Introduction
Owing to the dynamic nature of the business environment currently, companies are adapting IT innovations in conducting most of their activities. Farcargo is a courier services provider company that seeks to restructure its operations from office-based to remotely and online-based. The company should design and implement an information system to facilitate the changes. Below are the goals, objectives, scope, and control measures of the proposed system.
Project Goals and Objectives
Goal 1. Shift Operations from Office-Based to Online and Remote Operations
Farcargo’s primary focus is to shift its operations from office-based to online-based. There are specific objectives that should be met to achieve this goal. The company’s aim is to develop an information system that will emulate the appearance and functionalities of a physical office. For the system to act as the office, it must be integrated into all departments of the company. Some of the departments that must be linked to the system include customer care, finance, planning, operations, and monitoring. Since the company will shift its filling department, good storage and a backup facility should be developed for the purpose. The company needs to move its operations while not compromising on the security of its data, meaning that good system security should be installed.
Goal 2. Serve Clients from All Countries of the World Through Its Information System
Farcargo’s second goal is to have the ability to serve clients from all countries globally. The business’s objective is to create a system that has a sound communication system that can translate information to the commonly used languages globally to break the geographic barrier. Due to the difference in time in different parts of the world, Farcargo should design a system that will ensure 24/7 accessibility through various customer care agents who will work in shifts. The system should also have the ability to identify the clients’ location to link them to the nearest and most available agent.
Goal 3. Track All the Company’s Equipment and Employees from Its Information System
Farcargo also aims at tracking all its equipment and employees while at work through the system. Hence, the objective is to design a system that shall incorporate the functionalities of a GPS location tracker and the global map. The GPS shall be mounted on every piece of equipment belonging to the company. The system will also track employees through their mobile phones when on duty. This will ensure their security and that they uphold the company’s ethics and discipline while on duty.
Goal 4. Conduct All Farcargo’s Business Processes Through the System
In addition to that, Farcargo requires a system that will be used to perform all business processes such as billing, booking, scheduling, billing, and receipt processing. This objective implies designing a user interface with a menu that leads to all business services. One should admit that the business needs a system that is connected to all the company’s activities, which contributes to its improved performance.
Goal 5. The Company Needs the Platform to Communicate with Clients and Receive Their Feedback
Farcargo needs to communicate with the clients through the system, meaning that they should design a communication application within it. The company’s objective is to develop a plan that translates messages and information to the majority of the commonly used languages. The system should give automatic reply messages to clients in case a custom care agent is not available. Once implemented, this platform will ensure that customers are provided with high-quality service.
Scope Statement
Being an online-based organization, Farcargo requires a system that acts as its virtual office. Farcargo is a virtually based logistics company that has spread its operations globally. The company’s strategy should have a virtual assistant who acts as the receptionist, a billing department, data keeper, retrieval section, as well as operations, monitoring, and senior management. Farcargo aims at having an information system that allows the user to interact with them as if in a physical office.
Project Scope
The Farcargo information system shall require the development of a website, desktop application, and an android application. The three systems shall integrate into one to support all the users’ needs efficiently. The website will form a base for all interactions whereby the users will use the system for their purposes. The desktop and mobile applications will enhance faster and easier access to the system. They will also allow the users to access their company accounts from a wide range of devices.
The system shall be deployed in the new office facility that Farcargo is planning on relocating to in a few weeks. The system’s server shall be operated by Farcargo’s information management staff from the facility. The monitoring and control of various operational activities shall be conducted from the central server to be installed in the Seattle office. The desktop and mobile applications shall be developed and provided to multiple users for download through secure and verified vendors such as the Google Play store.
Major Project Tasks
The project will use an agile methodology of development and implementation. The task will be broken down into small phases and assigned to an expert in the field, as documented in Table 1 below. There will be a set of criteria to evaluate the success of the task.
Table 1. Project Tasks, Responsible Persons, and Success Criteria
Deliverables
1. User Interface
The Farcargo interface is rich in color and graphics, which guides the user to different functions. This is the first and outer view a user interacts with when working with a system (Gramatikova, 2020). In particular, the user interface has the registration and log-in buttons, About Us, Contact Us, Our Services, and Inquiry buttons. The registration and log-in buttons allow users to key in their details for registration to the system or access their accounts. The About Us button leads a user to more information about the company, such as the company’s history, management, projects, and plans. Moreover, the Contact Us section reveals the company’s contact information, such as telephone number and email address. The user can also make inquiries from this interface by clicking the corresponding button. The user interface is blue and has images of the company’s transportation equipment, staff, and logo.
2. Applications
After accessing their accounts, users can then interact with different applications to perform various functions in the system. Some of the possibilities include booking, cargo monitoring, and retrieval of past business records. The application is also attached to a payment system that allows the client to pay for their services. The booking application is linked to an external calendar which assists clients in keying in the date of their cargo collection. This application helps the client describe the type of cargo with words and pictures so that the company’s team can choose the right equipment to use. Cargo monitoring is done through the application whereby a customer can access the GPS linked to the transportation equipment. They can also access the contact of the staff in charge of their transportation to inquire about the goods. Through the application, clients can access their past business records that are stored in the company’s database.
