ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage 2: Business Process Analysis and Functional Requirements Before you begin this assignment, be sure you: 1. Have completed all previously assigned readings, particularly those assigned in Week 2. 2. Re-read the \"Kelly's Salon Case Study" and the Stage 1 assignment, and review the \"Walmart Example,\" beginning with "Background for Stage 2" on page 3. 3. Review Instructor feedback from the Stage 1 assignment. 4. Carefully review the Example shown following the Assignment instructions below. Purpose of this Assignment This assignment demonstrates how business processes are analyzed to develop information systems functional (business) requirements. This assignment specifically addresses the following course outcome to enable you to: analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements Overview of Business Process Analysis and Functional Requirements for Kelly's Salon For your Case Study Stage 1 assignment, you performed a Five Forces Analysis and justified Kelly's chosen strategy for competitive advantage and the business process that she would like to improve through the application of technology. In the Stage 2 assignment, you will identify the inputs, processing, and outputs of Kelly's selected business process. Those inputs, processing, and outputs form the functional (business) requirements for an IT system to improve the process. The first step in identifying the functional or business requirements for an information system is to develop the high level requirements that establish the scope of the system. Kelly has selected the Customer and Employee Scheduling Process for improvement using an IT solution, and together you have identified the following high level requirements. The system must: Allow employees to enter their availability and desired days/times to work Allow Kelly to review the employee requests and develop a schedule Make the schedule available to employees to review their final work schedule Make the employee schedule available for staff to enter customer appointments Allow Kelly and the staff to enter customer appointments Keep track of customer appointments, including stylist and service performed Accommodate changes in the employee schedules and customer appointments, and update the schedule accordingly Accommodate changes in the customer information stored in the system Provide management reports to Kelly showing employee workload, customers served, customer contact information, busy times/days, etc. For this assignment, you will focus on the customer appointment portion of the overall process. The high level requirements are not detailed enough to be used as the functional or business requirements. More detailed requirements are developed using a variety of tools and methods. One such tool is a process model. The process model shows the steps in the customer appointment process. In a process model, rectangles are used to illustrate process steps and diamonds are used where decisions, or choices, are made. You need to be aware that there are other aspects of the 8/13/16 process to be considered, as shown in the high level requirements above. The points at which these additional steps intersect with the customer appointment process are shown in the process model with a circle. Customer Appointment Process Model: The Customer Appointment Process model is separately provided as an Excel file, labeled "Stage 2 Customer Appointment Process Model." Assignment: Kelly's Salon Stage 2: Using the Customer Appointment Process Model, create a document that includes: I. Introduction At the top of your paper, show the strategy for competitive advantage that Kelly selected and the business process she has chosen to improve, using the following format (no additional explanation is required): Generic Strategy for Competitive Advantage: xxxxxxx (just name the strategy) Business Process to Be Improved: xxxxxxxxx (just name the process) II. Table of Functional (Business) Requirements Copy the table below into your paper. Using the Customer Appointment Process Model provided complete the table of requirements for an IT system, for each of the numbered process steps, that includes: the inputs to the process - include specific items of information or data elements (for example, customer name) entered into the system as part of the process step processing or actions that the system takes (for example, check calendar to let person know if Kelly's Salon is open at the specified time) outputs of the process - include specific items of information or data elements (for example, appointment date) that the system will display or print out for the user to see Note: This is not about what the employee or customer is doing but specifically about data into the system (input), the system does something with that data (process) to deliver the end result (output) There are 7 numbered steps in the Appointment Process itself. In addition, there are three other processes that are needed (shown in the circles), but are beyond the scope of the appointment process: (1) a process for entering the time needed and costs for the various styling services - this builds a database or table for reference in future transactions; (2) a process for scheduling employees to work; and (3) the payment process that collects customer payments and updates the database accordingly. You should be aware that these processes are needed to complete the system, but you do not need to address them in your assignment. The responses that you enter into the table for each requirement must be aligned to the specific business process to be improved and the data it uses, and it must be appropriate to the Kelly's Salon business. Note: Processes are actions that the system will take and should include action verbs. Inputs and outputs are not actions, but are data or information. If you need to use action words (verbs) to describe the input or output, they should be kept to a minimum and put in parentheses. 