IFSM 300 Stage 2-Assignment

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Professor

Course

Date

Introduction

Maryland Technology Consultants is an accessing firm that specializes in providing Information Technology (IT) solutions to clients. The firm uses proven methodologies to deliver measurable results and enhance business performance. The provision of IT consulting and outsourcing services will be the main topics of the Business Analysis and System Recommendations (BA&SR) report on MTC’s commercial zone. Therefore, the report aims to create a strategic plan for implementing an onboarding program or recruiting system to enhance MTC’s recruitment procedure. The report will employ a four-stage strategy to accomplish this goal. Each of them examines a different portion of the study. The report will emphasize providing exceptional consulting guidance and advice to its customers by hiring highly qualified experts and keeping up-to-date with cutting-edge business technologies and innovations.

I.

Strategic Use of Technology

A. Business strategy

IT can revolutionize the manufacturing industry and transform business operations. Utilizing technology plays a critical role in trade and economic growth and can aid MTC in boosting its business progress through new contracts and partnerships (Chi, 2022). The usage of IT also broadens MTC’s reach because it is no longer constrained by geographical region. By utilizing IT, MTC can assemble a group of international consultants that can help American onsite teams via remote study and evaluation. This can be one of the company’s strategies. Additionally, IT enables more efficient identification of potential business partners in other countries or continents.

B. Competitive advantage

The Manufacturing Technology Corporation (MTC) operates in a highly competitive market, facing competition from both large-scale IT consulting organizations and smaller companies with specialized skill sets, as well as small to mid-sized businesses. MTC is concentrating on its hiring method to draw top IT experts with in-depth knowledge of cutting-edge technology and an inventive strategy for problem-solving for customers in order to acquire a competitive advantage (Amadeo & Rasure, 2022). The organization is aware that many applicants utilize online forms and anticipate a simple and quick application procedure in the current digital era. MTC has implemented an integrated hiring and retention strategy to fulfill this expectation, including a new IT solution. The candidate monitoring and hiring procedure is improved overall by this technology, which monitors the process more effectively than the manual method. The system also has a tool for managing business activities, simplifying management (David & David, 2016). The recruiting and recruitment procedures are streamlined by a piece of software called the applicant tracking system. Online processing allows the monitoring system to manage business operations and gather data, giving MTC a competitive edge over its main competitors.

C. Strategic Objectives

MTC intends to compete with more prominent companies for new IT Consulting projects by offering highly qualified IT consultants. MTC will be likely to do this in order to boost its effectiveness.

Strategic Goal

Objective

Explanation

Increase MTC business development by winning new contracts in the areas of IT
consulting.

Look into prospective business opportunities. Think about taking on one contract as the prime contractor and collaborating with at least two big firms as a subcontractor.

This statement suggests that the person or company should research different business opportunities and consider taking on a contract as the primary contractor while working with two other larger companies as subcontractors. This could involve partnering with larger companies to bid on and complete a project, with the primary contractor taking on the lead role and the subcontractors providing additional resources and expertise. This strategy could potentially help the primary contractor gain experience and credibility in the industry while also leveraging the resources and reputation of the larger firms.

Build a cadre of consultants internationally to provide remote research and analysis
support to MTC’s onsite teams in the U. S.

Over the next twelve months, increase overseas hiring and bring on six research analysts.

Online applications will be accepted from candidates worldwide, resulting in a spike in the number of international applicants. As a result, hiring managers would have the chance to track candidates’ progress for these roles, identify key research competencies, and evaluate resumes in light of those competencies. By looking at the applicant pool, recruitment agencies can quickly assess how many candidates are required to fulfill a goal.

Continue to increase MTC’s ability to provide high-quality consultants to quickly
awarded contracts to best serve the client’s needs.

Enlarge the hiring market. Over the next five months, five exceptionally talented talent acquisition specialists with at minimum five years of fast-paced experience in the industry should be employed.

To implement the new hiring strategy successfully, hiring qualified recruitment agencies used to demanding work settings is vital. They ought to know about hiring personnel after winning contracts.

Increase MTC’s competitive advantage in the IT consulting marketplace by increasing its
reputation for having IT consultants who are highly skilled in leading edge technologies and
innovative solutions for its clients.

Create a culture within your firm that will draw in and keep talent. Reward staff members every quarter and acknowledge their contributions. Make use of MTC’s advantages to expand your clientele and gain more market share.

Rewarding top achievers will result in happier, more productive workers and lower turnover rates. Customers will value and appreciate MTC’s qualities, resulting in new contracts and collaborations.

D. Decision Making

Data tracking capabilities are among the most crucial features of information systems. The fact that an info system turns data into specific information is vital to comprehend. The ability to make decisions can be strengthened by using upgraded information just after data has been converted into knowledge.

Role

Level as defined in Course Content Reading

Example of Possible Decision Supported by Hiring System

Example of Information, the Hiring System, Could provide to Support your Example Decision

Senior/Executive Managers (Decisions made by the CEO and the CFO at MTC supported by the hiring system)

Strategic level

Promote emerging markets that you are considering joining.

You should specify how many experts you will need because you will be working with a new arrangement.

Middle Managers (Decisions made by the Director of HR and the Manager of Recruiting supported by the hiring system)

Managerial level

There are various phases involved in allocating budgets and resources.

According to the contract terms, candidates might be chosen by hiring managers and the director of the headquarters office.

Operational Managers (Decisions made by the line managers in the organization who are hiring for their projects supported by the hiring system)

Operational level

Work at a different location with workers moving from one area to another.

All qualifications and certificates necessary for the new post will be confirmed through the system’s verification procedure.

References

Amadeo, K, and Rasure, E. (2022, January). US and World Economies, What is Competitive Advantage?

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-competitive-advantage-3-strategies-that-work-3305828

Chi, C. (2022). Business Strategy: What It Is & How to Build an Effective One.

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/business-strategy

David, F., & David, F. R. (2016). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts, and cases. Pearson–Prentice Hall.

Stage 2: Process Analysis: 2.5 pages

Before you begin work on this assignment, be sure you have read the Case Study and reviewed the feedback received on your Stage 1 assignment.

Overview

As the business analyst in the CIO’s department of Maryland Technology Consulting (MTC), your next task in developing your Business Analysis and System Recommendation (BA&SR) Report is toconduct a process analysis. This will identify how the current manual process is working and what improvements could be made to the process that would be supported by a technology solution.

Assignment – BA&SR: Section II.Process Analysis

The first step is to review any feedback from Stage 1 to help improve the effectiveness of your overall report and then add the new section to your report. Only content for Stage 2 will be graded for this submission. Part of the grading criteria for Stage 4 includes evaluating if the document is a very effective and cohesive assemblage of the four sections, is well formatted and flows smoothly from one section to the next. For this assignment, you will
add Section II of the Business Analysis and System Recommendation (BA&SR) Report to Section I. You will conduct an analysis of the current hiring process and present information on expected business improvements. This analysis lays the ground work for Section III. Requirements of the BA&SR Report (Stage 3 assignment) which will identify MTC’s requirements for a system.

Using the case study, assignment instructions, Content readings, and external research, develop your Section II. Process Analysis. The case study tells you that the executives and employees at MTC have identified a need for an effective and efficient hiring system.
As you review the case study, use the assignment instructions to take notes to assist in your analysis. As the stakeholders provide their needs and expectations to improve the process, identify steps that could be improved with the support of a hiring system. Also look for examples of issues and problems that can be improved with a technology solution.

Use the outline format, headings and tables provided and follow all formatting instructions below.

Begin with your Section I (Stage 1 assignment) and add Section II. Apply specific information from the case study to address
each area along with relevant supporting research.

II.
Process Analysis

A.
Hiring Process

At the beginning of this section, write an
introductory opening sentence for this section that addresses what the complete table provides.
Refer to Week 3 and 4 content on processes and analyzing process improvements. Additional research can expand your knowledge of these areas.

