Management Plan

 Technology Management Plan

Outline

Introduction (150 words)
Issue matrix: Analysis of the situation at Rustic Americana (700 words)
Company Value
Organizational Issues
Operational Issues
Managerial Issues
Human Resource Management Issues
Best Practice Report (400 words)
Operational Improvement Report (600 words)
Call Center Basics
Updating the System and Data Server Preferences
Findings and Recommendations (Power Point)
Conclusion (150 words)
Technology Management Plan: Rustic Americana

Introduction
            Rustic American are a subsidiary firm of the Largo Corporation. Recently the company has been experiencing poor annual sales due to some internal issues within the business in areas or work relations, technological expertise, and business ethics. This project will focus on formulating an efficient technological management strategy which will help in reviving the firm. As a CIO at Rustic Americana, an analysis of the current situation at the company will assist in coming up with an efficient strategy and recommendations for the company especially in areas of the management of the call center, work ethics and the general improvement of the technological devices used in the enterprise. Also, as a CIO, suggestions to the CEO of the Company must be implemented so that the company can eradicate the perceptions that the previous CIO had which largely interfered with customer’s perceptions and the relationship between workers at the premises. Best practice research will aid in setting up higher standards of management id IT investments such Rustic Americana.  Customers will change their perception about Rustic American when such a plan is implemented.

Issue Matrix
At Rustic Americana, some issues need urgent attention in the management so as to improve their service delivery. The major setbacks that Rustic American are experiencing include the absence of a CIO, bad call center organizational operations that leads to poor customer support, and also they have experienced a drop in the annual sales. Not only does the company has some flaws, but also it has some better technological platform such as the Oracle database. Below is an analysis of each type of matrix at Rustic Americana. These are issues that are the most costly, time-consuming and affect the current workflow at Rustic Americana if they are not resolved.

Company Value
The mission of the enterprise is to ensure the customers get their products on time without any delays. They are focused on increasing value to stakeholders through either reducing or maintain inputs to increase output. The company must focus on rebranding, restoring their customer base providing them with conventional products, and change to modern distribution channels. Consequently, customers will always be happy if a company satisfies them fully. For Rustic Americana, they have received some negative feedback from customers. Therefore, it is recommended that they integrate this plan to save the client base.    

Organization Issues.
Rustic Americana has a functional organizational model. The firm is designed in such a way that, the Chief Executive Officer is the top management, under the CEO, there is Chief Financial Officer(CFO), a Director of Marketing(DOM), a Direct Sales Director(DSD), the Acting CIO and the usual departments. It is evident that there is weak autonomy among the positions at the company. There is no clear hierarchy of responsibilities. Division of power within Rustic Americana impacts on the control of the organization. Such a model creates sluggish communication and decision-making process. Such poor communication and slow decision making make the company less agile (Chesbrough, 2010). This type of structural organization limits the departments to deal with their issues. At the moment Rustic American has no CIO on the field. Therefore there is no one managing the information delivery sector. Organizational issues need to fix urgently. According to GAO reports on rating firms, The Priority Level for organizational issues is Orange (Jeffery & Leliveld, 2004). This phenomenon suggests that the matter has caused massive impact to the organization and needs urgent attention.

Operational Issues
Operational issues are present at the company. It can be coined that there is a poor efficiency in the process of delivering services to the clientele. Operations at Rustic American involve the call center management, the procedure for delivering a product to their customers, the IT tools and other technical issues at the facility. Operations at the Rustic Americana mostly occurs at the call center where they get in touch with the customers and confirm payment and shipping of products.

First and foremost, the call center is at a dying stage. There are many issues involved within the call center that needs to be attended to urgently by Prishan. It is evident that call center is faulty and hence the poor quality of service. Notably, the call center management experiences a high call volume. Such will greatly affect the company performance. It results to a medium to the high-cost parameter. Therefore, the issue can be given a priority level of Orange. This issue is not that urgent to be rectified bust it is recommended to be adjusted through better telephone systems operations and creating more workstations.

Additionally, for the company to work efficiently, the technological platform has to be up-to-date to avoid errors a that can lead to losses. Rustic American is coined with several IT tools issues. To begin with, the Customer service representatives(CSRs) do not have a mobile computing technology in place such as tablets or a wireless interface to be used in the warehouse. They are using the generic Oracle Forms interface. There has been no improvement in this sector, and it has largely impacted on the services offered to the customers. Customers keep complaining bust the CEO has held a non-strategic and stereotypical view of clients.

Also, during “downtimes” where the client is not able to access the online shopping catalog. It is evident that during these downtimes, the entire call center becomes idle, web services and internet connections are tied to the same network are slow or inaccessible which would make the customers bored with the system, hence poor revenue collection for the company. Technological systems upgrades are overdue, and it is important for the company to fix the upgrades it can be said it priority level is orange. Technological upgrades have a major impact, but it does not need to be done now. Other technical issues that are occurring at the company are the overlapping interfaces and vendors that are used at the facility creates lagging and it is time-consuming. Also, the ten workstations have not been updated. Conclusively, operational issues largely affect the day-to-day activities of Rustic Americana, and it is urgent to attend to its restructuring.  If restructuring is not evident then, it might greatly impact on the progress of the company. The priority level for this issue is Red.

