FIT5234 ADVANCED BIS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
ASSIGNMENT 2: INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (35%)
Your Task
Please read this article about Walmart’s supply chain management (SCM) practices:
● Walmart’s Retail Link Supply Chain: A Case Study Solution.
For your convenience, we provide a brief summary of Walmart’s SCM practices: Walmart has Retail Link—a proprietary, web-based platform. that serves as the central nervous system for its supply chain. It is a comprehensive data-sharing portal that connects Walmart's thousands of global suppliers directly to its vast internal data systems. At its core, Retail Link is a tool for collaboration and visibility, designed to remove guesswork from the supply chain and replace it with real-time, actionable data.
The primary supply chain management role of Retail Link is to ensure that the right products are in the right place, at the right time, and in the right quantities. It achieves this by providing suppliers with unprecedented transparency into the performance of their products within Walmart's ecosystem. This shifts the dynamic from a traditional, reactive supply chain (where suppliers ship products and wait for the next order) to a proactive, collaborative, and data-driven one.
Segment 1-Focus group plan (a total of 30 marks):
Imagine that you need to design the SCM for Walmart from the scratch, and your department head has asked you to conduct a focus group to determine the system requirements. Please specify how you will implement the focus group within 1000 words. Specifically, you are requested to determine:
a) The participants of the focus group. (5 marks)
b) The key design question of SCM for the focus group. (5 marks)
c) The process that can be implemented for the focus group. (10 marks)
d) The questioning route for the focus group. (10 marks)
Segment 2-BPMN diagram
You are required to create a BPMN diagram that models the below business process about the procurement. Use BPMN-compliant tools (e.g., Lucidchart, or Microsoft Visio) to create your diagram (30 marks).
In a supply chain management system, Walmart and suppliers collaborate as follows: Walmart’s procurement team identifies and selects a supplier from a pre-approved list within the Supply Chain Management (SCM) system. The selection is based on key factors such as price, delivery terms, and inventory availability. Once a supplier is selected, Walmart places an order through the SCM system, specifying the required goods, quantities, and delivery deadlines.
The supplier’s sales department reviews the order to verify the availability of the requested goods. If the goods are in stock, the supplier confirms the order and sends it to the production department for processing. A confirmation letter is sent to Walmart through the SCM system. If the goods are unavailable, the supplier informs Walmart via the SCM system, providing an estimated restocking date.
The production department begins preparing and packaging the goods for shipment upon receiving the order. The goods are then shipped to Walmart, along with tracking details and all necessary shipping documentation.
Upon receipt of the shipment, Walmart verifies the goods against the original procurement order to ensure accuracy. If the shipment matches the order, Walmart processes payment to the supplier, completing the transaction, otherwise suspending the transaction for further resolution.
Segment 3-Data flow diagram (a total of 40 marks):
Walmart manages its financial transactions through an accounting information system (AIS). The AIS handles various functions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and general ledger management. When a procurement is made, the accounts clerk enters the invoice details into the system, which then generates a payment schedule for the clerk. The system automatically checks for available funds and notifies the finance director if a payment cannot be processed due to insufficient funds. For sales, the sales team inputs customer orders, and the accounts clerk generates invoices based on these orders. Payments received are recorded in the system, updating the customer account balances. At the end of each month, the system generates financial statements that are reviewed by the finance director. Any discrepancies or unusual transactions are flagged for further investigation. Please answer the question a) and b).
a) Is the accounts payable clerk a source or sink in the dataflow diagram? Why or why not? (10 marks)
b) Draw a level-0 dataflow diagram for the accounting information system at Greenfield Enterprises. If you find the narrative incomplete, make reasonable assumptions to complete the diagram. (30 marks)
Value
35% of your total marks for the unit
Due Dates
By Week 9, Monday, Sept 22, 2025, 11:55 pm.
Submission
● This individual report must be submitted via Moodle Assignment 2
● File format: .doc/.docx (MS Word document)
● File name: FIT5234_Assignment 2_ Student number.docx
● Turnitin will be used for similarity checking of all submissions.