WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY
Submittal Cover Sheet

Date: February 14, 2011
Student Name: Selina Coley
Student ID Number: 182287
Student Degree Program: Information Technology – Software Emphasis
Student Email: snolley@wgu.edu
Four Digit Assessment/Project Code: TWA1
Mentor Name: Vinton Smith
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Western Governors University
Attn.: Assessment Delivery Department
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Salt Lake City, Utah 84107-2533

wgusubmittals@wgu.edu[->0]
Technical Writing Project Cover Sheet

Capstone Proposal Project Name: Static Website – www.booksandbottles.org

Student Name: Selina Coley

Degree Program: Information Technology – Software Emphasis

Mentor Name: Vinton Smith

Signature Block Student’s Signature Selina Coley

Mentor’s Signature

Table of Contents

Capstone Proposal Summary 1
Review of Other Work 3
Rationale and Systems Analysis 4
Goals and Objectives 5
Project Deliverables 6
Project Plan and Timelines 7
References 9
Appendix 1: Competency Matrix 10

Capstone Proposal Summary
My project proposal is to develop a static web site for a growing organization based in Sterling, Virginia. The mission of Books and Bottles is to promote healthy development of infants and young children through proper nutrition and early childhood exposure to reading. In early January, Ms. Elizabeth Christy, who is the Executive Director of the project, approached me to assist in the development and deployment of their new website for her organization entitled Books and Bottles. Considering that, Ms. Christy knew my educational background it was a great opportunity to take. To find out that the project will also be able to fulfill my capstone project made the opportunity a bit more valuable and personal to me. The website itself will serve as an informational site to help members of the community and surrounding areas discover the organization as well as extend its hands into outer communities. The website itself is of personal value to me, considering I too have a young infant at home and my values mirror that of the organization. The website will echo and reiterate messages and missions founded by similar organizations including, yet not limited to, the Harlem Children’s Zone (http://www.hcz.org) and the National Head Start Association (http://www.nhsa.org). I will be using both these to help ensure that the website provides the organization with the proper look and feel, also to ensure that the site is easy to access and utilize. After receiving more information in regards to exactly what will be included in the website, I was informed that not only will the site provide information for others, it will consists of links to email the members of the organization, provide a way for others to become involved and also provide visitors with links to view and download documents. Ms. Christy has provided me with a logo image as well as basic outline as to what is desired to fulfill her request for her website. I will be utilizing both Adobe Photoshop and Dream Weaver to create and publish the documents and images to an online service. When first presenting my idea for my capstone project, I was oblivious to the actual functionality of using Java within HTML to build a static website. After doing some research and reviewing several different styles and types of informational websites, I have discovered that the ability to build a website using the Java programming language is one that can be done fairly easy given my educational skills acquired over time. At first, I could not see beyond the basic HTML learned in Web Technologies (WSV1), yet using Java would make any website more functional and commutable beyond my hands. The use of a higher programming language will allow other programmers or web developers to be able to maintain the same site that I developed in years to come. Within the website, I will be able to display my understanding of different competencies learned in different courses that cover the development of web page fundaments, software testing and troubleshooting, and object oriented concepts and development. With a deeper understanding of exactly what is expected of me and what could be an acceptable idea for a final Capstone Project, I am confident that the development of this website will display my knowledge attained in the progress of earning my degree in Information Technology with a Software Development Emphasis. As I begin to structure the project, I will be in more contact with the client to ensure that the project is indeed what they have in mind and to ensure that the project stays on course to be completed within a reasonable amount of time. Although, the initial conversation about the website was vague, I hope to be able to retrieve more details over the course of development. The website is projected to be developed and published within a time span of six weeks, which I agree is a reasonable amount of time considering the functionality of the website.

