Capstone Project -1 Part – 1/3

Online Agriculture Product Store

by Tarun Kumar Deshmukh

Question -1 Identify Business Process Model for Online Agriculture Store – (Goal,
Inputs, Resources, Outputs, Activities, Value created to the end Customer).
Answer – Business Process Model – Business Process Model is the technique to
represent the business process which involves breaking down the complex process
into simple steps by visualizing them into aspects like goals, inputs, resources,
outputs, activities and value created to end users.
We can prepare the Business Process Model for Online Agriculture Product Store as
below:
Goals – To prepare a user-friendly E Commerce website to enable farmers to buy
agriculture products without any struggle.
Inputs – Farmer’s login details to purchase product, Agri Product seller’s login
details to sell product, Location and address for delivery, Details and quantity of
products to buy, Payment options.
Resources – Internet connectivity, Dedicated team to develop web application from
scratch consisting of Delivery Head, Project Manager, Developers, Testers and
Business Analysts, Network admin, Database admin, required license of the software
which is going to be used for development like Java and PL-SQL for database
administration. Delivery Executives, Installation and Demo executives.
Output – Orders will be placed successfully for required seeds, pesticides or
fertilizers as per the need of the farmers.
Activities – 1. Farmer registers himself as a buyer and login credentials gets
generated.
` 2. Farmer searches about required products using search options
available in the application or website.
3. After finding required product, Farmer choose the product and its
quantity and goes for payment dashboard.
4. Farmer choose for online payment options, no cost EMI or Cash on
Delivery (COD) option based on the convenience.
5. After successful order, Product is assigned to logistic partner and
products gets delivered to the farmer’s address.
Value created to the end Customer – Farmers get satisfied with the service and
promote to other farmer to use the developed website for hassle-free purchasing of
agriculture products.

Question- 2 Mr Karthik is doing SWOT analysis before he accepts this project. What
aspects he should consider as Strengths, as Weaknesses, as Opportunity and as
Threats?
Answer – SWOT Analysis – SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning technique used
to help an individual or organization to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats related to business competition or project planning.
Mr. Karthik can prepare a SWOT analysis diagram considering below aspects:

Strength Weakness
1. Easy availability of agricultural 1. Non-awareness of internet and e
goods via website. commerce in farmers.
2. Prevailing discomfort in 2. Remote connectivity of farmers
purchasing goods from local could cause logistic issues.
sellers and logistic issues. 3. Incomplete or confusing
3. Good IT infra for payments and requirement may cause delay.
procurement developed by
trained IT individuals.

Opportunities Threats
1. The client has good connections 1. Local sellers provide agriculture
so it can bag more projects in products on credit to farmers.
future. 2. Other IT companies might launch
2. Increasing agriculture market has the same kind of product in the
potential to buy online. market.
3. Farmers gets products 3. Local agent’s union may create
conveniently at the doorstep. obstacle as they get commission
on each offline sell.

Question- 3 Mr Karthik is trying to do feasibility study on doing this project in

Technology (Java), Please help him with points (HW SW Trained Resources Budget
Time frame) to consider in feasibility study.
Answer – Feasibility Study – Feasibility study is a thorough analysis of a proposed
project to determine its practicality and viability. It assesses various factors like
technical, financial, organizational and market conditions to determine whether the
project is worth pursuing and if it can be successfully implemented.
 Mr. Karthik can do feasibility study on below aspects:
1. Hardware (HW) – Laptops, Phones, Electricity, working spaces with basic
amenities for resources, Servers to handle the traffic, Scanner, Printer.

2. Software (SW) – Availability of required license for the software, which is

going to be used like Java, database warehousing and strong broadband
network for uninterrupted work.

3. Trained Resources – Feasibility study done for the resources whether they
are proficient in the language to develop the software or they will need training
for the same. If required, then the training cost will also be considered.

4. Budget – Project must be successfully completed under the allotted budget

and all the phases of the software development must be fulfilled under the
budget.

