Hillside School Cash Management System - Report Example

? Decision paper for system development Task Table of contents Table of contents 2 Introduction 3 Business Problem 3 Business Process Improvement 4 SDLC design, development, and implementation 5 Requirements Checklist 6 Case Diagrams 7 User training 10 Maintenance activities 10 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction System development is a performance strategy that enhances operations in diverse business units in institutions. Evidently, effective administration and coordination of financial information through the billing process is critical in ensuring accountability. According to researchers, inferior billing systems contribute to dismal performance and delimit the realization of superior returns in institutions. They stated that institutions that hold high growth aspirations must integrate the conventional financial administration systems with superior checklist capacities. In particular, the new billing system that Hillside school seeks to integrate holds the requisite incentives to facilitate effective management of received resources. It provides clear-cut measures and guidelines that that is credible. This paper discuses overall elements that define the Hillside school cash management system with references to its new billing system. Business Problem “As-Is” billing system that the school operates, presents immense complications that hinders the realization of credible results. The system holds inferior data management procedures and control mechanism that affects confidentiality in cash administration. Indeed, the system hold limited potential to drive the school into its growth prospect especially at the time that it seeks to expand its enrollment capacity. Increase in enrolment will require an effective system with limited gaps that may compromise cash management and accountability (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). The schools deputy head teacher faulted the systems rigidity and stated that it hold no relevance in the contemporary setting where superior billing infrastructure is recommended. The system was designed using Ms word and excel software’s that provided difficulty in the maintenance of records. The school holds a vast amount of student records that range from financial, admission, class allocation, payroll details and production of reliable financial reports. The “As-Is” system led to severe confusion and duplication of work since it provides inferior incentive that cannot facilitate effective distinction of work done. The schools administration is under obligation to administer proper records as stipulated in the guidelines. They are answerable to the stakeholders on the utilization of resources through clear and structured systems. However, this was not possible at some point due to the lapses that the system provided thus prompting the need to integrate the new system. In short, major complications presented by the “As-Is” system include provision of unclear fee collection process that fails to facilitate transparency. The infrastructure adopted two centers of fee collection through diverse payment schemes that include fixed and variable systems. These fee collection systems exposed the institution to confusion on cash administration (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). Variably, it was integrated with inferior software’s that compromised the superior administration and production of payroll documents, financial reports and student particulars. The system also failed to provide superior control mechanism and processing capacity for credible outcome. It also failed to ensure effective harmonization of student fee schedules especially for students from one family. The diagram below shows the old system’s fee payment techniques that presented immense challenges in ensuring effective cash administration. Process diagram Variable fee payment Fixed fee payment Fixed fee payment Business Process Improvement Business process improvement entails integration of credible operating systems and adoption of best practices that are development oriented. Advancing performance requires absolute dedication and superior coordination of activities to facilitate transparency. Evidently, the new billing system that Hill school seeks to integrate is developed with strong and pertinent software’s to foster effective administration of financial transactions. The system is set to facilitate efficiency and efficacy in service delivery. This is crucial to ensure that students acquire timely and superior services. The system will effect this through clear cash collection procedures, and issuance of receipts upon payment as a control measure. The system creates a central cash management center with requisite controls to ensure effective monitoring of cash flow. It also has proper expenditure guidelines to advance accountability that has been a major issue with the ancient system. The billing system is also integrated with relevant software’s that will ensure superior preparation of the payroll documents, effective processing of financial data and facilitate synchronized administration of student particulars. Variably, payments are to be made through centralized accounting department and fixed payment scheme is being encouraged compared to the variable system. The infrastructure provides a single fee payment procedure compared to the “As-Is” system that was integrated with distinct payment centers for the business units. This is to guarantee proper administration of resources and ease auditing to ascertain credibility. The system is also designed with fee adjustment mechanism that holds the capacity to consider any proposal, for example, the discount waiver under proposition by the administration. The discount was proposed and calculated at a rate of 5%. This is to encourage fixed fee payment. According to Shelly & Rosenblatt (2012), the new billing system will make possible superior documentation of financial records. It has superior processors that will facilitate the realization of reliable results and exemplary performance capacity that hold relevance in boosting administration of vast student data. The system is also integrated with excelled control and monitoring software’s with specific roles to ensure that only pertinent information is fed for processing (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). This will ensure delivery of accurate and authentic cash collection and receipting data. Due to its efficiency and the development of a single fee schedule documents, the system holds immense relevance for the institution. It will revolutionize operations and cash management at the school with an aim of advancing its performance. Therefore, the school’s administration is under obligation to integrate the system to advance credibility in the financial administration as it rolls out massive hunt for new students. The process diagram shown below shows the current fixed fee payment system that the new system is to promote. Process diagram Fixed fee payment SDLC design, development, and implementation System development life cycle SDLC is a sequential process through which the billing infrastructure integration is to be executed. It defines the critical path and procedures that are pertinent in ensuring superior performance of the system in order of priority. That is, it focuses on the identification of the needs and requirements that act as a guiding principle (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). System design, implementation, verification and maintenance then follows in the sequential order. Evidently, integration of the new billing system at the Hillside school is to adopt waterfall system of software integration. The technique provides relevant guideline that fosters sequential advancement of infrastructural set ups. It enables the identification of acute steps that require prior integration and allocation of resources. The technique holds relevance in developing this system due to its significance in designing sequential processes. It is applicable and appropriate in the integration of software’s with steady downward progress. The system development process as defined under the waterfall technique is shown below Requirements Checklist System requirements checklist consists of the processes that define the scope of sound operation of the new billing structure. The checklist provides scorecard measurement criteria that facilitate the evaluation of diverse elements to enhance quality delivery of services. It ensures that the potential elements