#4960 Topic: Final Project Plan

Technical paper final project plan

Strayer University

1. Suggest at least five (5) expected business benefits that Especially for You Jewelers company might derive from a new system. Provide a rationale for your suggestions.

Compare with its present situation, the following benefits might be Especially for You Jewelers expects that a new system could derived.

1) Savings in Costs

a. Time Cost. A computerized system has an outstanding system performance of database consolidation and update, efficient sorting and searching of records, accurate inventory and financial calculations.

b. Cost of Labor. A smaller workforce, which requires a certain degree of expertise, is needed to operate the automated system as opposed to manual labor.

2) Customer Relationship Management (CRM).Details of customers' information and their purchases are integrated into the customer database for CRM purposes. These details are retrieved and automatically updated when the next purchase takes place. This helps Especially for You Jewelers identify customers and buyer behaviors as well as the latest and upcoming trends to cater to the current demands of society.

3) Inventory Control / Ad Hoc Reporting.The system would has the capability to produce sales and other reports such as monthly sales reports, consume pattern analysis, and more if such a need arises. These reports are used to evaluate the profitability of specials and marketing decision making support.

4) Increased Customer Satisfaction.The computer-based system provides a rapidly and responsive service while the customer service department provides comprehensive support and information, improve substantial satisfaction among customers. As a result, a satisfied customer retains loyalty and increases the sales revenue and profitability of the company over time.

5) Agile, customer-oriented business model. The system gives the company the capability to adjust the inventory or initiate a promotion according to the sales trend report and customers’ consume pattern analysis which based on CRM database.

2. Propose at least five (5) system capabilities for the company. Provide a rationale for your proposals.

a. Tracks and retrieves details such as customer particulars and information of each order. Assign a unique code to each transaction as its key attribute that can be tracked. Create a new entry to every new customer in the database whereas existing customers are sorted according to attributed transaction code.

b. Calculates the profit/loss margin of single transactions by necessary cost, which is calculated by a comprehensive algorithm based on the information retrieved from the system. And daily profit and loss reports are produced immediately at the end of the day, efficiency and accurately.

c. Builds a customer database to assists marketing to preparing special mailings and sales. That is based on a report that generated by complex searches, which are conducted by returning results of existing transactions and match the keyword in the database.

d. Programmed to create specific reports such as periodic sales reports or list of outstanding accounts, even consume behaviors analysis or sales trend predict when such reports are needed.

e. Elaborates on credit balances and aged accounts of each customer in detail to determine the reason even resolve high balance of account receivables.

f. Distributes notice letters and credit history reports to customers with outstanding account receivables.

3. Ascertain the three (3) possible scenarios in this new direct sales and accounting system.

According to the textbook, scenario describe an instance of a use case, and represents the flows of a set of activities within a use case (Satzinger, Jackson & Burd, 2012, p. 121). It's very useful for system analysts and designer to understand what the user is trying to do and what they need. There are three scenarios of Especially for You Jewelers company's new direct sales and accounting system which demonstrate three unique path of activities to accomplish a task.

Scenario one: Inventory replenishment. The marketing department has the responsibility to replenish the inventory routinely. Every time before they place the order to purchase products from vendor, the marketing department would check the inventory status and request a sales trend report as references to determine what products need to be purchased. After the vendor or supplier received the orders, they start to prepare and then deliver the merchandise. When the new merchandise arrived, they will be stocked. And then the stock will update the inventory database.

Scenario two: Payment fulfillment. When a customer initiates a checkout process, the accounting department will receive the request. The accounting department then going to retrieve the customer's account information from the CRM database to determine if this customer could pay the bill by credit or cash only. Which is expected a method to reduce the account receivable. Meanwhile, the accounting department also going to check if this customer is eligible for some promotion. Then the total amount of the payment will be calculated and offered to the customer.

Scenario three: Promotion (special mail). When the marketing department proposes to initiate a promotion which is mail exclusively in order to increase repeat sales to existing customers, they need some information from two sources. One is the sales trend report, another one is a list of eligible customers' accounts, which is retrieved from the CRM database. If the inventory of involved products that according to the sales trend report is not sufficient, the replenishment should be took place before the promotion campaign be launched.

