Business Analysis Report - Essay Example

Business Analysis Report Overview The purpose of this report is to set out a proposal for investigating a business problem in order to arrive at a decision. The problem relates to the merger of some of the activities carried out by three boroughs in relating to their Youth Offending Service (YOS) resulting in a Tri Borough YOS. The case recording system used by all three boroughs are the same. However, the version of the software used by each borough and the level of customisation differs. With the merger arrangements the staff from the three boroughs can access any of the systems as their roles require.

The result is that these people have to use three different systems to do their work. Another supplier of case recording system has approached the manager of the new YOS with a view to supplying a system. The manager is interested in getting more information in relation to the current system as well as the details relating to the new supplier’s system. Proposal for Investigation A twofold investigation is required. The manager should first obtain details from the new supplier including:the cost of the system for the Tri Borough;the number of licenses required the cost of maintenance how user friendly the system would be; the time period for implementation;the level of training required;the process of transferring records and other information from the current system; the ease with which this task can be accomplished; whether the system will be able to facilitate the merger of all tasks in the future if it becomes necessary;the number of staff required to operate the system effectively; andwhether any new skills would be required This information would help the manager to gain information on the desirability of obtaining a completely new system.

Secondly, the manager would seek to ascertain the following information on the current system: The level of duplication of records if any;The differences between the several versions in use;The steps that could be taken to have the same version in use throughout the boroughs and the cost involved;The cost relating to having a centralized system within the Tri Borough and whether a separate support cost will remain in place; The period for which the current support cost of £7,000 per borough applies.

This information is important if the organisation desires to move forward. Conclusion and Recommendations The findings of the investigation should be reviewed and assessed in order to facilitate a comparison of both options; their long term operational impact as well as their financial impact. A comparison should be done of both options to determine the efficiency with which each system can be operated as well as their likely financial impact on the organisation. The system which is comparatively more operationally efficient and more cost effective should be chosen.

If one is more cost effective but not more operationally efficient - a cost benefit analysis would be required to determine the long term impact on the organisation.This task requires a skilled and knowledgeable business analyst with proven experience in the area. Holmes (2007) indicates that skilled and knowledgeable business analysts play a key role in tasks such as these as they are able to do the necessary investigation to better understand end users and other important information. ReferenceHolmes, B. (2007). Importance of Business Analysis in Development and Implementation of Court Systems.

Technology Experience Bulletin, TEB: 2007-04. [Online] Available at www.citoc.org/docs/teb-analysis.pdf. [Accessed 9th march 2013]