Grow Your Business Project Report - Desklib

Read the project report on Grow Your Business and learn about the benefits of implementing an information system. Get insights on the business functions, project tasks, risks, and costs. Find solutions to your business problems with Desklib.

Grow Your Business
Project Report

Grow Your Business
Table of Contents
Activity 1...............................................................................................................................................2
Short Summary of the Business.........................................................................................................2
Organization Chart............................................................................................................................2
Business Functions Handled by the New Information System..........................................................2
Activity 2...............................................................................................................................................3
Brainstorming on the Business Functions of the Information System...............................................3
System Vision Document..................................................................................................................3
Problem Statement.........................................................................................................................3
System Capabilities.......................................................................................................................4
Purpose & Justification..................................................................................................................4
Activity 3...............................................................................................................................................4
Project Tasks, Duration, Dependencies, Predecessors.......................................................................4
Gantt chart & Critical Path................................................................................................................5
PERT Chart.......................................................................................................................................6
Activity 4...............................................................................................................................................7
Project Risks......................................................................................................................................7
Anticipated Benefits of the System....................................................................................................9
Tangible Benefits...........................................................................................................................9
Intangible Benefits.......................................................................................................................10
Expected Costs................................................................................................................................10
Cost-Benefit Analysis......................................................................................................................10
Benefits........................................................................................................................................10
Analysis Summary 1....................................................................................................................11
Assumptions & Interpretations........................................................................................................12
Proposed System – Strong Business Case or Not................................................................................12
References...........................................................................................................................................13
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Grow Your Business
Activity 1
Short Summary of the Business
Grow Your Business is an organization that was set-up by John Jones and is now co-owned
by John and his wife Jane. The organization produces and sells organically certified products.
The business started from John’s backyard and most of the pasture land has been converted in
the vegetable garden. John decided not to sell the vegetables through local markets; rather the
orders were accepted from the customer over the phone. The contact information of the
customers is maintained in the Customer Book. Customers pick up their orders as there is no
option of home-delivery. John handles all the activities related to production and harvesting
while Jane carried out customer-relations, management of payments, and pick-ups. There are
increased farm hands and customer base associated with the organization. It is necessary to
have an information system in place to manage the customer orders, documentation,
payments & billing.
Organization Chart
Business Functions Handled by the New Information System
The new information system will handle the following set of activities:
 The product catalogue will be available for the customers and they will have the
opportunity to place an order.
2
John
Production
Noel
Noeletta
Nick
Netta
Tim
Terry
Tina
Jane
Customer Relations
& Assistance in
Gardening Activties
Chris
Christina
Charlie
Cathy
Accounting
Sam
Samantha
Pick-up
Mark
Dirk
Marsha

Grow Your Business
 The order details, such as, items, time of delivery etc. will be visible to the customers.
 An automated billing and accounts management system will be integrated in the
information system for invoicing and payments management.
 There will be payment gateways integrated to allow the customers to pay online or
through cash at the time of the delivery (Paraforos et al., 2016).
 Logistics management for arranging the orders accordingly.
 Documentation regarding the organic certifications of all the products offered by the
organizations.
 Resolution of the customer queries and problems using the email/chat option on the
system to maintain customer relations.
 Allocation of the delivery agent for every delivery and the ability to track the order
status.
Activity 2
Brainstorming on the Business Functions of the Information System
The product catalogue shall be available for the customers and they will have the opportunity
to place an order. The order details, such as, items, time of delivery etc. shall be visible to the
customers. An automated billing and accounts management system shall be integrated in the
information system for invoicing and payments management. There shall be payment
gateways integrated to allow the customers to pay online or through cash at the time of the
delivery. Logistics management for arranging the orders shall be a feature of the system.
Documentation regarding the organic certifications of all the products offered by the
organization shall be included in the system for easier management. Resolution of the
customer queries and problems using the email/chat option on the system to maintain
customer relations shall be a mandatory feature. Allocation of the delivery agent for every
delivery and the ability to track the order status must be allowed (Berisha-Shaqiri, 2015).
System Vision Document
Problem Statement
Grow Your Business is an organization that is co-owned by John and Jane. The business
currently runs on the manual set of operations and practices. This has brought up several
issues for the business. The business is expanding at a rapid rate in terms of the customer
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base and the farm hands associated with it. There are issues in order delivery, documentation,
payments & accounting, and customer relations that are being observed.
System Capabilities
Farm information system has been proposed for the organization which is an automated
system that will allow the ability to the customer to place online order, track the orders, and
manage the customer data and relations. Documentation management, payments &
accounting, invoicing, and customer service will also be some of the features that will be
present in the system (Kizilaslan, 2006). It will also allow logistics management and handling
of the
Purpose & Justification
The purpose of the system is to automate the business functions that are carried out at Grow
Your Business. The information system will be required for the organization since the manual
sets of processes are no longer feasible with the expansion of the business operations and
customer base.
