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Technical Approach for Web Site Project Work Breakdown Structure for the Project

The work breakdown structure for the first two tasks of the project is as follows.

Task 1: Analyze Agency Business Processes and Develop Site Requirements

Subtask 1.1 Interview Web Site users
Subtask 1.2 Meet with Agency
Subtask 1.3 Develop Phase 1 Web Site Plan
Subtask 1.4 Meet with Agency

Task 2: Design Web Site

Subtask 2.1 Design Navigation System
Subtask 2.2 Design Site Graphics and Mockups
Subtask 2.3 Review Design and Mockups with Experts and the Agency
Subtask 2.4 Design Individual Pages and Database
Subtask 2.5 Complete Site Design And Review with Agency

Technical Approach Selling Points

Customer Requirement Source of Requirement Selling Points
Site flexible and capable of phased growth to meet requirements over 5 years Meeting with agency CIO

RFP Section X.XX
(1) Site driven by an underlying Oracle database
Navigation scheme clear and user friendly RFP Section X.XX (2 ) Our design principles ensure an optimal navigation scheme
Agency Web Master has major involvement in design Meeting with Division Directors and Web Master (3a) Site requirements interviews will include Web Master<br
(3b) Web Master will be a member of Design Review Team
URLs remain static (not time out) Meeting with Web Master (4) Oracle database design will result in static URLs
Site design simple and clean Meeting with Web Master (5) Our design principles assure site clarity and usability
Site downloads fast (within specifications) RFP Section X.XX (6) Download speed will be part of site acceptance test
Site meets requirements of all Divisions Meeting with agency CIO (7) Requirements analysis task will involve all Divisions
Site supports all agency business processes Meeting with agency CIO (8) All business processes will be included in the requirements definition task

(9) Long range site plan will include the requirements of all Divisions and their business processes
Content management Meeting with deputy of Regulatory Division (10) User interface with Oracle database will allow standard, on-the-fly content update
Site will be easy to maintain RFP Section X.XX (11) Oracle database design will allow easy addition of new data elements to relational tables
Division Directors concerned that the site will not meet the requirements for citizen access and content Attendance at public meeting (14) We will review the site design with the ______ Commission and the ______ Association
Customer perceives us as having limited subject matter experience Third party network contact (15) We will design the site with the assistance of two subject matter specialists, a regulatory expert, and a safety specialist
Site will not meet Section 508 Handicapped Access Regulations Meeting with Web Master (16a) 508 requirements will be considered in the site design

(16b) 508 compliance specialist will review our design in the draft phase

Proposal Instructions from RFP (inserted during the deconstruction of the RFP process)

1. Technical Approach shall not exceed 25 pages.
2. Technical Approach shall describe the contractor's policies, procedure, and systems for managing the contract including

  • Performance reporting
  • Communication with the government

RFP Requirements (inserted during the deconstruction of RFP process)

1. Design an integrated web site for ______ (agency)
2. Use a 5 year phased approach to site implementation
3. Web site shall comply with Section 508 Handicapped Access Regulations

Proposal Evaluation Criteria (inserted during the deconstruction of RFP process)

1. The Technical Approach can receive a maximum of 40 points in proposal evaluation process.
2. The government will use the following criteria in evaluating the technical approach:

  • Lines of authority between ______ (agency) and the contractor shall be direct.
  • Project Manager shall be full time and work at the offices of ______ (agency).

Technical Approach Introduction (list major points of your solution from selling points and summarize features and benefits)

Our goal will be to make the web site an integral part of all aspects of _____(agency’s) business.

  • We view integrated web site development as far more than just web design. In developing federal agency sites, we work closely with the agency to effectively integrate all phases of the various business processes to meet the needs of each the _______(agency’s) business units.
  • We analyze how a web site could support each process or function. This analysis is performed without regard to when the particular business process will become a part of the site.
  • The analysis results in the formulation of specific objectives, each designed to meet the needs of a particular business process.

