The purpose of this assignment is to determine the total cost for purchasing, modifying, and implementing a software application.

Consider the following scenario. You work for a growing small business and the decision has been made to invest in a customer relationship management (CRM) application to help the sales and marketing departments. Claritysoft has been chosen as the software to implement. As with most off-the-shelf software, modifications will be needed to integrate the CRM application into the existing inventory and email systems. The business has 534 employees, 241 in sales, 93 in marketing, 50 in product development, 40 in customer support, 35 in IT, 35 in human resources, and 45 in operations (e.g., shipping/receiving, warehousing).

Part 1: Licensing and Cost Analysis

Utilize an Excel spreadsheet to complete the following evaluation based on the scenario provided.

Determine and justify the appropriate number of licenses to purchase. Include the choice of license level (i.e., professional, accelerator, and enterprise) and provide the appropriate cost for the software.

List all of the additional costs the company will incur as a result of this project. Be specific in your cost analysis. Assume a fully burdened labor rate of $85 per hour for every employee. Additional cost numbers can be estimated.

Part 2: Executive Summary

Use the evaluation you conducted in Part 1 to write an executive summary (500-750 words) outlining the cost associated with this initiative, the general timing of when the cost will be incurred (e.g., prepurchase, purchase, implementation, postimplementation), and what items can and should be capitalized.