Technical Requirements for Business Solutions - Essay Example

Technical Requirements for Business Solutions Technical Requirements for Business Solutions Hardware and Software Requirements Software requirements refer to services that must be provided by software system and constraints associated with its operation. Software requirements are classified as either user or system requirements. User requirements include language statements and diagrams used by the system (Wing, Andrew & Petkov 2015). On the other hand, system requirements are documentation of descriptions of system services. There is a wide range of business softwares that can be used; this depends solely on the type of business. Commercial softwares intended for mass market are available for clients who prefer ready softwares. Bespoke/ custom softwares are also available and far much superior as they are tailored to clients’ specification. Some of these systems are designed to improve decision making, improving processes among other uses Hardware requirements are the tangible collection that constitutes a hardware system. A system unit complete with Chassis, main memory and microprocessor are required. The system unit cannot work alone, and thus requires the following peripheral devices; monitors, keyboards and a mouse. Printers are necessary and should be interfaced with the computers for printing documents. With a world first advancing in technology, mobility of computation devices is a recent trend (Butter, Orenchuk, Shukla & Kofax 2014). Therefore, Smartphones, PDAs and laptops should be made available, and will definitely enhance movement through interfacing. These devices should have wireless capabilities to allow their integration into the system. Business Model Logistics business model involves well laid out assumptions businesses’ key resources and assumptions in its value sequence, client relations and revenue and expenditure control structures and streams. Proper understanding of a business model is essential automation of its operations. Technical Specification Design of the system has been done with ultimate simplicity. It comes with several supporting documentation, including; a brochure to aid users in the navigation of the system, which is well written for easy reading. A comprehensive manual is also available should users encounter technical problems. As systems users are becoming increasingly accustomed to self training, tutorials that can easily be used for training have been made, both in video formats and documents. Another important feature of the system is the online help which provides real-time online support for users. Interface Requirements System interface determines how users will feed and retrieve information to and fro the system. As the system is web based, it will communicate and synchronize with other similar systems in companies throughout the world, through its ability to interface with backend systems. Graphical User interface will enable users interact with the system through visual indicators and graphical icons. External parties have to follow required protocols when communicating. Various encryption techniques also apply to avoid interception of communication contents. Dynamically connected system will make information seamless through a shared database Requirements for Approval from Stakeholders The application is compliant with government legislations regulating the production of business softwares. A good record in producing safe systems has always given end users the necessary confidence when interacting with systems. While traditionally producing softwares that are user friendly, end users have always approved and preferred our softwares. IT Security Requirements The system is confidential, available when needed and trustworthy. All these sets of non functional requirements are essential security elements. Cyber crime is increasingly becoming a major problem in the technological field. Attack on softwares, information interception and intellectual property theft is on an exponential increase (Jorgensen 2013). As a result, analyzing and solving system vulnerabilities and drawing strategies that will ensure malicious users do not infiltrate the system while ensuring that the system conforms to its specification at all times has been done. The system is also fitted with self defense mechanism which automatically detects human errors such as the conflict alert system. Hardware, Software and Network Requirements For system deployment, a web server, job server and an administrative server have to be in place. All the servers should run of Intel Xeon processors with a speed of 2.9 GHz or over. A minimum of 4GB of RAM is required while hard disk will be determined by the volume of data to be handled. A client’s computer should have a minimum RAM of 2GB and a screen resolution of 1024x768. They should also have ISDN cable internet connection. WLAN capability should be included for communication over sparse Geographical locations. Software Solutions to Build Business Solutions In logistics, product development, quality assurance and resource optimization are key areas to ensure optimal productivity. It is important to build efficient feedback mechanisms that are precise in prediction of market forces and performance. Designing information architectures and supply chain management have proved tough and therefore automation is inevitable. Implementation of a logistics system is required as it will improve management at all these levels of business operations. Processes to be Changed by the Business Solution Automation of various levels of logistics has been proved to improve efficiency and increase profits for logistic companies (Kumar 2015). Decision support systems, such as those that aid in determining location, storing and retrieving goods will replace the manual means. It will also automate labeling and wrapping machines. Goods handling and packaging will also be done automatically as Pallet jacks will be directly controlled by the system. Besides more profits realized, irregular handling of goods and misplacement will be minimized. Internet servers should run Microsoft internet information manager as the primary operating system. Database clients can run Oracle Enterprise Editions. Effects of Changes on Supply Chain Due to decision support system, agility in the supply chain will be realized. Applications that automatically identify items in the supply chain will provide better tracking and tracing of goods, improved inventory management besides better time management. Generally, the systems will me more efficient, and seamless saving up to a third of the usual time used. Better security measures and improved privacy are essential for commerce to thrive in cyberspace. The application is Multi-purpose internet extension compliant. This protocol encrypts digital mails by adding digital signatures to them. Security Protocols Suitable For Business Solution Secure electronic transaction which is a cryptographic protocol provides message security and authentication using signed certificates and key encryption. Secure socket layer has also been used to provide an encrypted path between a client computer and a server. They offer message integrity and server authentication through