Review of Other Work
In determining how to present my proposal for my capstone project, I sought out different websites, some related to the same purpose as my project and some just simply informational to gain a greater depth insight to exactly what I would be doing. Considering that this project, as well as the organization, is in its beginning stages, the use of viewing other websites and source code allows me to gather a greater knowledge of exactly how the layout should present itself in design and how the information should flow within the connecting pages. Although, the two organizations that feed the thoughts and ideas of this growing organization have been established beyond the time frame of this current project, I hope to be able to develop a website that can grow in time to support the growing needs of Books and Bottles. In comparing, I used both the National Head Start Association (NHSA) and the Harlem Children’s Zone websites. These websites were already within my radar for personal reasons; the client also mentioned the connection when presenting the idea to me. The presentations of these two websites are properly geared towards a specific audience, mainly involving parents of children in the early stages of life. The NHSA founded in 1973, mirrors the federal Head Start program launched in 1965. The Head Start Program was first launched as a six-week program to prepare low-income children with the tools needed to start kindergarten. With much success the program was then expanded, later revised and is now one of the longest running programs in the United States. The NHSA was founded as a collection of Head Start directors and communities to ensure their existence pass the Nixon’s administration. The core mission of this organization is to support the Head Start organization as one of the leaders in early childhood education and development. Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc. was founded in 1970 and rapidly grew and expanded over time. Starting from a pilot program addressing a single block in the infamous Harlem neighborhood to address problems troubling low-income families, it has vastly grown to cover close to 100 blocks. Like many great programs, this program not only encompasses the HCZ, it has expanded to include a parenting workshop, pre-school program, obesity program, and a program to help teachers and families handle asthma, a disease that plagues the minority community. Both websites contain information about the programs, their beginnings and their missions; how they plan to continue to grow and how the community can get involved. In comparison, I would like for this website to mirror the constant expansion of knowledge, change and growth that the other two websites offer their visitors.

Rationale and Systems Analysis
Considering that we are currently in the age of technology and everything is readily available at the tip of your fingers, any organization that would like to rapidly spread their name and cause turn to the internet nowadays, Books and Bottles is no different. Due to the fact that this is a new project, website and organization, an outline of what is expected to be accomplished has not been clearly defined. Over the course of the project, these specifications will be presented as milestones are approached. Being the web developer for this project with little guidance outside of my own knowledge and resources, many decisions on what tools and languages to use will fall heavily on me. My ability to judge and measure what is indeed important and what tools would allow me to complete this project in a timely matter. My decisions will be reflected in the process as I constantly update the client on the progress of the website. My judgments will be measured as I present a final fully functional website that she will be proud to adapt as her own. When approached with the project, I was informed that the website will be hosted by another source and that the domain name had been purchased and registered. The website will consists of a few pages containing a home page, an about us, and a way to contact the organization. Seemingly the development of any website in the beginning can seem a bit overwhelming with all the decisions that have to be made. My decisions are made easier simply because I am the only web developer, the only thing that would counter act any decision would be post design, pre deployment, made by the client. Bearing in mind that my emphasis for my degree program is Software Development, I have decided that the use of the Java programming language will be the most effective to display the knowledge obtained throughout my core studies. I will be using both Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver tools to help in the production and presentation of the website. Adobe Dreamweaver allows for me to have a constant look at the environment and all changes that are made with its “WYSIWYG” environment. Even though, I have yet to code a website in any other language besides HTML, I am confident that the resources I have available to me, that this project will be one that I can be proud to present to my client and also a future employer as part of a Software Portfolio.
Goals and Objectives
With launching this website, there are personal, technical and non-technical goals that both I and the organization will like to obtain.
· Public Awareness – Books and bottles is a new foundation that would like to be known among the best of its kind. A website will allow the organization’s mission to be easily attained through an open source. With a properly coded and functional site, visitors will be able to gain knowledge of the organization itself, find out ways to help and also contact the directors of the program to get involved.
· Community Engagement – Creating a website with an active email directory, will allow site visitors the ability to directly contact members of the organization. With this direct contact, the presence of Books and Bottles will be able to spread beyond its current geographical physical location, allowing volunteers across Loudoun County, the state of Virginia and beyond to become an active part in a newly formed organization with wonderful goals.
· This project will allow me to o Create a website that will function regardless of browser or computer platform o Create a properly designed, natural feeling website that will be easy to maintain and navigate o Properly include links to external websites, email address and documents that will be made available for download o Create a site with proper standards according to W3C, that will be able to grow and change as the organization expands and become a larger foundation o Utilize and sharpen my knowledge of source code and programming languages and their respect to creating a server side supported site o Strengthen my gained knowledge of working with Adobe products, including Photoshop and Dreamweaver
Project Deliverables
Objective Plan This proposal will serve as a basic plan between me and the client to ensure that the goals set are agreed upon before the project is slated to begin. With the further agreement of the requirements and objectives, it will allow a conscience effort to prevent and eliminate scope creep. This document will serve as the first project deliverable and will serve as a baseline to measure the progress being made against the timeline created within this same document.
Site Structure Plan Included within this document is a print out of an email between me and the client outlining the expected structure of the finished site. The email lists the requirements for the separate pages, wording that will be used, the basic desire for colors and layouts, as well as the desire to include email links and downloadable documents links.
Public Web Pages At the present moment, the site will consist of three main web pages, a home page, an about us page, and the need for a contact us page. All pages will share a similar template, with the home page serving as an index page and welcome page, the about us page will serve as a way for the organization to provide visitors with their mission, and a contact us page that will allow visitors to contact different members of the organization.
Project Plan and Timelines
TASK NAME DURATION START DATE END DATE

