1

Approvedby Projectschedule Audience Usabilityrequirements InformationDevelopment

Scope PrimaryDeliverables Rolesandresponsibilities Dependenciesandrisks Assumptions

Riskanalysis Samplerisks Dependenciescalculation Hoursandcosts Resourcerequirements

InformationDevelopmentProjectPlan
AdaptedfromInformationDevelopment:ManagingDocumentationProjects,Portfolio,andPeoplebyJoAnnT.HackosJohn Wiley&Sons2007(648pages),ISBN:9780471777113

WRIT3672Fall2013 InformationDevelopmentProjectPlan(IDPP)
ProjectName:Aquaonics IDPPRevisionhistory Date October2 Version 1 ExplanationofChanges Adduserprofilesandscenarios

November5

Addedusermanualupdates Modifiedpcalcspreadsheettoreflect newunderstanding addedbrochurescenariosandprofiles addedschedule,presentation scenarioandprofile finaleditbeforesubmission

November12 November27

3 4

December15

Contactinformation
Preparedby:MishkaBartholow Organization:WRIT3672Spring2013

Location:UniversityofMinnesota,TwinCities Emailaddress:barth298@umn.edu Phonenumber:

Approvedby
Name(s)[oftheproject approvers] JoeMoses Position WRIT3672instructor 12/16/2013 Date

Projectschedule

Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4 Week5 Week6 Week7 Week8

beginusingidpp beginuserprofilesandscenarios submituserprofilesandscenarios beginusermanual

draft1ofusermanual
usermanualdraft2submitted submitfinalusermanual,updateidpp

Week9 Week10 Week11 Week12 Week13 Week14

beginbrochure

updateidpp
draft1ofbrochureandmemosubmitted

draft2ofbrochuresubmitted Finishbrochure,updateidppandbegintrainingpresentation submittrainingpresentation,beginePortfolio

Week15

submiteportoflioassignment

Milestone [Externalprojectmilestonesdriveyour informationdevelopmentschedule.Include milestonessuchasfeasibilityapproval, accesstoSMEs,andothers.] Completeinterviewquestions Informationdesigndetermined Completeallphotography Completedraft1 Completedraft2withlayout 12/3 12/11 12/11 12/11 12/16

DueDate

HackosPlanningComments
Ifeltisufferedwithmyusermanualbynotkeepingupwiththeseconddraftdeadline.While someoftheplanningwentverywell,itdidnottranslateintogoodmomentumandiwasnotable tocreateasgoodofausermanualasiknowiamcapableof.IagreewithHackoscomment thatchaoshappensmorefrequentlywheneffectiveplanningisnotimplemented.

Audience
Ifeltthatmyaudienceanalysiswentwellregardingtheusermanual.Iwasabletoidentifyan audienceandlearnfromthemthroughouttheprocessofcreatingmyusermanual.WhileI gainedalotfromtheinitialinterviews,whatifoundmosthelpfulwasrevisitingwiththemtoseeif iwascreatingtherightcontent.Icheckedbackwiththemtoseeiftheyagreedwiththe scenariosandprofilesihadwroteaboutthem.Idontknowifthisisstandardprocedure,but gettingtheirapprovalbuiltmyconfidencethatiunderstoodmyaudience.Itwouldobviouslybe usefultohaveawideraudiencewithmoreprofilesandscenarios,butthiswouldbeunrealistic andifeelgreatlysatisfiedwithhowthisportionofmyprojectwentfortheusermanual.

AudiencesUsabilityNeeds
1. Basedonanaudienceofamateuraquaponicsenthusiasts,themostvaluablecontentwill discussthefeasibilityofoperationandthebenefitsofusingsuchasystem.topicscould

