Novel Clean Energy Company
Introduction
Novel Clean Energy Company is a rapidly developing company that supplies equipment that makes use of renewable energy resources. Supplies from Novel Clean Energy Company include solar machines, wind turbines, among many others. Upon its initiation, sales have been increasing on a daily basis. The company issues commission to individuals based on the number of items sold and their kind. The firm has, however, been using spreadsheet-intensive processes to calculate the commissions. The procedures have become cumbersome since sales have increased, and there exist numerous commission plans. As a result, the need for a central and automatic commission system has arisen. The software package would not only make work easier but would also reduce the cost of operation. In addition to this, adoption of the software is also work efficiency and effectiveness through the timely processing of commissions, reduction of errors that occur through the manual system, among other benefits.
Project Scope Statement
A number of objectives needed to be achieved at the end of one year (12 months), and they included; Identification of at least three most suitable packages that would best address the needs of the company. This would be done through thorough research and analysis of the merits and demerits of using all the available software packages. Secondly, the project should identify the software packages to be utilized in the company and finally obtain it and incorporate it into the system. The key consideration throughout the selection process would be the security guarantee of the package and its ease of customization. Throughout the whole process, all the stakeholders and employees should be involved in decision making. In addition to this, they should also be aware of the goals the company intends to achieve upon implementation of the changes.
Management Approach
Two approaches to management will be utilized in the implementation of the project. The interpersonal behavior approach, which puts the emphasis on good human relations between members of staff, will be applied. It is realized that when people work harmoniously, it becomes easy to achieve the project goals. Additionally, the Systems Approach to management will also be applied. To achieve the project objectives, both the sales department and the accounting team must work together since their work is interrelated.
Software development and installation have a life cycle. However, the model adopted determines how implementation will take place. In our case, the Spiral Model will be the most appropriate to use. Spiral Model is a combination of the other two models; Iterative Development Model and Waterfall Model. Spiral Model, however, lays great emphasis on the assessment of risk, which is crucial, especially when dealing with accounts. With the ability to foresee risk in advance, management of the company will be in a position to put appropriate strategies into place. Improvements are continuously adopted into the system, and appropriate changes are made. The chosen model would, therefore, be most appropriate for the IT project for Novel Clean Energy Company since it is large and complex. The model also provides the company with an opportunity to give feedback, and changes are made quicker. The mode is recommended for medium and big sized projects, projects that have greater risks, in situations whereby the client is not sure of their needs, and numerous modifications are necessary for the project. The recommendations make it most suitable for the IT project at Novel Clean Energy Company.
Responsibility Matrix
The responsibility matrix deals with major activities rather than specific activities. It allocates all the individuals concerned the roles and responsibilities they will play in the course of coordination and implementation of the project activities. The activities that will be carried out including; Organizing and holding of stakeholders meeting. For this particular case, stakeholders refer to anyone affected or affect the development project at hand. The stakeholders will be briefed on the existing need and suitable solutions and a room for their contribution provided. The stakeholders will also select a committee that will help in the implementation and coordination of the activities. Each department must be represented. The second activity will be carrying out of research on three viable alternative software packages that adequately address the need. Thirdly, the selection will be made based on the criteria provided in the project scope statement. The company will finally procure the best option and install it into the system so it may replace the old one. Throughout the whole implementation process, monitoring will be carried out in each step.
Project Plan
In the course of the installation of the new system, specific tasks will be performed. The task will include converting the spreadsheet data into the new system, customizing the numerous user interfaces required, and duplication of the commonly sold item interface into a web page. Additionally, changes were also supposed to be made in other systems like the general Ledger to help the team in payroll.