Systems Analysis of Giant Forest Inn

Utilizing the Work System Method

Mini Project 1

Briana Shore and Kaitlin Hohman

BIS 370-01 Systems Analysis and Design
Dr. Doncho Petkov
 I. Executive Summary
Giant Forrest Inn is a small business which is focused on renting and leasing rooms to people on vacations as well
as aerospace firms who intend to book their conference rooms for retreats. The work system used in the Inn allows
guests to make reservations using specific names that are given to each individual room; for example; the George
Washington Room and Abraham Lincoln Room. Naming the rooms allows for the guests who are staying at the Inn
to request a specific room that they like. If a specific room is not important to the guest staying, a note is added to
the reservation stating that the guest has no preference. In order to help understand any work system, the Work
System Method can be applied and enforced. The Work System Method was created in order to ensure that there
were no longer any miscommunications between the guests and employees and to make sure that the reservation
process was more efficient. Once applying the Work System Method to the Giant Forrest Inn work system, it was
obvious that the method had several issues and concerns.

Issues with the Giant Forrest Inn work system included the use of a disorganized way of booking
reservations as well as a lack of a functional computer system to use. The approach used by the Giant Forrest Inn
led to a loss of productivity and efficiency.

Through analysis we discovered a few areas of improvement in which the Inn could work on:

Defining a Work Process: a workflow can be established, by clearly defining each function in the system. In order to
reduce viability in the system, it is important that the way of working is agreed upon. In addition, the use of a
functional computer system as well as the use of Microsoft Excel will allow the inn to eliminate any potential
miscommunications between the guest and concierge. By using Microsoft excel the data being collected at the inn
will be neatly organized within the spreadsheet which will make it easily accessible. By implementing this into the
work system the functionality portion of the business will improve which will also allow the employees to do a
better job, as a result, the business to be more successful. Each employee is given a certain role in the business and
are responsible for completing the tasks which each role is required to do.

Our conclusion is that it is necessary to conduct a Business Process Reengineering project within the Giant
Forrest Inn. The to-be system will be an integrated system which will allow full access to any reservation
information associated to the incoming guests. Integrating this system will drastically improve productivity in the
inn, making the business more effective, and will help the employees with their specific roles.

II. Background
Giant Forest Inn is an establishment which allows guests to make reservations for certain rooms and
cottages. The history of this organization dates back to post World War I and pre stock market crash and Great
Depression. This was a prosperous time in which people had the financial stability to invest extra money into their
own personal endeavors such as starting their own business. The founder of the Giant Forest Inn, Fred Manger, is an
example of someone who decided to use their money to start a business. He built a resort which ended up being a
great success as it became one of the highest ranked hotels in the world due to its excellent service, food, and
amenities. Eventually, the economy declined with the beginning of the Great Depression and people could no longer
afford to stay at hotels like they used to. Because of this, Fred had to cut back on operations at his business and
eventually had to shut down. Fred’s son Howard, however, was able to get the business running again for a short
time after World War II when he leased the property to an organization called Belton Hotels. This allowed the
business to gain a profit for 20 years until Belton Hotels discontinued the lease.
 The business started up once again when Howard’s son, Bill, started to gain an interest in starting his own
business. He came up with the idea of restarting the Inn and, with the help of his friend Roger, was able to pay for
repairs as well as build a three-story bungalow which had 80 rooms as well as 15 conference rooms. This created a
space that firms could book and use to hold conferences on retreats, turning the Inn into a stable business once
again. This space that was created for firms also created returning customers as the employees would return with
their families when they were not doing business work as well. The business was supported with this system for
years, however, In the year 2000 a fire started in the bungalow which damaged it to a state of being unusable. This
left Bill and Roger with a lot of uncertainty about how to move forward with their business. They analyzed the
market and thought that if they went back to the original style of the Inn by having cottages again they could build
up a big customer base. In this new version of their business they focused on having high quality everything. They
hired a world-famous chef for better food, created room names that their clients would like, created reservation
forms in which all the guests information would be on so that the guest had little work to do. Due to this new way of
performing business, the Giant Forest Inn was transformed into a sophisticated organization in which they served
high class clientele.

III. System and Problem

Giant Forrest Inn is a business which provides guests with rooms to stay in with a five-star experience. Bill
Manger and Roger Morris the stake holders of this system as well as their employees. The service being offered is
the rooms and cottages within the business.

