Project Proposal

Project Information
Project: PROJECTNAME
Project Time-frame: 2003/1/16 to 2003/3/19
Summary: 2-4 SENTENCE SUMMARY
Attached Worksheets: Project Proposal ~ Target audience and beneIits
Related Documents:
Project plan ~ Resource needs
Glossary
Process impact: This proposal, along with draIts oI related documents, will be used by
management to determine whether or not to approve work on this project. A clear and precise
project plan helps set expectations that will be used later to evaluate the success oI the project.
Background and Motivation
TODO: Replace the example text below with text that describes your project. What are the needs
or problems that you are trying to address? Why do these needs (still) exist? Why are these
problems worth solving? Who is the customer? Write 2-4 paragraphs.
What is the setting and history behind this project?
Video games were originally designed and built as stand-alone systems with the user
playing against the machine. Although many advances have been made in game AI,
humans still tend to enjoy competing against other humans over a network. There is a
social aspect to network gaming where people Iorm teams that play and leagues that play
at scheduled times and keep scores over a prolonged period. This is important to video
game vendors because it can result in increased revenue and extend the sales liIe oI their
products.
What is the problem to be addressed?
There are 100 million users on the Internet, and hundreds oI websites dedicated to video
game playing teams, called "clans". II users have to explore to Iind the good clans that
they can join, it takes a lot oI their time. There is a need Ior a Iaster way Ior users to Iind
high quality clan websites that interest them and that will allow them to join.
What are some current approaches to this problem?
Users can tell each other about clan websites, but that is not scalable because it depends
on manual steps by people who may not be motivated or honest in their evaluations.
There are already some clan directory web sites, but they are not automated so they are
always out oI date and do not rate the quality oI the websites.
O Example oI current manually maintained clan website
O ink to existing competitor
Why is this problem worth solving or worth solving better?
A better clan directory service would be valuable because it could greatly increase player
satisIaction and allow them to spend more time playing and less time searching.
Implementing a better clan directory would cause players to use that website rather than
the existing directories. The beneIit to us could come in the Iorm oI revenue Irom
advertising and service Iees Irom video game vendors.
How will this product be better than previous approaches?
We add innovative new Ieatures. Our aIIiliate directory will be larger an more detailed.
We will oIIer built-in tools Ior managing membership and organizing events such as
game nights or tournaments.
Our system will have similar Iunctionality, but it will have much better maintainability,
scalability, and security.
Our system will have similar Iunctionality, but it is speciIically aimed at a market
segment that is not served by competing products.
This is a "me-too" product that will go head-to-head with very similar competing
products in the same market. The market is large enough that we can be very happy with
a share oI it. Our unique competitive advantages are in non-product area oI our business
such as sales, marketing, partnerships, support, training, etc. The product will have some
simple built-in "hooks" that leverage those advantages.
Where is there more inIormation on this problem?
The Iollowing pages provide additional background and motivation:
O Magazine article on this topic
O Industry analysis's report on massive-multi-player game market
O "uotes Irom game players
oal
What is the goal oI this project?
TIP: This should be relatively short since you can reIerence terms deIined above.
This project will produce an engine Ior clan directory websites that allows players to
quickly Iind, evaluate, and join clans.
What are the deIining Ieatures and beneIits oI this product?
O Reusable website engine with Iunctionality Ior creating, editing, deleting,
searching, categorizing, browsing, rating, and commenting on clans. This
automates all clan operations and ensures that users will always Iind inIormation
that is automatically up-to-date.
O The reusable website engine will have a highly conIigurable appearance that
allows it to match the look and Ieel oI the game. This allows the reusable website
engine to have a high-quality appearance that is just as good as existing clan
directories.
O The website engine will be secure and only allow users with the proper
permissions to edit, delete, or join a clan. This will prevent cheating or the
submission oI Ialse inIormation.
Where are other documents that Iurther explain the goal oI this project?
