Software Engineering - System Modelling Tools and Techniques - Thesis Proposal Example

Name: Professor: Course: Date of Submission: Acknowledgements We offer our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all who supported and encouraged us to achieve our dream. We also thank our friends, parents and teachers for their support during the development of this project. We greatly acknowledge and appreciate Mrs. Hadeel Alahmadi for her assistance and continued supervision in inception and successful development of this project. Contents Acknowledgements 1 1 Introduction 3 1.1 Chapter Overview 3 1.2 Document Purpose 3 1.3 Project Purpose 3 1.3.1 Project Benefits 5 1.3.2 Aims of the Project 5 1.4 Expected Outcome of the Project 6 1.4.1 Project Expected Benefits 6 1.4.2 Project Deliverables 6 2 Related Systems 7 2.1 Chapter Overview 7 2.2 To Do Checklist 7 2.2.1 Features 7 2.2.2 Shortcomings 7 2.3 Taasky Application 7 2.3.1 Bottlenecks 7 2.4 Due Application 8 2.4.1 Shortcomings 8 2.5 Tasks Organizer 8 2.5.1 Defects 8 2.6 Task It and Other Applications 8 3 System Analysis 9 3.1 Data Collection and Analysis 9 3.1.1 Questionnaires 9 3.1.2 Data Collection 11 3.1.3 Data Analysis 11 3.1.4 Proposed Solutions 12 3.2 System Users 13 3.3 System Requirements 13 3.3.1 Functional requirements of the system 13 3.3.2 Non-functional Requirements 15 4 Design Considerations 16 4.1 Chapter Overview 16 4.2 Tools and Techniques 17 4.2.1 Development Tools 17 4.2.2 Techniques 18 4.3 Plan for the Project Management 19 4.3.1 Task Management 19 4.3.2 Risk Management 19 4.4 Project Organization 20 5 System Modelling Tools 21 5.1 UML Diagrams 21 5.1.1 Diagrams for the USE CASE 21 References 24 1 Introduction 1.1 Chapter Overview This chapter introduces our graduate project. This chapter will concentrate on the idea, aims and objectives. The chapter will also expound on the purpose and expected advantages of this project. 1.2 Document Purpose The following document contains a thorough explanation of our graduate project for the semester 1 of the academic year 2014/2015. The document has four chapters. The first is the introduction, the second about other related systems, the third about the system requirements, the fourth about the design constraints, and the last about system analysis. 1.3 Project Purpose Task scheduling is important in social and economic life. There is rise in behavior of forgetting tasks that we intend to do such as eating dinner with friends or job appointments. This behavior is widespread and knows no bounds as it affects employees, students, housewives and professors. Even for the successful personalities, there are only twenty four hours in a day. These people only manage their tasks effectively to attain their goals. Therefore, task management is essential for success. To effectively manage tasks, people need to be organized in their personal and professional life. However, these skills of task management are not common to all people. This makes it hard for people to manage their work and life too. Paper based task management is not the effective kind of task management. This is because the papers may be displaced, lost or damaged hence loosing important information. In addition, these techniques are not convenient as they do not alert the person in regard to the schedule. Therefore, phone based applications may replace these conventional ways in professional approach. It is in regard to this problem that Task It application is developed. The application will aid people manage their tasks especially in the Arab world. It is a smart phone application that can be used by people of any gender, age or social class. The application helps people to plan their tasks. In addition, it offers an opportunity to share tasks with other people and a chat floor too. Task It also constantly reminds the user about the pending task. It displays the completion rate of the task through progress reports called Achievement Reports. These reports can be shared through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. This helps in motivating group members towards achieving the intended goals. This application also offers location services to its users. Users can share location details for the purposes of meeting or other needs relating to the tasks. In addition, the application is not geographical dependent. It changes the location details and time as the geographical location changes making it hassle free in resetting dates to concur with the new location. The application has been a result of the last five years we spent in Computer Science College. The application was essential in our study life as our study depended on group tasks, multiple courses, assignments and projects which had to be done before the deadline. This called for effective task management or else we would not achieve it. Therefore, Task It is a great application to all students, professors and other people involved in task management. 1.3.1 Project Benefits The project has the following benefits: 1) The application aids people achieve their dreams by helping them determine their priorities and goals. 