Request for Project Management Plan

¶ … Monroenico Hospitality Company Project Purpose and Description The purpose of this project is as follows: The complex interplay of collaborative effort which every major information technology (IT) project requires a precise system of measurement through which to quantify and qualify the occurrence of success or failure, and this process is best performed with a practical system of project metrics.

Traditional project metrics such as customer satisfaction rating and return on investment have been supplemented with the powerful analytics of modern software applications, allowing today's project managers to evaluate every conceivable aspect of an IT project through the objective lens of calculation and computation.

It has been consistently observed that enterprises which excel at adhering to predetermined project delivery schedules typically employ a well-defined set of performance metrics to regularly measure ongoing progress (Schwalbe, 2011), because project managers armed with this targeted knowledge are far better equipped to deploy their resources efficiently and effectively. Practical project metrics also guide the project selection process, enabling project managers to assess the relative merits and disadvantages of a proposal with weighted scoring models or balanced scorecards before the implementation phase is approved.

Overall, the role of practical project metrics is to provide project managers with a systematic methodology through which the multitude of variances inherent to complex IT projects can be prevented or mitigated. The current computer system utilized by Motel 6 to book reservations and conduct front desk operations was implemented in 2012 by Crossbeam Systems, Inc., with the adoption of the Crossbeam X-Series secured reservations platform designed to streamline Motel 6's international operations and online reservation capabilities.

According to industry reports this recent transition, "Motel 6 deployed the Crossbeam X-Series platform running third-party firewall software to deliver scalable protection for its e-commerce traffic & #8230; to ensure traveler security during the online reservations process without slowing the network or negatively affecting the user experience," (Simmons, 2012). Although this objective was clearly stated and pursued by Crossbeam Systems, Inc., we here at Monroenico are confident that the information contained within this RFP will demonstrate that significant improvements remain to be made.

The reason for Motel 6's initial implementation of a new reservation system stems from a situation which occurred in 2007, when unplanned system outages severely impacted the network's ability to facilitate user traffic effectively. An internal investigation revealed that the company's existing firewall infrastructure was unable to sustain modern levels of user traffic, creating a slower experience for customers attempting to make reservations online.

With the user experience for Motel 6's website and online reservation experience frustrating at best, and nonexistent at worst, many prospective customers ultimately abandoned their effort to reserve a room online, taking their business to a competitor instead.

The impact on Motel 6's revenue stream was disastrous to say the least, but the consequences for the company's national brand were even more damning, and because the network security team discovered their only recourse to be manually restarting three firewalls clusters per day to prevent outages, the decision to implement the Crossbeam X-Series was made without hesitation.

We here at Monroenico believe that the external market pressures applied to Motel 6's management during the time when firewall outages plagued the company led to the quick decision to use Crossbeam Systems, Inc., and while that company is competent and capable in its own right, the proprietary systems and professional pride of Monroenico makes us the optimal option going forward. Project Description: Motel 6 requires a vendor to provide cutting-edge structure and support for its internal reservation system, front desk interface and online booking platform.

To that end, a multi-staged approach to consolidating the company's reservation system is recommended, with the objective being to increase the number of "requests for connections" from online customers which can be accepted at any given time. This improvement is considered to be a critical aspect of Monroenico's proposed overhaul, because travelers, agents and corporate accounts should all be able to enjoy a convenient booking experience using the company's website.

The newly installed Monroenico hospitality interface would therefore be designed to support security applications to effectively protect the system from external intrusion, increase the reliability and resiliency of the firewall construct to effectively cope with peak user traffic, and ensure scalability to provide a template for future improvements and enhancements to the system as Motel 6's internal operations continue to expand.

4.) Project Scope The scope for this reservation system implementation project covers all aspects of design and development, programming and coding, and hosting of Motel 6's newly installed Monroenico hotel hospitality front desk interface and online reservation system. The following criteria must be met to achieve a successful project: Convenient user interface for online customers which is both aesthetically pleasing and organizationally efficient.

Intuitive front desk interface for Motel 6 reservation agents which enables complete control over a particular hotel's property-wide needs, including access to maintenance and room service departments, key-fob coding and guest services. Uniformity across domestic and international versions of Motel 6's online reservation platform. Transfer of current website content and customer information, including sensitive financial data and booking history, from the previous platform to the newly installed system.

Site can be changed/modified easily by Ace Consulting personnel with minimal effort Local, state and federal software and licensing mandates must be adhered to during all phases of the implementation.