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The United States’ Response in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan
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The United States’ Response in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan
With the world becoming increasingly globalized, it means that what happens in one part of the world has repercussions on other parts of the world. The United States is one of the world’s largest economies and also has one of the most significant military forces. In times of threats and difficulties, the United States has often been called on to intervene either diplomatically or with military intervention. Such risks include civil war and terrorist threats. In some instances, the interventions succeed while in other cases it fails.
The threat of terror is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges that the world faces today. The United States is all too familiar with this problem. The attack on the World Trade Center on the 9th of September 2001 is still fresh in the minds of many people, and it is what precipitated the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States with the support of other countries such as Canada and Australia (Gardner).
Afghanistan was invaded since it was considered to be the home of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda who were the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on US soil as well as twin attacks on US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-salaam. Osama Bin Laden was the leader of the Al-Qaeda who was wreaking havoc across the world and creating chaos and panic. The death toll from the attack on the twin towers stood at 2996 people including passengers on board the hijacked planes, responders, police, those working in the twin towers as well as the terrorists themselves.
The primary tactic that was employed in the intervention in Afghanistan was military operations beginning in October of 2001. The Taliban had taken control of many of Afghanistan major cities and starting with covert operations led by the Central Intelligence Agency, the US and other military forces were able to take control of the cities. They then went ahead to build military bases near the major cities. Many of the Taliban were not captured; they escaped into nearby Pakistan and other mountainous regions within Afghanistan,
There were sustained military operations to flush out insurgents who remained surprisingly resilient, especially from 2003 to 2005. They declared that they were ready to rise against the US soldiers and other troops who had invaded their country. They launched rocket attacks and raids against the troops. The US troops responded with renewed spirit launching rocket attacks and air strikes in enemy regions. The Taliban were also fighting against the Afghan forces whom they considered American puppets.
After the September 11 attacks, the US had demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama Bin Laden. The Taliban agreed to do so on condition that the US gave proof of his involvement in the attack. This angered the US government under President Bush, and they considered this tantamount to an admission of guilt by the Taliban. Negotiations were not going to work, and this provoked the invasion of Afghanistan by the US military troops, with other NATO countries joining the fight later (Williams).
The decision to invade was to disband terrorist camps that were all over Afghanistan. Even though the terrorist cells were located in Afghanistan, they could carry out deadly attacks around the globe, with the United States being of particular interest to them. The invasion was, therefore, to weed out the problem right from the roots. After thirteen years of fighting, President Obama’ s administration came up with a comprehensive plan to bring back US troops to their home country leaving behind residual forces. The deal with the Afghanistan government was that it would ensure that its territory was not used by any terrorist activity. By the end of the war, the number of casualties numbered tens of thousands including the terrorists, Afghan troops and the peacekeeping forces including US troops.
The military offensive tactics in Afghanistan can be said to be successful with the terrorist cells were mostly wiped out. The main lesson that can be learned from the Afghanistan invasion is that in pursuing foreign policy, it is important to be aggressive as the fight against terror is a dynamic one that requires the asking of hard questions and decisive action. Terror is a vice that has spread throughout the world; hence there needs to be intensified responses in the fight against terror.
While the operation in Afghanistan was mostly successful, the United States in Sierra Leone had dismal results in comparison. Sierra Leone is a small country in the West of Africa. The civil war in the country began in March of 1991 after the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attempted to overthrow the reigning government under President Joseph Momoh (Jentzsch et al 756). The attempted coup marked the beginning of a long and bloody civil war that would last for eleven years and would see countless atrocities meted out mostly on innocent civilians.
During the civil war, millions were driven out of their homes due to fighting. Young boys were trained to be child soldiers and underage girls married off. Many were raped, their limbs chopped off and many more were killed. There are not enough words to describe the human rights abuses that went on in Sierra Leone at the time. One warlord led ‘Operation No Living Thing’ in which all life in Sierra Leone was to be destroyed. Blood diamonds fuelled the war (Omeje 115) which was backed by troops allied to Charles Taylor, president of neighboring Liberia.
Britain was the first to intervene in its former colony’s war, and many other countries sent peacekeeping troops in an attempt to quell the fighting. The United States, however, did not take part in this and instead took on a rather startling stance. It proposed peace talks between the rebels and the country’s leadership as a way to regain peace and stability in the state. No amount of discussion could alleviate the grievous and irreparable harm that had been done to the people of Sierra Leone.
The main reason as to why the peace did not work was that the country’s people felt that the United States was not as concerned to seek justice for the African state as they were for other countries such as Kosovo. The United States has no strategic interest in Sierra Leone, and this mainly influenced its lack of interest in the civil war. The country just had no bearing on any of its national interests.
