Stage 1: Background
and Organizational Analysis

Before you begin work on this assignment,
be sure you have read the Case Study on Chesapeake IT Consultants (CIC).

Overview

As a business
analyst in the Chief Information Officer’s (CIO’s) department of Chesapeake IT
Consulting (CIC), you have been assigned to conduct an analysis, develop a set
of system requirements and recommend an IT solution to improve the hiring
process for CIC. This work will be
completed in four stages, and each of these four stages will focus on one
section of an overall Business Analysis
and System Recommendation (BA&SR) report to be delivered to the
CIO.

Section I: Strategic Use of Technology (Stage 1) – The first step is
to look at the organization and explain how an IT system could be used to
support CIC’s strategies and objectives, and support its decision-making processes.

Section II: Process Analysis (Stage 2) – Next you will evaluate
current processes and workflow and explain how CIC can use IT to improve its
processes and workflow.

Section III: Requirements (Stage 3) –Then you will identify
key stakeholder expectations for the new technology solution to support CIC’s
hiring process and develop a set of requirements.

Section IV: System Recommendation (Stage 4) – Finally, you will review
the provided Vendor brochure for a proposed solution and explain how it meets
the requirements and what needs to be done to implement the system within CIC.

The sections of
the BA&SR will be developed and submitted as four staged assignments. In stages 2, 3 and 4, you will also
incorporate any feedback received when the previous stage was graded to improve
the effectiveness of your overall report and then add the new section to your
report. At the end of the course, you
will submit a complete BA&SR document that includes all the sections and
changes that resulted from previous feedback. Part of the grading criteria for Stage 4
submission includes addressing previous feedback to improve the final report.

Assignment – BA&SR: Introduction
and Section I – Strategic Use of Technology

Write an
appropriate Introduction to the entire BA&SR Report (guidelines are
provided below). Section I of the BA&SR
document contains an organizational analysis and identifies ways in which
information systems can help CIC, the organization in the case study, meet its
strategic goals and meet the information needs of various levels of management.

Using the case study,
assignment instructions, Course Content readings, and external resources,
develop your Introduction and Section I: Background and Organizational Analysis. To start, review the Business
Perspectives Module (week 1 content), particularly the sections that describe
the example of Booz Allen Hamilton, a services company with a business model
similar to that of CIC in the case study.
The case study tells you that the executives and employees at CIC have
identified a need for an effective and efficient hiring system. As you
review the case study, use the assignment instructions to take notes to assist
in your analysis; in particular, look for objectives to support the strategies
in the table below, and decisions that the various individuals make in the hiring
process as expressed in the “interviews.”

Use the outline
format, headings and tables provided and follow all formatting instructions
below. For Stage 1, create a title page and reference page that will
be used for all 4 stages.

Apply specific information
from the case study to address each
area.

Introduction

Begin your report
with a clear, concise, well organized introduction to explain why you are
writing and what is to come. This should
briefly set the context for CIC – business purpose, environment, and current
challenges related to hiring. Then
specifically provide what is to come in the full report (not just Stage
1). Keep your audience in mind – this
is an internal report for the CIO of CIC.
Provide an introduction in one
paragraph that engages the reader’s interest in continuing to read this
report.

I.
Strategic Use of Technology

A.
Organizational Strategy – Briefly describe the organizational strategy using
the Business Strategy statement and information from the Case Study, and explain
how a new hiring system would support that strategy. (Use two to three strong sentences that
explain how the system would support the strategy and justify your position
with specifics from the Case Study.)

B.
Competitive Advantage – Explain how and why CIC can use the new hiring
system to increase its competitive advantage.
Your explanation should demonstrate your understanding of what
competitive advantage is as well as how improving the hiring process will help
achieve CIC’s competitive advantage. Include how CIC can use the type of
data/information that will be in the hiring system for strategic
advantage. (Paragraph of 2-3 sentences)

C.
Strategic
Objectives– Review the four Strategic Goals in the Strategic Plan section
of the CIC Case Study. The CIO has asked
you to come up with an example of an objective to meet each goal and explain
how a new hiring system would help achieve that objective. As you can see from the example provided in
the table below, an objective is a statement that is clear (not vague) and is
something that can be measured or evaluated to determine whether it has been
met or not. First, insert an
introductory opening sentence for this table.
Then, for each of the rows listed below, complete the table with the
requested information. (Provide an
introductory sentence and copy the table.
Create an Objective for each of the 3 remaining Goals and explain using
2-3 sentences for each.)

