Back to Milestone 1
- Name of Project
- Gender Initiative Database
- Team Members
- Dana Champion, Dave Lanzer, Jason Long
- Project Liaison
- Dana Champion
- Organization
- Messiah College Gender Center
- Point of Contact
- Michele Leaman ML1172@yahoo.com
1. Overview of Project and Sponsor Organization
We will create a database to perform a collection of functions for the Gender Center's Gender Initiative, including a calendar of events, an address book of contacts, and a database for their library of resources. The database will be made available via a website. Access to some parts of the database will be limited to certain users, while others will be publicly available.
The Gender Initiative seeks to educate and inform. "...Developing awareness of gender constructs and facilitating change through education and advocacy" is crucial to the Gender Initiative's mission.
The key point of contact is Michele Leaman. She is a student working for the gender initiative and is in charge of this collection of projects. Dana Champion is our team liaison.
2. Problem Statement
The Initiative keeps track of their speakers and other contacts, local events of interest, and literary resources, in paper format. Currently they disseminate information by word-of-mouth networking and meetings of the women's caucus.
Since their mission is to disseminate information, they want to make the information more internally and publicly accessible in a searchable, electronic format via a website.
They've been wanting this for a while, but haven't had the technical resources to accomplish it.
3. Project Objectives
The Gender Initiative wants people to add items of interest to their public-access calendar of events without going through a middle-person. They want this calendar to be more accessible to the public.
The Gender Initiative wants to quickly recall contacts and phone conversations.
The Gender Initiative wants the contents of their research library to be available for easy reference.
4. Project Scope and Constraints
The project will include a database containing event descriptions, contact information, and a catalogue of the Gender Initiative's library resources. Other organizational aspects may be noted in the requirements document to be added by the organization at a later date.
The project will include a set of web pages to interface with the database: A calendar of events, a contacts search, a library subject search, pages to update and maintain this information. Other non-database related pages may be noted in the requirements document to be added by the organization at a later date.
The project will distinguish between two types of users: the general public, who will have limited access, and gender initiative members, who will be able to view and maintain all fields.
The web interface, and possibly the database, will be hosted by Messiah web services.
Web pages shall render on all major web browsers.
5. Project Strategy
We will develop our proposal, plan, and requirements in Milestones 1 & 2 as outlined in the syllabus.
However, we will, with the organization's approval, develop the project in three iterations: Release 1 (Milestone 3) would contain all features related to the events calendar. Release 2 (Milestone 4) would add all features corresponding to a contacts database. Release 3 (Milestone 5) would extend the system to include library cataloguing information.
Each release iteration will entail requirements adjustments, analysis, design, prototyping, feedback, implementation, and testing.
This will allow us to develop project subsystems in the order of priority we have perceived the organization to place on them. It will also allow us to receive feedback on fully functioning versions of the higher-priority subsystems, and modify features accordingly, during the course of the project.
Milestone 6 will entail turnover and training as outlined in the syllabus.
6. Budget
We will not be traveling, and are using Messiah's application, development, and web-hosting resources, so there are no known costs at this time. The Gender Initiative has a budget available for the project that may be available if needed.
7. Resources and Roles
- Dana Champion
- Team Leader for Milestones 2 and 6, Project Organization Liaison
- Dave Lanzer
- Team Leader for Milestones 3 and 5
- Jason Long
- Team Leader for Milestones 1 and 4, Messiah ITS and Web Services Liaison
- Michele Leaman
- Gender Initiative Point of Contact
- Kristen Hansen-Kieffer and Lawrie Merz
- System Owners / Project Approval
8. Logistics
Our project team will meet with Michele every Monday from 1-2 pm in the Jordan 3rd floor lounge.
Our project team will meet to discuss progress and strategy every Friday from 11:30-12:30 in Mellinger A204.
Dana will keep Michele abreast of any progress/changes/questions via email.
9. Project Justification
The data needs that the Gender Initiative has expressed are sufficiently complex to advantage from team effort and planning process. There are at least three different processes that they want mechanized (calendar, contacts, library). They have a need for minimal security between different types of users. They are definitely excited that we can provide them with a web presence. Basically, our project definition fits well with needs they have been desiring to address for the last year.
Approved by Kristen Hansen-Kieffer or Lawrie Merz, System Owner / Project Approval.
Approved by Michele Leaman, Point of Contact.
Approved by Dana Champion, Dave Lanzer, Jason Long, Project Team Members.
Pending approval by Professor Nejmeh.