5. Time frame – Project must be completed successfully under the given time
frame. Any software development approach has multiple phases so each
phase is broken down into a smaller duration of time and all the duration
combined must not exceed the total time frame.

Question – 4 Mr Karthik must submit Gap Analysis to Mr Henry to convince him to

initiate this project. What points (compare AS-IS existing process with TO-BE future
Process) to showcase in the GAP Analysis?
Answer – Mr. Karthik can provide Gap Analysis report to Mr. Henry as per below
format:
AS IS – As per current situation, Stakeholder Peter, Kevin and Ben represent the
farmer community who face difficulties in procuring agricultural products like
pesticides, seeds and fertilizers. Accessing these materials at the doorstep and in
hassle-free way is not the option for them as they need to travel for procuring and
has to settle down with the dealer with substandard products and sometimes, they
don’t get the products at all due to shortage.
TO BE – With the development of Online Agriculture store, Farmer will be able to get
quality products as per the quantity they require and also the price would be
reasonable as multiple sellers would be there in online market for competition.
Payment options would give them liberty to pay in one shot in online payment or no
cost EMI or cash on delivery.

Question – 5 List down different risk factors that may be involved (BA Risks And
process/Project Risks).
Answer – Below can be the risks involved for the development of the project:
1. BA Risks –
a. Improper requirements gathering from stakeholders.
b. Unrealistic timeline suggested by client for completion of project.
c. Crops and seeds need to be studied as per the climate.
d. Farmer from each community may bring linguistic barrier.
e. Payment channels and refund process must be compliant with Central
Bank norms and guidelines.
f. The technical team must be accurately communicated about the
requirement.
g. Proper coordination between development and testing team to achieve
project milestone at stipulated time.

2. Process/Project Risks –
a. Internet connectivity in remote areas could cause challenges.
b. Farmers may buy from local markets as sellers from local market sell
products on credit to them instead of cash.
c. Most of the farmers are not aware of technology so they will not be able to
operate the application more efficiently.
d. Local seller union may resist as their market would be hampered.
e. Government norms and guidelines to control E Commerce could affect the
project.
Question – 6 Perform stakeholder analysis (RACI Matrix) to find out the key
stakeholders who can take Decisions and Who are the influencers.
Answer – RACI Matrix for the project can be illustrated as below:
Here ‘R’ stands for Responsible, ‘A’ stands for Accountable, ‘C’ stands for Consulted,
‘I’ stands for Informed and ‘NA’ stands for Not Applicable.