From the case of Sierra Leone, there are lessons that can be learned in the area of foreign policy going forward. The first is that all human beings should be treated equally. Intervention should be based on justice and the need to save the life of innocent people. Response should not be about vested interests such as oil in Afghanistan. There is a significant contrast in the way the United States dealt with Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, and this provides insight on what needs to be done especially in international policy going forward.
Works Cited
Gardner, Hall. American Global Strategy and the’war on Terrorism’. Routledge, 2017.
Jentzsch, Corinna, Stathis N. Kalyvas, and Livia Isabella Schubiger. “Militias in civil wars.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 59.5 (2015): 755-769.
Omeje, Kenneth. “Greed or Grievance?: Diamonds, Rent-Seeking and the Civil War in Sierra Leone (1991–2002).” Extractive Economies and Conflicts in the Global South. Routledge, 2017. 111-124.
Williams, Michael. The good war: NATO and the liberal conscience in Afghanistan. Springer, 2016.
Accident Investigation
Accident Investigation
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Institution
Accident Investigation
Explain the accident investigation roles of each of the following agencies: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Explain why military services investigate and report their own accidents.
The role of the FAA in accident investigation is to evaluate and record all facts and circumstances leading to the action and ensure that action is taken to prevent similar accidents. This allows them to determine whether the accident involved any FAA-certified facilities and airmen and whether there was a violation of the FAA regulations that may have led to the accident. They are then responsible for informing the NTSB about the facts and circumstances surrounding the accident for determination of a probable cause. The NTSB is responsible for investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States, determining probable causes for these accidents and making recommendations to address any safety issues that have been identified. It sometimes delegates investigations to other agencies such as the FAA and uses the facts and information collected to determine the probable cause for the accident.
The ICAO is responsible for overseeing the safety of international flights and ensuring the international safety laws are followed. Investigations during accidents are carried by agencies within the countries associated with the accident. However, it monitors techniques and practices used during accidents and also give recommendations on safety standards. Military services investigate and report their own accidents to protect privileged safety information that may compromise the security of the country as a whole. It does its own investigations and reports them to the NTSB while ensuring such information is not released to the public.
Explain how ICAO determines jurisdiction of international aviation accidents. Explain the reasons why the NTSB is often requested to assist in international aviation accident investigations.
According to Annex 13 of the ICAO requirements, the jurisdiction of international aviation accidents lies with the country where the accident has occurred, the country where the airline operator is from, the country responsible for the design and manufacturing of the aircraft and the State where the aircraft is registered. All these countries provide representatives to conduct investigations. The State where the accident occurred is in charge of the investigation. The NTSB is often requested to assist in the investigation where the airline involved and/or the aircraft is registered in the U.S. However, it is also requested because it is charged with ensuring compliance with the US obligations under the Annex 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Identify and explain the duties of three of the NTSB GO Team members
The Go Team is responsible for immediate dispatch in the event of a major accident investigation and should be on call at all times. Representatives are chosen from different specialties in the NTSB. These are the human performance group who are responsible for investigating factors relating to the crew in the aircraft and any other factors that may have affected them before the accident occurred. Such factors include human error, influence of alcohol and drugs among others. Another specialty group in the Go team is the air traffic control group who are responsible for compiling information relating to any air traffic services given to the aircraft such as controller-pilot transmissions. A group specializing in structures of the plane is also part of the Go team. This is responsible for documenting the state of the aircraft wreckage and accident scene including calculation of impact angles to help determine the plane’s pre-impact course and attitude. These three specialty groups together with many others such as weather enable the NTSB to come up with a probable cause for the accident.
Analyze the potential problems from rescue operations facing the investigator upon initial arrival at the accident scene. Explain the personal hazards that an investigator may encounter at an accident scene and personal precautions the investigator should take.
Potential problems from rescue operations that may face the investigator include flammable materials that may pose a risk of starting a fire and causing them harm. In addition there may be some items and materials that may emit toxic and hazardous gases in the area thereby leading to respiratory and even disease. The investigator is also at risk of getting cuts from metal and other sharp materials that may have been detached from the aircraft during the accidents. Before an investigation commences, a safety officer should be sent to the scene to analyze the scene and advise the members on how to protect them. However, an investigator should take personal precautions to protect themselves. This includes wearing protective clothes that will enable them to work in the area without any harm. They should wear heavy overalls and footwear that protect them in case of fire break outs. Heavy foot wear protect the feet from sharp and hazardous objects on the ground. In addition, they should also wear gas masks until it is verified that there are no toxic gases being emitted in the area. Gloves are also important when handling materials and items in the accident scene to prevent the hands from getting hurt and cut.