O Mock-up
O Early user stories
O "uotes Irom potential customers
O Comparison to existing competitors
O DraIt Ieature list
Scope
TODO: Replace the sample text below with a clear statement oI the scope oI your project. What
are the high-level things that you plan to do, and that you will not do? What are your important
simpliIying assumptions? Try to guard against reasonable misunderstandings that might arise iI
you did not explain the scope. It can take the Iorm oI a paragraph, bullet list, in/out list, and/or
UM context diagram.
We want to Iocus on the web application itselI, and the Ieatures oI that application that help build
a good gaming community.
See the context diagram.
O Work with common servers and browsers that we are already Iamiliar with.
O Allow easy customizations oI Ionts and colors, with the same basic page layout.
O Enough security to greatly discourage abuse
O The web site content discusses a game, but it will not need to actually integrate with any
game soItware
In Scope Out of Scope
uilding a web application Ior
use with standard web servers
and application servers
uilding a new web server or application server
Working the most popular
browsers (IE6, NN7/Mozilla)
Working with uncommon or outdated browsers
Security in the Iorm oI user
accounts, passwords, and
permissions
Special security against hackers. Finding or patching security
holes in existing soItware components.
One simple sample look-and-Ieel
and instructions Ior
customization
Our own high-quality look-and-Ieel. A library oI look-and-
Ieel options.
Database and server load and
data volume that can be handled
by one computer.
Managing a cluster oI servers.
Keeping track oI which users are
in which clans
Tracking all user activity on the site and producing custom
reports
Displaying advertisements to
visitors. illing advertisers Ior
impressions.
Automatically selecting ads that Iit the visitor's interests. On-
line management oI advertising or real-time reporting to
advertisers. Participating in existing banner advertising
aIIiliate networks.
Deliverables
TODO: rieIly list project deliverables. When you are done, what will you deliver to the
customer? This can be copied Irom the draIt project plan and simpliIied to reduce technical
detail.
O Clan website directory engine
O Customization guide
O Sample look-and-Ieel
O On-line help Ior end users
O Command-line advertising conIiguration tool and report generator
Risks and Rewards
TODO: rieIly list and rank major risks. Risks are detailed in the draIt project plan. For this
proposal document, you should select the most important risks Irom the project plan and explain
them in non-technical terms.
What are the main risks oI this project?
1. There is a potential conIlict between the goals oI a high-quality appearance and
one that is completely customizable. We can only succeed iI players Iind the web
site appealing, and game vendors can customize it with no more eIIort than would
be needed to build a static website. We already have a design in mind that will
address this risk and we will review it with a web site designer who worked Ior a
game vendor site.
2. There are signiIicant technical diIIiculties in building a web site and web
application. This will be a risk because one person on our team has much
experience with the relevant tools and technologies. Although the others will
learn, we will certainly make some mistakes and suboptimal choices. We will
address this risk by scoping the project such that we have enough time to train and
to review the design and implementation.
3. The schedule Ior this project is very short. We will manage this by planning a
conservatively scoped Iunctional core and series oI Iunctional enhancements that
can be individually slipped to later releases iI needed.
What are the main rewards iI this project succeeds?
II we accomplish the elements oI our plan, our clan directory website engine will replace
existing clan directory websites and generate traIIic which will result in advertising
revenue and/or hosting Iees paid by game vendors. Our ability to overcome the
challenges above will determine time to market, the speed oI adoption, the amount oI
web traIIic, and thus the generated revenue over time.
Project Plan
See attached draIt oI project plan and resource needs.
TODO: Check Ior words oI wisdom and discuss ways to improve this template. Or, evaluate the
ReadySET Pro proIessional project proposal template.
Copyright 2003-2004 Jason Robbins. All rights reserved. icense terms. Retain this copyright
statement whenever this Iile is used as a template.


aVYW`S[cSZUW
The ocal Unit Budget Allowance (UA) program was implemented in 1989 to allow local
units to Iund their programs using Iunds supplied by the Church.
