Business solution: I aim to design a computer application that integrates all the companies support needs in one system.

Unit: Business Application Development 08/05/2007

Unit Tutor: Colin Beeke

Business Solution

By Peter Carroll

1.0 Background

1.1 Task

Select a business situation, that has a problem, in some business way. Produce a scenario to demonstrate the business area of activity and the present working practices, both of a functionality and technical nature.

From your scenario, produce a report to the management that satisfies the Outcomes and Assessment Criteria. Demonstrating the problem(s) and your proposal in order to solve them through the use of business application development tools, packages and techniques.

1.2 The Scenario

I work for a consultancy that specialises in engineering however the companies finance system and HR system is outdated, and the company is growing larger each day as a result of winning successful bids for new contracts. The need to develop the existing network and back office system is imperative to survive in today’s market. The company has three building within London and employs 300 staff with varying skills and capabilities. The specialisation and nature of the business is transport system engineering and the majority of staff employed are skilled technicians and engineers, however there is a large number of staff making up the finance and HR departments.

My role in the company is to provide cost saving solutions and ways to improve and develop efficiency throughout the business. As assistant manager within the business development team I have been asked by my senior manager to help maximise the support and efficiency project managers, business managers and support staff have within the company. Providing an action plan for the future as well as designs for a new back office system that will be capable to cope with today’s business needs.

1.3 Introduction

I aim to design a computer application that integrates all the companies support needs in one system. This means providing all the tools our company needs to work effectively and accurately providing less time consuming tasks every project manager, support clerk and business manager face into one easy to use package. An upgrade of the existing network infrastructure and personal computers, printers, fax machines etc will have to be implemented before the new back office system is put into use.

I will review and comment in this report upon the issues that have forced such a change in technology for our business stating identifying how it will help us develop in such a growing market.

I will identify how the application will enhance our business needs and provide a more capable system below are the aims and objectives I will be working to:

To improve efficient and capable effectiveness on the business as a whole
Improve financial efficiency
Reduced running cost of old computer system
Reduction in overall procurement spend

The Method

I shall divide the solution into 2 main areas one focussing on the “refresh” of our network, and the other providing an update of the “Back office” System.

The “Refresh”

The new “refresh” is the key to start the process off to get our business back into the cutting edge of technology, this will form the basis we need to introduce the new back office system and provide a solid platform to start building our new IT system. To achieve this we must centre the “refresh” around this three main processes:

Business Requirements
Create Solution
Delivery

Business Requirements

This report will review the company’s communication network strategy it will offer planning for the next three years. The report shall ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

The “Refresh”

Business Requirements
Create Solution
Delivery

Business Requirements

This report will review the company’s communication network strategy it will offer planning for the next three years. The report shall give an open review of existing equipment Infrastructure and where and how it can be replaced in order to provide more efficient and reliable communication network.

This is the basis of the new IT system analysing what our users need and why. The Refresh is to put in place a consistent global IT infrastructure in line with the needs of the business and in readiness for the deployment of the new back office system.

At the moment all our users of the network use a mix and match of PC’s there is no central server and the provision for a new network is imperative. I suggest that an overall rebuild of the network and physical data link be reviewed and implemented.

Without going into detail I would like to provide a basis to review the existing network and highlight key areas that need to be addressed. Please see the diagram shown below:

Figure 1 – Network Review Breakdown

2.1.2 The Solution

It is advised that the entire data communications system be reviewed and rebuilt. An in depth review of the existing network will have to be carried out be an independent source. Everyone in the organisation will receive a replacement standard PC, either laptop or desktop, which will give you a faster and more reliable service. The “Refresh” will provide you with a flexible, user-friendly system with increased computing speed, additional features on your PC, easier and quicker support and complete standardisation across the business. I would advise that once the “refresh” has taken place and a new system is in place individual network needs for the business be addressed to increase the possibilities such as ‘remote access’ and an ‘Intranet Site’.

Each user will have support from a central Service Desk located in one of the three buildings however a support technician will be based at every site providing support to all users through which all IT requests for service and problem management will be channelled. The Service Desk will be equipped with a call management system to allow the analysts to track all calls through to resolution. A remote control tool will enable the Service Desk to take control of your PC to solve your problems or show you how to help yourself.

As a basis for each machine it is recommended that the following list be used as the standard IT package on each PC. The latest software will be available each user will be:

Windows 2000
MS Office XP - Word, Excel and PowerPoint
MS Outlook/Exchange mail system
MS Internet Explorer 5.5
Anti Virus McAfee Scan
WinZip 8

A corporate licence may have to be purchased for each piece of software however this is a list of the basics and any individual needs users may have shall be met if the need is realised and business critical a separate licence for this software shall be purchased individually. This “refresh” will provide the basis to implement the business application development tool for our back office system.

Delivery

This scale of change over 3 buildings may be extremely time consuming however I would like to provide an indication of the time scale that is involved. It would take three hits to update each users machine possibly an entire weekend would be dedicated to the “refresh” of each site to provide minimal disruption.

