2.2: Scenario Building
- Page ID
- 49209
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Milestone 1 – Structuring Scope: Project Charter and Stakeholder Alignment
Tool Applied: Project Charter Development
Final Output: Reviewed and Approved Project Charter for UCMS
Scenario Briefing
Helping the University College of Medical Sciences Take the First Step Toward Transformation
Imagine you’ve just stepped into a consulting engagement where the stakes are both high and human.
C-Bay Inc., your firm, is known for helping organizations bring structure to ambitious ideas. As a member of the Software Project Management Services (SPMS) team, you’ve been trusted to lead early planning for a deeply meaningful project: helping University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) modernize the way it manages and delivers curriculum.
Right now, UCMS handles everything manually. Course outlines, rotation schedules, student records, faculty feedback, accreditation data—it’s all scattered across paper, spreadsheets, and disconnected systems. They know this isn’t sustainable. Compliance risks are growing. Reporting is a nightmare. And faculty and students alike are frustrated by inefficiencies.
UCMS has decided it's time for a change. And their first step is turning to C-Bay for help.
Why You’re Here
UCMS has asked C-Bay to provide end-to-end project planning support for a new digital platform they want to build: the University Curriculum Management System (UCMS). This future system will help them track courses, schedules, students, faculty, and more—with a focus on transparency, compliance (including HIPAA and privacy standards), and adaptability across departments and years.
Before any software is written, designed, or even sketched out, UCMS leadership has asked for something foundational:
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A Project Charter that defines the project clearly, aligns all stakeholders, and gives C-Bay the go-ahead to proceed into planning.
And that’s where you come in.
Your Role
You are the designated planning lead from C-Bay assigned to this engagement.
Your task in this milestone is to create the official Project Charter that will guide this work from the very beginning. The document you create will be reviewed by multiple stakeholders and must clearly articulate:
- What this project is and why it matters
- Who the decision-makers are
- What success will look like
- What constraints must be respected (budget, time, quality, scope)
- What risks are already on the horizon
- How C-Bay will begin moving the project forward
This is not just a student exercise. This is a rehearsal for the real-world work you’ll do again and again in your professional career.
Once approved, your charter will give C-Bay the authority and clarity needed to transition into detailed planning.
Meet the Stakeholders
The Project Charter must be approved by three key individuals:
- Dr. Alok Varun – Dean of Admission, UCMS
- Dr. Alex Serman – Chief Information Officer (CIO), UCMS
- Dr. Wendy Sheen – Director of PMO, C-Bay Inc. (PMP Certified)
These are real professionals (played by your instructional team or instructors) with real questions, concerns, and expectations. Your charter is your chance to show them that you understand the mission—and that you’re ready to lead it forward.
What You’ve Been Given
You’ve received an internal memo from C-Bay’s Director of PMO outlining the request and the expectations for your first deliverable. You’ve also been given access to UCMS’s initial scope document, which includes background context, constraints, and approval pathways.
Download the UCMS Request Document: UCMS_Requirements.docx
This document is your anchor. It gives you the customer voice, the sponsor’s ask, and a rough idea of the scope. But it’s up to you to turn this into a structured, strategic planning document that can speak to diverse stakeholders.
How to Think About the Task
This isn’t just paperwork—it’s trustwork.
The Project Charter is your way of showing:
- You understand the business context
- You’re ready to engage with real constraints
- You can write clearly and purposefully for professional audiences
- You are capable of seeing the big picture while establishing concrete next steps
Where to Go From Here
Your next step is to begin crafting the Project Charter with a clear plan and professional tone. This is your first major deliverable for the practicum—and it sets the tone for everything that follows.
Once submitted and approved, your work will become part of C-Bay’s official engagement with UCMS. And you’ll move on to the detailed planning phases that follow—scheduling, risk modeling, estimation, and more.
But none of that can happen until you take the first step:
- Define the project clearly.
- Align the stakeholders.
- Frame the opportunity.
- Lead the way.