8/13/2016 - Rev 2 ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage2 2|P a g e Table of Functional (Business) Requirements Steps in the Appointment Process Proces s Step Step from Customer Appointment Process Model Input Process Output Information/data item(s) entered into the system as part of this step Processing or action the system must perform for this step Information/data item(s)/record created, or displayed, or printed out for the user in this step (insert label/title from numbered step) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 EXAMPLE Using the Employee Scheduling Process The example below demonstrates what is required for the assignment, using the Employee Scheduling Process, which is shown in a circle in the Customer Appointment Process Model. The process model for this example is separately provided as an Excel file named "Stage 2 Example Scheduling Process Model." The entries in the table correspond with the numbered process steps in the model. Table of Functional (Business) Requirements Steps in the Employee Scheduling Process Proces s Step 8/13/2016 - Rev 2 Step from Customer Input Process Output ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage2 3|P a g e Appointment Process Model Information/data item(s) entered into the system as part of this step Processing or action the system must perform for this step (insert information from numbered step Information/ data item(s)/record created, or displayed, or printed out for the user in this step 1 Employee logs into the System User ID and password Verify user id and password against security database "Welcome" screen or "Invalid User ID and Password" message 2 Employee reviews customer appointments Employee name, dates Locate and present appointment dates for the employee Appointment dates for employee 3 Employee enter dates/times available for work Dates and times available for work (employee name entered in step 2) Record dates and times employee is available for work Confirmation that dates and times have been saved Formatting: For academic writing, the writer is expected to write in the third person. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and our. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the \"self,\" out of the writing. This method is very helpful for academic writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed. Submit a document that includes the Table of Functional Requirements. Table entries should be single spaced. Use APA formatted citations and references for any external sources used. Include a title page, and a reference page if references are included. Compare your final work to the rubric to be sure you have met content and quality criteria. Submit your paper as a Word document, or a document that can be read in Word. Your submission should include your last name first in the filename: Lastname_firstname_Stage _2 GRADING RUBRIC: The "right" and "wrong" answers have to do with whether or not you correctly incorporated the course vocabulary and concepts to support your choices, and that you address all parts 8/13/2016 - Rev 2 ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage2 4|P a g e of the assignment. Be sure to review the grading rubric below before submitting your assignment: ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage 2 Rubric: Functional Requirements Criteria Inputs 90-100% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% < 60% Far Above Standards Above Standards Meets Standards Below Standards Well Below Standards Possibl e Points 27-30 Points 24-26 Points 18-20 Points 0-17 Points 30 All inputs listed demonstrate a strong understanding of course concepts, analysis and critical thinking; and are appropriate for the business in the case study and the process. Avoids the use of action words. Most inputs listed demonstrate an understanding of course concepts, analysis and critical thinking; and are appropriate for the business in the case study and the process. Limited use of action words. 21-23 Points Inputs are provided but selection may be lacking in demonstration of understanding of course concepts or analysis. May overuse action words. Few, if any inputs are provided or inputs are not appropriate for the process step and/or the case study. 8/13/2016 - Rev 2 Inputs listed are designated and demonstrate a basic understandi ng of course concepts or analysis. May include some action words. ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage2 5|P a g e Processing Outputs 27-30 Points 24-26 Points All processing listed demonstrates a strong understanding of course concepts, analysis and critical thinking; and are appropriate for the business in the case study and the process. 