The first step in analyzing the process is to document what the
current process steps are and who is responsible for doing them. Therefore, the table provides the current steps in the manual hiring process provided by the case study. Remember
, a process is a series of steps to perform a task; therefore, think about what the users are doing as part of the hiring process. Retain the as-is process steps provided; do not remove or revise these. Complete the second column by identifying the stakeholder responsible for this step based on the interviews in the MTC Case.

The next step is to identify how a hiring or applicant tracking systemcould improve each step in the process and how the business will benefit from that improvement. For each of the as-is process steps provided, complete the
To-Be Process column in the table.indicating how this step in the process will be done using the
hiring or applicant tracking system.For each process step, the statement should be concise and include an action verb and align with improving or replacing the current manual, as-is process step provided. Then complete
the Business Benefits of the Improved Process column by explaining how this part of the process can contribute to the
overall business strategy– think at a higher level than the specific process step
. Review the examples provided in the Hiring Process table. For each to-be process step, identify the result of using the system, as shown in the two examples. While it is truethat the system will speed up each step of the process, think about how MTCwould benefit more strategically from using an automated system to perform that step.

The first row and last rows have been completed for you as an example and must be retained and not revised.Be sure your table contains a total of 12 steps. Use the examples to help you provide clear to-be process steps and business benefits. Your responses should be written in complete sentences.

MTC Hiring Process

As-Is Process

Responsible MTC Position

To-Be Process – How the system Will Support and Improvethe hiring process

Business Benefits of Improved Process (Align with MTC’s overall business strategy and needs.)

1. Recruiter receives application from job hunter via Postal Service Mail.

Recruiter

EXAMPLE PROVIDED – (Retain text as #1 but remove this label and gray shading in your report)

System will receive application via on-line submission through MTC Employment Website and store in the applicant database within the hiring system.

A more efficient submission process decreases time needed to receive and begin processing applications. This will present a positive image to potential employees and help MTC compete for top IT talent.

2. Recruiter screens resumes to identify top candidates by matching with job requirements from job description.

3. Recruiter forwards top candidates to Administrative Assistant via interoffice mail

4. Administrative Assistant forwards candidates’ resumes and applications to hiring manager for the position via interoffice mail.

5. Hiring Manager reviews applications and selects who he/she wants to interview.

6. Hiring Manager sends email to Administrative Assistant on who he/she has selected to interview and identifies members of the interview team.

7. AA schedules interviews by contacting interview team members and hiring manager to identify possible time slots

8. AA emails candidates to schedule interviews.

9. Interview is conducted with candidate, hiring manager and other members of the interview team.

Hiring Manager and Interview Team

Interview is conducted with candidate, hiring manager and other members of the interview team. (Hiring System is not used for this step.)

n/a

10. AA collects feedback from interviews and status of candidates

11. Hiring manager informs the AA on his top candidate for hiring

12. Administrative Assistant prepares offer letter based on information from recruiter and puts in the mail to the chosen candidate.

Administrative Assistant

EXAMPLE PROVIDED – (Retain text as #12 but remove this label and gray shading in your report)

System enables AA to prepare job offer letter by storing the offer letter template and information on each candidate; allows AA to select information to go into letter and put it into the template, which can then be reviewed and emailed to the candidate.

More efficient offer process presents positive image to applicants and decreases time needed to prepare offer letter, and enablesMTC to hire in advance of the competition.

B. Expected Improvements – As noted in the case study, there are a lot of manual processes, overwhelming paperwork, difficulty scheduling interviews, etc. related to MTC’s current manual hiring process. A technology solution can address many of these issues. For each of the areas listed in the table below, provide an example of an issue from the case study and how a technology solution could be used to improve that area. Issues and improvements should be addressed in 1-2 clear, complete sentences with information incorporated from the case study. The first one is provided as an example.
Note: This is not about the stakeholders’ wishes or expectations for the new system but identifying the current issues they have. Some may be explicitly stated in the interviews and for others you may need to apply some critical thinking. (Provide an
introductory sentence and copy the table and insert information within.) For explanations of these areas,
refer to Week 4 content on analyzing process improvements.Additional research can expand your knowledge of these areas.

Area

Current Issues

(from the Case Study)

Improvements

(due to use of technology)

Collaboration:

EXAMPLE PROVIDED

(Retain text but remove this label and gray shading in your report)

The Hiring Manager states that recruiting is only one area he is responsible for and he isn’t as responsive to HR as he could be. Therefore, he counts on the Recruiters to help manage the process and keep him informed.
Current manual system causes considerable communication breakdowns and takes additional effort and time to stay on top of the hiring process.

An efficient system with all information in one place, easily accessible via a dashboard, and updated in real time could make his recruiting job easier; and he could devote time to effectively working collaboratively and proactively with HR on his staffing needs.

Communications: Explain how a hiring system could improve internal and external communications

Workflow: Explain how a hiring system could improve the MTC hiring process by providing a consistent structure for each participant to perform his/her part in the hiring process.

Relationships: Explain how implementing an enterprise hiring system could foster stronger relationships with
applicants/potential employees.

Formatting Your Assignment

Consider your audience – you are writing in the role of an MTC business analyst, and your audience is MTC and your boss, the CIO. Don’t discuss MTC as if the reader has no knowledge of the organization.
Use third person consistently throughout the report.In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and ours. 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 effective business 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.

·

In Stage 2, you are preparing the second part of a 4-stage report. Use the structure, headings, and outline format provided here for your report. Use the numbering/lettering in the assignment instructions as shown below.

II. Process Analysis

A. Hiring Process

B. Expected Improvements

· Begin with Section I, considering any feedback received, and add to it Section II.

· Write a short concise paper: Use the recommendations provided in each area for
length of response. It’s important to value
quality over quantity.
Section II should not exceed 3 pages.

· Content areas should be
double spaced; table entries should be
single-spaced.

· To

copy a table
: Move your cursor to the table, then click on the small box that appears at the upper left corner of the table to highlight the table; right click and COPY the table; put the cursor in your paper where you want the table and right click and PASTE the table.

· Ensure that each of the
tables is preceded by an
introductory sentence that explains what is contained in the table, so the reader understands
why the table has been included.

· Continue to use the
title pagecreated in Stage 1 that includes: The title of report, company name, your name, Course and Section Number, and date of
this submission.

·

Use
at least two
resources with
APA formatted citation and reference for this Stage 2 assignment. Use at least one external reference and one from the course content. Course content should be from the class reading content, not the assignment instructions or case study itself. For information on APA format, refer to Content>Course Resources>Writing Resources.

· Add the references required for this assignment to the
Reference Page. Additional research in the next stages will be added to this as you build the report.The final document should contain all references from all stages appropriately formatted and alphabetized.

· Running headers are
not required for this report.

· Compare your work to the
Grading Rubric below 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. Keep tables in Word format – do not paste in graphics.

· Your submission should include

your last name first in the filename:Lastname_firstname_Stage_2

GRADING RUBRIC:

Criteria

Far Above Standards

Above Standards

Meets Standards

Below Standards

Well Below Standards

Possible Points

Stakeholder Identification

Identification of a logical stakeholder based on the case study

Generally,1 point per stakeholder.

16 Points
14.4- 16 points
10 stakeholders correctly identified as derived from the Case Study.

13.6 Points
13.6 Points
10 stakeholders correctly identified as derived from the case study or logical assumption.

12 Points
12 Points
Minimum of 8 stakeholders correctly identified as derived from the case study or logical assumption.

10.4 Points
10.4 Points
Fewer than 8 stakeholders correctly identified as derived from the case study or logical assumptions; and/or contains significant incorrect information.

0 points
0-8 Points
Content missing or extremely incomplete, did not reflect the assignment instructions, demonstrated little effort, is not supported with information from the Case Study; and/or is not original work for this class section.

16

To-Be Process Analysis

Analysis describes how the system will supportand improve the hiring process

Generally, 0-3 points per to-be process step. Both quantity and quality evaluated.

