Hardware or Software Overhaul

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The first step in any hardware or software overhaul is the project management. This is a vital step when considering implementing an all-new customer relationship management system (“CRM”). The reason for this is because project management “activities include planning the work, assessing risk, estimating resources required to accomplish the work, organizing the work, acquiring human and material resources, assigning tasks, directing activities, controlling project execution, reporting progress, and analyzing the results” (Laudon, 2013). The first of the five important elements when dealing with project management is scope. “The scope involves what work is or is not supposed to be included in the project. Project management should ensure that the scope of a project does not expand beyond what was originally intended” (Laundon, 2013). Again, in considering a CRM system you will want to make sure several elements are included in this new system, where other non-important information factors are not included in the system but this is where the project management system makes the determination on those factors. In upgrading a CRM system there are some very important elements that project management or not must be included because of the type of system it will be. The first is customer information and data such as shopping frequency or more particular what items they have bought. This is the exact type of information vital to a retail company.
The element of time should be self-explanatory as the word itself indicates time and the length in which the project should take to complete. This time is so vitally important to any company because even one moment of lost time for a business is critical. This lost time can mean lost...

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... control. Risks are also higher for systems where information requirements are not clear and straightforward or the project team must master new technology” (Laudon, 2013).
My recommendation for minimizing project risks in implementing this new CRM system would be to ensure employees receive proper training on the new system and they are ready and as prepared as they can be to take on the task of transitioning to the new system. In addition, through project management would ensure that all the elements are available, ready and included in the new system so that our business would be up and ready to run live as soon as the transition portion of the project has completed.

Works Cited

Laudon, K. C. and Laudon, J. P. (2013). Part II: Information Technology Infrastructure. In Essentials of Management Information Systems (10TH ed., pp. 389-391). Prentice Hall.

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