QSO 700 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric

Overview: For the final project, you will create a Product Launch Comprehensive Strategy and Professional Reflection to demonstrate proficiency in all areas of operations and project management.

In Milestone Three, you will submit a Financial Assessment and Resource Planning Brief, which will become part of Component 3, due in Module Nine. In the brief, you will begin developing key financial documents. You may need to supplement the case study with additional research on current or past financial statements for the organization. Consider how the new product/service fits into the financial capacity of the organization. Is the new service/product appropriate for the organization’s strategic financial investment? Describe the company valuation and the financial fit of the new product/service. Begin estimating the costs to manufacture or develop the service, the staffing needs, the materials or equipment needed, etc. Next, estimate the planned benefit of the new product/service, making sure to consider the ongoing costs as well as the initial development costs. In the appendix include an initial draft of the financial valuation and justification of the new product/service using a standard approach such as a cost/benefit analysis, return on investment, internal rate of return, net present value, and/or break-even analysis. The instructor will provide feedback on this milestone to better shape your final capstone project.

Critical Elements

 Economic Fit: Describe how the planned new product or service is a good fit for the organization from a financial perspective. Discuss the economic feasibility of the project.

 Operational Costs: Identify the costs surrounding the manufacture of the product or any unique manufacturing or service-related requirements to support the new product or service. This may include leveraging operational tools and techniques to forecast material needs and staffing levels such as inventory turns, holding costs, weeks of supply, economic order quantity, resource plans, or other standard approaches.

 Benefits: Estimate the potential benefits of the new product or service, leveraging a standard estimating approach and noting confidence levels.

 Cost Justification: Prepare a cost/benefit analysis for the new product or service. You may also leverage other financial justification approaches such as IRR, ROI, or break-even.

Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your draft must contain all of the elements listed above. It should be 3–5 pages in length (excluding the title page and references), using 12-point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins. You may include summary pictures, charts, graphs, or other explanatory diagrams as needed to successfully explain the concept and implementation, but this detailed supporting documentation should be provided in appendices. Your paper should follow APA guidelines. You must include at least three scholarly sources. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and then include those sources on a reference page.

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Not Proficient (0%) Value

Main Elements Includes most of the main elements Does not include any of the main elements 15 Critical Thinking Provides logical conclusions and defends with

examples

Does not provide logical conclusions 15

Economic Fit Describes how the planned new product or

service is a good fit for the organization from a financial perspective and economic feasibility

Does not describe economic fit or economic

feasibility

15

Operational Costs Identifies the operational costs using standard

operational forecasting and estimating techniques

Does not identify the operational costs using

standard operational forecasting and estimating techniques

15

Benefits Estimates the potential benefits, leveraging a

standard estimating approach and noting confidence levels

Does not estimate the potential benefits,

leveraging a standard estimating approach and noting confidence levels

15

Cost Justification Prepares a cost/benefit analysis for financial

justification

Does not prepare a cost/benefit analysis for

financial justification

15

Articulation of Response Submission does not have critical errors

related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

Submission has critical errors related to

citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%