Reference no: EM13166006

Part-1

Farmers Friend (FF) started as a mail-order company providing a clothing and personal items supply service to farmers living in remote areas. This service was converted to a web site in 2002, and since then the ranges and number of customers has grown so much that a system upgrade is now required. They have identified a need to improve their Customer Support Systems (CSS). The CSS is outdated and many current trends could be incorporated at this time.With the increase in the ranges and numbers of customers, clothing and personal items are not limited to farmers within the area but all over the world. With this, customer experience and satisfaction while navigating through the website must be ensured. Upgrading the Customer Support Systems (CSS) is important. The improvement in the CSS involves will include additional website featuressuch as search button, customer rating, product catalogues, currency conversion, promotional updates, and other navigational buttons to incorporate current trends to improve customer experience when clients visit the website. Having gone online, improving the CSS goes beyond customer satisfaction. It is the company's way of sending a message to the international market the Famers Friend is here to last in producing quality personal and clothing for farmers around the world. Making sure that quality of the products is ensured, the company have experts from the production of raw materials to production and shipping or delivery to the clients. To make sure that we provide a pleasing experience to clients online, the company has customer service representatives making themselves available 24/7. Customer satisfaction and experience becomes a very important thing to be considered. Customers should be provided with everything that they need from search button, to the price, to the currency conversion, promotional updates, security, and shipping and contact details. There should also be a tracking system to inform the customer regarding shipping or delivery updates which should be also found in the website

You have done well with the customer experience and key issues. You also been to state the interactions with other systems.

The Approach

I would express my agreement to the project planner that an object - oriented (OO) approach will be followed. The object - oriented approach is ideal for upgrading the CSS because it combines data and processes. The actual things such as suppliers, customers, and other data and processes in the business will be dealt with in such a way that analysis, productivity, and the complexity that go with the whole operation will be handled well. This approach is also ideal because an improvement in the CSS is proposed. The mechanism and features of other websites will be the same features that will be adopted for use in FF while the old features will be kept. There will be minor improvements in the payroll system, delivery and shipment mechanisms, and data encoding. Although object - oriented approach is an ideal approach in updating the CSS, it does not entail that it is a requirement. It is only the best option but if in case the project analyst suggests another approach, careful study of the proposed option will be made. Other approaches are the data-oriented approach and the process approach. It should be noted that object oriented approach is the combination of the two approaches. The methodology that will be suitable for projects like this would have to start with a feasibility study and benchmarking so that there will be generation of possibility that the improvement is compatible to the present system and identification of what has to be improved. Then, updating of data files and the information system should follow. Finally, a pilot testing to ensure that everything works.

You have stated your opinions but I would expect you to provide evidence of resources used. What effect will it have on training and programming? Mark: 6

Feasibility

There are potentially six feasibility studies that can be done before these projects start.Conducting these studies can help in determining the success potential of the business. These feasibility studies include a study on the human resources ability to cope with the adjustment. Another thing is on the financial capacity of the company to initiate reforms brought about by the expansion that will take place. The possibility of having successful shipping or delivery will also be taken into consideration. The possibility of skills enhancement will also be studied. Another study that will be conducted is if it is possible to have out of the country transactions. Finally, it will be a study on the feasibility of online payment through the use of different payment options.

The SWOT analysis will still be helpful in this project since it provides in-depth analysis of the important aspects that should be dealt with in initiating CSS improvement. The SWOT analysis will identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that go along with the updating of the CSS. The strengths would be the company can be at par with other companies in terms of online services and customer satisfaction. The weaknesses will likely be on the spending capacity of the company because it means expansion as well as the skills readiness of the workers. The opportunities will be on reaching to more clients outside of the country. The threats will be the workability of the whole system and big competitors as well.

The risk analysis provides for the risk factors present in the move to improve the CSS. The risk analysis will likely identify the lack of resources for the improvement since it will entail expansion, lack of skills on the part of the workers, failed transactions, failed deliveries, failure to meet the demands of the clients, and failure to compete with leading brands. Another thing would be the marketability and demand of the products in the global market.

Stakeholders

All stakeholders should be clearly identified before any project starts. Those who express interest in the business are called stakeholders. The stakeholders include the company's executive, project analyst, project director, and the workers from all the departments and offices such as the logistics and finance personnel who will be dealing with the change. The clients are also considered stakeholders because they are of primary interest in running the business and they are those who express interest to the products.

Business Activity

Within a business the activities are really known as processes, and need to follow specific rules for accuracy and control.In running the CSS, the following activities are involved: timekeeping, data encoding, online transactions, customer identification, payment, website log in or log out approval, entry to the website, website update and maintenance, sales monitoring and analysis, and shipment and delivery. For data encoding, online transactions, and website update and maintenance, to the website, website update the (Information Technology) IT staff will be delegated with the responsibility. For timekeeping, customer identification, and payment, sales monitoring and analysis I think those with background in accounting should be tapped to perform this. For the shipment and the delivery it would have to be those people in the logistics.

The table below shows systemic activities with the IS and ES involved.

System	IS	ES
Customer Order System		Customer
AP System	AP Officer	Supplier
Shipment/Delivery	Logistics Officer
Payroll System	Finance Officer
Customer Care System	Representative
Transaction	IT People
Product Cataloguing	Sales Officer

As

OVERVIEW

1. Your team for Assignment 1 will have created a document describing the business and identifying the problems being experienced by the assignment case study company, Farmers Friend. You will need to refer to that document and the feedback supplied by your lecturer to create your individual submissions.

2. In addition, a model answer in the form of a Use Case diagram describing the current business processes will be supplied by your lecturer.

3. Your task is to now create the two main documents that model the current processes at Farmers Friend for their Customer Support Systems (CSS). 

4. The two models that are required will be some Activity Diagrams and a full Data Flow Diagram (several levels and a data element listing) relating to their CSS.

5. You will also need to include a "reflection" document that identifies:-

a. how your team's original Assignment-1 report has had to be modified to correct any errors detected from the marking feedback,

b. any subsequent review by yourself during your modelling activities,

c. and personal comments about how you handled the whole process.

6. The detailed marking schedule provided via the Moodle site will help clarify the separate deliverables required.

The hard-copy MUST be handed to your lecturer in the first class following your soft-copy submission.  Note the requirement for a Professional look to your report.

Specific Instructions for Electronic (Moodle) Submission

1. You will find a special link in the Assignments folder within the ISC course site on Moodle. 

2. When attaching your soft copy files, make sure that you have attached all of your files before clicking on the "Send for marking" button.  (If anything goes wrong, send your files to your lecturer as email attachments, before the deadline date and time.)

3. You must attach all MS-Word and Visio files. 

4. Your lecturer may use an oral examination to ensure you understand the material submitted.

Students who, due to circumstances beyond their control, miss a test, exam or an assignment deadline or consider their performance in a test, exam or assignment to have been adversely affected, should complete the form available from the Department Administration Office.

When requesting an SAC for an assignment, the SAC application form must be submitted (along with work completed to date) within the time frame of the extension requested.  For example, if the Doctor's Certificate is for one (1) day, then the SAC form and work completed must be submitted within one (1) day.