Riordan Manufacturing Case Study
Part 1
Riordan Manufacturing has put in a service request SR-rm-022 for the HR system to be analyzed. Hugh McCauley, who is Riordan Manufacturing’s COO (Chief Operating Officer), submitted the service request for all plant locations to integrate existing variety of HR tools into a single integrated application. Riordan wants to take advantage of a more sophisticated, state-of-the art, information systems technology in our Human Resources department. The expected results of this service request is to define the business requirements of the HR system, create a detailed system design, and come up with a project plan to be completed within a six month time frame. Key stakeholders of Riordan Manufacturing to gather requirements …show more content…
from will be identified, along with the information gathering techniques and system analysis tools planned to be utilized. Key factors, the project scope, why these are important, and the project feasibility will be examined. A thorough project plan will be delivered to list of all the requirements, resources, schedule and budget required to complete the project.
Key stakeholders for a project are people, groups or organizations that have an affect or can be affected by the project.
Key stakeholders in Riordan Manufacturing to gather requirements from:
(Job descriptions are from Riordan Manufacturing intranet site)
Dr. Michael Riordan (President & CEO) - Determine and formulate policies and business strategies and provide overall direction of private sector organizations. Plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate managers (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Hugh McCauley (Chief Operating Officer) -Directs, administers and coordinates the activities of the organization in support of policies, goals and objectives established by the chief executive officer and the Board of Directors (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Maria Trinh (Chief Information Officer) -Chief IS/IT officer of organization. Develops strategy for information systems department based on long term corporate goals (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Patricia Miller, Dirk Kort, Stacey Jones, Chinese National (Managers of IT Services)-Directs and coordinates local area computer network activities (Riordan Manufacturing, …show more content…
2012).
Yvonne McMillan (Director of Human Resources)-Develops policy and directs and coordinates human resources activities, such as employment, compensation, labor relations, benefits, training, and employee services (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Andrea Gamby, Terri Carranza, Silvija Peterson, Chad Sterken (Managers of HR services) - Manages human resources activities, such as employment, compensation, labor relations, benefits, training, and employee services (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Getting the key stakeholders support will benefit greatly and increase the success rate of the project. The values of these key stakeholders will be passed along throughout the chain of employees, which will increase the acceptance of the project to the users.
Many information gathering techniques can be proposed and implemented for the project with Riordan Manufacturing. Interviews are a common ways to gather information, whether one- on-one or with a group. The key stakeholders can provide valuable information to formulate the requirements for the project. A joint application design also known as a JAD session is a process that can be used to collect the business requirements. JAD sessions typically are with the SME’s (subject matter experts) and the IT specialists to come to the resolution of the projects business requirements. Several other ways can be used to gather information such as questionnaires, following people around, prototyping, and brainstorming. Some project business requirements can be determine right off the RFP (request for proposal). By using these available methods of the information gathering techniques, they will be the key factors in ensuring the information for the project is gathered successfully. The solution for the project cannot be achieved until the requirements are formulated.
A Project Scope is defined as "The work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions" (Project Management Institute p.23, 2008).
Project Scope answers these questions:
What problem or opportunity does the project address?
What are the quantifiable results to be achieved?
What needs to be done?
How will success be measured?
How will we know when we are finished?
The problem the project address is that the HR department has an outdated and antiquated HBIS system. Excel spreadsheets and paper documents are used for most of the data handled in the HR department. The quantifiable results of the project will be to create a database system, which will eliminate the need for paper and expedite the processes in HR. The database system for HR needs to be designed and tested to see the efficient of the database. HR processes shall be greatly increased with this integrated database system.
