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Christmas Care Presents for Everyone Final Project

IT Project Management 12/17/2014

Ashton Smart

Blanca Martinez Ramon Prado

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction/Overview/Executive Summary…………………3 II. Project Analysis………………………………………………...4

a. Problem Statement………………………………………….4 b. Project Objectives……………………………………….….4 c. Project Scope…………………………………….………….4

i. Project Scope Template……………………………...4 III. Return on Investment Analysis………………………………..6

a. Expected Benefits…………………………………………...6 b. Expected Costs…………………….………………………...6

IV. Measures of Success/ Failure…………………………………..8 V. Project Design…………………………………………………..8

a. Requirements Analysis……………………………………..8 b. Feasibility Study………………………………………...…10 c. Risk Management Strategy……………………………….11 d. Communication Mgmt Strategy………………………….12

VI. Project Development/Implementation……………………….12 a. Timelines/Work Breakdown Structures…………………12 b. Staffing/Scheduling……………………………………..…13

i. Gantt Chart…………………………………………14 c. Implementation Method Discussion…………………...…14

VII. Testing/Documentation……………………………………….14 VIII. Final Analysis/Methods of Evaluation……………………….15 IX. Appendix………………………………………………………15

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I. Introduction/Overview/Executive Summary

As the number of homeless people is continuously rising throughout not only the country,

but San Diego specifically, our team is taking strides to respond to the prevalent issue of

homelessness, by providing them with a sense of hope and happiness. We have

brainstormed solutions to this ever-growing problem and have strategically planned a

project accordingly. If planned for the Fall 2015 Project Management Class, this project

would ideally be planned to take place in December, as the holiday season is in full force

and the weather will be cooler. The project, “Christmas Care Presents for Everyone,”

would include care packages with basic toiletries and essentials that would be packed into

water-resistant bags, then further wrapped into Christmas boxes and delivered to the

homeless in the surrounding areas. A GoFundMe site will be created, and the students

will reach out to ample donors in order to receive the funds necessary for the project to be

successful. A great amount of research will be completed in order to acquire the best

sponsors/donors. It is recommended to ask hotels and airlines for support in order to

receive free sanitary products that they may be willing to give in support of the project.

This should be done as soon as possible in order to make a clear balance on the budget

needed.

Project Plan

Project Name: Christmas Care Presents for Everyone

Project Owner: ITMG 494

Subtitle: Sanitary, hygiene and nutrition help

Date Opened: 9/1/2015

Date Closed:12/1/2015

Area: Charity

Status: Not Started

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II. Project Analysis a. Problem Statement:

The problem being addressed in this project is the issue of homelessness in San Diego.

Therefore the USD Project Management Team will gather students, staff, and community

members from USD and surrounding San Diego areas, to come together and create care

packages for the homeless. Although this project will by no means solve the issue of

homelessness, it will bring about holiday cheer and happiness. The project is essential,

because it will allow the homeless to live a little easier, by providing them with some

bare essentials that they are deprived of.

b. Project Objectives

The Fall 2015 USD Project Management Class will create care packages that will include

the bare essentials, such as toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, shampoo, lotion, deodorant,

and more. The goal will be to create at least fifty care packages that will be distributed

throughout the community. We believe in the inherent worth of every homeless man,

woman, and child. Therefore, with our project we can make a difference, and our acts of

kindness can merely improve their situation, meanwhile spreading the holiday cheer.

c. Project Scope Project Scope Template

Project Background and Description

This project is an original idea based on previous volunteer work done by Ramon Prado,

which consisted of giving coffee and blankets to the homeless. As a team, we

brainstormed these past philanthropic efforts and decided that a homeless care package

would be much more essential and useful to the homeless. Our main goal is to supply

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those in need with sanitary and hygienic products, so they have a better chance of getting

a job, maintaining their health, and feeling supported by others.