Activity 3
Project Tasks, Duration, Dependencies, Predecessors
The total duration that will be spent in the initiation and analysis activities related with the
project will be 18 days. The activities have been scheduled in a series of phases so that there
is an ample amount of time provided to each of the project activities. There are three
milestones that have also been set up to make the process of tracking easier. The first
milestone will be achieved after the first phase and it will be in the form of project data.
There will be meeting and interviews carried out with the staff and customers that will
provide the data sets required for the project. The analysis of the data sets collected and other
project related information will be made and the analysis results will form the second
milestone (Ali & Bhaskar, 2016). The third milestone will be the closure report to present the
results to John and Jane.
WBS Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors
1 Farm Information System 18 days Thu 09-08-
18
Mon 03-09-
18
1.1 Initiation & Data Collection 11 days Thu 09-08- Thu 23-08-
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18 18
1.1.1 Meeting with Farm Staff 2 days Thu 09-08-
18
Fri 10-08-
18
1.1.2 Staff Interviews 5 days Mon 13-
08-18
Mon 20-08-
18 3
1.1.3 Revive Farm Records 2 days Tue 21-08-
18
Wed 22-08-
18 4
1.1.4 Customer Interviews 1 day Wed 22-08-
18
Thu 23-08-
18 5
1.1.5 Milestone 1: Project Data 0 days Thu 23-08-
18
Thu 23-08-
18 6
1.2 Analysis 6 days Fri 24-08-
18
Fri 31-08-
18
1.2.1 Analysis of Account Processes 2 days Fri 24-08-
18
Mon 27-08-
18 7
1.2.2 Study of Sample of Orders &
Payment Transactions 2 days Tue 28-08-
18
Wed 29-08-
18 9
1.2.3 Field Work - Home Delivery
Service 2 days Thu 30-08-
18
Fri 31-08-
18 10
1.2.4 Milestone 2: Analysis Results 0 days Fri 31-08-
18
Fri 31-08-
18 11
1.3 Closure 1 day Mon 03-
09-18
Mon 03-09-
18
1.3.1 Report Preparation &
Submission 1 day Mon 03-
09-18
Mon 03-09-
18 12
1.3.2 Milestone 3: Final Report 0 days Mon 03-
09-18
Mon 03-09-
18 14
Gantt chart & Critical Path
Gantt chart of the project is a tool that shows the project schedule in the form of a timeline.
The tasks critical to the project have been shown in red in the image below.
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PERT Chart
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Activity 4
Project Risks
There are various risks involved with the project. The probability and impact scores have
been determined for these risks on a scale of 1 to 5. In both the cases, a score of 5 indicates
the most severe case and 1 is the lowest probability/impact (Meier, 2017).
Name Description Probability Impact Score Treatment Strategy
Incomplete/Inadequate
Requirements
The farm information
system is being
implemented in Grow
Your Business for the
first time. There may
be chances of
incomplete
requirements that may
emerge as the
requirements
definition may not be
carried out efficiently.
2 5 10 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
avoidance as the
approach.
Lack of Executive
Support
The executive support
will be needed to
define the business
case correctly and
realize the functional
and non-functional
requirement. Lack of
support may be an
issue.
2 3 6 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
avoidance as the
approach.
Technical Faults &
Errors in Technical
Planning
There will be several
technical tools that
will be used in the
project for the
development and
deployment of farm
2 2 4 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
transfer and mitigation
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Grow Your Business
information system.
There may be
technical errors and
faults that may come
up in these tools.
There may also be
issues in technical
planning.
as the approach.
Resource Scarcity The resources required
for the project may not
be readily available.
This may result in the
drop in productivity
for the rest of the
resources available.
2 4 8 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
avoidance as the
approach.
Poor Project Planning The planning tasks and
activities may not be
carried out adequately.
Poor planning would
result in incorrect
estimations and
increased chances of
failure.
3 5 15 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
avoidance as the
approach.
Operational Errors The operational
mistakes and errors
may be given shape by
the resources.
3 3 9 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
avoidance and
mitigation as the
approach.
Schedule/Budget
Overrun
The estimated values
of the schedule and
budget of the project
may not be followed.
1 5 5 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
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Grow Your Business
avoidance and
mitigation as the
approach.
Quality Risks The end result may not
adhere with the quality
standards and best
practices.
1 5 5 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
avoidance as the
approach.
Communication Issues There may be issues in
communication due to
unavailability of the
stakeholders or
resources.
3 4 12 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
avoidance and
mitigation as the
approach.
Conflicts & Disputes
among the resources
There will be
numerous resources
that will be involved in
the project. This may
bring up certain issues
and conflicts among
the resources.
4 4 16 The risk for farm
information system
will possible to be
dealt with using
avoidance and
mitigation as the
approach.
Anticipated Benefits of the System
Tangible Benefits
 Increased number of customer orders
 Increased return on investment
 Higher sales and profits
 Reduction in data loss and duplication
 Faster payments processing
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Grow Your Business
Intangible Benefits
 Ability to reach out to more number of vendors
 Increased customer engagement and satisfaction
 Competitive edge in the market
 Easier decision making
 Easier strategic planning
Expected Costs
There will be various costs associated with the project as cost of the tools that will be one-
time. There will be cost of development, testing costs, resource costs, maintenance, and
closure costs involved. The total estimated cost has come out to be $47,565.
