Tabitha+Wright

8/23/2011

8/7/2011
 * The Manager as Change Agent **
 * Financial and Budget Information **. The tentative budget for this intervention is $11,184. This budget includes a year of premium toll free support. The company is using a thirty-day free trial from Elluminate for training purposes. (Refer to Appendix D).


 * Technical Information **. The company’s current server meets manufacturer specifications (see Appendix E), so no additional equipment will need to be purchased. All appraisers have equipment compatible with the manufacturer’s specifications.

Appendix D

Cost Support

Manufacturer’s website: http://www.aciweb.com/Default.aspx
 * Users || Cost Per User || Total Cost ||
 * 16 || $ 699.00 || $ 11,184.00 ||

30 Free Trial for the remote training
 * Elluminate - http://www.elluminate.com/Services/Training/Live_Online_Training/?id=220**



Appendix E 

7/20/2011
 * Justification for Intervention Strategy**

The highest cost intervention will be the optimal solution to close the performance gap at D.S. Murphy. This intervention will move the company to one software program which will maintain the order from inception to delivery. As per the appraisers responses to the survey (refer to appendixes B & C) the order management was more efficient when the company used ACI. The drawback to the option is that the company will have to make an initial investment to purchase the software. Also, there will be five of the appraisers who have not previously worked with ACI who will need to be trained on the software.

The cost to implement the low-cost intervention would be minimal. Also, another strength is that there would be no additional training needed with the exception of the targeted training for order status. This would also be the quickest to implement. The limitation is the company has been unsuccessfully using this software for six years. According to the survey (refer to Appendixes B & C) the appraisers do not have time to update two systems. Therefore, this option would not be the optimal intervention.

The moderate intervention would maintain the eTrac software. Retraining for the status update procedures would then be implemented as part of training for the new report forms module. None of the company's employees is familiar with the forms module from this vendor; therefore, this will limit their ability to support each other. The training received by the appraisers during the installation would be minimal. The lack of training will lead to frustration if they do not understand procedures and steps required to complete a report. The learning curving for this intervention rules it out as the best choice for the company.

The intervention strategy will be to simultaneous in office and remote training sessions for appraisers who live close to the office as well as those who live in other states. The recorded training sessions are then going to be placed on the company’s server for future reference when question arise regarding procedures. The company can close the performance gap by enacting written standards and providing solid training for the new software.

The project manager will develop the projected outcomes, budget, and timeline. The tasks for the projects will be broken down to individual tasks and assigned out to appropriate team members for completion. The project manager is ultimately responsible for success and timely completion of the project

Resources:  Remote server  Personal computers  Smartphones  ACI Helpdesk  ACI Software

The delivery of the intervention will be through installation of the software. Appraisers will be trained on the use of the new software program using in-office and remote training through the use of Skype and Elluminate.

Recordings of the training sessions will be placed on the company server for reference in the future when new employees are hired or current employees need a reminder of a procedure. Management will begin running order status reports one month after installation and store the reports on the server. A category for report status will also be added to the monthly reports that are forwarded to the owner. This way everyone in the company is aware of the monthly standing of order status.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Appendix B – Survey Questions <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Appendix C – Survey Results <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">7 out of 16 appraiser responded for a 43% response rate






 * __PII-Module 3 - Part 3 - Revised (7/15/11)__**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Three Intervention Strategies

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The company currently pays $370 per use a year for both software programs that are in use. Making the total software cost for the year equal $5920.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Low end intervention. The lower cost intervention would be to put the company's policy on updating order status into writing. After emailing a copy of the policy to the appraisers and staff, the owner will then hold an online training session to go over the policy and demonstrate the proper use of the system. The cost of this intervention would be a few hundred dollars in the time of the off the office manager and owner to develop the company policy and training materials. The training session would be recorded and posted on the company's intranet for future reference. This intervention would reinforce the proper use of the software and the need for the system to be properly updated.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Middle end intervention. A moderately priced intervention would be to invest in an additional module for the company’s eTrac software program. The company currently uses two software programs eTrac is the order management and accounting software and Wintotal functions as the appraisal report forms software. The eTrac forms module has a cost of $5500 plus an additional $200 a year in maintenance fees. Then the company would migrate eTrac for or all aspects of order management. Thus, eliminating the need for dual system entry and closing the performance gap on maintain system status updates. The total year cost per user would be $481 for the first year then $150 per user per year for maintenance fees.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">High end intervention. The highest cost intervention would be for the company to purchase a new software program ACI 2010 UAD. ACI contains all the components for order management from order input, management, receivables, and report completion. Previously, the company used ACI but due the high per user cost the company moved to the current software vendor. Analysis shows the company should re-examine ACI as a software option. Several of the appraisers mentioned their previous experience with ACI in the survey comments area stating that ACI was much more user friendly than the current Wintotal software. The yearly maintenance costs are $699 per year making the total cost $11,200. The software is substantially higher than the current fees, but considering the appraisers previous experience with the program it will cost less in training time to get the software into place.