Analyze the types of electronic evidence to be collected at the scene. What precautions should be taken with electronic evidence?
Types of electronic evidence collected are photographs, videos and voice recordings. Digital pictures can be taken of the wreck to keep record of how the accident scene was. This should be done before the investigation begins or the wreckage disturbed as it is crucial in determining the probable cause. Videos should also be compiled to record the state of the accident scene from the start and act as evidence. Voice recordings of the witnesses being interviewed are also important and enable the investigating team to analyze the situation that could have led to the accident. Precaution should be taken in storing the electronic material collected at the scene to ensure they are not tampered with or destroyed. They are very crucial to the investigations and should be stored where there is limited and only authorized access.
Analyze the basic method of investigating all aircraft systems?
The first stage in the investigation process involves laying the groundwork for the process by making sure all equipment necessary are available. The investigators also inform the relevant authorities of their activities in the area. They should also organize for security for the wreckage in order to ensure no evidence is lost. Basic information such as the number of casualties, type of cargo and what happened during the accident is collected in order to be able to establish what safety requirements will be needed. The next stage involves making the necessary safety requirements in relation to the hazards identified. This ensures the investigators have the necessary protective clothes for the investigation. Once all these preliminary activities have been done, they visit the accident site and photograph the whole area to preserve the evidence. The next step is collecting the perishable evidence that can be destroyed with time. This ensures that the evidence is preserved even in the event that they are moved hence destroying the evidence. Finally they make a wreckage diagram and use the information to make conclusion on the probable cause for the accident. Movement of the wreckage should be delayed until after all this evidence has been collected and recorded.
Explain the Reasons “Swiss Cheese” model for analyzing human factors in aviation accidents.
The “Swiss Cheese” model states that accidents occur as a result of human errors which influence each other. It looks at actions that are likely to be overlooked and may be instrumental in causing the accident. Such factors, though, not intended to be harmful build up and finally contribute to the accident. The “Swiss Cheese” model looks at four levels back from when the accident occurred and therefore come up with a probable cause. An example is when poor recruiting leads to incompetent supervisors who in turn do not oversee the activities being carried leaving room for mistakes to be made. These mistakes then lead to the accident and cause harm.
Contrast the enhancements to aviation safety provided by increased cockpit automation with the potential human factors hazards introduced with automation.
Cockpit automation has led to improved performance and reliability thereby enabling the pilot to have better control of the electro-mechanical systems. The pilot’s job is therefore to monitor the system during the flight. However, this is a potential hazard factor as pilots do not understand the system well and may lead to an accident as they cannot control it or even detect the problem. In addition, automation reduces the situation awareness of the pilots and they are unable to react to situation fast enough than if they were controlling it manually.
Explain the reasons why structural failure normally requires multiple disciplines and laboratory analysis to confirm investigator suspicions.
This happens because structural failure is not in itself a cause for an accident. It can be caused by other factors such as weather and human factors such as pilot mistakes and a faulty manufacture. The investigator requires more disciplines and laboratory analysis in order to make sure they get the underlying cause. For example in case of a faulty manufacture, they have to check all the similar products and repair them.
What is System Safety? Why has System Safety become more widely used in aircraft design, safety program management, and accident investigation? Explain the two factors are used to determine the risk level of a specific hazard?
System safety refers to the application of technical skills to identify the risk of an accident occurring and coming up with ways to reduce and control the risk. It is widely used in aircraft design, safety program management and accident investigation because it maximizes on the safety of the aircraft and minimizes the risk of it causing an accident by establishing an acceptable risk level before the plane is allowed to fly. Factors that are used to determine the risk level of a hazard include human factors and the aircraft itself. The competence of an individual is crucial in determining whether or not they make mistakes that can lead to an accident. The aircraft systems are also evaluated and their risk level assessed to determine whether they are a potential hazard.
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Discuss the requirement to preserve perishable evidence. Explain at least three specific examples.
It is very important to preserve perishable evidence as soon as is possible because it is easily tampered with and hence destroyed. The investigators should ensure it is taken during the early stages of the investigations before it becomes less credible. Examples of such evidence include fuel samples, condition of the runway and ground scars that show the impact the aircraft made on the ground during the accident.
What is the traditional relationship between impact angle and velocity versus aircraft break-up and wreckage distribution?
