Perky Pies' Supply Chain Management Software - Example

ASSESSMENT DECLARATION This form must be completed, signed, dated and attached to each assessment task that you submit for marking. FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND LAW 1. ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS STUDENT NAMES: STUDENT ID NUMBERS UNIT OF STUDY: BCO1102 TITLE OF ASSESSMENT:BCO1102 CONSULTANCY REPORT DATE DUE: DATE SUBMITTED: LECTURER’S NAME (HIGHER EDUCATION ONLY): TEACHER/TUTORS NAME: TUTORIAL/CLASS TIME: 2. COMPULSORY STUDENT DECLARATION Plagiarism means using another person’s intellectual output and presenting it (without appropriate acknowledgement of the author or source) as one’s own. Plagiarism constitutes academic misconduct. Where there are reasonable grounds for believing that this has occurred, disciplinary procedures as outlined in the Policy for Academic Honesty and Preventing Plagiarism will be instituted. 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STUDENT SIGNATURES: ________________________________________________ DATE: ____/____/____ ________________________________________________ DATE: ____/____/____ ________________________________________________ DATE: ____/____/____ Criteria None Minimal Somewhat Acceptable Good Outstanding Consultancy report Executive summary: Clearly describes the system, costs, benefits and recommendations in business language that could be understood by the client 0 1 2 3 4 5 Introduction, scenario and system: The introduction that provides a brief overview to the report describing what each section will cover. The client, their business and the kind of system they are interested in are clearly and accurately described: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Issues: Relevant issues were identified and clearly communicated. Context/introduction to charts/images provided 0 1 2 3 4 5 Benefits: Relevant benefits and advantages were identified and clearly communicated. Context/introduction to charts/images provided 0 1 2 3 4 5 Recommendations: The recommendations demonstrate understanding of IS concepts and careful consideration of, and linkage to the scenario 0 1 2 3 4 5 Overall presentation: Report uses the template, is well written, professionally presented and of an appropriate length. Appropriate references are cited using the Harvard system and the reference list is formatted correctly 0 1 2 3 4 5 Total out of 30 Subtractions Final mark out of 15 TEAM PEER EVALUATION FORM The team must meet and assign scores to each team member that reflects how each team member contributed to the completion of the business consultancy report. This is an opportunity to reward the members of your team who worked hardest on the team’s behalf and it is also an opportunity to fairly reflect the effort of team members who did not perform as well or who did not make sufficient effort to participate in team activities. Individual marks will be adjusted based on the team ratings you give each individual. See the excel spreadsheet, How YOUR team’s ratings will affect YOUR marks, available under the assessment details link in Blackboard. INSTRUCTIONS 1 List the name and ID of each team member. 2 Agree to a team rating for each individual to reflect the contributions of each person to the completion of the project by distributing 100 percentage points among them. If the team had three members and all team members performed equally then all would receive 33 points. If one person receives more than 33 points then one or more others will need to receive less than 33 points. 3 Include a comment justifying the team’s allocation for each person. NAME of Team Member ID Number SCORE COMMENT 1. 2. 3. DECLARATION AND SIGNATURES OF EACH TEAM MEMBER By signing below I am indicating that I agree to the team allocation of scores above and that I understand that the percentage score above will be used to adjust the team mark for the assessment to arrive at my individual mark. NAME of Team Member ID Number SIGNATURE DATE 1. 2. 3. VUIS CONSULTING CONSULTANCY REPORT [INSERT VERSION NUMBER] [INSERT PROJECT NAME HERE] [INSERT DATE HERE] [INSERT AUTHOR NAMES HERE] [INSERT AUTHOR JOB TITLES HERE] [INSERT AUTHOR EMAILS HERE] Contents INSTRUCTIONS 4 DECLARATION AND SIGNATURES OF EACH TEAM MEMBER 4 Contents 8 Executive Summary 10 1.0 Introduction 11 The success of any business venture in the modern world is dependent on the efficiency with which activities both internal and external are coordinated. To achieve this, businesses need to have a good supply chain management (SCM) system. A SCM system has the capability of monitoring materials, finances, and information as they move in a process from the supplier, manufacture, retailer and finally to the consumer. Concisely, supply chain management entails coordination and integration of these flows within a company (TechTarget 2008). The problems that Perky Pies have been facing of late can be solved by implementing good supply chain management software. Supply chain management software is robust and contains features that are capable of enhancing operations in any business from end to end. This means that by implementing the supply chain software Perky Pies will be able to maintain and achieve a competitive edge since they will be empowered to streamline and enhance their most important chain operations from start to the end. In doing so they will be able to maximize factors like increased productivity and cost efficiency. This report will cover in detail how supply chain software if implemented properly, can solve the problems facing Perky Pies now and in future 11 2.0 Perky Pies 11 3.0 Supply chain management software 12 3.1Features of Supply Chain Management Software 13 3.11 Inventory Management 13 3.12 Order Management 14 3.13 Procurement 14 3.14 Logistics 14 3.15 Forecasting and