In this scenario you will apply the five project management process groups (Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling and closing) to manage and control a computer networks project. Currently Cornell Institute is facing a high demand for wireless network in its two main campuses (161 and 150 Hobson Street ) as the number of mobile devices used by employees and students are increasing exponentially. No investigation has been done by the IT department to assess whether the current WiFi network is providing the needed coverage to users at both campuses. In this project you are required to assess the performance of the current WiFi network at Cornell and estimate the ideal network capacity needed to support Cornell users. First, you will interview users (staff and lectures) and identify their uses\academic needs of the WiFi network and the type of data files (video, graphics, audio) they deal with. Second, you will meet James (the head of IT department) and learn about the security procedures in place for protecting the network from intruders, and the type of files and applications that users are permitted or blocked from using and whether violations to the WiFi network have been experienced in the past where intruders gained access and stole Cornell bandwith. To investigate this matter further you will be: 1. Use Opnet or Wirkshark simulators to run your scenarios. 2. Measure the key performance metrics such as throughput, packet delay, packet loss, etc. 3. Assess the strength of the signal at different locations in the buildings using Windows wireless signal graph. 4. Assess whether there are flaws in the current infrastructure with respect to the location and the access points, the capacity of the network devices. 5. Assess the performance of the network under noisy and interfering channels. 6. As a result of your investigation you may recommend an additional component: wireless Bridge- Repeater that extends the range of the WiFi coverage. Task 1 - Kick-Off Meeting [10 marks] Hold the Project Kick-Off meeting with your other group members to discuss the following: · Determine the scope, time and cost constraints for the project · Agree on a timeframe and assign responsibilities to develop the Business Case. · Agree on when, where and how often you will meet. · Select a project manager and assign roles to team members. · Assign responsibility to a team member to prepare the team contract. Task 2 - Business Case [40 marks] To justify investing time and efforts in this project, you must complete a Business Case. Since the project is relatively small and for internal sponsor, the business case must be brief. · Use the templates provided by Schwallbe (2010). Chapter 3. The Project Management Process Groups: A Case Study · Your sponsor will approve this project only when Payback period happen within a year with good return on investment. 1. Prepare a Business case that includes the following sections: I. Introduction/Background II. Business Objective III. Current Situation and problem/opportunity statement IV. Critical Assumptions and Constraints V. Analysis of Options and Recommendations VI. Preliminary project requirements VII. Budget estimate and financial analysis VIII. Schedule estimate IX. Risk Analysis X. Appendices Under the section Analysis of Options and Recommendations of your business case you will provide a comparison of your proposed System (Option 2) against the Do-Nothing (option 1) where you consider keeping the existing system. Perform financial analysis for Option 1 and Option 2 (proposed system) using techniques introduced in class. Project costs and benefits for each option for a period of 4 years. Assume ongoing maintenance costs to support the system at 25% per year of the total cost. aTasks to perform 1. Estimate the benefits of this project for each year in terms of money. Ensure to provide detailed explanation of how you reached those estimates. 2. Estimate costs of this project for each year in terms of money. Ensure to provide explanation of how you calculated costs. 3. Project costs and benefits for this project over the project duration time. 4. Provide calculations of the NPV, ROI and year in which payback occur. Use a discount rate of 8% and to round the discount factor to 3 decimal places. 5. Write a report to provide explanation of the results of the financial analysis The Financial analysis documents must be provided as supporting documents to Appendix A of your business case. Submission: 1. Business Case report 2. Supporting Documents Task 3- Demonstration of Project STRENGTHS [Total: 20 marks] 1. Meet with your group members and develop a checklist, or a list of criteria that will help you demonstrate the strength of your project against the current situation (Option 1). Consider the selection criteria for IT projects discussed in class. 2. In a group prepare a weighted scoring model. Use the selection criteria, assign weights to each criterion, assign scores and then calculate the weighted scores. 3. Develop a bar chart to summarise your results. Write one page describing this weighted scoring model explaining the results.