Part 1 Project Plan
I have a meeting with my technical director today so I should be able to finish up my scope table by tomorrow. As well I'm hoping to meet real soon with my accountant in order to draw up a budget. Until then here is my description parts.
John Loerchner Project Plan
The Underground
Scope Statement
2.2 Description
The Undergroundis the University of Toronto at Scarborough Campus student paper. Throughout the school year of '04/'05 the format, design style, and website will be completely revamped. Dynamic and interactive componenets will be added to the website in order to increase hits and functionality. Circulation, readership and ad revenue of the paper will be increased by at least %200.
2.3 Project Overview
I have divided the workload of The Underground into six definitive groups:
i-Office setup
Consists of setting up equipment currently owned by The Underground in its new office in the Student Centre as well as purchasing and installing the necessary hardware and software to bring The Underground office up to date. This includes networking workstations and ensuring the proper media devices are available to the staff
ii-Production of basic website
The original foundation of the site will be created using HTML in Adobe GoLive in order to have a revamped site available to the student body upon the arrival of the first printed issue. The design of the site will be original and the information architecture will be altered in order to provide a more convenient interface. As the year progresses The site will function in a more dynamic manner and the HTML coding will be minimized.
iii-Production of advanced web components
There are several extra components that will slowly be added onto the original site. A dynamic PHP photo gallery which allows students to purchase or request the removal of photographs will be the first addition. Extra galleries will be added as stories which deserves such galleries appear.
Contests will be added to the sign with give away promotional items The Underground receives the first being a dictionary giveaway and the second being a 4CD collection The Hip Hop Box. Appropriate contests will be created for each.
A staff login will be created using multiple languages (javascript, PHP, SQL) in order to organize staff assignments, source material, e-mail, and media devices. Editors will be able to put stories in a “Article Box” which writers can subsequently take off if they choose to write it. Many stories require a camera or audio recorder. To make these available to the staff when needed or to prevent double bookings a media signout form with a dynamic graphical display of reserved times will be written. Writers will finally be able to upload their photographs and stories through a “browse” upload option in order to allow for simplified external file transfers.
Finally a flash intro will be created in order to hype the finished site and bring more readers to the online world of The Underground. This will be twenty to thirty second intro using 3-D graphics created in bryce. It will informs viewers of the new additions to the site and encourage them to further explore The Underground website.
iv-Source content collection
There will be a strong emphasis on increasing the quantity and quality of written and visual content. The visual elements will include photographic and visual aids (charts, shortboxi layouts) to accompany written content. The photographic elements will be edited within Photoshop and applied throughout print, online articles, as online headers, and within galleries. Articles that satisfy time, length and relevancy restrictions as well as meeting quality standards based on the CPii guidelines will be seen in print. These articles will also be placed online and some articles which do not meet certaint time, length, or relevancy restrictions but meet certain quality standards will be posted as exclusive online material.
v-Print layout and redesign
The paper format will be changed to a sheet fed full bleed printing format while maintaining the 22” x 14” flat paper size. Paper quality will be switched to a 40 pound bleached white regular paper. The layout method and style of the paper will redesigned in order to better accommodate the new format and office setup.
In order for multiple layout artists to be working at once the Macintosh systems will be networked and working files will exist on the hard drive of the motheriii computer. Artists working on other machines will work with a duplicate InDesign file within the same folder level on the mother machine. Working graphical and textual files will not be duplicate and external links within working InDesign files will be identical.
A new set of layout rules will be created based on CP guidelines and predominately on successful methods found in a wide variety of like and unlike publications. These rules will be used to assist in the biweekly layout of the paper.
vi-Management and training
The Underground staff currently consists of a senior executive, and editor in chief, seven textual editors, four technical assistants and eight staff writers. There are also several graphical editors, photographers, and article contributors who assist at times. Due to a lack of photographers the onus is often on the writers to collect photographs themselves.
Several measures will be taken in order to create a coherent goal of method and style among the staff. A full staff meeting will be held at the beginning and end of each semester as well monthly editors meetings will be held. At these meeting we will discuss the goals of The Underground and encourage open conversation about ethical guidelines and responsibility/accountability to the student population. In addition predetermined static stylistic methods (document formatting, image resolution etc.) will be dictated to the staff. Details on how to use a temporary FTP server, the cameras and voice recorder will be presented. However, further training and future questions will be encouraged. The following training will also be provided:
-A tutorial on how to use the Olympus 5060 and advanced photography techniques (macro, multiple exposures, time lapse, lighting, etc.) will be offered
-New graphical editors will be trained on Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign as needed
-Online editors will be trained in GoLive as needed
-Layout artists will be trained in inDesign as needed
-All staff will be trained on file management, OS, and network communication
2.4 HistorySince 1980 The Underground it has been funded by a direct levy from the student body through student affairs. Due to mismanagement over the past five years the SCSPiv collapsed in '98/'99, distribution points were pulled from all satellite campuses and distribution has fallen under 1000 issues. In '03/'04 the paper went from a weekly to a biweekly paper. John Loerchner has taken over with the intention of putting SCSP and The Underground on a regenerative path while dramatically increasing the final production quality.
