Impact of Digital Technology on Business Growth: A Case Study

This report examines the impact of digital technology, particularly cloud technology, on the growth and innovation of small businesses, using Continental Consulting Limited as a case study. The report begins with an introduction outlining the project's aims and objectives, focusing on the design of an effective information system using cloud technology. It then presents a project management plan that considers cost, scope, time, quality, communication, and risk. A work breakdown structure and Gantt chart are developed to illustrate project phases and timelines. The research involves applying research methods to meet project objectives, followed by data analysis using appropriate tools and techniques. The report concludes with recommendations and a reflection on the findings, highlighting the benefits of cloud technology in improving data storage, sharing, and overall business productivity. The research questions address the benefits, impacts, and development of an effective information system through cloud technology.

Managing Successful Business
Projects

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
PART 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Aims and objectives of project..........................................................................................1
P2 Project management plan incorporating cost, scope, time, quality, communication and risk
................................................................................................................................................2
P3 Produce work breakdown structure and Gantt chart for project.......................................5
PART 2............................................................................................................................................9
P4 Small research by applying methods of research to meet projects aims and objectives...9
PART 3..........................................................................................................................................11
P5 Analyse data using appropriate tools and techniques......................................................11
P6 Communicate proper recommendations..........................................................................16
P7 Reflection........................................................................................................................16
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................17
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................19
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................21

