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PLEASE REFER TO ATTACHMENTS AND DESIGN NEEDS TO BE BASED ON ATTACHED WORK!!!! The System Design Specification or SDS presents a complete design of the proposed system. A template and guide are attached to these instructions. This paper needs to be 9-12 pages. Of this, a minimum of 7 pages must be written text. The other pages should consist of graphics such as diagrams and models. All components of the double spaced paper must have one inch margins (left, right, top and bottom) and be written in 11 or 12 pitch, Arial or Times New Roman font. No blank lines between paragraphs or sections. Lists and Diagrams are needed but this content does not count towards the 7 pages of text. Use the major section headings and sub-headings exactly as they are given in the template, since they represent required sections of this assignment. Submission Instructions: Your completed proposal must be submitted as ONE MS word attachment Replace this Line with the Title of Your Paper Your Name Goes Here American Public University System System Design Specification Table of Contents 1. Management summary a. Summary of requirements b. Development to date c. Provides a current status report d. Summarizes project costs and benefits e. Implementation schedule highlights f. Any issues that management will need to address 2. System Components a. System 3. System Environment a. Constraints b. Requirements c. Hardware (Storage, Input / Output Devises) d. Systems software e. Security 4. Implementation requirements a. Specify start-up processing b. Initial data entry or acquisition c. User training requirements d. Software test plans 5. Time and cost estimates a. Detailed schedules b. Cost estimates, c. Staffing requirements d. Total costs-to-date 6. Additional material a. Other material 1. Management Summary 2. System Components 3. System Environment 4. Implementation Requirements 5. Time and cost estimates 6. Additional Material System Design Specification Guide The system design specification presents the complete system design for an information system and is the basis for the presentations that complete the systems design phase. Following the presentations, the project either progresses to the systems development phase, requires additional systems design work, or is terminated. System Design Specification Table of Contents 1. Management summary (20 pts.) a. Summary of requirements b. Development to date c. Provides a current status report d. Summarizes project costs and benefits e. Implementation schedule highlights f. Any issues that management will need to address 2. System Components (40 pts.) << note that this section has the most points assigned. a. System: This section contains the complete design for the new system, including the user interface, outputs, inputs, files, databases, and network specifications. You should include source documents, report and screen layouts, DFDs, and all other relevant documentation. You also should include the requirements for all support processing, such as backup and recovery, start-up processing, and file retention. If the purchase of a software package is part of the strategy, you must include any interface information required between the package and the system you are developing. If you use a CASE design tool, you can print design diagrams and most other documentation directly from the tool. See my notes in Appendix (Dr. MM). 3. System Environment (15 pts.) a. Constraints, or conditions, affecting the system. Examples of operational constraints include transaction volumes that must be supported, data storage requirements, processing schedules, reporting deadlines, and online response times. b. Requirements that involve operations c. Hardware (Storage, Input / Output Devices) d. Systems software, (Interface, Communications or data exchange) e. Security 4. Implementation requirements (10 pts.) a. Specify start-up processing b. Initial data entry or acquisition c. User training requirements d. Software test plans 5. Time and cost estimates (15 pts.) a. Detailed schedules b. Cost estimates, c. Staffing requirements d. Total costs-to-date 6. Additional material a. Other material can be included at the end of the system design specification. In this section, you might insert documents from earlier phases if they would be helpful to readers. APPENDIX Hello everyone, this section contains notes from prior classes. So, you’ll see some questions students have asked before. If you have any questions, please post in my Virtual Office. In the PIR you were required to show some current as-is processes along with future requirements of the system. The spirit of the PIR was to show these in a conceptual/logical manner. No physical commitments were done i.e no specific technology was specified (HW, SW, UI, GUI, etc). So the PIR showed what needed to be done, but not the how and with which technology. For the SDS you will need to go to the next level i.e. Need to make some physical choices, meaning decide on some specific technologies and provide details. However note that both PIR and SDS need to show the same things (data and process) but at different levels. So the SDS is an elaboration of the PIR with more details (physical/technology). The same theme