The as-is system works as follows. First, guests and vacationers call the Giant Forrest Inn and request to
make a reservation for a specific date, if the date is available, then when the date that the guests wish to stay on
comes around the guest will come to the hotel and ask for a room either with or without their reservation. The
concierge will then ask the guest for information such as their, last name, and method of payment. Once the guest
has provided their information to the concierge, they will then have to sign the reservation to pay for the room. The
employee will then make the guest aware of any required information they are supposed to notify the guest about
such as: dining and lounging options, excursions around the area, as well as how a bill is generated and is delivered
to their room at the end of the day. In the case of a potential guest coming into the hotel looking for a room without
a reservation, the concierge will do their best to find them an available room to stay in. If there is room availability
the concierge will then require the guest to provide them with the same information as a guest with a reservation.
Once all the information is recorded, the guest will pay for the room and be treated like a regular guest. However, if
there is not an available room, the guests will have to search for another place to stay because the Giant Forrest Inn
will not be able to accommodate their request for a room.

The Giant Forrest Inn’s current system does complete the ultimate task of offering a space and room for
guests to stay and experience a five-star hotel. The first problem in the current system is the manual entry
throughout the process. Due to mi of outdated technology, and lack of attention to detail, handwriting inputs and
guest information have led to costly mistakes and miscommunications. Another issue that the hotel faces is that it
lacks the use of a computer system since it was not created for a hotel serving this type of clientele but for
convention hotels. The owners Bill and Roger realized once checking with other vendors of computer systems that
none of them would be able to satisfy the specific needs of their guests. Bill and Roger decided they needed to create
a new customer hotel reservation and guest management system. This system will provide the Giant Forrest Inn with
a web interface to make reservations, the system will also provide guests with reservation conformations
automatically mailed to them, as well as phone reservations. The system will also track each room status (ready,
occupied, under repair, and not ready), room cleaning and laundry, and track all services and present the guests with
a bill at the end of their stay.

Issues that can be found in this system could be corrected through defining work practices in order to set
guidelines for the inn. The addition of a workflow management system would ensure that the reservations for the inn
stay organized and are on schedule. Finally, a Hotel property management system would help the business to
manage front office capabilities including, booking reservations, guest check in and check out, room assignment,
managing room rates, and billing. Implementing this system will deliver a software platform that will replace time-
intensive, paper and spreadsheet heavy processes. The system also integrates two other online services which impact
the guests complete experience which include, housekeeping and maintenance management, sales and catering
execution for group bookings and event management, revenue management, and distribution across multiple
channels.

IV. Analysis and Possibilities

In order to analyze a business, the people who receive the system must be examined first; for the Giant
Forest Inn that would be the guests. The system is designed to allow guests to make reservations for rooms and
cottages. Information is collected from their reservation in order to make the check in process as easy as possible as
well as make them feel important as this is what makes their guests want to stay at the Inn. It is important then to
analyze the system and make sure that it is meeting these needs in order to keep guests returning. The as-is system
meets the basic needs of a hotel service however the one used by the Giant Forest Inn was not originally made for
the type of guests they receive; it was made for convention hotels. This being said, the Inn needs a new custom hotel
reservation and guest management system to keep meeting their clientele’s needs.

For more efficiency and success, the Inn should implement a new computer system. This system should
allow customers to make their reservations online by choosing the cottage name or room they desire. It should have
their reservation information tied to their name so that when they check in the Inn’s staff can address them by name
so that they feel important. The system also needs to track the services that the guests use throughout their stay so
that at the end of each day a receipt is generated that is then hand delivered to guest’s rooms. Furthermore, the
system should expedite the check out process for guests by delivering a bill the night before they leave, making it so
that they do not have to wait in line. There is the possibility to add an online presence for marketing and advertising.
This could be a website that includes all the features that the Inn offers, rooms available, pricing, etc. It could
include a section to make reservations along with contact information for any issues a potential customer may want
to address.

V. Recommendation and Justification

Guests book hotel reservation so that they can travel to the destination and get to experience both the environment
and amenities that are offered to them. Giant Forrest Inn has the skills to achieve the goal at hand, however, they
lack the work practices and technology to continue operations as they are now. There are certain parts within the
work system which cannot be removed which means that manual input may be involved in the work system.
However, with careful planning and specific changes to the system made, all aspects within the work system will be
improved. The work system will provide the employees with the tools and technology that are needed in order to
properly complete all required tasks and duties at the inn. The technology which will be implemented into the new
work system will allow the current problems with Giant Forrest Inn’s work system to be solved.