In investigating aircraft accidents, the investigators have to check and record the positions of ground marks where the plane had impact, the wreckage and other relevant things. The impact angle determines how the plane will be wrecked. Where the velocity is high, the wreckage and airplane break up will also be higher and the impact more intense. It also determines the crash survivability. The velocity of the plane affects the tolerance level of the individuals as high speeds leads to higher impact and lower tolerance levels in individuals.
Contrast in-flight fire evidence with ground fire evidence.
In flight fire evidence refers to signs or clues that suggest that there had been a fire in the plane. The signs include a fire extinguishing system that had been activated and dropped oxygen masks. Ground fire evidence refers to those clues that show that the fire started after the plane made impact with the ground. Some parts of the plane will also be destroyed by an in-flight fire but will not be destroyed in case of a ground fire. An in-flight fire causes more damage to the plane than a ground fire and leaves more casualties.
In investigating a midair collision, what is the most important factor to determine? Why?
The most important factor to consider in investigating a mid year collision is what influenced the risk. Some of such factors are amount of air traffic in the area and communication with the air traffic control. This is because it allows them to get a probable cause and give a safety recommendation that will prevent this from happening. Mid air collisions are usually fatal and should be minimized.
Analyze the factors that should be considered in deciding whether or not to reconstruct a crashed aircraft during the investigation.
To decide whether or not to construct a crashed aircraft, the investigators depend on the information acquired from the interpretation of the FDR data. When the FDR data does not provide sufficient insight into the accident, the investigators may need to reconstruct the flight path of the plane. The reconstruction of the flight path of a crashed aircraft provides a further understanding of the accidents and events surrounding it as well as providing insight into the most probable cause.
How is witness testimony used in comparison to physical evidence?
Witness testimony refers to information got from people who saw the accident happen. It is more subjective as it depends on an individual’s perception of the accident. It may, therefore, be less accurate. Physical evidence is that which has been collected from the accident scene and is usually more accurate compared to the witness testimony.
Discuss the three factors essential for a crash to be classified as “survivable”. What three pre-impact factors combine to effect crash survivability? Analyze the effects of each.
For a crash to be survivable, one of the essential factors is that the structure where people are seated is not badly damaged and is intact. This means that most of the occupants are not harmed badly. Secondly, the forces experienced by the occupants did not exceed or should not have exceeded the survivable limits of human G-tolerance. Thirdly, the occupants can survive the environmental conditions once they are evacuated from the plane. Pre-impact factors that combine to affect crash survivability are cabin structures that are strong and intact, a stable restraint system and deceleration forces. These help in achieving survivability of the occupants once the impact occurs. Intact cabin structures ensure that it remains intact even after the impact thereby protecting the passengers. A stable restraint for all passengers ensures they are not thrown about when the plane makes an impact.
Discuss the rules of thumb for accident photography including what to photograph and other sources of accident pictures. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of digital photography versus conventional film photography.
The first rule is that the airplane wreckage should be photographed in reference to the points of the compass. This allows the photographer to get the wreckage from different angles. The second rule is working in from the overall view to the close pictures of the wreckage. This also serves the same purpose and provides view of the accident scene. Pictures should be taken of the wreckage as well as the accident scene. In addition, investigators can get more photographs from witnesses and reporters at the scene. All evidence should be photographs in order to ensure the original state of the wreckage and site of the accident are captured for further analysis. Digital photography has more advantages compared to film photography. One is able to see the picture immediately and delete those which are not good enough and therefore get more pictures. Film photography, on the other hand, are more cumbersome since they need processing and development of the film before the pictures can be seen. There is a higher chance of messing up compared to the digital camera.
Analyze the process the NTSB uses to arrive at recommendations following an investigation. What is the limitation of NTSB recommendations?
The NTSB uses the facts and information collected from the investigation to make safety recommendations and come up with a probable cause. All facts are considered depending on the conditions and circumstances surrounding the accident. The NTSB recommendations are limited to the accuracy of the facts and information collected which determine the recommendation and conclusion given.
Why is crashworthiness often a secondary consideration in aircraft design?
Crashworthiness refers to the ability of an aircraft to protect its occupants in case of a crash. It is a secondary consideration in aircraft design as it does not translate into improving productivity and efficiency. Adding such features will also increase the cost of construction and may lead to less performance level and the plane becomes heavier than before. Therefore, most manufacturers feel that the constraints outweigh the benefits of incorporating crashworthiness into the design of an airplane.
