Chesapeake IT Consultants
Stage 4: System Recommendation and Final BA&SR Report
IFSM 300 Section 7384
In order to
... [Show More] facilitate the hiring of 75 new employees in the next three months, Chesapeake IT Consultants (CIC) needs to update the current hiring process. As it stands, the current recruiting team is working at capacity, and not able to handle this increased volume in such a short amount of time. In order to accommodate this immediate need, and future needs, a new recruiting system needs to be put in place to keep up with company growth. The new hiring system will need to work with CIC’s current IT structure so that it can be up to speed immediately, and to keep costs down.
To continue CIC’s business strategy of providing extraordinary consulting services and recommendations to its customers, a new hiring system will need to be implemented. The new system will enable the current recruiting team and hiring manager to streamline the hiring process, thus increasing the number of new hires, with minimal expense to CIC. Since CIC’s software development staff is smaller, the new system will be a Software as a Service solution, so it can be deployed quickly. The new streamlined system will include an electronic dashboard that shows all open positions, along with a calendar showing scheduled interviews.
For CIC to increase its competitive advantage; there is a need for the company to find qualified candidates quickly, and at a reasonable cost to our clients. The improved hiring process will allow our recruiting team to screen the candidates more quickly, and pass the information on to the hiring manager so interviews can be scheduled. With a streamlined, effective recruiting system in place, CIC can have an advantage over the competition by providing the benefit of quality candidates more quickly than our competitors (Amadeo, 2018).
Below is a breakdown of CIC’s Strategic Goals, and how the new hiring system will help meet these goals:
Strategic Goal
(from case study) Objective
(clear, measurable and time-bound) Explanation
(2-3 sentences)
Increase CIC Business Development by winning new contracts in the areas of IT Consulting Increase follow-up with referrals and previously satisfied clients over the next 12 months to increase new contracts by 15-20% while maintaining current bidding on Requests for Proposals. With a new hiring system in place, CIC will be able to provide potential clients with qualified consultants to meet their needs. CIC’s recruiting team will be able to provide clients with qualified talent in a short amount of time to meet urgent needs. This quick qualified talent delivery can put CIC at an advantage.
Build a cadre of consultants internationally to provide remote research and analysis support to CIC’s onsite teams in the U. S.
Increase international recruiting efforts and employ 5 research analysts in the next 12 months. The new hiring system would allow applicants from around the world to apply online, increasing the number of international applicants. It would enable the recruiters to carefully monitor the applications for these positions, identify the necessary research and analysis skills needed, and screen resumes for these key skills. Recruiters could quickly view the number of applicants and identify when additional recruiting efforts are needed to meet the objective.
Continue to increase CIC’s ability to quickly provide high quality consultants to awarded contracts to best serve the clients’ needs Implement new hiring system software to streamline recruiting process in the next 3 months. By updating the new hire system with an electronic dashboard so the entire recruiting team can see what positions are open; everyone can be kept up to speed on the latest recruiting developments. Additionally, an electronic calendar will keep everyone’s abreast of the status of candidates’ interview schedule.
Increase CIC’s competitive advantage in the IT consulting marketplace by increasing its reputation for having IT consultants who are highly skilled in leading edge technologies and innovative solutions for its clients
Increase recruiting through professional networking, trade shows, universities, and internal referrals. The new hire system will allow for recruiters to work from the road at trade shows, and at professional networking and university recruiting events. Additionally, recruiters can reach out to current consultants for recommendations in their field. The electronic dashboard will allow those on the road to have up to the minute updates to meet recruitment needs.
The following chart will show how the different management levels are involved in the decision making for the new hire process system at CIC (Laudon & Laudon, 2016, p. 17):
Role Level as defined in IS Course Module Example of Possible Decision Supported by Hiring System Example of Information the Hiring System Could Provide to Support Your Example Decision
Senior/Executive Managers
(Decisions made by the CEO and the CFO at CIC supported by the hiring system.) Strategic Level The CEO wants to increase company growth, and increase CIC’s international presence. The CFO can decide the amount of money allowed to be spent on the new hiring system, and the salary budget. The new hiring system can aid in recruiting international candidates with the electronic dashboard alerting HR to all openings.
