Conducting research and creating a supporting research report serves two important purposes with respect to your project:

It explains your technological choices in terms of business benefits and risks. This explanation is critical for executive approval.

It either reinforces or improves your plan$$but only if you apply the results of your research to a new draft of your plan. In the industry, project managers develop their plans iteratively by changing them as they conduct more research and identify better or cheaper alternatives. This iterative approach is especially relevant to IT projects because new technologies are being developed and retired at a very quick pace.

For this assignment, you will compile research and create a supporting research report. Then, based on your research, you will identify and explain the rationale for three improvements to the project plan you submitted last week.

Compile additional research on your project$$s industry, recommended technology vendors, and the categories presented in the supporting research report. You may want to include the Gartner Group and Forrester Research in your list of organizations to research.

Complete the Supporting Research Report template.

Fill out each section with information relevant to your project. Be sure to include the name and purpose of your project.

Supporting Research Report for:

Project name:

Purpose of project:

Executive Summary

Industry Background

Technology Trends

Project Approach

Selected Vendors

Alternative Approach

Impact Analysis

Cost$-$Benefit Analysis

Financial Analysis

Risk Analysis