EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (ABSTRACT)
The Windward Islands are at the southern end of the chain of islands that make up the Caribbean. The four main islands include Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia. Sailing in the Windward Islands is an experience like no other. The four islands are far enough apart to allow for open sea sailing with easterly trade winds allowing for an amazing sailing experience. To many within the yachting industry, boating and islands just go together. Many believe that to really see a place and know a place you must see it from the sea. This viewpoint gives perspective to size, landscape and shrubbery. Visiting the land afterward gives persons the opportunity to explore what makes an island unique. The best parts of any island are its hidden features: beaches, protected coves, tiny villages and little beach bars often unreachable by boat. Cruisers travelling to the islands are often without important information about the ins and outs and the overall sailing environment before the start of their trip. The purpose of performing this feasibility study was to determine the practicality of the development of an app to display all these islands and their features. The study’s aim was to realistically ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of developing the app, the opportunities and threats present in the environment; the resources required to it carry through; and ultimately its prospects for success. The benefits derived from the feasibility study will be beneficial to the overall project, as it aims to determine if the project should move forward. The feasibility study will answer questions of market demand for the app and its marketability in the industry. It will further ascertain the competitiveness of the app in the market when compared with other services/products being offered. The general objective was to perform a feasibility study for an app development to determine the viability and success of its operation. The specific objectives of the study were to create a time management plan to ensure that the project was completed on time; to develop a cost management plan to make sure the project is within budget; to design a quality management plan to make certain that all resources needed to complete the project successfully are available. A communications management plan will
also be created to ensure that the system of communications and the project performance are documented properly; a stakeholder management plan will be constructed to document the interaction between stakeholders and processes used to manage issues identified on the project. A scope management plan will be produced to guarantee that the purpose and objectives of the project are maintained throughout the project duration and to execute a market analysis, resource analysis and competitor analysis to determine viability of the app with recommendations, possible alternatives and overall conclusion of the study. The research methodologies used in performing the study include primary and secondary sources of information that support the research methods used. The primary sources used were survey research such as interviews, surveys etc., newspaper articles, observation and MPM course notes. The secondary sources used were websites, journal articles, books and blogs. The research methods used in the study included observational methods, content analysis, questionnaire survey analysis and interview method. The tools employed to carry out the study were based on the tools specified in the PMBOK Guide and were specific to each objective required. These included analytical tools, meetings, critical path method, communication requirements analysis, stakeholder analysis, interviews and surveys. The conclusion generated from the feasibility analysis is that the development of the app is a viable idea. As mentioned before, cruisers to the region are often without the necessary information about the ins and outs of the islands, which can be confusing and time consuming while on their trip. The promotion of the app as a viable alternative will provide sailors with a more open perspective of what to expect from each island. The project management processes employed in this project enables us effectively cater to the development needs of the app. The ensuing recommendation following survey analysis further reinforces that effective project management is crucial to ensure that the results meet stakeholder expectation and is in keeping with the constraints of scope, time and cost.
