Many executives of organizations need to be convinced that software is an asset and not an expense. IT managers need to be able to discuss capitalization in a way that will inspire appropriate budgetary support for IT project development. For this assignment, students will analyze an organization. In an effort to support the goal(s) of the organization, students will be tasked with an option to implement software off the shelf, customize purchased software, (re)develop software from scratch, or hire someone to rewrite software or make updates.

Write a 1,250-1,500 word recommendation that includes the following components:

1. An introduction, including an analysis of the problem.
2. A discussion of the potential solutions, including criteria for evaluating
   potential solutions.
3. A conclusion that describes how the recommendation supports the financial health of the association.

Refer to the “IT Budget Calculations” document to learn about the organization. The chart will need to be completed with the appropriate values for each proposed solution and submitted as an appendix item for the assignment.

Prepare this assignment according to guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

MS Information Technology Management

4.2: Interpret financial and accounting information to manage information technology budgeting processes.

4.3: Demonstrate the relative value of IT investment alternatives to align IT investments with an organization’s financial objectives.

IT Budget Calculations

You are working for the Arizona Association of Educators, a professional association that has 1792 members and is preparing for a major membership drive in 6 months. The mission of the association is to support teachers in Arizona. This mission is supported by three goals:

1. Advocate for members in the state legislature.
2. Provide continuing education for members.
3. Support both members and the community by matching requests for tutoring with teachers who are expert in those areas.

The association has only existed for 2 years, and, until now, has kept all of its records using Word and Excel. They have two full-time staff members who maintain the membership information, including any changes to membership status (professional, provisional, and student), changes in contact information, participation in association educational events, and participation on various boards and committees, in addition to creating various reports that are required. The association also maintains a tutoring referral service for its members, tracking the areas of expertise, age level, and charges.

Errors are common, and some are embarrassing. The association is expecting to more than double its membership during the membership drive, and realizes its current systems are not capable of meeting the needs of a larger organization. Therefore, the association has hired you, a Java/web development expert, to manage the update/redesign to its systems prior to the kickoff of the membership drive.

You immediately recognize the need for a database to store the membership, event, and volunteer data so that entering, updating, and reporting the data can be quick, accurate, and flexible. The board of the association has specified that any proposed solution must meet certain criteria and have assigned weights to those criteria.

Criteria	Weight	Solution 1	Solution 2	Solution 3	Solution 4
Tie to Association Mission and Goals	12%
Supplier Support	8%
Initial Cost	12%
Net Present Value	12%
Return on Investment	12%
Payback Period	12%
Realistic/Attainable Technology	8%
Usable by Current Employees	8%
Potential Employee Support	8%
Ability to Be Fully Functional in 6 Months	8%
Weighted Project Scores	100%

For this portion of the assignment, you will need to:

1. Analyze at least four potential solutions to the problem.
2. Include build-your-own, purchased, and outsourced solutions.
3. When your analysis is complete, fill in the chart with the appropriate values for each of your proposed solutions.
4. Calculate the weighted project score for each potential solution.
5. Include your NPV/IRR/payback spreadsheet as an appendix to your report.
6. Use a discount rate of 11%.

These calculations will need to be submitted as an appendix to your recommendation.