Justification for IT Capital Projects Table of Contents Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2 Model(s) for Ranking and Evaluating Projects......................................................................................2 Weighted Score.................................................................................................................................2 Payback Period..................................................................................................................................2 Cost-Benefit Analysis........................................................................................................................2 Rationale on Selected Models............................................................................................................3 Project Table (Rank)..............................................................................................................................3 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................4 References.............................................................................................................................................5 Appendix...............................................................................................................................................6
Justification for IT Capital Projects Introduction The report is prepared for a large manufacturing company. The success and growth of the business organizations is marked by the IT infrastructure implemented in the organization. It is necessary for the company to expand its IT infrastructure in a cost-effective manner. The report comprises of the use of some of the models for ranking and evaluating the projects. The project table with the rank/priority is also included. Model(s) for Ranking and Evaluating Projects Weighted Score The weighted score model is used to prioritize the projects in a business environment on the basis of a set of criteria. The criterion that is used in these models is a mix of monetary and non-monetary parameters. The different set of parameters that will be used to assign the score for the projects will includeenhancementofquality,costreduction,easeofimplementation,ITsecurity, maintenance,return on investment,and technical/operationalfeasibility.There will be weights assigned to each of these parameters on the basis of the utility to the organization such that the total weight is 100% (Coombes, Basu, Guha & Schork, 2015). The score will be assigned on a scale of 100 and it will be multiplied with the weight assigned to the parameter. The total score for the project will be determined by adding the scores obtained. The project with highest score will be assigned priority 1 and likewise (Jian, Dai & Dai, 2016). Payback Period There will be specific costs that will be involved with each of the project that has been identified. The total estimated cost for the project will be divided by the annual net cash inflows to determine the payback period of the project. It will be the timeframe in which the return for the investment made will be obtained (Jahnke & Simons, 2012). The company will want the payback period to be low for the projects and therefore, the projects with lower payback period will be provided with the higher priority over the others. Cost-Benefit Analysis There will be certain costs associated with the project and the tangible and intangible benefits will be obtained as an outcome.
Justification for IT Capital Projects The forecasting and determination of these benefits will provide the indication of the priority for taking up the project (Rouwendal, 2012). The different projects will have different costs assigned to them. For example, the project of EDI link to the suppliers will have the total costs involved as $110 and the resulting benefits will include reduced staff and inventory. Rationale on Selected Models The three models as weighted score model, cost/benefit analysis, and payback period are selected as the models to select and prioritize the projects as they provide a combination of the monetary and non-monetary parameters for the purpose of project prioritization. The weighted score model that has been selected includes the monetary parameters, such as cost reduction and return on investment for the project. At the same time, it considers the non-monetary factors, such as quality,ease of implementation,maintenance,etc. The combination will provide the organization with the capability to understand the project priority with detailed analysis (Han et al., 2015). The second model that has been selected is the payback period. It is the model that is entirely based on the financial parameters and factors. The payback period will be calculated on the basis of the investments and the net cash inflows. This will make it easier to select the projects on the basis of the different parameters and perspectives. The third model that will be used for the project selection and prioritization will be cost- benefit analysis. The determination of the total project costs and the benefits that will be achieved from these costs will be done in this model. The financial forecasting of the project will be done to determine the decision of accepting or non-accepting the project. Project Table (Rank) The project table with the project number and the rank assigned to the project has been included below. Project NumberProjectPriority Assigned Project 16 Project 21 Project 32 Project 48
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Justification for IT Capital Projects Project 57 Project 64 Project 75 Project 83 Conclusion The determination of the project priority has been done on the basis of the three models as project cost-benefit analysis, weighted score model, and payback period. The combination of the results of these models is obtained in order to take up the project accordingly. On the basis of the evaluation as per the three models, the order entry website is evaluated as the project with the top priority. The next priority is assigned to EDI link to the suppliers followed by the setting up of VOIP network as the project with priority 3.
Justification for IT Capital Projects References Coombes, B., Basu, S., Guha, S., & Schork, N. (2015). Weighted Score Tests Implementing Model-Averaging Schemes in Detection of Rare Variants in Case-Control Studies. PLOS ONE,10(10), e0139355. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139355 Han, S., Rosenberg, P., Ghosh, A., Landi, M., Caporaso, N., & Chatterjee, N. (2015). An exposure-weighted score test for genetic associations integrating environmental risk factors.Biometrics,71(3), 596-605. doi: 10.1111/biom.12328 Jahnke, H., & Simons, D. (2012). A Rational for the Payback Criterion: An Application of Almost Stochastic Dominance to Capital Budgeting.SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1299584 Jian, X., Dai, B., & Dai, H. (2016). The weighted-score logistic model and Monte Carlo simulationstudy.ActaPsychologicaSinica,48(12),1625.doi: 10.3724/sp.j.1041.2016.01625 Rouwendal, J. (2012). Indirect Effects in Cost-Benefit Analysis.Journal Of Benefit-Cost Analysis,3(1), 1-27. doi: 10.1515/2152-2812.1046
Justification for IT Capital Projects Appendix The determination of the weighted score model is done for the projects with the weights assigned to each of the parameters. The weights have been assigned on the basis of the requirements for the company. IT security is one of the top needs for the organization as it is necessary that the security of the information and data sets is maintained. The company also needs to have higher returns on the investments that are made. There are budget constraints that are also associated with the organization. The enhancement in the overall quality and the reduction in the costs are the next two significant parameters for the organization. The project that is selected shall also be easy to implement and the technical and operational feasibility shall also be determined. These have been assigned with the weights as 12% and 10% respectively. The weight for maintaining the projects and the ease of maintenance is assigned with the total weight as 8%. Project Number Enhancement of quality Weight (15%) Cost reduction Weight (15%) Ease of implementation Weight (12%) IT security Weight (20%) Maintenance Weight (8%) ROI Weight (20%) Technical/ operational feasibility Weight (10%) Total Score Project 1 50 (7.5)55 (8.25)58 (6.96)45 (9)45 (3.6)50 (10)55 (5.5)50.81 Project 2 70 (10.5)65 (9.75 ) 67 (8.04)60 (12)50 (4)80 (16)75 (7.5)67.79 Project 3 60 (9)70 (10.5 ) 70 (8.4)50 (10)60 (4.8)70 (14)70 (7)63.7 Project 4 40 (6)50 (7.5)58 (6.96)50 (10)40 (3.2)40 (8)50 (5)46.66 Project 5 45 (6.75)40 (7.5)50(6)80 (16)30 (2.4)40 (8)30 (3)49.65 Project 6 55 (8.25)60 (9)60 (7.2)50 (10)46 (3.68)60 (12)60 (6)56.13 Project 7 52 (7.8)62 (9.3)62 (7.44)50 (10)40 (3.2)55 (11)60 (6)54.74 Project 8 58 (8.7)67 (10.05) 65 (7.8)70 (14)50 (4)60 (12)65 (6.5)63.05 The payback period for each project has been assigned and illustrated as per the analysis conducted by the organization. There are certain projects that have the same payback period assigned to them. Also, there are a few in which the payback period could not be determined on the basis of the analysis made by the organization. The consideration of all of these factors has been done to determine the priority for the project. The prioritization on the basis of the payback period estimated for the project is done and included in the table below. ProjectPayback PeriodPriority assigned
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Justification for IT Capital Projects Number Project 1 24 months4/5 Project 2 24 months4/5 Project 3 16 months1 Project 4 Unclear7/8 Project 5 Unclear7/8 Project 6 20 months2/3 Project 7 30 months6 Project 8 20 months2/3 The trade-off between the project costs and the benefits is also done and it is used to determine the priority of the project. The total costs of the project along with the determined benefits are listed below. These along with the analysis on the return on investment and the net present value are used to assign the priority to the projects. Project Number Initial costsBenefitsPriority assigned Project 1 $1000Increase in the profits Reduction in the sales costs 8 Project 2 $750Reduction in staff Increase in sales 2 Project 3 $110Reduction in staff and inventory3 Project 4 $200Total benefits could be more than $10000 1 Project 5 $240Enhancement of security5 Project 6 $120Reduction in the cost of contractors6 Project 7 $600Improvement in sales and marketing processes 7 Project 8 $500Reduction in communication and travel costs 4 The priority for the projects is calculated as the combined priority on the basis of all the three models. The details of the priority are included in the table below. Project NumberProjectPriority Assigned Project 16 Project 21 Project 32 Project 48
Justification for IT Capital Projects Project 57 Project 64 Project 75 Project 83 The order entry website will provide the organization with enhanced return on investment and other monetary benefits. The project that is assigned second on the basis of priority is EDI link to suppliers followed by the VOIP network. These priorities have been determined on the basis of the combined results of the three models.