27-30 Points Most processing listed demonstrates an understanding of course concepts, analysis and critical thinking; and are appropriate for the business in the case study and the process. All outputs listed demonstrate a strong understanding of course concepts, analysis and critical thinking; and are appropriate for the business in the case study and the process. Avoids the use of action words. Most outputs listed demonstrate an understanding of course concepts, analysis and critical thinking; and are appropriate for the business in the case study and the process. Limited use of action words. 8/13/2016 - Rev 2 24-26 Points 21-23 Points 18-20 Points 0-17 Points Processing is listed and demonstrate s a basic understandi ng of course concepts or analysis. Processing is provided but may be lacking in demonstration of understanding of course concepts or analysis. Processing shown is not appropriate for the process step and/or the case study. 21-23 Points 18-20 Points 0-17 Points Outputs listed are designated and demonstrate a basic understandin g of course concepts or analysis. May include some action words. Outputs are provided but selection may be lacking in demonstratio n of understandin g of course concepts or analysis. May overuse action words. Few, if any outputs are provided or outputs are not appropriate for the process step and/or the case study. ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage2 6|P a g e 30 30 Table Format 9-10 Points 8 Points 7 Points 6 Points 0-5 Points Information is professionally presented, clear and easily understood; is written in third person and uses course vocabulary, correct sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. Any references used are listed and cited using APA style. Information is presented well; is clear, and uses correct sentence structure; written in third person, and has few grammar and spelling errors. Any references used are listed and cited using APA style. Information is presented with some grammar and/or spelling errors. Any references used are listed and cited using APA style. Information is not professionally presented, may not be clearly written, and/or contains several grammar and/or spelling errors, or errors in use of APA style for references/ citations. Information is extremely poorly written; has many grammar and/or spelling errors; and/or does not convey the information adequately. TOTAL Points Possible 8/13/2016 - Rev 2 ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage2 7|P a g e 10 100 Kelly's Salon Case Study In 1995, Kelly's Salon was opened by Kelly Kostanza in a strip mall near the College campus. Kelly's Salon started as a barbershop with one chair. Over the years, Kelly has expanded her business to include hair styling for both men and women. Her business has grown to three barber chairs, three hair styling stations, and a shampoo station. In response to her customers' requests, Kelly would like to further expand her business by adding two stations for manicures. The small gift shop next door to her has recently come up for sale, and she is thinking about acquiring that area for manicures. When Kelly's Salon first opened, it was the only barbershop within a ten-mile radius. It was one of the first businesses to open in the strip mall where it is located, and the number of customers has increased each year. Over the years a couple of other barbershops have opened around the area, and there is news that a Hair Cuttery (offering men's and women's haircuts and styling only) will open about 5 miles away. In the shopping center across the street, an expensive spa has now opened where hair styling is offered along with manicures. Just around the corner from Kelly's Salon is a home with a sign offering manicures. While Kelly's Salon continues to grow and profits are increasing, Kelly is sure that she could improve her operation in the areas of scheduling, supply ordering, inventory management, collecting customer information, and marketing. Customer and Employee Scheduling: Currently, Kelly takes appointments by phone and accepts walk-in customers on an as-available basis. If there is a vacancy in the schedule, she is happy to have a walk-in customer for that time slot. As her business has expanded, Kelly has found that keeping track of which employees will be working at any particular day and time, and matching that with customer appointments has become almost unmanageable. Until recently, she has been comfortable with allowing staff to decide what days and times they want to work, and most of them are part-time. So far, little effort has been made to find a substitute if one of her employees cannot come to work. Now, Kelly has recognized that she is turning away a significant number of walk-in customers, and at other times, her staff is not busy at all. It seems to Kelly that she is very busy on Saturdays, and that Mondays are slow days, but she has no real data to use to make a schedule for her employees. She would like you to help her improve her process for scheduling staff and customers. Inventory Management: Now that she has employed four part-time barbers, six part-time stylists, and two part-time shampoo girls, and is contemplating adding at least two manicurists, Kelly is also concerned about maintaining an adequate stock of supplies. It has become difficult for her to keep track of what supplies have been used and what needs to be ordered. She knows that if she runs out of shampoo or hair spray, for example, that she will not be able to serve her customers. She makes notes to herself