Business Systems Analysis Design and Implementation - Classic Hire Equipment Rental System - Coursework Example

Running head: BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYSIS DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION. Business Systems Analysis Design and Implementation Partha kar 26th May 2007 Classic Hire Equipment Rental Classic Hire Equipment Rental System Software Design Description Prepared By: Partha kar Version: 1.0 Date: 27th May 2007 File Location: ----- Letter of Transmittal Super Systems Consulting 18/3, Minnesota Street New Jersey, US 89076 27th May 2007 Ms. Susan and Ms. Lucy 90/3, Block M Garcia Street New Jersey, US 89076 Dear Susan and Lucy, This is in response to the fulfillment of your request of 2nd May, I take this opportunity to attach our report analyzing your current system capabilities and proposal for new system development. This report demonstrates the analysis, design and implementation of your business case study which outlines all the system complexities and descriptions for successfully capturing all the business functions and its implementation details. We have critically analyzed your business penetrations and modeled it appropriately for enveloping it across franchisees. We identify efficient transaction handling and highly computerized franchisees with internet access as prominent processes to successfully compete with similar businesses. We express thanks for the prospect, to work on this project and help you identify a better perspective in your business. We will be pleased to discuss any issue concerning our analysis and design for your acceptance and successful implementation of the system at your end. Yours sincerely, Partha kar - Vice president (IT Projects) Executive Summary This report concerns the systems analysis design and implementation of the new proposed system to place the company in a comfortable position in competition with its oppositions. It explores all the system penetrations and models it for its implementation. The system is to serve the franchisee holders for regular operations in catering to its customers. The new system would envelope all their business requirements and will be able to handle all their business functions efficiently. Contents Introduction 10 Document Purpose 10 Project Objective 10 Non - Functional Requirements 11 Project scope 11 Design approach 17 Assumptions 18 Technical Development Environment 18 User Interface 20 Support issues 27 Cutover strategy 29 Training issues 32 Data conversion 33 Test Plan 35 Test cases 37 b.Integrity controls 38 User documentation/Help 39 Network design 39 Security issues 41 Project progress 43 Gantt chart 43 Brief discussion 44 Introduction Document Purpose The idea of this paper is to incarcerate the blueprint of the innovative system. Once approved by the key stakeholders, systems development will proceed in accordance with this design and the deliverable will be more than promised. Project Objective The objective of this project is to develop and implement a new computerized software product for Classic Hire Equipment Rental Company that would provide the following benefits: Provide highly revamped computerized systems for its 100 franchises Better interface with customers with the new system Reduced data duplication Better networking Better brand creation in the market Better use of resources Better use of information for customer tracking and growth Better payment facilities with respect to both customers and service providers Report generation for management purposes and tracking resources Finally to track the satisfaction level of the customers with ease for future betterment and prosperity. Non - Functional Requirements Project scope The proposed software application is designed to cater to the Classic Hire firm for its hiring equipments to customers. It starts with the very approach of a customer for service and handles all the resources including people in the process and ends with the return of equipment and final transaction with the customer. It can be termed as customer-to-customer service. It caters to customer request for service, processing of the request, handling the equipment transfer process and finally transaction handling process. These are the broad categories of business functions of Classic Hire which the system envelopes in its road to creation and implementation. The use case of the proposed system is as follows: Figure 1 : UML Diagram for CLASSIC HIRE Figure 2 : PACKAGE Diagram for CLASSIC HIRE Figure 3 : DOMAIN model of CLASSIC HIRE Figure 4 : CLASS model for CLASSIC HIRE Brief for each classes: Retail & Commercial customers: All the attributes are listed for each type of customers and their behavior is tracked with the defined methods. Franchisee Staff: From the domain model, all the various types of employees of the franchisee is grouped into one entity based on their position as segregating them would create redundancies. All the separate functions of the employees are now grouped into a single entity. Franchisee: This entity groups all the attributes for the specified franchisee. Equipments: All the attributes of the equipments are grouped into one and it generally will track the movement of the equipment through the franchisee. Design approach The design approach was to consult all the related staff for creating the final design and it was in the following stages: Consulted with all the users of the system for the know-how A primary model was designed according to the rough ideas that were generated. The model was revisited and changes were noted well and model was redesigned. The final model was taken to all the stakeholders of the