Managerial and Human Management Resource Issues
The managerial and human resource management control at the company is poor. A good manager must be able to create a culture in the organization that involves the workers to play a part in some important decision-making sessions. At Rustic American it is evident that the former CIO was not showing a good picture of manager, he had no loyalty to his company and his workers. The leadership style is also important in an IT investment firm. Creating good leadership skills can help the company positively.

Human Resource Management sector monitors and screens employees. It is also responsible for rating each employee’s work and balance it with payments. There is a faulty HRM at Rustic Americana, suggestively, a decision such as allowing employees to stream movies when there is fewer loads of work are rather a poor strategy to relax the employees. Also, the HRM department at Rustic American must be able. Also, job responsibilities are not clear at Rustic. Managerial and human resource management issues are not time-consuming, and therefore they do not need urgent attention. The priority level for this issue yellow, the impact of the flaws in management are minor. Other issues need immediate attention in the HRM department such as staff training. Staff training is essential and has to be done right away for the betterment of the company.

Best Practice Reports (400 words)
According to GAO, best practices any organization that implements bets practice and reform initiatives can improve drastically in the management of its investment (Jeffery & Leliveld, 2004). For Rustic Americana, if they implement some of the new best practice and initiatives launched recently by GAO. It can fully cover for a massive improvement when it comes to investment. The recent initiative by the Office of Management and Budget called the IT dashboards are useful in that it outlines the importance of oversight, transparency, and management of the Government IT investments. Agents have to submit the CIO ratings. Such ratings will be analyzed about the investment that the government can undertake. For Rustic, the agents can give ratings to the new CIO, and the government can consider investing in the Company if their ratings are sufficient. Also, there other reforms tabled by the OMB, IT reform plan. In this document, it outlines an ambitious plan for achieving efficient and effective operational management in large-scale IT programs. Also, the plan offers advice to the IT department of any company so that they can reduce risks associated with IT acquisitions. For Rustic Americana, it is advisable to implement this initiative so that they can operate efficiently to avoid such poor reviews by customers.

According to (Tom, 2011), the secrets to successful management includes the ability to possess leadership skills, negotiation skills, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, communication skills, and ability to influence the organization positively. For Rustic Americana, it is evident that the former CIO was not able to possess some of the superior management best practices characteristics which led to the downfall. The company must create a portal where decision-making criteria involve each and every worker and do not segregate any workers irrespective of any characteristic. Alternatively, communication at Rustic Americana is not that efficient; it is significant for workers to communicate with customers or staff effectively to create a good rapport. Good communication is essential for success in management

Additionally, (Lou, 2012) suggests that ethics paly a significant role in the field of information technology. Ethical theories do apply to IT professionals. Lou Suggests that the most critical areas that It professionals must be mindful of include: competence, integrity, responsibility for work, human welfare advancement and the professional responsibility. Therefore, if one upholds each of the above areas in the workplace daily, he or she can be confident he is acting in a morally responsible style. For Rustic Americana, it is evident that ethics have to reconfigure so as to suit the image of the company.

Rustic Americana must consider the privacy of its information as stipulated by the CIA.

Operational Improvement Report
            The operations at Rustic are essential in its productivity (Carayannis, Sindakis, & Walter, 2015). As earlier analyzed it the priority levels of the issues involved in the operational sector are demanding. The operational part of the company majorly involves technological upgrades and organizational improvement methods. The major aims of this objective include:

Enhance effective operations at the call center
Improving the ethical behavior at the company
Technological and technical advancement: Support, renewal and sustainability of technological changes
Call Center Basics
To promote the quality of care at the call center, Prison must effectively troubleshoot these issues through informing the workers of the possible variations in the work operations at the call center. This improvement operation plan will focus on the machines used to the call center, type of technology, expertise involved and the organizational structure at the call center.

First, Prishan must fully train his staff on each and every role so that the workers at the call center can be able to attend to different functions in case there is a customer who is unattended to. Such a method is efficient as there will be maximum coordination between the staff itself. It creates commonality and hence there will be power struggle when it comes to roles played at the call center.  Additionally, telephone etiquette is one of the best practices of business. Telephone etiquette is often necessary for first-time impressions and therefore it must be done right (Thill, Bovée, & Chatterjee, 2013). Therefore, the agents at the call center must be trained on proper telephone etiquette. As a result, proper telephone etiquette will create a great impression of customers towards the company.

Another operational improvement plan that must be adhered to at the call center is that they must be ready for any influx of calls during the peak hours. It is recommended that chat rooms be introduced and implemented by the agents who do not have access to phones. Such a strategy is efficient to cater for a large number of customers (Axelos, n.d.). With such a chat room, it is also suggested that the company should be able to obtain a certification at least from ITIL. ITIL offers solutions to companies like Rustic Americana in obtaining IT solutions that will support company’s outcomes, enable business change, optimize customer experience, and manage risks in line with the business objectives.