Project Scope

We plan to produce as many kits as possible. Meanwhile we have no maximum, the bare

minimum number of kits we must create in order for the project to be considered a

success is fifty kits. The number is greatly dependent on the money raised through the

GoFundMe account. We have planned different contents to put inside the packages

depending on the money available. We prefer quality to quantity; therefore will prioritize

giving packages with extra items, instead of creating more packages.

High-Level Requirements

• Make sure items are bought in bulk

• Make as many kits as possible

• Make sure each kit has the minimum items established

Implementation Plan

First we want to raise as much money via GoFundMe.com, then send the team managers

to purchase the materials that will be placed within the care packages. Once the materials

are purchased, we will create shifts and tasks per group, and acquire volunteers to come

and help with the creation of the care packages. Once they are complete, we will

distribute them to the areas most populated with homeless in San Diego.

Project Assumptions

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1. We will raise enough money through GoFundMe and other donations to create at

least 50 care packages.

2. All members of the ITMG 494 class will participate in the project and will be willing

help with the organization of the project, marketing and fundraising campaigns.

3. The University of San Diego will support us in any way they can (e.g., email

messages to students, letting us put posters in the different buildings, etc.).

4. Fundraising efforts will be on a volunteer basis and man-hour efforts required to

accomplish tasks will not be funded (there could be a compensation with extra credits

if necessary).

III. Return on Investment Analysis a. Expected Benefits

In terms of benefits, both the volunteers and homeless will benefit. The volunteers will be

impacted positively from their efforts to give back, and by taking the time to help the less

fortunate. They will not only feel satisfied to have brightened someone else’s day, but

also from having the opportunity to spread the holiday cheer. Meanwhile, the homeless

will receive the benefits given through the care package. They will have the opportunity

to use items that they are deprived of, and have the ability to clean up.

b. Expected Costs

All the funds will come from the money raised on GoFundMe.com, and the money

donated from businesses. As earlier mentioned, the plan is to make at least fifty care

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packages, although depending on how much money the class manages to raise, they will

decide which extra items to include. The cost of each material that will be put into each

care package is listed below.

Price for Single Items Price for Item in Bulk A nylon bag: 0.62 A nylon bag: 0.62 Soap and shampoo: 0.50 + 0.52 = $1.02

Soap and shampoo: 0.35 + 0.41 = 0.76

Lotion: $1.00 Lotion: 0.80 Band aids: $1.76 (half box per kit) Band aids: $1.00 (half box per kit) Deodorant: $1.45 Deodorant: 0.85 Toothbrush and tooth paste: 2 + $1.22 = $3.22

Toothbrush and tooth paste: 0.36 + .87= $1.23

Wet ones wipes: $2.28 Wet ones wipes: $1.54 Pair of socks: $3.22 Pair of socks: 0.74 Water bottle: 0.40 Water bottle: 0.40

The total cost of each bag is going to be $14.97; therefore fifty bags will cost

approximately $748.50 dollars. If we are able to purchase items in bulk, the price will

greatly be impacted, as the cost of one care package would decrease to $7.94. It is

evident that this total cost could be just about cut in half when purchased in bulk,

therefore the cost of fifty bags would be approximately $397.00. If more money is

donated than expected, the team will be able to purchase more materials to create

extra care packages.

Other costs that will be incurred are the costs of wrapping paper and boxes. Ideally,

students, volunteers, or maybe even retail stores would donate the cardboard boxes.

Although if not, the team would have to account for costs of wrapping paper and

boxes, which would cost up to $2.00 per care package.

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IV. Measures of Success/Failure

In general, a project is considered successful when it meets its objectives, while staying

within an agreed upon budget and timeline. The group will have to set up a number of

care packages given that would be considered successful and a number that would be

considered a failure. An estimate is listed below.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR HOMELESS

SUCCESS FAILURE

50 10

Another factor that must be considered is cost. The class must determine how much

money raised will be considered a success and how much will be a failure. An estimate is

listed below.

