2.3: Plan of Attack

Plan of Attack – Milestone 1

Title: Structuring Scope – Creating a Project Charter for UCMS
Primary Deliverable: Project Charter (client-ready, C-Bay standard)
Client: University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS)
Consulting Firm: C-Bay Inc. – Software Project Management Services (SPMS)

Purpose of This Section

This Plan of Attack provides the complete strategy and thought process you’ll use to complete Milestone 1 of the practicum. The goal is not just to generate a document—it’s to learn to think, write, and lead like a consulting planner at C-Bay. You will:

• Interpret a client problem with minimal initial input
• Apply best practices to create structure and alignment
• Develop a Project Charter that is not only approved, but used
• Lay the foundation for future planning milestones

This is your first public move on the project. Think of it as your strategic handshake with UCMS.

What You’re Delivering

You are responsible for producing a formal Project Charter for the UCMS system planning project. This charter must be:

• Written for client stakeholders, not for your instructor
• Structured using C-Bay internal best practices
• Supported by your own reasoning, not just prefilled templates
• Formatted as a professional business document, ready for review and sign-off

The Project Charter will be the document that allows C-Bay to move into detailed planning. UCMS will not greenlight any additional work until this milestone is completed and approved.

What You Need to Use

You’ll use the following materials to complete this milestone:

• Scenario Briefing – Defines the client ask, names stakeholders, gives scope direction
• UCMS SRS – Defines system functions for background and scope reference
• Best Practices Reference – Milestone 1 – Teaches you how to think like a C-Bay consultant, including stakeholder strategy, success criteria, and risk logic

Step-by-Step Plan

Step 1: Read Like a Consultant

Begin by reading the UCMS Scenario Briefing. Don’t skim it—read it with an eye toward:

• The real problem UCMS is trying to solve (manual systems, compliance risk, inefficiency)
• Who the decision-makers are
• What this project means for UCMS if it succeeds
• What might happen if it doesn’t

Then review the UCMS SRS. Don’t get lost in technical detail. Focus on:

• What functionalities matter to stakeholders (curriculum management, scheduling, dashboards)
• What this tells you about scope, constraints, and risk
• What assumptions you can safely make—and which ones you need to clarify

Step 2: Apply Best Practices Thoughtfully

Use the Best Practices Reference – Milestone 1 to guide your strategic thinking. You are expected to apply all six best practices explicitly.

Best Practice – How to Use It in Your Charter:

• Anchor in Purpose – Connect UCMS’s current state to what this project will achieve (efficiency, compliance, faculty satisfaction).
• Name Constraints – Identify the top priority constraint (likely schedule or compliance) and state possible tradeoffs.
• Define Success – Include 3–5 measurable success criteria (e.g., “Deliver a publish-ready system overview by May 2025”).
• Identify Stakeholders – Name actual people (e.g., Dr. Serman), their titles, and influence roles (Sponsor, Reviewer, Approver).
• Surface Risks & Assumptions – List at least two real risks and two assumptions, making them specific.
• Tell a Story with Structure – Flow from pain → purpose → success → risk → next step. Use subheadings and narrative, not just bullets.

Step 3: Write the Charter

Create a new document with the following sections (minimum):

• Purpose / Objective
• Business Context and Alignment
• Scope Overview (What’s In / Out)
• Constraints (Schedule / Scope / Quality / Cost)
• Success Criteria
• Key Stakeholders and Roles
• Risks and Assumptions
• Major Deliverables / Timeline
• Sign-Off Section (Name, Title, Date)

You may create this from scratch or adapt the official C-Bay Project Charter Template. Your writing must go beyond filling in blanks.

Do We Need a Template?

Yes. You should use a Project Charter Template to help organize your thinking and output. Two versions are recommended:

• Student-Facing Fillable Template (with light prompts and headers)
• Instructor/Reference Template (formatted as a sample deliverable)

Output Summary

By the end of this milestone, your submission must include:

• A full, narrative-style Project Charter document, client-ready
• Written using C-Bay tone, structure, and best practices
• References the UCMS SRS and Scenario Briefing clearly
• Demonstrates leadership thinking, not academic summary

Student Mindset Reminder

This isn’t a form. This is a professional planning product. You’re not doing the work—you’re defining the work, aligning stakeholders, and authorizing the work to begin. That’s what project planning leadership looks like.