Brewton Business Scenario

serve as the Project Manager for implementin" rel="nofollow">ing the Enterprise Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Software application.Read the Brewton Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Scenario. Prepare a 2- to 3-page document (700 to 1,050 words) identifyin" rel="nofollow">ing the key stakeholders of the company who will have an in" rel="nofollow">interest in" rel="nofollow">in the implementation project and who will approve your Week Four implementation plan. Identify any challenges you anticipate in" rel="nofollow">in workin" rel="nofollow">ing with these stakeholders and strategies for leveragin" rel="nofollow">ing their position within" rel="nofollow">in the company, their strengths, and their level of support for the project. Specify all of the human resources that will be required to implement the application and describe the roles each will play on the project. Identify computer and network resources that will be required in" rel="nofollow">in order for the system to be useable in" rel="nofollow">in a production mode of operation. Prepare a high level implementation plan usin" rel="nofollow">ing Microsoft® Project, showin" rel="nofollow">ing just broad categories of effort that must be accomplished, and the general project timelin" rel="nofollow">ine required to successfully implement the Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Enterprise Software application. The in" rel="nofollow">initial plan will have such major categories as the followin" rel="nofollow">ing: System Deployment Preparation System Documentation Data Conversion System Testin" rel="nofollow">ing User Train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing System Startup You will add the detailed tasks for each category as you work on the subsequent weeks' assignments. Note: To access the Microsoft® Project template unzip the lin" rel="nofollow">inked file. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines. Zip your assignment in" rel="nofollow">into one file. Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your ZIP file of this week's assignments. CMGT/445 Assignments The Brewton Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Scenario will be utilized throughout the course for both in" rel="nofollow">individual and learnin" rel="nofollow">ing team assignments. Brewton Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Scenario Brewton Enterprises, Inc. is a clothin" rel="nofollow">ing retail company located in" rel="nofollow">in the city of Eugene, Oregon. The company offers an array of products with a mix of clothin" rel="nofollow">ing styles, appealin" rel="nofollow">ing primarily to teens and young adults. Brewton has four satellite offices in" rel="nofollow">in Los Angeles, New York, Houston, and Atlanta. These offices, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing headquarters in" rel="nofollow">in Eugene, serve as distribution centers for products sold by Brewton. The company employs 240 employees as follows: Eugene 130 Los Angeles 27 New York 30 Houston 25 Atlanta 28 Each of these locations has a warehouse manager, an admin" rel="nofollow">inistrative assistant, a human resources representative, sales and customer service coordin" rel="nofollow">inators, shippin" rel="nofollow">ing and receivin" rel="nofollow">ing personnel, and facilities main" rel="nofollow">intenance personnel. All locations stock a full complement of Brewton products for delivery to purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing customers. In addition to these functions, headquarters, located in" rel="nofollow">in Eugene, also provides human resources, purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing analysts, sales and marketin" rel="nofollow">ing personnel, accountants, systems personnel, and operations personnel. Mark Brewton, the company’s founder, wants to implement a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Plannin" rel="nofollow">ing (ERP) application to support the busin" rel="nofollow">iness now and in" rel="nofollow">in the future. He believes the busin" rel="nofollow">iness has grown to the poin" rel="nofollow">int that such a system will streamlin" rel="nofollow">ine busin" rel="nofollow">iness processes, help to control busin" rel="nofollow">iness expenditures, and will better manage in" rel="nofollow">inventory levels, which presently do not seem to reflect accurate numbers for each distribution center. The new system will replace almost all of the computer applications currently in" rel="nofollow">in use in" rel="nofollow">in the company. The Current System Environment Users in" rel="nofollow">in the busin" rel="nofollow">iness functions of the organization utilize standalone software packages such as a purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing system, accountin" rel="nofollow">ing and payroll applications, and a personnel trackin" rel="nofollow">ing system used by Human Resources. Because these applications do not share files, there are frequently situations in" rel="nofollow">in which employee and customer data do not match, then research must be conducted in" rel="nofollow">in order to make the data consistent in" rel="nofollow">in all systems. The IT organization runs special programs developed to cross-compare the in" rel="nofollow">information and report mismatches among data files, which are then updated to reflect the correct in" rel="nofollow">information. The new ERP System will help to mitigate these data in" rel="nofollow">integrity issues. The current applications reside mostly on in" rel="nofollow">individual desktop computers, with the exception of the HR System and the Inventory Trackin" rel="nofollow">ing System, which reside on the company network. Human Resource staff from all locations have access to the HR System and its files. Inventory files are main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">ined centrally and can be accessed by operations personnel at corporate headquarters, as well as the remote distribution centers. As merchandise is received in" rel="nofollow">in the central warehouse, quantities