2) The application is portable as it is run on smart phone. This makes it effective as people carry their smart phones along. 3) Task It provides additional features like sharing tasks and chatting. This ensures group sharing and coordination in tasks that involve group work. This makes it better than the other existing Task Managing Applications. 4) The application encourages the users to practice task management and thus ensuring productivity through competitive approach with friends in common projects and tasks. 5) Task It is equally important for people of different social class, interests and daily activities. 6) The application supports automatic time adjustment to the specific geographical location making it convenient for travelers. 7) It aids in getting task management skills and effective time management. 8) The application supports Arabic language making it the best application for Arab speakers as other applications don’t support that language. 1.3.2 Aims of the Project The following are the main aims of this project: 1) Task It intends to help its users save time by managing it. 2) The application intends to motivate the users to be more productive and active. 3) The application intends to create a fast avenue through which team members can communicate through and share joint tasks effectively. 4) The project team intends to create an application that suits people of any social class and discipline. 5) Task It intends to bring a new way of managing tasks which is not time constrained but rather flexible. The application gives highlights on unoccupied time in your week which you can easily adjust pending tasks to fit there. 6) The application aids its users to realize their goals and be successful. 1.4 Expected Outcome of the Project 1.4.1 Project Expected Benefits The expected benefits of the project are as follows: A faster way of sharing team work and group discussion in regards to tasks and projects. Support for Arabic language and flexibility of time management. Efficient for group users as well as individuals. Efficient in effective management of tasks to help in attaining success. Aiding in tasks splitting to ensure effective attainment of these tasks. 1.4.2 Project Deliverables The project deliverables will be: Complete project report Task It application that runs on smart phones. 2 Related Systems 2.1 Chapter Overview This chapter focuses on other task management systems in place. These systems we have either firsthand experience or derived experience. The chapter compares these systems with our system and gives the advantages of our system over them. 2.2 To Do Checklist This is a task management system currently in market. 2.2.1 Features It has the following features: (i) Allows the users to develop a number of tasks and further group them (ii) Allows users to share tasks through email or social media (iii) Provides security through data encryption (iv) Has inbuilt alerts to remind the users 2.2.2 Shortcomings (i) Has no chat floor (ii) There is no multimedia and voice sharing (iii) The application does not support inbuilt email and social media sharing (iv) There is only single task sharing 2.3 Taasky Application It has a simple and user-friendly interface. It is convenient for individual use. 2.3.1 Bottlenecks (i) It doesn’t support the Arabic language (ii) It does not support task sharing (iii) It does not show progress reports (iv) It does not show weekly schedules 2.4 Due Application This is an easy to use and quick to learn application that allows task management. It saves time and suggests possible activities to be carried out at that conserved time. 2.4.1 Shortcomings (i) It does not support Arabic language (ii) It is meant for personal use only as it does not support sharing 2.5 Tasks Organizer This is an easy to use application where users create tasks and can attach notes too. These tasks can be shared through email or social media. The application is device language based i.e. depends on the language of the mobile device. 2.5.1 Defects (i) User cannot build similar tasks under same category (ii) There is no support for audio or video media (iii) The application has no flexibility of time (iv) It does not support complete manipulation of tasks 2.6 Task It and Other Applications Task It will focus on social and personal life of its users in a simple and easy to use user interface. The application will be suitable for all social classes. The application will have editable tasks and tasks categories too. The application will include sharing extensions that will allow the users to share tasks. I will also include inbuilt chat support to enable discussions among group members. The application will also be time flexible. Therefore, the application will be like an integration of other existing applications to for a powerful new task management system. 3 System Analysis This chapter focuses on the data collection methods and the system requirements of the application. It explains the data collection techniques that will be involved in the project. On part of the system requirements, it describes both the functional and non-functional requirements for the application. 