Planning 14 3.16 Return Management 15 4.0 Issues 15 5.0 Benefits 16 6.0 Conclusion 17 6.1 Recommendation 18 References 20 Executive Summary Perky Pies is a franchise organization whose business is the supply of high quality gourmet pie to customers. It has several branches in different locations to be able to meet the demands of its product. In the last two years, the company has experienced rapid growth that has resulted to opening of more branches in different regions. This expansion has seen the company face some logistical challenges in terms of timely production of pies and delivering them to the different branches owing to the fact that all the pies are manufactured in a central kitchen located in Footscray. To solve these problems the company is in need of implementing a supply chain management system. Supply management software is a robust application that features rich technology to enhance business operation from end to end by use of different features incorporated in the application. In implementing such a system, one of the issues is software compatibility with other application. It is also expected that the company will have to address issues regarding employees’ resistance to change and the company culture since the success of this software is depended on the cooperation of different people in the supply chain. Benefits expected in implementing the system include improved inventory management, improved customer satisfaction, and accelerated order-delivery cycle, ability to forecast customer demand and faster and simple ways of detecting faulty products. The company should therefore move with speed to implement this system to remedy the current situation. It is necessary also that the company ensures that all the different branches are equipped with up to date computers that can handle this robust software. Finally, the staff that would be mainly dealing with this application need to be trained to ensure that they can run it optimally. 1.0 Introduction The success of any business venture in the modern world is dependent on the efficiency with which activities both internal and external are coordinated. To achieve this, businesses need to have a good supply chain management (SCM) system. A SCM system has the capability of monitoring materials, finances, and information as they move in a process from the supplier, manufacture, retailer and finally to the consumer. Concisely, supply chain management entails coordination and integration of these flows within a company (TechTarget 2008). The problems that Perky Pies have been facing of late can be solved by implementing good supply chain management software. Supply chain management software is robust and contains features that are capable of enhancing operations in any business from end to end. This means that by implementing the supply chain software Perky Pies will be able to maintain and achieve a competitive edge since they will be empowered to streamline and enhance their most important chain operations from start to the end. In doing so they will be able to maximize factors like increased productivity and cost efficiency. This report will cover in detail how supply chain software if implemented properly, can solve the problems facing Perky Pies now and in future 2.0 Perky Pies Perky Pies is a franchise organization that deals with the supply of high quality gourmet pie. The company has a number of stores distributed in many locations, with the recent ones being developed in NSW and South Australia. The organization has been expanding rapidly for the last couple of years than even what the owner Kathy Walters had envisaged. Unfortunately, the central office has been receiving a number of complaints from different branches regarding pies delivery. Most of these problems are logistical in nature and are because of the inability of their current information system to address adequately matters concerning supply both upstream and downstream. For this reason, the company is need of a supply management system that monitor supply of materials, information, and products as they move from the supplier, manufacturer and finally to the end user (CIO 2011). By implementing such a system, the company believes it will be able to handle the current challenges they are facing. 3.0 Supply chain management software Perky Pies is keen on implementing supply management software that can handle the logistical problems they have been having due to their rapid expansion. Supply management software is a robust application that features rich technology to enhance business operation from end to end. Currently there are two main types of SCM software: execution application and planning application. The execution applications have the capability of tracking the physical status of goods, financial information, and the management of materials. The planning applications on the other hand make use of advanced algorithms to determine the most appropriate way to fill an order (TechTarget 2008). With these kind of an applications, companies have been able to maintain a competitive edge by streamlining their supply chain operations from one end to the other, and this exactly what Perky Pies Company want. To ensure that these applications are able to serve the purposes for which they were intended for, they offers a broad range of comprehensive robust features that are designed to fully automate the supply processes and provide the necessary support as required from end to end. Some of the key features of supply chain management software include: 3.1Features of Supply Chain Management Software 3.11 Inventory Management Supply management software is equipped with an efficient inventory management application. Inventory management is the process in which the constant flow of goods into and out of an existing inventory is monitored