BTEC Higher National Diploma in Software Development Assignment Specification

Institute Name
Unit Name Unit Value Lecturer

: IDM Computer Studies Pvt. Ltd.

: Management of IT : Unit 14 : Ms. Apsara Hewage Unit Outcomes:

y y y y

Apply principles of staff management. Satisfy organizational requirements. Participate in Strategic Planning. Identify Current developments in information technology.
Grading Opportunities Available

Outcomes/ Grade Descriptors

P14.1
3

P14.2
3

P14.3
3

P14.4
3

M1 3

M2 3

M3 3

D1 3

D2 3

D3 3

Date Set: Student Name :Tharindu Chandrasiri

Due Date: Student No :cc12800503

Outcomes/Grade Descriptors Achieved (Please Tick)

Outcomes/ Grade Descriptors

P14.1

P14.2

P14.3

P14.4

M1

M2

M3

D1

D2

D3

Assessor Comments:

Signature:
IV Comments:

Date: __/__/__

Signature:

Date: __/__/__

Acknowledgement

First of all I would like to extend my greatest gratitude to the IDM computer studies and (Pvt.) LTD. for providing me the opportunity to study and practice the subject Management and IT. Also I would like to acknowledge Ms. Apsara Hewage, our MIT lecturer for the guidance and help that she gave us throughout the assignment. And also the other lecturers, colleagues who helped me to finish the assignment. Finally its my honor and deepest pleasure thank my parents for the encouragement and for the help you have given me to make this assignment and finish it with a success. Thank You!

TASK 1

a) There are certain criteria to follow before choosing necessary staff members to a software developing company. As there are various roles to select within the company each procedure of selection slightly differs from the other. There are six general roles in a software development firm. Which are y Software Architect y y y y Software Developer Software Designer Software Tester Software Administrator

 Choosing a software architect The architect will be the person who leads the entire developing crew. Therefore he should be a person who is equipped with both front end and back end software developing skills. First of all we will be considering the amount of experience he has gained in the field. And the software architect will be tested on his developing skills and his work portfolio. And finally we will be checking whether he is familiar with the environments that we will be using to design and build items, and the physical architecture and software required for our usual development process.  Choosing a software developer A software developer is in charge of assembling extensive amounts of code into working applications, as well as updating and fixing problems in existing software. First of all the developer we are choosing must be equipped with the right experience on the developing field. Then most importantly he should have successful past of delivering accurate applications to the customer needs. And moving on as additional facts under choosing a software developer, we should check whether he suits to our internal processes and applications that we plan to build. Second the software developer should be a good risk handler because custom software developing always holds some kind of a risk. And finally on additional facts the developer we are considering should have gained lot of practice on developing accurate business applications on competitive conditions.

 Choosing a software designer

The software designer will be effectively involving in all aspects of the of the software life cycle such as designing, development, testing, implementation, installation, training and support. Therefore the software designer that we are choosing should posses a strong interest on software development life cycle processes and fixing software bugs which will highly reflect his fluency and experience on the field. And finally he must be equipped with good client facing skills; communication and problem solving skills in order give an effective service to employer as a cornerstone of the development process.

 Choosing the software tester In order to find the software tester, first of all he should be a highly technically versatile personality. Then he should be familiar in the programming languages that we are using and all its technical process as well. Not only that, as a important part of the developing process the tester should be able to understand the business functional aspects as well like Enterprise Resource Planning Systems. Finally as his main job is to analyze the system flows and its functional issues, his educational training in the particular field and his pas work experiences will be highly considered.

