Introduction
This project has been done in order to provide new web page on the company website where the potential partner can participate in a questionnaire which will indicate whether they have the necessary qualifications to be a partner in the Guest Program. This website saves a substantial number of steps in the partnership launch process and will also help source a much wider spectrum of partners, leading to a substantial increase in revenue for the Guest Program hence increases the company’s revenue.
It has been a great task for the company to get partners. This is because there have been a number of steps in the partnership launch process. It has not been possible for the company to see the images of the aspiring partners. This has often resulted in wrong choice of partners.
The objective is to have a new web page on the company website where the potential partner can participate in a questionnaire that will indicate whether they have the necessary qualifications to be a partner in the Guest Program or not. This questionnaire will provide all the information in one step which is normally gathered only after an exchange of 2 to 10 emails and telephone calls over a period of time ranging from a week to a month according to the circumstances. So the desired outcome is to minimize the period of time as short as possible. The main objective of this system is to create a dedicated page inviting the partners. The partner can give the essential details like the geographic validity, product range and how guest program will benefit from them
The assumptions during development of the project are that the current activity is expected to be based on email and call history pertaining to the sourcing of new partners. The activity frequency is expected to be of at least 6 queries a month. This translates to 72 new partners in a year (Lee 139).
Research and data collection methods
Interviews were conducted and adequate information was gathered on the way the website which is currently on use is being operated. The interviews were resourceful and the details on the number of steps which the aspiring partner had to go through in order to successfully be accepted. The amount of information that the company gets from the aspiring partner through the website was inadequate. Listed below are the questions which were used to conduct the interview:
- What is the process followed when a company needed to partner with this company?
- What is the requirement for the company to be accepted as a partner?
- Is it possible for the company to know the outlook of the aspiring company through the website?
Observation is another method which was used during the project development process. The developer spent some time with the users of the system and observed their daily tasks. Listening is another method which has been used in data collection. The developer listened to each of the system requirements. Members had a lot of complains about the existing system which is very slow in performance. After visiting various sites with relevant information about appropriate marketing website, substantial information which assisted in drawing logic to be used in the development of the website was achieved.
Planning and Scheduling Tools
The project planning technique that has been used in the development of this project includes the project management plan. Project planning involves putting down every step which is to be followed in order to accomplish a project. It is very important to devote enough time to project plan. Time spent in project plan is a time well spent. This means that the project development process is characterized by quality measures and tools which results in excellent project. The users and the management have specified the details of the project and the expectations thereof. The access to resources has been planned in such a way that the projects with high priority are considered first before those which are of lesser priority.
Project planning is done in such a way that the project objective and the project completion date are to be accomplished. This is the way results of the project are quantified. There is control on the scope of the project and the objectives which are being done during the development of the project. This is because the project manager had no idea of the contents of the project and all that it should deliver. In the development, the developer was faced by difficult organization environment. The developer did the best practices to allow the organization do things effectively despite the hardships undergone.
Project management Plan
Gantt chart
Gantt chart is one of the tools which have been used to plan for the project. Gantt chart shows the distribution of activities throughout the development process:
Work Break Down structure may be either product or process type. If it is of any of these two types, the WBS may be used. In WBS, all essentials are supposed to be numbered. The numbering of the essentials is not precise. The developer can arrange in any way that fits his/her own terms and desires. Sometimes dictionary should be written if the result would be used in a number of projects. The developer should also consider the organization of the WBS and its format to be the key in the development. In small project WBS may end up looking like the Gantt chart. Project management settings have specific principle for combination of items in a WBS. Having WBS that works for your particular project environment is a great challenge. WBS should be designed considering its expectations and functions. The targets of WBS are to make it compatible with the work that is being done. Make important or risky efforts visible enough for the user and any other person who is interested. Enable the mapping of necessities strategy, trying, and deliverables. This method is more practical and involving thus the outcome is always very nice.
Requirement modeling
This is where the users state what the system should do for them. Feasibility study and requirement analysis was performed to determine the cost-benefit of the system and evaluate if it is worth to implement the system. Cost benefit was based on the time and effort required to see the system implemented. This was done against the objectives of the proposed system.
