Upgrading an HR System

Manufacturing is a company looking to upgrade their HR System. Their HR System is out of date and needs to improve its usefulness and effectiveness. Based on the Service Request SR-rm-004, this paper will prepare and describe information-gathering techniques and design methods for the Riordan Manufacturing HR System project. This paper will also identify key factors that will help ensure information for the project is gathered.

The paper will also explain the scope and feasibility of the project.Finally, this paper will design and implement a new HR system for Riordan Manufacturing. Information-gathering techniques Information-gathering techniques are one of many important roles that will help with Riordan Manufacturing HR System. Gathering information from sources must be reliable and valid for the project. In addition, the information must relate to the project and fulfill the requirements as well.

For the current project of collecting information, several techniques will be used for the project. The techniques on gathering information will be from surveys/questionnaires and interviews.The information will be gathered from individuals that work in the HR Department. This will help the project to indentify the HR system, how effective it operates and how it functions within the organization. Gathering information from the HR Department will help identify what will work best for the HR System.

The information that comes from individuals will need to be from people who work in the HR department. Information collected from individuals who work outside the HR department can sometimes give false information and result in a project failure or errors that will occur in the new system.Other sources that will be used when gathering information will be books, journals, articles, and experts. These sources can assist the project by gathering information from the Internet, which helps to complete the project on time and reduces cost.

Another aspect would be gathering information and collaboration and brainstorming with experts. Collaboration and brainstorming helps create ideas and gathers information about the subject for the project. This part of gathering information will be from people who are experienced in the field and are experts about creating an HR System.The individuals that will be working on this project will also research the type of software and hardware that will be used to determine what is best for the project.

Information gathering design The design aspect when gathering information will be organized accordingly to the project. The project will examine the current HR System for their functional effectiveness. Once the current HR System has been examined, the information will determine what needs to be improved. Another part of the project will be gathering information that relates directly to the outcome of the project.

The first parts of gathering information that will be used in the project are identifying the advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques that will be used. As soon as the techniques have been identified, the best techniques will be used accordingly. The next step will be using the techniques that fit best to gather the proper information. Then the information will be analyzed to see if it is compatible for the project. Once the information is analyzed, then the most effective information will be used to complete the project.

The information needs to be valid, accurate, precise, and reliable.These factors are crucial concerning gathering information because it helps obtain the correct information about the subject. After gathering information for the design of the project, it has been determined that the Riordan manufacturing will be adding software to its HR system and will be upgrading its current hardware because of its lack of feedback and effectiveness of its current HR system.

Scope & Feasibility The scope and feasibility is an important part of the project. This determines the project’s outcome, usefulness, effectiveness, cost, and time it takes the project to be completed.This also determines the future outcome of the project and will be needed for an upgrade. The scope of the project will be determine and completed within six months. The resources constraints of completing the project will be determine by cost and time. The cost could be higher from the original cost for the completion of the project. The expected cost of the project will be $50,000.

This will include paying the project team, cost of software, and hardware. The V. P. of operations of Riordan Manufacturing will approve any changes made to the project.The project team that will be working on this project will be the IT department within the company. Each phase of the project will be completed within the time that was given. IF the project team cannot complete each phase on time, the project team will work overtime.

Each phase of the project will be tested and a detailed report will be created after each phase is completed. The V. P. of operations will sign off the report when each phase is completed. The individuals that will test during each phase of the project will be several members of the HR department.As soon as the HR System has been tested and finalized, each member of the HR department will be trained to operate the new software that will be added to the upgraded HR System. Application Architecture and Process Design The first step of the process design is determining the requirements for the project such as software, the project team, and hardware.

The project team includes the project manager, three programmers, four IT techs, and testers from the HR department. The project manager will keep track of the project by documenting each phase aspect, determine the software and hardware requirements for the project, and report to the V.P. of Operations. The programmers will implement the new software and install / customize according to the project needs. The IT techs will install the hardware, test the hardware, and network the new system within the HR department. The testers will be employees directly from the HR department.