Middle Managers
(Decisions made by the Director of HR and the Manager of Recruiting supported by the hiring system.) Managerial Level Recognizing the need for a new hiring system to keep up with increased demand for recruitment. The director of HR can advise what positions need to be filled, and when they need to be filled. The manager of recruiting can keep the system updated on the status of the candidates.
Operational Managers
(Decisions made by the line managers in the organization who are hiring for their projects supported by the hiring system.) Operational Level Recognizing a need for a new worker, and alerting HR to how many people will be needed to fulfill a contract. Managers will be able to contact HR regarding the status of the recruitment search, and the admin will be able to update them using the electronic database. Updates can be sent to each department as the candidate finding process progresses.
References
Amadeo, K. (2018, May 1). What is competitive advantage? Three strategies that work. The
Balance. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-competitive-advantage-3-
strategies-that-work-3305828
Laudon, K., & Laudon, J. (2006). Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital
Firm,9th ed. Prentice Hall. Retrieved from https://content.umuc.edu/file/86676687-c3fd-4176-92e0-ad8f73fc49ee/1/Mod2Topic_2.html
CIC wants to increase company growth and its presence in the international market, and in order to accomplish this, changes need to be made in the current hiring process. Currently, management informs the HR department when a position is open; HR informs recruiters who then seek qualified candidates for the position. Applications for the open position come in to the HR department via email or regular Postal Service, and our sorted by the administrative assistant, and after review by a recruiter qualified applicants are forwarded on to the hiring manager for further review. The hiring manger then informs the HR department who they would like to meet with, and the applicants are contacted by the administrative assistant who coordinates interview times with the interview team. Feedback on each candidate is given to the HR department, and the administrative assistant forwards this on to the recruiter. Once a final decision is made, HR is advised who the choice is, and the administrative assistant puts together the offer letter going by information provided.
CIC’s current hiring process system is outdated, and this is detrimental to the goal of hiring 75 plus new employees over the next three months. The as-is process leaves too much room for error that CIC cannot afford to make. Slow hiring in the IT field means CIC may be missing out on some valuable candidates (Sullivan, 2014). The new hiring system will allow CIC to streamline the hiring process by eliminating steps and centralizing information to allow for a more streamlined system with real-time updates, which will allow CIC to achieve its business goals. In order to achieve this level of efficiency, collaboration between departments is imperative to make this a success (Krigsman, 2011).
Following is a chart showing how the new hiring system will affect the current CIC hiring process:
CIC Hiring Process
As-Is Process Responsible CIC Position To-Be Process – How the System Will Support the New Process Business Benefits of Improved Process
(Part 1) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 2)
1. Recruiter receives application from job hunter via Postal Service mail. Recruiter Receive application via on-line submission through CIC Employment Website and store in applicant database. More efficient submission process decreases time needed to receive and begin processing applications. This will present a positive image to potential employees and help CIC compete for top IT talent.
2. Recruiter reviews each resume received via email or regular postal service to determine fit with open positions. Recruiter Recruiter would directly access CIC's applicant database, review applications, and make appropriate notations regarding applicants that will be moving forward in the process. This will expedite the resume review process exponentially by eliminating the need for Ted to disseminate resumes to recruiters. The portal could be checked remotely, and at all times of the day.
3. Ted receives the screened resumes from the recruiter, and forwards to respective hiring manager via interoffice mail. Administrative Assistant CIC applicant database system will notify Ted and the appropriate hiring manager of the availability of screened resumes. Ted no longer needs to forward screened resumes, which will speed up the review process, and be easier to track status as system is available to all involved in the process.