 Choosing the software administrator First of all we will be considering his past experiences and training as a common ritual in this field. Then the software administrator will be checked on his skills regarding the following duties. Conducting software and program planning while consulting with client groups to identify software needs, the experience to develop long range plans, programs and strategies would be an added qualification, Then he should be able to monitor software and services to ensure it meets stated goals. The administrator should be on the alert to assist with software evaluations and updates to programs and services and finally he should be one of the main resources that the company have on software development and initiatives.

b) The job description

Job Title-: Software Developer Location- Sri Lanka, Colombo Job Summary- A permanent Software developer related to IT & Telecoms. Who is fluent on Asp.Net, C#.Net, CSS, XHTML & JAVASCRIPT Job Content- To code on both IT and Telecom related systems. And handle clients in a friends and an attractive manner Responsibilities-Developing and implementing Asp.Net C#.Net websites, intranets, extranets, and other browser based applications. Developing new interfaces, systems, databases and web applications Modifying developing existing systems Providing technical advice, assistance, and support to clients and members of the design team Working hours & Basis of pay-: 35 hours of work per each week. With a salary of 80000 per month Opportunities- According to the quality of service rendered to the employer, the employee will be eligible for promotions, salary increments and other benefits

The Personal Specification Physical Attributes-: Pleasant appearance, ability to work long hours, courage to work under stress in order to meet deadlines. Attainment-: G.C.E (A/L), Degree related to software engineering from a reputed university. And any other professional or academic qualification will be an added advantage General Intelligence-: The wit to handle any situation and adjust to it, excellent communication skills with strong problem solving abilities Interests-: The interest about the rapidly changing technology around the world Disposition/Manner- Friendly, Honest, cheerful & helpful qualities Background Circumstances-: Neither the employee or any of his family members should not have found guilty on any criminal or illegal act which violates the local norms and laws.

c) The main part of staff motivation in any organization lies on the hands of its management. Along with all other procedures dealing with its employees in a pleasant and a friendly manner would be very important in sake of companys advancement. First of all in order to increase the self motivation of the staff we should highly consider about their basic needs such as basic comfort, refreshments and timely breaks etc. Basic comfort refers to good air and comfortable office environment. Then a place which has little refreshment sought of stuff for the staff to consume time to time would make them alive always. Also importantly consistent work load on staff would seriously reduce their productivity therefore we have to make sure that the employees do have room for a break while they are working. Next we have to assure our employees that they are risk free within the office which means that everything is stable and no breakages within the working area. This is also another psychological matter because its difficult to focus on two areas at once like working and being alert about the environment. The next fact Im going to mention is the most important aspect about motivating your staff according to my point of view. As all of us like to feel that we are always needed, we are always welcomed and accepted, we are loved by others etc can always make us energetic and cheerful. Therefore applying the same theory to your own staff can surprisingly increase the growth of your company. From the labour to the highest executive we should let them feel without your service we are gone (though you should always keep an alternative) and along with that treating them in the right manner will always make organization procedures up and running. With all the moves that management has carried out in above will surely reward them a self actualized staff. Which means a self satisfied staff which is always ready to expand their potentials, Will highly reward your own organization. As a manager I will always follow a strict but a flexible approach towards my employees. After following the above what we will first gain from our employees, will be the faith that they will keep on us and the loyalty that they will be filled in about the organization. So a staff with such qualities would always be ready to bear up a certain degree of hardship in sake of the company. Therefore any changes that the organization would undergo can be negotiated with your staff since you have done your part as the management.

d) Accountant

The person must be a Skilled and experienced personal on establishing and maintaining accurate financial records on organization transactions. Also his/her duties may include designing and controlling systems of records, auditing books and preparing financial statements. And also he/she should be able to advice on company taxes. System Analyst In this post the person will have to do the system study in all organization's systems in order to get facts about business activity. And apart from analysis work analyst is also responsible of designing new systems and applications. In order to interact with the user and extract the requirements out of them inter personal skills of the system analyst will be highly considered. A system analyst should have enough problem solving skills to define the alternate solutions to the system and also for the problems occurring at the various stages of the development process.