48 Points
43.2 -48 points
To-Be Process step improvements clearly relate to corresponding As-Is Process step and fully explain how the system will support it; demonstrates sophisticated analysis.

39.84 points
38.4 – 41.6 Points
To-Be Process step improvements relate to corresponding As-Is Process step and explains how the system will support it; demonstrates effective analysis.

35.04 points
33.6 – 36.8 Points
To-Be Process step improvement is provided for each As-Is Process step and an explanation is provided for each.

30.24 points
28.8 – 32 Points
Fewer than 10 To-Be Process step improvements and/or explanations are provided; and/or contains significant incorrect information.

0 points
0-27.2 Points
Content missing or extremely incomplete, did not reflect the assignment instructions, showed little or no originality, demonstrated little effort, is not supported with information from the Case Study; and/or is not original work for this class section.

48

Business Benefits of Improved Process

Explains how each step in the process can contribute to the
overall business strategy

Generally, 0-2 points per improved process step. Both quantity and quality evaluated.

32 Points
28.8 – 32 Points
Business benefits for all 10 process steps are fully explained; demonstrates sophisticated analysis.

27.2 Points
25.6 – 27.2 points
Business benefits for all 10 process steps are explained; demonstrates effective analysis.

24 points
22.4 – 24 points
Business benefits for all 10 process steps are included.

20.8 points
19.2 – 20.8 Points
Business benefits for fewer than 10 process steps are provided; and/or contains significant incorrect information.

0 points
0-18.1 Points
Content missing or extremely incomplete, did not reflect the assignment instructions, showed little or no originality, demonstrated little effort, is not supported with information from the Case Study; and/or is not original work for this class section.

32

Expected Improvements

Issues from case study and improvements due to technology in areas of Communication, Workflow, and Relationships

Generally, 0-7 points per area. Both quantity and quality evaluated.

32 points
28.8-32 Points
Issues and improvements for all 3 areas are fully and correctly explained; demonstrates sophisticated analysis.

27.2 points
24.5 – 27.2 Points
Issues and improvements for all 3 areas are explained; demonstrates effective analysis.

24points
22.4 – 24 Points
Issues and improvements for all 3 areas are provided.

20.8 Points
19.2-20.8
Issues and improvements for fewer than 3 areas are provided; and/or contains significant incorrect information.

0 points
0-18.1 Points
Content missing or extremely incomplete, did not reflect the assignment instructions, showed little or no originality, demonstrated little effort, is not supported with information from the Case Study; and/or is not original work for this class section.

32

Research

Two or more sources–one source from within the IFSM 300 course content and one external (other than the course materials)

16 points
14.4 – 16 Points
Required resources are incorporated and used effectively. Sources used are relevant and timely and contribute strongly to the analysis. References are appropriately incorporated and cited using APA style.

13.6 Points

At least two sources are incorporated and are relevant and somewhat support the analysis. References are appropriately incorporated and cited using APA style.

12 Points

Only one resource is used and properly incorporated and/or reference(s) lack correct APA style.

10.4 Points

10.4 Points

A source may be used, but is not properly incorporated or used, and/or is not effective or appropriate; and/or does not follow APA style for references and citations.

0 points

0-8 Points

No course content or external research incorporated; or reference listed is not cited within the text.

16

Format

Uses outline format provided; includes Title Page and Reference Page

16 points
14.4-16 Points
Well organized and easy to read. Very few or no errors in sentence structure, grammar, and spelling; double-spaced, written in third person and presented in a professional format.

13.6 Points
13.6 Points
Effective organization; has few errors in sentence structure, grammar, and spelling; double-spaced, written in third person and presented in a professional format.

12 Points
12 Points
Some organization; may have some errors in sentence structure, grammar and spelling. Report is double spaced and written in third person.

10.4 Points
10.4 Points
Not well organized, and/or contains several grammar and/or spelling errors; and/or is not double-spaced and written in third person.

0 points
0-8 Points
Extremely poorly written, has many grammar and/or spelling errors, or does not convey the information.

16

TOTAL Points Possible

160

Optimizing Business Processes

Companies are continually required to evaluate and revise their business

processes to address customer demands for better products and services.

Since customers often have many alternative sources, businesses are

forced to remain competitive. As they strive to improve their business

processes, many organizations begin with continuous process

improvement. Using the continuous process improvement model,

organizations document and measure their current processes, make

incremental changes, and measure the results of the changed processes.

The result is a continuous loop of making improvements and measuring

the results. This method is used effectively for gradual and incremental

change.

There are factors that sometimes force an organization to make a more

dramatic change. When new technologies become available or are

implemented by the competition, they drive the need for accelerated

implementation of changes in business processes—either to create or

maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Businesses have an

ever‐increasing number and variety of competitors requiring them to be

constantly aware of outdated processes and change accordingly—just to

stay in business. The rate of change is driving the need to make

improvements more quickly than ever. Slow process change does not

meet the needs in today’s marketplace. Therefore, many companies have

implemented business process reengineering (BPR) initiatives to achieve

rapid change and dramatic improvements.

Learning Resource

Optimizing Business Processes https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tus/ifsm/ifsm300/2228/learni…

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https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tus/ifsm/ifsm300/2228/learning-resourcelist/optimizing-businessprocesses.html?wcmmode=disabled

BPR approaches the problem from a different perspective than is used

with continuous process improvement. It starts with a clean slate and

asks questions such as: What do the customers want/expect? How do

best‐in‐class companies perform the process? How can new technology

enhance the process? What should the process look like? Then, a new

process can be defined, rather than just making incremental changes to

the original process. When considering what technologies and what

systems would benefit an organization, the leaders of the organization

must ensure that the processes to be implemented or supplemented by

the system are performed in an efficient and effective manner—or

systems will be implemented that just automate inefficient or ineffective

processes. Sometimes this is referred to as “paving the cowpaths.” While

BPR must be carried out by the process owners within the organization, it

is frequently the IT department that develops the expertise in the BPR

process, and it is the chief information officer who must advocate for

process optimization prior to implementation of automation.

© 2023 University of Maryland Global Campus

All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the

validity or integrity of information located at external sites.

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Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 1

Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc.

Maryland Technology Consultants (MTC) is a successful Information Technology consulting firm
that utilizes proven IT and management methodologies to achieve measurable results for its

customers. Its customer base includes small to mid-tier businesses, non-profit organizations
and governmental agencies at the local, state and federal levels. MTC feels strongly that its
success is dependent on the combination of the talent of its IT consultants in the areas of,

Business Process Consulting, IT Consulting and IT Outsourcing Consulting and their ability to

deliver truly extraordinary results to their clients.

Corporate Profile

Corporate Name: Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc.

Founded: May 2008

Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland

Satellite Locations: Herndon, Virginia; Bethesda, Maryland

Number of Employees: 450
Total Annual Gross Revenue: $95,000,000

President and

Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Samuel Johnson

Business Areas

MTC provides consulting services in the following areas:

• Business Process Consulting – Business process redesign, process improvement, and best

practices
• IT Consulting – IT strategy, analysis, planning, system development, implementation, and

network support
• IT Outsourcing Consulting – Requirements analysis; vendor evaluation, due diligence,

selection and performance management; Service Level Agreements

Business Strategy

MTC’s business strategy is to provide extraordinary consulting services and recommendations

to its customers by employing highly skilled consultants and staying abreast of new business
concepts and technology and/or developing new business concepts and best practices of its

own.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 2

Excerpt from the MTC Strategic Business Plan

While the complete strategic plan touches on many areas, below is an excerpt from MTC’s

latest Strategic Business Plan that identifies a few of MTC’s Goals.

Goal 1: Increase MTC Business Development by winning new contracts in the areas of IT

consulting.

Goal 2: Build a cadre of consultants internationally to provide remote research and analysis
support to MTC’s onsite teams in the U. S.