Note – The above table is prepared by me in excel and screenshot taken and pasted
here. Kindly consider this for evaluation.
Question- 7 Help Mr Karthik to prepare a business case document.
Answer – Business Case Document - A Business Case Document is a formal,
structured document that provides a detailed justification for the initiation of a project
or investment. It outlines the reasons for the proposed action, the expected benefits,
the costs involved, and the potential risks, offering a clear rationale for decision-
makers to approve or reject the proposal. Typically used in business, project
management, or investment contexts, the business case is crucial for guiding
stakeholders in their decision-making process.
To prepare a business case document, following points must be covered:
1. What is the purpose of the project?
Executive Summary – The overall purpose of this project to provide hassle-free
procurement and doorstep delivery of agricultural products via online platform
market where multiple sellers from across the country would be available to
showcase their product at reasonable price and with extended services. Payment
options also would be seamless as payment gateways 24*7 working with proper
connectivity. All of them would be available at the tip of the farmer’s hand so they
don’t have to face challenges to buy agricultural products.
2. What are the existing challenges?
Challenges – Lack of domain knowledge and lack of knowledge about crops as
per the climatic conditions could cause improper requirement gathering for the
project. Poor connectivity of internet in remote areas will cause the hindrance.
Local sellers and Government rules would also cause challenges and frequent
reworks. Digital illiteracy among the farmers would make them reluctant to use
this application.
3. What resources are required?
This Project will need financial resources like banks, investors, sponsors who will
fund the project. Product sellers and product buyers to keep the demand and
supply going. Strong broadband connectivity to work. License for the software for
development of product like Java. Technically sound resources like Delivery
Head, Project Manager, Developers, Testers, Database Administrators.
Manpower to handle delivery, installation and demo purposes.
4. How many problems would be solved if the project gets successful?
Success of the project will benefit the farmers community who regularly faces the
challenges in purchasing agricultural products like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides
from the market. This web application will make farmers enable to choose from
multiple options and make the payments seamlessly.
5. How much organizational changes required to adopt this technology?
As this Online Agriculture Product Store project requires specific domain
knowledge, we can expect 30% to 40% organizational changes is required to
adopt this new technology. We can expect changes in requirements at
unexpected stages of the project caused by various parties like farmers, local
seller unions and government policies.
6. What is the time frame to recover ROI?
After 18 months, the project will be live, which will be beneficial for the farmers.
We can expect a time frame for return of investment possibly after 1 year.
7. How to identify relevant stakeholders?
Stakeholders can be identified using RACI matrix which has been described
above. Here Business stakeholders are Mr. Henry, Peter, Kevin and Ben, Mr.
Pandu and Mr. Dooku.
Project stakeholders in this project consist of Mr. Karthik, Mr, Vandanam, Ms.
Juhi, Mr. Teyson, Ms Lucie, Mr Tucker, Mr Bravo, Mr Mike, John, Mr. Jason and
Ms. Alekya and Myself as a BA.
Negative or Third-Party Stakeholder are competitor application developer, local
sellers union and Government policies.

Question- 8 Thoughts and clarity on 4 SDLC methodologies.

Answer- SDLC – SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle. It refers to
the structured process used for planning, designing, testing, deploying, and
maintaining software applications. The goal of SDLC is to produce high-quality
software that meets or exceeds customer expectations, is completed on time,
and stays within budget.
Below are the description of 4 methodologies which has been mentioned:
1. Sequential – Sequential methodology has the following characteristics.
a. Sequential methodology, also known as linear-sequential life cycle models,
follows a rigid, structured approach of software development.
b. In this model, each phase must be completed before the next one begins
with no overlapping.
c. It has characteristics like rigid structure, sequential flow and clear
documentation.
d. It has phases like Requirement Gathering, Feasibility Study, Design,
Implementation, Testing, Deployment and Maintenance.

2. Iterative - Iterative methodology has the following characteristics.

a. Iterative methodology is a software development approach that breaks
down the process into smaller, iterative cycles.
b. In this methodology, each cycle contains planning, designing, coding,
testing, and deploying a specific part of the software.
 c. Developers can achieve continuous improvement and flexibility, making it
suitable for projects with evolving requirements or uncertain specifications.
d. Iterative approach also has phases like Requirement Gathering and
Analysis, Design, Implementation, Testing and Deployment.

3. Evolutionary - Evolutionary methodology has the following characteristics.

a. Evolutionary methodology is a software development approach that
includes elements of both iterative and incremental approach of
development.
b. This method emphasizes more attention on delivering a working product
early in the development cycle and then gradually evolving it through a
series of iterations.
c. Evolutionary approach has phases like Planning, Design, Implementation,
Testing, Integration, Deployment, Evolution and Feedback.

4. Agile – Agile methodology has the following characteristics.

a. Agile approach is the most popular one to use which is flexible and
iterative approach for software development.
b. Agile approach focuses on collaboration, customer satisfaction and
adaptability.
c. This approach delivers the product from the start, customer uses the
product and continuous enhancement, and support goes on.
d. Agile has each small, manageable iterations called Sprints which are time
bound activity in which product gets developed and delivered and
continuous advancement and incremental changes are provided.

Question – 9 Description on Waterfall, RUP, Spiral and Scrum Models.