HR Manager The job of a human resource manager presents challenges to tactically handle the human resource tools and help the company to attract talented people for the required job. Following are the major duties and functions of a human resource manager. Resource hunting and employment, coaching employees for certain job processes, motivating the employees, salary and payroll negotiations, checking employee satisfaction and feedback etc

Labourer Labourers should make sure that the office territory will remain fully clean mainly the toilets and other important places like kitchen, reception etc

Security Officer Security staff must look after the safety of the office resources and its employees. They should always prove their integrity and loyalty to the organization because whenever something serious goes on within the organization the main focus will be on them.

TASK 2 a)
CEO

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS

Systems and Programming Manager

Computer Technical Support Manager

Finance manager

System Architect

Data Analyst

Marketing Manager

System Developer Network Engineer System Designer Accountants

System Administrator

Technicians

b) Financial planning and control is a major aspect of a company in its progress. During this procedure making financial statements will be an important part in financial planning and control. Such statements can be used to establish future operating goals and to determine how to meet established goals which is indirectly known as financial planning and control respectively. The reports are made on the basis of two main factors known as Financial planning forecasting Financial Control Budgeting and Leverage Analysis And there will be several reports made regarding financial forecasting, which will be y y y y Forecast report next periods income statement Forecast report next periods balance sheet Report on raising additional funds needed Financing feedback report Above four is known as an important part of financial Planning. This is generally based on the trend of sales in the recent past. The forecasting has to be highly accurate otherwise inaccurate sales forecasts can have serious repercussion. If the company is too optimistic, such assets as inventory (software products) will be built up too much; if the company is too conservative, it might miss valuable opportunities (customers can be misread) because existing production capabilities might not be sufficient to meet new demand. Hence proper reports will help the company to determine the expected capital for its future operating activities. The information from the reports will mainly involve with how much external (borrowing and purchasing equipments etc) and internal (man power etc) funding needed to run the organization.

y y

Financial ControlBudgeting and Leverage Analysis

Proper financial control helps to ensure the company meets the expectations developed in the planning stage, and, when results fall short of expectations, helps management to determine the reasons. Breakeven analysis Evaluation of the level of operations to determine the ability of the company to generate profits Leverage analysis Examination as to how well the company can cover its fixed costs, both operating and financial costs gives an indication of risk Operating Breakeven Analysis Operating breakeven point is defined as the level of operations where the net operating income (NOI) equals earning before interests and taxes (EBIT)

Operating Breakeven Analysis Uses y y y y It provides a simple picture of a business - a new business will often have to present a break-even analysis to its bank in order to get a loan. Determine the level of sales a product must achieve to make a profit. Indicate the impact of general growth on the cost structure of the company. Shows how to improve efficiency which affects fixed and variable costs.

Operating Leverage Analysis In business, leverage refers to the existence of fixed costs. The presence of leverage in general means that a change in sales will result in a larger change in operating income, net income, or both. Operating leverage exists if fixed operating costs, such as depreciation, are present. The degree of operating leverage (DOL) is defined as the percent change in net operating income (NOI) which results from a particular percent change in sales.

DOL is computed as follows:

DOL =

Sales - Total variable costs Gross profit = Total variable Total fixed EBIT Sales operating costs operating costs

Generally, a company with a high DOL is considered to have high risk associated with its operations Uses of operating leverage report y y c) When it comes to an organization related to a software development, what you produce cannot be touched unlike the other usual solid products produced by garments, factories etc. Therefore our software company uses several customized IT systems which tracks almost the entire company procedure in its daily activities. They are 1. The Product tracking system 2. The Modern time attendance system 3. The payroll system The product tracking system This system will track all our production we have produced and all its details such as y y y y What are the newly undertaken software systems related contracts What is ready to produce to the industry What needs further modification What needs the licensing and upgrading done etc. as proper statistical data Advantages of the tracking system y y y Automated system reduces the cost of tracking compared to a normal tracking system. Saves a reasonable amount of time than in the normal manual procedure Automated system is far more accurate comparing to the manual procedure Therefore it gives high effectiveness and efficiency on the procedure of work relative to a normal procedure in company performance. By using the fixed production costs in the report a company can increase its profits. It can help us to assess the level of risk it offers to investors.