Strategic Goal (from case study)	Objective (clear, measurable and time-bound)	Explanation (2-3 sentences)
Increase CIC Business Development by winning new contracts in the areas of IT Consulting
Build a cadre of consultants internationally to provide remote research and analysis support to CIC’s onsite teams in the U. S. EXAMPLE PROVIDED	Increase international recruiting efforts and employ 5 research analysts in the next 12 months.	The new hiring system would allow applicants from around the world to apply online, increasing the number of international applicants. It would enable the recruiters to carefully monitor the applications for these positions, identify the necessary research and analysis skills needed, and screen resumes for these key skills. Recruiters could quickly view the number of applicants and identify when additional recruiting efforts are needed to meet the objective.
Continue to increase CIC’s ability to quickly provide high quality consultants to awarded contracts to best serve the clients’ needs
Increase CIC’s competitive advantage in the IT consulting marketplace by increasing its reputation for having IT consultants who are highly skilled in leading edge technologies and innovative solutions for its clients

D.
Decision
Making – In the Information Systems (IS) course module (included in the Week 2
Learning Resources), you were introduced to the information requirements of
various levels of the organization.
First, insert an introductory opening sentence for this section. Then, for each of the management roles listed
below, complete the table with the appropriate
level (as defined in the course module), an example of a specific decision supported by the Hiring System to be made
at that level, and what type of
information from the hiring system would be needed to support that decision. Think about what information the hiring
system could provide about applicants, etc. and then identify an example of a
decision that might be made by each level of management. A decision is a choice
or conclusion that the management might make about business operations or
future planning. This is not about the
decisions about implementing a new technology solution or about general
responsibilities of each role. (Provide an introductory sentence then copy the
table and insert information within.)

Role Level as defined in IS Course Module Example of Possible DecisionSupported by Hiring System Example of Informationthe Hiring System Could Provide to Support Your Example Decision Senior/Executive Managers (Decisions made by the CEO and the CFO at CIC supported by the hiring system.) Middle Managers (Decisions made by the Director of HR and the Manager of Recruiting supported by the hiring system.) Operational Managers (Decisions made by the line managers in the organization who are hiring for their projects supported by the hiring system.)

Formatting Your Assignment

Consider your audience – you are writing in the role
of a CIC business analyst and your audience is CIC and your boss, the CIO. Don’t discuss CIC as if the reader has no
knowledge of the organization. Use third
person consistently throughout the report.
In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and
ours. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the
individual, the “self,” out of the writing. This method is very helpful for effective
business writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the
text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased
and thus more informed.

·
In Stage 1, you are preparing the first part of a 4-stage report. Use the structure, headings, and outline
format provided here for your report.

·
Write
a short concise paper: Use the recommendations
provided in each area for length of response. It’s important to value quality over
quantity. Assignment should not
exceed 4 pages excluding title and reference pages.

·
Content
areas should be double spaced; table entries should be single-spaced.

·
To copy
a table: Move your cursor to the
table, then click on the small box that appears at the upper left corner of the
table to highlight the table; right click and COPY the table; put the cursor in
your paper where you want the table and right click and PASTE the table.

·
Ensure
that each of the tables is preceded by an introductory sentence
that explains what is contained in the table, so the reader understands why
the table has been included.

·
Create a title page that includes: The company name, title of report, your name,
Course and Section # and date.

·
Use at
leasttwo resources with APA formatted citation and
reference. Use at least one external
reference and one from the course content. Course content
should be from the class reading content, not the assignment instructions or
case study itself. The final document should contain all
references from all stages appropriately formatted and alphabetized.

·
Begin a Reference Page for resources required for this
assignment. Additional research in next
stages will be added to this as you build the report.

·
Running
headers are not required for this report.

·
Compare your work to the Grading Rubric
below to be sure you have met content and quality criteria.