4. Using Microsoft Visio or an open source alternative such as Dia, develop an activity diagram for each scenario that you have identified. Note: The graphically depicted solution may not exceed one (1) page per diagram. Provide a narrative that gives an overview of your diagram.

Activity diagram is basically a flow chart that be used to demonstrates the sequence of activities. Activity diagrams describe parallel and conditional activities, use cases and system functions at a detailed level, and useful for business (Sparxsystems, 2015).

These three activity diagrams for scenarios that mentioned previously are show as below:

Figure 4.1 is an activity diagram about inventory replenishment. As the diagram shows, marketing send a query to inventory and sales separately, and then makes a decision if it is necessary to replenishment according to the feedbacks of inventory and sales. If there are some demands exist, then the marketing place an order to the vendor. The stock will receive the merchandise and updates the inventory after the vendor prepared and delivered the products.

Figure 4.2 is an activity diagram about apayment procession of a customer’s order. When a customer needs to checkout, the accounting will check the CRM database for the customer’s credit to determine available payment methods, and check if there are any available promotion to offer a discount. Then the bill will be calculated and passed to the customer. After the customer payed the bill, the payment is completed.

Figure 4.1

Figure 4.3 is an activity diagram about mail exclusively promotion. When the marketing designs a mail exclusively promotion, the marketing will ask sales for sales trend report as a reference and query a name list of eligible customers from CRM database. And then invoke an inventory replenishment if inventory reports it is needed. Then marketing send out the promotion mails generated by system.

Figure 4.2

Figure 4.3

5. Using Microsoft Visio or an open source alternative such as Dia, complete a fully-developed use case description for each scenario identified. Note: The graphically depicted solution may not exceed one (1) page per diagram.

These three fully-developed use case descriptions are shown as below:

Use case name:	Inventory replenishment
Scenario:	Routine inventory replenishment
Triggering event:	Periodic inventory check
Brief description:	Check inventory status to find out if there any products need be replenished. Then combine the sales trend report to place an order.
Actors:	Marketing actor
Related use cases:	Inventory threshold warring
Stakeholders:	Marketing , Inventory , Sales, Vendor, Stock
Preconditions:	Inventory database must be available. Sales trend analysis system must be available.
Postconditions:	If replenishment is needed, an order should be placed. The goods should be received. The inventory should be updated
Flow of activities:	Actor	System
	1. Marketing actor requests for an inventory check report and sales trend report. 2. Marketing determine whether the replenishment needed. If need, place an order. 3. Stock receives the merchandise, input the information about it.	1.1 System check inventory status and return a report. 1.2 System generates a sales trend report. 2.1 System forward the order to vendor. 3.1 System updates the inventory.
Exception conditions:	2.1 The vendor’s contact information changed, cannot be contacted. 3.1 If order item is damaged, contact the vendor for a new one, and update items quantity.

Table 5.1

Use case name:	Payment fulfillment
Scenario:	Customer checkout and accomplish the purchase
Triggering event:	Customer wants to checkout
Brief description:	Customer’s checkout request be processed. Accounting calculates the total amount and available payment methods of the requested order. Customer pay the bill.
Actors:	Customer
Related use cases:	Customer create an order
Stakeholders:	Customer, Accounting, Marketing
Preconditions:	CRM database must be available. Customer must has an account.
Postconditions:	The order must be completed. The customer’s information must be updated.
Flow of activities:	Actor	System
	1. Customer wants to checkout. 2. Customer pay the bill.	1.1 System calculates the total amount of the order. 1.2 System provides available payment method. 2.1 System updates customer’s account information, increases customer’s credit.
Exception conditions:	1.2 There is no account of current customer exist, create one.

