Project Deliverable 2: Business Requirements
cmar1j
week_2_project_deliverable_1.docxRunning Head: Project Plan Inception 1
E-Commerce 5
Project Deliverable 1: Project Plan Inception
Chris Martin
CIS 498: Dr. Kinyua
18 July 2015
Electronic commerce (e-commerce) refers to the selling of goods and provision of services online using a networking platform such as the internet. Today, many businesses and organizations are adopting e-commerce as a strategy for marketing their products and services because the whole world has gone online. The internet specifically has not only provided a large customer base but has also increased awareness to many people. Some brands that were only recognized locally are now recognized globally thanks to the internet (Thomas, 2000).
A while ago it was very difficult for a new business to get recognized, but these days millions of businesses are created daily and in some cases only one online advertisement can make the business well known. We are in the so called “internet age” where products and services are advertised without the use of papers, posters and banners. Some businesses even begin online with just a simple website and even survive without a physical premise. E-commerce has not only boosted many businesses but has also brought positive change in the society. Therefore I could say that with the advent of e-commerce, we really have a promising future ahead (Lallana, 1997).
As the Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer (CIO / CTO) of the company, I would formally like say that we are an e-commerce company that sells jewelry. Jewelry is a very important aspect of beauty and expression; therefore our aim is to provide top class jewelry to satisfy even our most choosy customers. Our company basically markets and sells the jewelry through the internet. We have a website to display our products and allow the customer to choose their piece and place an order. We sell a wide range of jewelry starting from necklaces, wrist accessories, rings, watches among many other pieces of jewelry. We also customize jewelry to suit our customer’s needs, such as the engraving of rings among many other services that we offer.
Since we are expanding the business, my proposal would be to create a modern user-friendly website or online system that will improve the status of the company. The new online system will have more functionalities and capabilities that will enable customers to have a better user experience. The primary goal is a more user friendly online system that will entice the user to come back for more. The online system will have several components that will assist in achieving this. First of all it will have a flexible database that will be used by employees to market the jewelry. The website will also feature a trendy user interface with attractive images and text of all available jewelry. In addition, the website will have a chat platform where the customers can communicate with the staff in real time. The chat platform will be available 24 hours a day with the exception of system maintenance periods. This will be accomplished by having employees work in shifts (Anita, 2000).
The second piece of the online system is the graphical user interface which is the website itself. The website is connected to the database so that all the transactions made by the customers will be recorded and reviewed by the organization. The website will also have different sections, one for employees and another for customers. In order to enforce security, users will be required to log in using a unique and secret password assigned to them once they have signed up for an account. Customers will be able to view all jewelry and accessories being sold, and they will be able to place their orders upon making a selection. User profiling will be done for frequent users in order to recommend certain pieces based on their likes and preferences. Customers will also be updated regularly on changes made and items that are newly available.
Employees accessing the system through the interface will also be provided with a variety of navigational tasks. Employees will be able to update new jewelry items and delete those that are no longer available. Employees will also be able to view orders placed and process them among many other more navigational tasks that will be availed to them. Each employee will be required to have a unique password and code that identifies them. Each order placed will also have a unique code that distinguishes it from the rest. All these security measures and many others will be enforced in the system to ensure its authenticity and to be able to detect the origin of potential errors.
The whole system comes at a cost because in order for the database, graphical interface and chat platform to run several physical components will be required. Some of the physical components that will be required include: workstations, servers, telephones and other communication devices as well as a networking architecture with access to the internet among other components. The main infrastructure of the system is the servers, which should be installed in a well-protected location. Workstations will be comprised of computers and communication devices that are interconnected to ensure smooth work flow. Each employee should have a workstation assigned to them according to their job description.
Conclusion
As we have seen the process of creating the system and making sure it is up and running is not an easy task. The development of the system will require skilled personnel which typically don’t come cheap. The system has to be created according to the requirements specified by the organization, and in order to achieve this employees have to be involved in the testing of the system. Finally we can see that through e-commerce there have been numerous job opportunities created, which provides a boost to our economy.
References
Thomas L. Mesenbourg (2000), Measuring Electronic Business: Definitions, Underlying
Concepts, and Measurement Plans.
Lallana, Quimbo, Andam, 4. Cf. Ravi Kalakota and Andrew B. Whinston, Electronic Commerce:
A Manager’s Guide (USA: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 1997), 19-20.
Anita Rosen, The E-commerce Question and Answer Book (USA: American Management
Association, 2000), 5.
