Running head: TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT PLAN

Technology Management Plan

Sunmibola Makinde

University of Maryland Global Campus

ITEC 610
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Technology Management Plan

Introduction

Rustic Americana has, in the recent past, been posting poor annual sales due to various

internal issues such as technological expertise, poor work relations, and business ethics. The

current project aims to formulate an efficient technical management strategy that can be used to

improve the company’s poor performance. As the Chief Information Officer at Rustic

Americana, an analysis of the current situation would help develop an appropriate strategy and

recommendations to improve operations at the call center, improve work ethics as well as the

technology being used at the company. The new CIO will also need to provide fresh ideas and

suggestions that can help eradicate the perception of the previous holder of the office. The aim is

to change customer perceptions and also improve the strained relationships between employees

at the firm. Research in best practices will aid the company to improve its management practices

and adopt better IT systems for improved performance.

Issue Matrix

Rustic Americana faces several challenges that need urgent attention if the company is to

improve its service delivery. Some of the main issues include an inefficient call center, absence

of a Chief Information Officer, a drop in annual sales, and ineffective operations management.

Adding to its problems is an out of date technological system that needs to be upgraded to the

latest versions for better customer service. Below is an issue matrix that identifies the issue and

its priority level.

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Issue Remarks
 Operational problems  From the case study, it is clear that there is a lack of efficiency in
the process of delivering services to the clientele
 Significant operations include the call center, delivery of products
to customers, and IT systems at the company.
 The people who bear responsibility for this problem include the
CEO, Prisha Khan, and other top executive members.
 This is a high priority issue since it affects the day to day
operations of the company.

 Management and  From the case study, it is evident that management issues are
human resource concentrated in the area of people management.
problems  The former CIO was not a good representative of the CEO and
did not maintain good relations with other employees
 Job roles and responsibilities are not clear at Rustic Americana,
and some of the employees are not loyal to the company
 The people who are responsible for this problem include the top
executives at the company, especially the human resources
manager.
 Human resources is also a high priority issue as employees have
the power to determine the performance of an organization.

 Organizational  The people who bear the biggest responsibility for this issue are
Structure Problems the CEO and the human resources manager.
 there is weak autonomy among the positions at the company
 also, there is no clear hierarchy
 decisions making is slow, and communication is also ineffective
 this is a medium priority problem as it does not necessarily affect
the daily operations of the company.

 Company Values  the individuals responsible for this problem include the HR
Manager, company attorney, and the entire staff.
 The company has been embroiled in issues of unethical business
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practices
 They have also received negative feedback from the customers
regarding the quality of their services
 This is a low priority issue since it does not directly hinder daily
operations.

Best Practice Reports

According to Jeffrey & Leliveld (2004), when an organization implements best practices

and reforms initiatives, it gains an opportunity to drastically improve in the management of its

available resources and investments. The GAO report contains recommendations that are

appropriate for organization in this industry. Organizations must enhance transparency and

consolidate data centers as a way to reduce the number of data centers (GAO.gov, 2016).

Another example of best practices is the recently launched IT dashboards that, when

implemented, can help improve oversight, transparency, and management in government IT

investments. The agents are required to submit CIO ratings, which are used to determine the

venture that the government can undertake (GAO.gov, 2016). In the case of Rustic Americana,

the new CIO can receive the scores from the agents, and if the company’s ratings are sufficient,

the government would consider investing with them.

The reforms that were passed by the OMB IT reform plan are also best practices for

organizations in this industry. This report suggests a set of strategies through which large scale

IT firms can achieve efficient and effective operational management. IT departments from any

firm can also apply the advice provided within this document to reduce the risks associated with

IT acquisitions.

Successful management requires an individual who has a broad range of skills including,

leadership, problem-solving, negotiation, decision making, and the ability to convince the
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employees to commit to organizational goals (Tom, 2011). Modern organizations now have

portals that allow their employees to offer suggestions and, in the process, improve inclusivity in

decision making. It has been shown that effective communication at the company is lacking

because it plays an essential role in creating a good rapport between the staff and customers.

Ethics is also another issue that plays a significant role in the field of information

technology (Lou, 2012). Ethical practice in this field demands that IT professionals should

always uphold integrity, competence, responsibility for work, human wellbeing, professional

conduct, and advancement of the domain (Lou, 2012). Therefore, employees who are mindful of

these areas in the workplace daily comply with the ethics of the IT field. Successful companies

are considerate of the privacy of the information they hold as required by the data protection

laws.

Operational Improvement Report

As shown in the issues matrix, problems in the operations area of an organization are

always classified as top priority level. The operations sector in a firm usually includes

technological upgrades and methods for organizational improvement (Carayannis, Sindakis, &

Walter, 2015). For the case of Rustic Americana, the primary focus should be improving

efficiency at the call center, improved ethical behavior throughout the organization, and the

support and implementation of technological changes.

a.) Call center basics

To improve the quality of service at the call center, Prisha Khan must troubleshoot the

identified problems by informing the workers of the different possible ways of work operations

at the call center. The plan for operational improvement at the call center should focus on the
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machines used in this facility, the technology, the organizational structure, and the level of

expertise.

The first step towards improvement is training the staff on the various services offered

here so that whenever a customer is unattended, any of the employees can help the customer.

