Service Request SR-rm-022
BSA/375
Monday, February 4, 2013
Mark Fairbanks

Service Request SR-rm-022
Company Overview Riordan Manufacturing originated from a small research and development company called Riordan Plastics, Inc. that had its beginning in 1991 (Apollo Group, Inc., 2012). Its founder was a chemistry professor named Dr. Riordan, who acquired patents for processing polymers into plastic substrates that resisted breaking under extreme tension (Apollo Group, Inc., 2012). In 1992, Dr. Riordan acquired capital to expand his company and renamed it Riordan Manufacturing. By 2000, Riordan Manufacturing was so successful it grew into a global manufacturer that became a leader in plastic products (Apollo Group, Inc., 2012). Some of the products it produces are plastic beverage containers, plastic fan parts, and customized plastic parts. It has facilities in four locations: (1) Georgia, (2) Michigan, (3) California, and (4) China. Dr. Riordan prides himself on giving his customers quality service. This has led to loyal customers in the following industries consisting of automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, appliance manufacturers, and beverage makers and bottlers (Apollo Group, Inc., 2012). Riordan Manufacturer’s revenue is roughly about 46 million annually (Apollo Group, Inc., 2012). The company manages a global personnel consisting of 550 individuals. Employees are encouraged to be innovative and develop strong work ethics. Riordan Manufacturing mission is to become a leader in the polymer material industry. Their goal is to provide workable solutions to the challenges faced by their customers. Their Research and Development group concentrate on discovering new polymer trends and using that knowledge to enhance the influence and profitability of Riordan Manufacturing.

Mission Riordan Manufacturing is a corporation focused on obtaining immediate solutions for the challenges the company incurs. Currently, Riordan Manufacturing’s Chief Operating Officer, Hugh McCauley, has commissioned Smith Services Consulting Incorporated to review its current human resources system and come up with solutions to achieve a more up-to-date system in which their separate processes are incorporated into one system. The expected duration of the project is six months, in which the current process of the HR system will be analyzed, documentations will be reviewed, observations of procedures will be made, interviews with key associates will be scheduled, and requirements of the new HR system will be determined. It is the goal of Smith Services Consulting Incorporated to have the new HR system operational within six months.
Human Resources Department Riordan Manufacturing’s human resources department responsibilities include: (1) the maintaining of company history, (2) the publishing and distributing of the Employee Handbook, (3) handling interrelationship conflicts, (4) compensations and benefits, (5) training and development, (6) and payroll and taxes (Apollo Group, Inc., 2012). One process performed by the HR department to be considered involves annual performance evaluations and pay adjustments. This is composed of annual appraisals of employees tendered by managers. Another process is the compensation and rewards practices. This consists of employee rewards and recognition program, team incentives, education, and reimbursements. This also includes health, dental, and life insurances as well as 401k savings, vacation, paid holidays, and global operations. The last process is labor relationships.

Human Resources Project
Scope of Project Review of documentation and requirements has revealed that the current HR system is out-of-date and lacks the specifications to handle the existing functionalities performed by HR. Absent is a centralized location of employee information. Manual inputting of information is spread too wide among supervisors, clerks, and managers. The HR system needs to be upgraded to a more user-friendly software system that contains a secure centralized location of employee information. Procurement of information will be performed by interviews, surveys, observations, documentation reviews, and research (See Table 1).

|Arrangements for Obtaining Information |
|Interviews |Scheduled interviews with major users and contributors to new HR system |
|Questionnaires and Surveys |Forms containing standardized questions |
|Observations |Physically witnessing current procedures and processes |
|Documentation Review |Careful examination of available documentations |
|Research |Fact searching for pertinent information by means of available mediums (Internet, |
| |Technical Manuals, etc.) |

Table 1 – Arrangements for Obtaining Information

Interviews should be scheduled with major stakeholders. This should include the CEO Dr. Riordan, the CIO Maria Trihn, the COO Hugh McCauley, Director of Human Resources Yvonne McMillan and Director of Accounting and Finance Donald Bryson. These key stakeholders are important for the following reasons. Dr. Riordan is closely involved with the research and development of Riordan Manufacturing. His input is valuable. CIO Trihn is in charge of information technology and can supply technical information vital to the success of this project. McCauley initiated the request for the project, so it will help to understand why he considers this project important. To understand better the financial limitations of the project, scheduling an interview with Donald Bryson is essential. To get a more comprehensive understanding of about the functions of the human resources department it is important to learn who they interact with, what is involved with their daily activities and what their concerns are. This will necessitate setting up interviews with McMillan and several of her staff members. The current HR system depends on the managers of different departments to interact and to supply information to the HR department. It will be prudent to set up interviews with managers from each department to discover exactly what each department contributes to the HR department. The following actions will be performed to ensure that the interviews are conducted orderly and effectively. • Interviewees will receive an explanation for the interview and a copy of the questions that will be asked for the purpose of preparing the interviewee.

