Developing a Farm Information System for Eat Organic Food Business

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This project details the development of an information system for a small organic food farm.

Eat Organic Food
(Information System)

INDEX
Contents
Activity 1.........................................................................................................................................3
Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
Background Information..........................................................................................................3
Problem and Proposed Solution...............................................................................................3
Organizational Chart....................................................................................................................4
Business Functions to be handled by the Information System....................................................4
Activity 2.........................................................................................................................................5
Features and Functionalities fulfilled by the developed Information System.............................5
System Vision Document for Farm Information System............................................................6
Problem....................................................................................................................................6
Requirements...........................................................................................................................7
Benefits to the Business...........................................................................................................7
Activity 3.........................................................................................................................................7
Project Tasks and their Durations................................................................................................7
Gantt Chart...................................................................................................................................8
PERT Chart..................................................................................................................................9
Critical path.................................................................................................................................9
Total duration.............................................................................................................................10
Activity 4.......................................................................................................................................10
Associated Risks with the Information System project.............................................................10
Anticipated System Benefits......................................................................................................11
Tangible Benefits...................................................................................................................11
Intangible Benefits.................................................................................................................12

Cost Estimations & Analysis of Cost-Benefits..........................................................................12
Assumptions Made....................................................................................................................13
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15
List of Figures
Figure 1: Organizational Chart.....................................................................................................5
Figure 2: Gantt Chart....................................................................................................................9
Figure 3: PERT Chart..................................................................................................................10
Figure 4: Cost-Benefit Analysis Calculations.............................................................................14

Initial Investigation
Activity 1
Introduction
Background Information
The given scenario depicts the working of a small farming business known as an “Eat Organic
Food”. The company was started and owned by Ian, an individual who has dedicated all of his
time in growing organic food. He started growing vegetables on his family land which he slowly
expanded with time. His main aim is to deliver organic vegetables and fruits which are grown
without introducing any man-made fertilizers or pesticides. His practices and the organically
grown vegetables have provided a great boost to the food business. The massive popularity that
the business has gained has also introduced a lot of issues in the business execution.
Problem and Proposed Solution
Due to the overwhelming crowd experienced on the site, it was very difficult to deliver the
orders exactly to the right customer. Also, Ian is a very talkative person and his long
conversations waste a lot of time of his customers. Some other issues were also faced while
taking orders. A lot of time is consumed in taking orders daily because all the orders were taken
on the phone and noted down by an individual. The is a strong need for an information system to
be implemented in the company so that the information and tasks can be managed efficiently.
This report focuses on finding an efficient method to implement an information system for “Eat
Organic Food”.
To implement the information management system in the company, there is a need for the
integration and application of various computing technologies and services. The components
required are as follows:
 Computer hardware devices are the first and foremost need of developing and using the
information system. Some data cables and connecting devices will be required to connect
the hardware components.
 Some pre-developed software along with some newly integrated software will be
required to operate and integrate the hardware and database.

 Trained staff and technical experts to develop software and manage the hardware
components.
 A networking solution for establishing wireless communication with the cloud and
remote services. These services need a stable internet connection.
 Large databases are hard to implement by a non-technical organisation. Therefore, a
trustworthy source of data storage services is necessary.
Organizational Chart
Figure 1: Organizational Chart
Business Functions to be handled by the Information System
Every business, irrespective of its size, need to have an information system to implement various
support and management systems. The IS governs and improves a lot of business functions. The
information system will also help Eat Organic Food to improve and modify its current business
and the production process. Integration of technology into conventional business is a great
strategy of business development. The type of information system to be implemented by the
company will manage and improve the following business functions (Grey, Issa, Pey and
Troshani, 2016):