The “Back Office” System or “Saturn”

The new “back office” system will be named “Saturn” to provide an easier understanding for the user and also management. It will be an independent system that will serve the business as an application tool to reduce time consuming tasks and integrating all support needs for the business. The main aims for the package are as follows:

Improved management efficiency and effectiveness as a result of self-service report generation and better access to management information
Improved information quality leading to better decision making
Reduction in administration costs and as a result more productive time for finance and HR departments
Reduced running cost of old computer system due to implantation of a better managed network
Reduction in overall procurement due to better spending on real business needs – This will be achieved with an online ordering system for Admin which will have a direct link with stationery suppliers, couriers and car rental services.

The extent to which we will benefit as a business from SATURN will depend on our roles but I expect most of us to work more efficiently by having easier access to key information and be more effective by having it when we need it. In the longer term, I expect us all to benefit by utilising a broader range of services as the role of our support functions moves to be more dependable and realising what needs we have as our business grows.

To achieve this we must centre the implantation of “Saturn” around this three main processes:

Business Requirements and Overview
Implementation
Delivery

2.2.1 Overview

Saturn is aimed at rejuvenating our back office systems and processes and will provide us with the strategic information support that we will need in the years ahead. The application can be launched from any PC within the business and will be able to complete a number of support tasks below is a short list of the main functions Saturn will be able to achieve. The application will be run directly from a separate server offering different user rights to different levels of employees and also depending on their role within the business.

Our new systems and processes will deliver substantial improvements in the way we do business, and in particular to the way Finance and HR support our business needs. But to realise the full benefits of NOVA, it is vital we prepare the business thoroughly by making sure that the right data is transferred and that all of our staff are ready and able to use our new systems. This will be the turning key solution led by the “Refresh” of our IT system.

The main tasks that “Saturn” will cater for are the support needs of the business. These support needs are:

Purchasing
Payroll
Time Sheets (Time sheet entry and processing)
Billing
Project Management and Quotations

I will cover each area independently providing a review and highlighting the key changes that will take place and how the new system will provide a better working method for our business support needs in the future.

Purchasing

At the moment the ordering and purchasing system is done through an internal order form which is filled out by staff and then signed by authorised staff it is then sent to finance for filing, this is an extremely time consuming process that is inefficient and a waste of time. The new system will provide an easier use to ordering and purchasing mechanism that will be a lot more quicker and efficient than the old method. This will be achieved with the use of an electronic form that is directly linked with the finance department and once complete it will be automated so that it is directly send to the relevant person(s) for authorisation and then updated on the system so finance can then process it directly.

Figure 2 – Purchasing and Order Process

This process is much more efficient and also reliable the form will then be placed into a database for future use if need be. A more in depth review will be made into the database and its functions for the entire system to work in parallel with.

Payroll

At the moment the payroll process is done through each employee completing a handwritten form stating hours and project numbers used throughout one working week. The project numbers are dependent on start up of each project and then sub numbers assigned to the main project number in order to divide the project into different areas of expertise. A copy is then handed to each project manager depending on the project and the grade of staff, and then signed and handed to finance for processing.

The new system aims to defeat a number of problems the current process faces such as inefficiency, time consuming, errors on processing and time entry. The employee will now have to fill out an electronic time sheet on his/her PC which will have a list of current projects that are active, this will then check the time sheet automatically for any errors and then send it to the relevant project manager for authorisation once done it will automatically forwarded to finance for processing.

Figure 3 – Time Sheet Process

As shown below an example of the electronic time sheet that will be used by each employee:

Figure 4 – Example of Time sheet

Entry Form

Billing

Billing will also be done with the use of an electronic form this will be directly sent as an attachment within and email and then completed by the relevant recipient. This will be set up on a job by job basis at the project start up and then directly completed through the use of a database that contains the clients relevant details needed for invoicing.

Project Management and Quotations

This will be a module set up within Saturn for project managers only and will enable them to start up projects and also manage projects effectively it will tie in all the other uses of Saturn. Providing them with information at the touch of a button to Co-ordinate the project in a more efficient manner. This highlights Saturn’s key use to share information easily, there is a great need for this in the industry and this will enable all information to be stored and retrieved in the same place.

Conclusion

From this report I have formulated many recommendations for the company to progress in the future. I believe Saturn to be the cornerstone as it has many capabilities to provide our business with a more efficient reliable platform to work from. The refresh is imperative to survive in today’s market and provide our employees with better working methods, It will also help us in recruitment and other areas such as communication throughout the business which is a key issue for team work.

Before the refresh and introduction of Saturn takes place It will be necessary for an in-depth review to be carried out by contracted network specialists of all existing hardware and the existing IT infrastructure to ascertain what equipment can be salvaged prior to a refresh of the entire IT system. A design for the new system will have to be designed based on our requirements and future needs.

As you can see from the time scale plan the planning and implementation for the refresh is quite a time consuming process however it is assumed that the staff should see no difference in working methods as normal until the time of launch has arrived.

The need for this change is critical for future work in this market and will make previous working methods a thing of the past. The new system will make us a much more efficient and capable company. These benefits will only result from aligning the way we work with our new processes for managing basic tasks.

The extent to which we benefit as a business from Saturn will depend on our roles. In the longer term, I expect us all to benefit by utilising a broader range of services as the role of our support functions moves from being largely transactional to being more advisory and strategic, helping us all to realise our potential.