Contents
hlde
O rlnclples
O 8asls
O AccounLlng
4 ?earend lssues
O 8eporLlng
O PlsLory
O 8esources
O 8eferences
Principles
The Iundamental principles oI the udget Allowance program are Iound in Handbook 1. Stake
Presidents and Bishops |2010|, 14.7.2:
O All local unlL acLlvlLles are Lo be funded from Lhe 8udgeL Allowance
O ,embers are noL Lo pay any funds ouL of pockeL Lo parLlclpaLe ln acLlvlLles (Lhere are excepLlons
for fundlng a slngle camp for youLh)
O ,embers are Lo submlL recelpLs for relmbursemenL for all expenses Lhey lncur as Lhey serve ln
Lhelr calllngs
O AcLlvlLles are Lo be slmpllfled Lo flL wlLhln Lhe 8udgeL Allowance
In 2004, the udget Allowance was increased to Iund activities more eIIectively and relieve the
Iinancial burden on Iamilies.
|1|
With this increase, units were instructed that Iund-raising
activities should be substantially reduced or eliminated.
Basis
The Church allocates Iunds to the stake Ior the next quarter, based on attendance Iigures Irom the
previous quarter. For example, the allocation Ior the Iirst quarter oI 2011 is based on attendance
reported on the "uarterly Report Ior the third quarter oI 2010. The allocations are calculated on
the Iollowing metrics:
O Average SacramenL ,eeLlng ALLendance llsLed on Lhe CuarLerly 8eporL (whlch comes from Lhe
lasL monLh of Lhe quarLer only)
O ?oung ,en and ?oung Women aLLendlng meeLlngs as reporLed on Lhe CuarLerly 8eporL
O rlmary chlldren ages 8 aLLendlng meeLlngs Slnce Lhls exacL flgure ls noL avallable on Lhe
CuarLerly 8eporL lL ls esLlmaLed by Laklng Lhe percenLage of rlmary aLLendance from Lhe
CuarLerly 8eporL and mulLlplylng LhaL percenLage by Lhe acLual number of rlmary chlldren
aged 8
O ?oung Slngle AdulLs aLLendlng meeLlngs Slnce Lhls exacL flgure ls noL avallable on Lhe CuarLerly
8eporL lL ls esLlmaLed by Laklng Lhe percenLage of SacramenL ,eeLlng aLLendance from Lhe
CuarLerly 8eporL and mulLlplylng LhaL percenLage by Lhe acLual number of ?oung Slngle AdulLs
aged 8
The Church sends a PDF letter to the stake at the beginning oI each quarter in its Finance
Statements option, detailing precisely what attendance Iigures were used to calculate the Iunding
amount Ior each category Ior each ward.
