Introduction
This Business Analysis and System Recommendation report are prepared to help MTC meet its organizational objectives by increasing its competitive advantage. The goal of MTC is to continuously grow the number of projects and deliver quality service to customers. To accomplish this objective, MTC regularly submits applications to Request for Proposals. To ensure customer satisfaction, the company needs to provide its clients with highly skilled IT consultants for work on-site within 60 days of signing the contract.
The streamlined and automated hiring process is essential to maintain a competitive advantage and increase the company’s reputation. MTC needs to have qualified professionals available for new projects within a short period of time. The current hiring process is entirely manual, which increases the recruitment time and leads to decreased efficacy when the number of required applicants increases. This report is prepared to address the issues pertaining to the hiring process and includes information about the motivation behind using the applicant tracking system and expected benefits. An analysis of the current recruitment process and a detailed set of requirements for the IT system are also covered.
Strategic Use of Technology
Business Strategy
The company’s business strategy revolves around increasing revenue and reputation. These two elements are dependent on the constant flow of new contracts and the availability of appropriately skilled personnel to serve these new projects. The manual hiring process MTC currently uses poses a hindrance to achieving the described business strategy. First, it sets a limit on how many new projects the company has the capacity to accomplish at the same time. Recruiting new employees is time-consuming, and when this process is done manually, time costs to begin and finish a given project are increased substantially (Bourgeois, 2014).
Second, manually hiring personnel deteriorates reputation – MTC is an IT consulting company, which means it should be the first one to use innovative IT solutions. The proposed information system will enable the HR department to streamline the hiring process and avoid manual paperwork. Information will be shared consistently and on a secure basis between hiring managers and recruiters. The analytical dashboard will allow the senior managers to use the system to aid the decision-making procedures.
Contemporary analytical tools are powered by machine learning algorithms that can do a significant portion of work in an automated manner (Buzkan, 2016). For instance, by analyzing historical data on employee performance and comparing it to the description of a new project, the system may advise on the qualities and qualifications that are recommended for a given venture (Buzkan, 2016). These powerful features of modern HR information systems may help act on available data and make the most appropriate decisions.
Competitive Advantage
MTC is a small to mid-size business (SMB), which means the competition is stiff. The company does not have the resources to compete with large enterprises like HP but should ensure that it has an advantage over SMB consulting firms. MTC can make its employees a competitive edge by hiring top talent from both local and international markets. Having an appropriate IT solution for the hiring process will allow the business to accept applications from remote locations, which means improved access to the job market. Reducing the hiring time will enable MTC to deliver skilled consultants to its clients more quickly, which will contribute to the reputation of the company.
Strategic Objectives
The following table provides a more detailed overview of strategic objectives and how the new hiring system will contribute to each goal:
Strategic Objectives.
Decision Making
To achieve organizational goals, all types of managers need to make informed and correct decisions. The following table describes how the hiring system will help with the decision-making process on each level:
Hiring Process
In order to develop an accurate requirements specification document for a future system, it is essential to identify the steps of the current process and how the system would aid these procedures. The following table provides a more detailed view of the current hiring process and how it will be affected.
Hiring Process.
Expected Improvements
The following table summarizes what improvements are expected from the future system.
Expected Improvements.
Requirements
Stakeholder Interests
A general picture of what should be developed must be grasped before dealing with details. Stakeholder opinions are used as the basis for more specific requirements (Ali & Lai, 2017). The stakeholder perspective is the most helpful when determining what functionality, a system must support (Developing requirements, 2020). The following table provides information about the problems of the current process and how stakeholders think the system will aid in resolving those issues.
Stakeholders Interests.
Defining Requirements
There should be a set of specific requirements for any software. When the prospective solution is to store sensitive data, security becomes of paramount importance (Bugliesi et al., 2017). There are additional implications when an application supports access from a wide variety of devices, including mobile computers (Stiakakis et al., 2016). The following table provides several requirements for the proposed solution.
Requirements.
System Justification
EZ-ATS, developed and provided by UMGC Hiring Solutions, is a suitable SaaS solution that meets the company’s requirements. The product is a cloud-based solution that can be set up in a short period of time and has numerous features MTC is looking for. The system can be accessed from any location in the world and is available 24/7 (EZ-ATS, 2020). The system has a mobile version so that both the HR department and applicants can be connected all the time (EZ-ATS, 2020). Despite being a SaaS solution, EZ-ATS is highly configurable and can be tailored to MTC’s needs. Its most popular features are custom reports, automated workflows, and constant support from UMGC Hiring Solutions.
The most relevant strategic objectives in the context of hiring are increasing the ability to win new contracts, having access to international talent markets, and attracting top talent. EZ-ATS will help achieve these goals at a reasonable price. To win new contracts, it is essential to have a seamless hiring process, and EZ-ATS has the necessary communication and collaboration tools for this task. The product is cloud-based, which means that MTC will have the opportunity to create job postings for international applicants. Also, EZ-ATS has a modern and responsive design, which will increase MTC’s reputation and allow the company to compete for most talented professionals.