After the clients stated their system requirements, requirement specification were performed and the system requirements were analyzed, one at a time to determine the one which was to be implemented and the one which is not worth it and needs to be discarded. Some requirements usually are ambiguous or irrelevant to a management information system like the one proposed.
The function specification is done in this stage and the way the functions will be performed by the system is determined at this point. Systems here are partitioned into components. Constructing model of the system by viewing logical elements apart from the physical components is the objective of this section.
The function specification was done in this stage and the way the functions will be performed by the system is determined at this point. Here system is partitioned into components. It is constructing model of the system by viewing logical elements apart from the physical components. The tools used in analysis are discussed below.
Data flow diagram
Data flow diagram illustrates the steps the data follows throughout the project.. It is important to draw the data flow diagrams before the actual system is made since it reduces the errors that can be made in the system development and it makes coding easier.
Flow charts
The flow chart shows the flow of process in the system. It shows the steps to be followed until the end of a single process is reached. It is important as it enables the developer to understand the system process well in a systematic manner.
The requirements include the system requirement, software requirement, functional requirement, non-functional requirement and user requirement. For the web page to be developed, there are functions which the system must accomplish. They are listed below.
- A person willing to access information can only do that by use of password.
- The system will be available to users every time and have minimal down time to avoid failures.
- Upgrading and adding more features to the system will be easier and the system will be modified according to member’s needs.
- The system will be composed of modules which can be modified to be used in other systems.
- It will be possible to install and operate the proposed system to any windows based computer provided it meets the above stated requirements.
- The system will be developed such that it will be user friendly
There were a number of functional requirement that were needed. Like the technical requirement which describes the implementation issues which are to be implemented. This is through the use of implementing a login dialogue box and login user interface. Verification requirement is another requirement which involves checking the users if they have the right to access the system. The system should be able to allow faster data entry, processing and ease data access process. The system should occupy relatively small space to avoid space wastage. There are many risks which are likely to occur hence there should be a process of reducing the risks. The system should be completed on time so as to avoid any delays (Wasson 274).
Minimizing the risk
Schedule: Publish weekly status reports
User interface: Develop user interaction scenarios that the final product must be able to handle.
SWOT analysis
In the analysis of the viability of the system SWOT analysis was used. This includes the strengths and weaknesses of the project. It also shows the opportunities and the threats. One of the strengths of the system is its capability to be developed within the set budget. The system also is checked whether the use of the project by the company would make it have a competitive advantage. The experience, knowledge of the users is considered whether they would be able to use the system appropriately or not. The system was well used by the users without any instances of difficulty.
The project also was analyzed for weaknesses. Project had a limited budget which limited the resources and people to be developed. In SWOT analysis project opportunities is also analyzed. The way the end users responded to the new product; the end users would like the webpage as it reduced the number of steps in the partnership launch process and will also help source a much wider spectrum of partners. Adoption of the system could support core business opportunities. The opportunities for the project development also will lead to attainment of various markets and many other people will be challenge on the web page and partake of it. This is very necessary for the development of the project. The developer will realize benefits as a result of the expansion of the number of the users accessed to the system.
Threats are major factors which should be analyzed. There could be a possibility of negative publicity if the project was adopted. The aspiring partners may upload an image that does not belong to their company. For a good SWOT analysis to be done there are six things to be considered. These things include product, process, customer, distribution, finance and administration.
Cost benefit analysis
Another tool that could be used in the analysis is the cost benefit analysis. It is commonly used because it is a simple for deciding whether to make changes as a result of the higher costs than the benefits. Using this method, it is necessary to first calculate the amount of change which will cost to make and then calculate the possible benefit. The time it will take the benefit to be repaid must also be calculated. This computation is done based on profit and expenses. The indescribable objects also are used in computerization. The issue of subjectivity is always brought into the analysis process. In this project the use of this method was very complex as the calculation of the indescribable objects is very hard.