system for approval and further improvement. Only after that the model was presented for the design of the system. Assumptions The various assumptions of the system are as follows: Customers are classified into two types and have been shown as an inheritance relationship in the Domain model. The employees of Classic Hire are also divided into further types. They are distinguished on the basis of position. Equipments are also classified into 3 types and shown as separate ones in the model. Technical Development Environment These are the essential system requirements which guarantee the smooth functioning of the Classic Hire Equipment Rental system. The development will take place on DELL Pentium 4 1 GHz, under Windows XP Professional Build 2600.xpsp1. & Windows 2003 Server (Build 3790). Analytical and design tools: IBM rational rose enterprise system. Implementation tools: J2EE and DHTML technologies. IBM websphere is also required for hosting the J2EE application in the application server. Languages to be used: Java Servlets, Java Networking technology, JavaScript. Database: Oracle server edition will be used for database purposes. Test Environment: IBM compatible PC: Intel Pentium 4 - 3.6 GHz 1 GB RAM Windows XP operating system Network: 10/100Mbps using TCP/IP protocol Operational Environment: IBM compatible PC: Intel Xeon - 3 GHz 2 GB RAM Windows 2003 Server User Interface The screens were designed using Microsoft Visio 2007. Figure 5: LOG IN SCREEN Description: This represents the log in screen of the registered customer after he signs up for the company to avail its services. Figure 6 : CUSTOMER REQUEST FORM. Description: The customer fills up this form once he is into the system and before he avails the services of Classic Hire. The rating of the customer is checked and he is then taken to the secured environment to get the equipment of his choice. The rating forms a very important part as this would guarantee whether the customer will be allowed to access the services of the company or not. Figure 7: CUSTOMER PAYMENT INFORMATION Description: This form relates to the payment info for the customer after he fills up his request for giving back the equipment and paying the required fee for the equipment. Figure 8 : NEW EQUIPMENT PURCHASED Description: This form relates to the new purchase of equipment which needs to be stored in the system for a customer to access and avail the service of hiring it. Reports: Figure 9 : REPORT FOR CUSTOMER HIRE AGGREMENT Description: A form which shows the hire agreement detailing a single hire transaction for an individual customer. It has a section for the customer to sign agreeing to the conditions of the hire company policies. It is produced on an as-required basis for each rental transaction by the Hire Clerks. Figure 10: overdue hire item report Description: An overdue hire item report detailing all the items of overdue equipment (i.e. the due date is past and the item has not been returned). This report serves as a parameter driven in that the user can enter a date range that only reports cases with overdue dates in that range (default of last 30 days). It also has an option to choose commercial customers, retail customers or all customers (default). There is also an option to sort the report in either customer last name order or by due date (default). This report is be generated automatically by the system each Monday morning at start-of-business. It can also be generated by the Franchise Manager on an as-required basis. Figure 11 : CUSTOMER AND HIRE DETAILS. Description: It is a customer list report detailing all the customers and their item hire transactions. This report is a parameter driven in that the user can enter an alphabetical range to limit the customers by name (default of all). There is also a parameter where the user can enter a date range that only reports cases with hire dates in that range (default of the last one month). There is also an option to choose commercial customers, retail customers or all customers (default). There is also an option to select customers based on their being unsatisfactory i.e. satisfactory customer flag to 'N'. Sort the report in customer last name order. This report is be generated automatically the first business day of each month, as well as on an as-required basis. Support issues Onsite help desk will be located at the head Office. It will provide help desk support to all of their branches via a toll-free number and/or website. When a problem has occurred at a franchisee, the franchisee staff needs to log a call through to their helpdesk over phone or website. The help desk will try to troubleshoot over phone first and if that does not fix the problem, subsequently they will organize for a technician to attend ASAP. In addition to that there will a full time technician at the web server location at the head office providing 247 support. User support will be provided in number of methods, such as: Online documentation and troubleshooting A help desk Technical support End user satisfaction Resolving service request quickly and seamlessly Increase productivities Online document, online enquiry facilities Online transaction facilities Cutover strategy Cut over strategy defines the strategies and decision for the system installation. Once a system has been developed and tested, it must be installed and placed into operation. Installing a system and making it operational is complex as there are many conflict constraints. Some of important issues when planning installation are to be considered like cost, customer relations, employee relations, logistical complexity, and overall exposure to risk. Some of the most important