Design Analysis: Software Engineering in the Gamers Takeaway Business - Case Study Example

Design Report - Software Engineering Envisioning Envisioning is one of the most important things that a company must consider. Envisioning discuss the stakeholders, problem and vision statement, scope, feasibility, the six team roles and the risk management. The stakeholders are those who have a concern or interest in a particular decision or business, either an individual or a group. In the Gamers’ Takeaway Business, the stakeholders include company managers, customers, software architects and designers and programmers. Due to difficulties arising from personal renting like time and distance factors, this design aims to provide a system for easier and more convenient way of renting games. In addition, this project wants to achieve a high renting rates and positive feedback from its users. The shop will be operated by its system users like shop manager, cashier, maintenance and utility worker, rental supervisor, and security personnel. The shop manager is the over-all head of the shop operations. The supervisor checks the inventory of the rentals. He also administers the job of his subordinates. On the other hand, the cashier is the one who is involved in payment and accounts of the customers. The maintenance and utility workers keeps the shop clean and in order. Lastly, the one who maintains safety is the security personnel. To address the problem stated, the shop will have substations in different places for easy renting or online-reservations including door-to-door delivery. The system will improve way of renting game. It will increase the capacity of the system and provide efficiency and effectiveness in terms of renting. It aims to create a quality system and efficiency in renting games. However, in constructing substations in a particular area, the users might be less and will result to the shop’s low profit. In terms of online-rental, since the shop is being operated by networks, there is a possibility for hacking games from outside users. If happen, customers will no longer rent from the shop but instead they will just hack from the internet. However, in order for the shop to identify the risks stated, there must be an evaluation of the profit of the shop. If they thought that the profit they get is comparatively low, then it is better to close it. However, a certain analysis must be carefully done in order to fully evaluate the cause and provide an efficient strategy on how to solve it. Risk analysis may include evaluation from the customers, time-to-time evaluation of income or updating of the numbers of customers regularly. In online renting there must be a security program that would detect any hacking procedure and must have a security program from hacking. In putting up a substation which in turn becomes a negative impact into the business, its impact on the overall business is slight and very seldom to happen. However, it may happen without careful study of the project from its possible risks. However, as compared to the previous risk, the hacking is very common nowadays and also has big impacts to the business. Business Requirements The system used have an updated information about the accounts of members, games that are rented and reserved including the dates where it was rented and reserved as well as when it must be returned, income from rentals, number of members, costs in making new games, evaluation of game preferences, as well as the gross income versus the costs rendered in overall operation of the business. Data such as income and profit, evaluation from the users and new memberships are those that flow into the cycle of business. However, those that flow out of the system include overall costs. All these data must be stored in the system for future references and evaluation. Some data must be validated for they are critical in the business cycle. In membership, to become a member, he must be able to pass all the necessary requirements as prescribed by the system. In addition, there must be a receipt presented for every transaction. In rental, the cashier must counter sign for every rental made and other necessary transactions. To secure members accounts, the system must have an installer against virus and a program that require a password for its access. Accounts of the customer are used when they are going to rent. In short, accounts are the major basis for a customer to rent games. Otherwise, you will not reserve and rented games must also be updated regularly. They will identify when must a game be returned by a borrower and also identify if the borrower is still be able to rent a new game since there must be at most six games that must be rented. Otherwise, a penalty will be charged on him. The costs versus the profit will evaluate whether the business continue in its operations. If the business is getting profit, it is a sign for its continuous function. Context Diagram Adding details User Requirements The requirement of the users in auditing part is the accounting of the data like the account that an every members has. The sets of action and obligation of the auditor is only limited in terms data that must be at all times. He or she must not engage in a different position because it will ruin the design system. Using the Use Case model in a scenario like costumers when borrowing video games, the costumers have their freedom in choosing what video games they want to borrow. But the company has also the right not to use a certain video game for rental purposes. In reserving video games, it must be a first come first serve basis so that conflict between costumers can be minimized. There are certain factors to consider in putting up chain libraries in Germany and France. If globalization is to be considering, the system that was used before may not be appropriate in the two countries. Like the system of borrowing, the types of video games, the language to be used. In this factor, the language to be used must be English. While in a localization, one must consider the locality because every local have different culture. It means that you must be very careful in the system to be implemented. This involves the language of the region, the preference of the people. Operational and Infrastructure Requirements Since the system involves a networking rental, it must have a computer or computers that operate in this manner. There must be a program which functions in membership and rentals of interested customers or a database for easy access of accounts of the customers and rental updates. In terms of online membership, the owner of the shop must have a form that can be accessed through the internet for easy registration. In every computer that is being used in operation of the business, there must be an installer that checks data protection and security. The computers must have a virus scanner that runs regularly and give updates if there are a security alert. The accounts must be stored in a program that has a password for every retrieval or opening of it. There must have also anti-hacking software against theft of games on the internet. Instead of using hubs in the internet, it is preferably to use switch over hubs. Switch offers efficient network capacity for it eliminate server traffic. Virus is one of the big problem dealing about the network capacity and efficiency. Not only virus could harm the operation but also harmful elements in the networking processes such as worms and trojan horse Undetected virus would overall destroy all the data and accounts stored and flows in the business cycle. Software deployment is very critical since all the shops have permanent connection to the internet via broadband. One of the deployment processes is simply sending through the internet because of the distance factor. However, in this manner several problems may arise. Software which is sent through the internet is prone to hacking by outside users. For some people that are knowledgeable about this hacking, this seems to be a very easy task for them to do. Once they hack, the program will be available to outside