include:energyandwatersavings,yieldsbasedonenergyusage,timenecessaryfor maintenance,environmentalrequirements 2. energyandwatercostsavingsbasedonsystem 3. someuseofbasicterminologywillbeneeded,butvisualizationiskeyforabrochureand soasmuchinformationaspossiblewillbepresentedvisually 4. Informationwillappearasfollows:advantagesofaquaponics(savings),environmental requirements,timenecessaryformaintenance,yields.Thisinformationwillappearasa printbrochure UserManual Mace(blan0283@umn.edu)isamale,21yearoldstudentattheUniversityofMinnesota pursuinganundergraduatedegreeincomputerscience.Hedoesresearchworkwith dataminingandhasforapproximatelyayear.Hehasaninterestintheapplicationsof datamining,artificialintelligenceandautomationtofoodsystems.Hehasavery analyticalthoughtprocessandworkswellaloneandinateam.Whilehedoesenjoy researchingtopicsheisinterestedin,heprefersmorehandsonexperience. Sustainabilityandtechnologicaladvancementinfoodproductionisofgreatinterestto him,howeverhehasvirtuallynoexperiencewithfoodproductionotherthansomeat homegardening.Maceisawareofthebasicconceptsofaquaponicsandhopestobuild asystemofhisown,howeverheisnotentirelysureofalltheworkthatwouldgointo constructingandmaintainingasystemandwouldliketolearnmoreabouthowasystem wouldbemaintainedbeforehedecidestobuildone. Olivia(livvygrazzini@yahoo.com)isa19yearoldfemalestudentatMCTCstudying businessandglobalstudies.Shehasagreatinterestinethicalbusinesspracticesand wouldliketoonedayworkforacompanyshefeelsismakingtangibleandsustainable improvementinthelivesofitscustomers.Whilehercurrentworkisnotdirectlytiedto hergoals,sheisanenthusiasticandpersonablememberofacustomerserviceteamat ahotel.Sheisavoraciousreaderandlikestopouroverinformationseveraltimesbefore applyingit.Shelearnsagreatdealfromtheoreticalwritinganddoesntalwaysrequire handsonexperiencetolearnsomething.Ifshegetsstuck,shecansometimesbetoo pridefultoaskforhelp,butdoeseventuallyseekhelpoutifitisentirelynecessary.Sheis interestedinaquaponicsmainlybecauseofitscapacitytoproducefoodusingfewer resourcesandhassomebasicknowledgeofhowthetechnologyworksanditsbenefits. Shewouldliketolearnmoreabouttheconsiderationsofmaintaininganaquaponic systemsothatshewouldhaveabetterideaofthetimeandeffortnecessaryfor maintainingsuchasystem. Brochure Faith(faith.bickner@gmail.com)isa22yearoldmedschoolstudentatJohnsHopkins. Sheisveryinterestedinthepossibilityofstartingacommunityaquaponicfarm,butwant toknowwhatkindofworkwouldbenecessarytomaintainasystem.Sheishugely excitedbythetechnologybuthasnohandsonexperienceandlittleideaoftherealitiesof maintainingasystem.Althoughissuesofsystemdesignandmanhoursarerelevantto her,whatshereallywantsismoreinformationontheexactconcernsandproblemsthat wouldbefaced,soshecanhaveabetterideaofthelevelofspecializationrequiredtorun

anaquaponicsystem.Shewouldlikethisinformationbeforeshebeginstodesignand buildasystemastheserelatiesneedtobeunderstoodbeforeshecancommitto buildingasystem.Sheisnotconcernedwiththecostsassociatedandisexcitedbythe capabilitiesofthistechnologytoproducefreshandorganicfoodyearroundusingfewer resources.Again,hermainconcernisthedifferentareasofconcerninmaintenance. TrainingPresentation Nick(phelp083@umn.edu)isa33yearoldpHDcandidatewhoworksatafisherieslab conductingtestsonfishstressandrecovery.Heisanexpertinfishdiseasesandhas extensiveknowledgeoffishbiologyandenvironmentalconcerns.Hereallylikestheidea ofaquaponicsandiscurrentlyconstructinganaquaponicsystemathisworkforpersonal research.Afterconsultingvariousonlineresourcesandtakingastockofthematerials availabletohim,hehassettledonadesignforhissystemandiswellintothe construction.However,alotoftheonlineliteratureisconflictingandhewantsinformation onhowtobeginrunninghissystemonceitiscompleted.Hehasaccesstoalltheplants, fishandequipmenthewillneedbutwantsdetailedinstructionsonhowtobeginoperating hissystembyintroducingalloftheseelementsinthesafestwaypossible(preventsloss oflife).Alltheworkhehasdonepreviouslyreliedonelectricwaterfiltersratherthan integratingplantssohehasonlyatenuousgraspontheprocessesinvolved.Heisnot veryfamiliarwiththeconceptofafishlesscycle.Adetailedstepbystepguideonhow tointroduceplantsandfishintohissystemwouldbeaninvaluableresourceashenears theendofconstruction.