Return on investment
This can also be used to study the project. It is used to assess the effectiveness of an investment or to weigh against the effectiveness of quantity of different investments. To compute Return on investment it is arrived at by dividing the net earnings by the total amount incurred for the respective venture then multiplied by a hundred. Return on investment is very common because it is simple and versatile. If an investment is of negative return on investment, or if on the other hand, other opportunities have higher return on investment then that investment should not be done.
This computation may be used in all circumstances basing on the profits and expenses. This analysis just tries to get the profitability of the investment. In projects, we compare two web pages, the old and the new by dividing the revenue that can be generated by each webpage. These were compared using different return on investment calculation. That is dividing the net income of the new project by the total value of all the resources that have been used to develop the project. This method is flexible so it can be manipulated to fit any type of application. To use this method well one must understand the inputs.
Project evaluation
The competitiveness of the company is based on the decisions on where to invest the company’s resources. A lot of efforts should be put in order to choose the right project in order to avoid wasting company’s resources. Project evaluation aims at analyzing research and developing projects, or activities. The main purpose of doing project evaluation is to get an overall understanding of the project. Understanding the project is very important as it will help the developer deliver a project that will be very useful to the user. Another reason for doing project evaluation is to make priorities among the set projects targets. This will enable the developer deliver the project on time as it has been set. Another thing is making a choice on whether or not to continue with the development. A project may need more resources than it had been estimated.
An evaluation technique that was used in this project is the checklist method. This is a list of things which are used in decision making. These methods may include the practical and money-making details. It may also include, study and monetary issue. Check list method is a very simple method. It needs a minimum effort in its application. The method can be easily adapted by any company. SWOT method is always used with this evaluation technique. This technique allows more analysis interaction. The response of this may be acquired by involving a less complex technology. A good thing with this technique is its simplicity. With a good choice of factors one can ensure that the all functional areas are dealt with. It provides an important conversation on the areas disagreed. It also shows the loyalty of the people involved, to the final result. Below is the check list table that was used in the project development.
Cash flow analysis method
Another method that was used in evaluation is the cash flow analysis method. It is a very simple method.conclusion of a figure of the approximations of the predicted money in and out flows is necessary. This can be bone regularly especially for short projects. The importance of this regular completion is that the shorter the time to break even analysis the lesser the risks. However, the analysis does not consider the likely returns after the breakeven point. This is not a very high-quality pointer of the potential of the project. The use of the discounted cash flow is the easiest approach to be used. The price of resources is included to the computation which takes into relation the annual outflow. Most of the time one may not identify the true cost of capital and other people may prefer to use ROI.
Adoption of the project will increase savings in the workplace. Here it could save time, professional customer service and many more time. The creation of the dedicated page inviting partners to give essential details about their company/business helps the company in choosing the correct partner. The right partner will come with good plans hence the company will be more competitive.
The project saves a substantial number of steps in the partnership launch process and will also help source a much wider spectrum of partners, leading to a substantial increase in revenue for the Guest Program. Labor cost will decrease because the partnership application will be done through the website. No employee will be needed to follow up interviewing. This is because all information that is required is included in the web page. This information includes geographic validity, product range and how guest program will benefit from them.
Another method is the decision analysis method. Here we use the probability estimates. Integrating this into the evaluation process is through the use of possibility approximation methods. This can be done. For example, it is possible to use the calculations done by other methods using estimates of the probability of commercial success. The index is established by pt PB (B-C).
The changes in costs and benefits can be influenced by the time of finishing the project. This can also be influenced by the competitive environment. It can be done by the use of dissimilar approximation methods. The developer should consider the negative and the positive values. This method is majorly used in complex projects.
This approach is good although it ignore the multi stage course that is commonly used in major developments. The decision tree technique is mostly involved in demonstrating this method. The project can be terminated if the progress is not as expected. There are a number of problems that may arise through the use of this method. The developer might take the estimates as the exact future outcomes.
Fishbone
Risk management matrix was used to identify the non-financial implications that could arise as a result of this project. The main issue that the fish bone diagram seeks to check the quality of problem that could be encountered in the development and use of the project. The things which were analysed include Human being. How supervision is to be done so as to avoid the risks from arising. The way the developer relate with the users, the management and the executive. Poor relation between the developer and the user may result to a poor project which will be developed.