• Interviewees will receive notification of the scheduled appointment. It will be planned ahead with enough time to allow the interviewee the necessary time to make adjustments to his schedule (Valacich, George, & Hoffer, 2012).

• Annotations and a summary of each interview will be executed immediately after each interview to ensure the accuracy of the information captured.

• Interview questions will contain a balance of open-ended questions as well as closed-ended questions. This will allow the interviewee some flexibility to expand upon their function, concerns, expectations, and opinions (Valacich, George, & Hoffer, 2012).

• Interview summaries will be compared against the current procedural documentation for accuracy.

• Observations will be scheduled via the appropriate manager to ascertain the accuracy of the information gathered during the interviews (Valacich, George, & Hoffer, 2012).

• If possible, observations will be scheduled during peak times and non-peak times.

• Final step is to prepare a Summary Report for managerial approval.

Recommendations Recommend an upgrade to state-of-art human resources and payroll software. Payroll Champion sponsored by Process Weaver is excellent. The software will provide a centralized location for employee information (Process Weaver, 2011). Currently Riordan Manufacturing has managers storing employee files in file cabinets. Riordan Manufacturing’s Human Resources Information System (HRIS) only stores a minimum amount of employee information on its database, such as employee personal information (name, address, etc.), pay rate, personal exceptions, hire date, seniority date, and organizational information (manager, department, etc.). It is an out-of-date system that depends on paper trails and special forms stored in filing cabinets. Training information, development progress, and recruitment information are stored on Excel spreadsheets controlled by one supervisor, but unavailable to the entire HR department. Payroll Champion will keep track of this information as well as training, vacations, and much more in a centralized location for easy access for HR personnel. This will eliminate the need for information and reports to be stored on Excel spreadsheets, such as the training and development records held by the training and development specialist (Apollo Group Inc., 2011). It will also eliminate the need for managers to store employee information in filing cabinets. Every manual specialized form filled out by departmental managers on behalf of the HR department can be eliminated and handled by the Payroll Champion software. This will improve the security of employee information and facilitate payroll adjustments. This will also allow the proper information to reach the appropriate hands more quickly. It will improve the accuracy of information. Additional hardware will need to be purchased to enable some of the locations to support the new HR system.

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Table 2 – Comparison of Systems
System Development Life Cycle The SDLC (System Development Life Cycle) is a conceptual model in which specified tasks within progressive phases are defined from the feasibility phase to the implementation phase of the project (Rouse, 2009). The integrity of information and the progress of this project will be maintained and emphasized throughout the SDLC phases. Documentation will be required in every phase. The first two phases (System Planning and Analysis) will be accomplished by means of observations, interviews, reviewing of current documentation, research, and the implementing of the JAD (Joint Application Design) technique (Valacich, George, & Hoffer, 2012). JAD will help develop a plan to be executed based on the information gathered. During this phase any software and hardware necessary for supporting the new HR system and for bringing each location to required specifications will be purchased. The last two phases includes the logical and physical design of the new system. This will also include implementing and testing the new system before going live. Documentation of errors discovered, adjustments made, and immediate concerns will be recorded and addressed. When the system goes live, a maintenance schedule will be developed. During this phase training classes for users will be planned and scheduled.
Feasibility
Technical Feasibility The technical feasibility is good for Riordan Manufacturing because they already have a pre-existing infrastructure running and have a fully functional IT department. Their IT department is capable of handling the installation of new software as well as any hardware necessary. An additional function the IT department will be involved with is ensuring any software or hardware purchased is compatible with existing infrastructure.