4. Hiring manager reviews screened resumes via email sent from Ted. Hiring Manager Hiring manager receives notification of availability of screened resumes from system, and accesses CIC's applicant database to review them. Lag time between when Ted receives screened resumes and passes them on to the hiring manager is eliminated. IT is a high turnover field, and the quicker CIC can respond to qualified candidates, the better.
5. Ted receives feedback on who hiring managers would like to interview. Administrative Assistant Notification is sent to Ted to access CIC's applicant database and can view hiring manager's feedback on who needs to be interviewed. Eliminates the chance for piling up of emails and paper applications. Allows for quicker response to applicants which is vital in the fast paced IT field where time is of the essence.
6. Applicants are contacted by Ted to schedule an interview. Schedules must be checked and coordinate with appropriate interview team. Administrative Assistant Ted can check availability of interview team by looking on electronic calendar scheduling system, and schedule interviews. Electronic calendar and scheduling system saves time by having everyone's schedule in a central location, thus eliminating the need for Ted to check with multiple people. IT recruits will be impressed with the technology.
7. Interview team conducts interviews with applicants. Interview Team Interview team enters results of interviews into system. Allows for entire HR team at CIC to check status of candidates.
8. Applicants are discussed by interview team, and feedback is noted on each application. Hiring Manager/Interview Team Feedback regarding each interview is entered into system by hiring manager/interview team member. Eliminates the need for manual notation. Information is put directly into applicant system, thus expediting the process.
9. Ted collects feedback from interview team, and informs appropriate recruiter of each candidate's status. Administrative Assistant Recruiter notified by system regarding the status of candidates as they are updated. Streamlined system eliminates this step for the administrative assistant. Provides quicker updates for recruiters, and hiring managers. Allows recruiters to better coordinate recruitment efforts in needed areas.
10. Final decision is made, and applicant is chosen by hiring manager coordinating with interview team reviewing applications and feedback. Hiring Manager Hiring manager notes in system which candidate was chosen. Notification is sent to hiring manager and administrative assistant of update This will further streamline the hiring process by saving time for the hiring manager and administrative assistant by automating the notification process.
11. Hiring manager informs Ted which candidate was chosen. Hiring Manager System will notify Ted of chosen candidate. System will have already notified Ted of Hiring Manager's choice, thus eliminating another step in the process, and helping CIC attain its recruitment goal.
12. Ted prepares offer letter based on information from recruiter and puts in the mail to the chosen candidate. Administrative Assistant Prepares job offer letter by selecting information needed for specific candidate; system completes the template with stored information, and Ted reviews and emails to candidate. More efficient offer process presents positive image to applicants and decreases time needed to prepare offer letter, and enable CIC to hire in advance of the competition.
The chart below outlines the issues with the current hiring process and how the new system will make improvements:
Area Current Issues (from the Case Study) Improvements (from the Case Study)
Collaboration: The Hiring Manager states that he isn’t as responsive to HR as he could be since recruiting is only one of the many areas he is responsible for. Therefore, he depends on Recruiters to stay on top of the recruiting process. An efficient system with all information in one place, easily accessible and updated in real time could make his recruiting job easier; and he could devote time to effectively working collaboratively and proactively with HR on his staffing needs.
Communications: Explain how a hiring system could improve internal and external communications There are delays in notifications from department to department, which in turn causes delays in communicating externally. A new system with real time updates that is easily accessible in and out of the office would go a long way to improving internal communications, and enabling CIC to keep our clients updated as well.
Workflow: Explain how a hiring system could improve the CIC hiring process by providing a consistent structure for each participant to perform his/her part in the hiring process. The administrative assistant is overwhelmed with the current manual process and trying to keep all of the applications and resumes straight. The amount of paperwork leaves room for error. An effective system that eliminated some steps would improve the efficiency of the hiring process, and increase the productivity of the HR team. A centralized system will greatly decrease the chances for lost applications or resumes.
Relationships: Explain how implementing an enterprise hiring system could foster stronger relationships with applicants/potential employees. When applicants call in to check on the status of their applications, the HR staff cannot always give them a clear answer. With a new centralized system, the administrative assistant or other member of the HR team will now be able to keep applicants accurately informed of their status in the hiring process.