Goal 3: Continue to increase MTC’s ability to quickly provide high quality consultants to
awarded contracts to best serve the clients’ needs.

Goal 4: Increase MTC’s competitive advantage in the IT consulting marketplace by increasing its

reputation for having IT consultants who are highly skilled in leading edge technologies and
innovative solutions for its clients.

Current Business Environment

MTC provides consultants on-site to work with its clients, delivering a wide variety of IT-related

services. MTC obtains most of its business through competitively bidding on Requests for

Proposals issued by business, government and non-profit organizations. A small but growing

portion of its business is through referrals and follow-on contracts from satisfied clients. MTC

anticipates it will win two large contracts in the near future and is preparing proposals for

several other large projects.

MTC, as a consulting company, relies on the quality and expertise of its employees to provide

the services needed by the clients. When it is awarded a contract, the customer expects MTC

to quickly provide the consultants and begin work on the project. MTC, like other consulting

companies, cannot afford to carry a significant e number of employees that are not assigned to

contracts. Therefore, they need to determine the likelihood of winning a new contract and

ensure the appropriately skilled consultants are ready to go to work within 60 days of signing

the contract. MTC relies on its Human Resources (HR) Department to find, research, and assess

applicants so that line managers can review and select their top candidates and hire

appropriate consultants to meet their needs for current new contracts. It is very much a “just

in time” hiring situation.

The Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, houses approximately 350 employees. Satellite

offices have been opened in the last two years in both Herndon, Virginia and Bethesda,

Maryland to provide close proximity to existing clients. It is anticipated that new pending

contracts would add staff to all locations. The management team believes there is capacity at

all locations, as much of the consultants’ work is done on-site at the clients’ locations.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 3

Strategic Direction

As a small to mid-size business (SMB), MTC recognizes that it needs to carefully plan its future

strategy. Considering the competitive environment that contains many very large IT consulting

firms, such as Hewlett-Packard (HP), Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), and Science Applications

International Corporation (SAIC), as well as numerous smaller companies with various skill sets,

market niches, and established customer bases, MTC will be evaluating how best to position

itself for the future and recognizes that its ability to identify its core competencies, move with

agility and flexibility, and deliver consistent high quality service to its clients is critical for

continued success. MTC’s plan for growth includes growing by 7% per year over the next five

years. This would require an increase in consulting contract overall volume and an expanded

workforce. One area that is critical to a consulting company is the ability to have employees

who possess the necessary knowledge and skills to fulfill current and future contracts. Given

the intense competition in the IT consulting sector, MTC is planning to incorporate a few

consultants in other countries to provide remote research and analysis support to the on-site U.

S. teams. Since MTC has no experience in the global marketplace, the Director of HR has begun

examining international labor laws to determine where MTC should recruit and hire employees.

Challenges

Increased business creates a need to hire IT consultants more quickly. Overall, the Director of

HR is concerned that the current manual process of recruiting and hiring employees will not

allow his department to be responsive to the demands of future growth and increased hiring

requirements. There are currently two contracts that MTC expects to win very soon will require

the hiring of an additional 75 consultants very quickly. He is looking for a near-term solution

that will automate many of the manual hiring process steps and reduce the time it takes to hire

new staff. He is also looking for a solution that will allow MTC to hire employees located in

other countries around the world.

Management Direction

The management team has been discussing how to ramp up to fill the requirements of the two

new contracts and prepare the company to continue growing as additional contracts are

awarded in the future. The company has been steadily growing and thus far hiring of new

employees has been handled through a process that is largely manual. The HR Director

reported that his staff will be unable to handle the expanded hiring projections as well as

accommodate the hiring of the 75 new employees in the timeframe required. The Chief

Information Officer (CIO) then recommended that the company look for a commercial off-the-

shelf software product that can dramatically improve the hiring process and shorten the time it

takes to hire new employees. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) wants to ensure that all

investments are in line with the corporate mission and will achieve the desired return on

investment. She will be looking for clear information that proposals have been well researched,

provide a needed capability for the organization, and can be cost-effectively implemented in a

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 4

relatively short period of time to reap the benefits. The CEO has asked HR to work with the CIO

to recommend a solution.

Your Task

As a business analyst assigned to HR, you have been assigned to conduct an analysis, develop a

set of system requirements, evaluate a proposed solution, and develop an implementation plan

for an IT solution (applicant tracking system hiring system) to improve the hiring process. You

have begun your analysis by conducting a series of interviews with key stakeholders to collect

information about the current hiring process and the requirements for a technology solution to

improve the hiring process. Based on your analysis and in coordination with key users you will

produce a Business Analysis and System Recommendation Report (BA&SR) as your final

deliverable.

Interviews

In the interviews you conducted with the organizational leaders, you hear the comments

recorded below.

CEO: Samuel Johnson

“While I trust my HR staff to address the nuts and bolts of the staffing processes, what is

critically important to me is that the right people can be in place to fulfill our current contracts

and additional talented staff can be quickly hired to address needs of future contracts that we

win. I can’t be out in the market soliciting new business if we can’t deliver on what we’re

selling. Our reputation is largely dependent on having knowledgeable and capable staff to

deliver the services our clients are paying for and expect from MTC.”

CFO: Evelyn Liu

“So glad we’re talking about this initiative. As CFO, obviously I’m focused on the bottom line. I

also recognize it’s necessary to invest in certain areas to ensure our viability moving forward. I

recognize that the current manual hiring process is inefficient and not cost-effective. Having

technology solutions that improve current process and enable future functionality is very

important to MTC’s success. We must consider the total cost of ownership of any technology

we adopt. MTC is run as a lean-and-mean organization and support processes must be effective

but not overbuilt. We do want to think towards the future and our strategic goals as well and

don’t want to invest in technology with a short shelf-life. Along those lines, we currently have a

timekeeping and payroll system that requires input from the hiring process to be entered to

establish new employees; and to help support our bottom line financially, any new solution

should effectively integrate with, but not replace, those systems.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

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CIO: Raj Patel

“As a member of the IT Department, you have a good understanding of our overall architecture

and strategy; however, let me emphasize a few things I want to be sure we keep in mind for this

project. Any solution needs to be compatible with our existing architecture and systems as

appropriate. Obviously, we have chosen not to maintain a large software development staff so

building a solution from the ground up does not fit our IT strategic plan. Our current strategy

has been to adopt Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that can be deployed relatively quickly

and leverage industry best practices at a low total cost. In addition, our distributed workforce

means we are very dependent on mobile computing – this brings some challenges in term of

portability, maintenance, and solutions that present well on mobile devices. We’ve been

expanding at a rapid rate and are seeking to expand internationally so any solution will need to

be viable globally. And last, but certainly not least, MTC’s success is largely dependent on our

ability to satisfy the requirements of our clients and maintain a reputation of high credibility,

reliability and security. Any security breach of our applicants’ data could have a devastating

effect to our ability to compete for new business as well as maintain current clients. Any

technology solution adopted by MTC must contain clear security measures to control access and

protect data and allow us to use our current security for mobile links. I recognize that MTC can

no longer rely on a manual hiring process to meet these needs.”

Director of HR: Joseph Cummings

“Thanks for talking with me today. I see this effort as very important to the success of

MTC. While the recruiting staff has done an excellent job of hiring top IT consultants, the rapid

growth to date and future plans for expansion have pushed our recruiting staff, and we

recognize we can no longer meet the hiring and staffing demands with manual processes. I’m

also interested in solutions that are easy-to-use and can interface with our existing systems and

enhance processes. I’m willing to consider a basic system that can grow as MTC grows and

provide more capabilities in the future. I’m sure Sofia, our Manager of Recruiting, can provide

more specifics.”

