Background and Organizational Analysis

Assignment- BA&SR Section I- Background and Organizational Analysis (Stage 1)

Background and Organizational Analysis

Stage 2: Strategic Use of Technology

• Introduction: Chesapeake IT Consultants (CIC) is a midsized IT consultant firm that provides consulting services to various types of organizations both private and governmental. The company employs mainly individuals in multiple locations who specialize in IT who, in turn, provide solutions for any IT related problems the customers may encounter. The executive leadership intends on expanding rapidly in the near future (75 new hires) and need a viable solution to help revolutionize the current hiring processes. The company is also looking for a way to employee people from other countries as well.
• Organizational Strategy: Implementing a new hiring system would help the company accomplish its business strategy in two main and distinct ways: By streamlining the hiring process which, in turn allows the company to hire the most highly qualified applicants who provide top notch service to our customers, and also employing technologies that allow our company to keep its competitive edge. Being able to interview applicants, evaluate the applications and identify highly qualified individuals expeditiously helps to keep them out the hands of the competition. In order to remain ultra-competitive and foster growth the organization must totally redesign its hiring process and implement the use of hiring systems.
• Components of an information system-
• After conducting interviews with several individuals in different departments it was determined that the main requirements of the new hiring system are that it is easy to use, works with existing systems, and helps to identify key skills of employees already working at the company.
• CEO-Wants new hiring software to ensure that the right people are in place in the current contracts, and new staff can be hired quickly for future contracts won at short notice.
• CFO- Focused on the bottom line. Would like for new system to be cost effective, but willing to invest when necessary. The new system should be able to list the skills and certifications of current employees in order to be cross referenced against projects.
• CIO- System must be compatible with systems already in place. Cannot be a system that must be developed due to the fact that there is no longer a large software development staff in place. System must be portable and usable on mobile devices. Company is looking to expand, so technology must operate internationally. Also must be extremely secure. Security breaches would ruin CIC.
• Director of HR-System must be easy to use and must interface with current systems. Does not have time to learn a new and complicated system.
• Manager of Recruiting- Needs system that increases the efficiency of the recruitment process. System must process applicants quickly and offer jobs to best candidates expeditiously. Technology must support and improve the hiring process.
• Administrative assistant- Would need new system to increase workflow capabilities, especially during periods of increased employment. System needs to be able to accomplish steps of the hiring process electronically, which would help streamline workflow.
• Hiring Manager-Needs hiring system that screens the applicants and applications and then help to schedule the interviews with those selected. Not the best communicator with HR department so would need the system to provide an electronic dashboard that could provide information and an option for electronic scheduling on calendar of interviews. Also needs it to be easy to use, and that it identifies key skills of the applicants.
• Processes-The current hiring process appears to be antiquated and in need of an upgrade. Many of the processes are still completed manually, greatly delaying the time between the interviews and actual hiring of a new employee. The table below list current and future processes and how they benefit CIC.
• Data/Information- The interviews with various members of the CIC management lead to the conclusion that for the system to perform to standard certain data/information is needed. The table below lists those requirements.

II.Strategic Use of Technology

Role	Level	Example of Possible Decision Supported by Hiring System.
Senior/Executive Managers (Decisions made by the CEO and the CFO at CIC supported by the hiring system.)	Strategic/Executive	If contracts can be filled in an adequate amount of time. Future contracts will mean more employees being hired. Will be key factor in whether or not contracts are pursued.
Middle Managers(Decisions made by the Director of HR and the Manager of Recruiting supported by the hiring system.)	Managerial	Manager of Recruiting can decide if recruiters are working efficiently and effectively by monitoring workflow in the system.
Operational Managers(Decisions made by the line managers in the organization who are hiring for their projects supported by the hiring system.)	Operational	Due to high turnover rates the Hiring manager can make decisions on hiring faster.

B.Communication – Using a hiring system would help improve communication in the company both internally and externally. It would give individuals inside the organization a chance to communicate better by using built in workflow options to track the hiring process from interview to the first day of work for the new employee. Externally, a hiring system could help post job listings to broader audience which will increase the pool of highly qualified applicants to choose from.

• Decision-Making – Decision makers at all levels must be able to adapt to an ever changing environment in order to keep our company viable. The table below provides an example of how the implementation of a hiring system aids the decision making process at various levels of management:

C.Collaboration – The hiring system will increase collaboration in the company by making data more readily available to employees at every level. For example, the administrative assistant will finally be able to route all necessary documents and information electronically to each individual involved in the hiring process. This, in turn, will allow the employees to meet the goal of expediting the entire process from beginning to end.

D.Relationships –Implementing a hiring system would foster stronger relationships with potential applicants/potential employees by providing them with more of the things they need to make the best possible impression during the interview process. Providing applications in native languages and conducting interview via web cam could prove invaluable to our efforts to expand overseas. Also, our new automated hiring system can keep the applicant aware of their progress during every step of the hiring process.

E.Structure – By providing a consistent structure to the hiring process a hiring system will allow individuals involved in the hiring process to achieve their goals. For example, the hiring manager will have the requested dashboard feature, which will enable him to better manage the interview process. Another example would be recruiters knowing that they are receiving real-time information that assures them that their selections are moving through the decision process as quickly as possible.

F. Competitive Advantage – Using the new hiring system can give the company a competitive advantage by constantly providing the company with highly qualified employees that possess skills that are unique to the client’s needs. A data pool that is constantly updated will provide management with on the spot information needed to make tough decisions that will benefit both the company and the client. It is not that other companies are not using the software, but with careful implementation with recommendations from the HR and IT staffs the system can be tailor made to CIC’s needs, and therefore better arming our executives when in pursuit of new contracts worldwide.