Part of the system analysis is a feasibility study. The areas of project feasibility examined in the analysis phase of the SDLC are used to go into the risks of the system proposed. The areas of feasibility analysis that are used are technical, economic, and organizational. The technical feasibility concentrates on if the system can be built, by examining the risks related to the knowledge with the application, knowledge with the technology, project size, and compatibility with existing systems. The economic feasibility determines whether the system should be built. Economic feasibility goes through a cost–benefit analysis of development expenses, operational expenses, tangible benefits, and intangible expenses and benefits. The organizational feasibility analysis evaluates how well accepting the system will be by its users and combined into the continuing operations of the business. Software developers have learned over time that organizational feasibility can be the most difficult element to evaluate. One way to evaluate organizational feasibility is through strategic alignment. Strategic alignment is how much the project relates to the business strategies in place already. Another way to evaluate organizational feasibility is by conducting a stakeholder analysis. Stakeholder analysis is preformed to identify who and understand why stakeholders are important (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2012). Key stakeholders have been previously identified in the beginning of this report.
Riordan Manufacturing’s service request SR-rm-022 for the HR system will be analyzed to integrate existing variety of HR tools into a single integrated application.
This project will take the Riordan’s Human Resources department to the most up to date technolgy. This project plan will define the business requirements of the HR system, create a detailed system design, and be completed within a six month time frame. Key stakeholders support will be a key factor for the project’s scope. The project feasibility will be examined to determine the risks. The service request will be concluded through the technique described
above.
Part 2 Application architecture is the method of creating an organized resolution of the technical and operational requirements with focus on performance, security, and manageability. Application architecture can be broken up into four parts: presentation logic, application logic, data access logic, and data storage (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2012). The current HR system is an old HRIS system that was installed in 1992. This system keeps track of the following employee information:
Personal information (such as name, address, marital status, birth date, etc.)
Pay rate
Personal exemptions for tax purposes
Hire date
Seniority date (which is sometimes different than the hire date)
Organizational information (department for budget purposes, manager's name, etc.)
Vacation hours (for non-exempt employees) (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012)
The current HRIS system does not track the following:
Changes to information are completed through written requests
Training and development records are kept on Excel spreadsheets
Recruiter maintains applicant information for open positions, resumes are filed in a central storage area, and tracking is completed with Excel spreadsheets
Worker compensation done with a third party who maintains their own records
Employee files are kept by the managers
Job analysis, salary surveys, and individual compensation kept with Excel spreadsheets
Information for complaints, grievances, harassment complaints are hard copies kept by the employee relations specialist
(Riordan Manufacturing, 2012)
The new system will cover all aspects of HR into one integrated which will cover the following:
Payroll
Time and attendance
Appraisal performance
Benefits administration
HR management information system
Recruiting/Learning management
Performance record
Employee self-service
Scheduling
Absence management
The new system will be broken into the following modules:
Payroll module- automates the payroll process and integrates with the financial systems
Time and attendance module- allows time to be record and calculated electronically
Benefits administration module- track employee’s benefits with insurance, compensation, and retirement
HR management module- used by HR management to access HR database
Applicant tracking system module- used by recruiting to track applicants
Training module- tracks education, training, and qualifications of employees
Employee self-service module- allows employees to access a limited amount of HR resources, eliminating the need to have to go to a HR representative to complete simple tasks
Once the new system is integrated all processes for HR will be electronic and integrated into one application with one central database.
Security controls are an important part of the design for this new HR system because they protect the information system from unwanted activity on the network and data loss. The following security controls will be present in the new system:
Firewalls- controls incoming and outgoing traffic over the network
Routine backups- full backup of the databases
Access Control- list of who can access what
Encryption- used to protect data by making the data unreadable without the key
Authentication- check to see that user is who they say they are
Authorization- user is permitted to do what they are trying to do
Virus protection- actively scan network for viruses
Information security awareness education/training needs to be completed with all employees and anyone that will be utilizing the network. Awareness training should be done on a regularly basis to keep up with all update and refresh the users on the information security policies. People can be the biggest risk to the network security from simple mistakes to outright betrayal. Social engineering is a popular method use today for hackers to try to gain access to a network and secured data. Laptops or equipment being stolen has been a popular headline for several companies such as the VA, which has led to a loss in privacy information. Awareness of protect information is a valuable asset for the organization.
References
Dennis, A., Wixom, B. H., & Roth, R. M. (2012). Systems analysis and design (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
Project Management Institute (2008). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (4th ed.). New York, NY: Author.
