IFSM 461 Week 1 Assignment Help

IFSM 461 Week 1 Assignment Help | University Of Maryland University College 

IFSM 461

Stage 1-Preliminary Investigation Report

Introduction

 PEP’s IT Steering Committee (ITSC)has conducted a preliminary investigation of Precision Electronic Parts (PEP) current customer billing and payment system, as well as any related daily business processes.  This investigation request was made by PEP’s Information Technology Steering Committee (ITSC), which includes, Carolyn West (CEO), Tim Uduak, Jr. (COO), Karl Manley (CFO), Mark Temple (CIO), Susan Black (SVP), and Jason Udo (VP).

SYSTEM REQUEST SUMMARY

 PEP has developed a low voltage motor that reduces electricity costs and makes older medical equipment eco-friendlier. In addition, PEP has also added a new line of more efficient low voltage motors that can be used outside of the field of medicine.  This then brought along a high demand for the new motors, one that the current operating system (OS) can’t handle.  The other departments have been optimized to handle the increase, however, no expansion has been made in the Orders & Shipping department, the Inventory Management department, nor the Finance department.  The Finance department is the one which is in the most need of expansion as it is unable to keep up with the orders.  As of now the Finance department is falling behind its fellow departments. The department is unable to keep up with invoicing, billing and the processing of customer payments. In the end, the best way to fix this would be to have a system that can handle an infinite amount of billing and payment transactions, as well as track inventory.

Preliminary Findings

Project Scope

The scope of this project is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of PEP’s daily business operations.The implementation of this IT system will enable PEP to optimize its daily business practices and assure the company if abiding by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Privacy Act (PA) industry standards, due to the company’s involvement with the medical industry.

The new system will still send out invoices and bill customers, however it will be much faster than the previous system and will be able to handle more. The system will also process customer’s payments in a similar manner and will minimize backlog.  With this system, PEP will be able to expand as needed, this includes personnel, since PEP is able to keep up with the demand for the low voltage motors thanks to it.  

The new IT system must be secure. This allows financial records to be stored and maintained safelywhile following National Archivist guidelines.  PISA should be responsible for the installation of any hardware and software to ensure all customer data is uploaded correctly and is accessible toall necessary staff.  PISA may train or schedule training of the necessary staff members who will use the new system.

Project Constraints

The following constraints have been identified regarding this project:

• All business will be conducted on-site, the server will not allow for remote access (by not allowing remote access, this will limit the daily work input, however it will ensure that all sensitive information will not leave the PEP offices).

• Hardware and software resources will be available as supplied by vendors, and this may affect the timeline (once determined) of included tasks or the greater project itself.

• If any portion of the project overreaches its budget allocations (once determined), the project itself may be at risk of cost overruns; to remedy this, resources may be reassigned in order to ensure that the project is completed within the allotted budget.

• If project team members become unavailable for any reason, the on-time delivery of the product may be jeopardized.

• Discontinuation of support for hardware or software components by vendors may necessitate additional expenditures and/or re-evaluation of project architecture.

Fact-findings

As stated prior, the PEP has had unpredicted increase in demand for their motors, both the manufacturing department, sales, and marketing departments were expanded to meet this need. However, they do not have the employees that are needed for the order, shipping, and finance departments. This can easily be remedied with an increase of personnel; this will greatly benefit the company. This is due to how it would allow improved accuracy when completing the daily business processes.  The exact number of employees to retain per department will depend greatly upon the new IT system. PEP is also looking to improve upon their current inventory management system, in order to meet the current demand for the low voltage motors.  As of now they are meeting the challenges but will have greater success with more personnel and a better invoicing system to keep up with the demand.

Current Costs

Cost of current system has not been identified.  Cost associated with a system upgrade or system replacement will be based upon what is needed as far as hardware and software requirements for the project.

Feasibility Analysis

Technical Feasibility

• The new technology will either need a full replacement for the system or it will need a system upgrade that will interface properly with the current system. 

• PEP should be able to handle the increased sales through the sales and marketing department.

Financial Feasibility

• PEP should be able to see a return on investment within the first year after the system is launched

• Once in place the new technology will be simple to operate and maintain for and require relatively low cost

Organizational/Behavioral Feasibility

• Minimal increases to staffing is required with no changes to organizational structure

• No new facilities or capital investments are required

• This initiative will allow PEP to reach larger number of target groupselectronically at a lower cost

• PEP will be able to expand their customer base to international companies

Recommendation

Time & Cost Estimate

Once the solution is defined specifically PISA should be able to give a date for when the project should be completed. However, it cannot be given as the solution is not identified. However, the project should not take any longer than six months to be completed. This includes the time necessary for testing before the full launch of the system. If PEP wants to use something that is web based, for example Intuit Quick Books, the annual cost will be $480 (Intuit, n.d.), this service will also involve some of the following:

• Track income and expenses

• Create estimates and invoices

• Sync bank accountsand apps

• Manage and pay bills

• Instant sales and profit reports

• Track inventory

• Prepare and print 1099s

Expected Benefits

Once the system analysis is completed, the IT department will be able to define any problems which exist in the system.  PISA will also suggest solutions that may reduce late invoicing, billing, and collections of payments to the point where it does not occur. This new system will also reduce processing errors.

                                                              References

Quick Books. (n.d.). Features. Retrieved from intuit Quick Books: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/