Hiring Process Step	Responsible CIC Position
1. Receive application from job hunter	Recruiter
2. Screen resumes and only forward the best qualified applicants	Recruiter
3. Route applications/resumes to hiring manager	Administrative Assistant
4. Provide feedback on whom to interview and which personnel should be involved in the interviewing of the applicant	Hiring Manager
5. Schedule the interview	Administrative Assistant
6. Conduct the interview of the applicant	Assigned staff members/ recruiter
7. Collect feedback from the interview team once the interview is completed	Administrative Assistant
8. Inform the assigned recruiter of the status of each candidate who was interviewed	Administrative Assistant
9. Extend Hiring Offer to Selected Candidate	Recruiter/Hiring Manager

Requirement Number	Requirement	Source (individual) from Case Study – name and title
U-1	Reduce hiring time by 15%-20%.	Suzanne Rodriguez-Manager of Recruiting
U-2	Easily screen resumes quickly and effectively.	Paul O’Brien-Recruiter
U-3	Must be easy to use.	Hiring Manager
U-4	Identify key skills of candidates.	Hiring Manager
UR-1	Schedule interviews electronically	Ted Anderson-Administrative Assistant
SS-1	Security	Fadil Abadi-CIO
SS-2	System must be able to be safely transferred from one device to another when in portable configuration.	Fadil Abadi-CIO
SP-1	Provide electronic dashboard function which gives real-time information (i.e. job openings, info on qualified candidates).	Hiring Manager
SP-2	Provide an electronic scheduling feature on calendar of interviews.	Hiring Manager
SP-3	Usability	Ted Anderson- Administrative Assistant

Requirement (from Requirements table in Section III)	Explanation of How the Proposed System Meets the Requirement
U-1	Reduce hiring time by 15%-20%.		Fully automated interview scheduling feature helps eliminate the stovepipe effect of information submitted manually. All parties involved can communicate in real time.
U-2	Easily screen resumes quickly and effectively.		Software offers a searching/parching feature that searches for key phrases set by management.
U-3	Must be easy to use.		Vendor provides training sessions and modules for easier transition.
U-4	Identify key skills of candidates.		Software offers a searching/parching feature that searches for key phrases set by management.
UR-1	Schedule interviews electronically		System offers interview scheduling feature that will schedule interviews based off of the recruiter’s availability.
SS-1	Security		Platform is secure. SOC2 security certified. All information is monitored by secure data centers 24/7.
SS-2	System must be able to be safely transferred from one device to another when in portable configuration.		Mobile recruitment feature can be accessed from any mobile device. Information is stored in secure cloud database.
SP-1	Provide electronic dashboard function which gives real-time information (i.e. job openings, info on qualified candidates).		Automated interview with dashboard wall allows the recruiter to view any and all pertinent information.
SP-2	Provide an electronic scheduling feature on calendar of interviews.		System offers interview scheduling feature that will schedule interviews based off of the recruiter’s availability.
SP-3	Usability		Workflow options built into the system allow for application tracking from initial submission to hiring of the new employee.

References

• Strategic and Operational Outcomes (Stage 3)
  • Strategic Outcomes – Listed below are three strategic goal or objectives that the company will be able to achieve with the implementation of a hiring system:
  • Utilizing the hiring system should allow the company to achieve the goal of providing “extraordinary consulting services and recommendations to its customers by employing highly skilled consultants.” (Chesapeake IT Consultants Case Study, 2017). The system should allow the company to hire the most qualified individuals in the shortest time possible, allowing them to keep the best and brightest from going to the competition.
  • Another strategic objective of the company is to branch out internationally and provide support to clients in other countries (Chesapeake IT Consultants Case Study). The proposed hiring system should allow applicants the option to fill out job applications in their native language (Chesapeake IT Consultants Case Study).
  • Lastly, the company needs the new system to be portable and compatible across different platforms (Chesapeake IT Consultants Case Study). The new hiring system should be compatible with several devices, which will make it extremely portable.
  • Requirements – A list of essential requirements for the hiring system are provided in the table below:
  • System Recommendation (Stage 4)
  • How the Proposed IT Solution Meets the Requirements: The chart below explains how the proposed system meets the requirements stated:
  • Implementation Steps: The steps listed below provide a step by step process which will allow for seamless implementation of the proposed software:
  • Vendor agreement – In order for CIC to gain access to the information an appointment must be scheduled with the vendor in order to ensure all needs are included in the software package provided. Once all this information is obtained the vendor will install the software and provide customer support. Based off of specific needs listed in by the personnel interviewed this will cost the company $500 per month.
  • Hardware and telecommunications
  • Configuration
  • Testing – (U2- Easily screen resumes quickly and effectively) CIC will test the system by selecting an application of a recently hired employee and enter it into the system. Parameters will be set to inform the system of what traits are being sought in the prospective employee. If the system hits on the key words listed then be considered a successful test.
  • Employee preparation – The following individuals should consider the recommendations listed below in order to prepare the employees to use the new system:
  • Data migration – Existing data such as applicant’s information and even payroll information can be migrated directly to the new database via point to point data transfer provided by the vendor.
  • Maintenance – The vendor’s customer service team will provide updates and corrections to the system.

  Chesapeake IT Consultants Case Study. (2017, March 18). Retrieved July 21, 2017, from https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/le/content/226958/fullscreen/9256901/View

  Competitive Forces (Porters Five Forces). (n.d.). Dictionary of Strategy: Strategic Management A-Z. doi:10.4135/9781452229805.n131

  Recruiting Software Features – Mobile. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2017, from https://vidcruiter.com/recruiting-software-features/