and sticks them on her office message board to remind herself to place orders, but she only knows to do so when one of the employees tells her that the last container of a product has been taken from the supply cabinet. Many times, the shop is very busy and either the employee forgets to tell her, or she forgets to make a note. Kelly is happy her business is growing, but the chaos of making sure there are adequate supplies is creating a great deal of stress for her. Supply Ordering: Even if Kelly successfully keeps track of the supplies that have been used, she really does not have time to place orders to her suppliers. Over time, she has noticed that the prices she is paying seem to be going up quickly, but she has no way check to see if she could order supplies at a lower cost. She is wondering if she could save money by finding lower-cost suppliers, suppliers who offer 7/8/2016 - Rev 1 1 free shipping, or suppliers who sell in bulk. It has become apparent that Kelly's Salon needs an improved supply ordering process. Customer Information: There are some regular customers who come to Kelly's Salon, and Kelly recognizes them, but often cannot recall their preferences. Several of these customers have called requesting appointments with their favorite barber or stylist, and, while Kelly knows this is important to them, she cannot assure the customers that it will be possible. Many of her barbershop customers come in every two weeks, while most of her customers who want a haircut and style are more likely to visit a few times a year. Kelly would like to know in which category each of her customers fall. She is also seeking your help in finding a better way to document the process of maintaining customer preferences and personal information. Marketing: Kelly would also like to contact her customers and keep them coming back, but currently she has no way to do that. She would also like to make sure when she contacts each customer that she is doing so appropriately. She would also like to provide special offers such as coupons around the time of their birthday, believing that these types of marketing efforts would increase her repeat business and her profits. She would also like to reach more new customers, especially as she expands her business. Kelly's Salon uses very little marketing except word-of-mouth, and essentially still operates the same as it did in 2000 when Kelly opened her one-chair barbershop. Kelly's Salon is a for-profit business and must cover its variable costs, fund future improvements and produce a reasonable profit for the owners. Kelly would like to expand into the gift shop area next door, and improve her current management practices. She also believes that she could actually increase her profits if she did a better job of marketing in combination with better scheduling and management of her supplies. Kelly's Salon currently uses no technology. There is not even a computer in the back office. Kelly has hired you to help her with determining how she could apply information technology to help her manage her growing operation. Throughout this course you will assist Kelly with analyzing her business and applying a technology-related solution to improve the operation of Kelly's Salon. Your advice will be based on the business practices discussed in the class and the course materials to help her increase revenue, keep the business running, and bring the business into the 21st century. Note 1: You will be looking for a technology solution. While installing a tea and coffee bar may attract new customers, it is not a technology solution. Note 2: As you approach the assignments, you will find it helpful to think about your own experiences with a barbershop or styling salon. Making a trip to a local barbershop or salon may help you think about the processes, challenges, and opportunities. Identify andAssignments explain the next steps in implementing the solution (Stage 5) Purpose of the This case study specifically addresses the following course outcomes to enable you to: analyze business strategy to recognize how technology solutions enable strategic outcomes analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements identify and plan IT solutions that meet business objectives The case study and assignments address the Course Outcomes to enable you to: STAGED ASSIGNMENTS There are four staged assignments which use the Case Study and are designed to follow the relevant course topics in the class schedule. The weight of the assignments is shown in the Course Syllabus. The 7/8/2016 - Rev 1 2 due dates are shown with the Assignments. Upon completion of these assignments, you will have performed an array of activities to demonstrate your ability to apply the course content to a \"real world situation\" to: Analyze the business environment and justify Kelly's selected generic strategy and process for improvement o Stage 1 Project: Business Environment Analysis (Word document with analysis) Determine the functional (business) requirements by analyzing inputs, processing and outputs for the process selected for improvement, using the process model provided o Stage 2 Project: Business Analysis and Functional Requirements (Word document with table of inputs, processing and outputs) Evaluate various IT requirements o Stage 3 Project: IT Requirements (Word table) Propose an IT solution and evaluate what it would take to implement your solution o Stage 4 Project: Proposed IT Solution and Next Steps (Word document) Course Learning Outcomes: These assignments are designed to help you identify how to effectively analyze and interpret information to improve the business. This is an opportunity for you to apply course concepts, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills and think like a business professional. When you are writing a paper or developing a presentation, write in third person, preparing your document as if it is going to the owner, Kelly Kostanza, whom you want to impress with your knowledge and abilities. Writing Expectations: For academic writing, the writer is expected to write in the third person. