Creation of Web Portal and Database - Essay Example

? Creation of Web Portal and Database Creation of Web Portal and Database Solution Approach The Brisbane Institute of Art (BIA) has various problems which are challenging the achievement of its objectives. These challenges are elated to the application of inefficient systems in its functionalities. It is in the light of this illustration that the creation of a web portal within the institute requires a high level approach of the solution for its challenges. This will enable the institute to efficiently recover from the failures it has encountered such as the increased instructor turnover and the reduction in the student numbers. The business needs that will be achieved through the creation of a web portal within the institution includes an improved financial status, increased capacity and efficiency of service delivery, increased institution membership, increased student numbers and retention and enhanced satisfaction among the clients. The system implementation methodology should be applied within the institution in the adoption and installation of the web portal. This will ensure that the objective of the implementation process will be focused at appropriate design, adoption and application of the web portal within the institution (Villeneuve and Aminah, 2003). Additionally the institution will be able to ensure that the adoption and use of the web portal will be congruent with the policies and organization of Brisbane Institute of Art. The capability of the organization to implement the suggested solution is determined by the availability of resources and expertise that will design and maintain the web portal. Additionally, the organization must establish security policies that would play a role of securing the information within its databases through regulation of access. It is assumed that the organization has adequate financial resources that will be allocated for the adoption and implementation of the web portal. Additionally, it is assumed that the organization has adequate expertise or ability to fund the outsourcing of the IT specialists and designers for the successful design and implementation of the web portal. Nonetheless, the amount of resources that the company will invest in the achievement of the proposed solution must be benchmarked against the benefits that would be accrued from such investment. Therefore a cost benefit analysis will be conducted in relation to the strengths and weakness of the company to implement the opportunities of an effective web portal in its functions. More importantly, the stakeholders of the institution must be able to see the benefits that will be achieved through the implementation of the web portal (Griffith, Tansik and Benson, 2002). Solution Scope/Details The solution for Brisbane Institute of Art’s problem is the creation of an up to date website and database for effective management of its operations and enhanced communication among its stakeholders. The design and creation of the website should be compatible with modern software applications. This will enable the institution to enable more features within its website such as the use of multimedia as opposed to the current use of outdated Joomla package which is characterized by evident inefficiencies in processing data. More importantly, there should be creation of a database within the institution for efficient management of records. The creation of the database should also include sub databases such as student record management databases for finances, examinations, personal details and activities. Furthermore the solution for Brisbane Institute of Art should include a database for effective management of its human resource such as instructors to alleviate the problem of increased employee turnover. The creation of an up to date website will affect all areas of the institution. This includes the admissions, administration, human resource, records and human resource departments. For example the admissions department will be able to advertise on the institution website for the new admissions including the admission requirements. Moreover, the website will allow the admission department to receive online applications for admission. More importantly, the creation of the databases within Brisbane Institute of Art will ensure that the admission department is able to manage the student records effectively. The human resource department will also benefit from the implementation of the institution database through the increased efficiency in the processing of employee information. Moreover, the website will attract talent form the labor market through efficient online applications. It is nonetheless vital to note that a database management system must be installed for effective application of databases as a solution to the problems which are faced by the institution (Clark, 2000). The adoption and implementation of a database will require training among the staff members so that they would be able to apply the database management system with efficiency. Moreover, new skills of database management will be required among the employees of Brisbane Institute of Art. The creation of the website should achieve user friendliness so that the users will be able to apply the website for effective communication without the need for specialized training. The interface within the website of the institution should be designed to link it to various sites such as social networking websites so that the students can be enabled to use them for academic purposes in addition to social networking. Furthermore, the interface of the institution website should be designed in a way that new projects are featured within the website. The features of the website for Brisbane Institute of Art include new institutional activities and processes, academic programs, training, new services, access to information and an interactive feature for the feedback of the clients. It is however important to note that there are other factors which are out of scope such as the access of the website administration software by the clients. What is however crucial to reflect on is the fact that the implementation of the website and database for the institution will benefit all functional areas of the institutions or department in addition to the stakeholders. These stakeholders include the administration of Brisbane Institute of Art, the governing authorities, the staff, investors, students and the parents. For the adoption and implementation of the website and the databases of the institution to achieve the intended impact, it is necessary that the proper marketing be done (Villeneuve and Aminah, 2003). This means that the organization is entitled to spend financial resources in the marketing of the new and improved services. Business Case Definition The benefits of the new website portal include increased efficiency in communication among the stakeholders of Brisbane Institute of Art. Moreover, the speed and quality of processing applications from new students by the admission department demonstrates benefits of increased applications and student numbers. More significantly is the benefit that the new database and the improved management will have in the reduction of instructor turnover. This is due to the efficiency in the detection and attainment of employee needs. In addition cost benefits will be achieved through the website portal and the database management systems. This benefit will be felt in terms of the time which the institution will save due to the increased efficiency. Additionally, the long tem financial benefit will be achieved through the increased student population. However the institution will incur various costs such as the financial needs for meeting the training needs of the employees. Moreover, the costs associated with the organizational and system changes will be felt within the institutions. Nonetheless, the cost benefit analysis will act as the most appropriate tools for determining the ultimate benefit that the organization will achieve from its investment in the website portal and databases (Liu, 2000). It is notable that the implementation of the change by the institution through the new website portal faces possible risks. These include incompatibility with the organizational culture and as a result refusal of the employees to accept the change. In addition the process of implementation may fail and thus make the institution to fail in achieving the goals and objectives of adopting the new technologies. The management of the results includes assessment of training needs and evaluating or measurement the benefits of the new systems. References Clark, D. E. (2000). A custom estimating database: A successful implementation. AACE International Transactions, ES2A-ES2.5 Griffith, T. L., Tansik, D. A., and Benson, L. (2002). Negotiating technology implementation: An empirical investigation of a website introduction. Group Decision and Negotiation, 11(1), 1-22 Liu, M. (2000). Design and implementation of the ROL deductive object-oriented database system. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems, 15(2), 121 Villeneuve, C. E., and Aminah, R. F. (2003). Construction project websites: Design and implementation. 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