INTRODUCTION
Managing successful business projects refers to conduct a process of building appropriate
strategies to manage overall tasks for a particular project in proper way to get desired outcomes.
It is essential to make more effective as well as efficient planning for business projects so that it
can be completed in correct manner as per desired target. Digital technology refers to electronic
equipments and applications which helps to improve profitability of an organisation (Bakker and
et. al., 2011). This report is based on Continental Consulting Limited which has an IT business to
provide several services such as latest equipment, computer and other relevant facilities to
people. It was established in the year around 2016 and headquartered in Aldershot, Hampshire,
England. The present assignment will include aims & objectives of project along with an
appropriate management plan. It also involve description of work break down structure & Gantt
chart to render time frames and stages for completion. The qualitative or quantitative research
methods and analysis of data along with recommendations & reflection is given below.
PART 1
P1 Aims and objectives of project
The projects mainly requires aim and objectives because they provide an appropriate
direction for putting efforts which facilitates to attain desired results successfully. It is essential
for management of an organisation to make an appropriate target along with organising more
effective plan to execute for completion of particular projects in correct way through generating
desired outcomes (Crane and Matten, 2016). There are different types of tools and techniques
which are required to be utilised in an appropriate manner for conducting needed activities
properly which helps to attain set targets in given period of time. Thus, various functional
departments such as human resource, finance, marketing, production etc. can improve their
performance by using digital technology.
Topic – “The impact of digital technology supporting small business growth and
innovation.” A case study on Continental Consulting Limited.
Background of Project
The present project is based on a broad section known as digital technology which is very
common in current scenario as people prefer it in almost every activity of life. There are various
kinds of machines, equipments, software or applications are introduced which provide support to
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an individual or company for carrying required procedures for gaining better outcomes. In case
of Continental Consulting Limited, they are required to make an appropriate plan for adopting an
effective method called cloud technology to store and share information within organisation in
an accurate manner. Moreover, it is helpful to maintain an effective information system by
storing and sharing of desired information through utilising cloud technology properly (Crane
and Matten, 2016). As per give scenario, due to rapid innovation in digital, technology, the
selected firm services become older as comparison to fresh techniques rendered by other
companies in IT sector. Thus, due to this problem they are facing loss and reduce in market share
also due to decreased good will at marketplace.
Aim: To design an effective information system using cloud technology for storage
and sharing of data for business aspects.
Objectives –
 To identify significance of cloud technology within Continental Consulting Limited.
 To determine benefits of storing and sharing of data among employees in an organisation.
 To analyse impact of cloud technology for build an effective information system in
regular productivity.
Research questions:
 Evaluate benefits of cloud technology which can be gained by selected enterprise?
 What are the impacts on properly storage and sharing of specific information between
staff members?
 How cloud technology developing an effective information system in productivity?
P2 Project management plan incorporating cost, scope, time, quality, communication and risk
Project management can be described as to build an appropriate strategies or policies to
conduct various required activities and procedures in correct way (Eweje, Turner and Müller,
2012). It is necessary to build an accurate plan of action as per requirements of particular
projects. According to given case of Continental Consulting Limited, they are going to adopt
cloud technology for increasing effectiveness of storage and sharing of specific data among staff
members that results into better productivity on regular basis. Thus, this enterprise is very
famous for its IT services or products but due to rapid innovation in market, they did not
overcome with regular change into innovative trends of IT sector and become weak competitor.
Now, to cope up with these new and creative trend of technology so that they are going to
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implement cloud technology in organisation. Hence it will facilitates to convey required
information properly within employees that provide desired outcomes. In case of Continental
Consulting Limited, they have to focus on several factors while making plan of action such as
cost, scope, time, quality, communication and resources –
Scope: The scope of a projects can be explained as overall benefits which can be attained
by company through completing the same in proper manner. It is necessary to carrying out any
particular project after observing and analysing rage of profits so that it will provide support to
improve profitability on an organisation (Eweje, Turner and Müller, 2012). According to the
given scenario, Continental Consulting Limited are required to analyse thoroughly about profits
of cloud technology in business and then implement the same in correct way for getting better
outcomes. Thus, they are needed to be adopt that technique for storing desired data records
properly and share it between staff members to complete tasks along with generating profitable
outputs. Moreover, it helps to business for establishing an effective information system for
conveying an accurate instructions to workers that facilitates to improve productivity of
company.
Cost: This can be described about overall expenses of various kinds of operational
activities or tasks for generating desired outcomes. It include to build an appropriate budget for
overall activities which are required to be carried out for adopting cloud technology in proper
way. It is necessary to apply required amount of funds to adopt any new technique or other
method in business properly for getting benefits of the same (Fisher, 2011). The Continental
Consulting Limited, it involves to make an accurate budget to implement cloud technology in
business for getting desired profits through boosting up regular created outcomes of employees.
Thus, financial efficiency of company is very important for adopting new technique or strategy.
The total cost for given project is estimated around £30K which is required to manage overal
required operations to complete the same in proper manner.
Cost budget on Cloud Technology
Particulars Amount
Initial investment £30000
Expenses:
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Research and developmental activities £7000
Operational expenses £5000
Cost to IT experts £2000
Maintenance £10000
Licensing fee £6000
Time: This refers to particular period of time which is required for completion of
particular project along with generating desired outcomes. It is necessary to out efforts in correct
direction for maintaining time limit and fulfil number of tasks properly,. There are various kinds
of activities which are needed to be dome in specific time period so that overall project can be
completed in proper time as per deadline of clients. In case of Continental Consulting Limited,
they are required to be maintaining an effective plan of action along with deciding time limit for
each and every particular task included in project of implementing cloud technology within
whole business.
Quality: The quality of product or services is mandatory because it provide support to
achieve satisfaction of customers along with retaining them for a long time with company. There
are various kinds of organisations which put extra efforts for manufacturing better quality of
goods at reasonable rates as it facilitates to attract new clients along with retain new ones to
improve profitability (Keller, Parameswaran and Jacob, 2011). The Continental Consulting
Limited prefer to apply cloud technology for organising an appropriate information system
which helps to increase regular productivity with quality of services to boost up brand image
successfully. Thus, it will provide support to increase effectiveness of project which facilitates to
attain better profits on regular basis.
Communication: The term communication can be explained as to share ideas, thoughts,
information, views and facts to other people for some specific purpose. It is necessary to convey
required information or facts to employees within an organisation so that they can put efforts in
correct direction to gain desired goals or objectives properly. A better communication also helps
to maintain an effective coordination as well as cooperation between staff members which
facilitates to increase regular outcomes. In case of Continental Consulting Limited, they can
adopt cloud technology because it is helpful to maintain previous records of data which can be
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used for future purposes. Thus, it also support to improve working of employees together which
results into better production of IT services to gain strong position in market.
Risk: This can be described as those factors which bears capability of creating problems
in business. It is necessary to observe and analyse thoroughly about specific technology which a
company going to be adopt for welfare of business. Thus, it is important to apply new techniques
carefully otherwise it may results into critical situation for an enterprise (Too and Weaver, 2014).
The Continental Consulting Limited, is required to study overall risk factors associated with
cloud technology and remain prepared to avoid negative impacts of the same. Moreover, this
technique has several threats such as unauthorised access to customer & business data, security
issues at vendor, compliance and legal problems and risks related to lack of control.
Resources: There are various kinds of resource which are required to complete particular
project including raw material, labour, funds etc. It is necessary to observe, analyse and evaluate
the availability or sources and measure amount which is required. In case of Continental
Consulting Limited, they have to collect desired budget to apply cloud technology in business
properly. Moreover, implementation of specific technique should be done in an accurate manner
to imp[rove regular productivity as well as profitability.
P3 Produce work breakdown structure and Gantt chart for project
Work break down structure refers to an oriented division of whole project into number of
smaller components which can be considered as tasks and make decision to complete them in
specific period of time. It provide support to allocate different sections of single projects to
different employees in easy manner to generate desired outcomes for each of them (Trevino and
Nelson, 2016). In case of adopting cloud technology in business of Continental Consulting
Limited, they can utilise work break down structure to divide whole procedure of
implementation of cloud technology into several small activities which helps to apply the same
in proper manner.
Gantt chart can be described as a kind of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule that
includes to activities with their duration of time to complete all of them. In case of Continental
Consulting Limited, they can adopt cloud technology to make a blue print of plan to conduct
different kinds of desired activities in particular period of time so that whole project can be
completed till the deadline of customer with quality. Severable benefits which are gained by
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making Gantt chart such as clarity, communication, motivation, coordination, creativity,
flexibility, manageability, efficiency and accountability.
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PART 2
P4 Small research by applying methods of research to meet projects aims and objectives
There are various kinds of research methods which has their own importance as per
desired topic and people utilise different types of techniques for collecting data (Yuan, Bao and
Verbeke, 2011). It is necessary to first make aims and objectives of particular research carefully
because overall process depends upon this them. In case of Continental Consulting Limited, they
are required to carrying out more appropriate practices to apply cloud technology to maintain
better information system which facilitates to achieve growth of business. Some of data
collection methods are described further –
Qualitative research: This research method is considered to collect theoretical
information on the basis of age, gender, caste, religion, value and beliefs. It is an easy technique
as it can be used to gain better understanding of underlying motives, views and ideas. Thus, it
provide support to generate create thoughts to conduct qualitative research in more effective as
well as efficient manner for getting desired results properly. It involves several data collection
methods such as focus groups, individual interviews and observations which can be utilised by
researcher as per suitability of them. In case of Continental Consulting Limited, they can used
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