The testers will test the new system, document any errors, and report any errors to the project manager. If any errors occur during each testing phase, the project team will be able to resolve them, retest the system, and document the conclusions after the phase has been completed.When each phase has been completed and passed, the V. P. of Operations will sign a document of completion. The hardware needed for the project will be new computers that will use the new software. The computers would need to be up to date and powerful enough to comply under the policy of the company.

The computers will be networked within the HR department. This will allow each member of the HR department to access the company’s data. Other hardware being upgraded will include the router, switches, and cabling to network the new computers to the server.We will need to upgrade the server accordingly to the project specifications. Each computer will be password protected. The network setup will remain in the same format as the original setup. The only difference from the original setup is the upgraded hardware. The applications will be upgraded from the current software.

The original software being used for the HR Department was Microsoft Office 1997. The project team will be upgrading the software to Microsoft Office 2007. Using the upgraded software will add more features, a better interface, and be current.Microsoft Office 2007 will be used to create customized documents, and keep track of employee information. The company will be adding proprietary software, which will require training be used properly. The software is called Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions. This software is ideal for the upgraded HR System.

The software will be used to manage payroll and employee information, keep track of expenses, manage the company’s bank accounts and used for accounting purposes, keep track of sales, manage customer information and purchases, and track inventory.Options of using reporting and analysis tools, data protection, password protection, will be considered. Another part of the design that will be upgrading is the Operating System (OS). The OS that will be used is Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate. Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate is ideal for the application design software for the HR department. Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate has more options compared to other versions of Windows software. It can be easily customized and adjusted for businesses needs.

Unlike the other versions of Windows, Windows Ultimate is more secure and has more compatibility options than previous versions.An option example would be the Windows XP Mode. This mode would allow the HR department to use older business applications that was specifically for Windows XP. Norton Antivirus will help protect the system as well in case a virus may have compromised the system. The OS, Microsoft Office 2007, and Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise Solution, and Norton Antivirus will be added to the HR system. Security Security is important concerning a business’s system.

If a system is vulnerable, then the system is not protected and data will be at risk. To help improve security, each computer will have password protection.The type of security that will be used when a member of the HR department logs on to the HR system will have a administrator password. The HR and IT department will have only access to the HR system. The new system will store the data on the HR system server. Changes made to each file such as employee information, customized documents, and payroll will be stored on the upgraded HR system’s server.

Each created file will be backed up to a separate backup server in case the system should fail. In addition, the HR department will create copies of the files to be used in case the file or the data is corrupted.If the file or data is corrupted, the IT department will determine the problem, and either fixed the corrupted data or replace the corrupted file with one of the backup files. Norton Antivirus will be used on each computer in case a virus accidently gets into the system. The antivirus program will keep the system clean and protected from any viruses that may have infected and compromised the integrity of the system.

The system will be monitored at all times by the IT department. If the system should fail, the backup server will be used in place of the original server.As soon as the original server is fixed, the files will be copied from the backup server onto the original server. Each member in the HR department will be monitored. The activities that each member does on each computer will be monitored in case the employee should compromise the system’s security. If a member of the HR department should leave or quit, every computer and system’s password will be changed to keep security at a high level.

Each computer will have access to the Internet but will be limited to certain websites to facilitate higher security and work productivity.Physical Data Flow Diagrams Project Team Flow Diagram [pic] Hardware Flow Diagram [pic] Applications Flow Diagram with OS [pic] Implementation stage After designing the system, the implementation stage will begin. The implementation stage is the outcome of the design stage. After the system has been tested, the system will be up and running.

