sufficient weight
to carry your plan. There must be a separate level-one activity for
each major element of your plan ? that is, each should be a MAJOR
element in your plan.
Level-two like this ? these are sub-topics for your major elements.
Notice that proper outline structure requires at least two level-two
items for each level-one item. More might be needed, depending on topic
at hand.
Level-three like this ? sub-topics for your level-two items. At this
level you are providing specific details for your level-two items.
Notice also, just as for level-two: ?? that proper structure requires at
least two level-three items for each level-two item. More might be
needed, depending on topic at hand.?
Level-four like this ? sub-topics for your level-three items. At this
level you are providing specific example of the details in level-three.
Notice also, just as for level-three: ?? that proper structure requires
at least two level-four items for each level-three item. More might be
needed, depending on the topic at hand.?
Another level-four
Another level-three
Level-four
Level-four
Another level-two, level-three, level-four
Etc. if needed
Level-one again, etc.etc. etc. etc.
Of importance ? outlines do not contain paragraphs. The idea of an
outline is to organize your thoughts, and it must be complete at the top
two levels. The MORE time that you spend building an outline the
BETTER your thought process, organization and content, and the EASIER it
is to do the next part of the exam.
Second, Your Written Plan:
Now begin the main body of your work. Write 2000 words describing your
plan. 2000 words is about eight pages, double spaced, 12 point font,
normal margins. For your written plan the standard is, as always, full
sentences ? nouns and verbs, and professional composition. Bullets,
lists, IM texting replies, bad spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or
grammar is simply not responsive to the task at hand.
CAUTION: recall that almost all of the major topics in the course
received a roughly equal emphasis. Reflect this emphasis in your paper,
both in the length of your sections and in content. For example, where
we did charts or tables, include specific examples, applicable to your
plan. Of importance ? these examples need NOT be complete, simply of
sufficient detail to communicate your understanding. In the real world,
for example, you would develop a very detailed WBS. For your paper it
will be sufficient to develop only a few lines, as examples that expand
on your outline for that particular section of your paper. Detail,
correct construction and content are important.
Begin this work on a separate page, with the title ?PAYMASTER Project
Plan?. Include headings and sub-headings that relate directly to your
outline ? they actually replicate the outline itself. Here is the
format for the headings in your plan.
Your level-one headings -- italicized, bold, and underlined: Discus what
this element of the plan is about, why it is important, and provide
specific comment on how it applies in the PAYMASTER project. Place a
blank line before each level-one heading.
Your level-two headings -- bold, and underlined: Here, discuss what this
element is about in the context of the PAYMASTER project ? that is, how
it applies to your plan. Mention of some specifics, to become
level-three elements, can be provided here if you wish.
Your level-three heading -- italicized and underlined: Since
level-three elements are specifics, expand on your level-two comments.
Be specific ? how do these examples apply to PAYMASTER?
Your level-four headings -- underlined: Since level-four elements are
examples, expand on your level-three comments. Be specific ? how do
these examples apply to PAYMASTER?
In many cases you should accomplish this by developing specific content ? a chart or a sample WBS, for example.
Your writing should be of sufficient detail to prove that you understand
project management -- its principles, practices, and tools, and that
you understand and have thought carefully about your outline above.
Recall the admonishment in the opening paragraphs about specificity (the
?update the scope statement? example). OF CENTRAL AND CRITICAL
IMPORTANCE: YOUR WRITING MUST BE SPECIFIC TO PAYMASTER. Vague
discussions using terms limited to those in the text will be deemed
inadequate. Discussions based on the text, but which engage specific
elements of PAYMASTER (elements that you invent as you develop your
content) are required to confirm that you actually understand the
meaning of the material in the text. You must have solutions to the
problem, not generally describe some project planning activities.
Finally, observe that there is no way that 2000 words will be adequate
for a project plan in the real world. The point of this exam is to
cause you to cover the points involved in managing a project and to
summarize those points. While your level-one and level-two outline must
be complete, your actual plan will be incomplete because of length
restrictions. But it must be reasonably developed with respect to the
contents of the course. That is, your level-one and level-two elements
should be comprehensive, and your level-three and level-four items of
sufficient detail to demonstrate what each level-one and level-two
element in your summary is about, and how it applies to PAYMASTER.
RUBRIC: The paper will be graded on a 100 point scale. One-third of
your score will be based the outline and two-thirds will be based on
your written plan, but notice that an inadequate outline will surely
yield an inadequate plan. It should also be apparent, from
specifications above that your adherence to the structural requirements
for your documents will play a meaningful part in my analysis of your
work. For the outline one-third of the score will be for a correct and
complete set of level-one and level-two activities, one-third for
appropriate and accurate level-three activities, and one third for
meaningful level-four activities. These formulas will then be applied
to your written plan, but with the additional requirement of relevancy
and specificity applicable to PAYMASTER. Critical elements include the
detail and evidence that you provide to prove that you understand the
concepts. In any case up to 15% will be deducted for either structural
or English errors, or up to 30% for both.
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: PAYMASTER
1
Paymaster Payroll
Student Name:
Institution:
PAYMASTER
2
Introduction
Paymaster is a sophisticated software that is mainly used in the accounting department
. It can also be used in the Human Resource department to serve the same purpose. The
paymaster was first put into practice in 1995 by the Paymaster company. The introduction of the
paymaster system was a success and this payroll system has been in existence for the over twenty
years. This just goes a long way to show that its’ a project worth installing and implementing in
any organization. It is used in all firms ranging from the smallest, medium and to the large size
organizations across the world.
It was developed to meet the needs of the Human Resource and Finance professionals
across the globe. It keeps on getting better each year because of keeping up with the pace of the
change in technology. It is sophisticated in nature but very simple and easy for the common man
to use. You do not need to be at a work premises to use it but can also be used at home. It is also
fast compared to the manual payroll systems. The goal of the paymaster is to help simplify the
payroll procedures of companies and organizations irrespective of the size. This goal has been
achieved because time is money and one can save both money and time by using the paymaster.
Scope of the paymaster project management
There are key areas that have to be considered when planning the implementation of
the paymaster project. The scope of the paymaster project, project time management, the cost
that will be incurred in implementing the paymaster project and finally the quality of the
PAYMASTER
3
paymaster management. Before undertaking the necessary steps for this project, the above have
to be considered. Is the project cost effective? Is the project time saving? And finally whether the
quality of the project is high. These features or conditions have to be met so as to ensure that the
project is successful and the desired objectives are achieved.
The scope of the project is quite wide but these duties will be delegated to other staff to
help in the implementation of this project. Delegation and sub delegation will ensure that this
project consumes minimal time in the implementation. It is thus time saving especially in the
long run. The accountants will use less time in their financial functions using the paymaster
compared to using the previous manual systems. This will thus lead to an increase in the work
done by accountants.
The project of implementing the paymaster payroll is an investment by the company’s
shareholders. They thus expect a higher return in the long run. The cost of the project is
affordable and there are minimal charges and expenses expected after the completion of the
project. This project will save on costs in the long run ensuring that the compa...
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