Palm Hotel Data Management System Analysis - Case Study Example

Name Instructor Course Date of Submission Preliminary Investigation Phase 1.0 Introduction Palm hotel is a multinational group of hotels operating in different countries. All hotels in different regions offer same basic services such as exercise equipment, a pool and in most centers a snack bar. Some of the health clubs also sell sporting goods and only one which is offering wellness spa. The organization chart of the company is simple. It contains three major levels as portrayed by the following diagram: Fig 1.0: Palm hotel Organization chart The company has performed very well in its businesses, and it is planning to open a new hotel with a mega health club in Muscat. The new health club will offer more services under one roof. Due to the great number of services which will be offered in the new health club, the president of the company has requested for a new data management system. The new data management system is aimed at assisting in the new operation of the new health club. 2.0 The problem Currently, the company does not have an online access system and its levels of membership are limited to two: Full members and limited members. To enable members have an online access to progress reports, the company requires an additional data management capability to handle this. The company also requires an information system that will have the capability of interfacing with the accounts system they are using as they increase their services. The company wants to increase the level of membership to three. The proposed system is expected to perform the following four major services: Managing membership and charges Interfacing with account system Scheduling activities Analyzing sales and marketing trends 3.0 The proposed solution To solve the current problem, a new information management system will be developed to allow members have an online access to progress reports. The current levels of membership will also be restructured to three, each having different priorities and charges. The main functions, activities and processes of the proposed system will be: managing membership and charges which includes posting daily entries and producing reports; interface with the current accounting system which includes transferring data and producing reports; scheduling activities which includes producing schedules and maintaining the staff data; and analyzing sales and marketing trends. 4.0 Feasibility Operational feasibility The top management and the users support the project. Employees are comfortable with proposed system, and it will be used effectively after its development. The management is also committed to providing the necessary resources for training the users, and it has already allocated 5,000 Dhs for training purposes. Users will be involved in the planning of the new information system right from the start, and there is a need to convince the management. Management wants the information system to be ready within six months, but this might not be possible and more time is required since the proposed information system is very complex. Technical feasibility The proposed system will not be compatible with the specified operating system and hardware that the company is planning to order. Therefore, the proposed system will not run on the specified OS and hardware. A prototype of the proposed system will be necessary since it is very complex. This initiate the need for new software and management should approve this before the project commence. The company is also required to buy a new Window-2012 server and upgrading the existing software. Network installation might take longer than expected thus causing implementation delay. The company is committed to providing the necessary capacity for any projected growth for the next five years. Economic feasibility The projected benefits of the proposed information system prevail over the total cost of ownership (TCO). According to the consultant, the project will be in a position to pay itself within a short period. However, an IT specialist who was involved in the consultation process believes that the proposed system will not meet the long-term financial goals set by the top management. The IT specialist raised this issue because the development of the proposed system will involve complex enterprise-wide techniques which might incur a lot of cost. All in all, the consultant is convinced that the project will meet its objectives. 5.0 Scope and constraints The scope of the project is summarized by the following points: The proposed information system should provide managers with more analytical features which will allow them to spot trends and experiment with what-if scenarios for special discounts and promotions. Help in Posting daily entries and producing reports The system should allow frequent information access about the profitability of the business activities. Should provide schedules and maintain the staff data Analyzing sales and marketing trends Transferring data and producing reports It should offer a computerized activity and wellness log as well as email communication with members It should assist in managing staff information Constraint description Internal/External Mandatory/Optional Present/Future The new health and safety act is in effect and will affect how customers are registered to different health club activities External Mandatory Present Integration of all proposed systems across all hotels once they are installed and implemented. This should start after three years Internal Optional Future All new systems must run under Windows-2012 server. Internal Mandatory Present The project is allocated a budget of 50,000Dhs and no extra fund will be provided Internal Mandatory Present Project must be completed within 6 months Internal Mandatory Future The operations manager may sign off the analysis document being prepared Internal Optional Future 6.0 Information gathering process Information will be gathered through questionnaires and interviews. Those who will not be available for one on one interview will be presented with a questionnaire form to fill. Questions which will be asked during one on one interview will be equivalent to questions contained on the questionnaire. Information will be gathered in 3 levels. The first level will feature all the top management staffs, second level will feature other employees and the third level will feature the clients. Each level will be presented with different questions that will help me to acquire the necessary requirements of the proposed system. All the employees of the company will be contacted through an email which will be sent to the company email contact requesting them avail themselves for one on one interview or fill a questionnaire which will be attached on the email. Clients will be contacted one on one when they are visiting the current hotels. 7.0 Results of information gathering Information to be gathered includes: Company organization chart Requirements of the new system Problems of the current system Security provisions required in the new system Whether the new system will be implemented at all company locations Specifications of the available software and hardware When the new system should become operational 8.0 Cost estimates The following is the cost which will be incurred according to the requirements of the project: Please add prices according to the local value Hardware requirements Cost Laptop Specifications: Hard disk (360GB) RAM (2GB) Clock Speed (Duo core 2.0MHz) P4 32-Bit OS 10,000Dhs Flash disk (4GB) 400Dhs Number of staff required Development cost 10 1000DHS per hour 1000*1800hrs 1,800,000Dhs Software requirements Cost Windows 7 OS 1500Dhs Any prototype software 800Dhs Windows server 400Dhs SQL server 2012 3000Dhs 9.0 Benefits A) Tangible benefits include: The proposed system will offer scheduling activities consequently reducing overtime. The financial benefit of this functionality is estimated to be 5,000Dhs per month (please change the value according to overtime salaries). A well refined inventory control system that will assist in cutting excess inventory as well as eliminating production delays (Shelly and Rosenblatt 68). The financial benefit of the inventory control system is estimated to be 10,000Dhs per month. The proposed system will eliminate the need for clerical personnel and improve the service. The financial benefit of this service is estimated to be 5,000Dhs per month (please change the value according to the salary of a clerical staff) B) Intangible benefits include: The proposed system is user-friendly, and everyone involved seems to like it already The company will have a website that will enhance their reputation (Shelly and Rosenblatt 68) Members will be able to access their reports online Managers will have access to frequent information about profitability of the business activity Managers will have access to a system with more analytical features; thus, they will be in a position to spot trends and experiment with what-if scenarios for special promotions and discounts Staff information management will be made easier Hotel guest customers will be registered automatically when their details are entered into the system Work Cited Shelly, Gary B. and Harry J. Rosenblatt. Systems Analysis and Design. New York: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Appendix Questionnaire plan Top Management questions 1. What problems are you experiencing with the current system? 2. How would you like the proposed system look like? 3. What are the requirements of the proposed system? 4. If new hardware and software will be required, is the company to purchase them? 5. What are security provisions of the new system? 6. Will the new system be implemented in all company locations? 7. When will the new system become operational? Other employees’ questions 1. Would you like the current system to be changed? 2. Have you ever worked with client online system? 3. What kind of difficulties are experiencing with the current system? 4. Do you know how to handle a database management system with online access or you do require some training? 5. Do you feel that the proposed system might replace some of the employees? Clients’ questions 1. We are building an online system, what kind of information would like to access online? 2. What kind of information should be displayed on your profile to ensure that your privacy is not infringed? 3. What kind of services would you like to access online? Read More