Our recommendation for Giant Forrest Inn is to implement the following: A business process, which is more
clear and better defined, implement a Work Flow Management System, as well as a Hotel property management
system. By implementing these systems, we are hoping to eliminate the Giant Forrest Inn’s current problems.
Defining the process requires the employees in the company to know the functions in the business and how they
work inside the company. The Work Flow Management is a system which plans out set schedules. Implementing
this will ensure that the new developed system is being followed by every employee. The management team will be
also be able to have an organized system which will allow them to track when the system should be implemented,
and how the new system is going to benefit the business. The Hotel Property Management system will be able to
manage front office capabilities including, booking reservations, guest check in and check out, room assignment,
managing room rates, as well as billing. The system will implement a software platform which will be able to
replace time-intensive, paper and spreadsheet processes. The system also integrates to online services which impact
the guests overall experience at the inn; for instance, housekeeping and maintenance management, sales and catering
execution for group bookings and event management, revenue management, and distribution across multiple
channels.

Implementing the system will:

 Clearly define the work process

 Utilize the Work Flow Management
 Utilize the Hotel Property Management System
 Help the overall business be more successful
 Create a more efficient computer system

These systems will solve the following problems:

 Lack of clear work practices

 Lack of organization
 Lack of inefficiency

VI. Conclusion
Giant Forest Inn is a hotel establishment that has had a long history in which it has undergone many
changes. Throughout the years it has dealt with events that have tested its longevity such as an economic crash and a
fire which destroyed most of the building. The various owners of the corporation have each been able to bring the
business back to success by modifying the work system to fit the current needs of clients. This is essential for any
business to be prosperous as systems can become outdated if they are not modified. Currently, their system is not
suitable for serving the type of guests that visit the Inn and thus it is necessary to address this issue. With an updated
system the Inn is more likely to continue to see a profit as it will align with the type of service guests expect. By
analyzing the business thoroughly, the changes that need to be made can be identified and then worked on.
 VII. Appendices

Appendix 1.
Initial summary of the existing work system and the problem or opportunity
1a. Name the work system:

Organizing and Maintaining hotel reservations for the Giant Forest Inn

1b. In one or two sentences, explain the main problems or opportunities that the work system has

There are many inefficiencies within the Giant Forrest Inn which come from the lack of use in computer systems,
inconsistent scheduling, as well as client management. The current system requires manual input which allows for
more errors to occur, this could be avoided by implementing an automated system with scheduling capabilities.

1c. Verify that the work system is not just technology or software

The Organization and Maintenance of hotel reservations for the Giant Forest Inn demonstrates that this is a work
system, not just technology. The current work system lacks standards to create a systematic work environment in the
Special System to Handel Recipients for Services portion, “guests wish to be able to charge services by using their
own name and not a room number”. Because of this it is more difficult for employees to remember all the guest’s
names who are staying at the Inn.

1d. Verify that this work system is worth analyzing by describing the size, cost, and/or importance of the
work system in terms of factors such as the number of hours per month devoted to it by people in specific job
roles

Organizing and Maintaining of hotel reservations – This process includes the owners, Bill and Roger, a world
famous chef, employees that run the front desk, etc. Many people are responsible in the system in order to help keep
the Giant Forrest Inn running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round. There are two types of rooms
available for guests to stay in at the Giant Forrest Inn. The guests have the choice to either stay in a hotel or they can
also choose to stay in a cottage. The Giant Forrest Inn also provides different types of rooms and styles that guests
are able to choose from based on availability; in the luxury room the guest can choose 1 queen bed, 2 queen beds,
two room, three room, or bridal. In the guest chooses to stay in a cottage, they have the chance to choose from two
rooms, three rooms, or four rooms. Each room and style are priced differently based on the view and amount of
rooms they choose. In the Luxury style, the rooms prices vary from $220 to $340 for a patio. There is also an
additional tax if the guest chooses to stay in the 1 or 2 queen room, the two room, or the bridal. The extra amount is
$22 if the guest chooses to stay in the 1 or 2 queen bed or the two room, the charge for the bridal is $320. If the
guest decides to stay in the luxury style room but have a forest view, the prices vary from $250 to $370. Both views
have the same additional tax. The other style room is the cottages which are slightly more expensive. Within the
cottages, there are two, three or four room options that range from $350 to $420 for the same patio view. Just like
the luxury rooms there is a $30 additional tax. For the forest view, the prices vary from $380 to $450 with the same
$30 additional tax. The room types and rates at the Giant Forrest Inn are reasonably priced and will vary among
seasons and months.

