DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

University of Toronto

CSC454/2527S: The Business of Software

January-April 2003

Assignment B: Plan v1

Handed Out: 13 January 2003, 6 p.m.

Due In: 20 January 2003, 8 a.m.

Marks: 3%

Each team will submit to the class listserv to the class news group (ut.cdf.csc454h) a one- or two-page description of the idea chosen for the business plan. THE TITLE OF EACH LISTSERV SUBMISSION SHOULD BE A PROJECT NAME DENOTING THE IDEA, not “Assignment B”.

The following hints may be useful in developing your submission:

• Think seriously about every idea already proposed by each member. Don’t be afraid to throw some out, but also don’t hesitate to adopt one that appears to be dynamite.

• Think about Drucker's Sources of Innovative Opportunity, and new hardware and software paradigms, and look for an idea that exploits some of these notions.

• Look for a way to leverage what is currently happening in the world and with the Internet.

• Think about what you know well and whom you know well. See if there is a way to leverage your knowledge, your expertise, and your connections, especially the knowledge and expertise.

• Think about something you have done that you are proud of, for example, a CSC318 project. See if your project could form the basis of a business idea.

• Think about the last few times you were frustrated, and said… "if only…" See if removing the source of the frustration could form the basis of a business idea.

• More generally, test any idea you have in terms of a potential market, in other words, who the customer would be for the product or service, what the "user benefit" would be, and what the customer might be willing to pay.

• Put all the ideas you have on the board. See if you can turn an idea around to form a better idea. See if there are connections linking them that improve them.

Your submission should clearly explain the idea and why you have chosen it, stressing how it leverages your knowledge and expertise. It should describe in one sentence who the customer would be and in one or two sentences why the customer would want your product and service. You should also attempt a first formulation of a one-sentence mission statement for your company.

If you are still considering several ideas, or have variants of an idea that seem interesting, please mention them briefly in point form at the end of your submission. You still have wiggle room to change your idea into a better one.

Deliverables for Assignment B (due Jan 20^th 8am):

1) Submit your 1-2 page document as described above. Please give the names of your team members and their email addresses in what you submit to the listserv news group.

2) Also submit, as an attachment to an email to Philip Stern (pstern@kmdi.toronto.edu) and also cc’ed to each of your team’s members, the completed form on the following page. The information in the form will aid your instructor and TAs in assigning your team to a particular TA and in tracking your work thereafter. (Please note that this form is separate from your group list submission to the listserv on Jan 15^th).

CSC454 – Assignment B (Part #2)

Please submit as an attachment to pstern@kmdi.toronto.edu by 8am, Jan 20 2003.

Project Name _________________________________________________________________

	Person A	Person B	Person C	Person D	Person E
Name
Phone Number
Email
Best times for meetings?
Writing skills?
Organizational skills?
Research skills?
Marketing background?
Finance background?
Special expertise?
Special areas of interest?
Anything else your team, TA or instructor should know?