Accessing R-Language Through The Cloud, Business Case
Accessing R-Language Through The Cloud, Business Case
Project BackgroundThe project is created to bring efficiency in the statistical computing (Joseph, 2003). The project will be done in the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi. The reason behind this project is the fact that many countries in the UAE lack the capital and the expertise to sponsor their students and researchers to developed countries and that they learn the statistical calculations. These calculations are run in powerful machines. The company was formed to fill the gap between these disparate motives. With this company, students and researchers are now able to work on statistical data which could have been very expensive if they would seek otherwise (Young-Hoon Kwak, 2005). The computing power is provided in a cloud computing environment. The logic behind developing this is that the university that will access this virtual service will be able to pay for services that have been used. The software will make it possible for education and training in the third-world countries. It is therefore very possible to face the challenges that come with the use of the R-Language platform head-on.
Table of Contents TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452266” Outline PAGEREF _Toc283452266 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452267” Table of Contents PAGEREF _Toc283452267 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452268” Project Background PAGEREF _Toc283452268 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452269” Project purpose PAGEREF _Toc283452269 h 6
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452270” Project sponsor PAGEREF _Toc283452270 h 6
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452271” Project location PAGEREF _Toc283452271 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452272” Project duration PAGEREF _Toc283452272 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452273” Project team PAGEREF _Toc283452273 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452274” Project Responsibilities PAGEREF _Toc283452274 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452275” Projected costs PAGEREF _Toc283452275 h 11
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452276” Projected revenues PAGEREF _Toc283452276 h 13
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452277” Risk scope management PAGEREF _Toc283452277 h 15
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452278” Organizational structure PAGEREF _Toc283452278 h 18
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452279” Organizational Boundaries and Interfaces PAGEREF _Toc283452279 h 18
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452280” Project Responsibilities PAGEREF _Toc283452280 h 19
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452281” Detailed Project Products PAGEREF _Toc283452281 h 25
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452282” Project team and Gantt Chart PAGEREF _Toc283452282 h 25
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452283” Work breakdown structure PAGEREF _Toc283452283 h 26
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452284” Network/precedence diagram PAGEREF _Toc283452284 h 27
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452285” Product Breakdown structure PAGEREF _Toc283452285 h 28
HYPERLINK l “_Toc283452286” References PAGEREF _Toc283452286 h 29
Market
The market of the software will entail the students who are pursuing statistical course and lack the systems to do that. High demand for statistical computations using super computers, especially now that there are many students who are pursuing higher education in the United Arab Emirates. There will be need to want to use these tools in their course of study. Many students have opted to travel overseas to look for these services. This is now a thing of the past as it is now possible for students and universities who have the virtual computing environment to access these services from the cloud.
Need to support researchers in the area of Statistics so that there are many researchers in this field.
Need to have an improved access of computing power.
The company employs IT staff who will monitor and maintain the system so that there is continued and reliable service to the users. There are mathematicians and computer scientists who have been hired by the company to make sure that the data and the program is logically correct. The concept of cloud is you pay for what you have used only. Accordingly the university will be paid on what will be used.
Current status
Currently the super computing power is available in very few companies. What is more, the companies which have supercomputers don’t have the software that is used by researchers. The researchers need a platform where they are able to access the computing power that they need. There are many challenges faced by these researchers and students. Of the issues include the fact that the countries which have efficient and reliable R-Language platforms are far, usually they have to go abroad to access the same. With this scenario, many bright and talented researchers have had to relinquish their careers opting to do other things which are accessible locally.
Project purposeStarting this project will enable the students to access the R-Language and statistical tools from their locations without the need to travel abroad. The researchers will also do their research analysis using the Curve-R computing platform (Martin, 2002). What will be required after this is done is that the users and those who are interested in the service develop their virtual environment. Unlike in the earlier times where they have been required to purchase, configure, and setup the servers for the same. What is required now is that access to the Internet and enough computing resources to be able to use the cloud service. What is more, they will only use the service that is paid for, thus reducing the cost.
This system, Curve-R is a system used to teach programming in R-Language to students from developing countries especially Africa and Asia. This software is the first software developed to solve the large complex mathematical formulas that is traditionally developed though supercomputer thus there are no competitors in the market.
Project sponsorThe sponsor of the project is Curve-R Company. Curve-R is a company which was established in the year 2009. It is new in operations. It helps to bring supercomputing environment to researchers and students of the R-Language. Located in the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi, the reason behind the creation of this company is the fact that many countries in the UAE lack the capital and the expertise to sponsor their students and researchers to developed countries and that they learn the statistical calculations. The company was formed to fill the gap between these disparate motives. With this company, students and researchers are now able to work on statistical data which could have been very expensive if they would seek otherwise.
