Computerize a Business Task

Computerize a Business Task

Computerizing a Supply Chain Management Process

Introduction: One of the business tasks that I would like to computerize is procurement or ordering process. Instead of the manual process being pursued by the organization, I would like to automate the ordering process via supply chain management software that automates the ordering/procurement process from vendors and thus, makes the process more efficient, accurate and quick.

One can use the steps of the SDLC or systems development life cycle. For example, the organization can start with the planning for this process by identifying the problem or need that needs to be addresses, i.e., automating the procurement process to make it more efficient, smooth and accurate. The feasibility study is sometimes used to present the project to upper management in an attempt to gain funding. Projects are typically evaluated in three areas of feasibility: economical, operational or organizational, and technical. A team comprised of an information system specialist, two business analysts, and an information technology analyst, assessed the aspects of the current supply chain system in place. They mainly concentrated on the bottlenecks of the current manual systems.

The project team will need to evaluate via feasibility study that whether or not such computerization of the process is feasible. For example, it needs to evaluate factors that whether or not organizational employees can handle automation of such process and are well trained or not, whether or not sufficient infrastructure is in place to support such automation, whether or not it makes economic or business sense to invest in the computerization by evaluating the potential ROI or cost benefits of this exercise, etc. Further, the project needs to secure the buying or support of top management as well as organizational employees. Employees might resist deployment of this system due to lack of knowledge and thus, change...