Usabilityrequirements
Almostalloftheuserswillhavesomeworkingknowledgeofhowaquaponicsfunctionsandin somecaseshaveasystemthatisreadytobeimplemented.Stepbystepinstructionsare neededformanyofthespecializedtasksassociatedwithdiagnosingandfixingaproblemwith issuessuchasfishdiseasesandwaterquality. UserScenario Where,when,why(towhatend)usersusetheinfo UserManual Maceencountersaproblemwithhisaquaponicsystemandneedstoanalyzewhat exactlyisgoingwrong.Hisfishareswimmingerraticallyandjumping,visiblyindistress. Maceisawarethatthereisaproblembutwantstoknowhowtodeterminewhatitisand whatcorrectivemeasuresmustbeputintoplacetoplacatethefish.Hewants instructionsonwhatelementsofthesystemtocheck,iftheseelementsarein acceptablerangesandonceaproblemisdetected,howtocorrectit.Ifthiscorrective measuredoesnowork,Macewouldlikealternativesteps.Allthisinformationshouldbe organizedeffectively,sothatheisnotneedlesslyreadingthroughinformationthatisnot

pertinenttohisproblem. Oliviaispassionateaboutestablishinganaquaponicsystemwithsomebusiness partnersandwouldliketocommunicatetoherprospectivepartnersinthisventurethe relevantconsiderationsinmaintainingsuchasystem.Shewantstospecificallyknow whatequipmentwillbenecessaryinbasicmaintenance,thedailystepsnecessaryfor maintainingthesystemandhowtoavoidcommonproblems.Shewouldlikedetailed stepbystepinstructionsofdailymaintenanceprocedures,alistofrelevantsuppliesand illustrationsofhowtoperformdailymaintenanceactions.Thevisualcomponentisvery importanttoherasshedoesnothavearealsystemwithwhichtoimplementthese stepsandwouldliketoseeithappen.Oliviawilllikelyusethismanualasalearningtool withherprospectivepartnersandneedsthisinformationtobeeasilyabsorbedwhen beingglancedover,hencetheimportanceofvisualswithlabels. Brochure Faithwantstocommunicatetohercommunitymembersthebasicsofaquaponic maintenance.Theyknowtheconceptbuthavenohandsonexperienceandneedto knowwhattasksgointorunninganaquaponicsystem.Asagroupshehastouredan aquaponicfacilitywithhercommunitymembersandtheyhaveanideaofhowasystem runs.Althoughtheirtourguidewentoveralotofthedailyroutine,theyneedsome specificsonhowtocompletethesetasksandwhattolookoutfor.Faithusesthe brochuretoconvincehercommunitymembersthattheyshouldpurchasethisaquaponic usermanualasacomprehensiveguidetorunningtheirsystem. TrainingPresentation Nickneedsinstructionsonhowtobeginintroducingwater,plantsandfishtohissystem. Hewillbeconsultingthispresentationincloseproximitytohisworkstation.Hewillmost likelyconsultthisresourcemorethanonce.Uponviewingitthefirsttime,hissystemis notyetconstructedandsohecannotbegintheprocessdescribed.However,upon revisitingthisresourceafterhissystemisreadytobestarted,hewillalreadyhavea conceptionofwhatheneedstodoandwillbeperformingthetasksdescribedashe viewsthepresentation.

InformationDevelopment
prospectivecustomers(brochure):Interviewedfaithbicknerandherquakerchurchgroupwho areallveryinvolvedincommunitygardeningthoughnoneofthemhadexperienceinaquaponics. Thisgroupconstitutedademographicofprospectivecustomerswithexperienceinsimilarfields thoughnohandsonexperience. adopters(usermanual):Researchedrelevantliteratureonaquaponicstartup.Interviewed associateswhoareprospectivepractitionersofaquaponicsfarming. practitioners(trainingpresentation):Interviewednickphelpsandchadhebertofurbanfarm project,whoisaprofessionalaquaponicfarmer.Receivedinvaluableinformationontheir experienceinlearningaboutaquaponicswhichinturnguidedmyapproachtodesigning informationforallusers.

Scope:DeliverablesandDocumentation
UserManual Attentiontoaudience,design,usability,process.Usershavealreadyboughtintoyour process,product,orservice.Nowtheyhavetoknowhowtotakefulladvantageofit. PromotionalBrochure Theoriesandapplicationoflayout,design,copywriting.Usersofthisdocumenthavenot yetboughtin.Theyhavetobeconvinced. TrainingPresentation Attentiontoaudience,ethos,style.Usersmustbeengaged,keptengaged,andgiven usefulinformation. Deliverabletitle InformationDevelopment ProjectPlan(IDPP) DepCalc&Production Schedule TopicbasedEstimating Spreadsheet Sampletopiclist FinalPaper UserManual TrainingPresentation Promotionalbrochure CourseePortfolioProject Deliverymethod Email 12+ Page/Topiccount