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and our. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the \"self,\" out of the writing. This method is very helpful for academic writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed. Do more than just going through the mechanics of pulling together information -- think about what you are doing, why you're doing it, whether it make sense, whether the information seems realistic, and what the results show. Support your recommendations with course concepts, vocabulary, and your research. Resources: Several of the assignments require external research, using sources other than the materials provided in the classroom. It is important that you identify relevant, timely resources that specifically support the points or information you provide in your assignments. You should read the source and assimilate the information first, and then put it into your own words and incorporate it into the flow of your writing (with an appropriate in-text APA citation and a list of references at the end of your paper). Direct quotes should be used very sparinglyonly when the author's own words uniquely present a concept that would be lost if paraphrased by you. Evaluation: The grading rubric is included with each assignment. Review the rubric to ensure all aspects of the assignment have been addressed. Example: Be sure to read and refer to the \"Walmart Example\" posted in the classroom to help you understand what is expected for each of the assignments. Format: One of the prerequisites for this course is that you have a fundamental working knowledge of word processing software. Detailed instructions for each Staged Project, 1 through 4, are posted in the designated area of the classroom. You must prepare each assignment in the indicated format (i.e., table, outline, report, double-spaced, or other specified format) and submit it by the date indicated in the schedule. No credit will be given for late assignments or those submitted in file formats other than those stated in the assignment instructions. 7/8/2016 - Rev 1 3 Software Expectations: Because these assignments require you to use Microsoft Word, or produce documents that can be read using MS Word (as indicated in the instructions), you may need to "brush up" on your familiarity with Word to use functions that perhaps are new to you. Therefore, do not wait until the last minute to begin an activity. You should read through all the assignments in advance to ensure you (1) understand what is expected, and (2) allow enough time to effectively create the information being requested. There is a significant amount of information available to you to assist in developing your skills in using the Microsoft Office Products. MS Word, or its equivalent, is required for these exercises. Do not hesitate to use the on-line help and wizard tools built into the MS Office applications for help as you work with the software tools. There are also many web sites that provide tips. Even YouTube has some useful videos demonstrating various techniques. If you use software tools other than Microsoft, it is your responsibility to ensure that the documents you submit can be read, and retain their formatting, when they are read and reviewed using the Microsoft Office suite. 7/8/2016 - Rev 1 4 Kelly's Salon Appointment Process Individual Needs Appointment for Hair Styling Calls Kelly's Salon and requests appointment Drives to Kelly's Salon 1 Employee greets customer and asks customer last name or phone number Customers 2 Previous Customer? YES Employee welcomes customer back and reminds of last appointment and services provided Employee asks customer what services are needed NO Employee asks for and enters customer information Employee asks customer what services are needed 3 Service, Time, Cost Employee tells customer cost and time needed for service Does customer want the same stylist as last time? NO Stylist selected YES Employee asks customer when the service is desired Schedule 4 Employee checks stylist availability and times and advises customer Is one of the dates/times acceptable? NO Employee gets alternate date/time and/or alternate stylist from customer YES 5 Employee Schedules Appointment Is appointment today ? Appointments NO Customer completes call or leaves Kelly's Salon YES Customer receives service; employee documents services completed and time on paper receipt Customer takes paper receipt to cashier 6 Cashier enters info from paper receipt to system and advises customer of total charges Customer pays bill Financial Data Process: Accept Payment from Customer Accept Payment from Customer Will customer provide feedback? YES 7 Employee asks customer feedback questions and enters