Unit 10 Assn. Consulting Skills

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IT402-6: Generate persuasive materials for information technology consulting.

Purpose

This unit closes the course with persuasion presentations. Make sure you investigate all parts of the unit for activities and requirements before posting or completing graded work.

Food for Thought:

  • What are the most important skills that an IT consultant must develop, and why?
  • Which of these skills can you use in your professional career, even if you are not intending to become an IT consultant?

Assignment Instructions

Content

Follow all instructions carefully. This Assignment is comprised of a PowerPoint presentation with audio.

First, the scenarios presented in Unit 8 are shared below:

Scenario No. 1

Trisha George is a college English professor and an author who has written novels and books of poetry. She does not have a website but wants one. She will provide with content such as her professional resume, information about her writings, and details she wants her students to know about her classes. She would also like at least one page that highlights her college and department and asks that the information is gathered from her school. A shopping cart for her novels and poetry will be necessary. You have been hired as the IT consultant and prepared a project proposal for the website.

Scenario No. 2

Baxter’s Ticket Sales is a small sports-ticketing venue. The company has decided to move to a new location in a neighboring community to take advantage of lower sales and property taxes. A network must be developed in the new building. There are 10 workers in one large room who each use a desktop computer to facilitate sales. There is an office staffed by two people who each need their own desktop computers. Additionally, the “mail room” requires another computer for the staff to access the database and fulfill orders. The project will need to include the development of the topology, network security, connection to the Internet, etc. You have been hired as the IT consultant and prepared a project proposal for the network.

Scenario No. 3

North Music Warehouse is a wholesale establishment that sells student-grade musical instruments to both music stores and individuals. The president of the company realizes that workers in “the warehouse” – which is actually several buildings – are slowed by having to return frequently to the main office to retrieve printed orders. Efficiency would be heightened with a mobile application designed to access the sales database and log the movement of instruments, so these workers may locate instruments in the warehouse buildings and prepare them for shipping without having to spend the time returning to the office. You have been hired as the IT consultant and prepared a project proposal for this application.

Scenario No. 4

Angie Smith is a new business owner and has just opened Angie’s Antiques. She needs a database to be developed to hold information about her varied inventory and sales. She intends to develop a customer list to be able to advertise specials. Three employees have been hired to run the store, so the database will also need to include employee data and payroll information. You have been hired as the IT consultant and prepared a project proposal for the database.

Assignment Requirements

Your client – which you chose from the scenarios above – has accepted your proposal but has since requested a change. This may be a change in scope, time, cost, resources, or even a suggestion relating to design or implementation. Since this is not a “real” project, you will invent the client’s request. This presentation is your professional effort in convincing your client that your original plan is better than his/her suggestion.

Your presentation must be comprised of the following eight slides and content. Do not add any slides unless specifically stated below that it is acceptable. Follow all audio and design requirements listed below.

Slide and content requirements:

  1. Cover slide (no audio). Include at least the project name and your name.
  2. Give a brief overview of the project.
  3. Give an overview of the client’s suggestion for change. Do not include your opinion on this slide.
  4. Show pros and cons of client’s suggestion for change – use bulleted lists.
  5. Show pros and cons of Consultant’s original idea – use bulleted lists. This must be focused only on the part of the project that the client has targeted for suggested change.
  6. Highlight the most important Pros for the Consultant’s idea through illustration (a chart, graph, diagram, wireframe, or other relevant image).

You have the option for an additional slide at this point to show a second   illustration; if you decide to do this, you must include audio on this slide as well, and both illustration slides would fulfill the same part of the rubric as one entity.

  1. Reiterate your stance that the original idea is in the best interest of the client and the project; request approval to remain with the original idea.
  2. Consultant contact information (no audio). Include at least your name, email, and phone number. It is acceptable to invent a phone number if you are uncomfortable sharing it with your professor.

Audio requirements:

  • Important: Write a transcript before you record audio files. Place the transcript in the “notes” section for each slide.
  • All slides except for the cover and the contact information must include audio. Do not add audio to the cover and contact slides.
  • Do not read the content on your slides; the client can read them, so your job is to make a convincing argument instead through explanationof the content on the slides.
  • Prepare professional language work. Avoid conversational speech. Be mindful that you do not insult the client – your wording is very important.
  • Practice before you record to avoid sounding like you are simply reading your transcript. Work to pace your speech so that you are not talking too fast or too slow.
  • Make sure the recording quality is clear and that there are no extraneous noises in the background.
  • The aggregate timing of the six-audio file/recordings together must be at least 2.5 minutes (150 seconds) but no more than 4 minutes(240 seconds).
  • Review the following tutorial for more information about adding audio to PowerPoint presentations: https://kapextmediassl-a.akamaihd.net/IST/media/IT402/1405C/Unit_10/Video/tutorial.html

Design requirements:

  • Use a design theme.
  • Do not use animation or transitions.