Manager of Recruiting: Sofia Perez

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to begin the process of finding a technology

solution to support our recruiting processes. In addition to myself, there are 2-3 full-time

recruiters who have been very busy keeping up with the increased hiring at MTC; and there are

no plans to increase the recruiting staff. It goes without saying that a consulting company is

dependent on having well-qualified employees to deliver to our customers. We’re in a

competitive market for IT talent and want to be able to recruit efficiently, process applicants

quickly, and move to making a job offer to the best candidate before the competition snaps

him/her up. When I talk with my colleagues in other companies, they mention applicant

tracking systems that have enabled them to reduce their hiring time by 15-20%. I’m so envious

of them and look forward to having our new solution in place before the next set of contracts

are won and we need to hire 75 (to as many as 150) staff in a 2-month period. I do not think my

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

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team can handle such an increase in an efficient and effective manner. On-going growth at

MTC will continue to increase the demands to hire more consultants quickly. It really seems like

there would be a rapid return on investment in a technology solution to support and improve

the hiring process.”

Recruiters: Peter O’Neil (along with Mike Thomas and Jennifer Blackwell)

“This project should have happened 2 years ago but glad it’s finally getting some attention. As a

recruiter, I’m sort of the middleperson in this process. On one hand, we have the job applicant

who is anxious to know the status of his/her application and fit for the advertised position. It’s

important that the recruiters represent MTC well, as we want the best applicants to want to

come to work for us. Then we have the actual hiring manager in one of our business areas who

has issued the job requisition and wants to get the best applicant hired as quickly as possible.

Obviously recruiting is not the hiring manager’s full-time job, so we’re always competing for

time with other job responsibilities, so we can keep things moving as quickly as possible. They

provide us with job descriptions to meet the needs of clients and look to us to screen resumes

and only forward the best qualified applicants to them so they can quickly identify their top

candidates. Working with Tom, our administrative assistant, we need interviews to be

scheduled to accommodate everyone’s calendars. After the hiring managers make their final

selections of who they would like to hire, it is our task to get the job offers presented to the

candidates – hopefully for their acceptance. Everything is very time sensitive, and the current

process is not nearly as efficient as it could be. Applications and resumes can get lost in

interoffice mail or buried in email; and, when a hiring manager calls us, we often cannot

immediately provide the status of where an applicant is in the process. This can be very

frustrating all around. Speaking for myself and the other recruiters, I have high expectations for

this solution. We need to really be able to deliver world-class service to MTC in the recruiting

and hiring areas to meet the business goals.”

Administrative Assistant: Tom Arbuckle

“I support the recruiters in the hiring process. After the recruiters screen the resumes and select

the best candidates for a position, my job is to route those applications and resumes via

interoffice mail to the respective functional/hiring manager, receive his or her feedback on who

to interview and who should be involved in the interviews, schedule the interviews based on

availability of applicants and the interview team members, collect the feedback from the

interview team and inform the assigned recruiter of the status of each candidate who was

interviewed. In addition to preparing the job offer letter based on the recruiter’s direction, after

a job offer has been made and accepted, I coordinate the paperwork for the new hire with HR

and Payroll to ensure everything is ready to go on the first day. As you can imagine when hiring

volume is up, I’m buried in paperwork and trying to keep all the applicants and their resumes

straight, track their status in the process, and ensure everyone has what they need is very

challenging. I love my job, but want to ensure I can continue to keep on top of the increased

hiring demands and support the recruiting team effectively. Any tool that would help the

workflow and enable many steps in the process to be done electronically would be wonderful.”

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

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Hiring Manager (in functional area; this person would be the supervisor of the new employee

and would likely issue the job requisition to fill a need in his/her department/team):

“While it’s a good problem to have – new business means new hires — the current method for

screening applications, scheduling interviews, identifying the best qualified applicants, and

getting a job offer to them is not working. My team is evaluated on the level of service we

provide our clients, and it is very important that we have well-qualified staff members to fulfill

our contracts. Turnover is common in the IT world and that along with new business

development, makes the need for hiring new staff critical and time-sensitive. I confess that

sometimes I’m not as responsive to HR as I should be; but although hiring new consultants for

the contracts I manage is important to successfully meet the clients’ needs, this is only one of

several areas for which I’m responsible. I look to the recruiters to stay on top of this for me. In

the ideal world, I’d like an electronic dashboard from which I can see the status of any job

openings in my area, information on all qualified candidates who have applied and where they

are in the pipeline. Electronic scheduling of interviews on my calendar would be a real time

saver. It’s important that we impress candidates with our technology and efficiency – after all

we are an IT consulting company—and using manual processes makes us look bad. And, this

system must be easy to use – I don’t have time for training or reading a 100-page user’s

manual. Just need to get my job done.”

Analyzing Process Improvements
Supported by IT

This section will explain how the business analyst analyzes and

documents the process and identifies the benefits of applying an IT

solution. Keep in mind that the analysis requires both IT and functional

expertise and that both groups work together to identify ways that IT can

help improve processes.

Document the As‐Is (Current) Process

The first step is to understand how a process is conducted currently; this

is often referred to as the “as‐is” process. There are a few approaches

that the business analyst can take:

• observe the process;

• conduct interviews with the stakeholders (executives, managers, end

users, or even customers) and the people performing the process; or

• bring together representatives of the process stakeholders to

collectively define the current process, mapping out the process for

all to see.

The analyst begins with asking the stakeholders about the input, the

process, and the output. The input consists of all the resources

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(knowledge, skills, materials, information) needed for the process to occur.

The output is the result of the process. The process takes the input and

transforms it into the output.

Before dealing with a business, consider an example of something that

anyone can relate to—making lunch for a child to take to school. The

inputs consist of the bread, peanut butter, jelly, fruit, dessert, and the

packaging materials (food wrap and paper bag). The process is the

assembling of the bread, peanut butter, and jelly into a sandwich and

combining it with the fruit and dessert in the lunch bag. The output will

be a peanut‐butter‐and‐jelly sandwich, an apple, and cookies for dessert,

all in a small paper bag to be placed

in the child’s backpack.

• The supplier is the supermarket.

• The inputs are peanut butter, grape jelly, white bread, a piece of

fruit, a small pack of cookies, food wrap, a small paper bag, and a

knife.

• The process is collecting all of these items, selecting bread slices,

spreading on the peanut butter and jelly, putting the bread together,

slicing the sandwich, wrapping it in the food wrap, and placing the

wrapped sandwich, fruit, and cookies into the small paper bag.

• The output is the packed lunch in the paper bag, ready to be placed

in the child’s backpack.

• The feedback at this point is that the supply of peanut butter is low

and more should be purchased. The child (the customer) eats lunch

and when he gets home, he provides additional feedback when he

says that lunch was great, but his sandwich needed more jelly.

This simple example illustrates the three main components of a process

(input, process, and output), the high‐level steps in completing the

process (in this case, of making a school lunch), and the importance of

feedback.

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Once listed, the steps in the process are then put into the sequence in

which they occur, even though the interviews and other sources of

information may not clearly indicate the order in which the steps are

performed. The analyst documents the current process as it is actually

performed.

In the school lunch example, the inputs, process, and output of packing a

child’s lunch have been defined, but how is the process carried out? In

this scenario, Mom and Dad plan a short vacation away from the kids, and

Grandma comes to visit. When asked to define the process, Dad omits

several pieces of information that are in his head. Assuming Dad is

primarily responsible for making school lunches, he knows where all the

necessary supplies are kept, the fact that his son prefers apples and his

daughter prefers bananas, and that beverages are provided at

school.

Grandma has been left a list of what is to go into the lunch, yet important

information is missing: Where is the peanut butter kept? What kind of

fruit should be included? How do they prefer their sandwiches to be cut:

cut the crust off or leave it on? What about drinks?

So, Grandma does her best, and this is what the analyst observes and

how he documents the as‐is process that Grandma uses:

• She reviews the list.

• She goes to the cupboard and gets out a loaf of bread.

• She goes to the refrigerator and gets out the jelly.

• She opens several cupboards to find and retrieve the peanut butter.

• She takes out two slices of bread and makes one peanut butter and

jelly sandwich.