responses into the system NO Does customer want to schedule next appointment? YES NO Customer leaves Kelly's Salon t Process ves to Kelly's Salon yee asks for and enters stomer information Process: Enter Time Needed and Cost for Services Stylist selected ployee gets alternate /time and/or alternate ylist from customer Employee Scheduling Process omer completes call or eaves Kelly's Salon Process: Accept Payment from Customer Accept Payment from Customer mployee asks customer ack questions and enters ponses into the system ustomer leaves Kelly's Salon Questions/ Customer Responses Kelly's Salon Employee Scheduling Process Employee decides to update work schedule 1 Employee logs into the System Security database 2 Employee reviews customer appointments Appointments Employee enter dates/times available for work Schedule 3 Employee logs out s Salon eduling Process Kelly reviews and approves schedule Kelly logs into the System Kelly reviews appointments and schedule Does schedule need to change? YES Kelly makes changes to schedule and informs employee NO Kelly logs out Walmart Example We will use Walmart as an example to illustrate the various course concepts. The examples provided in this document are to assist you in understanding the concepts and applying them to the class assignments, which consist of a case study and four staged projects. The examples are provided for illustrative purposes only, and may not precisely conform to the specific directions given in the class assignments. Student should follow the instructions provided in the assignments. Business Analysis (Stage 1) - Follow the directions in the Stage 1 Assignment The following is a discussion of the Five Forces Analysis, Generic Strategy for Competitive Advantage and business process improvement to help you understand the topics. Your assignment specifies the content and format to be used for your paper. Applying Porter's Five Forces Analysis The Five Forces are explained in the reading assignments for Week 1. Below is an example showing the application of the Five Forces analysis to Walmart. We know that Walmart's objective is everyday low prices, which is their competitive advantage. When we look at the Five Forces model as applied to Walmart, we can determine that the Buyer Power of their customers is high because patrons have many other choices. However, customers expect and demand the lowest prices 1 11/1/2015 Rev 3 from Walmart, and they are willing to overlook, but not ignore, other factors like customer service, store location, and atmosphere. Walmart's Suppliers have little power because of the sheer size of Walmart, and because being a Walmart supplier can provide huge sales potential. The suppliers must do what Walmart wants regarding business processes and technical requirements. They will also be pressured for lower prices, which may cause the suppliers to move production to lower priced labor markets. The threat of substitute products means that customers can go elsewhere for the same or substitute items. There could be some threat here only because of web based stores as they may be able to have lower prices because of low overhead. Threat of new entrants in the Brick and Mortar Store area is low, because of the costs involved in building stores and the infrastructure to support the business processes. The threat of new entrants in the Internet market would be high, because of the low costs involved and the potential to specialize in different areas with especially low prices. Rivalry between competitors at a store level would be high and could be affected by the breadth of products and quality of customer service or even the cleanliness and appearance of the store. On a company level, Walmart's Sales are $418 billion and Target, their closest competitor, has annual sales of $67 billion, so while it may seem there is a large rivalry, the size of Walmart limits the threat. Generic Strategy for Competitive Advantage If we look at the table below, we can see that the Generic Strategy for Walmart is in the upper left quadrant, Broad Market and Low Cost. You can see how they compare to the other retailers shown in this example. (Baltzan, 2014, p. 22) The broad market will bring in the largest number of buyers, which would have the effect of lowering buyer power. The Low Cost indicates that many things could affect Walmart's costs, but their biggest cost is for the goods that they sell and therefore the Suppliers are important and Walmart uses their size to decrease the Supplier power. The Generic Strategy identified makes sense. The Five Forces analysis above indicates that two areas of highest concern for Walmart would be 2 11/1/2015 Rev 3 Supplier-related activities, like Supply Chain Management (SCM), supplier training, supplier selection, and supplier facilitation, that would reduce Walmart's costs; and Customer-related activities, like easy payment, easy return of merchandise, web purchasing with free delivery to the nearest store, and stocking the items wanted in the community, which would increase the number of customers and retain the ones they have; these also help reduce operating costs. Note that neither the Five Forces Analysis nor the table of Generic Strategies for Competitive Advantage mentions IT or computer systems. IT is not a strategy; the initial focus is on improving the business processes, which may or may not have anything to do with IT. Business Process