Enterprise Management Solution

Following is a proposal for development and deployment of web based enterprise management system by Magnus Code to help improve day-to-day operation of Whitebeard Engineering (WBE).

Overview

About Whitebeard Engineering

Whitebeard Engineering Sdn. Bhd. (WBE) was founded in 2011 and incorporated in August 2016.Their capabilities covers all areas of engineering supply and services to support various industries including Oil & Gas.

Problem statement

WBE are looking to incorporate technology in their businesses to improve efficiency in managing their day-to-day operations in supply chain management. Currently, WBE is managing procurement request from clients using a shared excel file. This file is accessible to all relevant employee and is being updated on a daily basis to keep track of the status of each request.

Proposal

A web application designed as a fit for purpose solution to WBE requirements. The proposed solution will help WBE to eliminate challenges associated with current method and drastically improve their operational efficiency through implementation of automation and AI in their daily processes.

Solution

How things are currently done?

The system that is currently being adopted by WBE is as follows. A shared excel file is created where all new requests are manually entered into the system. Every single data points have to be manually entered each time. The process flow of the request is currently not streamlined and is being managed by experienced employee according to their own knowledge and best practices that suits them.

A typical workflow upon recieving a request is as follows:

flowchart
A[Receive new request] --> B[Data entered into excel file]
B --> C[Prepare quotation]
B --> D[Data extracted from Excel file and sent to supplier for quotation]
D --> E[Receive data from supplier]
E --> F[Data processed and updated in excel file]
F --> G[Cost & profit margin calculated]
G --> H[Purchase order preparation for supplier]
C --> I[Submit quotation to requester]
I --> J[Receive approval from requester]
J -..-> H
G -..-> I
J --> K[Create delivery order]
K --> L[Complete delivery]
H --> M[Confirm order with supplier]
M --> L

Proposed workflow

Magnus Code would like to propose a streamlined workflow where user is guided by the application at each step of the process to ensure company procedures are adhered to at all times. This will reduce process time, increase efficiency and remove reliance on experienced employees to manage each request.

flowchart
A[Receive new request] --> B[Login into EMS system]
B --> C[Insert info into the system]
C --> D[Select supplier]
D --> E[Auto generate RFQ to supplier]
E --> F[Input response from supplier into the system]
F --> G[Input desired price or profit margin]
G --> H[Submit quotation]
H --> |Approved| I[Generate PO from system and send to supplier]
H --> |Rejected| J[Request closed]
I --> K[Deliver item]

User management

The application will be developed using advanced login management system which will allow for role based access control. Each employee will be given individual access based on authorization level advised by WBE. Role based access control will allow different employee to have different authority in approving, editing or deleting data from the system based on their role in the organization.

Status and visibility

At any point in time, the user will be able to view the status of each request. The status includes:

• Pending request
• Sourcing
• Delivered
• Requested item deadline
• Supplier quotation deadline
• Sludge disposal scheduled
• Approved items
• Cancelled items

Other than viewing the status of assigned requests, users will also be able to see visualization of the following data through a dedicated dashboard:

• Profit margin
• Cost incurred
• Total revenue
• Business snapshot

Notification and alerts

Notification and alerts are sent to the user via the web application when a request or offer is approaching deadline. This can be customized according to WBE preference.

Development

The development of the enterprise management system will be divided into 4 parts:

• Development of requester module (Module 1)
• Development of supplier module (Module 2)
• Development of supporting components
• Intergration, testing and commissioning of all modules

The modules will be developed in accordance with requirement set forth and agreed upon with WBE. All the modules will be combined to produce a user friendly, accessible and streamlined application.

Module 1 (Requester)

This module will consist of items related with requester. The idea behind this module is to allow users to capture the request from client into the system with as few clicks as possible. This module will also cover the access management to the application. At minimum it shall cover the following:

• Requester database.
• Approved item database.
• Ability to add information to each item.
• Status tracking
• Ability to attach documents
• Generation of customized PDF for quotation or delivery order
• Access management (Role based access control).

Module 2 (Supplier)

This module will consist of items related with supplier. This module will be continuation of module1, whereby it will automatically process data from the initial request and consolidate them in a PDF file to be sent to supplier. This module will also help with tracking of price and profit margins associated with each request. At minimum it shall cover the following:

• Supplier database.
• Ability to add information to each item.
• Status tracking
• Pricing and profit management
• Ability to attach documents
• Generation of customized PDF for invoice or purchase order

Supporting components

Supporting components will be developed as the project progresses to ensure streamline operation between both modules. These components will function to bridge gaps between module 1 and 2 and allows for full solution implementation.

Integration, testing and commissioning.

During the final stage of development, the modules will be integrated, tested and commissioned for everyday use by WBE. Any unexpected error or bugs will be solved and eliminated before end of this stage.

Pricing

The pricing for development of this solution will be as follows:

• One time development fee

• Monthly subscription fee

Execution plan

The execution plan is as follows:

1. WBE to accept the proposal and Magnus Code to start the project.

2. Magnus Code to carry out the following:

   1. Finalize the requirements with WBE.
   2. Design the solution and present the final design file for approval.
   3. Once design is approved, Magnus Code to start the development.
   4. Magnus Code to carry out the testing and present the fully developed solution for acceptance.
   5. Magnus Code to carry out training for WBE employees.

Project timeline

The project timeline is as follows:

1. Project start
2. Requirements gathering and design phase - 3 week
3. Interface management - 11 weeks
4. Development phase - 18 weeks
5. Testing phase - 6 weeks
6. Deployment to production - 5 weeks

Where possible, Magnus Code will carry out the project in parallel to minimize the overall project duration.

Total time for the project is 24 weeks (Refer to the detail timeline below).

Change request

WBE can request for changes to the system at any point in time through the change request process. The change request process is as follows:

1. WBE to submit the change request to Magnus Code.
2. Magnus Code to review the change request and provide a quote (if any) for the change request.
3. WBE to approve the quote and Magnus Code to carry out the change request.

Payment terms

Payment terms are as follows:

1. 20% of the total cost is to be paid upfront.
2. 60% of the payment is to be paid as the project progresses by milestone definition (2 week sprint - Agile).
3. 20% of the payment is to be paid after the project is completed and deployed to production.

Monthly subscription fee is to be paid either on quarterly or yearly basis.