1e. Identify any constraints related to the work system that are important in this analysis

There are no constraints related to the work system that are important to this analysis.
Appendix 2. Work system snapshot summarizing the current (“as is”) work system

Customers Products & Services

Guests  Hotel Rooms
 Cottages
 Dining

Major Activities and Processes

 Guest makes hotel reservation
 Guest checks in
 Guest orders services
 Hotel generates bill
 Guest checks out
 Guest pays for bill
Participants Information Technologies
 Fred (Manager)  Reservation  Card Readers
 Howard (Manager)  Check in form (with guest  Computers
 Bill (Manager) name and info)
 Roger Morris  Cost of the room
 Guests who plan to stay at  Bills from other services
the Giant Forrest Inn
 Employees (Front desk
operators, chef, etc.)
 Appendix 3. Summarize problems, issues, opportunities in the current (“as is”) work
system
Problems, issues, and opportunities for the system as a whole

 No computer system to keep track of room reservations and availability

 Unclear check in and out system
 No advertisements or information about the Inn
 Disorganized work system
 Great ideas, need more explanation and detail

Problems, issues, and opportunities by step

Step (from Major Processes and Activities) Problems, Issues, Opportunities

Guest makes hotel reservation Problems

 The Giant Forest Inn did not have advertisements
or information to make a room reservation.
 Guest must book room/cottage by room name but
did not have room names available for guests.
Opportunities
 Provide an online web platform which will have all
the information a guest will need to make a hotel
reservation
 Allow reservations to be made through the web
platform
 Create a way to promote the business more
efficiently.
 Create advertisements that will promote the Inn
 More guests will make reservations as a result.
Guest checks in Problems
 The Giant Forrest Inn doesn’t have a way to check
whether guests made a reservation/ booked a room.
 Unclear on what work system the business is
currently using
Opportunities
 Create a multiuser computer system that will allow
the employees to access guest’s information
Front Desk Employee ask for guest information Problems
 Again, there is no specific way to check if the guest
booked a room
 Unclear if this is done manually or through a
computer system
 If done by manually, it is more likely for errors to
occur.
Opportunities
 Create a multiuser computer system which allows
employees to access guest’s information
 Use Microsoft Office Excel or Access to keep track
of guest’s information
 More organized and efficient
Guest orders services Problems

 Unclear on how the guests are supposed to order

services
 When are the guest billed for their services?
 Is there a specific sheet where it lists all the
services?
 Opportunities

 Make sure that all guest information is secure and

that they are billed at the end of the day. Guests
will also receive a more detailed bill when they
check out of the hotel
 Provide guests with a printed document that has
all the services that the hotel offers

Hotel generates bill Problems

 Does not specify whether the Inn takes walk in
guests.
 What happens if there are no room availability?
 Can guests be notified if there is room availability?
Issues
 Guests may become upset if there is no room
availability
 This could result in a decrease in business
Opportunities
 Create and modernize business
 Allow guests to know their room is available
through email and text
 Connect with other hotels to see if they have room
availability to help guests
Guest checks out Problems
 No specific way to check out of the hotel
Opportunities
 Create a multiuser computer system that allows
employees to access guest information and make
the process easier
 Use Microsoft Office Excel or Access to keep guest
information more organized
Guest pays for bill Problems
 What payment methods are accepted?
 What happens if there are additional charges to the
bill?
 How fast will problems be resolved?
Opportunities
 Make sure accepted payment methods are clearly
marked.
 Use Microsoft Office Excel to keep track of
guest’s services
 Keeping track of guest’s information will prevent
the bill from being wrong

Problems, issues, and opportunities for work system elements

Customers: Who are the primary customers of the business and what are their concerns for the work system?

The primary customer of this business are the guests who booked this hotel and who are expecting to stay in a five-
star hotel. Many aerospace firms book the conference room for retreats and engineers come with their families.
Their concerns with the work system are the kinds of rooms they stay in during their visit.

Products and services. How well does the work system’s products and services satisfy the customer?

 The work system does contain the necessary products and services to satisfy the guests at the Giant Forrest
Inn. When dining and handling services the employees use the guests name instead of their room number.
 The Inn also provides guests with different systems which allow the transactions from the customer to be
more convenient.

Processes and activities. How well do the processes and activities achieve operational performance goals?
Performance goals are met within the Giant Forrest Inn. There are little to no goals set to measure the performance
at the Giant Forrest Inn. However, the performance at the Giant Forrest Inn can be measured by the number of
guests staying at the Inn. The more guests that stay and booking reservations can one to assume that the business is
succeeding and thriving. However, if the Inn had a decrease in the number of guests staying at the hotel then they
would no longer be in business.

Participants. How well are the roles, knowledge, skills, and interests of work system participants matched to the
work system’s design and goals?

 The work system roles are clearly defined, and each employee is given their own specific roles to do. The
two owners, Bill and Roger, are responsible for making sure their Inn is running smoothly as well as
making sure their guests are satisfied with their stay. The employees of the Inn all have their roles and
tasks they are responsible for; for example, the front desk employee checks in and out guests making sure
they enjoyed their stay as well as completing transactions.

