ISYS1051 Business analysis

Business Systems Modeling

Margaret Cybulski

Class: Wednesday 13.30 – 15.30

Annie Tran s3285585

17/08/2011

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2

Company Overview................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Core Processes....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Formal System Model................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3

Use Case..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Extended Use Cases.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5

1. Customer Online Purchase............................................................................................................................................................................................5

2. Website Maintenance..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

3. Inventory Management................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Data Flow Diagrams (DFD).......................................................................................................................................................................................................8

Context Diagram..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Level 0...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Level 1: Customer Ordering................................................................................................................................................................................................ 10

Level 1: Website Maintenance............................................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Level 1: Inventory Management.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Conclusion................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Recommendations................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 13

Appendix.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14

1

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Introduction

Company OverviewThis report focuses on a small clothing business. It is a walk-in and online based business called Polka Boutique. It began as an online store in

2005 and later expanded into a walk-in store in 2009. It is currently located in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne. Polka Boutique has since established

a well organised system of managing the business. Polka Boutique specialise in selling women’s clothing to customers between the ages of 18

and above. Along with clothing they also offer customers a wide range of beautiful accessories such as belts, gloves, handbags, jewellery and

limited range of fashionable shoes.

Core ProcessesThis report will analyse and concentrate on the online aspect of the business processes and procedures. This will include managing the

company website, inventory management, and the process of customer purchasing products.

These three systems analysed are essential to Polka Boutique. Without management of the website, potential customers would not be able to

browse and view the business’s latest promotions, sales and products. Without customers there would be no business to run and no revenue.

And inventory management is significant to the business because without it, the Polka Boutique may lose potential customers to competitors as

they do not have adequate supplies to meet demands of customers and the market.

Analysis was conducted using formal system model, use cases and DFD, which is shown in this report.

2

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Formal System Model

3

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Use Case

4

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Extended Use Cases

1. Customer Online Purchase

5

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

2. Website Maintenance

6

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

3. Inventory Management

7

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)

Context Diagram

8

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Level 0

9

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Level 1: Customer Ordering

10

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Level 1: Website Maintenance

11

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Level 1: Inventory Management

12

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

13

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

Conclusion

Polka Boutique has a well-functioning and organised method of managing and administering the business. It’s a small store, owned by a single

owner and has very few employees. There are not many complicated task that requires the manager or the sales staff to perform. Products and

items get from point A to point B without any trouble. Suppliers are very reliable and there have been no delays with suppliers in the past.

RecommendationsRecommendation to improve the business performance may include the following:

1. Promote or hire staff to manage online business: appoint one or two staff to manage online orders, returns and refunds. This can

ease the workload of sales assistance and reduce their stress of managing the store and online orders. Also with a staff member,

whose role is to manage online orders, these orders can be processed immediately as their main duty is to monitor these orders.

Whereas the sales staff that Polka Boutique have currently are often preoccupied with looking after the store and don’t processes these

orders till end of the day.

2. Hire third party to manage website and promote business: Manager should be working together with a third party to manage and

update the company’s site. The third party should possess marketing and publishing skills and background. Having a professional do

the task often means the job will be completed at a higher standard because they have the knowledge and skills relating to website and

how to sell a business and products. It may be more expensive, but in long terms, it may provide higher revenue and attract more

customers.

3. Develop an electronic method of inventory control: Instead of relying of staff to provide data in order to produce inventory reports,

hire someone to deliver an electronic system keep track of products sold. This will save both sales staff and the manager’s time. More

important task and jobs could be completed with this time.

14

RMIT University School of Business IT & Logistics - ISYS1051 Business Analysis Annie Tran

AppendixSeveral activities were performed when analysing Polka Boutique. These activities include drafting a set of questions for the manager to

answer, organising a date to have an interview with the store manager, conducting the interview, drafting the FSM, use case, extended use

case and data flow diagram.

Throughout this assignment there was only one problem that I encountered. This was a minor problem that I confronted with in the early stages

of the assignment. The issue was that I had supplied more processes and provided too much depth in level 0 than there is supposed to be in

this level. I realised that these extra information is more suitable for level 1. This was a very simply problem that was easily solved by moving

the extra processes I have presented in level 0 into level 1, and deleted them from level 0.

Other than this minor problem, there were no problems encountered as the manager was able to provide an very in depth view of the business

procedures and operations. On top of the, the manager was generous enough to provide hard copy documents of the company’s daily

operational processes and the job duties of each employee.

This assignment was quite challenging for me as I have never worked with Microsoft Visio prior to this course. I struggled to grasp how the

program operates. Also prior to Business Analysis, I have never seen or heard of what DFD, FSM and Use Case and being presented with so

many new terminologies and diagrams, it was hard to distinguish them from each other. However I overcame this problem by revisiting the

lecture slides and practising drawing the diagrams in the tutorial class. This assignment has allowed me to explore and experiment with Visio

and many diagrams.

15