Table 5.2

Use case name:	Promotion (Special mail)
Scenario:	Marketing initiates a mail exclusive promotion
Triggering event:	Holidays, special events, seasonal
Brief description:	Marketing proposes a promotion. Marketing determines involved products according to sales trend report. Marketing collects eligible customers’ information. Marketing details the promotion and sends the mail.
Actors:	Marketing actor
Related use cases:	Inventory replenishment
Stakeholders:	Marketing, Inventory, Sales, Customer
Preconditions:	CRM database must be available. Inventory database must be available. Sales trend analysis system must be available.
Postconditions:	If replenishment is needed, it must be done. Promotion must be detailed. Promotion mails must be sent.
Flow of activities:	Actor	System
	1. Marketing actor requests for an inventory check report and a products catalog according to sales trend report. 2. If a replenishment is needed, marketing actor sent a request. 3. Marketing details the promotion and create a policy.	1.1 System check inventory status and return a report. 1.2 System generates a products catalog contain involved products. 2.1 System invoke the inventory replenishment process. 3.1 System generates and prints the promotion mail according to the promotion policy.
Exception conditions:	3.1 The printer is broken, get a new one.

Table 5.3

6. Develop a system vision document for Especially for You Jewelers, detailing the overall vision or plan for the new direct sales and accounting system.

A system vision document outlines the high-level scope and purpose of the system. Which clearly identify the benefits to the company and the system's functional capabilities (IBM, 2015).

The system vision document of the new direct sales and accounting system of Especially for You Jewelers is developed as follow.

System vision document

Direct sales and accounting system of Especially for You Jewelers

Introduction

Especially for You Jewelers has experienced a tremendous increase in its business over the last couple of years. As a side effect, a lot of problems, such as high balance of account receivable or sales cannot be tracked sufficiently, arising and cannot be solved because of the current system lack of the capability.

In order to solve exist problems and improve the business performance, Especially for You Jewelers has the urge to develop a direct sales and accounting system.

Business requirements

The Business requirements of Especially for You Jewelers include following aspects:

i. Track every sales to determine where is the profits come from

ii. Track every sale to discover the reason why the account receivables so high and find a way to reduces it

iii. Develop a customer database to manage customer relationship

iv. Analyze the data stored in the database to know the sales trend

v. Analyze the data to learn the consume pattern or customers

vi. Combine the results or sales trend analysis and customers' consume pattern analysis to adjusts inventory and initiates promotion campaign

System overview & Major features

The direct sales and accounting system is comprised of several subsystems, which are Customer Service subsystem (contain a CRM database), Marketing subsystem, Sales subsystem, Product Information subsystem, Accounting Information subsystem and Supplier Information subsystem.

Since Especially for You Jewelers is in a period of business boosting, there are many explicit requirements, though, new requirement keep appearing like the problems they faced. Therefore, the system is going to be developed by adaptive approach. Through many times iteration, the agile methodology could develop a prototype system rapidly to produce business value early. The increment requirements could be add to the system in next iterations.

The system is developed as a web-based system because its feature of platform independent makes it easy to be access from anywhere, any devices. Users don't need any installations or upgrades, which makes this system maintenance easier (Revsys, 2015).

The CRM database is based on relational database, the data structure is simple and easy for database users to understand and use.

The authorization and privilege control mechanisms in an RDBMS based on the types of database tasks the users need to perform. Which makes database administration more secure and easier (Deborah, 2015).

In addition to fulfill the exist requirements, new system is able to provide the capability of decision making support by data analysis.

Scope and limitations

According to the business model of Especially for You Jewelers, the new system focuses on its traditional brick-and-mortar business. E-commercial is not take into account by now.

Other needs

Since the new system is web-based and developed by agile approach, once there are any motivate that drive Especially for You Jewelers to expand online business, it is much easier to add increment requirements than develop another new system.

Reference

Deborah, L. S. (2015) The Advantages of a Relational Database Management System. Retrieved September 8, 2015, from http://www.ehow.com/list_6121487_advantages-relational-database-management-system.html

IBM. (2015) Vision document. Retrieved September 8, 2015, from http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSCP65_4.0.6/com.ibm.rational.rrm.help.doc/topics/r_vision_doc.html

Revsys. (2015) Web Application Development. Retrieved September 8, 2015, from http://www.revsys.com/services/development/browser-based/

Satzinger, J. W., Jackson, R. B., Burd, S. D. (2011)Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 6e, 6th Edition. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Sparx. (2015) UML 2 Activity Diagram.Retrieved September 8, 2015, from http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/resources/uml2_tutorial/uml2_activitydiagram.html