that coordinate input of data, processing and output processes are present. This is to advance the systems capacity to meeting the required standards of performance and provision of reliable results. The checklist system evaluates the billing infrastructure processing capacity, input, output, performance and control measures. These elements form crucial checklist parameters through which quality is ascertained. The fundamentals also define the performance levels and if the intended goals of the integrated system are realistic. In particular, processing is a critical checklist element that defines the quality of the final product. It determines the quality of decoded information that is used for verification and other diverse functions. The new billing system holds high-powered capacity processors with the ability to process the vast amount of data as aspired by the school. The processors are designed with modern and effective software’s that hold no record of performance failure. This will facilitate timely and processing of the vast amount of data with at most convenience (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). It will also ensure that data relayed is reliable and conform to set standards. Output is the relayed information from the processing department. The checklist element requires diligent management since the decoded information may hold security concerns. Therefore, there must be proper channel of controlling the output data from the main system. Consequently, input that defines the information that is encoded into the system for processing is vital. It is imperative to note that the information that is encoded should be materially relevant and should bear great relevance to particular students. At Hill school, the input process should be guided to ensure that accurate student particulars are captured for processing. This is critical since any confusion would lead to inferior results that may not be reliable. The payment system takes this into cognizance and defines credible fee collection channel that is under effective administration. This will advance accuracy and provision of receipts that matches the encoded details. It also fosters the development of cash handling and budget system that is devoid of unwarranted fraudulent questions. The new billing system is regarded as a performance-oriented infrastructure that is under integration to leverage the schools coordination of activities (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). The infrastructure provides basic performance incentives as required by the school’s management to advance monetary administration of the resources collected from its students. Additionally, control systems are fundamental elements that the infrastructure that the system with to improve monetary security. Control is the security measure that is necessary as a safeguard technique to students or the institutions cash holding system. Securing the financial department was one of the major reasons why the school proposed to integrate the new system. This is essential since the authorities are keen to ensure that only relevant individuals gain access to the schools financial details. As noted, the checklist elements aim at enhancing performance and realization of superior outcomes of the new billing system. Case Diagrams This section gives diagram representations of the new billing system and its operation in providing quality services to the users. Diagram I gives a holistic processing and the expectable output of the new billing infrastructure. The diagram shows the flow of information from a client who is Kathi Gilliard. The client communicates or makes payment to the accounts department that holds the responsibility to manage the resources effectively. Evidently, the diagram shows a clear system of operation from the billing department, processing and provision of receipts to clients. Diagram 1: Kathu Gilliard Kathi Gilliard Flow of information Diagram 2 presents the systems operations as defined in its development plan. The diagram shows how the system is to operate from the administration department, processing and provision of receipts to clients. Indeed, the diagram shows Susan Brown who is apparent at the tail end as she receives the payment receipt as processed. The arrow to the accounts department is from the administrator who performs the verification work and administration of the entire system. The diagram shows clear channel of operation from the administrator to the receipting end. Diagram 2: Susan Brown System administrator Susan Brown Diagram 3 below shows the relationship system between the after-care teachers who seek for remuneration. As integrated in the new billing system, all the payroll and remuneration documentation will be undertaken by the accounts departments. The billing system will facilitate the processing of individual teacher information to ensure operation of credible payroll list. As indicated in the diagram, the teacher communicates his information to the accounts administrators. The information is fed into the system for processing thereby lead to the production of a credible payroll for the teacher. Diagram 3: After service teacher After care teacher User training Training is an integral part in ensuring that the system achieves its purpose for integration. Training involves systematic education and formative learning of how the system works. This is vital since the new system is integrated with the modern software’s that users must understand their working conditions. Inferior understanding and getting acquaintance with the system’s programs would detriment the noble gains that are under expectation. The new billing system users will receive in-house training through induction processes, seminars and provision of physical experience (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). The experts who are performing the integration and software professionals will undertake the training process. This is to ensure in-depth understanding of the systems operation with an aim of advancing accuracy in service delivery. In particular, the physical induction entails the provision of credible highlights on the software’s that are integrated and the distinct functions of diverse components of the billing system. Training process will take place immediately after the installation and followed by subsequent interval guidance due to constant changes in the technological sector. Maintenance activities Clear-cut strategies have been formulated to advance the maintenance process of the billing system to ensure its sound operation in boosting performance. Maintenance entails the adoption of requisite serviceability measures. The measures are to ensure that the system delivers effectively on a daily basis and propel execution of reliable and accurate results (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). Continuous training of the system users is to be adopted as perfective maintenance criteria. The system will equip the users with modern guidelines of operation to advance their vastness in using the system. This will eliminate inconsistent acts that may be informed unprofessionally. Continuous implementation of new user requirements that appertains to functional advancement also forms a major perfective measure. Corrective maintenance measure entails the establishment and fixing of evident errors the may compromise quality in service delivery (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2012). The school’s administration is also under the requirement to advance software maintainability by providing relevant resources to prevent future performance lapses. This noble preventive measure ensures prior mitigation of possible defaults or errors from occurring. Adaptive maintenance measure concerns system modification to cope with the continuous changes in the technological environment that present new ways of operation and database management systems DBMS. Conclusion Indeed, it is prudent for administrators with strong performance aspirations to integrate modern systems of cash management to enhance transparency. The new billing system holds the capacity to revolutionize execution of financial transactions in the school and to facilitate the provision of quality services. It will also ensure accuracy in the preparation of payroll documents, administration of student particulars and allocation of resources to diverse units of operation in the school. References Shelly, G. B., & Rosenblatt, H. J. (2012). Systems analysis and design. Boston: Course Technology Cengage Learning. Read More