MONEY RAISED ($)

SUCCESS FAILURE

$700.00 $70.00

V. Project Design a. Requirements Analysis

First of all, we should establish the objective of the care package itself. The care package

should help the homeless by providing them with useful items that will help them

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maintain their hygiene and keep them healthy. The container of the care package should

be a nylon bag that is easy to carry and water resistant, since they are greatly exposed to

the weather conditions. We believe that the

sample image located to the right, would be

perfect for our project (See Appendix C for

more details regarding the bag).

It is quite difficult to decide what exactly will

go into the bag, since we are trying to give the

necessary help to as many people as possible. As a consequence, the care packages must

have the right amount of “help” and be cheap. To obtain the content, the team must first

ask hotels and airports for materials, because they may have spare materials that they are

willing to donate. The airport may even be able to donate extra hygiene kits that they give

to travelers whose suitcases are misplaced.

We have established the minimum requirements for the care packages to be:

• Soap and shampoo • Lotion • Band aids • Deodorant • Toothbrushes and Tooth paste • Wet ones wipes • Pair of Socks • Water bottle

Depending on if there is extra money available, the class may include more useful items,

such as:

• 1 pair of gloves • 1 set of ear plugs • 1 blanket • 1 rain poncho • 1 deck of cards

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b. Feasibility Study

Economic:

In order to organize and make sure the project will take place, we will need to make a

study of what level of support people will give. We must determine the positive

economic benefits and costs that will be given. Our project’s benefit is making a positive

change in our society. In section three, “Return on Investment Analysis” we determine

the expected costs and benefits more in detail. We need an average of $700 to make the

project possible.

Legal:

Legal implications should also be taken into account before going forward with the

project. We must make sure that USD allows the class to plan a project like this for

ITMG 494. An authorization for fundraising in school may be needed, or appropriate

permission may be needed in regards to putting posters on the walls.

Operational

Operational feasibility is a measure of how well a proposed system solves the problems,

and takes advantage of the opportunities identified during scope definition, and in turn

how it satisfies the requirements identified. To ensure success we need to divide the

students into different groups (Marketing, Operations, Recruitment and Incentives), and

further ensure that every group member has a clear idea regarding the objectives, needs,

organization, and management of the project, as well as demand, location and schedule.

Desired operational outcomes must be discussed during the design and development. All

of the different requirements of the project must be defined and analyzed at early stages

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as well. For example, students and/or the professor should make sure a room is available

for the day of the event. Operational also includes the tasks assigned to each team, such

as the teams in charge of purchasing all the correct items for the care packages.

Technical

Our project will not use any hardware or software.

Location

The class will have to meet a week before the actual date of the disbursement in order to

create all of the care packages. They could assemble the packages in UC Forum A

through C. They must reserve the room and projector, and may bring holiday music and

snacks if they please. For the day the volunteers distribute the care packages, it is

essential to research areas with the highest rates of homelessness. According to the San

Diego County Regional Task Force on the Homelessness, San Diego has much greater

rates of homeless people, in comparison to surrounding areas. 62.9 percent of the total

population counted was in the city of San Diego alone. The pie chart found in Appendix

B, further analyzes the San Diego area to specifically choose which part of the city

should be targeted. It is evident that East Village is the area with the highest rates of

homelessness, therefore, going to East Village would be the best area to distribute these

packages. Students next year should analyze and study where would be most suitable to

go distribute the kits, as statistics change each year.

c. Risk Management Strategy

This project does not contain risk, as any number of baskets made would be better than none.

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d. Communication Mgmt. Strategy  

It is essential that everyone works closely together and remains in constant

communication. It is vital that the Project Manager meets regularly with each team

leader, and the professor. Each team must work together and make sure everything is

cohesive and interlinks in order to make the project he best that it can be. There should be

a DropBox for everyone to access and submit documents with their ideas. There should

also be email communication, and in person communication as often as possible.