Answer – Below are the description of Waterfall, RUP, Spiral and Scrum models.
Waterfall – Waterfall Model can be described as below:
a. The Waterfall model is the most common approach for software development
which is also known as Linear Sequential model for software development.
b. In this approach, each phase must be entirely completed before we go to the
next phase.
c. After each phase, a review is done to check the feasibility of the project and to
check if the project is going in the right direction.
d. Output from each phase acts as input for the next phase in this approach.
e. This model follows a top to down approach. It means once a phase is
completed then there is no going back to that phase again.
f. The Waterfall model is suitable for the larger project where there is a less
scope of change in requirements.
RUP – RUP or Rational Unified Process Model can be described as below:
 a. Rational Unified Process Model is a software development framework which
focuses on iterative and incremental development and risk management.
b. It is suitable for long term application development where it allows to track the
defects in project at early stage.
c. Due to multiple phases involved in RUP, it generally requires more budget and
resources.
d. RUP approach has phases like Inception where project scope and feasibility
are defined, Elaboration where requirements and potential risk are identified,
Construction where design and implementation are done, Transition where
actual deployment is done, and support and maintenance are provided.
Spiral – Spiral model can be described as below:
a. Spiral model also known as Meta model of software development approach
combines iterative nature of prototyping and systematic approach of waterfall
model.
b. It has characteristics like iterative development, risk driven, prototyping and
continuous evaluation.
c. Spiral approach involves phases like planning, risk analysis, engineering and
evaluation.
d. Spiral model is suitable for the projects where higher risk factor and high
degree of flexibility involved.
Scrum – Scrum model can be described as below:
a. Scrum model belongs to popular Agile framework for software development
which focuses on iterative development, teamwork, accountability and
continuous improvement.
b. Scrum model is suitable where frequent changes in the requirements is
expected.
c. In Scrum model, Product gets delivered to client more frequently and
continuous feedback is taken to improve the quality of the product in next
delivery.
d. Scrum model consists of concepts like Sprints which is a time boxed iterations
of planned work and execution, Product Backlog in which prioritized work has
been listed, Sprint Backlog in which prioritized work which has to be
implemented on particular Sprint is listed, Daily Scrum call which is short
standup calls to review the progress, Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective
to assess the project work, gather the feedback and learn from past sprints
and plan for future sprints gets done.
SDLC opted for the project – V (Verification and Validation) Model
As we discuss about Waterfall and V model for this project, we need to consider
about the project specifications to arrive at the decision about which model must be
used.
As this online agriculture store project is domain specific project, hence as per my
understanding we should go with V (Verification and Validation) model approach. The
reasons are below:
a. V model is the advanced version of traditional Waterfall approach which works
on Verification and Validation model approach of SDLC which accommodate
development and testing together in each phase.
b. As we have specific nature of requirements, it would require development as
well testing parallelly to make sure all the design and coding done, are aligned
with the requirements which have been finalized at requirements gathering
stage which is provided by V model of software development.
c. Requirements analysis, system design, architecture design and module
design come under Verification stage and units testing, system testing,
integration testing and acceptance testing comes under Validation stage
which will be running parallel to development.
d. After each phase, review is done to check the development and testing status
and results along with the project the direction so there will be less chances
that any error will go to next stage of development.
e. The developed final product would be more refined and efficient as compared
to the product developed by the Waterfall method as in V model we check for
any error at the earlier stage.

Question – 10 Write down the differences between Waterfall model and V model.
Answer – The difference between Waterfall and V Model is following:

Aspects Waterfall V Model

Approach It is linear, sequential model of It is also sequential, but testing
approach runs parallel with development
Flexibility It is rigid approach where one It is comparatively flexible
phase’s completion leads to approach as testing done along
other phases with development
Risk Risk is identified later in Risk is identified before in V
Identification Waterfall model
Error Error is detected separate Error detected along with
Detection testing phase. development as testing going
on.
Suitability Suitable for smaller projects Suitable for projects where
testing is critical.
Documentatio Waterfall is known for its Documentation is less
n extensive documentation extensive as compared to
Waterfall.
Cost Initial cost is less but may Initial cost is higher but overall
increase in later stage due to cost may be lesser as error is
error detection detected early in V model
Deployment It takes longer time to deploy It takes shorter time for
 Time product in market due to deployment in market as
separate development phases phases run in parallel.

