Unit 44: Business Information Technology Systems
What You Need to Know About Unit 44: Business Information Technology Systems
What the unit really wants:
This unit asks you to show how technology supports real business goals. You’ll map key processes (e.g., order-to-cash), choose the right systems (CRM, ERP, BI, HRIS, CMS/e-commerce), design a simple architecture, and explain security, data quality, and rollout. Strong work links every tech choice to a measurable benefit like faster fulfilment, fewer errors, or better customer retention.
How to think about systems:
Start with the business pain, not the tool. Sketch the end-to-end journey: where data is captured, where it’s stored, how it moves, who uses it, and what decisions it powers. A typical small business stack might be: website/CMS for content and checkout, CRM for leads and support, ERP for stock and finance, a payment gateway, and a BI dashboard for KPIs. Integrations can be simple (webhooks or REST APIs) and analytics can run nightly with small “near-real-time” events for hot metrics.
Data and governance in plain terms:
Define your core entities (Customer, Order, Product, Invoice) and basic rules: unique SKUs, one customer per email (or a clear rule when families share emails), totals must match line items, and timestamps for audit. Assign ownership (who fixes bad data), simple retention periods, and role-based access. For UK GDPR: choose lawful basis (Contract for orders; Legitimate Interests for basic analytics; Consent for marketing), keep PII minimal in analytics, and know how to export/delete records on request.
Security without jargon:
Protect logins with MFA, limit permissions by job role, encrypt data in transit and at rest, patch regularly, back up daily, and test a restore. Keep a tiny risk log: what could go wrong, how likely, impact level, and your mitigation (e.g., trial migrations to catch data issues).
Implementation you can actually deliver:
Pick a small scope first (e.g., online orders + stock sync + weekly finance report). Configure, test with real samples, train users with short role-based sessions, and measure results. Show your before/after metrics, markers love evidence.
Quick bullets (copy-ready)
Core systems (what they do)
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CRM: Manage leads, deals, tickets, and customer history.
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ERP/Inventory: Stock, purchasing, invoicing, basic accounting.
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BI/Analytics: Dashboards for sales, margin, stockouts, and ageing.
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CMS/e-commerce: Product pages, checkout, promotions.
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HRIS/ITSM (optional): Staff records; incident/change tracking for IT.
Simple architecture (one paragraph you can adapt)
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Web/CMS captures orders → OrderCreated event to ERP for stock and invoicing → CRM updates customer timeline → nightly ELT builds a sales fact table and customer/product dimensions → BI dashboard refresh each morning; webhooks push hot KPIs (today’s sales, low stock).
Non-functional must-haves
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Availability 99.9%, page response <2s, backup daily, role-based access, audit logs, error alerts.
KPIs to prove value
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Order accuracy +40%, lead response time <30 mins, stockouts −60%, time-to-report from 3 days → same day.
Risk log (mini)
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Data migration errors → trial runs + reconciliation.
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API rate limits → queue + retry + vendor quota.
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Low adoption → champions + hands-on training.
Assessment checklist
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Map 1–2 core processes (swimlanes).
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Requirements split into functional and non-functional (use MoSCoW).
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Shortlist options; show a weighted vendor matrix and 3-year TCO.
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Small architecture diagram + brief data model (Customer, Order, Product, Invoice).
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Security & UK GDPR (lawful basis, retention, DSR handling).
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Test plan (unit, integration, UAT), training, and rollout steps.
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Baseline vs target KPIs with how you’ll measure them.
Common mistakes to avoid
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Picking tools before mapping processes.
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No owner for data quality.
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Ignoring change management and training.
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Claims without KPIs or evidence.
Chosen organisation (for sample)
Tesco PLC — the UK’s largest supermarket and online grocery retailer, operating globally with web, mobile-app, and store channels. Its business challenges—complex supply chains, millions of daily transactions, and high customer-service expectations—make it an ideal, realistic case for Unit 44.
You could substitute any other retailer later (e.g., your Greenfield Supermarket project), but Tesco keeps the evidence concrete.
Updated introduction paragraph
Tesco PLC operates thousands of stores and a high-traffic online platform serving UK and global customers. Managing inventory, customer data, and supply chains requires integrated business information technology systems. This report analyses how Tesco’s IT systems support its strategic objectives, compares alternative architectures, evaluates how those systems create measurable value, and recommends practical improvements in line with the 2025 Pearson BTEC Unit 44 brief.
Example integration in LO1
Tesco’s CRM (Clubcard Plus / loyalty platform) aligns sales and marketing by recording purchase history, personalising coupons, and driving retention. Its ERP/Supply-Chain Suite manages sourcing, logistics, and real-time stock visibility. BI/Analytics on Azure Synapse turns billions of transactions into dashboards for demand forecasting and pricing. The e-commerce CMS hosts the grocery portal and mobile app, integrating payments and order management. Together these systems link every customer touchpoint to accurate operational data, aligning technology with goals such as customer satisfaction, cost efficiency, and sustainability.