to be Improved If Walmart decided to improve its business processes to increase profits, it would begin with the processes related to the identified strategy for competitive advantage (Low Cost Strategy). Each process that needs to be improved would have its own team. Walmart would then assemble a team of individuals from different areas that are involved in the process, and are familiar with the current process. The next step is for the team to document the As-Is process, its objective, its inputs and outputs, and the steps in the process. This is usually done with some kind of a process diagram or model, or written step-by-step description of the how the process works. The process selected to help reduce overall costs is the item return process. The team believes that improvements in how the store accepts returned items from customers can help reduce costs. For this Walmart Example, the following would apply: GENERIC STRATEGY FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: Low Cost Strategy BUSINESS PROCESS TO BE IMPROVED: Item Return Process Background for Stage 2 The Walmart team has come up with the following idea for improving the Item Return Process: Upon entering the store, the customer is met by the Greeter, who determines if the customer has an item to return. If there is no return, he assists the customer with a cart. If the customer wishes to return an item, the Greeter asks if the customer has a receipt. If the customer says \"no,\" the Greeter attaches a \"To be returned\" tag to the item and assists the customer with a cart. If the customer has a receipt, the Greeter scans the Sales Receipt Number using a hand held wireless device and if the item is bar coded, the Greeter will scan the bar codes of all items to be returned using the hand held device and indicate that these are returned items. If there is no bar code on the item the Greeter will select the appropriate item from the sales receipt image on the hand held device and indicate the item being returned. The Greeter will then indicate the quantity of each item being returned. The Greeter's hand held device will print a credit slip that can be redeemed for credit (if it was a credit or debit card purchase) or cash at any cashier. The handheld device will also print two copies of the return receipt. One will be attached to the returned item and one will be given to the customer along with the original receipt with the returned items crossed out. The greeter will attach the appropriate documents to the returned items and place them in a cart for later processing. This new process will reduce the amount of time overall in handling returned items, help expedite the restocking of returned items or determining their final disposition, and help Walmart keep its costs low. The Process Diagram for the Walmart Expedited Return Process (WERP) is shown below (use the plus sign at the top of the Adobe screen to increase the font for readability): 3 11/1/2015 Rev 3 Walmart Expedited Return Process 1 2 4 11/1/2015 Rev 3 Functional (Business) Requirements (Stage 2) - Follow the directions in the Stage 2 Assignment Your assignment specifies the content and format to be used for your paper. See Background for stage 2 above. For this Walmart Example, the following apply: GENERIC STRATEGY FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: Low Cost Strategy BUSINESS PROCESS TO BE IMPROVED: Item Return Process The Stage 2 assignment calls for a table like the following one to be completed. Using the above process model, for the steps labeled "Greeter scans the sales receipt" (labeled with the "1" in the red box) and "Greeter indicates returned quantity next to item on handheld" (with the "2" in the red box), the following input, process and output entries would be appropriate: Table of Functional (Business Requirements) Process Step 1 2 Input Steps in the Item Return Process Process Information/data item entered into the system as part of this step Sales receipt data Quantity of item returned (entered next to the item on the receipt shown on the handheld device) Processing or action the system must perform for this step Read, store and display sales receipt Record quantity of item returned, calculate amount to be refunded and print results Output Information/data item displayed or printed out for the user in this step Scanned sales receipt Return receipt showing item returned, quantity and total amount to be refunded (one for customer, one to be attached to returned item(s)) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 These inputs, processing, and outputs will become the functional (or business) requirements for the system. IT Requirements (Stage 3) - Follow the directions in the Stage 3 Assignment Your assignment specifies the content and format to be used for your paper. For this Walmart Example, the following apply: GENERIC STRATEGY FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: Low Cost Strategy BUSINESS PROCESS TO BE IMPROVED: Item Return Process 5 11/1/2015 Rev 3 In addition to the functional requirements for a new system, the IT requirements must also be developed. We will do this by evaluating the applicability and importance of each IT requirement listed. The requirements that are identified as relevant to the business process will form the IT (technical) requirements for a system. In evaluating and selecting an IT system, both the functional (business) requirements