Task 1: Analyze Agency Business Processes and Develop Site Requirements

Selling Points
Customer Requirement Source of Requirement Selling Points
Agency Web Master has major involvement in design Meeting with Division Directors and Web Master (3a) Requirements interviews will include Web Master

(3b) Web Master will be a member of Design Review Team
Site meets requirements of all Divisions Meeting with agency CIO (7) Requirements analysis task will involve all Divisions
Site supports all agency business processes Meeting with agency CIO (8) All business processes will be included in the requirements definition task

(9) Long range site plan will include the requirements of all Divisions and their business processes

RFP Requirements:

1. Analyze site requirements of individual Divisions within ______(agency)
2. Obtain _______(agency) Management’s approval of requirements and Design Plan ……

Task Introduction (list major points)

  • _____(agency) is concerned that all end users and the Web Master have significant involvement in the site design.
  • Requirements interviews will include Web Master.
  • Web Master will be a member of Design Review Team.
  • Requirements analysis task will involve all Divisions.
  • All business processes will be included in the requirements definition task.
  • Long range site plan will include the requirements of all Divisions and their business processes.

Task 1: Subtasks - Analyze Agency Business Processes and Develop Site Requirements

Subtask Elements Writing Guidelines Subtask 1
Interview Web Site Users
Subtask 2
Meet with Agency
Subtask 3
Develop Phase 1 Web Site Plans
Subtask 4
Meet with Agency
Purpose of task, scope of task , major insights In this task we present…. or In this task we will….. Interview a representative sample of web site users Review, and prioritize web site requirements and objectives For large sites, the design should be done in two or more phases.

Phase 1: focus on meeting high priority objectives.

This will allow the agency to test the value of the web site, gain experience with what works and what doesn’t and control web costs within a budgeted amount.
Meet with agency to obtain agreement on site objectives and Phase I Plan
Objective of task The objective of this task is to…. Define specific web site requirements Obtain agency approval of requirements Document site features, links, content, and format Obtain approval of Phase 1 Web Site Plan
Identify critical work performance issues from the customer’s perspective? Distinguish yourself <ul
  • Provide an understanding of the critical issues
  • Describe your resolution of these issues
    • Determine what is a representative sample of users

      Meet with each Division Head

      Let Division Heads select up to three additional people to be interviewed in their Division

      Invite Agency Web Master to attend any interviews
      -- Experience with designing large scale sites will be critical to success --
      Why is it being done this way May be apparent (discuss only if it is meaningful to performance) -- Agency involvement in the design will be maximized -- --
      Who will perform the work May be apparent, relate to other subtasks Project Manager (name of person)
      Senior Designer (name of person)
      Principal Analyst (name of person)
      Project Manager Project Team Project Manager

      Senior Designer
      What will be done May be apparent -- -- -- --
      How will it be done Distinguish yourself by discussing specific RFP requirements from the customer’s perspective

      Discuss how your approach will:
      • Be more efficient
      • Be less costly
      • Reduce time
      • Effect other tasks


      Convince readers of feasibility/practicality

      Avoid overkill, expensive solutions, and restating the RFP
      During the first week, we will meet with each business unit to define their processes and their specific requirements for a web site.

      Their requirements and the corresponding objectives for the site will be defined without regard to implementation priority
      Meeting at agency Requirements Database will be used to cross analyze requirements, objectives, and priorities to develop plan

      Plan will be entered into Microsoft Project for analysis of schedules, critical paths, required resources, etc.
      Meeting at agency
      When it will be done Relate to the timing of other subtasks First week after contract award End of second week of project Weeks 3 - 6 Week 7
      Where it will be done Discuss only if meaningful to performance At the Agency -- At our office At the Agency
      Identify software and/or tools to be used Discuss only if meaningful to performance Information from Requirements Definition Form will be entered into an Access Database for analysis Power Point presentation Access Database

      Microsoft Project
      Power Point presentation

      Microsoft Project Plan
      How it will mitigate risks Discuss only if you can be specific Risk of not meeting all agency requirements will be minimized -- Risk: Site does not meet all agency objectives

      Knowledge of all design objectives now could create cost savings by eliminating major site redesigns in later phases
      --
      What will be the results Be specific and relate to other tasks Aggregation of the requirements and specific objectives Agency agreement with requirements and priorities The result of the business process analysis task will provide specific design objectives for Phase I and later phases. Knowledge of these later objectives now could create cost savings by eliminating major site redesigns in later phases. Prioritize the objectives

      Effective site implementation plan
      What will be the direct benefits of doing the task this way? Distinguish yourself here, this will add to your evaluation points Complete coverage of all business processes Agency involvement will be maximized Knowledge of later design objectives now could impact the site design including the design of the navigation scheme, the need for additional databases, and advanced technical capabilities Assurance that agency objectives will be met

      Task 2: Design Web Site

      Repeat Task Selling Points, RFP Requirements, and Task Introduction as shown in Task 1

      Subtasks
      Subtask Elements Writing Guidelines Subtask 1
      Design Navigation System
      Subtask 2
      Design Site Graphics and Mockups
      Subtask 3
      Review Design and Mockups
      Subtask 4
      Design Individual Pages and Database
      Subtask 5
      Complete Site Design & Review with Agency
      Purpose of task , scope of task , major insights In this task we present…. or In this task we will….. Simple and clear navigation is particularly important at sites with a variety of subject areas.