Example integration in LO2
Tesco’s environment shows both flexibility (micro-services, APIs, modular upgrades) and reliability (redundant cloud zones, 24/7 monitoring).
| Approach | Flexibility | Reliability | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy monolith | Low | Medium | Pre-2015 in-store POS servers |
| Hybrid cloud suite | High | High | Azure-based retail core + SAP ERP |
| Pure SaaS micro-stack | Very high | Depends on vendors | pilot tools in marketing |
Tesco’s hybrid cloud gives agility for customer-facing change while keeping core ERP stable and compliant—illustrating how flexible and reliable systems coexist.
Example integration in LO3
Automation and analytics provide value-added change. Predictive demand models cut waste in perishable goods, automated supplier portals shorten lead times, and self-service BI reduces report turnaround from days to minutes. A small prototype (“AI re-order assistant”) showed 12 % fewer stockouts and a 9 % improvement in gross margin, demonstrating measurable competitive advantage and how IT drives transformation.
Example integration in LO4
Recommended solution: continue consolidating on a single Azure-SAP hybrid platform, integrate loyalty, e-commerce, and logistics through REST APIs, and deploy an AI-based replenishment system.
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Phase 1: unify master data (customers, SKUs, suppliers).
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Phase 2: automate low-stock orders; integrate IoT sensors for cold-chain monitoring.
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Phase 3: roll out predictive dashboards for managers.
Security: MFA + SSO + encryption, quarterly audits, GDPR lawful bases (Contract / Legitimate Interest / Consent).
KPIs: 99.9 % uptime, −15 % stock variance, +10 % NPS, −20 % waste.
Short conclusion
Tesco’s case proves that modern business information technology systems, when integrated, governed, and measured, directly support strategic aims of efficiency, growth, and customer loyalty. The proposed hybrid architecture strengthens reliability while keeping flexibility for innovation, satisfying all four Unit 44 learning outcomes.
What makes us different (new, not scraped from the web)
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LO-to-Evidence Map™
We build a one-page traceability sheet that links each Learning Outcome (LO1–LO4) to the exact artefacts you’ll present (process map, vendor matrix, risk log, ERD, KPI set). Examiners see coverage at a glance; you never miss criteria. -
Rubric Heatmap + “Mark the Marker” Method
Before drafting, we convert your rubric into a colour-coded heatmap and write the assessor’s likely comments in the margins of your outline. You address them upfront, not after feedback week. -
Interview-to-Diagram Sprint
A 20-minute guided interview turns your case (e.g., retailer or service firm) into three diagrams: swimlane process, C4 context/component, and a logical ERD. No diagramming paralysis, just publishable visuals. -
Data Hygiene Mini-Kit
We give you tiny, practical rules for Unit 44 data (unique SKU policy, email uniqueness, total = Σ lines, timestamp audit). It’s small, but it makes your BI section look professional and “operational”, not theoretical. -
Two-Speed Architecture Framing
We teach you to justify a reliable core + flexible edge (suite at the centre, best-of-breed at the edge) in six sentences—so your comparison (flexible vs reliable systems) reads like a decision, not a description. -
Security-in-a-Page
A concise security pack: MFA, RBAC, encryption (at rest/in transit), backup/restore test, and a GDPR snippet (lawful basis, retention, DSR workflow). It’s exam-ready and avoids scary jargon. -
Vendor Matrix That Isn’t Fluff
We normalise TCO (lower cost → higher score), separate functional from non-functional fit, and record trade-offs in plain English. Markers can follow the maths and the logic. -
KPI Ladder
We don’t throw random metrics; we ladder KPIs from process → outcome:
picking accuracy → order accuracy → returns ↓ → margin ↑.
That makes your “value-added change” section believable. -
Change Playbook for Humans
A three-step adoption plan (champions, floor-walking, micro-videos) with one behaviour metric per role. It’s simple, realistic, and shows you understand why systems fail: people, not code. -
UAT You Can Actually Run
Role-based test scripts (Sales, Ops, Finance) written as Given-When-Then scenarios. They’re short, demonstrable, and map back to requirements. -
Academic Integrity, Built-In
We never ghostwrite. We coach, scaffold, and iterate with you. Drafts remain yours, references are yours, and you understand every diagram you submit. That’s how you pass a viva or follow-up questions confidently. -
48-Hour “Defence Prep”
The night before submission or presentation, we give you a 10-question defence sheet (“Why this architecture?”, “What breaks if the webhook fails?”). You’ll sound like the author—because you are.
What you leave with (deliverables you can attach)
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1x LO-to-Evidence Map (single page)
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2x process maps (order-to-cash, lead-to-customer)
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1x C4 context + component diagram
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1x logical ERD + mini data dictionary
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1x security & GDPR one-pager
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1x weighted vendor matrix with TCO notes
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1x risk register (likelihood/impact/mitigation)
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1x KPI pack (baseline → target → measure plan)
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3x role-based UAT scripts
Why this matters for Unit 44
Markers care about traceable decisions more than tool name-dropping. Our process forces every claim to tie back to a requirement, a diagram, a test, and a KPI. That’s what turns a pass into a distinction.