3. Business Processes
The system enables the company to perform several business processes with ease. Some of the business processes include billing, scheduling, receipt retrieval, and signing off a deal. Once a client books for the services, the system assists the company in scheduling according to the different days and tasks keyed in to avoid overlap and delay. The scheduling system also has a function that reminds both the user and staff of an upcoming project. The customer is required to key in the type and size of cargo and distance to be transported for billing. The system automatically generates a bill according to this information. If a customer is not satisfied with the billing, they can reach out to company’s staff for more details. After the client pays for their services, a receipt is generated through the system to verify the payment, and it is recorded in the database. The client then signs off the project and has an opportunity to comment on the quality of service delivered.
4. Database
Critical information is stored in the company’s database, including customer information, business processes information, financial data, billing and payments, staff remuneration details, and equipment data. Information stored in the database is very crucial and requires high-security standards to prevent it from malicious access and use (Chung et al., 2018). For this reason, authorized access is only given to a few information system officers in most e-commerce businesses to monitor and maintain the database (Mahamad et al., 2018). The Farcargo database is protected by a security layer developed by the information system team.
Control Measures
Three types of controls should be installed (general, application, and network information system controls) t0 ensure the safety of Farcargo’s system. The company needs a specific department of experts who will develop these measures and implement them. General controls include hardware, software, data security, implementation, computer operations, and administrative controls. Hardware controls include constantly monitoring the hardware to ensure it is working correctly and stored in good conditions. Software measures entail monitoring the system software to prevent computer programs and system failures and unauthorized access. Data security interventions ensure that the organization’s crucial data is not exposed to unauthorized access. Implementation controls involve supervision of the system implementation process on various points to ensure proper management of the process. Computer operation controls include monitoring a set of computer operations and backup and recovery processes that do not terminate normally. Finally, administrative controls involve ensuring that the organization’s application and general controls are appropriately executed using formal rules, procedures, and standards.
Moreover, application controls involve input, processing, and output controls. Input controls ensure completeness and accuracy of input data (Chung et al., 2018). Processing controls contribute to the accuracy and completeness of the data during updating, while output controls ensure proper distribution, accuracy, and completeness of the processing results. This information demonstrates that both staff members and appropriate software decisions are necessary to implement these controls.
Proposed Solution and the Competitive Advantage
Farcargo will have to deal with some costs, financial and non-financial, for the successful implementation of the system and transition to being an online-based firm. Some of these costs include firing, hiring, and training of employees, purchase of system equipment, restructuring of business processes, and promotion activities. However, the benefits of adopting the system outweigh the costs. Some of the advantages include gaining a competitive edge, globalization of operations, increased sales, cheaper operation costs, and higher profits. Thus, firms need to install technology innovations in an unpredictably dynamic business environment to remain relevant.
Farcargo will have to incur the cost of firing, hiring, and training employees to serve the newly established roles and needs of the company. The company will no longer require some departments such as front desk staff, gatekeepers, office administrators, and book record keepers. Instead, the company will require hiring online marketers, system administrators, database administrators, and online customer care agents. Some employees, such as marketers and drivers, will have to be trained on how to use the newly established system. Farcargo will also have to conduct additional promotion activities as a newly established company. It will advertise its products in the new markets to gain new customers.
Moreover, the benefits of the information system outweigh the costs incurred. Farcargo will gain a competitive edge from the installation of the system. The company will be in a position to move its products to new markets without geographical or time restrictions. It will also reduce the cost of production as no rent or facility maintenance costs will be incurred and some employees will be dismissed. By lowering the cost of operation, Farcargo will increase its profitability.
Project Expenses
When it comes to project expenses, one should admit that they can be divided into a few categories. Firstly, materials and equipment represent a significant portion, and Table 2 reveals that the expected cost is $1,980. Secondly, Table 3 illustrates the required number of employees and their expected salaries. Thirdly, it is not necessary to ignore the essential software tools. Thus, Table 4 lists the costs of the required operating system, development systems for web and mobile applications, and hosting services. Finally, Table 5 summarizes the project expenses section and shows that $9,760 is needed in total to implement the project.
Table 2. The Cost of Project Materials and Equipment
Table 3. Staff and Salaries
Table 4. Software Tools
Table 5. Total Amount Invested
Conclusion
Farcargo’s final project plan has overviewed the principal areas needed to implement the project. Sufficient attention has been drawn to the project goals, scope, control measures, and deliverables. The report has also commented on what tasks are needed and who should perform them. Furthermore, Tables 2-5 have commented on the costs of materials and equipment, personnel, and software tools and found that a total of $9,760 is needed to complete the project.
References
Chung, K. H., Ko, S. Y., & Ko, C. S. (2018). Collaborative and sustainable network design in courier services. In IFIP International Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems (254-261). Springer, Cham.
Gramatikova, E. (2020). Innovations in the global courier services market. Economic Science, Education and the Real Economy: Development and Interactions in the Digital Age, (1), 431-440.
Mahamad, S., Sulaiman, S., & Leng, W. Y. (2018). An integrated courier services application: A new user experience. In 2018 IEEE Conference on e-Learning, e-Management, and e-Services (IC3e) 161-166. IEEE.