      Linking to specific subject areas within a site should require little or no thinking
      Site graphics should be creative, functional, and eye pleasing. They should depict that the site owner is a sophisticated, professional organization. User friendliness will be a major goal in Phase I site design

      Our three mockups will stress user friendliness
      An underling database is the key to site flexibility

      Use of an Oracle database will result in static URLs
      A complete web site will be demonstrated online
      Objective of task The objective of this task is to…. Design a clear, intuitive navigation system Develop creative site graphics -- Develop attractive site pages and a flexible underlying database Obtain agency concurrence on site design
      Identify critical work performance issues from the customer’s prospective? Distinguish yourself
      • Provide an understanding of the critical issues
      • Describe our resolution of these issues
      Visitors will often leave a site if navigation is confusing. Where they are in the site and where they can go must be readily apparent to site visitors at all times Graphic art is a creative endeavor and, as such, depends almost entirely on the creative capabilities of designer

      Appendix __ shows the portfolio of the designer we will assign to the project
      -- Site flexibility is a critical requirement

      Oracle database design will allow easy addition of new data elements to relational tables
      --
      Why is it being done this way Discuss only if meaningful to performance          
      Who will perform the work May be apparent, relate to other subtasks Project team Project Team Project Manager Project Team and assigned specialists Project Manager
      What will be done Discuss only if meaningful to performance          
      How it will be done Distinguish yourself by discussing specific RFP requirements from the customer’s perspective

      Describe how your approach will:
      • Be more efficient
      • Be less costly
      • Reduce time
      • Affect other tasks


      Convince readers of feasibility/practicality

      Avoid overkill, expensive solutions, and restating the RFP
      Develop underlying database specs, Site map

      Use standard header and navigation bars on each page

      User will be able to determine where they are, what else the site offers, and how to get there



      Too much text and distracting animations, will aggravate site visitors.
      We will follow the following design standards:

      Color schemes/ background colors will be subtle so they don’t overpower content

      Users will not be required to download plug-in software

      First level pages will not contain too much text/ technical detail. Instead, users will access detailed text through links to deeper sections of the site
      Present three site mockups online for evaluation by the agency

      The site design will be evaluated by two subject matter specialists, a regulatory expert, and a safety specialist

      A 508 compliance specialist will evaluate the site design prior to agency review

      We will review the site design with the ______ Commission and the ______ Association
      Page layouts will be done by a layout specialist assigned to the project for this specific task

      Oracle database design will be done by an Oracle database specialist

      Each web page will fit on a 640 x 480 screen

      Help buttons and crystal clear step-by-step instructions in help pages will contribute to user friendliness

      User interface with Oracle database will allow standard, on-the-fly content update
      we will demonstrate download speeds by Accessing test pages with different browsers and modem speeds
      When it will be done Relate to the timing of other subtasks Week 8 & 9 Weeks 10 - 19 End of Week 19 Weeks 20 -24 Week 25
      Where it will be done Discuss only if meaningful to performance -- -- -- -- --
      What software and/or tools will be used Discuss only if meaningful to performance -- Page Maker Graphics packages Online Beta Site HTML editor Online Beta Site
      How does it mitigate risks Discuss only if you can be specific Risk: User confusion

      Help buttons and crystal clear step-by-step instructions in help pages contribute to increasing user friendliness.
      Risk: Slow downloading

      Site graphics will be less than 10K for rapid loading and images will not exceed 50K per page

      Video clips will increase download times but this problem will be minimized by warnings for users with low bandwidth
      -- -- --
      What will be the results Be specific and relate to other tasks Effective navigation system Three site mockups Online presentation of mockups Beta site Online presentation of beta site
      What will be the direct benefits of doing the task this way? Distinguish yourself here, this will add to your evaluation points We design to objectives
      Integrate with brand Identifiers
      We will provide the agency with online, password protected site -- Agency will have an effective, user friendly site that is easily expandable to meet future requirements --

      Click here for Example Work Breakdown Structure



       

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