Case Study Stage 5
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Project Description
The project is aimed at seeing the full implementation of an inventory management system, which is meant to keep track of accounts of supplies in store for the continued growth of the business.
The following IT components will be required for the successful implementation of the inventory management system.
A centralized database that contains all information on supplies, including what is already in stores, its count, dates supplied, deficit, names of suppliers, and other relevant details (Gupta, 2013).
Interactive software that connects the database to the users as well as any other third party software.
A new server, on which the database will be hosted.
The successful completion of this project will necessitate the deployment of the following business resources.
An implementation manager, who will oversee the development and implementation of the inventory management system.
An IT team that will be charged with the system development and implementation.
Project Management
The scope of this project has its focus on the accomplishment of a fully functional inventory management system for UMUC Haircuts to keep track of accounts of supplies. At present, there is no existing electronic system that serves this purpose, which means that the system will be developed from scratch.
This project is scheduled to last for a period of 6 months as the maximum time expended for all deliverables to be in place.
In regards to Human Resources, there will be a project team that will be charged with the development and implementation of the system from start to finish, which will be under the supervision of an implementation manager. The implementation manager will be appointed internally.
Financial resources are still under review by the project committee. The financial proposal was presented to the committee for review and approval and the outcomes will be communicated to the project team through the implementation manager.
Upon the successful completion of the project, UMUC Haircuts will have a centralized database, interactive software that connects the database to the users, and new server, on which the database will be hosted. All these will be fully integrated and employees will be trained.
System Development Life Cycle
The phase of SDLC will involve the elicitation of information on user requirements from all relevant persons, especially the owner, managers, and employees.
During system analysis, the user requirements will be documented and presented to the development team. The team will match the requirements to the development process as well as the tools that will be necessary for the development and implementation processes to be completed.
System design will be the third phase, in which the development team will engage in the process of developing algorithms and conceptual models for the system to be developed.
The programming phase will involve coding the various modules identified as necessary for the entire system to be in place.
The testing process will involve testing the modules prior to integration as well as the entire system after integration, during which a sample of end users will be called upon to take tests. Any necessary reviews and corrections will be made after this.
During the implementation stage, the complete system will be deployed and installed on the server and user computers, after which the implementation team will conduct training.
The operations and maintenance phase is continuous and will involve the continued use of the system, with the necessary improvements being identified and made accordingly. Technical support will be part of this phase.
Business Process Changes
All business processes concerned with the supply chain will be affected and will have to change.
Every entry of supply that comes in and out will be entered into the database through the user interface.
It will also be possible to retrieve information on what remains in the inventory from the same interface.
Supplier details will also be available via the same interface.
Employee Training
Employees will have to be trained on how to use the new system, especially how to make inventory entries and how to retrieve records of supplies from the system.
It is also necessary to train end users to deal with simple technical issues in the system, which helps them become even more comfortable with the system (Preston, 2001).
They will, therefore, be trained on how to deal with simple technical hitches of the system in case the support team is unavailable.
It will be important to use the development team for the training processes, as they are the ones most familiar with the system.
Leadership Expectations
The project will meet all user requirements specified during the system analysis phase.
The project will be completed with the stipulated schedule and budget.
Training and technical support will be offered extensively.
Inventory efficiency will be drastically improved.
Defining Success
The system is fully functional and integrated with all computers and any third party software.
Inventory is fully automated.
Users have appreciated the change and there is no resistance.
References
Gupta, S. M. (2013). Reverse Supply Chains: Issues and Analysis. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Preston, R. (2001). Net Projects Won’t Fly Without End Users’ Buy-In. InternetWeek 858, PG9.
References
Gupta, S. M. (2013). Reverse Supply Chains: Issues and Analysis. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Preston, R. (2001). Net Projects Won’t Fly Without End Users’ Buy-In. InternetWeek 858, PG9.