and the IT requirements need to be considered. The areas that need to be considered in developing the IT requirements are listed below in the Table of IT Requirements, which is similar to the one you will complete in the Stage 3 assignment. Only a few of the rankings and explanations are filled in here, but your table will rank and explain them all. (Be sure to use the table and instructions provided in the assignment.) Explanation for Ranking Importance/ Relevance IT Requirement 1 2 3 Usability Maintainability Scalability 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Reliability/ Availability Extensibility Portability Security Data Accuracy Data Completeness Authentication 11 Enterprise Systems (ERP, CRM, SCM) Networks Database Data Warehouse Data Mining 12 13 14 15 High, Medium, Low, or Not Applicable (N/A) (Write a minimum of 3 good sentences for each; both the process to be improved and the case study should be mentioned in each explanation; the data used in the process should be included in the explanation where applicable.) Medium The system must be able to handle an increase in the number of users and devices being used for Returns during peak hours. Also, during the holiday season Walmart handles a large volume of returns. Walmart expects its business to continue to grow, and returns will grow along with the rest of the business. High Walmart does not want customers to use the device. The system will require the Greeter to provide specified login information. This protects Walmart from fraudulently recorded returned items. 6 11/1/2015 Rev 3 16 17 Business Intelligence Decision Support System 18 Business-to-Business eCommerce Business-to-Consumer eCommerce 19 High Mart will use a DSS to evaluate returned items. Data from all Walmart stores can be compared. The data can then be used to further improve the process. In this particular case, only a few of the IT requirements are evaluated above, to provide an example. IT Solution and Next Steps (Stage 4) - Follow the directions in the Stage 4 Assignment Now that the Walmart team has identified the business (functional) and IT (technical) requirements, it is time to propose a solution and develop a document of the Next Steps that can be used operationally. Please note that you will research and propose an IT solution as part of Stage 4. That is different from what is shown in this example document where we are simply adding capabilities to a current Point of Sale (POS) system. IT Solution and Next Steps Your assignment is to write a short paper. Below the content of the sections is just outlined to give you an idea of what would be in a paper for this Walmart Example. Your paper should completely explain each area. Your assignment specifies the content and format to be used for your paper. I. Introduction A. (Overview of the proposed solution and next steps) B. Generic Strategy for Competitive Advantage: Low Cost Strategy. C. Business Process to be improved: Item Return Process. II. Proposed IT Solution - No new technology will be needed as the hand held POS that is used for inventory has the necessary capabilities, but three additional units will be required for the Greeters at each store. Programming changes will be required to print the Sales Receipt Number and the Bar Code on the receipt, and to enable the hand held device to access the programs needed for returned items and the algorithm for how the credit is processed. The system is operated at the Walmart Headquarters, and the WiFi needed for this process is currently available in all stores, which are connected by the Internet to Headquarters. The cost of the programming changes would be minor as they would be done by existing programming staff, that currently operate and maintain the system. III. Implementation Steps A. Vendor agreement - No new vendor agreements are needed for the expansion of the POS system. B. Hardware and Telecommunications - three additional handheld units will be required for the Greeters at each store. WiFi is currently in the stores. 7 11/1/2015 Rev 3 C. Configuration - Programming changes will be required to print the Sales Receipt Number and the Bar Code on the receipt, and to enable the hand held device to access the programs needed for returned items and the algorithm for how the credit is processed. D. Testing - When the programming changes are complete, the Walmart headquarters quality assurance section will validate that the system is working correctly; a few Greeters will then test the system. E. Employee preparation - Greeters and personnel handling returns/restocking will need to be trained. F. Data Migration - No currently existing data will need to be entered into the system. G. System use - This WERP capability will be used primarily by Greeters in the stores; if they have questions or problems, their managers will first attempt to answer or correct the problem; additional support will be provided by the headquarters help desk. H. Maintenance - Will be provided by the programming staff at headquarters. IV. Conclusion - In implementing WERP, Walmart can expect that the effort associated with returned items will be reduced and customer satisfaction will also increase. Simplicity in returns should lead to increased sales and profits. 8 11/1/2015 Rev 3 References Balzan, P. (2014). Business Driven Information Systems. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. 9 11/1/2015 Rev 3