As a consultant working in the area of business analysis, you are expected to make recommendations to clients regarding the optimization of business operations, including production, material control, quality, and delivery.  In order to convey a sense of professionalism, self-efficacy, and value to the client, you have decided to create a detailed report that outlines the key components of MRP to recommend or caution against the installation of an MRP system.

Since your services are rewarded primarily by the effective launch of MRP within the client’s organization, you want to define certain business characteristics that are likely to undermine or block the effective application of MRP so that you will recognize and avoid consulting agreements that carry a high risk of failure.  Knowing in advance what these undesirable characteristics are puts you in a position to adjust your promise to deliver accurately or withdraw your name from the list of potential vendors for the client.

Include the following in your report:

• A list of business operating characteristics that are best aligned with MRP (where MRP is most effective).
• A list of operating characteristics that render MRP ineffective or undesirable (when should a client not implement MRP).
• Benefits of implementing or improving MRP in an organization (list at least 15 key areas of expected improvement, such as reduced lead times).
• Five selected items from your list of 15 expected improvements, along with descriptions about how a companion ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system might be used to link certain functional areas or operational activities to achieve and maximize each expected improvement effectively.  This requires, for each of the five items, a minimum of two paragraphs that:
  • Identify the functional area(s) that are favorably affected by the benefit.
  • Describe ERP data elements (types of information) that serve as inputs and outputs of the ERP and MRP systems.
  • Provide a real-world example that clearly reveals how the chosen improvement item influenced each functional area in one or more of these five key scorecard categories: Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Employee Morale.

• A summary of your thoughts on MRP.

Length: 5-7 pages, not including assignment coversheet, title page, and reference page(s).  Use topic section headings for each criterion listed above.

Your response should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic.  Your response should also reflect professional business writing and current APA standards.