__**PII Module III - Part 3**__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Three Intervention Strategies

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Low end intervention. The lower cost intervention would be to put the company's policy on updating order status into writing. The hold an online training session to go over the policy and demonstrate the proper use of the system. The training session would be recorded and posted on the company's intranet for future reference. This intervention would reinforce the proper use of the software and the need for the system to be properly updated.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Middle end intervention. A moderately cost intervention would be to invest in an additional module for one of the company’s current software programs. The company would then migrate to one software program for all aspects of order management.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">High end intervention. The highest cost intervention would be for the company to purchase a new software program. The software would contain the necessary order management components as well as the appraisal report components that the appraisers need to compile the reports.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Improving Appraiser Order Management **
 * __PII - Module II - Parts 1-2__**

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Tabitha Wright ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">A00042619 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">tabitha.wright@waldenu.edu **

EDUC-7103–1 Leading and Managing Educational Technology**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Dr. Rita Conrad ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Walden University ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">June 14, 2011 **

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Executive Summary ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">On this page you will provide a brief summary of this proposal in no more than one page. This is similar to the Abstracts you have written for other projects. Think of this as your 60 second commercial. You have one page in which to convince someone of the value of your intervention. It is suggested you restate the problem, solution, cost, and benefits. Creativity in your summary will be appreciated.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Improving Appraiser Order Management ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">DS Murphy & Associates, Inc. ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The company has an order management system that is not being fully utilized. The appraisers are not updating order status which causes deals to office staff when communicating with customers. The delays many times lead to delivery delays, poor customer service, and broken customer relationships. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">DS Murphy & Associates, Inc. located in Suwanee, Georgia, was founded in 1995 by D. Scott Murphy and has become one of the leading appraisal firms in the state. The company’s clientele are banks, mortgage brokers, real estate agents, real estate investor, attorneys, and individual property owners. Useful information would be customer complaints and customers who have been lost because of lack of proper order management. The company’s website is www.dsmurphy.com. The company has marketing and public relations information available by written request to the operations manager. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The stakeholders who will be affected by the plan are the company’s twenty appraisers, the owner, and the office staff. Mr. Murphy the owner and CEO of the company will be the key decision maker to evaluate and make an implementation decision. The key personnel who are currently utilizing the system and will be able to provide useful insight into how to utilize it fully are Mr. Hugh Carver, Mr. Alan Daniel, and Ms. Kelley Stone. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The company is currently experiences poor customer service issues related to the order management system not having updated information. The poor customer service and limited communication has led to the loss of customers. The loss of a customer who sends an average of twenty orders a month at a cost of $300 per order would result in the loss of approximately $6000 a month in revenue. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The order management system would be updated on a consistent basis bringing about better communication with customers regarding orders. Customer service would improve as a result. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The performance gap in this case is the difference between the current lack of updates to the status of orders and the optimal workflow in which orders are updated on a routine basis. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The individuals interviewed stated that the main reason they do not update the system is due to having limited time. The employees who successful update the order status have made it a part of their daily routine. After analysis of the procedures I believe the issue lies with the fact that the company uses two systems for the orders. One system is used for tracking and payroll and the other is used for typing the report that is delivered to the customer. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The company would like to see improved customer service, reduce the amount of time and number of phones needed to keep customers up to date on the status of their orders. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> **History** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">D. Scott Murphy founded D. S. Murphy & Associates, Inc., in nineteen hundred ninety six in Suwanee, Georgia. Mr. Murphy has been appraising residential properties for over twenty eight years. The company has grown to a force of twenty appraisers in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina with a combined total of over forty five years appraisal experience and knowledge. The company appraises for a wide variety of customers from banks, mortgage brokers, real estate agents, attorneys, and homeowners meeting a vast range of appraisal needs. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">According to the company’s website ([|www.dsmurphy.com]), “D. S. Murphy & Associates is committed to providing exceptional service and delivering accurate appraisals with prompt and professional communication.”
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Problem Summary **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Background of Organization **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Stakeholders and Decision-Makers **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Performance Gap: Cause Analysis **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Actual Current Performance **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Desired Performance **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Performance Gap **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cause Analysis **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Organizational History and Background **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Goals. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Mission and Vision **

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Improving Appraiser Order Management **
 * //__PII - Module I__//**

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Tabitha Wright ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">A00042619 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">tabitha.wright@waldenu.edu **

EDUC-7103–1 Leading and Managing Educational Technology**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Dr. Rita Conrad ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Walden University ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">June 14, 2011 **

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Executive Summary ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">On this page you will provide a brief summary of this proposal in no more than one page. This is similar to the Abstracts you have written for other projects. Think of this as your 60 second commercial. You have one page in which to convince someone of the value of your intervention. It is suggested you restate the problem, solution, cost, and benefits. Creativity in your summary will be appreciated.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Improving Appraiser Order Management ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">DS Murphy & Associates, Inc. ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The company has an order management system that is not being fully utilized. The appraisers are not updating order status which causes deals to office staff when communicating with customers. The delays many times lead to delivery delays, poor customer service, and broken customer relationships. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">DS Murphy & Associates, Inc. located in Suwanee, Georgia, was founded in 1995 by D. Scott Murphy and has become one of the leading appraisal firms in the state. The company’s clientele are banks, mortgage brokers, real estate agents, real estate investor, attorneys, and individual property owners. Useful information would be customer complaints and customers who have been lost because of lack of proper order management. The company’s website is www.dsmurphy.com. The company has marketing and public relations information available by written request to the operations manager. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The stakeholders who will be affected by the plan are the company’s twenty appraisers, the owner, and the office staff. Mr. Murphy the owner and CEO of the company will be the key decision maker to evaluate and make an implementation decision. The key personnel who are currently utilizing the system and will be able to provide useful insight into how to utilize it fully are Mr. Hugh Carver, Mr. Alan Daniel, and Ms. Kelley Stone.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Problem Summary **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Background of Organization **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Stakeholders and Decision-Makers. **