Information. How does inadequate information affect work system performance, and how might better information
or knowledge help?

 Background information of the Giant Forrest Inn and other hotels were redundant.
 There is not much information on the Inn and the business that was created
 Did not need to mention that a world-famous chef was hired
 Little to no information on the envision for the Giant Forrest Inn
 Do not provide information on the location of the Giant Forrest Inn. Also do not provide information on if
there are competitors in the area or transportation available.

Technology. How does inadequate technology affect work system performance, and how might better technology
help?

 Inadequate technology causes the work system to require manual inputs. Manual inputs create many
opportunities for error and miscommunications between the employee and guest.
 Better technology will increase revenues, customer satisfaction, and effectiveness through efficient
movement of cottages and Inn rooms.
 Improving the technology will allow employees to track the room status, as well as all services the guest
encounter and provide the guest with a generated bill at the end of their stay more efficiently.
 The lack of technology slows productivity and limits the amount of rooms that are being reserved by guests
since tracking is done manually.

Environment. How well does the work system fit the surrounding environment, and what are impacts of any
misalignments?

 The Giant Forrest Inn is a business which offers different amenities for families and companies.
 Misalignments in the business can cause great destruction and devastation.
 Misalignments could cause the Inn to become less busy as well as drive the Inn out of business.

Infrastructure. How well does the work system use the available human, informational and technical infrastructure,
and how could better use of infrastructure improve work system performance?
  The current work system does not use high-level computer systems. As a result, there are many human
errors that can be made.
 Implementing a technical infrastructure would organize important information which will increase the
employee’s cohesive unit.
 Introducing an organized computer system, will allow room reservations and guest services easier to
handle, as well as help provide guests with their requests in a more efficient way.
 The new business process and computer system will be clearly defined, the system will assign roles for
each employee and easy to use.

Strategy. How appropriate is the work system’s strategy, especially in relation to the strategy of the organization or
enterprise?

 The work system does have a clear strategy. The Giant Forrest Inn created multiple strategies and systems
to help stay organized when checking in, handle receipts for services, leasing rooms instead of renting, and
checking out.
 Defining the work system could be clarified and expanded however, it does provide a brief explanation on
what their ideas are for running their business.
 Creating a work-flow management system will help create a more systemized way in handling reservations
and booking rooms.

Appendix 4. Summary of the recommendations and their likely impacts

Recommendations Summary
 Improvements for the system

 Design and implement a new computer system

 Generate new ways of advertising and promoting their business
 Offer more services that will attract more guests
 Start using intercoms or walky-talkies for the employees to communicate to each other
 Produce new and faster way for guests to pay their bills (innovative)

Customers Products & Services

Guests  Hotel Rooms
 Cottages
 Dining

Major Activities and Processes

 Guest makes hotel reservation

 Guest checks in

 Guest orders services

 Hotel generates bill

 Guest checks out

 Guest pays for bill

Participants Information Technologies

 Fred (Manager)  Reservation  Card Readers
 Howard (Manager)  Check in form (with guest  Computers
name and info)
 Bill (Manager)
 Cost of the room
 Roger Morris
 Bills from other services
 Guests who plan to stay at
the Giant Forrest Inn

 Employees (Front desk

operators, chef, etc.)

Likely impact of recommended changes for the system as a whole

Recommended changes for the work system as a Likely performance impact for each of those
whole or for a large part of the work system changes

Enforce new technologies that assist with processes  Productivity increases from eliminating
wasted time
 Error reduction
 Important information is more clear
(reservations, guests)
 Implement Work Flow Management  Better structure for process steps
 Efficient use of time
Define Work Practices  Organization will improve as well as
efficiency

Likely impact of recommended changes by step

Step in the “to be” work system (“activities and
processes” from the work system snapshot at the
beginning of Appendix 4)
Guest makes reservation
Description of how this step differs from a
corresponding step in the “as is” work system, and
summary of the likely impact of the change on
performance metrics for the step
Change: Use website in order to make reservations

Impact: More convenient and efficient for the guests

Guest checks in Change: Computer system method

Impact: More efficient and productive, more

satisfied guest

Guest orders services Change: Online ordering from website connected to

customers information
Impact: Easily accessible information on the services
available
Hotel generates bill Change: Computer system generates the bills
automatically for each guest
Impact: More efficient way in producing a bill

Guest checks out Change: Bill is generated in advance

Impact: Faster and more effective

Guest pays for bill Change: Provide a printed and detailed list of all
expenses

Impact: Less confusion, more clarity