Feasibility Report

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Feasibility Report

Statement Of Purpose

The Perfect Pie Company is a small business in Barrow City Centre. The Perfect Pie Company avails customers with a range of pies, with a number of different fillings (cheese and onion, pork, meat, meat and potato and steak). Along with pies they provide a range of drinks, salads, and hot snacks for example, chips. All of which can be delivered to businesses and households throughout Barrow. Any changes made to orders can be done by calling into, phoning and lastly faxing the main office. Both sites within the Business (Main office + Kitchen) are situated five miles apart. The main office is in the centre of a business district, whereas the kitchen is five miles away in the middle of nowhere. The owner of the Perfect Pie Company and the administration staff are based in the main office, they have two computers, one is used by the owner, for keeping staff personnel records and recording the company accounts, and the other computer is used by the administration staff to keep records of all the orders made by customers, also to print out the invoices that are given along with the food and records of any payments that are received. The computer based at the kitchen site is used to keep records about customer orders and deliveries.

Within the Perfect Pie Company, there are two computers which are situated in the main office, one of the computers which are the delivery system is used only by the administration staff, to keep records of all orders made by customers, print out the invoices which are given to customers and records any payments that they receive. The other computer which is used by the owner of the Perfect Pie Company is for keeping personnel records and recording the company accounts.

At the kitchen site, there is only one computer, it is situated in the kitchen office, and is supposed to be used for keeping records about customer orders, and the deliveries. However this computer is rarely used, and there is no formal method of storing this information. Instead the kitchen staff pin these details which are mostly on paper up to a notice board in the office.  

There are many problems within the Perfect Pie Company; firstly a major problem is that the pies are made in a kitchen, five miles away, from the main office. Also within the kitchen site there is only one desktop computer, which has to be used between all the staff located there. A further problem is that all records about customer’s orders and deliveries are meant to be kept on the computer in the office at the kitchen site; the staff members is not fulfilling this task; as this computer is rarely being used. The only communication between the two sites is by phone, fax or the owner driving between the two. Again records about customer’s orders and deliveries are meant to be kept on a file on this computer, but instead this information is stored on paper, or pinned to the notice board in the kitchens office.  The delivery scooters are kept at main office, before any money is made; they have to travel between sites to pick up customer orders. Within Perfect Pie Company, the methods of storing information are very disorganized and information is always being lost or misplaced. There is a major lack of communication between staff within the Perfect Pie Company, which results in customers being extremely dissatisfied, and the Company is not achieving 100% customer satisfaction. Customers have three ways of placing orders, (phone, fax, or walk in to the shop). This is not enough, other options should be available, online order form, text messaging. Changes made to customer’s orders are not being auctioned or implemented, this can result in lose of revenue and regular business orders. The owner has to drive between the two sites every day. To pass on materials i.e. customers orders, are stored on paper or floppy disk. Lastly once a customer places an order, they do not receive an invoice, so in return the customer won’t pay for their order.

List Of Objectives

  • Company would like to improve their profit margin.
  • They would like to have better communication between the two sites; this will mean that they can all share and access the same information.
  • Company wants to achieve 100% customer satisfaction, customer will leave happy and come, and they will tell other people through word of mouth.
  • Increase the different methods that customers have for placing their orders.
  • Increase the capability of the business and expand function of the business for example, new recipes, deliveries etc.  
  • Bring kitchen and main office together as one, so order taking and the making of pies can all happen under the one roof.
  • Introduce a WAN between two sites.
  • Reduce time taken by owner driving between two sites.
  • Increase customer base within the Perfect Pie Company.

System Scope

Firstly the new system must create a link between the two sites; main office and kitchen, by doing so this will improve the communication within the Perfect Pie Company. The new system should also give the customers more ways to place their orders, for example, online order forms, text messages. In turn this will increase the orders coming in, and increase the profit margin for the Company. if the Perfect Pie Company are to bring in a computerised system, this will link to the sites within the Perfect Pie Company together and also will save the owner time and money, due to driving between the two sites, as customers orders, can appear in a database, from an online order form, through email, this will ensure that customer orders aren’t lost, in turn customer satisfaction levels, will remain at 100%, and in turn customer base could easily increase.

Constraints of the new system include the following:

  • Along with the design of the new system, various amounts of hardware and software will have to be purchased in order for the Perfect Pie Company to get the most of the new system; this will put a dint in the financial budget.
  • When the Perfect Pie Company becomes computerised, all staff within the company will need the training to get the required level of ICT skills, and other training courses on using the new software, in order for the company to benefit, although yet again this takes time and money.
  • There is only a timeline of 20 weeks for introducing the new system for the Perfect Pie Company.  
  • 20% of the £20,000 budget must be kept for essential maintenance on the new system, for example, repairs, faults, bugs, crashes.
  • Order options like text messages and an online order form can cause problems; the servers can easily get problems that will take time to resolve which in turn will give the customers less options to choose from for placing their order.
  • During the time that the new system is being put into place within the company, the Perfect Pie Company will have to close its doors to the public, this will result in another financial lose, and regular customers might chose to go elsewhere.  
  • As a computerised system can easily crash, get viruses, spyware and Trojans, which can result in important files being deleted, for example, files containing details about customers orders, and also payments received by customers. In turn up to date antivirus and spyware software must be installed.
  • Staff within in the company who have very little computer knowledge and are used to doing tasks the old way (with pen and paper) might become demotivated.

Statement Of User’s Requirements

The owner of the perfect pie would like to be able to produce reports on the following.

  • The sales for each type of pie
  • The amount of profit that each filling brings to the business
  • The profit that the sales of drinks, salads, and hot snacks bring to the business

Deficiencies Of The Current system

  • The pies are made in a kitchen, five miles away, from the main office.
  • There is only one desktop computer at the kitchen site that is to be used between all staff located there.
  • The records about customer’s orders and deliveries are meant to be kept on the computer at the kitchen site; as the staff members is not fulfilling this task; as this computer is very rarely used.  
  • The only communication method between the two sites is by phone, fax or the owner driving between the two.
  • The records about customer’s orders and deliveries are meant to be kept on a file in the computer, but instead this information is stored on paper, or pinned to a notice board in the owner’s office.  
  • The delivery scooters are kept at main office, in order to make any money they have to travel between sites to pick up customer orders.
  • The methods of storing information within the Perfect Pie Company are very disorganized and information is always lost or misplaced.
  •  There is a distinct lack of communication between staff, within the Perfect Pie Company.
  • Customers are being extremely dissatisfied with customer service, and the Perfect Pie Company is not achieving standards of 100% customer satisfaction.
  • Customers have three ways of placing orders, (phone, fax, or walk in to the shop). This is not enough, there should be more in order for the company to be successful.
  • Changes to customer’s orders are not being auctioned or implemented.
  • The owner of the Perfect Pie Company has to drive between the two sites every day. To pass on materials i.e. customers orders, are stored on paper or floppy disk.
  • Once a customer places an order, they do not receive an invoice, so in return the customer won’t pay for their order.
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Costs Of Development

  • Hardware (Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Hard Drive, Printers, Scanners)
  • Software (Anti Virus, Spyware, Microsoft Office Software – Integrated package – Word processing software, Desktop Publishing, Database, Spreadsheet Software, Presentation software)
  • Maintenance of new system, making sure its up to date, virus free, and running effectively. 20% of the £20,000 budget.
  • Staff within the Perfect Pie Company are going to need training within in the different areas involving the system
  • Higher electricity bills due to the constant running of the computerised system.
  • Developing and running of a WAN Web which will ...

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