issues to be considered when planning installation include the following: Incurring costs of operation both systems in parallel Detecting and correct the errors in the new system Potentially disrupting the company and its IS operation. Training personnel and familiarizing customers with new products. Different approaches to installation represent different trade-offs. The most commonly used installation approaches are: 1. Direct installation; in a direct installation the new system is installed and quickly made operational and any overlapping system are then turned off. This is also called as immediate cut over. The primary advantage of direct installation is it simplicity; the primary disadvantage of this is its risk. Because legacy systems are not operated in parallel, there is no backup in the event that the new system fails. This installation is typically used under the new system is not replacing an legacy system or downtime of days or weeks can be tolerated. Parallel installation: In this the new system is implemented and run in parallel with the new one but not completely implemented at a stance. The old system is kept in place and slowly replaced. The cost factors are high but efficiency is derived from it. Phased installation: The system is installed and get into operation in a series of steps and phases. Each phase is well observed before and after implementation. The new system is not operating completely at this time but is replacing the old system in phases. It is time consuming but very effective in the long run. Installation strategy: Our installation strategy would be the phased approach. It marks the continuity of the present business and also taking into account the changes the new system is about to begin. The business requires to flow and cannot be halted for installation of the system; therefore phased installation is the most suitable. Training issues The function of training is to teach the user of the system the process of data flow within the system and the various operational procedures for correct and timely implementation of the knowledge for better productiveness. Who and What will be trained All the required user of the system will be given training and to provide know-how of the system working procedure and the involved business process. The effective use of business function needs to be well understood for the correct utilization of the system for the required purpose. They are also required for learning the technical issues which would come up in the process of handling the system. The disaster recovery plan is also required to be provided so that risk can be managed well and the user of the system will not have to halt the operations of the business in case of failure or exceptional situations. How they will be trained All the users of the system will be trained in the following manner: Face to face Group manner Individual training Video & audio conference All the techniques will be used for successful training of personnel of Classic Hire. Data conversion Data conversion is a process of converting the existing data in raw format for storing it in the system for further processing, its better use and retrieval. Date will be converted to system date format so that all processing can be done accordingly. Data extraction: Data needs to be extracted from the current storage dump with tools for its fetching. Data cleaning: Cleaning means reducing all the extraneous attributes so that there remains no redundancy. Reformatting: Data requires to be reformatted for matching the storage pattern of the new system. Loading data: Data loading needs to be done from the reformatted data to the existing database in the form of tables which will be finally accessed for storing and retrieving of data. Test the data conversion: The data conversion must be tested so that there is no loss of data in the process and no valuable information is left out in the transfer process and data loading process. Test Plan Testing is the process of examining a product to determine what defects it contains. It is test against defined standards and covers all the errors prior to installation and defects which are generated as and when implementation takes place or after implementation. What will be tested Unit test: The modules will be tested individually for correct working and functional implementation. Integration test: All the modules will be tested after the system is integrated for a complete system. Interface incompatibility test: The interfaces are tested for compatibility with the hardware and underlying software's. Data capture test: This type of testing will ensure that all the data inserted into the system are properly stored and not inconsistent. The data must be able to get retrieved on demand and no information should be lost in the way. System functionality: All the business functions are implemented or not are checked with the king of testing. Any other run time exception: All the possible exceptions are checked in this type. Customer satisfaction feedback: The ultimate satisfaction is for the customers and staff of the franchisee. After their implementation their feedback is very important and would imply the final success of testing. Who will be involved in the testing process Project Manager System analyst Administrative staff Quality assurance staff Other essential system users. Test cases The following are the various test cases for the system: USE CASE TEST (CASE 1) Author/Analyst Partha kar Date 27th May 2007 Test-case name Making a service booking by a repeat customer Test Location C:test casesClassic Hiretest.doc Brief description The time when a customer is requesting for service