The Information Technology Requirements for Business

With an increasing number of clients and a steady stream of new ones, business is expanding quickly in the twenty-first century. Therefore, it’s crucial for business owners to devise strategies for retaining their clientele and effectively managing their workforce in order to maximize productivity and revenue. Customer satisfaction is essential to the success of the business since the hair stylist interacts directly with customers in establishments like salons and barbershops. It might not be simple to do things when carried out manually. The way businesses are run has become more convenient thanks to technology, especially when it is used correctly. Kelly’s salon will also need such technology since Kelly is determined to prosper in her business.

IT Requirements

IT Requirement

Importance/Relevance

High,Medium,Low, or

Not Applicable (N/A)

Explanation for Ranking

1

Usability

High

The system will be used to book appointment and schedule time. It should, therefore, be easy to use by both the customers and employees. No training time and cost should be incurred. The user interface should be simple and easy to understand without training. It should be one that is accessed via mobile phone in inform of a mobile application.

2

Maintainability

Medium

Since the system will be used on a daily basis, its maintenance should be minimal to avoid breakdowns. The customer and the stylist should have portals where the update their profiles and personal information after which it automatically updates in the whole system and can be viewed by the front desk staff.

3

Scalability

High

The system should be highly scalable since Kelly would like to maintain her customers and at the same attract new ones. The new clients should be accommodated in the system with ease. They should be able to get service just like the typical clients. The system must be capable of handling increasing amount of data and keep the previous records of the customer and keep track of the history.

4

Reliability

High

The system should able to notify the customer when his/her schedule is next. It should also provide reliable information about the stylists. Any confusion should be communicated to the client in advance.

5

Availability

High

The system and mobile application should readily available to anyone. It should be free of charge to anybody who would wish to download it. Upon using it, the client should be able to upload details and make appointments immediately.

6

Performance

High

The system will be used by many customers at the same time. Therefore, it should fast and efficient and have the information required by the client and the stylist.

7

Security

Medium

The details about the business must be made visible to everyone. Since it is open to any customer, Kelly and the system cannot limit the extent to which the information about the business is spread and who is to see it. The security should be up to a level that prevents a hacker from interfering with the stored data and detecting any viruses that might compromise its functionality.

8

Data Accuracy

High

The data in the system must always be accurate. The customers will be requesting the styles they want which must match what the stylists in Kelly’s salon can offer. The system should also show which stylist is free and what he/she is good at.

The system should be able to account for what has been used, what needs to be purchased and the appropriate quantity and time for making the order.(Wang & Strong, 1996)

9

Data Completeness

High

All the information about the business should be available in the system. The location, charges and any offers available to the clients. The customer’s and stylist’s profile should also be complete and up to date so as to ensure convenience when a customer books an appointment.

10

Authentication

Medium

The will to determine whether the new client’s details are real. It should be able to distinguish between real customers and ghost clients. The control panel must have authentication process to allow only the selected personnel to access vulnerable data. The frequent customers should be provided with a login platform while the new customers have a registering platform.

11

Enterprise Systems (ERP, CRM, SCM)

Medium

Customer Relationship Management will be most appropriate for Kelly’s situation. The system will help monitor the behavior of clients and their trends. The business will then adjust accordingly to increase its sales and customer base.

12

Networks

High

The system should have a very fast and reliable network since data will be shared between Kelly’s salon and the clients. Lapses in network connection might make the system slow and pleasing to customers.

13

Database

High

The database of the system should be adequate to store the information. It should have the capability of being expanded as the number of clients and Kelly’s employee’s increase. The system’s database should be organized for easy access, update and management to avoid confusion of stored personal information.(Nelson, et al, 2005)

14

Data Warehouse

High

There is a need for the data warehouse in the system since data will be entered from many sources by the different clients and stylists. The system should be able to capture information from various sources. The warehouse should be easy to access in case information needs to be retrieved.(Nelson, et al, 2005)

15

Data Mining

N/A

Since the data will be entered by the clients and Kelly or her staff, data mining will not be necessary. The information provided by the client should be organized in a particular order to suit the schedule. No critical analysis of the data will be necessary.

16

Business Intelligence

High

Since Kelly would like to manage the supply and employees schedule, the system should have business intelligence to collect the data and determine what course of action is required. The business intelligence will also help with inventory management and supply ordering.

17

Decision Support System

High

The system must have decision support to help in analyzing the data. This will help Kelly in decision making about her business. It has to be accurate when analyzing the figures and monitoring the performance.

18

Business-to-Business eCommerce

Medium

The system should have business to business capability to maintain a constant link with Kelly’s suppliers. Even though it is not a big entity, it needs to keep inventories to help monitor the stock. The system will also be able to monitor order fulfillment and keep track of the logistics.(Senn, 2000)

19

Business-to-Consumer eCommerce

High

This will be necessary for the system since Kelly deals directly with the clients. Though there is not sale of goods, the service is offered from the salon directly to the customer. The system also links the customers’ information directly to the salon.

References

Senn, J. A. (2000). Business-to-business e-commerce. Information Systems Management, 17(2), 23-32.

Nelson, R. R., Todd, P. A., & Wixom, B. H. (2005). Antecedents of information and system quality: an empirical examination within the context of data warehousing. Journal of management information systems, 21(4), 199-235.

Wang, R. Y., & Strong, D. M. (1996). Beyond accuracy: What data quality means to data consumers. Journal of management information systems, 12(4), 5-33.