Free Custom «Project Management Plan for Hotwire» Essay Paper

Hotwire is a travel website that offers services like airfares, car rentals, hotel and vacation packages at a low price. It sells unsold travels inventory at a discount, but it does not disclose the name of the company providing such travels until the buyer purchases the ticket. The headquarters is located at San Francisco, CA, and it operates under Expedia, Inc. Other companies which operate under Expedia Inc. include Hotels.com, TripAdvisor.com and ClassicVacations.com. Hotwire reaches a small number of individuals and is aimed at reaching a wide market. This will be achieved by introduction of new marketing modes, development of new working strategies, and implementation of new working policies and procedures.

Project Title

Project Management Plan for an Internet booking engine project (Hotwire)

Project Description

This project will seek to ensure that the website can facilitated and attract large number of customers and earn more profit. The development of the website will be accompanied with establishment of offices in each country where Hotwire is caring out its business. The business will be developed and customers will be able to get the services without straining because some of the users are not computer literate thus they cannot access Hotwire's services. The project will make sure that the services are available to all people regardless of their technological knowledge. The stakeholders will contribute in financing the project, and people that are willing to have shares will be welcomed. The project will operate with a budget of $ 75 million; this is the lowest budget designed in order to compromise with other operations of the company.

Project Objective

This project is designed to develop the online service in order to reach all customers, including computer illiterate ones. The project will reduce the loss of the company by enhancing information security. The project will enhance the activity to ensure increase in company’s income within the set budget.

Scope Statement

List of Higher Level

The project will ensure that the company's profit outcome will increase within a period of three months. There will be an improvement of the web-page to ensure that those who visit the page can understand it with ease. The web-page will be designed in English and French languages; it will include an option to select between them. When an individual selects French, then the language will change to French. This will assist even non-English speakers to use the services because not all people in the world can speak English. The security of the website will be monitored by information security specialist since hackers can hack the web-page and steal money from the customers. On the side of security, the web-page will have a special logo for the company since many hackers tend to make their own websites and start offering ghost service with the company’s name. The web-page will have more payment options, since only few people are conversant with credit cards. There will be payment options like wire transfer, money order, pay pal, gold cash, moneybookers, and alert pay among others. This will ensure all people will use the service because some people do not use the service due to the payment options provided. The website will include few things to ensure high speed of access.

Milestones

The project should start in the month of May, 2012. In May, the information technology specialist will access the web and give suggestions for reviews to be made. The information technology managers will be providing the necessary information concerning the security of the company. In June, the logo of the company will be provided, and it will be incorporated on the website. In July, the customers will be alerted with information concerning the change and improvement of the website. Moreover, in July, the web language will be set with French and English options and, in the same month, the payment options will be established which can cater for all people across the world. In August, the website will be completed, and offices established in the areas with the services provided to ensure assistance of customers who cannot access the web. The information security specialist will be monitoring the web-page to ensure that hackers do not temper with the web. The information security department will be located at the headquarters to monitor the web throughout the day. In September, the sales and marketing department will advertise the services through posts, bill boards, television, and other social media.

Technical Requirements

The logo will be designed in different colors to make sure that hackers cannot interfere with the website. The secrete marks which will be included in the website to ensure that people with ill motives cannot make a photocopy of the web-page. There will be space created for the information security team to work. The information security team will be given password to unlock the doors to their office to ensure that the information in their office is kept safe. There will be registration with the air space and internet services satellite organization to be given a permission to cover a large geographical area. The offices to be set will be provided with computers to ensure that all people who go to seek for assistance are served without delay. Software for monitoring and evaluation of information on the computers will be required to make sure that employees do not disclose information. The location to be covered by the web will be marked with a satellite which will be controlling the transaction contacted. There will be connection of the company with banks to ensure effective payment and processing of transactions made.

Limit and Exclusion

The web-page will be accessed by people with internet access. Hotwire provides internet services and sells products online; this means that in case of internet failure, the services will not be available. Sometimes, the internet cables are interfered with and these results to internet failure, which shows that in case of the failure, the project can be unavailable for a some period of time. In order to provide services online, one has to acquire certificate from the authorizing agents. The acquisition of the certificate can lead to delay of the project. The companies which sell tickets through Hotwire will be providing their services at their own risk. The work on project will be done from Monday to Friday, except for information security which will be made throughout the day and night. The information security specialist will monitor the web from the office to make sure that the software for monitoring is working. On Saturdays and Sundays, the workers will relax during the project implementation, but when the project will be completed, the workers will resume working as they worked previously. The technical support team will work with the security department all days. Those who make sell during the weekends will have to wait up to Monday for their transaction to be completed since banks do not operate.

Work Breakdown Structure

The project will be developed in steps, which will ensure that the work does not run out of budget. The time and cost for each activity to be undertaken should be put in consideration. All activities to be taken should be done in a way to meet the set goals. The workers involved in the project should be directed by the head of departments. The security department should guide those installing the web monitoring software to make sure that they do not work out of set time and cost. The activities should be carried out as per the set squeeze and plan.