Riordan Manufacturing. (2012, August). Job Descriptions. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Riordan/HR/JobDescriptions.asp
Riordan Manufacturing has put in a service request SR-rm-022 for the HR system to be analyzed. Hugh McCauley, who is Riordan Manufacturing’s COO (Chief Operating Officer), submitted the service request for all plant locations to integrate existing variety of HR tools into a single integrated application. Riordan wants to take advantage of a more sophisticated, state-of-the art, information systems technology in our Human Resources department. The expected results of this service request is to define the business requirements of the HR system, create a detailed system design, and come up with a project plan to be completed within a six month time frame. Key stakeholders of Riordan Manufacturing to gather requirements …show more content…
from will be identified, along with the information gathering techniques and system analysis tools planned to be utilized. Key factors, the project scope, why these are important, and the project feasibility will be examined. A thorough project plan will be delivered to list of all the requirements, resources, schedule and budget required to complete the project.
Key stakeholders for a project are people, groups or organizations that have an affect or can be affected by the project.
Key stakeholders in Riordan Manufacturing to gather requirements from:
(Job descriptions are from Riordan Manufacturing intranet site)
Dr. Michael Riordan (President & CEO) - Determine and formulate policies and business strategies and provide overall direction of private sector organizations. Plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate managers (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Hugh McCauley (Chief Operating Officer) -Directs, administers and coordinates the activities of the organization in support of policies, goals and objectives established by the chief executive officer and the Board of Directors (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Maria Trinh (Chief Information Officer) -Chief IS/IT officer of organization. Develops strategy for information systems department based on long term corporate goals (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Patricia Miller, Dirk Kort, Stacey Jones, Chinese National (Managers of IT Services)-Directs and coordinates local area computer network activities (Riordan Manufacturing, …show more content…
2012).
Yvonne McMillan (Director of Human Resources)-Develops policy and directs and coordinates human resources activities, such as employment, compensation, labor relations, benefits, training, and employee services (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Andrea Gamby, Terri Carranza, Silvija Peterson, Chad Sterken (Managers of HR services) - Manages human resources activities, such as employment, compensation, labor relations, benefits, training, and employee services (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012).
Getting the key stakeholders support will benefit greatly and increase the success rate of the project. The values of these key stakeholders will be passed along throughout the chain of employees, which will increase the acceptance of the project to the users.
Many information gathering techniques can be proposed and implemented for the project with Riordan Manufacturing. Interviews are a common ways to gather information, whether one- on-one or with a group. The key stakeholders can provide valuable information to formulate the requirements for the project. A joint application design also known as a JAD session is a process that can be used to collect the business requirements. JAD sessions typically are with the SME’s (subject matter experts) and the IT specialists to come to the resolution of the projects business requirements. Several other ways can be used to gather information such as questionnaires, following people around, prototyping, and brainstorming. Some project business requirements can be determine right off the RFP (request for proposal). By using these available methods of the information gathering techniques, they will be the key factors in ensuring the information for the project is gathered successfully. The solution for the project cannot be achieved until the requirements are formulated.
A Project Scope is defined as "The work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions" (Project Management Institute p.23, 2008).
Project Scope answers these questions:
What problem or opportunity does the project address?
What are the quantifiable results to be achieved?
What needs to be done?
How will success be measured?
How will we know when we are finished?
The problem the project address is that the HR department has an outdated and antiquated HBIS system. Excel spreadsheets and paper documents are used for most of the data handled in the HR department. The quantifiable results of the project will be to create a database system, which will eliminate the need for paper and expedite the processes in HR. The database system for HR needs to be designed and tested to see the efficient of the database. HR processes shall be greatly increased with this integrated database system.
Part of the system analysis is a feasibility study. The areas of project feasibility examined in the analysis phase of the SDLC are used to go into the risks of the system proposed. The areas of feasibility analysis that are used are technical, economic, and organizational. The technical feasibility concentrates on if the system can be built, by examining the risks related to the knowledge with the application, knowledge with the technology, project size, and compatibility with existing systems. The economic feasibility determines whether the system should be built. Economic feasibility goes through a cost–benefit analysis of development expenses, operational expenses, tangible benefits, and intangible expenses and benefits. The organizational feasibility analysis evaluates how well accepting the system will be by its users and combined into the continuing operations of the business. Software developers have learned over time that organizational feasibility can be the most difficult element to evaluate. One way to evaluate organizational feasibility is through strategic alignment. Strategic alignment is how much the project relates to the business strategies in place already. Another way to evaluate organizational feasibility is by conducting a stakeholder analysis. Stakeholder analysis is preformed to identify who and understand why stakeholders are important (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2012). Key stakeholders have been previously identified in the beginning of this report.