• She goes to another cupboard and gets the wrap.

• She wraps the sandwich.

• She goes back to that cupboard and gets the paper lunch bag.

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• She puts the sandwich in the bag.

• She assembles the second peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

• She wraps the second sandwich and puts it in its bag.

• She goes to the refrigerator and gets two apples.

• She washes the apples, dries them, and puts them in the bag.

• She goes back to the cupboard where the bread was stored and gets

the cookies.

• She wraps two cookies and puts them into each lunch bag.

• She goes to the refrigerator and looks to see if there are any drinks

that look like they should be packed in the lunch bags; she finds

nothing.

• She hands one lunch bag to Bill and one to Maria as they set out for

school.

• Grandma puts all the supplies away and cleans up the kitchen.

Look for Problem Areas—Process Analysis

The next step is to analyze how the process operates in order to

determine possible improvements by eliminating inefficiencies and

duplication of effort. Before the business analyst makes any assumptions

about where the problem areas are, he will talk with the people involved

in the process and ask them about the issues they see. These interviews

are documented for future reference.

Returning to the school lunch example, the analyst asks the children and

Grandma about how things went:

• Billy said he does not like crusts on his sandwich.

• Maria said she does not like apples and always has a banana instead.

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• Both said that the apple had squished their sandwich, which “never

happens when Dad packs my lunch.”

• Grandma says that it took her way too long to prepare the lunches

and that she felt like she was running back and forth the whole time.

She asks how she could improve this process. Not only does she

want to be more efficient, but she wants to prepare each child’s

lunch the way each likes it.

Of course, in observing the process, the analyst saw that she really was

very inefficient in preparing lunch. After reviewing the documented list of

steps, the analyst came up with the following improved (streamlined)

process:

• Gather all ingredients and supplies

◦ Bread, peanut butter, and cookies from food cupboard

◦ Jelly and fruit from refrigerator

◦ Food wrap and paper bag from supplies cupboard

• Make two sandwiches at once

◦ Lay out bread

◦ Spread jelly on two slices

◦ Spread peanut butter on two slices

◦ Assemble sandwiches

◦ Cut crust off of one

◦ Wrap sandwiches

• Put fruit in bags first (to prevent them from mashing the sandwich)

◦ Wash and dry apple

◦ Put banana in one bag, apple in the other

• Prepare and pack cookies

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◦ Take out two cookies, wrap, and place in bag

◦ Repeat for other lunch bag

• Place wrapped sandwich into each bag, ensuring the crust‐less one

goes in with the apple

• Put everything away and clean up kitchen

The analyst’s suggestions also include that Dad should tell Grandma

where the supplies are located and how each child likes their lunch (crusts

cut off; what kind of fruit). In this case, she now knows all that and is

ready to make lunch the following day, using the steps in the streamlined

process.

Now how would this relate to a workplace situation? Everyday employees

perform tasks and complete processes in their organizations that may be

duplicating the efforts of others, or they may be doing them very

inefficiently. Each employee may be performing as efficiently as possible,

but the order in which they are performing the tasks or how they interact

with each other may introduce significant inefficiencies. All steps in a

process need to be evaluated together to ensure the flow from start to

finish is as efficient as possible.

Improve the Process

Improving the process means that

• extra steps are combined or eliminated

• resources (including time and people) are more efficiently used

• quality of the information collected and used is improved

Prior to implementing an IT solution, the organization should first ensure

their processes are optimized.

Let us look at a business process example of creating an invoice, which

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consists of many more tasks or steps than the lunch example required.

The tasks involved in creating an invoice may include:

• locating a customer’s record

• confirming that shipment was made

• calculating cost (price x quantity)

• adding appropriate shipping charges and possibly sales tax

• updating the customer’s record and the accounts receivable ledger

• generating hard copy of the invoice to be mailed

Back in the old (not really so old) days, a clerk manually performed the

necessary calculations, inserted a preprinted invoice (typically a multipart

form) into a typewriter and entered the information. Then the original

invoice was mailed to the customer, a copy went to the accounts

receivable department to update the ledger, and another copy was filed in

the customer’s file folder. This typical manual process provides numerous

opportunities for human error along the way. It is also an ideal situation in

which to use technology to improve the efficiency of the process.

Certainly, having an electronic system that enables all of the parties

involved to receive updated information simultaneously would expedite

the process. The current process is cumbersome and inefficient, however,

and automating it would mean only that the invoice is now inefficiently

created more quickly.

This is where business‐process reengineering (BPR) comes into play.

Instead of taking the existing invoice‐creation process and automating it,

one looks at what is trying to be accomplished (the output):

• to inform the customer of his obligation to the firm

• to update the accounting records so that the firm is aware of a

customer debt, update the customer record to document the sale,

and get payment from the customer.

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Because the ultimate goal is to get payment from the customer. The

question now becomes, “How can this goal be accomplished more

accurately and efficiently?” rather than, “How can an existing process be

automated?”

Automating the process will provide additional benefits to the company.

The system can be used to ensure the correct and immediate flow of the

work from one person to the next, improving communication, and

strengthening relationships among everyone involved in the process.

• Workflow relates to defining roles and process steps—who is

responsible for what—and how information, documents, and tasks

flow from one step to another in a defined process. Information

systems can define this flow of information and tasks, and can

include specific rules (who does what, how, and when) to provide

consistency and greater efficiency. An effective technology solution

can automate some of these steps, as well as route information and

provide specific timelines. A system could support the workflow in

the invoice example above such that when the clerk entered the

invoice into the system, the accounting department would receive a

notification, and an accountant could approve the invoice, which

would update the ledger. The customer support team would be

notified by the system that the invoice had been posted and that an

email had been sent to the customer providing them with the

invoice. The customer support team could then follow up with the

customer to ensure their satisfaction. Each person involved in the

invoice process would receive their notifications instantly and be

able to efficiently conduct their part of the process. The system

provides a consistent structure for the invoice process to be

performed the same efficient way each time, and all participants can

be certain that they have played their role as expected.

• Using the automated system and the workflow capability improves

internal and external communication as well. Each person with a

role in the invoice process automatically and instantly receives

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notification of a new invoice; there is no time delay from when the

invoice is created until the accountant is notified. Since the

accountant is able to update the ledger very soon after the invoice is

posted, the company’s accounts receivable and cash flow situation

are kept very current, improving communication throughout the

company of the current financial status. The automated sending of

the invoice in a timely way to the customer provides an improvement

in external communication. And, the customer support team has

access to real‐time information and is kept informed of events

involving the customer, and is therefore able to communicate in a

timely way with the customer.

• Automated systems can also improve relationships both within the

company, and, importantly, with customers and suppliers. Using a

workflow system to communicate among employees can have a

positive effect on morale since they are not dependent on the other

employees to let them know when an invoice is created. Each person

is able to perform their steps in the invoice process and carry out

their responsibilities. When the system automatically sends an

invoice to the customer and the customer support team is able to

follow up, the relationship with the customer is strengthened. From

the customer’s viewpoint, the company is functioning as one entity,

and the customer support person knows exactly what is going on,

can access the internal files and records, and provide efficient and

effective customer assistance.

As the business process is improved, the additional capabilities that an

automated system can provide should be considered and included. These

capabilities may allow the organization to further optimize their processes

and are important considerations in determining whether a system

solution is required, or whether simply improving some manual processes

will meet the need.

The business analyst will document the improved, optimized (“to‐be”)

process for use in determining whether a system solution is required, and

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to begin defining requirements for a solution.

Implement or Change the System

The “to‐be” process should be defined before seeking a technology

solution. Otherwise, it is possible to implement a technology solution that

only succeeds in performing a bad process faster rather than actually

gaining the improvements desired to help achieve the organization’s

strategy. If a technology solution is needed to support the to‐be process,

there are some questions that should be answered, such as:

• What is the work to be done?

• What are the tasks or steps?

• How is the system going to help with the tasks?

• What can the system do to help work get done?