Accounting
O @he sLake admlnlsLers 8udgeL Allowance funds @he Church allocaLes funds Lo Lhe sLake and
Lhen Lhe sLake presldenL decldes how Lhose funds are allocaLed Lo each ward and Lo Lhe sLake
4 @he sLake recelves a quarLerly reporL of Lhe budgeL allocaLlon and preclsely whaL
aLLendance flgures for each ward accounL for each componenL of LhaL allocaLlon
4 @he sLake Lhen decldes how much Lo reLaln for Lhe sLake budgeL and how much ls
allocaLed Lo each ward @hls could be as slmple as Lhe sLake reLalnlng a flxed percenLage
(perhaps ) and glvlng each ward 8 of Lhe amounL of Lhe LoLal allocaLlon LhaL
comes from LhaL wards aLLendance Any number of addlLlonal facLors could be
consldered dependlng on Lhe parLlcular needs of Lhe wards ln Lhe sLake lf Lhe sLake
makes no change Lhe ward recelves Lhe same percenLages as Lhe prevlous quarLer lf
Lhe ward has noL LransmlLLed lLs CuarLerly 8eporL lL recelves no budgeL allowance
O ocal unlLs should Lrack budgeL allocaLlons and expendlLures for each auxlllary uslng ,S
O AlLhough ,S does noL lnclude a reconclllaLlon of Lhe 8udgeL caLegory lL ls posslble Lo reconclle
Lhe 8udgeL caLegory
O 8udgeLs are Lo be seL on an annual basls buL Lhe Church allocaLes funds Lo Lhe sLake on a
quarLerly basls (ln Lhe uS and Canada) so some esLlmaLlon of avallable funds ln Lhe laLLer parL
of Lhe year ls requlred
4 Some sLakes choose Lo allocaLe budgeL funds Lo Lhe wards on an annual basls @hls
slmpllfles budgeLlng for Lhe wards buL requlres Lhe sLake Lo esLlmaLe Lhe annual
allowance before Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe year and Lhen absorb any changes ln acLual
allowance amounLs LhroughouL Lhe year
4 Lher sLakes allocaLe budgeL funds Lo Lhe wards on a quarLerly basls as acLual budgeL
allowance flgures are senL Lo Lhe sLake by CPC @hls requlres wards Lo esLlmaLe Lhelr
annual allowance aL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe year lor one approach Lo Lhls esLlmaLlon see
8udgeL allowance accounLlng
ear-end issues
Among the decisions the stake president needs to make regarding the udget Allowance is how
to handle surpluses or deIicits in ward budgets. Stakes carry Iorward the year-end budget
allocation balance, but they decide how this issue is handled Ior wards. Stakes use various
procedures, Ior example:
O lgnore any surpluses or deflclLs so wards begln Lhe nexL year wlLh Lhelr new allocaLlon
lndependenL of Lhe pasL year Wards wlLh deflclLs wlll be admonlshed Lo sLay wlLhln Lhelr budgeL
nexL year
O Carry forward any deflclLs buL all surpluses are essenLlally swepL lnLo Lhe sLake budgeL
O Carry forward any deflclLs or surpluses
O Carry forward any deflclLs or surpluses buL cap Lhe surplus carryforward aL some flxed
maxlmum such as $
These approaches have various pros and cons:
O Allowlng wards Lo carry forward surpluses helps avold Lhe use lL or lose lL menLallLy LhaL leads
some wards Lo lndlscrlmlnaLely spend money aL Lhe end of Lhe year
O 8equlrlng wards Lo carry forward deflclLs encourages wards Lo be frugal ln Lhelr spendlng slnce
Lhey know LhaL excess spendlng wlll lead Lo less budgeL belng avallable nexL year
O Capplng surpluses or noL allowlng surpluses Lo be carrled forward aL all encourages wards Lo use
Lhe funds Lo bless Lhe llves of Lhelr members Lhrough acLlvlLles LhaL approprlaLely bulld unlLy
and LesLlmonles
O lgnorlng surpluses and deflclLs slmpllfles accounLlng for wards and sLakes
Reporting
Ward and stake Iinancial clerks should give regular budget reports to their priesthood leaders.
When the clerk obtains the required signature Ior the monthly review oI the Action Items, it is a
good opportunity to review the current status oI the udget and other Iinancial categories. The
Summary version oI the udget Report in MS is a helpIul starting point Ior this discussion.
Auxiliary presidents and other leaders responsible Ior udget subcategories should receive
periodic reports oI their year-to-date budget allowance, expenditures, and remaining balance.
This is conveniently done in a ward or stake council meeting. Generally, the Detail version oI the
udget Report in MS provides the necessary inIormation.
istory
The udget Allowance program was announced in 1989. Various areas have implemented the
program at diIIerent times and have had diIIerent amounts and changes, depending on exchange
rates and other Iactors.
Resources
O Ward 8udgeLxls A spreadsheeL LhaL summarlzes all ward budgeL allowance and expense
lnformaLlon for Lhe year by subcaLegory and monLh