Reference no: EM133784068

Assignment: Project

Course Outcomes

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following outcomes:

I. Describe various client systems and their interrelationships that comprise organizations' management information systems

II. Describe the flow of data into and through organizations for determining which client systems will supply data needed to address specific business problems

III. Determine which client information systems will produce appropriate reports that inform business decisions

IV. Develop clear communications to stakeholders that explain solutions or next steps in addressing business problems

Overview

Management information systems (MIS) is the study of people, technology, and organizations. The driving force behind MIS is to improve people's lives through technology. Businesses use the information to improve their current operations. They require employees who are capable and able to understand the data to do so. MIS professionals keep systems for finding and storing data to allow an organization and its stakeholders to make the most informed decisions possible. Knowing how to gather information and work collaboratively to find solutions will give you hands-on experience in the role of a business analyst.

In this project, you'll review a scenario related to MIS at a fictional company. You will create a detailed report of the information-gathering process and an executive summary for the stakeholders at the organization. After reviewing the scenario, you'll be asked to identify the business needs related to data, the current client systems, and the storage and accessibility of the data. Next, you'll be tasked to come up with ideas about linking the data from the various business systems to produce reports. Finally, you'll compose an executive summary for the stakeholders by using clear communication that addresses questions about business needs.

Scenario

SNHU Clothing is a small clothing retailer that is expanding rapidly across the East Coast. It sells clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. The company has one physical location, but its online sales have grown significantly over the last few years. The company has a total of 10 employees. The leadership team of SNHU Clothing consists of an IT manager, a sales manager, a warehouse manager, a manager of manufacturing and product design, and a business analyst-you!

SNHU Clothing's leadership team

Currently, SNHU Clothing uses a Microsoft Access database to store customer sales, product information, and vendor and supplier data. However, another small clothing retailer is going out of business. As a result, SNHU Clothing has decided to buy its clothing to sell at its physical location. SNHU Clothing is also buying the retailer's customer database.

Both databases are in Microsoft Access format, but the fields are completely different. Your job as the business analyst is to review both databases and find out how the systems relate and how you can carry out the following tasks:

I. Describe the fields that are present in each system and how the systems' fields differ. Using that information, discuss how the systems relate. Give your recommendations for having a centralized system to meet business needs with effective analytics.

II. Identify which customers and products originally came from the new retailer.

III. Identify what reports should be created and how they could be delivered.

IV. Document the process you will take to assess business needs and ensure the system meets the organization's needs.

As you get ready to begin this job, your boss, Mark Manager, calls you into his office. He requests you compile your findings in a detailed report on the information-gathering process and in an executive summary to be reviewed by Jim Sales (the sales manager) and David Officer (the CEO of SNHU Clothing). Because you are new to the position of business analyst, your boss offers you the following guidance on SNHU Clothing's business processes:

I. Data Gathering: Before recommending a plan to merge both databases, it's important to collect information about each database. You will need to understand each database's different data types and identify any required fields. For example, one database might have a unique identifier that can be used as the customer's ID. If a different customer exists in the other database with the same customer ID, you will not be able to merge the records properly. As you think about the organization's data gathering needs, discuss ways to identify potential problems, such as duplicate ID numbers for customers, and discuss possible solutions.

II. Business Needs: To complete this project, you must think of the end goals. For instance, you can identify what the business will need once the databases are merged. This process could involve customer reports, sales history, and so on. After identifying the necessary information, identify how the database structure can help support those needs. In addition, you should discuss any changes that will need to be made in order to scale the database for future growth and expansion.

III. Current Client Systems: Identify the systems that each organization is currently using. Ask yourself the following questions: Will you be able to use one system to house both databases? Or will a new system be needed? What information should you consider to make a proper recommendation?

IV. Data Access: Part of identifying the organization's needs is deciding how the data will be shared and who will need to access it. Each database will have its own set of permissions and security. However, when you merge both databases, you will need to ensure that the security settings are still in place and to identify whether any revisions need to be made. Why is this process important? What steps can you take to complete it properly?

SNHU Clothing's business processes

A text-only version is available: SNHU Clothing's Business Processes Text Version

Directions

For this project, you'll be asked to review a scenario to identify the business needs related to data, the current client systems, and the storage and accessibility of the data. You'll then be tasked to come up with ideas about linking the data from the various business systems to produce reports. Finally, you'll compose an executive summary for the stakeholders by using clear communication that addresses questions about business needs.

Specifically, the following criteria must be addressed:

I. Data Gathering: In this section, you'll describe what data is available and how the organization's data systems work together in the context of the scenario.

A. Describe the business needs of your organization and the types of data that may be needed to address them.

B. Describe the current client systems in your organization and how they interrelate.

C. Detail how the data you need can be accessed. For details, be certain you address the following:

a. How will you know what information is currently available?

b. How and where is the data stored?

c. What types of tools will you need to extract and gather the data?

d. What is the importance of data security and integrity? Who within the business should be involved in this process?

II. Business Needs: In this section, you'll determine whether your organization's business needs can be met by the systems and system interactions you currently have.

A. Determine the questions that need to be asked and the types of data you need to answer them.

B. Illustrate how you'll link the organization's current systems to get the data that answers these questions. You may use a flowchart if you want.

C. Explain gaps in the data flow that cannot be addressed with the organization's current systems.

III. Integrating Business Reports: In this section, you'll determine how to produce the appropriate reports now that you have determined how to link the systems.

A. Describe what types of reports you would need to produce in order to answer the business needs questions.

B. Explain what type of information you might need in order to create a report linking data from various systems.

C. Discuss how you could gather the identified information and who should be involved in the process.

D. Explain the types of reporting tools that could be used to answer the business questions and discuss the various ways that they could be used to create reports.

IV. Reporting: In this section, you'll explain what tools you need to create the reports. You'll write an executive summary that addresses the business questions. Write an executive summary in which you:

A. Use audience-appropriate language.

B. Explain processes, tools, and solutions.

C. Detail next steps.