Implementation stage will continue until it meets the company’s requirements for completion of the new HR system. This stage will take approximately one month to complete. The V. P. f operations will sign a completion document stating that the project has been completed and will be ready for operation. The implementation stage contains six stages. These six stages are coding, testing, installation, documentation, training, and support. Coding The programmers will be writing code for the HR system. The software is Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate, and Norton Antivirus. The programmers will make a few minor changes to these programs to better fit and operate within the system’s design.The IT Techs will maintain the software and apply updates to the system accordingly. Coding will also include password protection. Developing code for the new HR system for password protection is vital to keep employee’s personal information, company’s records and finances protected. Having the system protected keeps intruders such as hackers out of the system.

If there are errors when the programmers are coding, then the programmers will resolve the errors. Once coding has been completed, the V. P of operations will sign a document stating that the coding has been tested and completed. TestingTesting is an important activity during the implementation stage. The testers that be involved are part of the HR department and IT department. These testers will test the HR system for any type of error and if the system is stable when operational. These tests include probing the new system for errors, glitches within the modified software, coding, and hardware.

Programmers will also test the code to see if there are any errors. These errors must be resolved in order for the system to be certified completed. The HR department will test the software modifications. The IT techs will test the hardware.Each tester will document a written report of what was involved, tested, and if there should be changes or improvements to the system. When there are no more changes needed, and no improvements need to be made, then the testing phase will be considered complete. Once it has been completed, it will be documented and signed by the V. P. of Operations stating the testing stage have been completed. Installation Installing the hardware will be one of the IT techs main functions.

The hardware to be installed are computers, the server, router, printers, switches, and the cabling.The setup of the network will be the same as the original network setup. The IT techs will test the hardware to make sure it is working properly. If the network should fail, the IT techs will resolve any errors and maintain 100% uptime. The installation of the hardware will be documented by the IT techs. The completion of the hardware installation will be documented and signed by the V. P. of Operations. Installing the software will be one of the programmers main functions.

The reason is that the programmers will modify the software accordingly to the company’s needs.The software will be modified to the needs of the HR department. Once the installation of the software has been modified and completed the HR department will test it. Once it passes the testing phase, the V. P. of Operations will sign a documentation of completion. Documentation Each member of the project team will document what was involved during each phase, errors, what needs to be improved, resolving errors, and the completion of each phase. The testers will document what was being tested, if it needs to be improved, errors, and if it passes the test phase.

The project manager will sign off and present the documents to the V. P. of Operations. The V. P. of Operations will sign off the completion of each stage, the project, and a document stating the system is operational ready to be implemented. Training The HR department employees including the supervisor will be trained to operate the new software that is installed for their department. The training will take about two weeks to complete. Each member will sign a documentation of completion of understanding and how to operate the new software.

Support The IT department will support the new system.They will make any changes to the system if need be. They will also maintain and update the software and hardware according the system’s needs. The HR system will be monitored daily for any issues, errors, or intrusions. If the system should fail, the IT department will implement the backup system. The IT department will resolve any issues or problems if the server should fail. Once these problems have been resolved, the server will be brought back online. The IT department will document daily what was done to the system on any particular day.

Benefits of using defined and repeatable processesThe benefits of using defined and repeatable processes in these activities in the implementation stage are that it allows having proper and well structured stages to complete the project and it eliminates errors. This also allows the project team to complete the project within the six months time frame and within the cost of the project. Developing a well proper structured implementation stage also lets the project team to work together rather than as separate entity, which can cause issues among the project team. If this should occur, then the project will not be completed.

Each phase of the project can run smoothly without creating errors. Another benefit is that there is more of a complete understanding of the project. Conclusion In conclusion, the project team can complete the project within the time frame and within cost. The HR department sees that with the hardware installed the system will function correctly. The new system will be monitored and maintained daily by the IT department.

References

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•  Martin E. Model. (2007). The Interview And Other Data Gathering Methods. Http://www. martymodell. com/pgsa2/pgsa07. html
• Microsoft. (2010). Compare Editions. http://www. microsoft. com/windows/windows-7/compare/default. aspx
• Neville Turbit – Project Perfect. (July 19, 2010). Defining the Scope in IT Projects. http://www. projectperfect. com. au/info_define_the_scope. php