Preliminary Project Proposal

Capstone Project Proposal

What is the Capstone Project Proposal?

In this case, a Project Proposal is a document that is written to get permission to undertake
your capstone experience. It needs to convince the professor that your idea is viable,
surmounts the course’s learning objectives, and achievable. Thus, your project needs to be
initiated to solve a particular problem or opportunity in the field of cybersecurity using the
skills and knowledge acquired throughout your cybersecurity program.

In addition, the Project Proposal outlines and describes in depth, the basis upon which your
project will be initiated, planned, controlled, and implemented.

Ideally, the Project Proposal will be written by the manager of the project. However, it would
be best accomplished through a collaborate effort that would include all team members.
Please see the “Use and Participation of Collaborative Tools” assignment for group
endeavors. If you decide on an individual endeavor, you will not need to submit this
assignment.

When the Project Proposal is completed, it will be submitted to the appropriate drop box
where it will be assessed by your professor.
Project Responsibility Matrix: Please see the “Use and Participation of Collaborative
Tools” assignment for group endeavors. Not applicable for an individual project endeavor.

Role Name © Date

Instructor

Project Manager ©

Content Expert

Designer

Programmer

Beta Testers
Project Proposal Report (2-4 pages)

This is an important document which will be incorporated as a supplement (appendix) to

your executive summary.

The first step to completing a Project Proposal is to write a short but concise report outlining
your cybersecurity topic. This short report should discuss the following:

 Problem/Opportunity Identification
 History
 Current Status
 Requirements
 Proposed solution

Problem or Opportunity Identification

In a couple of sentences, describe in concise technical writing, the crux of what you or your
group want to accomplish. What is the value-added proposition? How does this project
endeavor benefit you or perhaps a company or governmental entity? What is your goal?
This section can be framed in terms of a SMART goal (i.e., Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic, Timebound).

History
Before you describe the proposal in depth, you will need to provide the reader with a brief
historical background of the cybersecurity topic. The background knowledge establishes the
context for your project initiation. Please describe the relevant history of the problem or
opportunity that has taken place up until now.

For instance, if the topic involved autonomous vehicles, then this section would describe
from an historical perspective, which technologies succeeded or failed.

Without this contextual information, there may be delays in the approval of this document.
For example, your instructor may wish to know more about the basis upon which the project
is being created.

Current Status
After completing the historical background of your security topic, it is important to note the
status- what is happening now regarding the technology? What is the main threat or
vulnerability that would concern management? What opportunity could present itself about
the status of the technology?

Requirements
Most projects are created to either solve a problem or realize an opportunity. Thus, the
problem or opportunity is the reason that the project is undertaken. This section of the
project proposal is concerned with providing the scope of the project. Thus, scoping your
project provides a realistic framework to accomplish project goal(s).

Cybersecurity Problem or Opportunity

If you have a problem that needs to be solved by this project, then describe the problem in
greater detail here. You could describe the type of problem and symptoms that a business or
governmental entity is experiencing as a direct result of the problem. As an added benefit,
think in managerial terms- risk management and cost/benefit analysis. Regarding an
opportunity, is there a new technology which can improve the business, or a regulatory
change that could protect a business or governmental entity if cybersecurity protocols were
developed and applied?

Furthermore, you will need to state that the main deliverables for this this course (i.e., an
executive summary and a website tutorial) will be furnished at the end of the project (please
refer to the executive summary and website tutorial assignments).

All projects must be delivered within a specific timeframe. Your capstone experience is no
different. Thus, it is important to ensure that your objectives (e.g., milestone) are timebound
when seeking to accomplish your overall goal.

Describe what the timeframe is and why it is so important that the project deliver the solution
within this period of time. Ideally, you should include a rudimentary project plan for the
delivery of the project. This can be accomplished in excel in the form of a Gannt Chart
(see example below). Some tasks to consider could include elements from the systems
development and project life cycles- initiate, plan, design, implement, close, and controlling
the project taking place throughout the project endeavor. Important milestones could be
illustrated by the accomplishment of important tasks too.

Solution
The last step is to describe the solution to the problem or opportunity. In
describing the solution, you need to make clear the:

 Purpose of the solution

 Scope of the solution (i.e., specificity)
 Way in which the solution must be delivered (i.e., approach)

The project has one purpose and one purpose only- to deliver the solution to the problem or
opportunity within the stipulated timeframe. Therefore, the more that you can describe the
solution in depth, the easier it will be to accomplish your project.
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