efficiently. It is a process that mainly involves the controlling the movement of materials/products to prevent inventory from becoming too high or too low to levels that greatly hamper smooth flow of company operations. This means that an effective inventory management system should be able to tell what is in the store, what is in use, and how much finished product is available. In addition, a competent inventory management system helps in controlling the excessive cost usually associated with the inventory (BarcodesInc 2011). A proper inventory management system should be able to address three key aspects of an inventory. The first one is to do with time. Time is very important in any inventory management process; this is because it is necessary to know how long it usually takes for an order to be processed and to execute a delivery. Good inventory management system also demands that an understanding of how long it takes for materials to be transferred out of inventory be known. By understanding and knowing these two lead times, it will be able to know when to place an order to ensure that operations run smoothly. The second aspect is the ability to calculate the buffer stock. Buffer stock in this context, refers to the additional units of raw materials such flour, dairy products e.tc. necessary to ensure that the production of pies does not stop. The last aspect is the ability to monitor goods or work in progress that helps in adjust ordering to ensure that raw materials are always in stock and at the right levels (BarcodesInc 201). 3.12 Order Management A supply chain management contains an order management feature that is useful in accelerating dramatically the execution of an entire order-delivery cycle. This feature does this by enabling a company to generate and track sales order more productively. It also enables the dynamic scheduling of deliveries in a more effective manner to meet demand (Business- Sofware.com 2011). 3.13 Procurement Supply chain software application can fully automate and streamline all activities and task associated with purchasing, raw material sourcing, and payables across a company entire network. This means that it is possible to network all these tasks for Perky Pies Company with implementation of this application. This will go a very long way in improving their performance. 3.14 Logistics As a company expand, the supply chain become more complex as in the case with Perky Pies Company. As a result, the coordinating of numerous branches and transportation channels involved is a challenge without supply chain software. By implementing this application a company can be able to improve on time delivery performance, minimize wastage by monitoring how finished products are stored and distributed, irrespective of the number of branches or partners involved. 3.15 Forecasting and Planning With this application, it is very easy to anticipate accurately the customer demands and be able to plan production and procurement processes in the best way possible. This means that a company can be able to eliminate production overruns and eliminate excess storage of finished goods (Business- Sofware.com 2011). 3.16 Return Management This application is very effective in accelerating and simplifying inspection of defective products from either the seller or the one the company has manufactured for sale. This application would be very helpful to Perky Pies Company, as it would help detecting the pies that are out of date. 4.0 Issues Just like implementation of any other system in a company, implementation of supply chain management software is likely to be faced by some challenges. According to TechTarget (2011), the most important concern to address is the software compatibility with other home applications. It is important that the software is agree with the existing infrastructure. Considering that the software will require integration of different activities within the company, it is expected that some departments may not fully cooperate in sharing information with their fellow departments. This resistance to change is one of the challenges that need to be critically addressed, as the success of this application is dependent on how well different departments will be able to cooperate for the success of the business as a whole. Another issue that needs to be addressed in implementing this software is the company culture, it is important to understand how the company as a whole responds to new technology and the level of expertise that different staff have in handling such applications. Supply chain management requires conscientious coordination and cooperative spirit between different members of the supply chain (TechTarget 2011). 5.0 Benefits Implementation of this system will benefit Perky Pies Company in many ways. They include: Reduction of inventory- implementation of a supply chain management system will ensure that Perky Pies Company is able to reduce the inventory as much as possible. By tracking and managing of the raw materials such as flour, the company will be guaranteed of maintaining just the right amount of stock to ensure smooth of operation. This will be so advantageous because it will solve the problem they have been having of either running out of stock or having too much items requiring refrigeration thus leading to wastage. This if implemented well will minimize storage cost as well as losses associated to wastage (Business- Sofware.com 2011). The system will accelerate the entire order-delivery cycle by employing dynamic scheduling methods. By employing this system, raw materials are always there whenever they are needed. This is because the suppliers delivering the raw materials can be progressively monitored to meet any changes in demands. This will ensure smooth running of operations hence maximizing profits for the