5-3 Project Two Milestone Two: Gantt Chart

Overview

Now that you have used a project charter to outline overall goals for mitigating vulnerabilities, you will explore more granular methods of completing the work. There are many approaches you can take to dividing the work into smaller components that can be scheduled, but in this milestone you will be using a Gantt chart because of its prominence in the industry. A Gantt chart is an at-a-glance tool that helps show the relationship between individual tasks and the overall timeline of a project. It also allows you to think about resource allocation and how different tasks might be completed simultaneously by a diverse set of individuals or teams.

When beginning your Gantt chart, first consider an overarching outline or phases for the work. What are some major components that will need to occur in order to reach your goal? It may be useful to think in terms of products when conceptualizing what your phases will be. This will also allow you to closely align your phases with milestones. For example, you might decide that one phase will be the implementation of a next generation firewall. This would make your accompanying milestone, listed at the phase’s conclusion in the Gantt chart, the finalized delivery of that firewall.

Tasks and resources are the last step to completing your Gantt chart. Here you will think in terms of all the smallest pieces that would be needed in order to complete the overall scope of work. When considering the firewall example, one task could be preparing the active directory domain for the implementation of the next generation firewall. You could then assign one person from the hardware engineer team to complete this task.

Scenario

The ACME Company administration is surprised by all the potential vulnerabilities and areas for improvement you were able to find in its network. They would like to immediately begin moving toward a multi-layered approach to security, which addresses the three risk domains of people, process, and technology, by building on the information you have already provided. Because of your knowledge of the network’s vulnerabilities and your prior experience as a project manager, the ACME Company hires you to create a comprehensive project management plan for addressing one vulnerability for each risk domain.

You are told that stakeholders would like this project to be completed in the next six months. The following table details the list of teams and individuals you will have as resources when completing the work.

Provide funding for the project

Responsible for coordinating the work between each different team, while also serving as the direct link to the stakeholders

Prioritizes and coordinates the team’s work and operates as a member of the small development team as well

Possesses a specialized skill set hired from outside the organization, and is responsible for physical work and maintenance of the office space

Personnel	Role
Stakeholders
Project manager (You!)
Hardware engineers team lead
Software engineers team lead
Contractor

Prompt

All of your work for this milestone will be completed using the Project Two Gantt Chart Template, linked in the assignment in Module Five of your course. This file contains two separate tabs: Project Schedule and Resource Allocation. Phases and tasks are already divided for you, but you may add or remove as many rows as you need to create a project plan that works for you. There are currently no rows dedicated to milestones; you will need to add these wherever you believe they would be most appropriate. Include specific dates in the Start and End columns to view the way tasks align on the calendar. You may also explore how the Progress column allows you to visualize completed work by adding an example percentage value there.

You must address the critical elements listed below.

Project ScheduleDesign a plan that effectively balances a timeline to mitigate one vulnerability for each of the three risk domains, while adhering to the overall scope necessitated by stakeholders.Create at least four phases to effectively divide the work into sections that provide a high-level view.Create two to three applicable tasks that align to the larger goal of each phase.Select at least five milestones that denote significant events in your project timeline.
Resource AllocationSelect appropriate resources to associate with each task.Justify the rationale behind your selection of resources.

What to Submit

You will be submitting an Excel file. Use a file name that includes the course code, the assignment title, and your name—for example, CYB_123_Assignment_Firstname_Lastname.docx.

Project Two Milestone Two Rubric

0%)

Project Schedule: Risk Domains

Project Schedule: PhasesMeets “Proficient” criteria and addresses critical element in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner