Developing a Purpose Built App for Taxi Booking: A Project Charter

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING
Enterprise Resource Planning
Name
Date

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING
Introduction
Faced with a choice between a manual system and one based on Information technology
such as using an application, it would be logical to use an application, possibly one with online
capabilities (Cohn, 2014). However, there is always a choice between developing an application
from scratch, and using available ones that can be customized to meet the specific needs of the
organization. Aspects like cost and time to market become factors of consideration in this case
(Rundle, 2017). This paper evaluates the case of a taxi company seeking to offer better services
to replace the manual system in which users make calls and reserve taxis, especially in light of
increased in call volumes and the need to have a better system. The paper begins by developing a
project charter, before recommending the feasibility of using an existing system/ application and
customizing it versus a purpose built application. The business process models in the context of
AS-IS and To-BE are then discussed as is the business process re-engineering. The advantages to
the business in using such applications (app) is then discussed, followed by a description of the
features of the recommended app and a diagram showing how human and technological
components are linked. The costs are outlined, as is the implementation, integration, and testing
plan. The criteria for success is then discussed and a plan for evaluation
Charter
Title Recommendations of whether to customize and use an existing app or
develop a purpose built one for taxi booking
Scope Due to increased calls and the need for better customer services, the taxi
hailing company seeks to use an app to expedite the service, have a better
customer experience, and improve services.
Objectives Evaluate whether to customize and use an existing app or develop a
purpose built one
Discuss the business process modeling and business re-engineering process
Evaluate the advantages of the app and features of the desired app
Illustration of how the human and technological components are linked
Cost structure

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING
Implementation, integration and evaluation plan
Project
Organization
Executive
Sponsor
Taxi Hailing Company CEO
Business Sponsor Taxi Hailing Company Business Development Manager
Project manager [Author]
User
Representatives
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Technical Lead Mr. X
Project team Bond, James, Money-penny
Project Roles The executive sponsor facilitates and approves the project.
The business sponsor will ensure the app meets the organizations; business
needs
Project manager develops project plan, communication plan, stakeholder
management plan, and ensures project objectives are met within the triple
constraints
Tracking is done using MS Project software
Change Control Project manager can approve changes not exceeding $ 5000 but anything
above must be approved by Executive Sponsor
Approvals
CEO
Business
Development
Manager
Information
Systems/ IT
Manager
Finance manager

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING
Charter developed following the Project Management Body of Knowledge guidelines and
nature of the project (Estrella, 2012)
Use Existing App or a Purpose Built One
Existing (or white label apps) are those built by a specialist (or even open source ones)
and can be used by any party, such as this company and can be customized and branded for its
use. The developer then charges a fee, such as development and a monthly maintenance fee. This
model has its advantages including a short time to market, low initial investment, plenty of
customization, and maintenance post release. Purpose built apps are those developed in house
either by in-house staff or hired experts, specifically for the organization, which then owns all its
rights (Welder, 2016). Advantages of this model are that it is built specifically for the client, can
be scaled easily, integration can be built in easily with other company IT resources, and the firm
will get high level support and maintenance. The security features can be customized and
enhanced based on a robust threat and risk assessment in the context of the taxi hailing company,
although costs and time to market can be high (Thomas, 2014). Based on this short evaluation,
the purpose built app is the recommended solution. This is informed by security needs, the need
for future scalability, and integration with other existing IT resources for the company. These are
going to be important factors for the company, especially security because the app will feature
payment portals and also store user data that can be sensitive. Further, the app should integrate
with existing IT systems of the taxi hailing company, including its existing ERP system,
databases, and network resources, including in the cloud. The company may want to scale,
change, or add a lot of features to the app depending on demand, and even use it as a customer
service portal linked to its social networking sites. Based on these reasons, it is recommended
that the firm develops a purpose built app for its taxi hailing service.
Business Process Modeling (BPM)
The processes of the organization in ordering for, and securing a taxi are discussed based
on the present (as-is) model and the desired future model (to-be): the BPM is developed to create