IFSM 300 ASSN 2

Stage 1 Assignment MTC

Maryland Technology Consultants (MTC)

Stage 1 & 2 Assignment

Shangrila Johnson

IFSM 300 7988

April 21, 2020

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

Introduction:

Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc. (MTC) is an Information Technology Consulting

firm that has been very successful. Recent changes in the business have caused some

changes to be made in the hiring process. For MTC to keep thriving and servicing their

customers some changes need to be made. MTC’s headquarters are currently located in

Baltimore, Maryland with satellite offices located in Herndon, Virginia and Bethesda,

Maryland. MTC’s gross revenue is $95,000.00 and currently employees 450 people.

Strategic Use of Technology

Business Strategy:

The current strategy is done manually, and the staff involved with recruiting talent is

finding it hard to keep up. MTC’s current strategies are to evaluate how to increase

competitive advantage against other consultant firms. MTC must continue to provide

exceptional customer service to clients by hiring employees with the knowledge needed

to fulfill all current and future contracts. In order to do so MTC needs to update its hiring

practices. IT practices should be expanded with the US as well as globally and systems

should be automated allowing updates in real time to both new consultants as well as

recruiters.

Competitive Advantage:

MTC hopes to have highly skilled and knowledgeable talent. Implementing a new hire

process can increase demands for new customers as well as expand current customer

services. With being a small to mid-size business (SMB), MTC can offer lower cost for

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

services compared to larger consultant firms. A company is said to have competitive

advantage over rivals when sustaining profits that exceed the average for the industry

(UMUC, 2020). To help ensure the hiring team has a competitive advantage, real time

information needs to be provided. The information needed to make proper hiring

decisions always needs to be available immediately and to help ensure that the highly

qualified candidates are contacted in a quick manner to help make sure they’re not hired

by competitors.

Strategic Objectives:

Below you will find a breakdown of what is needed to help meet MTC’s strategic goals.

A strategic goal, objective and explanation is provided:

Strategic Goal (from case study)

Objective (clear, measurable and time-

bound)

Explanation (2-3 sentences)

Increase MTC Business Development by winning new contracts in the areas of IT Consulting

To win to large contracts in the next six months and to lower competitive bidding.

MTC expects to win two contracts requiring 75 additional consultants. This will MTC noticeable to the IT industry. MTC acquires work through bidding on business proposals, lowering the proposal costs could help ensure MTC wins the bid.

Build a cadre of consultants internationally to provide remote research and analysis support to MTC’s onsite teams in the U. S.

Increase international recruiting efforts and employ 5 research analysts in the next 12 months.

The new hiring system would allow applicants from around the world to apply online, increasing the number of international applicants. It would enable the recruiters to carefully monitor the applications for these positions, identify the necessary

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

research and analysis skills needed, and screen resumes for these key skills. Recruiters could quickly view the number of applicants and identify when additional recruiting efforts are needed to meet the objective.

Continue to increase MTC’s ability to quickly provide high quality consultants to awarded contracts to best serve the clients’ needs

Acquiring new software and technologies.

New hiring software and technologies will help shorten the processes it takes to hire new employees. It will help ensure the right candidates are hired and increase the ability to rapidly respond to the new contracts.

Increase MTC’s competitive advantage in the IT consulting marketplace by increasing its reputation for having IT consultants who are highly skilled in leading edge technologies and innovative solutions for its clients

Incorporate electronic means of use for all hiring needs.

Having electronic means of use will help improve all hiring practices such as job postings, the application process and interviewing. Candidates and recruiters will be able to get information in a timely manner and will speed up all procedures regarding the hiring process.

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

Decision Making

There are different levels of decision making. Some examples are provided below.

Role Level as defined in

Course Content Reading

Example of Possible Decision Supported by Hiring System

Example of Information the Hiring System Could Provide to Support Your Example Decision

Senior/Executive Managers (Decisions made by the CEO and the CFO at MTC supported by the hiring system.)

Strategic Determine number of consultants needed per contract and make sure qualified candidates are hired.

New hiring systems could provide information, such as number of consultants needed per contact and be able to hire only well qualified people.

Middle Managers (Decisions made by the Director of HR and the Manager of Recruiting supported by the hiring system.)

Managemen t

Select candidates that are well qualified for upcoming contracts.

Recommendations from the HR team recruiters could be forwarded for final decision making.

Operational Managers (Decisions made by the line managers in the organization who are hiring for their projects supported by the hiring system.)

Operational Identify high quality candidates.

The system will allow managers to verify open jobs and check status of candidates that have applied. It could match candidates with company needs.

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

I. Stage 2

The current manual hiring process includes a heavy amount of paperwork that can

occasionally get lost in the process, and takes a long time to select, hire, and onboard

candidates. Before optimizing a new system to eliminate these issues, the current system

must be thoroughly evaluated.

II. Process Analysis

A. Hiring Process

In order to remain competitive, businesses must regularly assess and correct their

processes to meet the demands of its clients (Optimizing Business Processes, n.d.). The

table below will assess the current, or “as-is” process to identify the existing issues and

explain the solutions and benefits of a newer system.

MTC Hiring Process

As-Is Process

(Part 1)

Responsible MTC Position

(Part 1)

To-Be Process – How the System Will Support and Improve the hiring process (Part 2)

Business Benefits of Improved Process (Align with MTC’s overall business strategy and needs.) (Part 2)

1. Recruiter receives application from job hunter via Postal Service Mail.

Recruiter System will receive application via on-line submission through MTC Employment Website and store in the applicant database within the hiring system.