Test case ID 1.1 Tester name Clay Smooth Test type Acceptance testing Test Role User Data Customer rating record Test log output report location C:test casesClassic Hiretest_report.doc Test Procedure Step 1: The test is started when customer applies for equipment hire Step 2: The customer provides all the details and is checked with the system for his rating for repeat orders. Step 3: If the rating is found to be negative he is denied an equipment hire. Step 4: The customer is shown a screen that he is denied service. Special requirements No USE CASE TEST (CASE 2) Author/Analyst Partha kar Date 27th May 2007 Test-case name Availability of equipment for a customer Test Location C:test casesClassic Hiretest.doc Brief description The time when a customer is requesting for service Test case ID 1.1 Tester name Genny watson Test type Acceptance testing Test Role Tester Data Equipments record Test log output report location C:test casesClassic Hiretest_report.doc Test Procedure Step 1: The test is started when customer applies for equipment hire. Step 2: The customer checks the system for the availability of equipment. Step 3: If the equipment is not found then an acknowledgement of non availability is forwarded. Step 4: The customer is shown a screen that the equipment is not found. Special requirements No b. Integrity controls These implement the business rules of Classic Hire. The types of integrity rules should be considered are as follows: 1. The Customer Rating: The rating of the customer is defined by the default value 'Y' and in cases where there is a negative feedback for the use or malfunctioning of the equipment is concerned the rating switches to value 'N' and the customer is denied service. 2. Validation of customers: This is specific to the position of the employee of the franchisee. For example only the franchisee manager can set the satisfactory flag for all customers and in no circumstance any other employee can do this operation in the system. Whereas the commercial customers are handled by the Administrative officers. The login details are updated accordingly and must be checked for all updation's and change in the system. User documentation/Help The user documentation is to be provided and will include all the functionalities of the system and the system behavior to inputs and outputs. It will also include user help documents for correctly implementing a business purpose and for smooth functioning of the system. It acts as a backup document for any sort of help required for getting a job done. Network design The architecture will be used in this case will be client server model as the system will reside on central web-server and all the franchises will be accessing it over the internet. This model is most suitable for Classic Hire as that would ensure that the system is accessed by all the customers overall and every body can access the system and get into the administrative portion by using a security mechanism of username and password. The network topology will be internet based so it can be accessed using the public data carriers to access the website or system. Most likely it will be a star topology where the links across is not a major issue as the system can be accessed via internet and the links only provide for secondary usage for administrative purposes. The below diagram is of a network diagram which clearly shows that a client server model is followed and internet access would be the mechanism for accessing of the services and also for administrative purpose. Figure 12 : NETWORK DIAGRAM (It shows the proposed network diagram with firewall and router) Security issues The security issues are the primary issues which an organization must take care to protect their data which is king to any organisation. In particular as the system implements payment system, security is very much required as that would ensure safe communication with financial information. The following are the identified issues and their correct implementation process: Login/Access Issues: Every customer would be asked to sign up with the company before any services are provided. That would ensure safety of transactions made with the company. It could be similar to PayPal, where a person can get verified by giving his Credit card number. Back up: Periodic backups can be taken of the database in magnetic tapes so that data remains safe and is not lost. The saved data also ensures continuity of business and good recoverability options. Anti virus software: The system needs to be protected against all vulnerabilities and threats like viruses. Good anti-virus software would ensure that the system is well protected and operations will not halt for any external threat. Access control: This ensures that every one is not allowed to access all information and all business functions. Access control is a mechanism which creates views for every type of user. Views are used for giving an user a specific access area out side which nothing is available. Such as an accounts officer should not be able to view reports of the profits in the business which is meant for Susan and Lucy, the owners and higher management. Project progress Gantt chart Figure 13 : The overall system development process. Figure 14 : GANTT chart for showing the activities against time. Brief discussion The project is to be completed within 115 days and the planning stages were the most critical ones as they formed the major part of understanding of the system and its effective use of the business functionalities. The proposed and actual duration of the project is of great importance as it speaks about the maximum duration for which it can be delayed. Read More