Automobile Dealership Operations, Research Paper Example

As the hired CIO of a very large and new automobile dealership, there are several factors that I will put into consideration to guarantee better running of the new system of the company. This will include planning of the enterprise IT systems and its implementation. As the hired CIO, I will have the task of integrating software from various automobile companies into one working system. I will also have the assignment of hiring new employees who will work in the new company. Since the process is more than a one-time integration of the system components, the procedures of achieving the above tasks can be done incrementally by the use of the iterative process of assembling the components of the software, evaluating them, and finally assembling more system components.

As the hired CIO, I will start the course of integrating the software with the simulations and analysis, for example, virtual prototypes, rapid prototypes and threads as well as physical prototypes. I will direct the process steadily by gradually increasing more practical incremental functionality until the final coherent system is obtained.

I will begin the process by setting up and maintaining a sequence of system integration, the environment or surrounding for executing the software integration and procedures of integration of the three automobile manufacturers. I will use the initial precise practice to establish the progression for the software and software component integration. After that, I will establish the environment or surrounding, which will be used to carry out the system and software component integration. Finally, as the hired CIO, I will develop a criteria and procedures for system and software component integration. This Preparation process for software integration of the three automobile begins early enough in the project, and the sequence of integration is developed along with the practices in the area of technical solution process.

As the hired CIO, my next procedure of the integration of the system will be to ensure that the software systems of the three automobile manufacturers are compatible. The software’s interfaces, both external and internal should be compatible. I will also ensure that efficient management of the software interfaces of the three companies’ specifications, designs and requirements will assist in ensuring that the implemented software will be compatible and complete. I will also consider the software components and arrange a relationship table.

The designs and definitions for software interfaces affect not only the external systems and software components, but also the validation and verification environments. Interfaces management of the software includes maintenance and upholding of the consistency of the software interfaces all through the process of the system integration. Management of interfaces between software acquired from these different companies of automobile is vital for the accomplishment of the integration system.

As the new hired CIO, I will also have the task of ensuring the verified software components are then assembled, and the integrated system is delivered. After that, I will continue with the integration of the software components according to the system integration sequences and the procedures available. Before the integration, I will confirm that the three companies’ software is compliant with the requirements of its interface. After that, I will then assemble the software components by assembling them into more complex and larger software components. These software assembled components will be checked and verified for accurate interoperation.

In case a problem is encountered during the process, as the hired CIO, it is my duty to document it, and provide a suitable action process immediately. It is necessary as the CIO to ensure that the software components assembly into a more complex and large products is carried out according to the system integration sequence and the procedures available. I will then get to the evaluation process, which will involve examining and testing the software assembled components for its suitability, performance and readiness using the procedures available. As the CIO hired, I will carry out this task appropriately for various stages of the system assembly as identified in the software integration sequence and the procedures available. The software integration system into a coherent system may define a more sophisticated integration and evaluation series than might be pictured by examining the architecture of the system.

Strategy of Hiring Employees

The involvement of the correct people and the timely reception of the software components needed, will definitely contribute to the integration of the software into a coherent system successfully. As the hired Chief Information Officer, I will need to hire information technology support staff, which includes supervisors and managers, and assigns staff for each corporate location. As the hired CIO, I will implement and organize technical resources and ensure that the resources are sufficient for business needs and the policies adhered to. This way, I will also be helping other business leaders in the new company by anticipating what is lurking in the business setting and competitive progress of others.

Since the three departments of the dealership consist of 61 people, as the hired CIO, I will hire employees in a ratio of one employee to ten people. Therefore, I will have six employees working for me. As the main information officer of the system, one of my main tasks will be to ensure that I have an effective workforce management. Since I am the CIO of the new system, it is my obligation to ensure that I have the right number of the correct people to keep the company running efficiently. First, it is vital for me to create an all-inclusive and visibly written job description, which will include factors like the following:

• The major tasks, duties and responsibilities the employees need to perform
• The working conditions
• The predictable principles of job performance
• The reporting relationships, i.e. the people to whom the employees will be reporting and who will be reporting to the new hire
• The standards of the behavior acceptable

When it comes to hiring the correct candidates, it is necessary as the hired CIO to choose someone who essentially fits the job description. Even if it will take time to get the best employees, it is worth it, so as to guarantee that I get the best workforce management. Once I have hired the correct employees, it is necessary to maximize their strengths while minimizing the limitations.