1. Identify Organizational Goals 1 day 02-06-11 02-07-11
2. Research Similar Works 1 day 02-09-11 02-10-11
3. Obtain Signoff from Client 2 days 02-13-11 02-15-11
4. Website Template Design 1 day 02-14-11 02-15-11
5. Template Approval 2 days 02-15-11 02-17-11
6. Create/ Format Home Page 1 day 02-16-11 02-17-11
7. Create/ Format About Us Page 1 day 02-18-11 02-19-11
8. Create/ Format Contact Us Page 1 day 02-20-11 02-21-11
9. Test and Adjust 2 days 02-22-11 02-23-11
10. Project Delivery 1day 02-24-11 02-25-11
11. Client Testing 1 day 02-26-11 02-27-11
12. Client Feedback 1 day 02-28-11 03-01-11
13. Final Refinements 2 days 03-02-11 03-04-11
14. Project Closeout 2 days 03-05-11 03-07-11
15. Website Launch 03-08-11

References (2010). Retrieved February 6, 2011, from Harlem Children's Zone: http://www.hcz.org/
Empire Group. (2011). National Head Start Association - Home. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from http://www.nhsa.org/ Head Start Program. (2011, February 10). Retrieved February 11, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_Program Appendix 1: Competency Matrix
Domain/Subdomain|Competency|Explanation|
IT Fundamentals|Site Development Foundations|The use of hyperlinks to link to external websites and email addresses.|
Web Development|Web Page Creation & Programming Languages|Several programming languages will be used to complete my final product|
Web Development|Dynamic Web Page Fundamentals|Tools used during development stage of the project include Dreamweaver and Photoshop.|
Software Development|Software Testing & Troubleshooting|I will used texting strategies to ensure that all links are working appropriately|
Software Development|Object Oriented Concepts|The use of the Java programming language displays my ability to develop object oriented designs|
Software Development|Application Development Environment|Using Java, I will display by ability to compile and launch a Java application, being the website|
Systems Admin & Management|Project Scope & Planning|Planning helped me define a timeline of project deliverables|
Upper Division Collegiate Level Reasoning and Problem Solving|Interpretation and Analysis of Information|Visiting similar websites allowed me to analyze the presentation of other websites to provide me with a way to adjust to prevent common possible errors.|
Leadership and Professionalism|Upper-Division Teamwork|I was involved with the different clients to ensure that the product delivered was beyond expectations.|
Language and Communication|Adaptation|My project proposal is written to help the client understand the purpose of the project. The website will be designed to cater and deliver a product to a different audience. |
Quantitative Literacy|Applying Geometric, Trigonometric and Measurement Processes|I have applied basic measurement and ratios to ensure a balance website design|

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