2.5 ObjectivesOffice Hardware/Software
i-To provide a stable work environment for writers and designers with the necessary hardware and software to complete required tasks on time.
ii-To create a productive and adaptive file structuring system that allows for easily updatable file organization and simplified archive searching.
Online
i-To maintain a site that publishes articles in sync with printed material as well as consistently update with new online material.
ii-To increase online traffic.v
iii-To become one of the most progressive online multimedia sources in Canada based on a student paper.
iv-To produce an additional 20% of exclusive online material. (3-6 articles/issue + 5-10 images)
Print
i-To increase distribution points by 200%. (from 6 to 12)
ii-To increase total distibution by 300%. (from 800 to 2400)
iii-To create an aesthetically unique and highly regarded student publication.
iv-To reduce grammatical and spelling mistakes by a minimum of 90% (From approx. 100/issue to approx. 10/issue) and to increase overall writing quality.
Management
i-To train the nineteen new staff and three returning on all relevant newly implemented procedures, hardware, and software.
ii-To create a stable work environment with properly trained individuals who can subsequently train new staff to meet the high standards of The Underground.
iii-To resurrect the governing body (SCSP) and increase accountability.
Advertising
i-To offer internal advertisement design to clients in order to increase advertising sales.
ii-To increase annual advertising revenue by %350.
iii-To introduce online advertising.
2.6 Target Audience
Primary Audience
The primary audience for The Underground are UTSC students ages 18 – 23. Content will be selected in order to adapt to the interests of the wide spectrum of demographies within the school. However, the heaviest focus will fall on Toronto and campus life/events and the arts.
Secondary Audience
The secondary audience is the faculty at UTSC and subsequently the University of Toronto faculty. This will be focused on Journalism and New Media related professors however it is important that The Underground becomes widely respected throughout the University of Toronto in order to gain overall credibility.
Endnotes
i)Shortbox – defines a “box” that exists separate from an article but containing information that directly relates to it. It may take on several forms depending on how the information can most appropriately be organized.
ii)Canadian Press – The journalistic standards for Canada as produced by a multitude of Canadian publishers.
iii)The “mother” computer is referred to as such because the implemented network is an office network. There is no client/server setup and technically speaking no computer takes predominance. However the Dual 2.0 G5 (Adenine) will be consider the “server” machine for practical purposes.
iv)Scarborough Campus Students' Press – The governing body which The Underground, UT Pulse, and Scarborough Fair where once held accountable to. SCSP, UTPulse and Scarborough Fair have since collapsed (Scarborough Fair was resurrected in '03/'04 independently of the SCSP council).
iv)Proving increased traffic will be impossible given that passed online traffic was not properly logged.
John Loerchner Project Plan
The Underground
Scope Statement
2.2 Description
The Undergroundis the University of Toronto at Scarborough Campus student paper. Throughout the school year of '04/'05 the format, design style, and website will be completely revamped. Dynamic and interactive componenets will be added to the website in order to increase hits and functionality. Circulation, readership and ad revenue of the paper will be increased by at least %200.
2.3 Project Overview
I have divided the workload of The Underground into six definitive groups:
i-Office setup
Consists of setting up equipment currently owned by The Underground in its new office in the Student Centre as well as purchasing and installing the necessary hardware and software to bring The Underground office up to date. This includes networking workstations and ensuring the proper media devices are available to the staff
ii-Production of basic website
The original foundation of the site will be created using HTML in Adobe GoLive in order to have a revamped site available to the student body upon the arrival of the first printed issue. The design of the site will be original and the information architecture will be altered in order to provide a more convenient interface. As the year progresses The site will function in a more dynamic manner and the HTML coding will be minimized.
iii-Production of advanced web components
There are several extra components that will slowly be added onto the original site. A dynamic PHP photo gallery which allows students to purchase or request the removal of photographs will be the first addition. Extra galleries will be added as stories which deserves such galleries appear.
Contests will be added to the sign with give away promotional items The Underground receives the first being a dictionary giveaway and the second being a 4CD collection The Hip Hop Box. Appropriate contests will be created for each.
A staff login will be created using multiple languages (javascript, PHP, SQL) in order to organize staff assignments, source material, e-mail, and media devices. Editors will be able to put stories in a “Article Box” which writers can subsequently take off if they choose to write it. Many stories require a camera or audio recorder. To make these available to the staff when needed or to prevent double bookings a media signout form with a dynamic graphical display of reserved times will be written. Writers will finally be able to upload their photographs and stories through a “browse” upload option in order to allow for simplified external file transfers.
Finally a flash intro will be created in order to hype the finished site and bring more readers to the online world of The Underground. This will be twenty to thirty second intro using 3-D graphics created in bryce. It will informs viewers of the new additions to the site and encourage them to further explore The Underground website.
iv-Source content collection
There will be a strong emphasis on increasing the quantity and quality of written and visual content. The visual elements will include photographic and visual aids (charts, shortboxi layouts) to accompany written content. The photographic elements will be edited within Photoshop and applied throughout print, online articles, as online headers, and within galleries. Articles that satisfy time, length and relevancy restrictions as well as meeting quality standards based on the CPii guidelines will be seen in print. These articles will also be placed online and some articles which do not meet certaint time, length, or relevancy restrictions but meet certain quality standards will be posted as exclusive online material.
v-Print layout and redesign
The paper format will be changed to a sheet fed full bleed printing format while maintaining the 22” x 14” flat paper size. Paper quality will be switched to a 40 pound bleached white regular paper. The layout method and style of the paper will redesigned in order to better accommodate the new format and office setup.