company. They system will help solve all the logistical problems the company has been having by ensuring that all the numerous activities involved in transportation channels from the start to the end are well coordinated. This will ensure that all the company branches irrespective of their location are supplied with their order on time hence solving the problem they have been having of delay of orders. This will also go a long way in improving customer satisfaction in that they will be always be guaranteed of getting their favorite pie anytime they need it. In addition, this will increase the profits for the company because at no given time will a customer want their pie and miss it as experienced in the past (Business- Sofware.com 2011). Implementation of this system will ensure that the company can be able to forecast and plan. This is because the software can accurately anticipate customer demand. This will be very beneficial to the company considering that it has been expanding its operations rapidly in the last couple of years. It will also ensure that the company is able to produce the pies depending on their demand hence avoiding unnecessary production and storage (Business- Sofware.com 2011. The ability of the system to accelerate and simplify inspection of defective products will also ensure that pies that are out of date are detected by the system as soon as possible. This is important in ensuring that the company always supplies pies that are safe for human consumption at all times (Business- Sofware.com 2011). 6.0 Conclusion Supply chain management system is essential for success of any business venture, it ensures that activities involving raw material handling, information, and finances are handled in the right in the right manner from the supplier to the consumer. This is made possible by use of supply chain management software that can be able to coordinate and integrate different activities within a company optimally. This software does so by the help of the different features that are incorporated in it. These features include the inventory management feature that monitors and track the entire inventory in a company; order management feature that improve the entire order-delivery cycle in a company by tracking and generating track sales orders; procurement feature that automate activities related to sourcing, buying, and payments; logistic feature that ensures that a company can handle all the logistical issues as it expands to meet the demands of the customers; forecast and planning feature which help in anticipating customer demands accurately and finally return management feature which makes detection of defective products more simpler and accurate. By implementing this application, the company will be able to reap all the benefits that come with the use of all features associated with the supply chain management software. Some of the benefits that discussed in this report include improved customer satisfaction by improved logistical planning, improved inventory management, ability to forecast customer demands hence increasing sales, accelerated order-delivery cycle and faster detection of faulty products. 6.1 Recommendation In view of the problem that the Perky Pies Company has been facing due to their rapid expansion, it would be wise to implement a supply chain management software as soon as possible. This is because this software has the capability of addressing all the logistical problems they have been having as well as improving the manner in which operation between the commercial kitchen located in Footscary and all the other branches located in different parts. Such problems are expected as coordinating of activities between the various branches is complex and hence the need of a well robust software that can handle different activities in such a company (Sapmaster 2011). It is also recommended that the company ensure that the different branches are equipped with good computers that can be able to handle the operation of this robust application. To ensure that the implementation of this software will be beneficial to the company, there is a need to ensure that their staffs in different branches are trained on how to use the basic features of this software to be able to use it optimally. My company is offering a one week training for the staff that will be involved in handling this software and additional one month free service for any diagnostic problem that may be necessary during the implementation phase if we are offered an opportunity to implement the same to Perky Pies Company. Implementation of the system in Perky Pies Company will go a very long way in streamlining its operation and hence stimulating the much needed growth amidst the stiff competition. References BarcodesInc 2011, What is Inventory Management?, viewed 7 October 2011, http://www.barcodesinc.com/articles/what-is-inventory-mangement.htm Business- Sofware.com 2011, Straight Talk About Business Software. Viewed 7 October 2011, http://www.business-software.com/erp/supply-chain/key-features-of-supply-chain-erp.php> CIO 2011, Supply Chain management Definition and Solutions, Viewed 6 October 2011http://www.cio.com/article/40940/Supply_Chain_Management_Definition_and_Solutions Sapmaster 2011, Supply Chain Management (SCM): High –impact Strategies, viewed 6 October 2011,http://www.zimbio.com/CEO+Richard+Keyser/articles/CysidbUFnzM/Supply+Chain+Management+Scm+High+impact+Strategies TechTarget 2008, supply chain management (SCM), Viewed 7 October 2011, < http://searchmanufacturingerp.techtarget.com/definition/supply-chain-management> Techtarget 2008, Implementing supply chain management abroad raises tricky issues, viewed 7 October 2011,http://searchmanufacturingerp.techtarget.com/news/2240074606/Implementing-supply-chain-management-abroad-raises-tricky-issues Read More