Project locationThe projected will be located in Abu Dhabi. The reason behind this is the fact that most universities in this region do not have the supercomputing power that enables them to do calculations that they do in the course of their studies. Most students going to universities which are located abroad so that they get access to these resources. The facilities that will be used here include supercomputers and the R-Language that will be used in the programming. Also included will be the data and specifications that are used in the whole process. Most of the times, these resources are only accessible in overseas countries.
Project durationThe project is expected to take approximately 1 month and ten days. The representation of the same is shown in the table below:
Task Duration From To
Get the server and super computer 1.4 days 1/2/2011 2/2/2011
Configure the super computer 2 days 2/2/2011 4/2/2011
Program cloud platform 2 days 4/2/2011 8/2/2011
Develop environment 30 days 4/2/2011 18/3/2011
Develop security model 22 days 4/2/2011 8/3/2011
Test the environment 1 day 8/3/2011 9/3/2011
Implement 1 day 9/3/2011 10/3/2011
Project teamProject ResponsibilitiesThe following are the responsibilities of the various personnel in the carrying out of our project.
Project manager
This is someone who is responsible for project management from initiation to approval through to project finalization. The role will include the development, implementation and finalization phases of the project. He will take accountability for establishment of baseline for the project. The key responsibilities of project manager will include:
Project integration management
Project scope management
Project time management
Project cost management
Project quality management
Project human resource management
Project communication management
Project risk management
Project procurement management
System analyst/designer
The role of this staff differs in different organizations. The most outstanding and common responsibilities include the following:
Analysis of systems in the organization. This will include getting facts to getting facts about business activity within the organization.
Designing of the system. This will require the system analyst to come up with new systems and design a new s system / application.
System programming. Most of the time, the analyst doubles up with the programmer. He will usually work in collaboration with the programmers in the various tasks.
Quality engineer
The responsibilities will include the following:
Plans and directs activities concerned with development.
The make sure that the standards required in the programs are met and maintained. In this case, the quality engineer will develop standards to be used in developing the media management system.
The set the standards for inspections.
Programmers
The programmers have a role of coding the system. They are conversant with one of the programming languages. Their responsibilities include:
Coding and testing the system for bugs
They are responsible for refining data and formatting the final product.
They are responsible for maintaining and modifying existing programs. They make changes and amend flow charts to suit the said changes.
They are responsible for writing new code according to the specifications.
They are supposed to monitor programs and give suggestions on the path to be followed in improving them.
They are supposed to write program documentation.
Their task is also to document the code and the procedure they followed while developing the program
Sales people
These are the people who will be involved with making sure that the sales are made. After the system is up and running, clients who are to use the service will be required. The system will serve no particular purpose if there are no users from the various remote places.
Finance personnel
These are very important people in the project. It is them who will take of all the financial transaction required in the organization. The project will have a lot of activities which will need the use of money: in fact virtually all the activities to be done in within the project require money. The work of this person is very crucial.
Cost Benefit Analysis
Projected costsItem Estimated Cost
Supercomputer – this will be one of the most expensive for Curve-R 400,000 AED
Networking
*There will be need to have new networks that are dedicated to cloud computing alone. There will be the normal network serving the company and now the network serving requests from clients. 200,000 AED
Programming 500,000 AED
Programming Language Licenses 10,000 AED
Staff training
*There will be a need to train staff working in the universities so that they will be able to use the system efficiently. This cost is not exhaustive because of the fact that the cost will be for the first pilot university. 10,000 AED
Maintenance 1,500 AED annually
System failure
*This is the money that is lost when a researcher fails to access the system and therefore fails to use the service. This happens because of system failure. The failure will be mainly due to networking. 2,500 AED
Total Costs 1,124,000 AED
Projected revenuesFor the desktop applications that we have studied, we were able to find out that students are charged according to the time they spend accessing the program. In developed countries, students who access and use R-Language program use it for 6 hours per day for three times a week. Each hour, a student is charged 60 AED. This will mean that student will be charged 360 per day. In these countries, students who use these services are estimated to be 8 per day. For a whole day, the revenue will be 2880 AED. Per week, the total cost will be 14,400 AED translating to 748,800 AED per year. The estimated profit will therefore be 700,000 AED. It is also projected that with intensive marketing, as outlined in the marketing paper, it is expected that the service use will increase. There will be more students who will be interested in this venture as time goes by.
Year Predicted number of students using R-Language
1 3120
2 4000
3 4800
4 6000
5 8000
After the system has been setup, it is expected that the cash flow from the service rendered to mathematicians and researchers will be shown as follows:
Year Predicted Revenue
0 -1,124,000 AED
1 187,200
2 240,000
3 288,000
4 360,000
5 480,000
Net Profit 431,200
The net profit that is shown in the table above still has not factored in the annual maintenance fee and the license fee for the programming languages. Subtracting these costs, that are 1500 and 10,000 AED respectively, we get 419,700 AED. The return on investment therefore comes to 37.3%.
