PRELIMINARY STUDY

Phase PS.0 Start up

PS.0.1 Purposes

 Decide to launch a preliminary study

 Write the specifications for the preliminary study

 Specify the way the study will be performed together with the people in charge of it.

 Inform the people concerned by the study

PS.0.2 Realization actions

 Define the scope of the study.

events that will launch activities in the domain to be studied; expected results.

information flow; implied structures & services, interfaces with other applications out of the scope.

 Set up the purposes of the information system and the main characteristics that it will have to respect.

A preliminary study must be done in the framework of a global System Architecture Design.

 Set up the results expected from the preliminary study

in terms of functional purposes: applications to be developed, ...

in terms of analysis precision

reports to be produced, presentations.

  In particular, it is important to fix the detail level that will be required for the analysis of the existing system.

A detailed study is often not required:

if the current solution does not give satisfaction, if it does no longer answer the requirements, if you intend anyway to start again from scratch.

if you intend to use a package or another working procedure (by example similar to the one used by another company of the group).

PS.0.3 Project management actions

 Name the project manager

 Set up the Steering Committee

 Fix the methodology for the preliminary study

 Products to be delivered

structure of the report to be delivered; table of contents

project steps, due dates

 Identify the needed resources for this project

documents to be consulted, workshops

procedures,documents, control circuits

technical infrastructure

human resources: people to be interviewed, meetings

Quantify with care the needed resources

Name & book the concerned people; define their roles and responsibilities; set up the workshops agenda

planning

budget

 Identify the risk factors (reduce them whenever possible)

in terms of probability

in terms of importance and cost

PS.0.4 Quality assurance actions 

 Write and let validate the Quality Plan applicable to the whole project

 Define and customize the project quality purposes

identify the key factors influencing the quality.

 Name the main people in charge of the quality assurance; define their roles

Quality Manager

Project Manager

Customer Representative

 Make sure that the adequate procedures and realization methods will be applied, and that they conform to the quality purposes.

 Make sure that the adequate control procedures will be applied. In particular:

 fix the guide lines of how the Acceptance File must be written

 fix the responsibilities for the control points

 Make sure that the resources required by the project are available. In particular:

 take care that the responsibilities of the different people involved in the project have been clearly defined.

 Fix the points of review of or Quality Audit of the project

PS.0.5 Phase closing actions

  At the end of this phase, all conditions applicable to the preliminary study should be fixed:

 concerning the results expected from the preliminary study self

 concerning the results expected from the future system (target system)

purposes, preferably expressed under a positive form that will be measurable and controllable

constraints to be respected

one (or a few)scenario(s) of the target system

 for the evolution path

evolution constraints: budget, planning, various resources

one (or a few) action plan(s) (evolution scenario)

 for the current preliminary study: in details

limits & purposes

resources: budgets, planning, availabilities, work groups,...

 Decisions & communication:

 Make the decision to launch the study

 Agree on the Quality Plan .

 Present the study to all concerned people

get motivation & inform

let know the Quality Plan by all involved people; take care that all necessary information is available.