Program Element 0 1 2 3 4 5
Tools Cost $5,400
Farm Information
System -
Development
$2,460 $2,460 $2,460 $2,460 $2,460
Farm Information
System - Testing
$1,258 $1,258 $1,258 $1,258 $1,258
Resource Costs $3,445 $3,445 $3,445 $3,445 $3,445
Farm Information
System -
Maintenance
$680 $680 $680 $680 $680
Farm Information
System - Closure
$590 $590 $590 $590 $590
Yearly Costs $5,400 $8,433 $8,433 $8,433 $8,433 $8,433
Total Costs $47,565
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Benefits
The project will provide the tangible benefits as increased number of customer orders,
increased return on investment, higher sales and profits, reduction in data loss and
duplication, and faster payments processing. There will also be intangible benefits provided
as ability to reach out to more number of vendors, increased customer engagement and
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Grow Your Business
satisfaction, competitive edge in the market, easier decision making, and easier strategic
planning (Al‐Mudimigh, 2007).
Fiscal
Year
Benefit Sources 0 1 2 3 4 5
Tangible Benefits $8,780 $8,780 $8,780 $8,780 $8,780 $8,780
Intangible Benefits $1,240 $1,240 $1,240 $1,240 $1,240 $1,240
Total Benefits Per
Year
$10,020 $10,02
0
$10,02
0
$10,020 $10,020 $10,020
Confidence Factor 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Benefits Claimed for
Analysis
$0 $10,02
0
$10,02
0
$10,020 $10,020 $10,020
Program Grand Total
Benefit
$50,100
Analysis Summary 1
Fiscal
Year
0 1 2 3 4 5
Undiscounted
Flows
Costs -$5,400 -$8,433 -$8,433 -$8,433 -$8,433 -$8,433
Benefits $0 $10,020 $10,020 $10,020 $10,020 $10,020
Net Cash Flow -$5,400 $1,587 $1,587 $1,587 $1,587 $1,587
Discount Factors
Discount Rate 7.0%
Base Year 0
Year Index 0 1 2 3 4 5
Discount Factor 1.0000 0.9346 0.8734 0.8163 0.7629 0.7130
Discounted Flows
Costs -$5,400 -$7,881 -$7,366 -$6,884 -$6,433 -$6,013
Benefits $0 $9,364 $8,752 $8,179 $7,644 $7,144
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Net -$5,400 $1,483 $1,386 $1,295 $1,211 $1,132
Cumulative -$5,400 -$3,917 -$2,531 -$1,235 -$24 $1,107
Net Present Value $1,107
Internal Rate of
Return
14%
Assumptions & Interpretations
It is assumed that the cost of the tools will not face many changes due to the changing
scenarios in the market. It is also estimated that the resources associated with the project will
remain the same during the entire timeline of the project.
Proposed System – Strong Business Case or Not
The proposed system does present a strong business case as it can provide an Internal Rate of
return as 14% and Net Present Value as $1,107 with the discount factor applied as 7%. These
values indicate that the project will provide enhanced benefits to the organization. The project
will also provide the tangible benefits as increased number of customer orders, increased
return on investment, higher sales and profits, reduction in data loss and duplication, and
faster payments processing. There will also be intangible benefits provided as ability to reach
out to more number of vendors, increased customer engagement and satisfaction, competitive
edge in the market, easier decision making, and easier strategic planning.
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Grow Your Business
References
Ali, Z., & Bhaskar, S. (2016). Basic statistical tools in research and data analysis. Indian
Journal Of Anaesthesia, 60(9), 662. doi: 10.4103/0019-5049.190623
Alâ€Mudimigh, A. (2007). The role and impact of business process management in
enterprise systems implementation. Business Process Management Journal, 13(6),
866-874. doi: 10.1108/14637150710834604
Berisha-Shaqiri, A. (2015). Management Information System and Competitive Advantage.
Mediterranean Journal Of Social Sciences. doi: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1p204
Kenedy, N., & Shibwabo, B. (2018). A Mobile-based Tea Farming Information System.
International Journal Of Computer Applications, 179(19), 37-44. doi:
10.5120/ijca2018916334
Kizilaslan, N. (2006). Agricultural information systems: a national case study. Library
Review, 55(8), 497-507. doi: 10.1108/00242530610689347
Meier, C. (2017). Managing Digitalization: Challenges and Opportunities for Business.
Management, 111-113. doi: 10.26493/1854-4231.12.111-113
Paraforos, D., Vassiliadis, V., Kortenbruck, D., Stamkopoulos, K., Ziogas, V., Sapounas, A.,
& Griepentrog, H. (2016). A Farm Management Information System Using Future
Internet Technologies. IFAC-Papersonline, 49(16), 324-329. doi:
10.1016/j.ifacol.2016.10.060
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