If the process currently involves use of a system, then an evaluation

should be done to determine whether to modify the system to include

the optimized process, or build or buy a new system. If a new system is

required and the determination is made to purchase it, then the business

analyst will identify areas where the system can help improve the

business process(es), providing a competitive advantage to the

organization. The analyst then documents how the processes will change

and how that will benefit the organization.

Document the New Process

The new, improved process is documented so that employees know how

to perform their parts of the process and so that IT support personnel can

use the document as they make system changes that may be needed.

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Business Processes

Introduction

The fourth component of information systems is process. But what is a

process and how does it tie into information systems? And in what ways

do processes have a role in business? This reading will look to answer

those questions and also describe how business processes can be used

for strategic advantage.

What Is a Business Process?

We have all heard the term process before, but what exactly does it

mean? A process is a series of tasks that are completed in order to

accomplish a goal. A business process, therefore, is a process that is

focused on achieving a goal for a business. If you have worked in a

business setting, you have participated in a business process. Anything

from a simple process for making a sandwich at Subway to building a

space shuttle utilizes one or more business processes.

Processes are something that businesses go through every day in order to

accomplish their mission. The better their processes, the more effective

the business. Some businesses see their processes as a strategy for

achieving competitive advantage. A process that achieves its goal in a

unique way can set a company apart. A process that eliminates costs can

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allow a company to lower its prices (or retain more profit).

Documenting a Process

Every day, each of us will conduct many processes without even thinking

about them: getting ready for work, using an ATM, reading our email, etc.

But as processes grow more complex, they need to be documented. For

businesses, it is essential to do this because it allows them to ensure

control over how activities are undertaken in their organization. It also

allows for standardization: McDonald’s has the same process for building

a Big Mac in all of its restaurants.

The simplest way to document a process is to simply create a list. The list

shows each step in the process; each step can be checked off upon

completion. For example, a simple process, such as how to create an

account on eBay, might look like this:

1. Go to ebay.com.

2. Click on “register.”

3. Enter your contact information in the “Tell us about you” box.

4. Choose your user ID and password.

5. Agree to User Agreement and Privacy Policy by clicking on “Submit.”

For processes that are not so straightforward, documenting the process

as a checklist may not be sufficient. For example, here is the process for

determining if an article for a term needs to be added to Wikipedia:

1. Search Wikipedia to determine if the term already exists.

2. If the term is found, then an article is already written, so you must

think of another term. Go to 1.

3. If the term is not found, then look to see if there is a related term.

4. If there is a related term, then create a redirect.

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5. If there is not a related term, then create a new article.

This procedure is relatively simple—in fact, it has the same number of

steps as the previous example—but because it has some decision points, it

is more difficult to track with a simple list. In these cases, it may make

more sense to use a diagram to document the process:

Wikipedia Term Search Process

Process for determining if a new term should be

added to Wikipedia.

Public Domain

Managing Business Process Documentation

As organizations begin to document their processes, it becomes an

administrative task to keep track of them. As processes change and

improve, it is important to know which processes are the most recent. It is

also important to manage the process so that it can be easily updated!

The requirement to manage process documentation has been one of the

driving forces behind the creation of the document management system.

A document management system stores and tracks documents and

supports the following functions:

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• Versions and timestamps. The document management system will

keep multiple versions of documents. The most recent version of a

document is easy to identify and will be served up by default.

• Approvals and workflows. When a process needs to be changed, the

system will manage both access to the documents for editing and the

routing of the document for approvals.

• Communication. When a process changes, those who implement the

process need to be made aware of the changes. A document

management system will notify the appropriate people when a

change to a document is approved.

Of course, document management systems are used not only for

managing business process documentation. Many other types of

documents are managed in these systems, such as legal documents or

design documents.

ERP Systems

An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a software application

with a centralized database that can be used to run an entire

company.

Let’s take a closer look at the definition of each of these components:

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An Enterprise Resource Planning

(ERP) System

A software application with a centralized

database that can be used to run an

entire company

• A software application: The system is a software application, which

means that it has been developed with specific logic and rules

behind it. It has to be installed and configured to work specifically for

an individual organization.

• With a centralized database: All data in an ERP system is stored in a

single, central database. This centralization is key to the success of

an ERP—data entered in one part of the company can be immediately

available to other parts of the company.

• That can be used to run an entire company: An ERP can be used to

manage an entire organization’s operations. If they so wish,

companies can purchase modules for an ERP that represent different

functions within the organization, such as finance, manufacturing,

and sales. Some companies choose to purchase many modules;

others choose a subset of the modules.

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An ERP system not only centralizes an organization’s data, but the

processes it enforces are the processes the organization adopts. When an

ERP vendor designs a module, it has to implement the rules for the

associated business processes. A selling point of an ERP system is that it

has best practices built right into it. In other words, when an organization

implements an ERP, it also gets improved best practices as part of the

deal!

For many organizations, the implementation of an ERP system is an

excellent opportunity to improve their business practices and upgrade

their software at the same time. But for others, an ERP brings them a

challenge: Is the process embedded in the ERP really better than the

process they are currently utilizing?

And if they implement this ERP, and it happens to be the same one that

all of their competitors have, will they simply become more like them,

making it much more difficult to differentiate themselves?

This has been one of the criticisms of ERP systems: that they

commoditize business processes, driving all businesses to use the same

processes and thereby lose their uniqueness. The good news is that ERP

systems also have the capability to be configured with custom processes.

For organizations that want to continue using their own processes or

even design new ones, ERP systems offer ways to support this through

customization.

But there is a drawback to customizing an ERP system: organizations

have to maintain the changes themselves. Whenever an update to the

ERP system comes out, any organization that has created a custom

process will be required to add that change to their ERP. This will require

someone to maintain a listing of these changes and will also require

retesting the system every time an upgrade is made. Organizations will

have to wrestle with this decision: When should they go ahead and

accept the best‐practice processes built into the ERP system and when

should they spend the resources to develop their own processes? It

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makes the most sense to only customize those processes that are critical

to the competitive advantage of the company.

Some of the best‐known ERP vendors are SAP, Microsoft, and Oracle.

Business Process Management

Organizations that are serious about improving their business processes

will also create structures to manage those processes. Business process

management (BPM) can be thought of as an intentional effort to plan,

document, implement, and distribute an organization’s business processes

with the support of information

technology.

BPM is more than just automating some simple steps. While automation

can make a business more efficient, it cannot be used to provide a

competitive advantage. BPM, on the other hand, can be an integral part

of creating that advantage.

Not all of an organization’s processes should be managed this way. An

organization should look for processes that are essential to the

functioning of the business and those that may be used to bring a

competitive advantage. The best processes to look at are those that

include employees from multiple departments, those that require

decision‐making that cannot be easily automated, and processes that

change based on circumstances.

To make this clear, let’s take a look at an example.

Suppose a large clothing retailer is looking to gain a competitive

advantage through superior customer service. As part of this, they create

a task force to develop a state‐of‐the‐art returns policy that allows

customers to return any article of clothing, no questions asked. The

organization also decides that, in order to protect the competitive

advantage that this returns policy will bring, they will develop their own

customization to their ERP system to implement this returns policy. As

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they prepare to roll out the system, they invest in training for all of their

customer‐service employees, showing them how to use the new system

and specifically, how to process returns. Once the updated returns

process is implemented, the organization will be able to measure several

key indicators about returns that will allow them to adjust the policy as

needed. For example, if they find that many women are returning their

high‐end dresses after wearing them once, they could implement a

change to the process that limits the time (e.g., 14 days) after the original

purchase that an item can be returned. As changes to the returns policy

are made, the changes are rolled out via internal communications, and

updates to the returns processing on the system are made. In our

example, the system would no longer allow a dress to be returned after

14 days without an approved reason.