Economic Feasibility Economic feasibility is determined by ascertaining the cost and benefits linked with the implementations of the new system (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2012). The economic feasibility for Riordan Manufacturing is good. Riordan Manufacturing is a company that supports change. It is a company that seeks ways to improve itself and has placed a budget of $150,000 aside for such research. The benefits derived from the new HR system (both tangible and intangible) far outweigh the appraised cost to acquire new software and to upgrade the existing network infrastructures across their facilities. Organizational Feasibility The organizational feasibility is good. Everyone in management is committed to seeing this project succeed. The Human Resources department is in agreement that this is a necessary action and long overdue. Their current system is out-of-date and inadequate for handling the growing demands of the company. The new system will require training for any staff member using the system. This may necessitate hiring trainers and scheduling classes for employees and management. The goals set by this project adhere to Riordan Manufacturing mission of becoming trend setters and achieving profitability. The stakeholders of this project are Senior Management, management, the system users, and the employees. The benefits the new HR system will bring to the company far outweigh the appraised cost.

Riordan Manufacturing: Architecture and Design The network structure format for the new human resources system will be a client-server network topology (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2012). It has been determined that Riordan Manufacturing infrastructure is capable of maintaining the new human resources system with minimal changes to their network structure. Currently, Riordan Manufacturing is running on client-server network topologies so installing and maintaining another client-server system will not be a difficult project to undertake. The plan is to purchase five servers. One server will be placed at the following facilities: Missouri, Georgia, and China. These servers will be the HR Server and will host application software. Two will be installed in California at Riordan Manufacturing Headquarters. One server will be the HR Server that will host the application software and the second one will be used to store the database (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2012). The network architecture and design for the Riordan Manufacturing Headquarters HR servers is demonstrated at Diagram 1.
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Diagram 1 - Network Design of HR System Some of recommendations for server specifications are that the operating system should be Windows 2003/2008 or higher, and it should also contain SQL server 2008/2012 (Standard or higher). The processor should be 2GHz or higher and RAM should be 8GB. The hard drive should be 500GB or higher. Table 3 provides a full summary of the server specifications.

|Components |Recommendations |
|Operating System |Windows 2003/2008 or higher (Server Edition is required) |
|SQL Server |Microsoft SQL Server 2008/2012 (Standard or higher) Required for database greater than|
| |2GB |
|Anti-Virus Software (Required) |Symantec Anti-virus or comparable |
|Computer/Processor |2GHz or faster |
|Memory (RAM) |8GB or higher |
|Hard Disk |500GB |
|Network Card (NIC) |10/100/1000 Mbps |
|Internet (Required) |DSL or faster |
|Power Supply (Required) |UPS |

Table 3 – Recommended Specs for HR Servers The HR Servers will not only grant managers, supervisors, and human resources personnel the ability to access the Payroll Champion software but also the employees. This will eliminate the need for paper trails and the storing of information in file cabinets. This will also allow managers to more easily maintain and manage employee information. Security of information will be handled by authentication and authorization protocol. The HR system will allow grant employees access so that they can verify the accuracy of their information. The HR Server containing the database at the headquarters will house the employee’s information at one centralized location. This will make it easier to maintain and to manage. It is important that backups of this information be scheduled and stored in a secure location other than at the headquarters. The Payroll Champion software offers several formats to use for backups. Some of these formats include Pen drives, CDR, CDRW, Hard disk, and Network drives (Process Weaver, 2011). The workflow of information will be as follows: (1) access to the Payroll Champion software will be available at each facility, (2) employee information will be kept on the HR database server at headquarters, (3) communication between sites will be maintain across T2 and T3 connections (Diagram 2). [pic]

Diagram 2 – Workflow Layout

Information security is extremely important when concerning business information and because of the value of the information stored on the HR servers it is recommended that high-caliber anti-virus software be installed. Running SQL Server in an environment can pose a risk by opening the door for malicious software to infiltrate and cause loss of access to the business information or the spread of malicious software throughout the company’s network environment (Microsoft Support, 2013). This can be costly to rectify. It has been determined that the current configuration of Riordan Manufacturing computer terminals meet the minimum requirements for the Payroll Champion software (see Table 4). No additional purchase of computer terminals will be needed, unless Riordan decides they want to expand their existing infrastructure. The Payroll Champion software is capable of running on Riordan Manufacturing’s current infrastructure.
|Minimum System Requirements for Payroll Champion |
|Processor |Intel Pentium IV and above or equivalent |
|Memory |256 MB RAM or more |
|Disk Space |100 MB or more |
|Monitor Resolution |1024 X 768 or higher |
|Operating System |Windows XP/Vista/Win7 |