Current hiring process issues can be summarized as the inability to scale it and the increased complexity in terms of communications. EZ-ATS solves these issues by providing necessary communication tools for hiring managers and recruiters, and the ability to automate repeating tasks so that HR employees can focus on other objectives. The solution meets all of the primary requirements – it is a web-based SaaS that incorporates all encryption and storage security standards (EZ-ATS, 2020). It can be accessed from any place using any computer device and summarizes complex information in a graphical dashboard.
Implementation Areas
Vendor Agreement
UMGC Hiring Solutions requires that MTC first chooses services it wishes to obtain and signs corresponding user agreement. Credit card information must be provided in order to confirm the intention to make a purchase. The vendor provides a dedicated account manager that will assist in setting up the system and assist with any issues. Pricing is based on the number of users, but an initial one-time fee needs to be paid for setting up and configuring the solution. The cost is 3500 USD, and to support 60 users, MTC will need to pay 100 USD per month. Included in the price of installation is the complete system walkthrough by the accounting manager. They will show how to test the system, how to tailor it to individual needs, and how to set up additional functionality.
Hardware and Telecommunications
EZ-ATS is a cloud-based solution, which means any modern web-browser can be used to access the system. Desktop computers and mobile devices are all supported, which means that no specific hardware needs to be purchased to use the system. The solution is not installed on-premises, which means an internet connection is sufficient to use EZ-ATS. After setting up user accounts and distributing passwords, the system is ready to be used without further configuration in terms of network connectivity and VPN.
Configuration
One-time configuration fee includes system customization according to MTC’s requirements. The configuration will be done by the vendor after signing the user agreement and discussing the requirements with the account manager.
Testing
After the system is configured and ready to be used, MTC will conduct User Acceptance Testing. First, test cases will be prepared based on specific user requirements mentioned in previous sections. Generally, feedback is collected from users on corresponding requirements to decide whether or not the system is suitable (Otaduy & DĂaz, 2017). For instance, one of the critical user requirements is the automatic screening of resumes based on minimum requirements. An appropriate workflow should be configured in the system, and mock applications should be used as input. If the system correctly screens all resumes, then it is accepted for use.
Employee Preparation and Support
The role of the management team is to set strategical objectives and ensure that employees understand them. Therefore, managers need to state explicitly why the system is necessary and how it will help the company achieve its goals. Switching from one process to another is not simple, and therefore, the change management team must prepare a gradual transfer plan. It will contain specific procedures required for the successful integration of the new system into the current workflow. The vendor will provide all training materials, including video courses, but department managers should conduct on-premise training sessions using vendor-provided resources. This approach will allow users to voice their confusion and seek assistance. The vendor provides user support via the website or through a dedicated account manager. Users should be given instructions on where to search for help.
Data Migration
The current manual hiring process has generated a large number of paper documents that need to be migrated into EZ-ATS manually.
Maintenance
All maintenance, database updates, bug fixes, and security patches are accomplished by the vendor, and no action on behalf of MTC is required.
Summary and Conclusion
MTC needs to replace its manual hiring process with a modern solution in order to retain its reputation and ability to win contracts. The company continuously needs new talent to sustain its competitiveness and brand image. EZ-ETS meets the requirements set by HR employees and other stakeholders and has the capacity to decrease hiring times. Furthermore, the solution will allow MTC to access international HR markets to attain talented employees for its projects. The product has built-in features to foster automation and facilitate collaboration and communication.
References
Ali, N., & Lai, R. (2017). A method of software requirements specification and validation for global software development. Requirements Engineering, 22(2), 191-214. Web.
Analyzing process improvements supported by IT. (2020). Web.
Bourgeois, D. T. (2014). Information systems for business and beyond. Saylor Academy.
Bugliesi, M., Calzavara, S., & Focardi, R. (2017). Formal methods for web security. Journal of Logical and Algebraic Methods in Programming, 87, 110-126. Web.
Buzkan, H. (2016). The role of human resource information system (HRIS) in organizations: A review of literature. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 5(1), 133-138. Web.
Developing requirements for an IT system. (2020). Web.
EZ-ATS. (2020). Web.
Implementing a SaaS Solution. (2020). Web.
Otaduy, I., & DĂaz, O. (2017). User acceptance testing for Agile-developed web-based applications: Empowering customers through wikis and mind maps. Journal of Systems and Software, 133, 212-229.
Stiakakis, E., Georgiadis, C. K., & Andronoudi, A. (2016). Users’ perceptions about mobile security breaches. Information Systems and e-Business Management, 14(4), 857-882. Web.
Tanwar, K., & Prasad, A. (2016). Exploring the relationship between employer branding and employee retention. Global Business Review, 17(3), 186S-206S. Web.