As an international logistics Service Company that operates online, Farcargo has a series of business requirements that need to be performed by its information system. Most of its business requirements can be defined from its goals and objectives. The following are some of the requirements that Farcargo needs to fulfill for the successful operation of its processes.
- Farcargo needs to shift its operations from office-based to online and remote operations.
- The company wants to serve clients from all countries of the world through its information system.
- It is one of the company’s main focuses to be in a position to track all its equipment and employees from its information system.
- Farcargo wants to conduct all its business processes such as bookings, scheduling, billing, and receipt processing through the system.
- In addition, the company needs to use the platform to communicate with clients and receive clients’ feedback.
One of Farcargo’s business need when expanding to a business-to-business, international online business is to conduct its operations online. Formerly, the company was operating from an office in Seattle. However, when expanding to a global business, it will be challenging to mount an office in every town globally. Hence, the company has to delocalize its office and operate online and remotely. The company aims at achieving this requirement through its information system. Moreover, the company needs to be in a position to serve a client regardless of their location or time zone. This objective requires that the business is operational 24/7 through the system and customer service department. The client should also be in a position to interact with the system freely without the limitation of the language barrier.
Farcargo also wants the client to view and locate their cargo in a global map installed in the system. The company should also trace all its equipment and employees through the information system. The company should be in a position to track its employee’s shifts and work schedules while recording how many hours a day the employee has worked. Further, the system should record every location that the employee stopped while in transit and the time is taken to get back to work. This will ensure employees’ accountability and ensure maximum performance.
One of the company’s primary objectives is to conduct its business operations on an online platform. Most of Farcargo’s business operations include bookings, scheduling, billing, and receipt processing. The company wants to have all these processes on one platform that is accessible by the clients who can view their progress. Farcargo puts its clients at heart as they are the main pillar of its success. As such, the company needs to have a platform where they can communicate with the clients by placing inquiries, comments, and feedback. The company requires that this platform be incorporated into the information system.
Functional Requirements
The functional requirements define what the information system needs to do for the company to fulfill its business requirements (Izzah et al., 2021). A good information technology system makes business more effective and efficient thus achieving success. Farcargo has a range of functional requirements to be conducted through its information system. Each business requirement has several functional requirements that are more specific and defined. To begin with, the need to shift business operations from office-based to online calls for several functional requirements. The system should have the ability to work as an office where one can access all the departments in the company. Farcargo has the customer service desk, management, operations, human resources, and finance offices. The company’s information system should include all these offices to shift their operations to be remotely or online-based.
Subsequently, Farcargo needs to serve clients globally through the information system. Hence, the system should be available for the clients’ access 24/7. It should recognize the location and time zone of the client to connect them to their nearest company’s outlet. This will ensure that the clients receive accurate and relevant information. The system should also translate its information to various languages where clients are offered an opportunity to choose their preferred language. To allow clients to view and trace their goods while in transit, the system should track Farcargo’s transport equipment’s location and update it often
To conduct smooth operations, Farcargo’s information system should conduct business processes such as allowing bookings, scheduling different tasks, conducting billing according to the keyed in information, and processing receipt after receiving a payment. The system should automatically arrange tasks according to the due date and a reminder sent to the employee in charge two days before the due date. The system should group tasks according to the employee in charge, mode of transport, due date, and region. Finally, Farcargo wants to create a platform where it can interact with its clients through inquiries, feedback, comments, and proposal. Thus, the system should have a messaging application to allow for communication. It should send automatic replies on frequently asked questions and assure to forward inquiries of specific questions.
Non-Functional Requirements
Non-functional requirements are the information system attributes that a business receives through the development of a system that ensures its effectiveness (Gramatikova, 2020). A good system has several non-functional requirements which add value to the company. However, excessive non-functional requirements result in an expansion of the information system scope (Chung et al., 2018). Farcargo’s information system has several non-functional requirements such as confidentiality, security, accessibility, suitability, and reliability. The system will be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of crucial information recorded. Some of this information includes clients’ private data, the company’s financial information, employees’ data, and the company’s processes among others. The system will protect this information by regulating authorized access to the system’s database and clients’ accounts. It will have a firewall to provide extra security and protect its data from illegal access.
The system will enhance the accessibility of the business services at any time of the day. Clients and employees will access the services through login into their accounts to perform their preferred activities. The company will also be accessible to people around the world through the system. The system is suitable for the type of business conducted in Farcargo because it is made to meet its requirements.
Technical Requirements
Farcargo has some technical requirements for the information system to be fully operational. These include the use of technologists such as electronic funds transfer (ETF), automated data collection tools, electronic data interchange (EDI), Google maps and location, inventory management system, and electronic transaction processing. These technologies help in performing business operations smoothly.
Potential Business Risks
Similar to other businesses, Farcargo is also faced with some potential risks that may hinder effective operations. Some of these risks are financial, technical, operational, and accidental risks. The company may face financial risks when clients provide wrong information about their goods or regions of transit. The company may end up using more resources than the billed amount leading to a loss. Nonetheless, the company is exposed to a technical risk where the system may fail to process an important business operation such as payment processing. Another technical risk may arise from the breakdown or damage of equipment such as a lorry or container which may result in the company incurring losses. Operational risks include instances such as employees fraud and client-employee unauthorized engagement. Accidental risks may cause significant damage and loss because if an accident occurs, the company should pay for the goods in transit in addition to the equipment loss. However, this risk has been issued to mitigate its impacts.
Constraints
Some of the constraints that could be faced in Farcargo include the calculation of the billing amount of goods when weight is not a relevant unit of measurement. Another constraint faced is untrustworthy employees who can easily break the company’s rules and policies. For instance, when dealing with a client from the textile industry, Farcargo is sometimes required to transport a certain amount of cotton wool. A truck full of cotton wool weighs less than a truck full of sand. However, a client transporting either item is required to pay a similar amount. Some employees have a good understanding of how the company’s system works. They may use this knowledge to manipulate it for their mischievous actions against the company’s rules such as carrying unauthorized passengers among others. Additionally, Farcargo faces a challenge of work overlap when a high amount of clients need their goods transported at the same time. The company has to turn down some contracts due to a shortage of employees and transportation equipment. However, Farcargo is working to resolve this issue by purchasing more equipment and employing more staff.
Assumptions
Farcargo has made one assumption in its operations. The company’s system does not consider changes in weather and temperatures as a factor that can hinder its effectiveness. It assumes that operations are run normally regardless of the weather. This assumption makes the company face the challenge of delayed delivery during bad weather conditions and road networks. Farcargo also assumes that all their clients are comfortable contracting online service providers. As the world embraces technology and its advances, most people are comfortable dealing with companies operating remotely. However, some clients may need a face-to-face conversation with the company representative to be confident in the services.
References
Chung, K. H., Ko, S. Y., & Ko, C. S. (2018). Collaborative and sustainable network design in courier services. IFIP international conference on advances in Production Management Systems (254-261). Springer. Web.
Gramatikova, E. (2020). Innovations in the global courier services market. Economic Science, education and the real economy: Development and Interactions in the Digital Age, (1), 431-440. Web.
Izzah, N., Dilaila, F., & Yao, L. (2021). The growth of reliance towards courier services through e-business verified during COVID-19: Malaysia. Journal of Physics (18)1, 01204. IOP Publishing. Web.