Question – 11 As a BA, state your reason for choosing one model for this project.
Answer – As a Business Analyst, I have opted for V (Verification and Validation)
Model of approach for the Online Agriculture Product Store project due to following
reasons:
a. As the project’s domain deals with very specific area of economy, hence the
requirement needs to be very clear and accurate and thus development and
testing must be aligned with the requirements
b. V model approach accommodate development and testing together in each
phase which facilitates the potential risk detection at early stage of
development which minimizes the chances of error in later stages.
c. Verification stage includes requirements analysis, system design, architecture
design and module design and Validation stage includes units testing, system
testing, integration testing and acceptance testing comes which will be
running parallel to development.
d. After each phase, review is done to check the development and testing status
and results along with the project the direction so there will be less chances
that any error will go to next stage of development.
e. The developed final product would be more refined and efficient as compared
to the product developed by the Waterfall method as in V model we check for
any error at the earlier stage.

Question – 12 Gantt Chart as per V Model approach.

Answer- Gantt Chart – A Gantt chart is a popular project management tool that
provides a visual representation of a project’s schedule. It shows the start and finish
dates of various elements of a project, helping to track progress and ensure that
tasks are completed on time. Gantt charts are particularly useful for managing and
visualizing complex projects with multiple tasks and dependencies.
We can prepare the Gantt chart for V model approach as below:
Note – The above table is prepared by me in excel and screenshot taken and pasted
here. Kindly consider this for evaluation

Question – 13 Explain the difference between Fixed Bid and Billing projects.
Answer - The difference between Fixed Bid and Billing projects are explained as
following:

Aspects Fixed Bid Projects Billing Projects

Definition It Involves a predetermined and It involves charging the client
fixed price for a specific scope of based on the time spent on the
work. project usually at hourly or daily
rate.
Risk Here service provider bears the Here client bears the risk as
risk as any additional resources project cost may increase if the
 cost, or any extended timeline time spent by the service
cost will be absorbed by service provider increase in the project.
provider.
Client Client have benefits to have a Client would have better flexibility
Benefits predictable cost for specific task and scope to accommodate new
and to have clear scope of the changes, and it would provide
project. better handhold on project
direction.
Provider Provider may get potential and Provider has chances of higher
Benefits high margin of profits if project earnings if projects is complex
gets completed in predetermined and require more timings in
timeline. tasks. Also, more flexibility to
adapt new changes.
Drawback It has not much flexibility to It would be less predictable in
s accommodate changes or terms of costs and may cause
additional work. It also may recur Scope Creep and increased
potential loss if timeline of project project Costs.
varies or any unexpected
challenges come.

Question – 14 Preparer Timesheets of a BA in various stages of SDLC.

Answer- Timesheet - A timesheet is a record of the amount of time an employee or
worker spends on various tasks or projects during a specific period. Timesheets are
used to track work hours, manage payroll, and monitor project progress. They can
be either manual (paper-based) or digital (using software or tools).
Various timesheet of Business Analyst in various stages has been described below:
1. Design Timesheet of a Business Analyst:
Resource Name – Tarun Kumar Deshmukh
Department – Business Analysis
Manager – Mr. Vandanam
Assigned Task – Preparation of Design Timesheet
Hourly Rate - $80 / Hour