Also, Rustic Americana must be able to improve at the delivery point of their business through emailing and calling customers on issues involved in inventory stock and delays on shipping. Through emailing and calling customers can be aware of any developments as per the order he/she made from the company. Emailing is sometimes ignorable by most people. Therefore, the suggested way to reach out on customers is through calling. When it comes to calling, it is suggested that the company uses a non-broadcast number. Broadcast numbers are always spammed and therefore some customers might ignore the calls from the number. The company must use a number identified by the customer during customer registry at the online catalogue.  

Updating The System and The Data Server
Operations will effectively and efficiently run in any IT related company only if the systems are fully functional (United States of America Patent No. 6,161,145, 2000). For Rustic Americana it is evident that there should upgrades to the system. First it is important that the new workstations are ordered to cater for a larger number of customers during peak hours. When work stations are added, it will initiate employment of more workers in the facility. Creating new workstations will enable to cope up with the problems of a number of customers not being attended to.

Additionally, Cisco VoIP system must be upgraded since it contains some flaws and it creates flaws in the systems during peak hours. Also, it is advisable that the company create an effective Customer resource management system, where customers can be informed of the products duly. They should not be able to build doubt about any of the commodity at Rustic Americana. Lastly, the Oracle Database is the most efficient server that Rustic Americana must employ to replace the Microsoft SQL server (Oracle, n.d.). The main advantage of the Oracle Database it utilizes schema migration techniques which is secure and easier for agents to use.

Ethics.
Ethics play a vital role in any society. Recently, the Largo corporation has been reported with unethical business behavior. To rectify issues to deal with ethics, it is advisable that they should consider the legality of their premises. Legality entails that Rustic American must perform its business according to the regulations and rules of information technology. They should not interfere with the privacy of their customers or do any harm to the client through the use of computer access. Additionally, the employees at Rustic Americana must perform their activities while focusing on customer satisfaction. Their duties must be timely in manner. Employees at Rustic Americana are held responsible for any malpractice against the company, staff or the consumer of their products. Lastly, as an IT professional, the workers must focus on integrity, human welfare, and competence. Such aspects will help workers give the utmost services to the customers. They are obligated to inform the client of any information about their products and provide expertise to them (Reynolds, 2011).

Findings and Recommendations (Attached PPT) -Deliverable
Conclusion
Rustic Americana as a subsidiary company at Largo Corporation, has received poor annual sales. It is not because of the poor technological glitches, but the organizational culture and the managerial culture. It is evident that they lack a CIO. As an acting CIO, tabling the above plan to the executive will showcase a future at Rustic American. If the plan is implemented fully, issues to deal with customer dissatisfaction will be eliminated. Also, technology plays an important role in the delivery of service and easy process of communication among the staff and customer. Rustic Company Experiences poor customer support during peak hours. Therefore, the recommended approaches must be implemented to help secure a customer base. Ethical issues are present at the corporation not only at Rustic but also at the main headquarters, Largo corporation. As IT professionals, we should adhere to the ethical responsibilities placed upon to create a working environment that is conducive for better service delivery.   

References

Axelos. (n.d.). ITIL Value proposition. Retrieved July 24, 2016, from Axelos: https://www.axelos.com/Corporate/media/Files/Key%20Benefits/ITIL_Value_Proposition.pdf

Bainbridge, A. J., Cocks, S. J., Ferguson, D. F., Freund, T., Leff, A. N., & Storey, R. A. (2000). United States of America Patent No. 6,161,145.

Carayannis, E. G., Sindakis, S., & Walter, C. (2015). Business Model Innovation as Lever of Organizational Sustainability. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 40(1), 85-104.

Chen, Y., Wang, Y., Nevo, S., Jin, J., Wang, L., & Chow, W. S. (2014). IT Capability and Organizational Performance: The Roles of Business Process Agility and Environmental Factors. European Journal of Information Systems, 23(3), 326-342.

Chesbrough, H. (2010). Business Model Innovation: Opportunities and Barriers . Long Range Planning, 43(2), 354-363.

Jeffery, M., & Leliveld, I. (2004). Best Practices in IT Portfolio Management. MIT Sloan Management Review, 45(3), 41.

Lou, B. (2012, May 25). How Ethical Teories Apply to IT Professionals. Retrieved July 24, 2016, from Association of Information Technology Professionals: https://www.aitp.org/news/93013/How-Ethical-Theories-Apply-to-IT-Professionals.htm

Oracle. (n.d.). Database SQL Developer Supplementary Information for Microsoft SQL Server Migrations. Retrieved July 24, 2016, from Oracle Help Center: https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E10405_01/appdev.120/e10379/ss_oracle_compared.htm

Reynolds, G. (2011). Ethics Information Technology. Boston: Cengage learning.

Thill, J. V., Bovée, C. L., & Chatterjee, R. B. (2013). Excellence in Business Communication. (K. Subramanian, Ed.) New York: Pearson.

Tom, W. (2011). IT Best Practices: Management, Teams, Quality, Performance, and Projects. Boca Raton, Florida, United States of America: CRC Press Publishers.