·
Submit your paper as a Word document,
or a document that can be read in Word. Keep
tables in Word format – do not paste in graphics.

·
Your submission should include your
last name first in the filename: Lastname_firstname_Stage_1

GRADING RUBRIC:

Criteria	90-100% Far Above Standards	80-89% Above Standards	70-79% Meets Standards	60-69% Below Standards	< 60% Well Below Standards	Possible Points
Introduction Describes the organization and provides an introduction to the overall Report	9-10 Points The introduction is very effective; is clear, logical, derived from the Case Study; and demonstrates a sophisticated level of writing.	8.5 Points The introduction is clear, logical, and derived from the Case Study.	7.5 Points The introduction is adequate, and is derived from the Case Study.	6.5 Points The introduction is not clear, logical and/or derived from the Case Study.	0-5 Points The introduction is not included, or demonstrates little effort.	10
Strategy How the system will support the organization’s strategy as derived from the case study	18-20 Points The explanation is clear, logical and fully supported using a sophisticated level of writing.	16-17 Points The explanation is clear, logical and supported.	14-15 Points The explanation is provided and supported.	12-13 Points The explanation is not clear, logical and/or supported.	0-11 Points The explanation is not included or demonstrates little effort.	20
Competitive Advantage Explanation of how the system and its data can be used for competitive advantage	13-15 Points Clear, complete, logical, derived from the Case Study, and demonstrates sophisticated analysis and writing.	12.75 Points Complete and accurate; derived from the case study,demonstrates analysis and effective writing.	10-11 Points Explanation is provided and related to the Case Study, may lack specifics and/or clear logic.	9 Points Explanation is not clear, logical and/or supported.	0-8 Points Missing or extremely incomplete or inaccurate.	15
Strategic Objectives Three objectives derived from Strategic Goals in Case Study with explanation of how new hiring system would help achieve.	13-15 Points Objectives are clear, measurable and time-bound and are strongly and fully explained using a sophisticated level of writing.	12.75 Points Objectives are clear, measurable and time-bound, and are clearly explained.	10-11 Points Objectives are somewhat clear, measurable and time-bound, and are explained.	9 Points Objectives are not clear, measurable and/or time-bound, and/or are not explained.	0-8 Points Too few objectives are presented, are not explained or exhibit little effort.	15
Decision-Making Types of decisions supported by the system for each of the three levels of the organization	13-15 Points Identified correctly and fully, clearly and logically explained; are derived from the Case Study; and demonstrate sophisticated analysis and writing.	12.75 Points Identified correctly and clearly and logically explained; are derived from the Case Study; and demonstrate analysis and effective writing.	10-11 Points Identified correctly and explained and are derived from the Case Study.	9 Points Not all provided; and/or are not correct and/or not derived from the Case Study.	0-8 Points Very incomplete or missing.	15
Research Two or more sources–one source from within the IFSM 300 course content and one external (other than the course materials)	9-10 Points Required resources are incorporated and used effectively. Sources used are relevant and timely and contribute strongly to the analysis. References are appropriately incorporated and cited using APA style.	8.5 Points At least two sources are incorporated and are relevant and somewhat support the analysis. References are appropriately incorporated and cited using APA style.	7.5 Points Only one resource is used and properly incorporated and/or reference(s) lack correct APA style.	6.5 Points A source may be used, but is not properly incorporated or used, and/or is not effective or appropriate; and/or does not follow APA style for references and citations.	0-5 Points No course content or external research incorporated; or reference listed is not cited within the text.	10
Format Uses outline format provided; includes Title Page and Reference Page	13-15 Points Well organized and easy to read. Very few or no errors in sentence structure, grammar, and spelling; double-spaced, written in third person and presented in a professional format.	12.75 Points Effective organization; has few errors in sentence structure, grammar, and spelling; double-spaced, written in third person and presented in a professional format.	10-11 Points Some organization; may have some errors in sentence structure, grammar and spelling. Report is double spaced and written in third person.	9 Points Not well organized, and/or contains several grammar and/or spelling errors; and/or is not double-spaced and written in third person.	0-8 Points Extremely poorly written, has many grammar and/or spelling errors, or does not convey the information.	15
					TOTAL Points Possible	100