Web-Based Billing System of IRTC Manufacturing Enterprises - Report Example

PROJECT REPORT TO UPGRADE THE WEB-BASED BILLING SYSTEM OF IRTC MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES IRTC Manufacturing Enterprises is doing a major upgrade for its new web-based version of the billing system in addition to the mainframe legacy system update. A project plan has been developed to bring about a significant change in the existing business processes keeping in mind the time and cost and risk factors. A team has been formed to ensure smooth running of the project keeping in mind the objectives and goals that have to be achieved. The Billing department and the Customer Service department play a major role as project sponsors. They are the authorities for the project. OBJECTIVES Improve customer satisfaction by providing customer support. Reduce the number of days for outstanding accounts receivables. Reduce the cost incurred by the firm. DELIVERABLES To make the billing system user friendly and ensure that the customers are able to view and pay their bills online without difficulty. To provide the services of a customer service agent for online customers. RESOURCES The team comprises of a Business Analyst, Team leader and End user . They have been assigned various roles and responsibilities keeping in mind their skills, experience and personal qualities. Team leader Terry has been assigned the role of a team leader as she has the experience of developer and tester. She will also act as a business analyst. Having worked right from installation and every upgrade she has got the necessary skills and experience to manage a team. Terry has been chosen for this role mainly because of her experience in handling similar projects and installation of the original programme and shows keen interest in web-based package and its utilities. Business Analyst Robin has been assigned the role of a business analyst and she is capable of performing in this role with additional qualification as a web programmer. Robin was involved in the development of a custom web-based application as a programmer and was active with the last two up gradation teams. End user Chris with his experience as a customer service representative will be assigned this role to provide support as a customer service agent to the online customers. Chris having completed his degree in computer science and with his experience as a customer service representative is the ideal candidate for the role of an end-user. IRTC IT training group which is generally responsible for development and delivery of documentation and training material will assist the project Team as and when required. TIME It is anticipated that the upgrade will take 16-20 weeks in duration. It is intended to complete the project within the time frame of 16-20 weeks at any cost. To this end the availability of the staff with necessary skills and motivation should be made available by the concerned departments. INFORMATION The project team will be updated with necessary information by the vendor as and when required. Customer feed backs and survey reports will be useful tools for effective implementation of the upgrades in the billing system. COST The total project cost is estimated at $351,300 comprising of: Project manager $ 75,000 Staff salaries $144,800 Vendor services $100,000 Training Material $ 6,500 Add on software Provided by vendor $ 25,000 STRATEGY Identify the problem areas of the existing billing system and bring about new ways to avoid the issues. Study the needs of online customers and providing assistance with the help of customer support executive. Conduct surveys to ensure that the billing system is satisfactory and user friendly. Provide adequate training to staff that is not proficient in web-based applications. Reduce cost by mininimal outsourcing .Making use of the IT team for training purposes. To ensure that the project is completed within the stipulated time period of 16-20 weeks each department to have a time bound programme. Once a strategy has been evolved the next step is to execute the project. EXECUTION Execution involves the following milestones: Project Manager should monitor the working of his team and motivate his team members to achieve efficiency. Develop the project plan for the team. Every team member to be aware of their responsibilities and solve problems, co-operate with each other and use interpersonal skills with each other for effective execution of the project. Project Manager should monitor the working of his team and motivate his team members to achieve efficiency. The user requirement Document should be prepared by the Business Analyst, within a time frame. A system requirement document or design document has to be prepared by the technical lead. Development of the software, testing and quality including Bug fixing. Once the upgrade is ready it has to be tested for user acceptability by the concerned departments. Training the user groups on the upgraded billing system. Go-live on the project. RISKS AND MITIGATION. Risk Mitigation Platform The platform used should adhere to future scalability, migration and compatibility with other platforms. People In the event of key personnel deciding to quit, alternative arrangements are to be made to ensure steady flow of work. Project time line the business of controlling a project can be very time escalation consuming so every team member should be time bound in their respective assignments and realize the importance of completing their project within the given time. A delay in the project can result in cost escalation. Scope creep department heads should sign off after deciding on the documentation to prevent any scope creep which delays the documentation process. Any changes required should to taken up only during the next up gradation. Business continuity Create an Escrow account to ensure that the source code becomes the property of IRTC. CLOSURE Team reviews to be conducted to ensure completion of the project in all respects. Project evaluation, audit of the systems to be done for final closure. Signing off by the senior management after due acceptance of the systems. The Role of the Vendor in the project plan for IRTC Manufacturing Enterprises The Vendor will be the Consultant, a crucial role in the management of the whole project, though they have a different set of incentives and priorities than the Billing Department & the Customer Service Department. The vendor will provide programmers in case the internal team does not have sufficient staff to assist the project team. They will co-ordinate with the project team in implementing the project giving emphasis on the following: A well planned out program to implement the project on time and within the allocated budget. Co-ordinate activities between the team, the Billing Department and the Customer Service Department for better output. Define and enforce process and procedures. Track and report upcoming milestone dates. Execute quality surveys; prepare service level reports for the Company. Provide training materials to the team members. Delivery of documentation. The above role has been assigned to the vendor keeping in mind his experience and expertise in similar projects. Advantages of using the vendor as a consultant for the project: New features customized for the departments can be included in the next version of upgrades. Free minor application updates can be added in advance of official release. Understanding requirements of the departments and accordingly providing suitable solutions. Concessions in license pricing for future purchases. Discounts on maintenance packages can be leveraged. Dedicated 24/7 emergency technical support representatives will be available for the project team during the implementation stage. Access to source code for customization. Disadvantages of using the vendor as a consultant for the project: The vendor gets an opportunity to study in detail the company’s policies on billing systems and customer relationship management which can be detrimental to IRTC Mfg Enterprises in relation to its competitors. Various reasons can cause the vendor-customer relationship to go wrong, including turnover of key personnel, a merger/acquisition for the vendor, strategic focus change of the vendor, financial difficulties for either parties. In these cases, it is best to reevaluate the value of the relationship to ensure that the project does not suffer any set backs. Works cited Leech, Corinne., Williams, Kate. (2004). Successful Project Management. (Second edition). Elsevier. Oxford for Chartered Management Institute Read More