Risk scope managementThere are risks tat are expected to be encountered in he course of implementing the project. Risk management is required to manage the uncertainties that might happen and thus affecting the project either in the positive or in the negative way. There should be a way of dealing with these risks.
Risk factors
Sponsorship risk factors
These are risks which might arise from the sponsor of the project. They include factors such as the management of the organization losing interest in the project, an environment which is not stable, failure of the management to make decisions at critical times, conflict between the departments who are going to use the project, unethical behavior.
Management strategies
The strategies which will help solve this risk is the use of avoidance; trying to deal with the problems before they occur. There should be a vision for all to follow in order to manage this risk.
Finance and scheduling risk factors
The factors that come as a result of this include requiring budgeting the entire project at the outset leading to underfunding in later stages, deviation from the set budget, having a user lead the project. Budgeting at the onset of the project is another risk which might cause serious flaws. There are changes which can occur in the course of project implementation.
Impact of this risk
This risk will bring the impact that the project might be underfunded. This is because the factors of inflation are not taken care of when the initial budget is created.
Management strategies
For this risk to be minimized, the initial budget on it should not be an issue so much. There should be funds which are used for emergency so that when some issues arise, they can be dealt with effectively. To manage this risk, there will be need to realign the strategies stated and that the sponsor, Curve-R, commit into further funding or limit the extent of the project.
Personnel risks
These are risks which arise due to human resource. The lack of people with the right skills is the most significant risk.
Management strategies
For the project to really go on well there should be other expertise on the reserve so that the three experts working on the project can have replacement in case they, by any chance, are not able to go through with project implementation. If the project is already underway and it is not possible to have new staff with the required skills, it will be reasonable to obtain temporary resources, and replace or reassign the already taken people.
Requirements are handled poorly
This factor arises when the team chases technology and fails to solve the problem they were working on in the first place. Chasing technology instead of satisfying legitimate requirements causes serious problems because in the end, a new technology has been used but the problem has not been solved.
Project Planning
Software life cycle model
The software model that will be employed in this project is that of incremental software development model. The phases are divided into small phases which are manageable. The advantage of this model is that each phase is closely looked at (Ireland, 2006). The first phase could bring working software already. This will mean that the programmer will have a chance to test each small achievement of the project. It does not necessarily mean that all modules or parts must be completed for testing to be done. Each phase will go through the legal recommended phases of a project. Working software will be available in the first cycle. The project will involve developing the database that will be used to manage the requests to use the Curve-R services. It is also justified in this project because of its flexibility. It has less cost when changing scope and requirements.
Organizational structureThis organizational structure represents the various people who will play different roles to make sure that the project will be completed on time and with the required functionalities incorporated in it.
The project roles will be as follows:
Project manager: this is the person who is appointed to manage a project right from the start of the project to its approval. This is somebody who is senior in the developers of the project.
Quality engineer: this is someone who is appointed to make sure that the project meets all the requirements and that all what it was suppose to perform has been achieved.
System analyst: this is the person who is responsible for guiding through the development of a system. In performing these tasks, he should make sure that the objectives of the organization are well catered for.
Programmer: this is the person who is responsible for coding and debugging the system. He will normally use a programming language he/she is comfortable with and liked by the organization.
Organizational Boundaries and InterfacesThe project team will not be working alone to make sure that the project come to a smooth completion. There will be other members who will be affected and will affect the way the project will be carried out. These members include the following:
Project stakeholders: these are people who will get impacted by the project. In this case, our stakeholders will be the customers who visit Curve-R
Project sponsor: this is somebody who has been nominated to represent the organization undertaking the project. In our case, the project sponsor will be a representative from Integral solutions.
Project users: this is the person who will be using the system. In our case these are the stakeholders of this company.
Managerial process
The management of Curve-R will be responsible for smooth running of the project team and that communication will be channeled using the right path. For the success of any project, communication is the most important aspect to be given priority. When there is no proper communication in the execution of the project, the activities in the project are not well choreographed and there is poor coordination of activities.
Managerial objectives and priorities
Without effective communication, the project stops. If there is no honest and effective communication between project members and the management, everyday challenges can be disastrous. The philosophy of the management team is to develop a team and not a hierarchy. A team will ease communication because there is no authority to fear. Small issues will be brought to book. The means of communication will be through team leaders heading the different components in the project. There will be meetings every now and then to assess the progress of the project. These meetings will be in such a way that the whole group including the stakeholders and sponsors will be having meetings fortnightly while module members will be having meetings weekly.
