Marco Navarro PA-3001-02 Dr. Donovan

Managing Information Systems:
Database Proposal: H&M Auto Repair
Marco Navarro

Scope of Project:

For the past five years, I’ve been working for a mechanic shop called H and M auto repair shop. The guys who work there, do trucks, car, even lunch trucks. I Work in the office taking calls, writing down parts that were used in a days work so we keep track on parts that we need to order at the end of the week, writing down customer information, so we know who to call when there car are done. We put all this information on a note pad that we keep in a desk. My boss is really un-organize. We need a way to get this info in and out easier and quicker but that’s hard with a notebook. So I proposed that we take all this information and put it in an access database to make it a quicker and an easier process.

Organization: H & M Auto Repair Inc.

H & M Auto Repair is a profit organization, which offers its customers top of the line vehicle care at a great price. Sometimes we do high-end cars and we have to order those parts from the dealer, and the dealer price is a lot more, so we try to see if we can price the customer a fair price. On a good day, we have twelve customers on the books and maybe four walk-ins. On a bad day, we have like five customers on the books and maybe two walk-ins. Sometimes we have clients, who have multiple orders, like engine work, oil change, trans oil change, gasket change, maybe something wrong with the electrical wire, we fix that too. My boss is a man of all trades pretty much. My boss is the man when it comes to a car, like he knows his shit.
H & M Auto Repair has been open since 1994, they weren’t always called H & M. first they were called L & R auto repair. My boss Manny wasn’t always the boss, he started off working as an employee and worked his way up, and he’s a very hard workingman. So when he wanted to own his own business, he paid off his boss and the shares to the shop. He changed the name to H & M Auto Repair in 2003; it has been running and making money officially for a solid 19 years. His shop is pretty big; it’s a two-door garage. It can hold five cars on one side and 6 cars on the other side. So multiple cars get done quicker. With three workers and me in the office I think we get it done pretty well.
The people who have a say, in what goes on in the shop is the share holders which are his son Helder Rodrigues, His Daughter Michelle Rodrigues, and the father Manny Rodrigues, who is the boss. Each shareholder has a certain duty. For example Helder goes to dealers to get the parts and Michelle answers phones when she’s there and Manny works on the cars and overlooks that his employees are doing the right thing to the job, then there’s me who does info on the customer, what where used and how much we need at the end of a week, take in money, how much and when. What’s the balance that’s left, if there is one? Set up dates, so they can come back to get other needs. Like cars need oil changes, every three months or so, we make him a follow up date to come back.

Proposed Course of Action:

What I Foresee is providing my boss Manny with a comprehensive, all-inclusive access database, which incorporates and accomplishes the multitude of jobs that I am doing manually. Doing these jobs by computer achieves two things: it helps save a lot of time and energy that will result in a way better managing system. There’s no cost required to use access. It’s just a quicker and easier way to get your information that you need by a click of a button. The database will have all our customers names, number, what job they need done?, what parts we used in that job, the make of car and year, the plate number, how much is there balance and what customer is coming in on that day.

The access database will be a functional, user-friendly, easy to enter data, and mainly common sense. If you need someone quick to enter a part that was used, you click on the day, go to the name and there you go. If you need to enter if someone paid or how much they owe. You look at the name and find out how much they owe, then you collect the money and you type paid. This would make the accountant life so much easier because he doesn’t have to go threw all that paperwork that he goes threw now, If I do this database correctly he will need to just turn on the computer and check the earnings for the year. The database will look something like this. With more customers, cost, and cars Etc.…

The following Reports will be generated by the access database
Customer List Report * Name, address, and number
Check In Report * Names of people that came in on that day
Payment Report * Who has paid and who hasn’t paid * How much do they owe
Customer Waiting List Report * It shows who’s next on line to get there car fixed
Parts Report * What part was used on a daily basis * What part we need to order so that we don’t run low

Impact of new system on Organization: I think that making an access database for H & M auto Repair would provide a much better way to take in information. They may not agree wit me but it would be a better decision making tool because it will show us what parts we need so we don’t overstock on certain parts that we don’t need, so its saving us some money, that’s always good. It will also keep us organize by helping us see who goes on what day and in what order because some people needs there cars done quick. In and out and done right is great for business. A happy customer means they come back and we get more money.

Conclusion: It is essential that the shareholders take a look at their needs to be organized. My relationship between my employer and me is in jeopardy because if they don’t do something different then I feel I can’t do my job properly and be efficient. The proposed access database will accomplish all my needs to do my job easier and correctly. It will make it so much better for my boss because all the information he needs to make a bill is literally one click away.