are updated in" rel="nofollow">in the Inventory Trackin" rel="nofollow">ing System. When products are sent out to the other distribution centers and to customers, the in" rel="nofollow">inventory levels are adjusted accordin" rel="nofollow">ingly. All employee workstations are connected to the network and have access to the Internet for sendin" rel="nofollow">ing and receivin" rel="nofollow">ing emails. The IT organization main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">ins the software and data files for all employees and their computers, performin" rel="nofollow">ing routin" rel="nofollow">ine backups and applyin" rel="nofollow">ing needed updates. The company does not have a disaster recovery plan or a busin" rel="nofollow">iness contin" rel="nofollow">inuity plan to be followed in" rel="nofollow">in the event of a contin" rel="nofollow">ingency situation, such as floodin" rel="nofollow">ing or earthquake, and it is generally felt by management that this situation should be addressed. The onlin" rel="nofollow">ine web application for processin" rel="nofollow">ing orders is main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">ined separately, with orders sent to operations on a daily basis for fulfillment and shippin" rel="nofollow">ing. The Software Application The application acquired for implementation is the Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Enterprise Software solution which in" rel="nofollow">incorporates modules supportin" rel="nofollow">ing multiple areas of the company, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing, Human Resources, Accountin" rel="nofollow">ing, and the Supply Chain" rel="nofollow">in Management (SCM) components of in" rel="nofollow">inventory control, receivin" rel="nofollow">ing, and shippin" rel="nofollow">ing. The application in" rel="nofollow">includes a high-speed analytics module designed with predeveloped reports and with the capability to enable user-defin" rel="nofollow">ined ad hoc reportin" rel="nofollow">ing. Each module of the system performs in" rel="nofollow">independently of the others, but they all utilize the same database management structure as an in" rel="nofollow">integrated data store. The vendor delivers the software in" rel="nofollow">in a bundled package that can be downloaded from the vendor’s web site or can be obtain" rel="nofollow">ined on CD, if necessary. It is anticipated that the software can be in" rel="nofollow">installed, the necessary busin" rel="nofollow">iness processes developed, and the migration to the new system environment accomplished within" rel="nofollow">in a one-year time frame. Stakeholders Mark Brewton, Chief Executive Officer Mark is an energetic entrepreneur who built Brewton Enterprises from its begin" rel="nofollow">innin" rel="nofollow">ings as a small retail store in" rel="nofollow">in Eugene to a well-managed corporation servin" rel="nofollow">ing several busin" rel="nofollow">iness markets via an onlin" rel="nofollow">ine website store. Mark relies on his direct reports to manage the day-to-day operation of the company. With in" rel="nofollow">input from his staff, Mark directed Mike Benson, the IT Director of Brewton Enterprises to acquire the Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Enterprise Software and to prepare for its implementation. He feels that the new system will streamlin" rel="nofollow">ine the accountin" rel="nofollow">ing and purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing functions and will help to achieve better in" rel="nofollow">inventory control. Barbara Scharer, Chief Fin" rel="nofollow">inancial Officer The fin" rel="nofollow">inance and accountin" rel="nofollow">ing functions are managed by Barbara Scharer and her staff. She main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">ins appropriate levels of in" rel="nofollow">investments, retain" rel="nofollow">ins adequate operatin" rel="nofollow">ing capital, and arranges for lin" rel="nofollow">ines of credit as needed. She oversees the accountin" rel="nofollow">ing function of the organization where her employees use desktop software products to perform their work. Barbara is lookin" rel="nofollow">ing forward to makin" rel="nofollow">ing use of the new Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Enterprise System, leveragin" rel="nofollow">ing its in" rel="nofollow">integrated reportin" rel="nofollow">ing capability to better track the busin" rel="nofollow">iness. She would like to determin" rel="nofollow">ine why the company is not as profitable as it might be and feels the software will help to identify areas in" rel="nofollow">in which improvements might be made. William Hunter, Chief Operations Officer William Hunter is responsible for the purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing organization, which places orders for products to be sold, office supplies, equipment, computers, etc. Bill and his staff are also responsible for physical plant security and makin" rel="nofollow">ing sure the strategically located warehouses are properly stocked with products to be will be delivered to their customers. Products are centrally received and accounted for before they are distributed to the warehouses. Warehouse personnel work on orders as they are received, pullin" rel="nofollow">ing products together, packagin" rel="nofollow">ing them, and shippin" rel="nofollow">ing them to their customers. Bill has a group of associates in" rel="nofollow">in the shippin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">industry with whom he has close relationships, and he uses their companies to ship the products. Bill is proud of his organization and believes that the supply chain" rel="nofollow">in is workin" rel="nofollow">ing smoothly and effectively. He sees no need to use the new application to support his part of the busin" rel="nofollow">iness and believes it will require his staff to do unnecessary reorganizin" rel="nofollow">ing and to brin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in unneeded additional resources to perform their work usin" rel="nofollow">ing the new system. Jennifer Morales, Sales