1. Production and Development – This function includes the techniques and
methodologies used to grow organic vegetables and fruits. The IS will be used to store
the accurate information of the methods followed currently in a secure and trusted
database. It will also help in identifying new and efficient techniques.
2. Food Ordering and Delivery – The information about the customers and their ordering
pattern can be identified to generate an optimal strategy for receiving orders and food
delivery (Peppard and Ward, 2016).
3. Promotions and Marketing – This function governs the sales strategy and relationship
development for the company in the competitive market.
4. Accounting, Finance and Wage distribution – The desired information system will be
designed to store all the financial and salary information which is very important take
various decisions related to finance. It keeps a complete track of all the investments and
funds.
5. Work distribution and Employees – The system will be very useful to store the
information of the staff members and the tasks assigned to them, daily (Cassidy, 2016).
Activity 2
Features and Functionalities fulfilled by the developed Information System
Serial No. Components of Information System Functionalities fulfilled by these
Components
1. Database or Datawarehouse It helps in storing:
 Staff & Customer Information.
 Production techniques &
methodologies
 Order history
 Salary information
 Expenditures and due payments
2. Mobile/Web Software Application  Give and receive orders.
 Delivery timing and address

 Access database
 Customer registration
 Display daily food menus
4. Computing System and Devices  Software and database
accessibility
 Input and output functionalities
 Software development
5. Data Processing and Analysis  Analyze customer & staff
information
 Identify purchasing trends
 Financial planning
6. Networking and Internet Connection  Database & cloud access
 Online ordering
 Hardware connection and data
transfer
 Communication and feedbacks
7. Employee and Staff Management  Work distribution
 Develop good relations and
work environment
8. Accounting  Financial management
 Payments and Salary
 Budgeting and funds
distribution.
System Vision Document for Farm Information System
Problem
The farming company is known by the name “Eat Organic Food” is developing very quickly.
The growth in the daily business of the company is huge. This is because of the food quality
maintained by the company from the past few years. The difficulty of performing daily processes

and tasks was increasing day by day due to the increasing number of both the daily orders and
the customers on site. The company needs to have a great information system.
Requirements
 Software applications for ordering and customer profiling.
 Database or cloud storage services for saving the customer, staff and accounting
information.
 A computing system for input, output and integration operations.
 Networking and internet facilities for online data transfer and communication.
 Data analysis and accounting system to manage the transaction and investment
information, and to identify purchasing trends of the customers (Fehrenbacher and
Djamasbi, 2017).
Benefits to the Business
 Simplification of the business management
 Improves flexibility and reduce friction in the food distribution process
 Better efficiency while taking food orders
 Improved customer satisfaction and relations
 Better food delivery structure and accurate salary distribution (Li, Hnatow, Meier and
Deloge, 2016).
Activity 3
Project Tasks and their Durations
No. Project Tasks Task Duration
(in days)
Outcomes/Knowledge gained
1. Staff Meetings 2 Information on production and
management techniques
2. Interviews of staff members 5 Individual opinion on the changes
required
3. Reviewing current farm
records
2 Understanding of current processes
and methodologies

