25249 Mobile Application & Mobile Learning
Planning is the initial stage of the iteration that comprises of familiarizing with the mobile application and mobile learning project, and the processes involved in the project. I had a plan to meet with M-learning expert who would guide me in analyzing the system regarding how it works and the desired output. In the plan, I was to meet with various supervisors and clients, so that we could create a rapport. The major need for the meeting was to understand the problem at hand and decide on how it would be solved so as to show aspects of uniqueness and identify the technologies that would be appropriate for the project. Additionally, the meeting would provide us a chance of understanding the project’s objectives, ask and discuss the solutions to questions, the overall schedule, and task allocation. The reason for scheduling the project was to enable us determines the timeline of different tasks, and allocate additional time for risk management, in case an issue occurred within the estimated period (Hughes, Dwivedi, Simintiras & Rana, 2016). Also, I planned to research on various mobile applications that provide mobile learning on the internet and the schools and colleges that had implemented their system in a similar way. Since the aim of our project was to improve on existing systems by providing solutions that meet the needs of the users, we had to plan on identifying the weaknesses of the existing systems and then think of how we would improve them.
Other fundamental elements that got included in my plan included identification of communication methods and tools used when working with the supervisors and clients. Within this iteration, the plan had to form a solid foundation so that the subsequent phases and iterations would be easy and with minimal and manageable risks and uncertainties (Williams, 1996).
The orientation day was very important because it was an introductory part of the project and according to research, it accounts for almost forty percent of the project processes, and therefore it had to be taken seriously. During the meeting with the Mobile Learning expert, I provided my proposal document to him so that he would analyze before making a suggestion. Later on, he explained some few aspects of the mobile applications, Mobile learning, and user interactions. He explained about other similar projects such as the e-learning platforms which are common in most colleges and universities and the relationship between e-learning and m-learning. Additionally, he considered the implementation methods that include the supporting technologies and tools that were most appropriate for the project to be successful. The explanation of the m-learning platform was explained in detail, including the implementation strategies, suitable system development life cycle (SDLC) model and estimated duration.
I estimated the project timeline by splitting the overall estimated duration into parts and allocating tasks to the time slots (Limoncelli, 2005). I also performed the thorough analysis of similar applications offering the mobile learning services to the students from the internet, and at Google play store. The communication plan turned useful as I was able to create a good connection with the supervisors and clients. Besides, I successfully achieved in learning how to use the tools associated with the mobile application development as well as gaining an understanding of the architecture of the project. Within this phase, I was able to create a schedule for accomplishing the tasks in other subsequent iterations. The research revealed that similar projects have been implemented, but they have not been applied to mobile devices, and therefore users would certainly be impressed if the solution got provided to them.
All the tasks that I performed in the orientation process made me realize that the process is essential especially when bringing a new project that did not exist before. I found out that the process enabled me to have a complete understanding of the entire project, and how it was supposed to utilize the available technologies so as to be successfully implemented. The orientation process is required during the initialization process so as to introduce the researcher to project development in a gentle way, so as to eliminate rush decisions of jumping into the project implementation without having a clue. I realized that I was able to gain a positive approach towards the project by gaining a solid understanding about its whereabouts. The information from the meeting with the expert was helpful in knowing the size of the project, how to approach it, the modules and with all these information I will analyze the timeline and risks involved.
Another observation made was that a researcher is expected to be very keen on communication with the parties he/she works. Since I intended to provide solutions to existing problems, I realized that I had to be careful on how I approach clients and supervisors, by showing the high level of understanding. I had to learn to perform analysis since there are scenarios whereby the clients may not provide clear requirements, which needs for clarifications or otherwise it would affect the entire system. Finally, I learned that the project got associated with many risks such as time management and other project management tasks which had to get controlled as early as possible. It is because failure or negligence of a certain issue would have the serious impact on the entire project tasks if not controlled as early as possible (Young, 2010).
The orientation iteration of mobile application and learning platform proved familiar in that the researcher learned so much. Even though most of his expectations got realized, the researcher could not approve of some situations. Firstly, the orientation process was useful in establishing a foundation for the project, while providing the researcher with the basic understanding of the project through expertise solution and training on implementation technologies. The researcher realized that by having a solid understanding, the project would operate smoothly without the need for backtracking in an attempt to solve errors that arose. Furthermore, he realized that the iteration would be helpful in establishing the connection with the clients and supervisors. Through the chat with the supervisors, he learned to be sincere and straight while requesting for guideline throughout the project (McKay, Davis & Fanning, 1983).
Still, he understood that since he was the developer and researcher, he did not have to rely on little client suggestion, but rather perform analysis and sampling so as to come up with best solutions in the project. He realized that some answers may be biased and incomplete and that they had to be dealt with until a perfect solution got found. The researcher also found out that he had to behave well throughout the project progress because his behavior also contributed to the success of the project. Some things that did not happen according to the researcher’s plan included client disagreement and lack of people participation. The researcher realized that most users are not aware of the benefits of applications, and they feel burdened with processes in application developments because all they want is only the solution. This disagreement happened with most clients who showed minimal cooperation, but in reality, they just wanted to see a working mobile learning application.
The overall research experience during the orientation iteration was fruitful, and I realized that I gained more experience than I expected. That being the initial stage provided me with essential skills that I would utilize not only in the project but also in the real world. Soe of the achievements included improvement on communication skills, time management, and problem-solving skills
Hughes, D. L., Dwivedi, Y. K., Simintiras, A. C., & Rana, N. P. (2016). Success and failure of IS/IT projects: A State of the art analysis and future directions. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?isbn=331923000X
Limoncelli, T. (2005). Time management for system administrators. Beijing: O’Reilly. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0596007833. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0596007833
McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (1983). Messages, the communication book. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=U6ZpAAAAMAAJ
Williams, P. B. (1996). Getting a project done on time: Managing people, time and results. New York: American management association, AMACOM. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0814402844
Young, T. L. (2010). Successful project management. London: Kogan Page. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0749459174.