Measurement is another important issue. The quality of equipment being used should be in good condition to avoid it failing in the middle of the process. This equipment should be tested regularly and the faulty ones are fixed or replace. Another thing is the environment. The working environment should be conducive for the developer. The resulting project should as well be useful to the end user
The resources used were also considered. The resources used were economically viable. It did not exceed the benefit that resulted from the use of the system. The process used is another issue. The process used was of good design so as to avoid using too many resources. The machines used were in a good condition. The old and the worn out machines were replaced the good ones.
Mind map
Another risk management matrix used is the mind map. Mind map is the demonstration of writing and thoughts in drawing. They are used to picture and categorize thoughts. It helps in choice making.It also helps in problem solving.The basics in the mind map in relation to the significance of original ideas. The goal of this grouping and branches is to give a representation of semantic. Mind map enhances brainstorming by the use of graphs. This encourages understanding the concept hence understanding the project. The developer on the other hand understands the ser requirement. The difference between the mind mapping and concept mapping is based on the relationship of the various patterns. Mind mapping indicate the connection with mid prevailing concept.
Testing and Integration
Individual modules were tested using a true sample data. The modules were then be integrated to make sure that the complete system acquire the intended requirements. Testing here involved detecting and fixing errors that arose due to violation of syntax and semantic rules. Testing also verified the interoperability and runtime (efficiency) of the system to various operational environments. Various check types were employed in the checking stage of the system development. This ensured that the system is accurate and meets the user requirements. Tests to be conducted included: unit, integration, functional, system, and performance tests.
Part Test was done on each module independently. This ensured that each module performs the intended function accurately as documented in the requirements specification and that it accepts all defined inputs and gave expected results. Integration test was done to test the integrated application components to determine if they actually integrate appropriately to run as one program. Here testing was done as an event. This test was aimed at confirming that the components are individually satisfactory, as shown by successful unit testing, and they also combine to perform collective functions accurately (Chaffey, Ellis-Chadwick and Johnston 238).
Functional test was done to provide a clear demonstration that functions tested are available as specified by the technical requirements, system documentation, and user manuals; based on the application specialist’s perspective. System test was done ensure that the entire integrated application meets user requirements. It thus tested the information flow across the whole system.
Determination of the runtime performance of the application under certain conditions i.e. measure software parameters like processing speed, response time, resource consumption, throughput to determine the efficiency.
Limitation, conclusion and implementation
Time constraint
The research involved a lot of activities like traveling, reading, browsing the internet, analyzing data, coding, testing and documentation needed a lot of time. The time allocated for this project was quite short.
Resources constraint
The project was very involving in terms of finances and resources like stationery and this hindered the development stages as the available amount of money could not cater for all needs.
Familiarity of the development tools
At the beginning of the project, I was not fully familiar with validating fields; hence I had to learn leading to consumption of the time that could be dedicated to other development stages.
Financial constrain
The estimated cost was $8000 which was hard to be raised
Recommendations
This system can further be improved so as to increase its efficiency. The modules that can be included are as shown below:
- Financial record module: This is because in this system it does not keep the financial record and does not generate the financial report.
- Staff payroll Module: This should be included so as to generate report on the payments of the staff.
The time provided for the project was very short. Project time should long enough in order for the students to make all possible modules.
Conclusion
This web page will face out, which enables easy capturing of partners’ details. It will be very helpful if adopted by the company. Validation was also very important and thus using java script I was able to ensure accuracy alongside security of the system.
Works cited
Chaffey, Dave, Fiona, Ellis-Chadwick and Kevin Johnston. Internet Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice. 4th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2009.
Lee, In. Emergent strategies for e-business processes, services, and implications: advancing corporate frameworks. Hershey: Idea Group Inc (IGI), 2008.
Samset, Knut. Project evaluation: making investments succeed. Norway: Tapir Academic, 2003.
Wasson, Charles. System analysis, design, and development: concepts, principles, and practices. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2005