The modern time attendance system

They are using a modern time attendance system to monitor Employee attendance, Time in and Out, Number of days taken leave etc. Although in the present employees complain about the use of technology while staying on the ethical boundaries, In this case though its automated the head of the company has the right to change certain information of a employee under fair causes, Which embeds a great deal of flexibility and employee friendliness to the system.

Advantages of the modern time attendance system. y y y y Modern time attendance system saves a great amount of time. Very accurate than a manual system. The system makes sure all the employees are punctual if not it monitors the late comers. It also saves how many hours an employee has worked and forms a monthly log of each employees activities.

Hence it gives high effectiveness and efficiency on the procedure of work relative to a normal procedure.

The pay roll system The payroll system which is used by our software company creates reports on payments and the amount of pay, Also it produces pay slips for the employees, keeps records of the payments and deductions and even calculates EPF, ETF etc. Advantages of the payroll system All the calculations can be completed in a fraction of the time that they take to work out manually. This allows in-depth analysis of staff costs for the business as a whole, across departments. Pay slips and annual reports are archived in case copies are needed later Provide forecasts which help you to plan staff costs and budgets by entering hypothetical numbers to see the exact total cost of an employee. So along with all these features it takes the organizations effectiveness and efficiency to a higher level.

y y y y

TASK 03

a) Before getting into the question straight away, will first check out what is exactly meant by strategic planning process.

STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS

Assessment y Environment -al scan y Background information y Situational Analysis y SWOT analysis

Baseline y SituationPast, present & future y Significant issues y Align/fit with capabilities y Gaps

Components y Mission & Vision y Values/Gui ding principles y Major Goals y Specific Objectives

Down to specifics y Performan ce measure y Targets/sta -ndards of performanc e y Initiatives and projects y Action Plans

Evaluate y Performa nce managem ent y Review progressBalance scorecard y Take corrective actions y Revise plans

Where we are

Where we want to be

How we will do it

How is it going?

From the five stages we have mentioned above. Each stage consists of its own activity list. Those activities are the aspects which needs the assistance of IT in order to increase the effectiveness of strategic planning process. When we take all these activities within the procedure as a whole unit, One IT system can cover several activities in different stages. Likewise through implementation of IT a reasonable amount of precious time can be saved comparing to a normal procedure. Below there are certain IT systems which can be used for the effectiveness of strategic planning.

Executive Support System (ESS)

ESS is mainly created to assist the top level management of an organization to make strategic decisions. It analyses and summarizes the significant internal and external information. ESS almost precisely shows the current situation of the company. The data in it is very accurate because the ESS usually deals with a huge of data with lot of data analysis and data modeling tools. In terms of strategic planning process activities like all four aspects in the assessment level, Situation-past, present and future, significant issues in the baseline level can be done with the assistance of the executive support system in order to reach a higher level in its affectivity. Decision-support systems (DSS) DSS is mainly designed to assist the management on making decisions which are wrapped with uncertainty. DSS comes to the act in situations like where the management has to make a decision and make a change but the type of outcome they will obtain is uncertain. DSS make use of other software tools and techniques in order to gather information, analyse them and deliver the proper outcome for strategic decision makers. Relating to the strategic planning process activities like align capabilities in the baseline level & initiatives and projects, action plans in the down to specifics level can be handled effectively with this system comparing to a normal procedure. Transaction Processing Systems ("TPS") TPS simply handles all the process routine transactions of the organization accurately and efficiently. A business usually has several TPSs, such as y y y Billing systems to send invoices to customers Systems to calculate and measure the weekly and monthly progression. Stock control system to monitor all processes internally and externally in the business. Etc

While linking the above system with strategic planning process activities like performance measurement in the down to specifics level and review progressbalanced scorecard, feedback upstream-revise plans in the evaluate level can be precisely handled with a transaction processing system.