Process of Training Company Employees to Use the System

Effective and successful training of the employees depend on several factors, which include the skills and intelligence of the individuals being trained among others. For any stage of trainee intelligence and skills, there is a wide choice of results that depend on the trainer. Anybody can achieve and attain satisfactory results training extraordinary trainees. As the CIO, training people to use the new system involves simple factors, but often ignored, which makes the difference between serious training that deliver good results, and poor training that occasionally masquerades as training.

Using the above procedures, which have been tested, tried and proven, will definitely reduce the amount of time used in teaching the trainees to use the new system by about 60%. Virtually, it will also eliminate the phone calls being wasted whereby the trainees ask the similar questions about the same points which were covered during the sessions of training. As the hired CIO, training the employees on the new system is an important role in delivering a new solution, particularly when delivering a new system, which in order to get major benefits from it, will require employees to pro actively use the new system. It does not mean that I will train employees to use the system from a technically, but I will have to ensure that employees understand not only what they are being trained on, but also why they are being trained.

As the hired CIO, It is my duty to define the objectives of training the employees. Therefore, I will break down the objectives of the training into clear specific points. This can take the following examples:

• The function of the new system
• Recording the new system adjustments
• Adding, deleting and distorting system records
• Showing the types of information which can be extracted

At the end of each training session, as the hired CIO, it is indispensable to test and see if the objectives have been met by the trainees through asking questions and also by having them demonstrating the skills that they have learnt. Testing is tremendously important since it is only through feedback and comments that the employee being trained is able to improve his/her skills in training and gain knowledge more quickly.

At this point, I will need to establish the point from which to start training.

Knowing the point of starting is very significant. At the start of the session, as the IT Director, I will need to start with a question and ask the trainees to answer so as to determine precisely the level of knowledge. This way, as a trainer and CIO, I will either review or skip the parts of the system training that are already understood and known.

As the hired CIO, now that I know the preferred end point that I want to achieve, and the point of beginning at the start of the training session, I can work out a series of steps, which needs to be taught during the session of training. I will work backwards by listing the skills which an individual will require so as to demonstrate and understand at the conclusion of the training session.

As the hired CIO, I will have to explain the series of steps to be covered to the employees being trained. I will always spend some minutes at the beginning of the training session to enlighten what will be covered during the training session as this is one of the main duties of the CIO. For example, how the new system works with the integration of the software.  This can be a short process, but simply a reminder of how the system fits into the overall company. Without this short session, some employees will become confused more quickly.

As the topic to be covered begins, I might show the trainees the topic or tell them first. This sequence might as well vary by either explaining or demonstrating the technique first. The arrangement of the steps to be covered can vary according to what is suitable for the topic to be covered. As the Chief Information Officer, I will need to repeat the “showing and telling” procedure until the trainees demonstrate that they have indeed understood the topic before proceeding on to the next stage of the training session. I will also encourage the trainees to make some notes for their future use and also for reference back to the new system they are learning about. I will need to demonstrate to the trainees that everything they ought to know is found in the new system.

Technical problems may arise from time to time. I will be required to perform any necessary works on the system since it is my major responsibility, and the employees being trained are not supposed to perform. As the hired CIO, if such a case occurs I ought to let the trainees take a coffee/tea break so that I can make the required corrections to the new system. It is not wise to try and resolve the bug/problem in front of the employees being trained. Such side issues will simply escalate to the level where the entire exercise obstructs and confuses the training process and becomes counterproductive.

As the CIO hired, I will ensure that the new system is working and carefully tested before any training session begins. Critiquing performance and correcting mistakes is part of training to ensure the trainees improve the way they handle the new system. As I am about to finish the day’s topic for the training session, it is time to review the objectives and remind the employees being trained of what I had promised to cover. Reviewing ensures that the session of training has achieved its objectives. The review will involve a session of short question and answer, which will reveal whether the trainees have a detailed understanding of the subjects/topics covered. The review will also involve demonstration of the covered techniques by the trainees. The idea of reviewing is to extract the accurate answers from the employees being trained.