References
Krigsman, M. (2011, September 6). CIO view: ten principles for effective collaboration. ZDNet.
Retrieved form https://www.zdnet.com/article/cio-view-ten-principles-for-effective-
collaboration/
Sullivan, J. (2014, April 21). The top 12 reasons why slow hiring severely damages recruiting
and business results. ERE Recruiting Intelligence. Retrieved from
https://www.ere.net/the-top-12-reasons-why-slow-hiring-severely-damages-recruiting-and-business-results/
The chart below outlines the issues each CIC department has with the current hiring system, and how the new system will remedy each one:
Role Specific problems related to the hiring process How a technology solution to support the hiring process could address the challenge
i. CEO Mr. Morrison is concerned that CIC be able to have enough qualified staff to fulfill current and future contracts. CIC’s reputation is on the line to be able to quickly acquire sufficient staff. The new hiring solution will streamline the current hiring process. This system will allow the hiring team to expedite the hiring of qualified candidates, and meet the staffing needs for company growth.
ii. CFO Ms. Cho realizes a financial investment is necessary to grow the company, but needs the new hiring system to work with current systems (i.e. payroll, timekeeping) to keep costs down. Additionally, the new system must not be a short-term solution; it needs to grow with the company. The new hiring system will be a SaaS solution which is cost effective for CIC. At the same time this will allow for quick implementation by the IT department, and will require minimal training for staff to get up to speed.
iii. CIO Mr. Abadi’s primary concern is that the new system is compatible with the existing architecture and systems as there is not a large software development staff. Moreover, many of the staff works remotely, so portability is a must as well as tight security. The new hiring system will be a SaaS solution, so no development needed by CIC IT staff, and will work within our existing systems. The cloud based system allows for staff to work remotely and securely with tiered redundancy and disaster recovery protocols.
iv. Director of Human Resources Mr. Bradley sees that the current hiring process is too slow to meet recruiting demands. CIC cannot grow their staff utilizing this antiquated manual system. The new system will eliminate the majority of the manual processes, and allow the HR department to run more efficiently. This will speed up the hiring process and facilitate expedited hiring.
v. Manager of Recruiting Ms. Rodriguez is concerned with having to hire 75 + staff in a 3-month period of time using the current hiring system. CIC’s future is depending on the recruiters finding qualified candidates quickly, and this is not possible within the current hiring system structure. Reviewing applications and resumes will be made easier with a cloud-based system solution that will offer a more automated application/resume filtering process. In addition, the centralized calendar will expedite the interview process.
vi. Recruiters The recruiters are all concerned with the amount of time it takes to get from resume receipt to an interview. Recruiters are not currently able to answer candidates’ questions about application status in a timely manner, which may result in the loss of a good prospect. The new cloud-based system will be available remotely, 24 hours a day, which will make recruitment easier domestically, and internationally. The system will provide recruiters with updates on the status of candidates in a centralized location for easy access, and quick response to applicants.
vii. Administrative Assistant The volume of paperwork, feedback and scheduling Ted has to keep straight with the current system is an issue. With the upcoming recruiting volume increase, this issue will only be exacerbated. The new system will centralize the scheduling, update the hiring team, and eliminate the paper applications received. This will free up the admin to assist the HR staff, and the onboarding of new hires.
viii. Hiring Manager (Functional supervisor the new employee would be working for.) The Hiring Managers are not currently being updated in a timely fashion. The manual system does not offer real-time updates on the status of job requisitions. Without these updates, we cannot keep the clients informed. The updated hiring system will allow the Hiring Manager for the job requisition to receive automatic updates on the status of the applicants for the position. The new system will require limited training, and have online support for questions.