users and could affect the original program. On the other hand, after copying of the software program into disk or compact disks, for example, they may also wish to deploy it through personal release to the other shops. However, the main problem here is the piracy. Once the program is stolen by an outside customer, they will reproduce it through piracy. The worst is that outside users would sell it to the local and global market. In short, the program is available to all who are interested in this program. As a consequence, most people would buy the pirated rather than the original. Definitely if this happens, the business is doomed. Another factor that should be taken into consideration is the continuous increase of shops and user accounts. In the continuous increase of shops, main owners may add workers. The increase of shops is one of the factors entailing business efficiency and users satisfaction towards its operation. Expansion of business system also emphasize especially to the possible users that the business is worthy to the people. It attracts possible users to use the system. In addition, some would think about the construction of shop not only in the local area but also in global market. Definitely, it is a sign off success. It accentuates that the business is already a globally competitive market. When it comes to user accounts, the shop would not limit the number of members’ accounts but instead provide another program that could accommodate all these accounts. If you limit the accounts due to exponential increase of users’ accounts, this draws attention towards running down business gains. Another instance is that the owners impose a rule where interested people who want to become a member must file their membership on the nearest substation of the shop. This prevent overload of accounts in a central shop. Allowing members to reserve titles and check their accounts via the internet could result into complications and eventually may give rise into big problem. Titles which are reserved and check via internet are prone to risks if attack by virus. This will eventually lose their data if ever. Evaluation of the business system will include system scaling. In system scaling, users’ evaluation is via internet. This evaluation will imply if the business is better to continue or not. Developing Specification In the scenario of borrowing video games, there are some data that must be considered in auditing. These are the number of accounts that all members have, the titles of the video games, how many and the date borrowed of the video games. These in formations are basically the same with the scenario of reserving video games. In the auditing part, the number of the video game a person want to rent and the title of each are essentials. From the use case diagram, some of the problems that may be encountered are, improper inputting of the data. These will create errors to the system. If the data are not been properly audited, there may arise a problem in the security and leak of data. In proper auditing of these data, one must managed all important data as much as possible. Implement a security system when information is going inside the company. This may be done by assigning a person who will be in charge in all the dealings like the reserving of video games thru internet. This can be the auditor and he must have software or program that register all the names of the members, the number of video games they borrowed and the due date. This program must be secure by a applying a code system that only few person know it. When reserving, the first one that has reserve the available numbers of video games must be kept active. Error conditions arising in the said scenarios are the data errors like data inputting encoding, wrong usage of an account of different people, and security faults. Errors pertaining to data are made when carelessness of the auditor to input and encode the data to the system. This error is some what subjective but it must be take into account that this must be always checked to minimize losses of profit of the company. Usage of account of a costumer must be examined first by the auditor before a costumer borrow or reserve a video game. This is the responsibility of the personnel who gives receipt and who is in charge of the reservation in the shop. Security faults are the factor to be minimized by all means. Security issues are very crucial in a business. Many outsiders want a company to fall down. From the three errors discuss in this section, the subjective part is the personnel related errors. This can be disregard if it affects only a little bit the company. This factor may be minimized but it cannot be eliminated totally in the system. Conceptual Design Logical Design The proposed new system that all rental shop will be connected via internet will use the XML. From this, even a large data can be exchange from different rental shops. Because when rental shops are connected via internet, data are transferred in the net. The XML model will be used also when they offer the “Check at Home” service. This would be preferable because transfer of important data is necessary in the two scenarios. In the first scenario were all game rentals will be connected thru net, each shop will interact with each other and to the main shop so that they can entertain the costumers in availing the video games. The new system “Check at Home” will also use an internet so that every costumers can checked their account and can reserve video games t hey want. And this will also use the XML model so that transfer of data will be efficient. In the proposed that all rental shops will be are connected to the internet by means of broadband connections, this proposal, in the first place may be beneficial to both costumers and the management of the shop. This is because it hastens the renting rate and it lowers some factor like time and far places. But because renting video games through internet may result to some problems like the security of the data. Some may hack the data that is not justifiable. In order to minimize this illegal act, the server must apply a security system. He may also appoint a person who will monitor the transaction in the internet. He may accept or reject the renting thru internet. This consideration must be monitor always to protect the company from invaders. If a costumer wants a service were he can check his account through internet in their house, this maybe beneficial to the costumers. He can also reserve video games that he wants. However, security precautions must be set in this system of “Check at Home”. Like the precautions needed to address when renting thru internet, they are almost the same. When checking your renting account, there will be an instance that you cannot access your account due to busyness of the system. A customer also may reserve a video game but actually he will not rent it. Transaction will be ruined. But the major problem to be resolved is the security system. A costumer must also apply security actions when transaction is taking place. Entity – Relationship Notation The title is an attribute of game. Every costumer has different preference of what game to play. While the renting rate or the loan will depend on what kind of game and the costumers. So the better the game it suit the taste of the costumer the costumers, the higher is the loan rate. The company must impose these business rules; no one except the members and the costumers has the right to replicate a copy of a video game. No one will sell a pirated video games and it is against the law. Date Game (Title), 0 Costumers , 1 Loan , 2 The game will correspond to number 0, the costumer will be number 1 and lastly the loan will be number 2. This key system is used because the business is a cyclic in nature, it starts with the game and finish at the loan and then goes back again in the game. Many customers have the same preferences in terms of types of games but differ in specific game they want. Reference: “Game research.” Game Research - the art, business, and science of computer games. 24 Aug. 2006 . Read More