3.1 Data Collection and Analysis Data collection is the activity of obtaining raw data for the purposes of processing. Analysis is review of the data and its associated manipulation for use in the project. We will use various data collection methods in this project such as questionnaires. 3.1.1 Questionnaires This is the questionnaire that we will use to collect data for the design and development of the system. The questionnaire will be published in Arabic language but Task It team has translated it into English for report purposes. Do you believe that key to success is dependent on subdividing your time into related tasks and then determining your goals? a) Yes b) No c) Occasionally Which methods do use to organise your tasks? a) Paper medium b) Write notes on mobile phones c) Use of a task management application in the phone d) Others (specify) ............................................................. Do you face challenges in your task management like forgetting the deadlines? e) Yes f) No g) Occasionally Do you always finish your tasks in time? a) Yes b) No c) Occasionally Do you plan for your future tasks? a) Yes b) No c) Occasionally Which avenue do you use to communicate with your friends or group mates when undertaking a common task? a) Phone call b) Short Messaging Service (SMS) c) Smartphone Applications (e.g. Whatsapp) d) Others (specify) ........................................................... Have you tried any smart phone application for task management? a) Yes b) No If you tried any smart phone task management application, how was the usage experience? a) Easy b) Average c) Difficult Do you face any challenges with the current Application? a) Yes b) No If yes state the problem ............................................................ Does the Task Management Application that you use support Arabic Language? a) Yes b) No 3.1.2 Data Collection The collected data was presented using tables and narratives. This data will be essential during the design phase of the application to create a customer-oriented application. 3.1.3 Data Analysis 3.1.3.1 Questionnaire Data Summary Most people (76%) viewed management of time as essential for success. Task It application will be therefore important application for them to help them manage their time effectively. Most people often forget their tasks. Task It application will prove to be of great use as it will constantly remind the user of any pending tasks as well as share reminders with friends. Most people (64%) do not meet the deadlines of their tasks. Task It will help them meet their deadlines through motivation. All people needed to plan their lives. Task It application through task management will help them realise this. Most people (78%) use other applications (Whatsapp) for group discussion during project progress. Task It will be an amazing application as it has these inbuilt features for group discussions and sharing. There are no existing applications that support Arabic language. As Task It supports Arabic, it will prove useful to Arabic speakers. 3.1.3.2 Interview Summary There was interview carried out in Umm Al-Qura University for the purpose of the application development. The interview was conducted on students from various specializations. The findings are summarised below: Users need an easy to use application that supports Arabic language as English language has some challenges People always feel the limitation of time hence do not finish their tasks in time Users feel the need of an easy way through which they can use to share reminders and communicate. An application that supports such features seems the best Paper management of tasks is prone to damage, loss or displacement. 3.1.4 Proposed Solutions From the needs of the users, our application will provide the following solutions: The users require comprehensive application that support varse functionalities. Task It application has these features. Users need a motivating application that will motivate them to achieve their goals. Task It provides this feature to its users. Users need to be able to group their tasks for easy attainability. Task It application supports these features. Uses need an application that has inbuilt support for social media sharing People need to have alerts to remind them of pending tasks. In addition, they need location details for easy communication and sharing group ideas. Task It provides all these features in it. People need to haven application that they feel secures their sensitive information. Privacy is very essential feature of Task It application thus proving to be of great help to the users. 3.2 System Users The system supports different classes of people. It is targeted to all people who carry out task management. 3.3 System Requirements The following are both the functional and non-functional requirements for Task It application. 