Office Automation System

Office Automation Systems are made to improve the productivity of the employees in an organization. Systems like y Modern time attendance system to monitor Employee attendance, Time in and Out, Number of days taken leave etc. y Production tracking system. Office automation system can easily and effectively handle the two activities in the evaluate level known as performance management and review progress-balanced scorecard. With help of the IT system, it could increase the productivity level of these activities to a way higher level than a normal mechanism.

b) In order to accomplish a successful strategic planning process you have to come across certain documents which will assist your specific methods. But the affectivity of each document which is contributing to the process can vary according to the organization type, size and their domestic patterns.

Assessment Level Documents required for environmental Scanning Annual reports of the company, Organizational statistical reports, SWOT analysis data collection documents, Brainstorming sheets and logs, Business profile, organizational profile and human resources profile of the organization Documents required for the background information National and international organizational ranking log, community reports, Central bank publications, relevant tax documents based on the economy, Economic reports Documents required for the situation analysis Budget allocation report of the country (which is relevant to the industry), Balance sheet profit and loss accounts, Depreciation logs, Purchasing logs, merchandising and forecasting reports.

Documents required for the SWOT analysis Marketing documents, Human capital log, Labour turn over logs, Reports and advertising logs, financial documentation etc. Basement Level

Documents required on checking Situation (Past, present and future) Past organizational annual reports and logs, Present situation analyzed research documents, functional and operational reports, forecasting reports and plans, new business opportunities log, pending work sheets Documents needed for the components level Business registration, government legislated documents, Organization vision & mission statement documents, Business portfolio, business achievement log, industry recognized certificated log, organizational timeline Documents needed for the down to specifics level Action plans, performance appraisal documents, target sheets, forecasting documents, track sheets, employee attendance report etc Documents needed for the evaluate level Performance evaluating sheets, employee survey, consumer survey etc Apart from the above documents there are more mandatory or rather general documents are there which will be required when we take the entire strategic planning process as a whole unit. They are Invoice plans, Research papers, Literature reviews, Sales report, Financial report, Invoices, Business estimates, business statements, sales statements, property condition reports, Memorandum of understanding, post interview forms, expenditure reports and documents, journal, meeting minutes, Agendas, Memos, personal report or HR portfolios

TASK 04

a) In the modern day computers and all other information sources have become an essential part of every business that is up and running. Hence all these successful organizations thoroughly depend on strategic planning as major successor of their development. In following pages we will be discussing a combination of both these aspects where how developments in information technology help strategic planning. There are 8 factors in information technology that has effect on strategic planning. I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. Innovative applications Competitive weapons Changes in processes Links with business partners Cost reductions Relationships with suppliers and customers New products Competitive intelligence

Innovative Applications As major part in the development in Information technology it creates innovative applications which clearly provide a strategic advantage and saves a significant amount of time to the organization. These applications are mainly designed for the people who are not so fluent with technical stuff and for the ones who are a bit reluctant in dealing with do-it-yourself electronics. Actually the customers have no clue about whats going on with these applications but they surely get benefitted. Here are few examples y Service contracts- With an application regarding these contracts attract customers in a manner in which, when a customer returns a defective product its not necessary for him to have the proofs regarding his item. As soon as the company employees enter the batch number of this item to the application it gives all the relevant details about the item including whether its within the contract period. Product availability- With an application like this, when a customer needs to know about the availability of a certain product, the employee will check its availability through the application and through their database while letting the customer know about the relevant information within no time at all.

Online credit card applications- When somebody needs to apply for a credit card. All you need to do is, fill the application form online and send it to the relevant

address, Within few minutes the source will let you know whether you are eligible or not to obtain this credit card.

Competitive Weapons As the pace of competition intensifies in the 1990s, information technology will emerge as critical new weapons in the battle to gain an advantage over competitors. The authors show how a business can use modern information technologies to create a competitive edge by adding value to present products and services. Amazon.com as an example y Amazon.com one click shopping system is considered so significant and important to the companys reputation for superior customer service throughout the globe.