A more efficient submission process decreases time needed to receive and begin processing applications. This will present a positive image to potential employees and help MTC compete for top IT talent.

2. Recruiter screens resumes and selects

Recruiter Applicant resumes are accessed and reviewed

The reviewing process is much faster, also

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

best qualified candidates

electronically. gives the ability better search for applicants by looking up keywords to find and match within resumes.

3. Recruiters forward the resumes of the qualified candidate to the Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Recruiters can rank applications online, and highly qualified applicants can be easily forwarded to the hiring manager.

Reduces the chance of resumes being lost in interoffice mail or buried in emails.

4. Administrative Assistant forwards the resumes to the hiring manager

Administrative Assistant

Hiring managers will receive automatic notifications of applications rank highly or best qualified.

Reduces the chance of resumes being lost in interoffice mail or buried in emails.

5. Hiring manager reviews resumes

Hiring Manager

Hiring managers will only receive the highly and best qualified resumes after it has already been reviewed by the recruiting team.

Speeds up the review process so that the hiring manager can quickly screen the top applicants for selection.

6. Hiring manager updates the Administrative Assistant of selected candidates

Hiring Manager

Administrative Assistant can receive real-time electronic updates about the hiring manager’s selection and can begin contacting selected candidates.

Reduces selection time, keeps track of all selected candidates in one place.

7. Administrative Assistant schedules the interviews

Administrative Assistant

Applicants can be contacted directly by phone and/or through an electronic interview invitation.

Tracks all selected candidates and keeps track of progress made with scheduling interviews.

8. Hiring team conducts the interview

Interview team Hiring team will do face-to- face interviews based on scheduled appointment times.

The new hiring system will give the team track of dates and times where interviews were scheduled to avoid booking errors.

9. Administrative Assistant receives feedback and conveys to hiring manager

Administrative Assistant

Interview notes are added into the system for the appropriate parties to access.

Noting of the interview with candidates in the system will support better decision-making.

10. Hiring manager officially selects the candidate

Hiring Manager

Hiring manager will select the most highly qualified applicant(s) based on the resume and interview notes and rankings.

Ensures that only highly qualified and best qualified applicants are chosen.

11. Hiring manager informs Administrative

Hiring Manager

This step will be consolidated with an electronic update that the

All notes and rankings of the candidate will already be in the

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

Assistant of selection

Administrative Assistant can conveniently access.

system. Electronic notifications will reduce response time on final selection(s).

12. Administrative Assistant prepares offer letter based on information from recruiter and puts in the mail to the chosen candidate.

Administrative Assistant

System enables AA to prepare job offer letter by storing the offer letter template and information on each candidate; allows AA to select information to go into letter and put it into the template, which can then be reviewed and emailed to the candidate.

More efficient offer process presents positive image to applicants and decreases time needed to prepare the offer letter and enables MTC to hire in advance of the competition.

A new information system will improve MTC’s speed and efficiency to match the high level of

applications anticipated following the company’s growth. The average hiring process takes about

23 days, and over 50% of HR managers spend over three hours daily performing only the

administrative portion of the process (Sambandam, 2019). An information system can streamline

mundane steps, give the hiring team with easier workflow with less paperwork involved, and it

will also give candidates real-time updates and communication. As a tech consultant company, it

is imperative for MTC to utilize a tech-friendly solution in the hiring process by automation.

Below is a breakdown of the current issues faced, and the improvements expected with the new

hiring technology.

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

Area Current Issues (from the Case Study)

Improvements (due to use of technology)

Collaboration The Hiring Manager states that recruiting is only one area he is responsible for and he isn’t as responsive to HR as he could be. Therefore, he counts on the Recruiters to help manage the process and keep him informed. Current manual system causes considerable communication breakdowns and takes additional effort and time to stay on top of the hiring process.

An efficient system with all information in one place, easily accessible via a dashboard, and updated in real time could make his recruiting job easier; and he could devote time to effectively working collaboratively and proactively with HR on his staffing needs.

Communications Recruiters state that everything is time-sensitive, and the current is nowhere near efficient as it has the potential to be. Applications and resumes can get lost in interoffice mail or emails, and recruiters are unable to provide real-time updates on an application status.

Simplified document tracking and document storage, real-time electronic updates provided via the recruiting system.

Workflow The administrative assistant stated that they feel “buried in paperwork” and anticipates a system that will streamline the process.

Less paperwork involved; electronic document flow process that will streamline the process and make things easier for the entire recruiting team.

Relationships The CIO has stated that the success of the company is heavily dependent on its ability to satisfy client needs, and competent people to accomplish the needs.

Utilize social media HR tools to connect with many potential employees, applicant satisfaction of automated status updates and interview invitations and offer letters, and consistent onboarding process for new hires.

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Stage 1 Assignment MTC

References:

 Does IT Matter? [Course Resource]. (2019). In IFSM 300: Information Systems in Organizations: Fall 2019. Retrieved from https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/450179/viewContent/17103666/View

 How Organizations Use Information Systems Strategically https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/450179/viewContent/17103668/View

 How Information Supports Decision Making https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/450179/viewContent/17103674/View

 https://www.hrtechnologist.com/articles/recruitment-onboarding/the-new-age-of-automation in-the-recruitment-process/

 https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/450179/viewContent/17103680/View

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