PROJECT PLANNING EXECUTION AND CLOSURE
A billing department is part of an organization that takes part in the translation of goods and services that are a received from vendors. In addition, they also bill services goods performed for clients. In the 21 century, most manufacturing companies undertake their billing systems using the computerized method. This is to make work easer both for the company and for its clients. Under most occasions, vendors determine the nature of a billing system. The reason being, that they are the ones either responsible for the selling goods and services to a company, or act as a retailer. According to IRTC Manufacturing Enterprise, the need of upgrading the billing system will affect the employees and the clients. Therefore, vendors who work for the company need to be trained on how the system will work to make the idea effective.
The company needs the application to take place within the shortest time possible and with the least cost. Therefore, it is upon the project manager to make the service effective all through.
In order to make the project planning easier, there is need for a work breakdown and cost breakdown for the different departments that will be affected by the upgraded system. The work breakdown will depend on the roles that need to be filed. They include the following.
It specialist, billing staff, business analyst, customer service representative, and team leaders.
In addition, it is vital to give the expectations or skills required for each role as shown below.
Roles Skills expected
IT specialist Knowledge in web designing,
Intermediate to Advanced MS Excel skills
Skills in software engineering
Should be in a position to work under minimal supervision
Should have organizational skills
Should be analytical and with excellent mathematical skills.
Billing staff Should work closely with the project manager
Have knowledge in Ms Word
Have excellent interpersonal skills
Should be very analytical with a sense of detail
Should be an organized person
Should be conversant with the business procedures
Should be aware of all the revenue formulas
Should be able to work independently and as part of assigned team
Customer service representative Good communication skills
Should be in a position to direct clients as desired
Time management
Proper computer skills
Knowledge in Microsoft word and excel
Problem solving skills
Must have strong organization skills
Should be able to think quickly and logically in order to solve customer queries intelligently
Business analyst Should understand what the organization does
Should have excellent communication skills
Technical skills so as to identify excellent solutions of the business
Should have analytical skills
Should be able to solve problems strategically
Should have persuasion and negotiation skills
Should be in a position to make decisions wisely without affecting the business sales
Team leaders Should have excellent organization skills
Should have good communication and listening skills
Should have excellent skills in report writing
Considering the above system of noting the key team participants in the project, it will be easier to assign different people different roles depending on their expertise and their flexibility. It is vital to remember that venders should be part of this project as they play a huge role in the running of the organization. Another factor to consider while selecting the most appropriate candidate is the price in terms of salary. It may cost higher to get a good IT specialist; however, it will depend on how flexible the IT specialist is and how fast he can act on the project. Time is money and in case there is one who can work on he job effectively and ambitiously at a lower cost, then he will be better placed.
In order to select the best end user it is vital to note that, the person should be in opposition to understand the nature of business taking place (End User Computing para.2). One does not need to be an It specialist, to implement end user computing system. The main aim of the system is to make work easier for the clients and the organization. In addition, the End User Computing is important as it reduces costs and gives all information of a company as required by the organization. Robin has a higher chance of being the best candidate to take over the end user role. She is available for 30 hours a week at $ 100. Considering the salary range of the contract, it is cheaper and she will be available for more hours. This means that she will manage to work faster and implement the system as desired. In addition, she has had the chance to improve her web designing skills after having the desire of working on the web-based system. She will be able to portray her current skills in the new system in place than any other candidate.
A business analyst should be practical in what he does. The candidate should be in a position of understanding what the organization does, should have excellent communication skills and technical skills so as to identify excellent solutions of the business (What is Business Analysis para.4). In addition, the business analyst should have analytical skills and be able to solve problems strategically. He should also have the ability to persuade and negotiate deals. Considering the above responsibilities, Terry is considered the most suitable in taking the lead as a business analyst. She has taken part in various projects and is excited about the Web based package and the functionality it will provide. This automatically shows that, she will be in a position to do the relevant research related to the position and will give it her best shot. In addition, she is available for 24hours like Pat; however, her term charges are relatively lower than that of Pat by $ 15 per hour. The fact that she was there when the first installation was done gives her an added advantage of being the best candidate. She can also work alongside the project controller and advice on any idea that may seem complex as she has worked as a developer and a tester within the organization.
In order to become a team leader, it is vital to understand the people one is working with. Patience and coordination are important in enabling the people to work in harmony to achieve the projects goal. In addition, having a good team will lead to effective performance of the workers (Zaccaro, Rittman and Marks p.2). Considering all the above candidates, Chris is the most appropriate for this section as he has worked with the customer service department. This gives him an upper hand as he may have hard good organizational skills and service delivery skills.
Work Cited
End User Computing n.d., Web. 05 Mar. 2013.
<http://nextgen.umich.edu/end-user-computing/>
What is Business Analysis n.d., Web. 05 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.iiba.org/IIBA_Website/Professional_Development/What_is_Business_Analysis/What_is_Business_Analysis.aspx>
Zaccaro, Stephen Rittman Andrea and Marks Michelle 2001, Team Leadership. Web. 05 Mar.
2013.
<http://www.qub.ac.uk/elearning/media/Media,264498,en.pdf>