3.3.1 Functional requirements of the system 3.3.1.1 User Requirements The system should have the following features: Easy to install An easy to use interface where user easily signs in using the username and password The applications should have an easy to use look up module that searches friends using username or password The application should support a user friendly chat floor for communication and discussion with group members The application should be able to display respective achievement and progress reports A user should be able to easily create different tasks and categories using the application The application should support inclusion of new tasks that support audio, data or graphics medium The application should support task, report, pictures, locations, contacts and categories to enable users share with other group members It should support deleting and editing of tasks The user should easily be able to manipulate the account settings such as the user profile The user should receive alerts and other notifications in timely manner The user should easily be able to review the weekly schedule The user should be able to share the reports through social media The user should be able to create goal based categories whee completion of all tasks means achievement of the goal 3.3.1.2 System requirements The user should sign up using a unique username and password associated with email or phone number. After sign up, the system should send a verification code to the phone or email to enable log in. The application should always display daily report and the progress bar for task review The application should allow the users to search for contacts using username or phone number The system should enable the user to change privacy settings of the profile for security purposes The application should allow the user to manipulate the profile settings as wished The application should allow users to create tasks inside categories and create categories too. The application should allow users to send and receive categories and tasks which can be updated into the existing ones. Application should have date limits for the tasks. In addition it should support editing, deletion and other manipulation features of the task. Chat extension should support text, audio and multimedia media sharing. 3.3.2 Non-functional Requirements 3.3.2.1 User Requirements The system should be professional with a user-friendly easy to use interface. The interface should not be complex. The user interface should support Arabic language for easy comprehension. 3.3.2.2 Security Requirements Security is essential for all applications dealing with personal information. The application should have the following features to achieve this: (i) The application should ensure privacy of data. It should prevent illegal or unauthorised access of personal data at all times. (ii) The application should be able to hide personal contact information like emails, phone numbers and address from other viewers. (iii) The system should ensure data encryption to avoid snooping and hacking of the chats 3.3.2.3 Performance Requirements The application should be fast, efficient, reliable and consistent in its service delivery through an easy approach. The system should not break down when in use. 3.3.2.4 Portability Requirements The application should be able to run on Android and Smart phone operating systems without compatibility issues. We intend to add extensions to support IOS in future. 3.3.2.5 Look and Feel The application should have the following properties: (i) Easy to use as it is intended for wide range of end users (ii) Motivating the users to achieve their goals 4 Design Considerations 4.1 Chapter Overview This chapter explains the design tools that will be used to develop this application. The chapter also explains the different responsibilities of people involved in the project team. 4.2 Tools and Techniques 4.2.1 Development Tools 4.2.1.1 Eclipse ADT Bundle This application offers comprehensive interface for development of mobile applications. It contains Android SDK and Eclipse IDE which has innate ADT to manage our application development. It contains the following important applications Plug in for Eclipse ADT Tools for Android Platform Tools for Android SDK Android platform version Android system image emulator version 4.2.1.2 Programming Languages The application will be developed using Java language. It is an object-oriented language which is not specific to a certain operating system. It is commonly used with Android mobile systems. 4.2.1.3 Gliffy Online Website This has an easy to create, share and team up in a large number of UML diagrams. Its web address is Http://www.gliffy.com 4.2.1.4 MS Visual Studio We will use MS Visual Studio 2010 during the design phase. It has IDE hence suitable for developing applications and websites. It has also a wide range of design tools for creating database schemas, class diagrams and UML diagrams. 