Task Start Time End Time Duration Pay

Meeting with technical 10: 00 AM 11:00 AM 1 Hr $80
team
Roadmap and outline 11:15 AM 12:15 PM 1 Hr $80
of the project discussed
Detailed analysis done 12:30 PM 01:30 PM 1 Hr $80
on the project scope
and progress
Identified potential risks 02:30 PM 03:30 PM 1 Hr $80
and challenges
 Document prepared for 03:45 PM 04:45 PM 1 Hr $80
high level design and
analysed
Discussed approach 05:00 PM 06:00 PM 1 Hr $80
and getting sign off
from respective
stakeholders
Total 6 Hr $480

2. Development Timesheet of a Business Analyst:

Resource Name – Tarun Kumar Deshmukh
Department – Business Analysis
Manager – Mr. Vandanam
Assigned Task – Preparation of Development Timesheet
Hourly Rate - $80 / Hour

Task Start Time End Time Duration Pay

Meeting with 10: 00 AM 11:00 AM 1 Hr $80
developers and testers
Coding part was 11:15 AM 12:15 PM 1 Hr $80
analysed
Testers got briefed 12:30 PM 01:30 PM 1 Hr $80
about the test cases
Summarize the 02:30 PM 03:30 PM 1 Hr $80
requirements as per
stakeholder’s point of
view
Document prepared for 03:45 PM 04:45 PM 1 Hr $80
Low level design and
analysed
Got review of the 05:00 PM 06:00 PM 1 Hr $80
document from the
technical head and got
sign off
Total 6 Hr $480

3. Testing Timesheet of a Business Analyst:

Resource Name – Tarun Kumar Deshmukh
Department – Business Analysis
Manager – Mr. Vandanam
Assigned Task – Preparation of Testing Timesheet
Hourly Rate - $80 / Hour

Task Start Time End Time Duration Pay

Meeting with testers 10: 00 AM 11:00 AM 1 Hr $80
and relevant
stakeholders
Test cases prepared 11:15 AM 12:15 PM 1 Hr $80
and reviewed
Testers got briefed 12:30 PM 01:30 PM 1 Hr $80
about the SIT and
Integrated environment
Defects and error are 02:30 PM 03:30 PM 1 Hr $80
reported and minimized
Comprehensive test 03:45 PM 04:45 PM 1 Hr $80
document is prepared
Total 5 Hr $400

4. UAT Timesheet of a Business Analyst:

Resource Name – Tarun Kumar Deshmukh
Department – Business Analysis
Manager – Mr. Vandanam
Assigned Task – Preparation of UAT Timesheet
Hourly Rate - $80 / Hour

Task Start Time End Time Duration Pay

Meeting with testers 10: 00 AM 11:00 AM 1 Hr $80
and UAT team
Prepare the UAT test 11:15 AM 12:15 PM 1 Hr $80
case scenario
Briefing about client 12:30 PM 01:30 PM 1 Hr $80
environment to perform
UAT
Comprehensive UAT 02:30 PM 05:30 PM 3 Hr $240
done in client
environment with close
to real time data
UAT Test document 05:45 PM 06:45 PM 1 Hr $80
prepared and sent for
sign off
Total 7 Hr $560
5. Deployment and Implementation Timesheet of a Business Analyst:
Resource Name – Tarun Kumar Deshmukh
Department – Business Analysis
Manager – Mr. Vandanam
Assigned Task – Preparation of Deployment and Implementation Timesheet
Hourly Rate - $80 / Hour

Task Start Time End Time Duration Pay

Meeting with 10: 00 AM 11:00 AM 1 Hr $80
deployment team and
discussed readiness
Roadmap and outline 11:15 AM 12:15 PM 1 Hr $80
for the deployment
Backing up existing 12:30 PM 02:30 PM 2 Hr $160
environment in case of
any mishappening
Downtime and 03:00 PM 06:00 PM 3 Hr $240
deployment of artifacts
Making the system up 06:15 PM 08:15 PM 2 Hr $160
with upgrade
Checking for any 08:30 PM 09:30 PM 1 Hr $80
issues in running or
provide solution at front
for blocker issue
Total 10 Hr $800