Resolving issues between members that are personal brings cohesion and reduces tension during project session. The management will strive to create an environment where there is open discussion and mutual problem solving. This will help project members to respond better to relationship challenges in a more effective way and will enable them to maintain open lines and exchange ideas without unnecessary barriers. There will be effort for the organization to be able to resolve interpersonal issues that arise between project members. They will, in particular, try to create an environment where project members address and resolve their personal differences openly; this will improve the success of the project changes. There will be at least two seminars that will be arranged and a human resource consultant will come and speak about self-management. This will enable project team members to solve personal issues. The team members will be taught on the benefits of constructive confrontation. The management will encourage team members to raise issues more effectively.
Assumptions, dependencies and constraints
There are a number of assumptions that will be taken in this project. One of these assumptions is that it is expected that the resources that will be required will be available when required. This project will require supercomputers and servers. The project members assume that these computers will available when they are needed. There will also be some hardware and networking material and tools that will be required when working on the project. All these resources will be expected to be there when the project is initiated.
It is also expected that the technical expertise will be available when the project development will require new technologies to be used. It is expected that the chosen programmers will be able to handle all the technical issues that will arise in the execution of the project. It is expected that the two programmers will be able to source and learn new technologies when required.
It is also expected that there will be no industrial action that will affect the execution of the project. Changes like change of rights and licenses of media to hospitality organizations like bars and restaurants will not be changed. The development of this project will continue with the assumption that the government will not change the rules and regulations concerning the playing of music and videos in bars and restaurants.
It is also assumed that the modules in this project will be capable of being integrated with minimum rework. The components which will be developed in this project will include database module, security module and the virtual environment module
Project constraints
The project will have some constraints if the staff of the project will not have enough experience to handle the technical issues that might arise in the development of the projects. If a significant percentage of the project staff will not be experienced with the operating environment it will cause some constraint in project execution. It is expected that the staff assigned for this project will be having the technical expertise required to perform this project.
If deliverables submitted for approval will require working days for review will cause constraints because there will be some delay in the whole project. There will also be constraints if Mr. Barlow has not described all the details required for the development of the system. It will therefore mean that more rework will be done which will cause further delay to the project.
Constraints will be experienced if key-decision makers will be difficult to contact when issues arise in the project. This will cause time wastage in the project execution. It is expected that these decision-makers will be reachable at any time and in all the development phases of the project.
Another constraint that might arise is if the project members will be new to the environment and may take time to learn the new developing environment. This will cause the delay to be experienced in the project execution.
Detailed Project ProductsProject team and Gantt ChartThe project will cost of 3 members who are working for Curve-R Company. Apart from the salary they are withdrawing from the company right now, they will be added project allowance on top of this. The project allowance will cost the company around 50,000 AED per staff. The team consists of:
Mariam Al Maskari – Principle Investigator
Nehal Al Hameire – Senior Technician for the project.
Ayesha Ghubash- Co-investigator.
Work breakdown structureTask Duration Resource Names Start date Finish date Predecessor Id
Get the server and super computer 1.4 days Mariam Al Maskari (50%) and Ayesha Ghumbash 1/2/2011 2/2/2011 Configure the super comoputer 2 days Nehal Al Hameire 2/2/2011 4/2/2011 1
Program cloudplatform 2 days Nehal Hameire 4/2/2011 8/2/2011 2
Develop environment 30 days Nehal Al Hameire 4/2/2011 18/3/2011 2
Develop security model 22 days Nehal Al Hameire 4/2/2011 8/3/2011 2
Test the environment 1 day All stakeholders 8/3/2011 9/3/2011 5
Implement 1 day All stakeholders 9/3/2011 10/3/2011 6
The Gantt Chart is shown below:
Network/precedence diagram-161925356870The network diagram is shown below:
Product Breakdown structure
As can be seen in the diagram the database and the application are ion the cloud. The cloud will take care of the application, database and the data. It assures security as the security is also managed in the cloud. The cloud provides easer management.
ReferencesHarrison, D., & Lock, J. (2004). Advanced project management: a structured approach. Illinois: Gower Publishing, Ltd.
Ireland, L. (2006). Project Management. Columbia: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Joseph P. (2003). PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide. Columbia: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Martin S. (2002). Project Management Pathways. London: Association for Project Management. APM Publishing Limited.
Young-Hoon Kwak (2005). A brief history of Project Management: The story of managing projects. Vol. 2.