Table 4 - Minimum Requirements Expenditures for network components will include: • $1,039 for each Lenovo Think server (five will total $5,195) • $162 for Kaspersky Small Office Security Workstation and Server (five users) • $7,525 for MS SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (Tiger Direct, Inc., 2013) • About $20 for additional cables • $500 for the Payroll Champion software with one-year support It was decided to use SQL Server 2008 because of the many benefits it brings to the table. These benefits outweigh the cost. Part of the new features offered by SQL Server 2008 is the addendum of Power-Pivot for Excel, which allows users to alter enormous quantities of data into meaningful information (Petri IT Knowledgebase, 2009). The feature “Master Data Services” found in Server 2008 also safeguards the integrity of the data by enforcing the business rules and establishing security measures. Other features within SQL Server 2008 include empowering end-users, the ability to import information from any location, providing gorgeous visualizations, superior collaborating software, and better IT management through centralized data management (Petri IT Knowledgebase, 2009). The benefits that Server 2008 brings to enhancing the new HR system and Riordan Manufacturing is not only tangible but also intangible. Training is crucial and beneficial for a company. Training will enhance the skills, knowledge, and capabilities of employees. It is essential for a company to maintain the skills and knowledge for running its business within the company (Helium, 2013). This will provide skills within an organization that can reduce the cost of the organization’s operating process. The required training for Payroll Champion will be minimal. Process Weaver will supply one year of support (Process Weaver, 2011). The software is self-explanatory. Process Weaver not only offers online support but also provides online tutorials and step-by-step guides. The ESS (Employee Self-Service) feature of Payroll Champion allows any employee with intranet access to view, create, and manage his data. ESS provides real-time access and data management. It offloads some of the responsibilities of the human resources department such as vacation selection, sick days, and attendance reports by placing the power in the hands of the employees. Employees are empowered to maintain the accuracy of their own information.
Implementation
The implementation phase will include the installation of the new system, documentation, training, and scheduling of maintenance of the new system. This will involve the HR department, the IT department, and the Process Weaver Corporation. The HR department will be involved because they are the primary users of the new HR system and responsible for reporting any issues they encounter with the new system. The IT department will be installing the new system, providing technical documentation, upkeep of the STR (System Trouble Report) system, and overseeing scheduled maintenance of the new system. The Process Weaver Corporation will handle support and working together with the HR department for scheduling training. Diagram 3 gives an overview of the allocation of responsibilities.
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Diagram 3 – Allocation of Responsibilities
Coding, Testing, and Installation Coding will be minimal because the Payroll Champion software already covers the present needs of the company. However, if a functionality is discovered missing during the testing phase, it will be addressed in-house with the assistance of Process Weaver. The installation is composed of installing the servers and the application software at each site. Quality assurance testing will be conducted to verify the integrity of information. This will involve sending test data (Legacy generated data) from each site to validate connectivity (Tuteja, 2011). Security levels should be tested and confirmed as solid. Focus should not only be on the testing but also on documenting what has been tested (Tuteja, 2011). The goal of the testing will be to corroborate that the software is up and functioning at each site. It will also determine that data flow between the sites is available and operating at peak level by broadband performance testing (One Stop Click, 2013). The QA Group with the assistance of HR personnel will test the integrity of the information, the ease of functionality, and report any issues that are discovered. This will necessitate training the QA group and users on the functionality of the new software. As for the information stored on the old system, Payroll Champion has integrated methods for retrieving that information. However, the information stored in the old system is not complete. Riordan Manufacturing has huge quantities of employee information stored in file cabinets and on spreadsheets. This information will be feed into the new system manually. HR department will handle the planning, scheduling, and overseeing of personnel to complete this task. This will require considerable time and should be scheduled adequately before the system goes live. QA will be required to assess the integrity of the information once stored on the new system. Issues will be addressed before continuing.
Documentation
Documentation will contain a blueprint of the network design. This will include network addresses, schematics of network layouts, technical manuals, software code, and licenses. Documentation will also contain user manuals, “How-To” manuals, and the documents created during the SDLC process. These user manuals will be supplied to HR from Process Weaver. The importance of these user manuals cannot be stressed enough. In absence of the implementation team and support, these user manuals will act as a secondary support (Khanduja, 2009).