The chart below outlines the functional and non-functional requirements for the new CIC hiring system to be implemented:
Requirement ID
Requirement Statement Stakeholder
(Position and Name from Case Study that identified this requirement)
Functional Requirements
Example The system shall store all information from the candidate’s application/resume in a central applicant database. Recruiter - Paul O’Brien
1. The system shall send an email to each candidate when their application is received. Recruiter – Paul O’Brien
2. The system shall store the feedback from the interview team for each candidate in a central applicant database. Admin – Ted Anderson
3. The system shall create an offer letter based on job descriptions in HR database. Admin - Ted Anderson
4. The system shall have a centralized calendar system linked to the applicant database that sends alerts. Recruiter – Paul O’Brien, and Hiring Manager in functional area.
5. (Reporting) The system shall provide auto updates on the status of job openings to each department. Hiring Manager in functional area.
Non-Functional Requirements
Example The system shall be implemented as a Software as a Service solution. CIO – Fadil Abadi
1. The system shall authenticate all users before allowing access. CIO – Fadil Abadi
2. The system shall be available remotely via the internet (Weston & Kaviani, 2018). CIO – Fadil Abadi
3. The system shall have the ability to be expanded to accommodate growth. CFO – Marianne Cho
4. (Security) The system shall meet the data security standards of CIC (Shacklett, 2015). CIO – Fadil Abadi
5. (Security) The system shall securely transmit personal data. CIO – Fadil Abadi
References
Shacklett, M. (2015, April 27). Determining hrm software system requirements and features.
TechTarget. Retrieved from https://searchhrsoftware.techtarget.com/buyersguide/Human-resource-management-software-A-buyers-guide
Weston, R., & Kaviani, S. (2018, June 5). A systematic approach to selecting a software-as-a-
service vendor. HyperOffice. Retrieved from https://www.hyperoffice.com/saas-reviews-for-smbs/
After a thorough evaluation of CIC’s options by our IT team utilizing input from the hiring team, we have selected EZ-ATS applicant tracking software as the best option to solve our current hiring issue and to meet future hiring needs. EZ-ATS is a cloud based Software as a Service (SaaS) vendor that will provide CIC with an applicant tracking system that will make it possible for the recruiting team to meet their goal of hiring 75 consultants over the next three months. In using a SaaS, we will be using the most cost effective method for CIC, and it can be deployed quickly.
The EZ-ATS system will enable the HR team to work more efficiently to achieve their hiring goal by eliminating paper applications (chance for human error), centralizing the calendar system for applicant interviews, allowing for real-time updates to recruiters in the field and in the office, providing the hiring manager in the functional area with updates, and providing applicants with automatic application status updates. The more automated system will improve workflow, which will expedite the hiring process.
IMPLEMENTATION
In order for CIC to meet the hiring goals we have set, an implementation plan will have to be in place to facilitate a smooth transition for everyone involved in the hiring process. The following sections will detail what the vendor will need from CIC, what hardware and telecommunications that will be used, how it will be configured, testing that will be carried out, employee preparation, when data migration will occur, and how maintenance and updates will be carried out.
CIC currently has 400 employees, but not all will need access, we have calculated a need for 60 system users (Hiring Team, IT, Managers, and applicants). The cost for 25-100 system users is $100 per month, with the option to upgrade to over 1000 users if needed. The number of users can be monitored, and an alert can be setup to notify the IT department when the cap is approached. Additional setup costs include a one-time setup fee of $1,000, one-time configuration fee of $2,500 and a Web-based training course (Train the Trainers) fee of $295. The total startup cost to CIC would be $3,895. EZ-ATS also offers a 30-day free trial we can utilize. CIC will need to review and sign the EZ-ATS User Agreement, and provide payment information to the vendor to begin service (EZ-ATS, 2018).
CIC employees will have access to EZ-ATS from PCs, laptops, and mobile devices with an internet connection. Mobility was one of the top priorities listed by the field recruiters when considering a new system. Remote access is vital to the recruiters that work from a variety of locations, as well as for applicants applying globally. Field recruiters and applicants will only need a Wi-Fi connection to gain remote access to all systems.