4. Observing the current
operations
2 Work structure and methods
followed
5. Interviewing customers 1 Encounter customer problems and
requirements
6. Analyzing the accounting
procedures
2 Problems and flaws in present
processes
7. Study of payment and
ordering system
2 Identifies problems in receiving
orders and payments
8. Practical understanding of
the delivery system
2 Knowledge about the delivery
network and complexity
9. Report generation and
documentation
1 A detailed report of the research
Gantt Chart
ID Task
Mode
Task Name Duration Start Finish
1 Information System 22 days Tue 3/5/19 Wed 4/3/19
2 1. Staff Meetings 2 days Tue 3/5/19 Wed 3/6/19
3 1.1 Conduct meeting with
the staff members
2 days Tue 3/5/19 Wed 3/6/19
4 1.2 Meeting Conclusion 0 days Wed 3/6/19Wed 3/6/19
5 2. Conduct Interviews 6 days Thu 3/7/19 Thu 3/14/19
6 2.1 Interview of staff
members
5 days Thu 3/7/19 Wed
3/13/19
7 2.2 Interview of customers 1 day Thu 3/14/19Thu 3/14/19
8 2.3 Interviews Conclusion 0 days Thu 3/14/19Thu 3/14/19
9 3. Reviewing Records 4 days Fri 3/15/19 Wed 3/20/19
10 3.1 Review current farm
records
2 days Fri 3/15/19 Mon
3/18/19
11 3.2 Observing the current
operations
2 days Tue
3/19/19
Wed
3/20/19
12 3.3 Review Complete 0 days Wed 3/20/19Wed 3/20/19
13 4. Business Analysis 6 days Thu 3/21/19Thu 3/28/19
14 4.1 Analyzing the
accounting procedures
2 days Thu
3/21/19
Fri 3/22/19
15 4.2 Study of payment and
ordering system
2 days Mon
3/25/19
Tue
3/26/19
16 4.3 Practical
understanding of the
delivery system
2 days Wed
3/27/19
Thu
3/28/19
17 4.4 Analysis complete 0 days Thu 3/28/19Thu 3/28/19
18 5. Final Report 4 days Fri 3/29/19 Wed 4/3/19
19 5.1 Report preparation 3 days Fri 3/29/19 Tue 4/2/19
20 5.2 Final Report
Generation
1 day Wed 4/3/19Wed 4/3/19
21 5.3 Complete 0 days Wed 4/3/19Wed 4/3/19
3/6
3/14
3/20
3/28
4/3
26 28 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 1 3 5 7
February 2019 March 2019 April 2019
Figure 2: Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart is a representation of all the tasks to be performed in a project along with their
precedence and resources used. The above-given chart shows the process and steps followed by
the project manager to understand the business and gain knowledge for the information system to
be developed.
PERT Chart
Figure 3: PERT Chart
Critical path
The critical path is the optimal path of the project execution. The path will provide the minimum
time required to complete all the required tasks in the project. In the proposed system the critical
path is identified with the help of a PERT chart. The critical path is shown by the red arrows is
the network diagram. It starts with the staff meeting and ends at final reporting, covering all the
tasks mentioned above.

Total duration
The research and understanding of the current will give a detailed knowledge of how the
information system should work. The combined duration of all the tasks to be performed before
initiating the development of an information system will approximately be 1 Month.
Risk and Cost Analysis Benefits
Activity 4
Associated Risks with the Information System project
This section of the analysis report addresses the risks to be encountered while developing and
application of the information system in the current farming business. The analysis of the risks
and issues that can be encountered in this project is provided in the below table (Sadgrove,
2016).
The rating used in the risk analysis are:
 1 = Low
 2 = Medium
 3 = High
Overall Threat Rating: ‘3-4’ (Low), 5-6 (Medium) & 7-9 (High)
Risk Description Potential of
Impact
Likelihood Difficulty in
Anticipation
Overall
Threat
1. First ever project of the hired
Project Manager
2 1 1 4
2. Users having less familiarity
with computing devices
2 3 1 6
3. Schedule passed or late
delivery of final system
3 2 3 8
4. Initial developer and
programmer quits
3 1 3 7

5. Incorrect cost anticipation 3 2 1 6
6. Insufficient workforce 2 2 2 6
7. Current staff have less or no
technical skills
3 3 1 7
8. Changing UI requirements
and project scope
1 3 1 5
9. Inconsistent customer
acceptance
3 1 3 7
10. High project complexity 2 1 2 5
11. Conflicts in the organisation 1 1 1 3
12. Large application size 2 2 2 6
Anticipated System Benefits
Tangible Benefits
The tangible benefits in the application of an information system are:
1. Improves and simplifies the management task through various data analysis and cost
analysis techniques.
2. A lot of tasks are covered by the Information System and therefore the onsite requirement
of the human resources decreases.
3. Better cost analysis techniques help in cutting-off a lot of costs incurred by the business.
4. Better scheduling and time management.
5. High and improved rate of business productivity by efficient task and resource
distribution provided by the IS.