Training Training will be addressed in several formats. Onsite training will be given by classes and seminars. User manuals and “How-To” manuals will be distributed to users and will be made available for Riordan’s staff at the HR department. These manuals will also be made available online for download via PDF format. Online training will be provided by help menus available within the Payroll Champion software, and training webinars.
Support
Online and onsite support will be provided by Process Weaver for one year. Process Weaver is opened to personalizing support to meet the needs and requirements of Riordan Manufacturing. IT support will be provided at each site and will handle any technical issue.
Scheduled Maintenance The IT department will be responsible for performing any update or upgrades on the HR system. This includes hardware (servers, POS workstations, cabling), software (Payroll Champion), and license renewals. Servers and POS workstations will be covered by a one-year replacement warranty with a five-year repair of parts. Payroll Champion support is covered for one year with options to renew yearly.
Conclusion
Riordan Manufacturing’s HR system is inadequate to handle its current requirements efficiently. COO Hugh McCauley has initiated a request to overhaul the current HR system and unite the separate functions performed by the Human Resources department into one system. Evaluations performed by interviews, observations, Surveys, research, and review of documentation as well as review of the requirements, indicate that this project is feasible and viable. With the involvement of the JAD technique and the SDLC method, this project can be accomplished on-time and within budget. The final analysis is that this project adheres to the mission and the goals of Riordan Manufacturing and will be beneficial for Riordan Manufacturing. It will provide immediate benefits by consolidating the separate processes of the human resources department. It will also eliminate paper trails and the storing of information in filing cabinets. It will provide adequate security measures for employee information. The new human Resources system will provide both short-term and long-term benefits. Riordan Manufacturing will incur a low cost for the network components needed to build the new HR system. The new HR system can piggyback on top of their currently running infrastructure. The procurement of five servers, additional software, and cables will be necessary, but no additional computer terminals will be required. Their IT department is capable of installing the acquired software and hardware. Training will be minimal. Payroll Champion meets the needs of Riordan Manufacturing’s HR department. It will allow managers to input information from anywhere in the company and eliminate the need for managers and clerks to store employee information in file cabinets and on Excel spreadsheets. Payroll Champion will give Riordan Manufacturing a centralized location for storing, managing, and maintaining employee information. This software will enhance the capability of the human resources department to more efficiently manage their responsibilities to the company and its employees. Once the new HR system has been implemented, further actions are needed to ensure the success of the system. Training will be provided and made available to the staff. IT will manage scheduled maintenance and provide assistance with technical issues. They will also be responsible for delivering technical documentation for the new system. Users will furnish information of any concerns they encounter while using the system through the STR (System Trouble Reporting) method setup by IT department. HR will be responsible for delivering User manuals and “How-To” manuals for the functionality of the Payroll Champion software. They will also offer and schedule training classes, seminars, webinars, and online tutorials. Process Weaver will provide one year of support with the option to renew for another year (Process Weaver, 2011).

Reference
Apollo Group, Inc., (2012). Riordan Manufacturing Employee Intranet Site. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Riordan/index.asp

Dennis, A., Wixom, B. H., & Roth, R. M. (2012). Systems Analysis & Design (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Helium. (2013). Benefits of training for both the organization and employees . Retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/1538743-benefits-of-training-for-both-the-organization-and-employeesadvantages-of-training
Khanduja, J. (2009). Why User Manuals are so important in Software Project Management. Retrieved from http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/quality-assurance/why-user-manuals-are-so-important-in-software-project-management/
Microsoft Support. (2013). How to choose antivirus software to run on computers that are running SQL Server. Retrieved from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309422

One Stop Click. (2013). Broadband Performance Testing Tools. Retrieved from http://Broadband Performance Testing Tools

Petri IT Knowledgebase. (2009). Top 4 Reasons to Move to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2. Retrieved from http://www.petri.co.il/top-4-reasons-to-move-to-microsoft-sql-server-2008-r2.htm

Process Weaver. (2011). Payroll Champion. Retrieved from http://www.processweaver.in/ProcessWeaver/payroll_champion.htm
Rouse, M. (2009). System Development Life Cycle. Retrieved from http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/systems-development-life-cycle

Tiger Direct, Inc. (2013). Servers. Retrieved from http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=30&srkey=servers

Tuteja, A. (2011). Role of Testing in successful project implementation. Retrieved from http://www.infosysblogs.com/oracle/2011/05/role_of_testing_in_successful.html

Valacich, J. S., George, J. F., & Hoffer, J. A. (2012). Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education