Disadvantages:
- They might not want to upset their colleagues and may end up giving dishonest answers if the questionnaire is done in public.
- They might not give an honest answer, as they may be ashamed by some of the things they do.
- They may misinterpret the question.
- They might think that the questionnaire is a waste of time and may rush through it giving incorrect and random answers.
To find any more problems I will ask them all to take part in a group discussion.
Advantages:
- Everybody knows what is being said, and can counter anything that might be said about him or her.
- They can order the problems with the ones that affect them the most at the top. They can also highlight the main problems and why that is so.
- Everyone can give his or her opinion without fear of reprimand.
Disadvantages:
- They might not say anything bad about their colleagues in case they upset them and therefore they are not wholly truthful.
- Also, this might lead them to hanging back a bit, as they might be shy or ashamed about something.
- They may change the style of their answers, therefore leading me off the right track and making me blind to some of the major problems.
I might also use any existing documents, like the forms, to find out any more problems.
Advantages:
- I will be able to see any problems straight off.
- They can’t be edited, so they might not try to lie to protect their colleagues’ feelings.
Disadvantages:
- The form I choose might not have any problems.
- I might not be able to spot frequent problems, as that document might not contain any.
Overall, I have decided that I am going to choose two of the above-mentioned investigation techniques. I am going to ask them all to take part in one-on-one interview, will ask them to participate in a questionnaire. This is because I will be able to figure out any problems as I will be using a range of techniques, and can find out how severe they are. I hope that no problems escape my eye.
I chose these and decided not to observe their workplace and not to take part in a group discussion because I do not think that these are reliable enough. With the interview, I will be able to find most problems without them having the fear that they are going to upset their colleagues’ while with a group discussion this fear would be instilled in them. In addition, if I observed their workplace, they might change their answers and lead me off the main problems.
Inputs
- First Name
- Surname
- Contact information
- Information about the party
- Budget
- Number of people that will be at the party
- Venue e.g. hall hire
- Cost per head
- Any other specific requirements
Processes
- Calculating possible options.
- Adding new supplier details.
- Editing existing supplier details.
- Deleting supplier details.
- Hiring halls.
Outputs
- Receipts.
- Possible options for the party.
- Product list.
- Supplier List.
Weaknesses with the current system
In the current system, there are many weaknesses. It will be very difficult to keep the current system and solve all the current problems. However, we can attempt to see how effective it could be if we do keep the current system and try to solve the problems. The current problems are that many orders are being misprocessed. This means that the orders given out by the customers is either being done incorrectly or late and sometimes not at all. So, this leaves the customers very annoyed and they end up going to another catering service for their party. A reason for so many orders being misprocessed is that the information is collected orally by Giles. He also needs to make sure that they have the customer’s personal details, so they can contact them. To make sure that they are signed up and, therefore, Giles can contact the customers, Bob needs to check the files. These are kept in a filing cabinet but are in no particular order. Due to this, it takes a long time to check and find out, and can leave the Bob exasperated and delay the customer severely. In addition, when the customer wants to edit their orders, it leaves the form very messy. This makes it harder for Giles to read them and leads to him making mistakes. Furthermore, when Giles goes to collect the forms from Bob, as only bob has access to the filing cabinet, they are not in any particular order. This leads to him not knowing the customers’ chosen option and when he is meant to get back to the customer. Therefore, he ends up getting some orders ready early while some others are done very late. So, he ends up planning for the wrong date, which can have disastrous consequences for the customer. This may also lead customers to go to different companies. Also, the messy writing makes it hard for Giles to read the customers contact information, when he is meant to contact them. The other thing is that the information kept is not very safe. They are kept under lock and key, but if Bob loses or misplaces the key, the customer’s very personal details can be stolen, leading to vast amounts of criminal activity, including fraud. This has the potential to ruin the company as it could scare all the customers away.
So, I hope to solve the problems identified with various solutions. I have also listed the advantages of these solutions, and their disadvantages.
I could keep the current system, while trying to fix the current problems.
Advantages:
- My client and his assistants will be familiar with the system.
- They would understand what is going on without having to learn anything.
- They won’t have to change their ‘lifestyle’ much.
Disadvantages:
- Old problems can keep popping up.
- The current system may just be destined for these problems, as they lie at the heart of the system.
- The current system may not be developed enough to overcome these problems, and any solution may only be a shot-term one.
Or, I could choose to update this system and make it a more reliable system but keep it manual. I could train the staff to be more responsible. I could send Jim and Giles on a writing course to improve their handwriting and I could send them all on a course to make them responsible when using a filing cabinet.
Advantages:
- They won’t have to learn anything new (i.e. with a computer system, they will need to learn how to work a computer and how to work the system) and, therefore, it will be easier for them.
- They won’t have to change their routines at work by much.
- They will have some familiarity with the system, as it is manual.
- A few simple changes and some simple necessities e.g. an electronic lock, can result in a much improved system.
Disadvantages:
- It may be hard to adjust to a successful manual system.
- There may be some recurring problems. No matter what you do, a paper-based system is always going to have a reliability problem, as Giles will continue to make mistakes and nothing can change that.
I could set-up a whole new computer system using a database system.
Advantages:
- It would solve most of the problems, e.g. handwriting problems etc.
- It would stop any problem from recurring.
- Provide tables, queries, forms and reports.
Disadvantages:
- The will have to adopt a whole new lifestyle.
- They will need to learn a lot to know how the system operates and to know how a computer works (if necessary).
- There will be some unfamiliarity, which could lead to accepting the orders taking longer than usual.
- This might make it harder for them to operate the system.
- New problems may occur.
On the other hand, I could set-up spreadsheet software.
Advantages:
- It should stop recurring problems.
- It would allow formulae and modelling.
- They could produce graphs.
- It should be easier to operate; everything is more accessible and safe.
Disadvantages:
- The will have to adopt a whole new lifestyle.
- They will need to learn a lot to know how the system operates and to know how a computer works (if necessary).
- There will be some unfamiliarity, which could lead to accepting the orders taking longer than usual.
- This might make it harder for them to operate the system.
I would choose to adopt spreadsheet software, purely because it has the most chances of being a success and reduces most of the problems from the roots effectively.