4.2.1.5 Support Tools There are other tools that we will use in our project lie MS Word 2010 Adobe Photoshop CS Adobe Reader X Adobe Illustrator CS MS PowerPoint 2010 MS Project Professional 2010 MS Publisher 2010 Smart Draw 2013 4.2.2 Techniques 4.2.2.1 Project Planning The techniques for project management in regard to project planning include: Description of the scope of the project, alternatives and viability of the project. Understanding of the project context and complexity. Work Breakdown Structure of the project to ensure successful completion of the project in a hassle free manner. Inception of initial project plan to plan the project start and end dates. Communication plan development between project supervisor and project team. Identification and management of potential project risks. 4.2.2.2 Project Development The techniques of project management involved in development phase of the project include: Execute the project baseline plan by keeping it on schedule and ensuring quality of the deliverables. Monitor the project progress against its baseline plan Maintain the workbook of the project as it is the main document for generation of reports of the project. Ensure the completion of the final project documentation. 4.2.2.3 Project Completion Inform all stakeholders the conclusion of the project. In addition, provide the final reports of the project for review and analysis of the project. 4.3 Plan for the Project Management 4.3.1 Task Management Task It project team split the project into a number of attainable tasks with estimated time for completion of each task. Some tasks were sequential while others parallel. 4.3.2 Risk Management The following potential risks were identified and possible solution noted: Risk Category Probability Impact Possible Solution Team members are not conversant with Android programming Project Average elevated Seek professional help from experts Do a thorough research on the programming Limited time for project development Project Average elevated Effective time management 4.4 Project Organization The project supervisor and project team are actively involved in the project process for the success of this project. Their tasks are highlighted below: Individual Responsibility Project Supervisor Coordinating with project team to ensure effective completion of the project Management of the project team’s progress Aid in risk management of the project Validate the quality of the project deliverables at each stage Project Sponsor Approval of the project for initiation of the project Project Team Development of the project Meet with project supervisor to deliver the project stages Carry out data collection and analysis for the project Carry out project testing and implementation 5 System Modelling Tools This chapter deals with software modelling tools that will be used in developing the application. These include the UML diagrams like Use Case, Sequence and Activity diagrams. 5.1 UML Diagrams 5.1.1 Diagrams for the USE CASE 5.1.1.1 Use Case Table Actor Use Case Narrative User Sign Up Generate your own account to use during logging in Log In Log in interface to access the account Make Category Make categories to manage similar tasks. The category may be goal based where it is achieved if all others are attained. Attach Task An interface to add new tasks and append related information. Append Friend User interface to look for contacts Attach Note Create a task in note form Add Audio note Record or attach audio file to task Add picture Attach graphics to similar tasks Verify date Set date range of tasks and set up reminders Chat Interface to short message with group members and share information Control Panel User interface to manage profile and the background Report Interface to preview the schedules. 5.1.1.2 Scenarios of the Use Case 5.1.1.2.1 Seetah as Task It application user 1) Seetah signs up in the main interface with user name and email 2) Seetah then logs in into the application 3) Seetah creates goal based category ( e.g. Read three books in a week) 4) Seetah creates tasks in the above created category. Each task has the book name as task name and a book cover caption as the picture. 5) Seetah sets the range for every task (e.g. Monday 1 Dec to Sunday 7 Dec) 6) Seetah accesses the week schedule interface 7) Seetah checks in the interface to identify free and busy day in quick look. 5.1.1.2.2 Tahani is Task It Application user 1) Tahani signs up for the application using the phone number 2) Tahani logs in into the application 3) Tahani looks up in the contacts to append friends using usernames 4) Tahani sends requests to the friends 5) Tahani awaits friends to receive and accept the requests 6) Tahani then creates a goal based category (e.g. Graduation Project) 7) Tahani then creates a multiple tasks inside the above created category 8) Tahani shares the category with friends 9) Tahani previews the progress report 10) Tahani shares the progress report in social media References Bell, Douglass. Software Engineering for Students: A Programming Approach. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education. 2005. 345-356. Print. Marsik, Ivan. Software Engineering. New Jersey: Rutgers University. 2012. 88-212. Print. Pressman, Rogers S. Software Engineering: A practitioner’s Approach. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill. 2001. 114-192. Print. Sommerville, Ian. Software Engineering. New York: Pearson Education. 2011. 261-422. Print. Read More