Rachel’s Day Off Swimwear Rachel’s Day Off Swimwear is a successful chain of hig
ID: 2766100 • Letter: R
Question
Rachel’s Day Off Swimwear
Rachel’s Day Off Swimwear is a successful chain of high end swim suit boutiques. Recently, several smaller shops and boutiques were acquired to expand its operations. The new company is much larger than the original company and it has outgrown its accounting software. The original accounting system was a package from Peachtree Software, which initially ran on a stand-alone PC and later on a network. Now, the firm is preparing to install a powerful, scalable accounting package that can support the company’s current and future operations. You have been asked to implement the new system.
Tasks
Who should receive training on the new software, and what topics should the training cover?
Students should include training topics for IT staff members, who will be responsible for the system maintenance, managers who will rely on system information and reports, and users who will interact with the system on a daily basis. Students should mention training topics similar to the examples listed in Figure 11-30 on page 447.
Go online and investigate the Sage 50 product to learn whether it can import and upload existing data.
Sage 50 is the successor to Peachtree, which was used by many small businesses. Students can visit Sage’s site at http://na.sage.com/sage-50-accounting-us/ to review product features and ask questions, or they can visit local software retailers or businesses to learn more.
What changeover strategy would you suggest for the new accounting system? Explain your answer.
Whichever changeover method a student chooses, he or she should be able to back up the choice with supporting facts from the textbook. Each method has pros and cons, and the decision should be based on the specific situation. An accounting system, such as the one proposed by Victorian Creations, probably is modular, with features such as accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and so on. This system might lend itself to a phased changeover. Because accounting data is so critical, however, a parallel operation might be desirable. It is unknown whether there are individual stores or divisions, so it is unclear whether a pilot method might be considered. Of all the methods, the only one that clearly is undesirable is direct cutover, for the reasons stated in the chapter.
When should a post-implementation evaluation be conducted? Explain your answer.
Students should be able to suggest a timeframe based on the concepts discussed in the chapter. Specifically, students should recognize that evaluation should not occur until the system has been in operation for a reasonable period of time — soon enough to allow smooth and effective resolution, but late enough to allow system bugs and problems to surface.
Explanation / Answer
Answer:IT staff members should receive training on the new software.The traning should cover topics like how to use software,implement and change and review.
Answer: Get a senior / expert user of the finance system to be involved at all planning steps.
2. You need to understand what people do on the current system first and what new things do they want to do. Typically a business will only use a set of all the features available depending on needs. List the training needs by person (each may be different? Do you have a dedicated trainer? if not appoint a superuser how will be the expert to help everyone if resources allow.
3. Get a demo or trial of the system. A good supplier will give you sales demos you can handle. Your expert user can get to the bottom of how to do things. You need the end users on your side from the off, they will be most affected. Tell them why you changing and let everyone have a say in what they want from how they want to be trained through to what system if possible
4. You could outsource the training especially for well known packages such as Sage. Costly but may be worth it for he superuser alone if you can't afford everyone then they can train in-house
5. If you need to prepare in house then plan to no more than a week before go-live and pick a quiet time. Some accounts departments have month-end of other busy periods. Allow staff to get ahead. Productivity will drop but hopefully not quality which can be avoided with good training. Check for holidays or other commitments to avoid.
6. Hands on training is always best. Get a demo system setup with realistic data for your company. Do all your current tasks as part of the training, taylored for each user if required.
7. Give the end users time to 'play' with a demo system doing real life tasks, it's feedback I get all the time as a Project Manager
8. Evaluate the training to learn how to do it better. New staff will always need training.
9. Once a user has used the system real life, get feedback and provide additional support and training.
10. Pay for professional software support, some software will provide this.
11. Train the users again on more advanced features once they are familiar with the new system on to allow their capabilities grow and maybe improve the business through new techniques or reports for example.
12. Involve the end users all the way, tell them what is going on and when and how it will affect their job and what support will be provided and let them shape the training plan. It will ease your workload and they will be more satisfied with the outcome.
Answer: Conducting a post-implementation evaluation will enable your practice to continue improving workflows, achieve your goals and needs, and realize the benefits of EHRs. During your post-implementation evaluation, you should check that the practice/hospital/health center team is still intact and that workflows are running smoothly, with few workarounds.
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