and Advertisin" rel="nofollow">ing Director Jennifer oversees the selection of products to be offered for sale on the company’s web site and works with purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing to acquire those products. She works with the IT organization to make sure that products are effectively and accurately presented on the web pages. She also main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">ins a relationship with an in" rel="nofollow">internet advertisin" rel="nofollow">ing firm that provides lin" rel="nofollow">inks on other sites to direct potential buyers to the Brewton web site. Her staff of sales associates and customer service representatives take orders over the phone and assist customers with their selections. Orders are sent daily to Operations for pickin" rel="nofollow">ing, packagin" rel="nofollow">ing, and shippin" rel="nofollow">ing. Roger Tomlin" rel="nofollow">inson, Human Resources Director The employment needs of the company are addressed by Roger Tomlin" rel="nofollow">inson, who handles the recruitin" rel="nofollow">ing and hirin" rel="nofollow">ing of qualified personnel for the company. He also oversees runnin" rel="nofollow">ing of biweekly payroll, government reportin" rel="nofollow">ing, and processin" rel="nofollow">ing of in" rel="nofollow">insurance payments, as well as other payroll deductions. Roger’s staff conducts compensation surveys to make sure employee pay remain" rel="nofollow">ins competitive in" rel="nofollow">in the in" rel="nofollow">industry, and in" rel="nofollow">in lin" rel="nofollow">ine with corporate fin" rel="nofollow">inancial guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines. Roger plans to use the Human Resources module of the new system to streamlin" rel="nofollow">ine job applicant data, from the receipt of resumes through the in" rel="nofollow">interviewin" rel="nofollow">ing process and hirin" rel="nofollow">ing of candidates. Mike Benson, Information Technology Director Mike Benson’s staff is responsible for main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the company’s technical in" rel="nofollow">infrastructure, such as the network, employee workstations, the web site, and associated hardware. His staff negotiates software agreements with vendors, performs routin" rel="nofollow">ine main" rel="nofollow">intenance, and monitors network usage. Mike meets regularly with his staff to receive status updates on projects underway. Mike has some concerns about the implementation process, because his staff members do not have the bandwidth to take on a new project the size of the ERP system implementation. He is considerin" rel="nofollow">ing hirin" rel="nofollow">ing additional staff to take on this responsibility, but also wants to evaluate the possibility of brin" rel="nofollow">ingin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in consultants to do the work. He knows that preparin" rel="nofollow">ing for testin" rel="nofollow">ing of the new system and schedulin" rel="nofollow">ing train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing for all users will be a challenge in" rel="nofollow">in order to keep the busin" rel="nofollow">iness functionin" rel="nofollow">ing normally and gettin" rel="nofollow">ing everyone familiar with the new system. The development of train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing materials and user documentation will also be a consideration. Mike feels that there must be some good alternatives for accomplishin" rel="nofollow">ing these tasks. Gary Holmes, Systems Admin" rel="nofollow">inistrator Reportin" rel="nofollow">ing to Mike, Gary Holmes sets up user IDs for all employees, and in" rel="nofollow">installs desktop software on PC workstations as needed. Gary is sensitive to the need to main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">in state-of-the-art equipment and software to support the technical operation and seeks to keep all systems up-to-date and runnin" rel="nofollow">ing at peak efficiency. Gary is somewhat apprehensive about the new system that has been acquired. He wonders who will be asked to support it and who will fix it when technical problems occur followin" rel="nofollow">ing implementation. Nancy Davis, Web Developer Nancy Davis is a web developer, reportin" rel="nofollow">ing to Mike. She is responsible for main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the company’s web site, workin" rel="nofollow">ing with Jennifer Morales, to keep the content of the site attractive and user-friendly. She does not thin" rel="nofollow">ink that the new system will affect her work in" rel="nofollow">in any way. Jim Travis, Network Admin" rel="nofollow">inistrator Jim Travis, the network admin" rel="nofollow">inistrator also reports to Mike Benson, main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing all network hardware and connections, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing web access. He is responsible for main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing security of the Brewton data assets and providin" rel="nofollow">ing threat detection of unauthorized access to the corporate network. Like Gary, Jim is wonderin" rel="nofollow">ing how the new Enterprise Busin" rel="nofollow">iness System will fit in" rel="nofollow">into the existin" rel="nofollow">ing configuration of the technical in" rel="nofollow">infrastructure. He fears it will require the purchase or lease of a new server and will likely in" rel="nofollow">increase his workload significantly. He knows that the implementation will require, not only a production environment in" rel="nofollow">in which the new system will run, but will also necessitate creatin" rel="nofollow">ing a test environment for user acceptance testin" rel="nofollow">ing, and a train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing environment in" rel="nofollow">in which users will be train" rel="nofollow">ined to use the new system. He wonders if the train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing could be conducted in" rel="nofollow">in the test environment so as to save some resources.