In order for multiple layout artists to be working at once the Macintosh systems will be networked and working files will exist on the hard drive of the motheriii computer. Artists working on other machines will work with a duplicate InDesign file within the same folder level on the mother machine. Working graphical and textual files will not be duplicate and external links within working InDesign files will be identical.
A new set of layout rules will be created based on CP guidelines and predominately on successful methods found in a wide variety of like and unlike publications. These rules will be used to assist in the biweekly layout of the paper.
vi-Management and training
The Underground staff currently consists of a senior executive, and editor in chief, seven textual editors, four technical assistants and eight staff writers. There are also several graphical editors, photographers, and article contributors who assist at times. Due to a lack of photographers the onus is often on the writers to collect photographs themselves.
Several measures will be taken in order to create a coherent goal of method and style among the staff. A full staff meeting will be held at the beginning and end of each semester as well monthly editors meetings will be held. At these meeting we will discuss the goals of The Underground and encourage open conversation about ethical guidelines and responsibility/accountability to the student population. In addition predetermined static stylistic methods (document formatting, image resolution etc.) will be dictated to the staff. Details on how to use a temporary FTP server, the cameras and voice recorder will be presented. However, further training and future questions will be encouraged. The following training will also be provided:
-A tutorial on how to use the Olympus 5060 and advanced photography techniques (macro, multiple exposures, time lapse, lighting, etc.) will be offered
-New graphical editors will be trained on Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign as needed
-Online editors will be trained in GoLive as needed
-Layout artists will be trained in inDesign as needed
-All staff will be trained on file management, OS, and network communication
2.4 HistorySince 1980 The Underground it has been funded by a direct levy from the student body through student affairs. Due to mismanagement over the past five years the SCSPiv collapsed in '98/'99, distribution points were pulled from all satellite campuses and distribution has fallen under 1000 issues. In '03/'04 the paper went from a weekly to a biweekly paper. John Loerchner has taken over with the intention of putting SCSP and The Underground on a regenerative path while dramatically increasing the final production quality.
2.5 ObjectivesOffice Hardware/Software
i-To provide a stable work environment for writers and designers with the necessary hardware and software to complete required tasks on time.
ii-To create a productive and adaptive file structuring system that allows for easily updatable file organization and simplified archive searching.
Online
i-To maintain a site that publishes articles in sync with printed material as well as consistently update with new online material.
ii-To increase online traffic.v
iii-To become one of the most progressive online multimedia sources in Canada based on a student paper.
iv-To produce an additional 20% of exclusive online material. (3-6 articles/issue + 5-10 images)
i-To increase distribution points by 200%. (from 6 to 12)
ii-To increase total distibution by 300%. (from 800 to 2400)
iii-To create an aesthetically unique and highly regarded student publication.
iv-To reduce grammatical and spelling mistakes by a minimum of 90% (From approx. 100/issue to approx. 10/issue) and to increase overall writing quality.
Management
i-To train the nineteen new staff and three returning on all relevant newly implemented procedures, hardware, and software.
ii-To create a stable work environment with properly trained individuals who can subsequently train new staff to meet the high standards of The Underground.
iii-To resurrect the governing body (SCSP) and increase accountability.
Advertising
i-To offer internal advertisement design to clients in order to increase advertising sales.
ii-To increase annual advertising revenue by %350.
iii-To introduce online advertising.
2.6 Target Audience
Primary Audience
The primary audience for The Underground are UTSC students ages 18 – 23. Content will be selected in order to adapt to the interests of the wide spectrum of demographies within the school. However, the heaviest focus will fall on Toronto and campus life/events and the arts.
Secondary Audience
The secondary audience is the faculty at UTSC and subsequently the University of Toronto faculty. This will be focused on Journalism and New Media related professors however it is important that The Underground becomes widely respected throughout the University of Toronto in order to gain overall credibility.
Endnotes
i)Shortbox – defines a “box” that exists separate from an article but containing information that directly relates to it. It may take on several forms depending on how the information can most appropriately be organized.
ii)Canadian Press – The journalistic standards for Canada as produced by a multitude of Canadian publishers.
iii)The “mother” computer is referred to as such because the implemented network is an office network. There is no client/server setup and technically speaking no computer takes predominance. However the Dual 2.0 G5 (Adenine) will be consider the “server” machine for practical purposes.
iv)Scarborough Campus Students' Press – The governing body which The Underground, UT Pulse, and Scarborough Fair where once held accountable to. SCSP, UTPulse and Scarborough Fair have since collapsed (Scarborough Fair was resurrected in '03/'04 independently of the SCSP council).
iv)Proving increased traffic will be impossible given that passed online traffic was not properly logged.
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