Case

Sun Carriers is a non$-$profit, non$-$governmental organization that seeks to equip entrepreneurs in

impoverished rural communities with solar panel energy amidst the country$$s electricity supply

crises. Load shedding makes it difficult for entrepreneurs and small$-$scale farmers to operate

their businesses effectively. For example, perishable agricultural products are going to waste

because they are not adequately refrigerated.

Sun Carriers is taking on their first project, which involves a small fishing community in the West

Coast district of the Western Cape Province. Sun Carriers aims to build and install a

commercial$1$ solar information system at $10$ businesses operating in the fishing and seafood

industry. The solar information system comprises the solar electrical panel and a mobile app to

monitor the panel. Sun Carriers could choose between two project ideas, Project$-$Alpha and

Project$-$Omega. Project$-$Alpha promoted outsourcing the design of the mobile app to a software

development vendor, Wemibono Software Solutions. Project$-$Omega explored the idea of

starting a special IT unit consisting of two network architects, two computer hardware

technicians, and two software developers. After adopting various tools to systematically discern

which project will be the best to pursue, Sun Carriers chose Project$-$Alpha.

Joe Ngqolomsila, an electrical engineer by trade and presently product manager at Sun

Carriers, will champion the design and building of the solar panels. According to Joe, the solar

panels can produce $250$ to $800$ watts per hour to power electrical appliances and storable in five

battery banks. The successful installation of the solar panel information system, according to

Ivan Solomons, the owner of a fish market in a small West Coast town and a project beneficiary

set to have a solar panel information system installed at his market, will greatly reduce

additional operational costs incurred by the fishing supply chain due to load shedding. Ivan, the

owner of a fish market in a small West Coast town and a project beneficiary set to have a solar

panel information system installed at his market, had the following to say about the impact of

load shedding on his business:

$$From the moment fish are caught, they must be kept frozen at temperatures as cold as $-$

$18\backslash$deg C to preserve the integrity of the product as it moves through the distribution chain to

the person who finally buys it in the shop. Because of load shedding, I had to throw

away huge amounts of seafood products as I cannot keep them refrigerated at a stable

temperature. And I do not have the funds to buy solar...$$

Sherinique Arendse, appointed as a product manager from Wemibono Software Solutions,

believes that the solar panel mobile app will contribute to resolving the challenges faced by

Ivan. The mobile app provides real$-$time indicators, allowing users to check power output and

the money saved on the electrical bill due to solar energy. She states:

$$I$\text{'}$m excited to announce that the mobile app will help Ivan monitor his business's

electricity supply from the palm of his hand. The app can remotely control smart

switches; both the solar panel and the battery pack have their own smart switches. For

the solar panel, users can remotely toggle electricity supply between power sources via

the smart switch. This means they can switch between the municipality power grid and

the solar panel. So$,$ if load shedding is in progress and Ivan is not at the fish market, he

$1$ Commercial solar differs from residential solar in as much as a business building are bigger than residential ones

and contain more electrical resources that requires a bigger electricity supply $($Finulent Solutions, $2022).$

$4$

can remotely switch on the solar panel. And if you're wondering what happens if the sun

goes down and the solar panel can't function during load shedding, Ivan can switch on

the battery packs! Additionally, the developers are currently coding a timer feature. This

feature allows users to flip the smart switches $\text{'}$on$\text{'}$ at a preset time. So$,$ if Ivan is asleep

at $02$:$00$ AM during the early morning hours, and load shedding is scheduled for that

time, he can set a battery pack's smart switch to flip on at $01$:$55$ AM or before going to

bed.$$

You recently completed the BSc in Information Systems qualification at the University of South

Africa. Wemibono Software Solutions appointed you as a software project management intern

to assist in delivering a successful solar information system. The successful execution of this

project is crucial for Sun Carriers to secure additional funding.

$5$

Question $1[50]$

$1.$ Read the case again and answer the following questions.

$1\mathrm{.}1.$ The case indicates both Joe and Sherinique as program managers. Explain what a

program is in the context of this case. $(6)$

$1\mathrm{.}2.$ In project management, the topic of portfolio management focuses on the project$$s

strategic goals by asking the following questions: $($i$)$ Are