Email

Email Email Email PDF,email Slidepresentation,email PDF,email PDF,email

2 12 34 18 101010 2 3040pages

Rolesandresponsibilities
Responsibility Role ProjectMngment Infoanlys&dsign
Outlinethespecificresponsibilitiesyouhaveforeachroleasitrelatestoyour specificproject.

timemanagement reviewnotesfromresearch,analysecredibilityofonlineresources

InfoDevelopment

compilingrelevantinformationforuse.Secondaryresearchinto specifictasks

Pagedsign&layout documentflow&design,pertinentinformationmadeclearonpage Review&editing Finalproduction proofreading,visualediting deliveringontime,acceptableformat

Dependenciesandrisks
Designwillbeamajorelementofthisprojectasitisimportanttocreateconciseinformationfor abrochureanditwillbedifficulttobebothconciseandprovidealltheinformationnecessary. MostofthetimewillobviouslybesentonInformationdevelopmentasthisistheactualcreation ofthepiece,butifeelthatthispartoftheassignmentwillposealotofdesignandanalysis questions.

Assumptions
Iassumedthatpertinentinformationwouldbeavailableonlineaswellasavailabletomethrough variouscontactsimadewhenconductingresearchonaquaponics.ManyoftheresourcesI consultedwhendoingmyresearchweredifficulttotrackdown,howeverIwasabletofindmy notesfromtheprojectwhichdocumentedmanyoftheprocessesdescribedinmyusermanual andtrainingpresentation.IalsomadetheassumptionthatIcouldgetbackintouchwithmy sampleusershoweverIwasonlyabletomeetwithfaithandnickoncesotheprospectiveand practitionerviewpointsmayhavebeenunderrepresented.

Riskanalysis
Themainriskassociatedwiththisprojectwastheschedulingofinterviewswithsampleusers.It wasimportanttohavefollowupmeetingswithatleastsomeofmyusersandtomakemy deliverablesavailableforthemtoview.InsomecasesIwasunabletoreceivefeedbackonmy documentswhichhurttheirefficacyastheywerenotconstructedonfeedbackbutmerelybased ontheinitialopinionsoftheinterviewees.Otherrisksincludedtimemanagementinproject development,stayingontopofdeadlinesandthelackofanavailablemodelfordemonstrations. Thisonewasquiteahandicapbecauseididnothaveaccesstoafunctioningaquaponicsystem withwhichtodemonstratetheprocessesinmyusermanualandtrainingpresentation.Because ofthis,IhadtobecreativeinmyrepresentationasIcouldnotshowthesysteminaction.

Risks
RiskDescription Probability PotentialImpact PreventionPlan Contingency Plan

Remembering deadlines

high

consultplanner dailyaswellas detailed high,potentialto coursemoodle schedulingin notdeliverpart siteatleast dailyplannerand ofprojectby threetimes onlinereminders deadline weeklytostay viaemail abreastof deadlines medium,Missed deadlines, incompleteor substandard deliverables medium, informationin deliverablesnot reflectiveofall usergroups medium,unable toinclude accurate representations ofprocesses described Checkactual progressagainst projections Communicate obstacles placegreater emphasison nextavailable deliverable

Time management

High

Missedor canceled appointments withsample users photography

High

email

rescheduling interviews, correspondence viaemailonly useofcreative commons imagesas replacementsif unabletocreate accuratemodel viaphotography represent processeswith individual components ratherthan wholesystem

medium

seekoutold equipmentfrom aquaponics researchin ordertohave modelsavailable

lackofsample model

high

high,unableto performtask withactual model

seekout alternative methodsof representation

Dependenciescalculation
Seethedependenciescalculationspreadsheet.

Hoursandcosts

10

DeliverableTitle [Namethe deliverable.]

Page/Topic Count

%Change

TotalHours

[Yourcountof [Percentchange [Totalhoursyou pages,topics,or expectedinthe havecalculated othermetric.] deliverable.] toproduce deliverable.] 18 5 12 5

IDPP DepCalc& Production Schedule Topicbased Estimating Spreadsheet Sample_topic_li st Promotional brochure Usermanual Training Presentation FinalePortfolio

10

341%

52.5

16 10

43% 232%

60 46.5

24

Resourcerequirements
Ineededaccesstooldprojectnotesfrommyaquaponicsresearchprojectinthesummer/fallof 2012.LuckilyIwasabletofindprintcopiesofmynotessincemyelectroniconeshadbeen destroyedwithmylaptopthispastsummer.