Online Travel Business Plan - Project Management Assistance

[Ophirby]

Hi,

For the past year, I have been working on a business plan for an online travel company which will incorporate artificial intelligence into providing search results with pin-point accuracy. Basically, it's about putting the knowledge and professionalism of a expert travel agent - online.

From the people I have spoken with, it seems like it's a good idea and some market research shows that what I have is a quantum leap from current online travel services.

My problem starts and ends with the technical aspect of the project. I have a very basic workflow that has been put into the business plan, a financial estimate, etc. Now, I need someone to take this project and turn it into reality, so that it can be presented to potential investors.

Can anyone perhaps recommend, what exactly I am looking for in terms of a technical right arm in the company? Is it a project manager in general, or some other specific title? What really needs to be done is to architecht the programming and see where it goes from there, I guess.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ophir

 

[BNPMike]

Well it's a project so a project manager might be a good choice.

It rather depends how far you already have got. These two sentences don't seem to be consistent:

I have a very basic workflow

what I have is a quantum leap from current online travel services.

If you've just got an idea rather than something truly solid, I would recommend you first try and get someone to build a prototype. This will test the practicability of your concept and also give you an idea of how long it is going to take to collect the information and build the application.

 

[Ophirby]

Thanks, Mike.

What I meant in those two opposite sentences, was that the services called for by the business plan, are far beyond those currently offered online, yet in terms of actual technical planning, I have a way to go in order to get to the point of viability-decision.

Is there a software which helps in this planning, that maybe I can use as a basis? Something that just helps you draw the plan in basic terms?

Thanks,
Ophir

 

[BNPMike]

Whilst the vast majority of projects have some sort of specification-->>plan type of methodology, this approach is actually flawed. It works alright for something you've done before eg a version upgrade or a desktop roll-out but most things aren't like that. And yours isn't.

Microsoft Project is just fine for planning things out and assessing workloads, times, costs etc but you need to know how long things should take. Typically by the time you know such things, you've finished the project.

Maybe first you want a systems architect -ie someone who will visualise all the hardware and software you will use to assemble the solution.