The project will start when the entire budget has been set and working tools collected. The services to be outsourced will be provided and all workers be alerted on the improvement of the technology. The workers who are not conversant with the new technology will be educated by the people installing the software. The first thing is to install the software which will improve the performances of the website and attract more customers to use the services. The software to create a live chat on the website will be installed and customers who want to make enquiries will ask whatever they want to support team. The implementation of the logo and other colors which can not be changed or copied by hackers will be the second thing to be done. The devices to monitor the operation of the website and all its activities will be implemented in the offices at headquarters. The office of information security department will be set with working devices of advanced technology. Employment of new and honest information technology specialists will be done immediately after the start of the project. The payment option will be changed and customers will choose different payment options which include pay pal, wire transfer, western money union, money gram, moneybookers, and gold cash among others. The company will work with bank to connect its services to the bank's system in order to facilitate the transfer of money from the customers. After all that is done, the sales and marketing department will promote the services. People will need to be alerted about the change in the services and website's look. This will be done by sending messages to reliable customers through their mail and other contact information. The marketing department will also search for new customers by informing them about the new and improved systems of the company.

Mind Manager

This work breakdown will assist the manager in development of tasks and managing the time. The breakdown of the project makes it easy for the budget to be designed and allocation of tasks to be done professionally. The projects should be done professionally and, as a result, the manager will use the work breakdown to make sure that all services are delivered within the set time and budget. The start of the project will be marked by allocation of budget to each activity to be taken and consultation of specialist to provide outsourcing services.

Stakeholder Analysis

The project has got a lot of stakeholders who assist in development of the company. There are eleven people involved in the development and implementation of the project. Those people have shares of the company and other owns flight companies which sell tickets and rental services via Hotwire. Some are senior government officials, while others are famous business people.

Names and Description of the Stakeholders

James Smith.

This is the first stakeholder of the company and person involved in the project. He is the managing director of Hotel.com and provides the services of selling tickets and accommodations through Hotwire.com. He is concerned with the development of the website since he needs the services to be improved to make a huge sell of the product. James has been a stakeholder of the company for over 20 years. He proposed the implementation of the project and advancement of the services. James holds a bachelors degree in information and technology, and he will assist in the application of software services. He will assist in directing the company to provide technology services and, after the installation of the software and other technological devices, he will evaluate them to make sure that they work as required.

John Jones.

Jones is shareholder of the company, but he works in the police department. He has been a shareholder for about fifteen years and has served in the police for about thirty years. Jones holds a masters degree in security studies and investigation. Jones has been providing security assistance to the company for many years and, in the project, has declared that he will make sure that the information security department has been improved. This will make him to decide on the software to be installed and design the office for the information security department. After the installation and setting the office, Jones will evaluate its viability and approve it if is set according to the security standards. During the interview, Jones will be the key person to decide on interviewed candidates to fill the information security department.

Eunice Keith.

Eunice Keith is an honest and humble lady working in the government of America at the public affairs office. Eunice has been a stakeholder for many years, proving financial and advice assistance to the company. She will make sure the company gets authority from the government to change the web-page and provide the services online across America and all parts of the world. Eunice will be monitoring the project from the beginning until when all the activities will be completed.

Mark Jude.

Mark works in flight and Airline Company as an operation specialist. Mark has been providing services to the company for a long time. He became a shareholder after using the service for about ten years. Currently, he owns shares in the company. He promotes the business by advising flight and air companies to sell their tickets through Hotwire. He has used the services even before becoming a stakeholder, and he has provided useful information on what should be included in the project in order to make the services better for customers.

Matthew Duke.

He is among the developers of the project. He works in the government of America and provides operation assistance to the company. He holds a bachelors degree in information technology and will be assisting in the project implementation. He is the headed of the support department for over ten years. Duke will monitor the installation of a software. He will be working with the workers to ensure that they meet the set goals and deadlines.

Simon Moke.

Simon works in hotel development and operation. He provides consulting services for the hotels in America and in other continents. He holds a masters degree in hotel management and a post graduate diploma in tourism development. He has been a stakeholder of the company for five years and has been directing hotels to sell accommodations through Hotwire. He will be assessing the project and make sure that the developed services will suit the hotel users.

Mary Eugenie.

Mary has been a shareholder for six years. She is a business lady and is involved with a lot of companies in America. Her companies use Hotwire to sell the remaining tickets and goods. She owns hotels and car rental companies. She will be monitoring the project development and  implementation of new technology.

Keith Ken.

He operates car rental companies and hotels in America. He holds a doctorate degree in business management. He has been a shareholder for the company for five years. In the project he will be providing monitoring services and transport. Those willing to move will get cars from his companies and the materials to be transported will be transported by his company. The food for the people to provide the services will be taken from his hotels. He will make sure that food and accommodation of service providers is available and ready in time.

Mark J. J.

Mark is a businessman and has been a stakeholder for seven years. He will make sure that the project will be established in the set time. He will be monitoring and supervising all the services.

Ken Jones.

Ken owns a private security company and has been working as the director of his own security company. He has been providing guarding services to the company's offices, and he will make sure that the facilities and property has been kept safe during the project implementation.

Philip Moore.

He works in the company in the support team and owns shares of the company. He will make sure that the project has been implemented in the appropriate time.

Jones Buss.

He works with the company as the information technology manager and owns shares of the company. He will be working with the outsourced workers to ensure that they work according to the project guidelines and policies.

Communication Plan

The people to be contacted are the stakeholders listed above, and they have provided their contacts in the office. In case of emergency, James Smith will be contacted through [email protected] or through his office switch board #33440. Then, he will contact other people or person to handle the case.

Risk Analysis

The risks which are likely to occur include theft of the purchased devices, and installation of fake devices by the specialists. This will be mitigated by allocating security guards to guard the premise and make sure the equipments are not stolen. The information and technology department will make sure that the devices inserted in the computers are purchased and are not fake or illegal. Monitoring will be done by some of the stakeholders to avoid giving wrong information by the employees.