Riordan Manufacturing’s service request SR-rm-022 for the HR system will be analyzed to integrate existing variety of HR tools into a single integrated application.
This project will take the Riordan’s Human Resources department to the most up to date technolgy. This project plan will define the business requirements of the HR system, create a detailed system design, and be completed within a six month time frame. Key stakeholders support will be a key factor for the project’s scope. The project feasibility will be examined to determine the risks. The service request will be concluded through the technique described
above.
Part 2 Application architecture is the method of creating an organized resolution of the technical and operational requirements with focus on performance, security, and manageability. Application architecture can be broken up into four parts: presentation logic, application logic, data access logic, and data storage (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2012). The current HR system is an old HRIS system that was installed in 1992. This system keeps track of the following employee information:
Personal information (such as name, address, marital status, birth date, etc.)
Pay rate
Personal exemptions for tax purposes
Hire date
Seniority date (which is sometimes different than the hire date)
Organizational information (department for budget purposes, manager's name, etc.)
Vacation hours (for non-exempt employees) (Riordan Manufacturing, 2012)
The current HRIS system does not track the following:
Changes to information are completed through written requests
Training and development records are kept on Excel spreadsheets
Recruiter maintains applicant information for open positions, resumes are filed in a central storage area, and tracking is completed with Excel spreadsheets
Worker compensation done with a third party who maintains their own records
Employee files are kept by the managers
Job analysis, salary surveys, and individual compensation kept with Excel spreadsheets
Information for complaints, grievances, harassment complaints are hard copies kept by the employee relations specialist
(Riordan Manufacturing, 2012)
The new system will cover all aspects of HR into one integrated which will cover the following:
Payroll
Time and attendance
Appraisal performance
Benefits administration
HR management information system
Recruiting/Learning management
Performance record
Employee self-service
Scheduling
Absence management
The new system will be broken into the following modules:
Payroll module- automates the payroll process and integrates with the financial systems
Time and attendance module- allows time to be record and calculated electronically
Benefits administration module- track employee’s benefits with insurance, compensation, and retirement
HR management module- used by HR management to access HR database
Applicant tracking system module- used by recruiting to track applicants
Training module- tracks education, training, and qualifications of employees
Employee self-service module- allows employees to access a limited amount of HR resources, eliminating the need to have to go to a HR representative to complete simple tasks
Once the new system is integrated all processes for HR will be electronic and integrated into one application with one central database.
Security controls are an important part of the design for this new HR system because they protect the information system from unwanted activity on the network and data loss. The following security controls will be present in the new system:
Firewalls- controls incoming and outgoing traffic over the network
Routine backups- full backup of the databases
Access Control- list of who can access what
Encryption- used to protect data by making the data unreadable without the key
Authentication- check to see that user is who they say they are
Authorization- user is permitted to do what they are trying to do
Virus protection- actively scan network for viruses
Information security awareness education/training needs to be completed with all employees and anyone that will be utilizing the network. Awareness training should be done on a regularly basis to keep up with all update and refresh the users on the information security policies. People can be the biggest risk to the network security from simple mistakes to outright betrayal. Social engineering is a popular method use today for hackers to try to gain access to a network and secured data. Laptops or equipment being stolen has been a popular headline for several companies such as the VA, which has led to a loss in privacy information. Awareness of protect information is a valuable asset for the organization.
References
Dennis, A., Wixom, B. H., & Roth, R. M. (2012). Systems analysis and design (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
Project Management Institute (2008). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (4th ed.). New York, NY: Author.
Riordan Manufacturing. (2012, August). Job Descriptions. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Riordan/HR/JobDescriptions.asp