TriCity

Idled snow-removal truck An Idled truck will be costing the company money, because it is down because of a simple wiper blade that should be kept in inventory is a major problem New system was limited to only 10 customers The case does not specify exactly how many customers there are, however, not being one of the 10 customers able to order online is a big setback since they now have to do manual ordering New system has seven input screens for ordering Compared to the old system, which had one, this would make the ordering process take longer and come more tedious Most personnel staff had been in the company for over 10 years Older workforce is used to the old way of doing things, and are clearly being resistant to change Long term the new system could be advantageous The new system integrated several previously standalone systems such as; purchasing, accounts, warehousing and payroll. Integrating these systems allows for superior management control Wiper blade stock-out problem The wiper blade stock-out was caused by a failed transmission from the fleet division of Environmental Services; therefore the reorder was never received by the warehouse.

Elaine must figure out if It was human error or a glitch In the new system Problem Statement: Trinity’s Purchasing and Supply department must find a solution to the current ordering process, to Limit the amount of resistance from employees and prevent further system errors; all in order to use tax payers money to its full potential. Analysis: Strengths – New Integrated procurement system has the potential to Improve the efficiency of the entire buying process Weaknesses – Employee resistance to change could cripple the new system and force Tricky to revert back to their old, less efficient system Opportunities ? If the new system can be properly Implemented. Higher efficiency will allow Tricky to raise their customer satisfaction levels Threats – Customers may find a new supplier or warehouse their own inventories if orders are not being fulfilled properly Qualitative – The current employees have stated that they believe the new system is causing lower productivity.

Also, the majority of employees have been with Tricky for 10+ years, meaning they are used to how things are done. This will cause the workforce to be resistant to change unless they can be proven otherwise The new system has long term potential to integrate many of the current processes; however, it is clearly causing problems short term.

The major things that must be fixed are the fact that only the top 10 customers currently can order online, forcing the remainder to order everything manually. Also, the input method requires the user to input 7 screens of information whereas the old version only required 1 screen; this must be addressed or It does not seem to be an Improvement as It will take longer to fill out. Quantitative – City of about 330,000, Tricky is responsible for an area of about 41 , 110 acres Bid For orders of over $58,000 Formal Quote For orders between $15,000 and $58,000 Informal Quote For orders below $1 5,000 Alternatives: Alternative Pros Cons Resources/losses Feasibility Thoughts? Do nothing No additional Cost May not solve the problem No resources Feasible The problem may have only been a human error.

Once the new system is properly customized and available for every customer it has good potential as long as the employees accept it Revert back to older system Satisfy workforce Added cost and time to revert back Wasted cost of buying new system Replace new system with old system, hopefully till on file somewhere Not Very Feasible The employees would appreciate this, however a technological downgrade is not a very good option Customize new system The new system has the potential to improve efficiency of Trinity’s buying processes Time and money to properly customize the new system Wiper blade error may have been a technological glitch Time and the proper personnel to implement customization Very Feasible As the long run advantages seem to be very high for the company if they can customize it properly and implement the system for all customers it would be a good fit.

Also, further training to fully allow employees to understand how the system works would reduce resistance Search for new system that employees agree upon and meets Tricky needs Satisfy employees and address wiper blade glitch Employees may not be able to choose a new system Time and a lot of cost to the company Purchasing team will need to do research which will take a lot of time and money Feasible This will take a long time to research and find out what exactly is wanted from the workforce Recommendations & Action Plan: Short term: In the short term, nothing should be done. The 10 customers who are currently using the new online system should be reminded of the proper procedures so that human error can be ruled out of the wiper blade stock-out problem. If needed, additional training should be provided. Mid/Long term: The new integrated procurement system should be properly customized by a professional, or a team of them, so that it can be implemented to all customers. Also, if possible, the seven input pages should be combined into fewer to satisfy the workforce in that aspect.

With all of this, added training should be implemented to attempt to reduce the employee resistance to the product; training does not need to be in person, online or a pamphlet would likely suffice.

Metrics: Tricky should monitor the new procurement system and ensure that it was not a computer glitch that caused the stock-out. The number of stock-outs on the new system should be compared to the number of stock-outs on the old system. Also, process efficiency should be measured to compare to the old procurement system. If there is a noticeable improvement these numbers should be made public to reassure the employee workforce that the new system is working properly, this may help reduce resistance.