Configuring the EZ-ATS system to work with CICs existing structure will be done by the IT department in collaboration with our EZ-ATS account manager. CIC will have the ability to arrange the dashboards and workflows in a way that best integrates with our current systems, link all corporate emails and social media sites, and link to all job boards we currently utilize (i.e. LinkedIn, Indeed, Dice). The vendor offers the ability for CIC to brand the landing page with our logo that marketing will provide to them.
During the initial setup, EZ-ATS provides CIC the ability to “test each function to ensure it is working as intended (EZ-ATS, 2018).” The Contract Acceptance Testing will need to be completed prior to a company-wide release. A Testing Team consisting of the CIO, the Manager of Recruiting, Suzanne Rodriguez, admin for recruiting team, Ted Anderson, a recruiter, Paul O’Brien, and one Hiring Manager (from a functional area) will be used, as they have the most knowledge of the existing system, and will be able to provide feedback on if the new system will meet CIC’s needs. The CIC Testing Team will create test accounts with various scenarios within the new system, in-house and remotely to ensure continuity of function and to ensure the software will function as agreed upon in the contract (Peham, 2018).
Since remote access to all systems is of paramount importance, the CIC IT team will be working with our recruiter, Paul O’Brien, to test the EZ-ATS system from a tech conference in London, England. Paul will be creating an applicant account, uploading a resume and application, and scheduling an interview. From the home office, we will have a hiring manager test access to the application from the office, and home, and the admin and Manager of Recruiting can track their ability to follow the process, make updates.
In order to facilitate the smooth implementation of this new system, and to alleviate staff concerns, a joint statement by our CEO, Mr. Morrison, CFO, Marianne Cho, and CIO, Fadil Abadi should be made announcing the rollout of the new hiring system. Additionally, progress statements should be made to keep the staff informed, and confirm management’s commitment to the project.
A process change this encompassing can be daunting to staff that are already busy, even when the change is a positive one such as this. Management will need to be transparent regarding how this new system will affect each CIC department, and each staff member within the department should allay any fears and put staff at ease.
It will be important for the team tasked with training the staff on the new system, be completely versed in all aspects of the new system in order to train effectively, and ease concerns about learning an entirely new process. The Recruiting Department members not already on the Testing Team will be trained first, then the hiring managers in each functional area.
In addition to the user support for the new system provided by EZ-ATS, CIC will need to offer in-house support provided by members of the IT staff. In addition, other members of the training team can assist staff with questions, especially during the initial transition period. Knowing that their questions or issues can be resolved quickly will go a long way to making this change a positive experience for all involved.
There are existing applications in the current system that will need to be moved over to the new software system. This data migration task can be carried out by the recruiting team’s admin, under the supervision of the Recruiting Manager. Current applicants’ information will be uploaded into the new system, and notification will be sent to the candidates regarding the new processes in place.
EZ-ATS will provide system maintenance that does not interrupt service. This will allow continued 24/7 access for staff and applicants, which is a necessity given the goal of recruiting worldwide, and the need for the hiring team to have around the clock access. Additionally, security and other updates are automatically installed, making no extra demands on CIC’s IT department.
Our current staffing process simply cannot meet the growing needs of CIC, and EZ-ATS offers a viable solution. EZ-ATS will work well with our existing IT infrastructure; is cost effective, does not require an large outlay of time by our IT staff. Most importantly, it can be implemented quickly, which is what we need. The EZ-ATS system will enable the Recruiting Team to meet the immediate hiring goals of 75 new consultants in the next three months, and will be able to grow to meet future needs of CIC.
References
EZ-ATS Applicant Tracking Software. (2018). [Course content]. Retrieved from
https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/lms/dropbox/user/folders_list.d2l?ou=272935&isprv=0
Peham, T. (2018). 5 types of user acceptance testing. Usersnap. Retrieved from
https://usersnap.com/blog/types-user-acceptance-tests-frameworks/ [Show Less]