Project Challenges
In the process of working on our CellularRecycle project, the biggest challenge that we faced was lack of enough resources in terms of finances and human skills to undertake a thorough study. Since this was a new idea in the economy, it was a bit tricky getting sponsors on board and convincing them that our project was viable. We partially overcame this challenge by using the available limited resources sufficiently to obtain the best possible outcome. Moreover, after researching and seeking expert guidance, we learned about Kickstater (the largest funding platform for creative project in the world) and decided to apply for funding from them, as well as many other corporations with efficient CSR projects. Although group projects are always challenging in terms of reaching a consensus, our team was extraordinary since all ideas and suggestions were well received and amicable conclusions reached without much ado. This contributed to the efficiency of the project amid the few challenges that we experienced.
Equally, we had no specific dealers to dispose the cell phones to after purchasing them from the cell phone users. We only wished to establish a large network of companies who would purchase these phones by attending eco-friendly conventions and tradeshows. With time however, we have identified companies that buy used phones, recycling companies, and electronic retailers such as Rogers, Bell, and Telus that will purchase the cell phones from us.
The last challenge that we experienced was lack of immediate response from our proposed financers and companies to which we would be buying the used phones from us. While setting up goals and deadlines for the project, we expressed rare optimism and included ambitious deadlines and funding projections from our would-be business associates. However, it took longer than usual for the responses to come, making it difficult to achieve the stipulated deadlines. However, our main focus was on the success of the project, without special regard to the time of its achievement.
Role of Information Technology (IT)
IT will be a significant determinant of success in our project. We intend to market our project via social media (including Twitter and Facebook) to reach a large number of potential customers within a short duration of time. On the social media, we will encourage our customers to address their concerns so that we can interact with them on a personal level and serve them more efficiently. We will also put our project on popular cloud storage services such as Google Drive and Dropbox. This will ensure that our data and documents are online (as opposed to being in computer hard drives) for easier access from any location and from any computer. Cloud storage will also facilitate the creation of different folders for different group members and sharing of files with potential partners and customers.
We will also use modern, time saving, and cost-efficient technology to connect with potential customers and partners. Particularly, we will employ IT solutions such as WebEx, GoToMeeting, and Skype to interact with customers and buyers through video and voice conferences. This will save valuable time that would have gone to planning meetings and additional costs that would have been incurred while travelling to meetings. We will also create a website with our information (about prices, our services, our locations and so forth) to guide our customers in understanding our scope. We will sign up our website for Google Analytics to help us understand our website visitors in terms of their location, the time that they spend on our website and the pages that interest them. This will guide our expansion activities towards taking our services near the customers.