Changes in the process IT guides the organization into certain changes which finally prove to be a strategic advantage for their business. This main refers to business processes like, an organization having better control over remote store or an office through speedy communication tools, streamlined product design time with computer aided engineering tools, streamlines product design time with computer aided engineering tools and better decision making processes by providing managers with timely information reports.

Links with Business Partners IT offers each business organization to connect effectively and efficiently with all its business partners. Mainly the rapidly developing networking infrastructure in the information technology field gives the required aid to this procedure. As an example y Virtusa has all its clients all over the world link together in their network.

Cost Reductions

Implementation of IT to an ordinary company can dramatically decrease all its costs. Especially all those automated systems like product tracking, finger print scanning on time attendance, teller machines etc. Also there are certain firms that assure a cost reduction within your organization and they implement their cost recovery solutions, As an example y http://www.costrecoverysolutions.com

Relationships with Suppliers and Customers IT can be used to lock in suppliers and customers and making it more difficult for suppliers and customers to switch to competitors.

New Products With the help of information systems its for any firm to conduct general surveys to know the demand of the present market and implement new products suiting to that. And also if you have already distributed a product to the market you can easily give a reasonable publicity to your product by publishing advertisements on the IT systems you have spread throughout the country. As an example y ATM Advertising

Competitive Intelligence Present IT systems in field mainly provide competitive business intelligence to the organizations by collecting and analyzing information about products, markets, competitors and environmental changes. There several clear advantages for an organization who deals with competitive intelligence. As examples Competitive Intelligence can be used to identify what should be measured within your organization. Competitive Intelligence also focuses on the same critical success factors used in the Balanced Scorecard. y Anticipate trends that are unique to your business or industry. y Monitor competition, new products, new markets, regulatory action or other external factors critical to your success. y Research potential target companies for merger and acquisition. b) The technology has become the most rapidly changing aspect in the present business field. And the companies who could afford to get their selves embrace on these y

developing technological trends can clearly gain a competitive advantage in the market. Meanwhile this advantage is mainly based on areas like customer service, production flexibility, cost efficiency, customer technical support capability, and product customization and differentiation. Therefore the investments that you make on these technological developments will be paid off over and over again with cost reduction in your organization and with the strategic advantage that you gain. The main benefit from these technological implementations will be, the time that you will save comparing to a normal procedure and the improved productivity of your organization, Other benefits that will ultimately result when the new developments in technology are fully implemented to your company will be; 1. Freeing of resources for better utilization 2. The ability to grow the business without substantial increases to staff through increased productivity 3. Reduced delays in work flow processes 4. Reduced delivery response time, and 5. Reduced inventory c) When we talk about the impact that internet has made on strategic planning and decision making there are several important facts, which are y The internet is the most significant tool in support of companys procedure of gathering competitive intelligence. y Internet is a valuable source for a company to plans its future activities. Mainly by observing the websites of its competitors through internet, one can have very good idea about present market. Especially internet gives you the support to gather things like prices, products, services and marketing approaches of your competitors.

The following framework will help you to know the exact procedure of the internet in a financial environment.

External Information requirements for strategic decisions Environmental domains y Task Environment Competitors, suppliers, Consumers, distributors y General environment Technology, regulatory, Economic

Methods of acquiring information y y y y Indirect viewing Conditional viewing Informal Search Formal search

(Source: Reprinted from the long range planning, 30 B.S Pawar and R Sharda, Obtaining Business Intelligence on the internet, 1997. With permission from Excerpta Media Inc.)

REFERENCING

TASK 01 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262247(office.12).aspx#section1 TASK 04 Reprinted from the long range planning, 30 B.S Pawar and R Sharda, Obtaining Business Intelligence on the internet, 1997. With permission from Excerpta Media Inc