This strategy also enhances the level of coordination among the staff at the call center. By

creating commonality, there will be less power struggle related to the roles different employees

play at the call center. Prisha Khan should also train the employees on phone etiquette as it is one

of the best practices for business organizations. According to Reynolds (2011), it is critical

phone conversations are made right since they are one of the first impressions of the company a

customer gets. Therefore, if Rustic Americana is committed to improving its brand image, it

should train the agents at the call center about proper phone etiquettes as they represent the

company to both first time and returning clients.

Another operational plan to improve services at the call center is ensuring that they are

ready for any likely influx of calls, especially during the peak hours. A reasonable solution to

increased traffic is the creation of chat rooms for agents who may not have access to phones.

This would allow the company to cater to a more significant number of clients with the same

resources they have at the moment. Once they obtain such a chat room, it is recommended that

Rustic American also gets certification from ITIL. The accreditation helps business organizations

by supporting favorable outcomes in areas such as business change, enhanced customer

experience, and risk management that aligns with organizational objectives (Axelos, 2015).

Also, Rustic Americana should purpose to improve its delivery services by emailing and

making calls to customers regarding delays in shipping as well as inventory stock. Through this

strategy, the company keeps the customers informed about developments in the delivery of the
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order they made. Calling is the most effective method of tracking orders as emails can sometimes

go unnoticed or lost in spam. At the same time, the company must use a non-broadcast number

when making calls to clients. This is because broadcast numbers are sometimes scammed, and

some people usually ignore them. The most appropriate name to use is one that clients can

identify from the customer registry at the online catalog.

b.) Updating the System and the Data Server

The systems need to be fully functional for operations to run smoothly in any IT related

company. From the case study, it is clear that a system upgrade is needed at Rustic Americana.

The first area of concern is adding more work stations so that more customers can be catered for

during peak hours. More employees’ will also be hired when more work stations are added. Such

a measure would improve customer service at the organization as it will ensure that no customers

are left unattended.

The Cisco VoIP system should also be upgraded since it has some flaws that delay

customer service during peak hours. Another area that needs attention is the creation of a

customer resource management system, which can be used to inform the customers about

products duly. Finally, the Oracle Database has been identified as the most efficient server that

the company can use to replace the Microsoft SQL server. The suggested new server has

advantages such as the ability to utilize schema migration techniques, which would be secure and

more comfortable for Rustic Americana agents to use.

c.) Ethics

Ethics is an essential part of any organization. Largo Corporation, the parent company of

Rustic Americana, has received the wrong kind of attention for reported unethical business

practices. To solve this problem, it is suggested that the company considers its sovereign duty to
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its customers and society at large. Legal business practice requires the company to perform its

operations according to the rules and regulations that govern the information technology

industry. The employees should respect customer privacy and should not use the information

they have for-profit or malicious intent.

Additionally, morals dictate that the employees at Rustic Americana perform their duties

with integrity, focus on customer satisfaction, and deliver their services promptly. The

employees should be held accountable for malpractice or actions that cause harm to the

company, fellow employees, or the customers. Finally, as workers in the IT sector, they should

focus on human welfare, competence, and integrity when dispensing their duties at the Rustic

Americana to give the utmost service to the customers.

Conclusion

A subsidiary of Largo Corporation, Rustic Americana, has, in the recent past, been

performing poorly in terms of annual sales. Alongside the technological glitches, a poor

organizational and managerial culture has contributed to this decline. The CIO, who was in

charge, was mostly ineffective. Now that they have an acting CIO implementing the plan

outlined above will improve customer perceptions of the organization and eventually lead to

improved performance. Technology is also another issue that needs to be addressed at Rustic

Americana. Since it determines the effectiveness of communication both within the organization

as well as with customers. Inferior technology and management practices have seen the company

experienced challenges in its quest to address customer needs during peak hours. Suggestions to

solve this problem include upgrading systems and the data server as well as expanding the

facility to accommodate more agents. Issues concerning ethical practice also need to be
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addressed. The company should seek advice from legal professionals regarding some of its

business practices and also when making significant decisions.

References

Axelos. (2015). ITIL Value proposition. Retrieved March 17, 2020, from

Axelos: https://www.axelos.com/Corporate/media/Files/Key

%20Benefits/ITIL_Value_Proposition.pdf
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Carayannis, E. G., Sindakis, S., & Walter, C. (2015). Business Model Innovation as

Lever of Organizational Sustainability. The Journal of Technology Transfer,

40(1), 85-104.

GAO.gov. (2016). IT Dashboard: Agencies Need to Fully Consider Risks When Rating

Their Major Investments. Gao.gov. Retrieved 19 April 2020, from

https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-494.

Jeffrey, M., & Leliveld, I. (2004). Best Practices in IT Portfolio Management. MIT Sloan

Management Review, 45(3), 41.

Lou, B. (2012, May 25). How Ethical Theories Apply to IT Professionals. Retrieved

March 17, 2020, from Association of Information Technology

Professionals: https://www.aitp.org/news/93013/How-Ethical-Theories-Apply-to-

IT-Professionals.htm

Reynolds, G. (2011). Ethics Information Technology. Boston: Cengage learning.

Tom, W. (2011). IT Best Practices: Management, Teams, Quality, Performance, and

Projects. Boca Raton, Florida, United States of America: CRC Press Publishers.