Case Study, Stage 2: Business Process Analysis and Functional Requirements

Before you begin this assignment, be sure you:

1. Have completed all previously assigned readings, particularly those assigned in Week 2.

2. Re-read the "UMUC Haircuts Case Study" and the Stage 1 assignment, and review the "Walmart Example," beginning with "Background for Stage 2" on page 3.

3. Review Instructor feedback from the Stage 1assignment.

4. Carefully review the Example shown following the Assignment instructions below.

Purpose of this Assignment

This assignment demonstrates how business processes are analyzed to develop information systems functional (business) requirements. This assignment specifically addresses the following course outcome to enable you to:

• analyze internal and external business processes to identify information systems requirements

Overview of Business Process Analysis and Functional Requirements for UMUC Haircuts-

For your Case Study Stage 1 assignment, you performed a Five Forces Analysis and justified Myra's chosenstrategy for competitive advantage and the business process that she would like to improve through the application of technology.

In the Stage 2 assignment, you will identify the inputs, processing, and outputs of Myra's selected businessprocess.Those inputs, processing, and outputs form the functional (business) requirements for an IT system to improve the process.

The first step in identifying the functional or business requirements for an information system is to develop the high level requirements that establish the scope of the system.  Myra has selected the Customer and Employee Scheduling Process for improvement using an IT solution, and together you have identified the following high level requirements.  The system must:

• Allow employees to enter their availability and desired days/times to work
• Allow Myra to review the employee requests and develop a schedule
• Make the schedule available to employees to review their final work schedule
• Make the employee schedule available for staff to enter customer appointments
• Allow Myra and the staff to enter customer appointments
• Keep track of customer appointments, including stylist and service performed
• Accommodate changes in the employee schedules and customer appointments, and update the schedule accordingly
• Accommodate changes in the customer information stored in the system
• Provide management reports to Myra showing employee workload, customers served, customer contact information, busy times/days, etc.

For this assignment, you will focus on the customer appointment portion of the overall process. The high level requirements are not detailed enough to be used as the functional or business requirements.  More detailed requirements are developed using a variety of tools and methods.  One such tool is a process model. The process model shows the steps in the customer appointment process.  In a process model, rectangles are used to illustrate process steps and diamonds are used where decisions, or choices, are made.  You need to be aware that there are other aspects of the process to be considered, as shown in the high level requirements above.  The points at which these additional steps intersect with the customer appointment process are shown in the process model with a circle.

Customer Appointment Process Model: The Customer Appointment Process model is separately provided as an Excel file, labeled "Stage 2 Customer Appointment Process Model."

Assignment: UMUC Haircuts Stage 2:  Using the Customer Appointment Process Model, create a document that includes:

I. Introduction

At the top of your paper, show the strategy for competitive advantage that Myra selected and the business process she has chosen to improve, using the following format (no additional explanation is required):

Generic Strategy for Competitive Advantage:    xxxxxxx (just name the strategy)

Business Process to Be Improved:    xxxxxxxxx (just name the process)

II. Table of Functional (Business) Requirements

Copy the table below into your paper.Using the Customer Appointment Process Model provided complete the table of requirements for an IT system,for each of the numbered process steps,that includes:

• the inputs to the process - include specific items of information or data elements (for example, customer name just the data elements not who enters or how)entered into the system as part of the process step
• processing or actions that the system takes (for example, check calendar to let person know if UMUC Haircuts is open at the specified time)
• outputs of the process - include specific items of information or data elements (for example, appointment date) that the system will display or print out for the user to see

Note:  This is not about what the employee or customer is doing but specifically about data into the system (input), the system does something with that data (process) to deliver the end result (output)

There are 7numbered steps in the Appointment Process itself.  In addition, there are two other processes that are needed (numbered 8 and9), but are beyond the scope of the appointment process:  a process for entering the time needed and costs for the various styling services - here you're building a database or table for reference in future transactions;and the payment process that collects customer payments and updates the database accordingly.  For these two processes, you should also identify the input needed for the system, what the system is to do with that input (process) and what output the system will need to create or display either immediately or later.

The responses that you enter into the table for each requirement must be aligned to the specific business process to be improved and the data it uses, and it must be appropriate to the UMUC Haircuts business.

Note: Processes are actions that the system will take and should include action verbs.  Inputs and outputs are not actions, but are data or information.  If you need to use action words (verbs) to describe the input or output, they should be kept to a minimum and putin parentheses. Input and output are data; not an action.

EXAMPLE Using the Employee Scheduling Process

The example below demonstrates what is required for the assignment, using the Employee Scheduling Process, which is shown in a circle in the Customer Appointment Process Model.  The process model for this example is separately provided as an Excel file named "Stage 2 Example - Scheduling Process Model."  The entries in the table correspond with the numbered process steps in the model. NOTE: Study what is in the Input, Output and Process columns.  This is what is expected of you for the required steps.

Attachment:- Assignment.rar