application layers, thereby enhancing security (Verner, Brereton, Kitchenham & Tuner 2014). At the transport layer between two applications, the Transport layer security ensures data security and integrity. These protocols used secure data through cryptography and encryption techniques. To ensure that the system conforms to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE 802.11 standard protocol is used for path sharing. For this reason, products come as “Wi-Fi certified” Impact of Changes for Stakeholders Automation of various processes of production will streamline its operation and enhance efficiency. The corporate body will realize less recurrent expenditure hence maximizing profits. Various levels of automation will be followed by a drastic fall in human labor required. Seamless supply chain operations will also lead to optimal use of time to create more business to the organization. Clients will have more satisfaction following the improved handling and packaging of goods. Proper tracking of goods will also boost customer’s confidence. Hardware and Software Solutions For Testing Software testing tools include both hardware and software. Test environments include testware which is composed of; analyzers and coverage, tools for automation, bug tracking tools and also those used for tracking. Test data should are also determined. Softwares pass through all testing categories including functional, test management and load testing tools. Test management includes the test environment tool kit that accommodates all testing needs of software. Testware, which controls test execution, allows reporting of results in standard formats. Training Needs for Organization’s Staff New software requires new skills for proper operation. As a result primary users have to be given the technical knowhow on all activities involving the system. Right delivery method is chosen depending of the level of expertise required. For example, testing the safety of the system will involve mock drill. Throughout the exercise, staff should be allowed to explore and learn through failure. Software maintenance is another activity that is continually done throughout software’s lifetime; therefore, company technicians have to be equipped with the necessary skill to perform this task when the system is up and running. Timeline and Resource Allocation Plan for Business Solution Work will be controlled and optimized to minimize production time and cost. Gantt charts will be put in place to ensure that there is no works overlap as well optimal time spending on scheduled tasks. Project staffing will be done with absolute accuracy, assigning work to developers in accordance to their expertise and flexibility in the work environment. Performance Standard and Benchmark Results A performance standard covers the areas of system functionalities and its performance attributes. We are confident that our standards exceed your internal business standards and development policies. As developers with a massive experience in software production arena, and also in producing softwares for logistic companies, we offer systems with unmatched capabilities and those that are free from failure. Cost of Implementing Business Solution Cost is an essential factor that has to be well considered before deployment of the application. Cost involved include; training and consultancy services, establishment of key internal processes, Travel and associated costs e.g accommodation, efforts spent on installation and upgrade and also project management. Organizations either train their own engineers or hire consultants during deployment and disaster recovery of servers. Sending engineers to customer sites is often expensive and may include unforeseen expenses that are always dismissed as miscellaneous but sums up to colossal amounts over time. Building a server may take as long as four days of expert engineers’ efforts. Identifying and solving inconsistencies in servers is another common problem. All activities from development to deployment are controlled by a project manager, who spends a generous amount of time to ensure that customer satisfaction is prioritized. Business Solution Documentation The business solution contains a manual that includes all the technical assistance and operation procedures required. Users with different understanding abilities will have no challenge interacting with the system. In case of technical problems, there exist well laid out procedures of fixing problems. Test, Validation and Result Documentation Applications are thoroughly tested through all stages necessary. Unit testing is first done to ensure that individual components of the systems work correctly. Module testing is then done to test how procedures and functions work. Modules are then integrated to form subsystems which are then tested to check for interface errors. The system is then integrated and tested as a whole to determine whether it meets intended functional and non functional requirements. Potential conflicts and errors as a result of subsystem interactions are eliminated. Finally, acceptance testing is done by supplying it with customer’s data. This may reveal potential omissions in the systems requirements. Client will thereafter determine whether the system performs to their specification. Results for Verification Results of acceptance testing will be presented to the corporate body for a scrutiny before the system is installed in the organization’s secure servers for operation. This will ensure that the highest body in the organization is satisfied and convinced that terms of the contract have been served. They will then sign it into business assets and from then deployed for operation. Sign-off Project name: …………………………………………………………………………………… Project Manager: ………………………………………………………………………………… Date: ………………………………….. Signature of the approver indicates that he/ she has reviewed and accepted the contents of this report Deliverable Deliverable Product Version Description Categories A. I accept the contents B. Do not accept Approver signature Date Category Comments References Büttner, K., Orenchuk, E.E. and Shukla, R., Kofax, Inc., 2014. System for and method of providing a user interface for a computer-based software application. U.S. Patent 8,677,249. Jorgensen, P.C., 2013. Software testing: a craftsman’s approach. New York, NY: CRC press. Kreutz, D., Ramos, F & Verissimo, P., 2013, August. Towards secure and dependable software-defined networks. In Proceedings of the second ACM SIGCOMM workshop on Hot topics in software defined networking (pp. 55-60). ACM. Kumar, S., 2015. Execution of automation of logistics for a bulk cargo export industry in GOA to improve supply chain effectiveness. Qrunfleh, S & Tarafdar, M., 2014, ‘Supply chain information systems strategy: Impacts on supply chain performance and firm performance.’ International Journal of Production Economics, vol. 147, pp.340-350 Verner, J.M., Brereton, O.P., Kitchenham, B.A., Turner, M. and Niazi, M., 2014. ‘Risks and risk mitigation in global software development: A tertiary study.’ Information and Software Technology, vol. 56, no. 1, pp.54-78. Wing, J.W., Andrew, T.N & Petkov, D., 2015. A Systemic Framework for Improving Clients' Understanding of Software Requirements. Read More