Managers need to especially make clear dates and deadlines, and communicate them with

their team and the rest of the project team.

VI. Project Development/Implementation a. Work Breakdown Structure

A brief list of tasks that will be assigned to different project teams is listed below:

Christmas  Care  Presents  for  Everyone  

Marke>ng  

Posters  

Flyers  

Promote  GoFundMe  account  

Social  Media  

Facebook   TwiJer   Instagram  

Incen>ves  

Get  people  to  donate  

Extra  Credit  

SBA  Credit  

Organiza>on  Points    

GiR  cards/  coupons    

Recruitment  

Contact  Businesses  

Contact  Organiza>ons  

Contact  Student  Body  President    

Contact  other  poten>al  donors    

Opera>ons  

GoFundMe  

Sign  up  Document  

Book  Room  

Projector/  Christmas  Music  

Organize  rides  for  distribu>on  

Purchase  all  materials  for  packages  

Assigning  shiRs  and  tasks      

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b. Staffing/Scheduling

There will be a designated Project Manager who will oversee each team, and work tightly

with the team leaders. The students will be divided into teams, either the Marketing,

Incentives, Operations or Recruitment group.

• Marketing will be in charge of social media, including managing a Facebook

account, Instagram, Facebook event and Twitter. They must also be in charge of the

creation and distribution of posters and flyers.

• Incentives will work closely with the Recruitment team to establish different

incentives that will encourage students to attend the event. They will reach out to

organizations and teachers to see if they can offer their members or students any

benefits from helping out, whether it be points, or extra credit. Depending on whether

businesses agree to help out, they may give gift cards or coupons for students who

participate.

• Recruitment will also be in charge of contacting different organizations on campus,

including all of USD Greek Life. It is imperative that they email all of the Presidents

of the organizations on campus to inform their members about this event. They must

also reach out to businesses and organizations to get money and prize donations.

• Operations has a very important job in this project, as they are in charge of setting up

the GoFundMe account, and also planning where the location will be, and what the

room will entail. They should plan for the event to be in UC Forum A-C, and plan on

renting a projector to play Christmas music. They must also purchase all the materials

that go into the care packages, after the fundraising is complete.

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In order to properly staff and schedule for this event, we will divide the work into

different groups. As earlier mentioned, each member will be assigned to the

Marketing, Incentives, Operations or Recruitment team. Each team will have a

supervisor who will be in charge of assigning work to its members, as well as creating

a schedule of shifts for the day of the event. A schedule will be created where each

class member must attend a shift of at least one hour the day of the event. The teacher

will be present throughout the event, along with designated supervisors.

i. Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart with more detailed processes can be found in Appendix A.

c. Implementation Method Discussion

A checklist of things that must be completed before the day of the project should be

compiled. For example, they should include:

• Creation of posters and flyers, sign up document GoFundMe account, social

media accounts

• Speak with teachers, organizations and others to establish incentives and different

ways to promote event

• Contact businesses and potential donors

• Book room, organize rides, and assign shifts

VII. Testing/Documentation

Testing/ Documentation is not applicable during this phase. Once the event approaches,

there should be testing completed to determine the fastest and most efficient way to

create the care packages. They can test different methods of putting together the

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packages, whether it be in the form of an assembly line, or just one person compiling

each package.

VIII. Final Analysis/Methods of Evaluation

Evaluation will take place after the project, and will include an analysis of the project as a

whole, including its strengths and weaknesses.

IX. Appendix

Appendix A: Gantt Chart

 

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Appendix B: Homelessness in San Diego

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Appendix C: Material Costs Cited

http://passiontoaction.org/resources/homeless-care-kit/ (P2A initiative)

http://community.good.is/do/carry-travel-sized-care-kits-in-our-vehicles-for-homeless-people-we-

drive-past (Explanation of some products in the package)

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Nylon-Promotional-Drawstring-

Backpack_349437761.html (nylon bag price)