If done properly, business process management will provide several key

benefits to an organization, which can be used to contribute to

competitive advantage. These benefits include:

• Empowering employees. When a business process is designed

correctly and supported with information technology, employees will

be able to implement it on their own authority. In our returns‐policy

example, an employee would be able to accept returns made before

14 days or use the system to make determinations on what returns

would be allowed after 14 days.

• Built‐in reporting. By building measurement into the programming,

the organization can keep up to date on key metrics regarding their

processes. In our example, these can be used to improve the returns

process and also, ideally, to reduce returns.

• Enforcing best practices. As an organization implements processes

supported by information systems, it can work to implement the best

practices for that class of business process. In our example, the

organization may want to require that all customers returning a

product without a receipt show a legal ID. This requirement can be

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built into the system so that the return will not be processed unless a

valid ID number is entered.

• Enforcing consistency. By creating a process and enforcing it with

information technology, it is possible to create consistency across

the entire organization. In our example, all stores in the retail chain

can enforce the same returns policy. And if the returns policy

changes, the change can be instantly enforced across the entire

chain.

Business Process Reengineering

As organizations look to manage their processes to gain a competitive

advantage, they also need to understand that their existing ways of doing

things may not be the most effective or efficient. A process developed in

the 1950s is not going to be better just because it is now supported by

technology.

In 1990, Michael Hammer published an article in the Harvard Business

Review entitled “Reengineering Work: Don’t Automate, Obliterate.” This

article put forward the thought that simply automating a bad process

does not make it better. Instead, companies should “blow up” their

existing processes and develop new processes that take advantage of the

new technologies and concepts. He states in the introduction to the

article:

Many of our job designs, work flows, control mechanisms, and

organizational structures came of age in a different competitive

environment and before the advent of the computer. They are

geared towards greater efficiency and control. Yet the

watchwords of the new decade are innovation and speed,

service, and quality.

It is time to stop paving the cow paths. Instead of embedding

outdated processes in silicon and software, we should obliterate

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them and start over. We should “reengineer” our businesses: use

the power of modern information technology to radically

redesign our business processes in order to achieve dramatic

improvements in their performance. (Hammer, 1990)

Business process reengineering (BPR) is not just taking an existing

process and automating it. BPR is fully understanding the goals of a

process and then dramatically redesigning it from the ground up to

achieve dramatic improvements in productivity and quality. But this is

easier said than done. Most of us think in terms of how to do small, local

improvements to a process; complete redesign requires thinking on a

larger scale. Hammer (1990) provided some guidelines for how to go

about doing business process reengineering:

• Organize around outcomes, not tasks. This simply means to design

the process so that, if possible, one person performs all the steps.

Instead of repeating one step in the process over and over, the

person stays involved in the process from start to finish.

• Have those who use the outcomes of the process perform the

process. Using information technology, many simple tasks are now

automated, so we can empower the person who needs the outcome

of the process to perform it. The example Hammer gives here is

purchasing: instead of having every department in the company use

a purchasing department to order supplies, have those who need the

supplies order them directly by using an information system.

• Subsume information‐processing work into the real work that

produces the information. When one part of the company creates

information (like sales or payment information), it should be

processed by that same department. There is no need for one part of

the company to process information created in another part of the

company.

• Treat geographically dispersed resources as though they were

centralized. With the communications technologies in place today, it

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becomes easier than ever to not worry about physical location. A

multinational organization does not need separate support

departments (such as IT, purchasing, etc.) for each location anymore.

• Link parallel activities instead of integrating their results.

Departments that work in parallel should be sharing data and

communicating with each other during their activities instead of

waiting until each group is done and then comparing notes.

• Put the decision points where the work is performed, and build

controls into the process. The people who do the work should have

decision‐making authority, and the process itself should have built‐in

controls using information technology.

• Capture information once, at the source. Requiring information to be

entered more than once causes delays and errors. With information

technology, an organization can capture it once and then make it

available whenever needed.

These principles may seem like common sense today, but in 1990 they

took the business world by storm. Hammer (1990) gave example after

example of how organizations improved their business processes by many

orders of magnitude without adding any new employees, simply by

changing how they did things (see “Reengineering the College Bookstore”

below).

Unfortunately, business process reengineering got a bad name in many

organizations. This was because it was used as an excuse for cost cutting

that really had nothing to do with BPR. For example, many companies

simply used it as an excuse for laying‐off part of their workforce. Today,

however, many of the principles of BPR have been integrated into

businesses and are considered part of good business‐process

management.

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Reengineering the College Bookstore

The process of purchasing the correct textbooks in a timely manner

for college classes has always been problematic. And now, with

online bookstores such as Amazon competing directly with the

college bookstore for students’ purchases, the college bookstore is

under pressure to justify its existence

But college bookstores have one big advantage over their

competitors: They have access to students’ data. In other words,

once a student has registered for classes, the bookstore knows

exactly what books that student will need for the upcoming term. To

leverage this advantage and take advantage of new technologies, the

bookstore wants to implement a new process that will make

purchasing books through the bookstore advantageous to students.

Though it may not be able to compete on price, it can provide other

advantages, such as reducing the time it takes to find the books and

the ability to guarantee that the book is the correct one for the class.

In order to do this, the bookstore will need to undertake a process

redesign.

The goal of the process redesign is simple: to capture a higher

percentage of students as customers of the bookstore. After

diagramming the existing process and meeting with student focus

groups, the bookstore comes up with a new process. In the new

process, the bookstore utilizes information technology to reduce the

amount of work the students need to do in order to get their books.

In this new process, the bookstore sends the students an email with

a list of all the books required for their upcoming classes. By clicking

a link in this email, the students can log into the bookstore, confirm

their books, and purchase the books. The bookstore will then deliver

the books to the students.

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Business Process Reengineering

College bookstore process redesign

ISO Certification

International Standards

Organization (ISO) Certification

ISO defines quality standards

organizations must meet to show

effective business process management

Many organizations now claim that they are using best practices when it

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comes to business processes. In order to set themselves apart and prove

to their customers (and potential customers) that they are indeed doing

this, these organizations are seeking out an ISO 9000 certification. ISO is

an acronym for International Standards Organization. This body defines

quality standards that organizations can implement to show that they are,

indeed, managing business processes in an effective way. The ISO 9000

certification is focused on quality management.

In order to receive ISO certification, an organization must be audited and

found to meet specific criteria. In its most simple form, the auditors

perform the following review:

• Tell me what you do (describe the business process).

• Show me where it says that (reference the process documentation).

• Prove that this is what happened (exhibit evidence in documented

records).

Over the years, this certification has evolved, and many branches of the

certification now exist. ISO certification is one way to separate an

organization from others.

Summary

The advent of information technologies has had a huge impact on how

organizations design, implement, and support business processes. From

document management systems to ERP systems, information systems are

tied into organizational processes. Using business process management,

organizations can empower employees and leverage their processes for

competitive advantage. Using business process reengineering,

organizations can vastly improve their effectiveness and the quality of

their products and services. Integrating information technology with

business processes is one way that information systems can bring an

organization lasting competitive advantage.

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Study Questions

1. What does the term business process mean?

2. What are three examples of business process from a job you

have had or an organization you have observed?

3. What is the value in documenting a business process?

4. What is an ERP system? How does an ERP system enforce best

practices for an organization?

5. What is one of the criticisms of ERP systems?

6. What is business process reengineering? How is it different

from incrementally improving a process?

7. Why did BPR get a bad name?

8. List the guidelines for redesigning a business process.

9. What is business process management? What role does it play

in allowing a company to differentiate itself?

10. What does ISO certification signify?

References

Hammer, M. (1990). Reengineering work: don’t automate, obliterate.

Harvard Business Review, 68.4: 104–112.

Licenses and Attributions

Chapter 8: Business Processes (https://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks

/Information%20Systems%20for%20Business%20and%20Beyond )

from Information Systems for Business and Beyond by David T. Bourgeois

is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) license. © 2014, David

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T. Bourgeois. UMGC has modified this work and it is available under the

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