of input -> process -> output is still valid but we need to elaborate with much more details. In the PIR we might have defined input as Personal information of client, in the SDS we need to define the same input but as a more detailed and specific data structure e.g. Personal_Client_Information( First_name VARChar(25) Last_name VARChar(50) Date_of_birth Date ...) Note: The format is not as relevant as the details and coverage provided. The output of the process can be in a similar format as the above. Concerning process or requirement, during the PIR we specified them in general terms of what needs to be done e.g. Capture_order_info, Validate_credit_card, Seek_manager_approval, etc. Now during SDS we need to take each of these to the new physical level e.g. 1) For the Capture_order_info, we need to specify some screen format along which technology (Browser based (html), mobile (native? html?), desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux)) , 2) for the validate_credit_card we need to specify some processing logic when communicating with the merchant bank, 3) seek_manager_approval, like the first process, we need to show user interface design/technology. The student question that often comes up is which format to use when documenting SDS. You basically have three broad technology types: 1) structured methods (physical DFD i.e. data structures, flowcharts to define processes), 2) object oriented UML (object diagram, activity diagrams, etc.. but you can skip low level design like sequence diagrams), and 3) throwaway prototyping (use some screen painters/generators like Microsoft Access to document UI/GUI, flowcharts to describe what happens when buttons are clicked). You can also show a combination of the above depending on your comfort level e.g. data structure + screen format from prototype + activity diagram. No matter which format/technique you decide to use, you need to make sure that you cover the content of the input -> process -> output model discussed above, along with the required level of detail. My recommendation is that you use Data Flow Diagrams (DFD): they are the easiest to learn and use. The entire notation consists of 4 symbols, as opposed to others which have tons more, and where it’s possible to make mistakes. So, if you have no preference on modeling tool, please opt for DFD. See: https://www.visual-paradigm.com/guide/data-flow-diagram/what-is-data-flow-diagram/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Question 1: we are required to implement a system from scratch, or are we allowed to recommend the purchase of an existing POS system? Or it is entirely possible to use a combination of these for instance by creating your own frontend and using a POS API, like Square for instance. Honestly, if this was a real world scenario I would just tell the club owners to purchase a POS system as that will be so much easier for them in the long run, but I assume thats probably not the goal of this assignment and you would like to see something from scratch? Good point. Yes if it was a real-life situation, most likely the we would not start from scratch since there are so many ready to use POS systems out there. The project would be one of integrating with an existing system. However for this class you need to show process models (input -> process -> output). Creating an entire POS for this project would be too much too. So you can tackle an entire POS then model couple processes only at the physical level. Also the following is surely an option for you: creating your own frontend and using a POS API, like Square for instance. Again, the idea is to take couple processes from the PIR and to show them end-to-end (input -> process -> output) at the physical level. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Question 2: Just looking for a little insight into how in-depth I need to go, and if we are designing from scratch are you expecting class diagrams, object diagrams, sequence diagrams, use case diagram in addition to a DFD and mockups? We are required to have 7 pages of text minimum which leaves only 5 pages for diagrams at most. Can I use cloud services and SDKs? No matter which format you decide to use (see above), you need to make sure that you cover the content of the input -> process -> output model discussed above, along with the required level of detail (Physical/technical). So from the PIR you need to select one or more requirement/process, and develop it into the physical level and provide all the details needed by the SDS. Again, the focus is not on what kind of diagrams you use as much as it is on coverage/completeness of needed information, as stated above i.e discuss each of the following along with selected technology/details input -> process -> output. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Question 3: I found the System Components instructions in the template to be a bit vague and I just dont want to submit my assignment and find out I didnt include something you were expecting to see that knocks 20 points off my grade. Yes the system components section shows the details of what the system does and there are various techniques to complete it as I described above. The main idea here is to show the developers what we want the system to do with specific technical details. So you have a lot of leeway in how you document this section. However you need to give the developers enough detail so that they can build the system without asking or having too many open questions, and to so with clear models, not simply textual descriptions. So if you stick to the theme of input -> process -> output and provide all the details as discussed above, using good modelling languages/techniques, you should be OK. I further provided a breakdown of the grading scheme below for 2. System Components (40 pts.). Please check it and let me know if you have any questions. 1. Management summary (20 pts.) 2. System Components (40 pts.) 2.1 - Processes shown at the appropriate level (operational i.e. not context or functional level), along with lower level processes/tasks/activities (10 points) 2.2 - Internal details of processes described in enough detail, using appropriate techniques i.e. avoid textual descriptions and rather use some appropriate modelling language (10points) 2.3 - Process inputs/outputs structures show enough physical details along with interface details like GUI or other (10points) 2.4 - Other requirements: like for all support processing, such as backup and recovery, start-up processing, and file retention (10points) 3. System Environment (15 pts.) 4. Implementation requirements (10 pts.) 5. Time and cost estimates (15 pts.) 6. Additional material Case Study Worksheet and Template Preliminary Investigation and Requirements Report Template Version 0.0: 10/03/2021 Presented by: Mikhail Nikov – for APUS / INFO 498 / Professor Mario Missakian Worksheet Client approval: Yes X No Note whether your case study needs to be ready in time for a specific event: Date: 10/03/2021 Event: Week 4 – PIR Report – APUS-INFO498 Template Case Study for Ruben Keys and Lisa Tejada 1. GENERAL INFORMATION Club IT Company profile Company History Club IT established in 2005, is an entertainment company. It is a downtown music avenue whose co-founders and managers are Ruben Keys and Lisa Tejada, Business Administration graduates. The company offers a wide range of music genres, and it has an annual music calendar where each month is allocated a type of music genre. Lisa plays violin, whereas Ruben plays drums. Club IT performs live DJs Tuesday every week who play a collection of MP3 playlists, playing hip-hop, techno, and electronic with some Top 40s thrown in. Club IT has weekly live bands every Friday and Saturday. Club IT offers dining services which include appetizers and beverages. The company sells Club IT merchandise, including t-shirts, baseball caps, shot glasses, and glass mugs. Mission statement We, Ruben and Lisa, offer you live music, DJs, dance space, and refreshments that suit your lifestyle. You are our friends, and we seek to build a community that meets regularly at Club IT. Business situation Club IT is currently experiencing a lag in the information management sector, and it wants to upgrade its inventory system to improve item tracking and purchasing. The company is frequently experiencing inventory shortages. Consequently, this affects the customers experience in that customers face a big challenge when it comes to accessing popular menu items, product purchasing, and availability of the item purchased. You find that the lack of a guarantee that an item is available results in customer mistrust and dissatisfaction since they do not have confidence in the companys ability to supply the product the company claims to be selling. As a result, Club IT experiences lost sales, diminished company loyalty, and this jeopardizes its marketing efforts by obstructing sales planning mainly because substitution disguises the actual demand. Club IT lacks a higher competitive advantage when it comes to customer satisfaction due to inventory shortages. Customers are most likely to go to other nightclubs that have readily available items. This implies that first-time clients are not likely to return, affecting customer recommendation, loyalty, retention, and poor reviews. Technical situation Club IT is currently running an interior renovation and remodeling. It has shifted its design from an old-fashioned wall club to a high ceiling and high-energy lighting design. The renovation creates and enhances the customer experience by creating an ambient of fun and energy clubbing environment. The current information system environment operates on a single personal computer workstation. The workstation is located at the back of the office, which has a small space. The personal computer has a Windows XP Professional operating system that is outdated and a low-speed Pentium processor. It also has a display size of 17 inches which is relatively small for an employee working with tones of data in the inventory system. Additionally, the computer has 1 GB RAM, which is quite a small memory storage capacity for a computer that stores a vast amount of inventory data such as sales. It uses a Comcast internet, a non-wireless connection, and thus has a low internet connection speed. At the moment, Club IT wants an inventory system upgrade where the system will automatically adjust the entry levels of items whenever a waiter or waitress orders an item. The system should also send an automatic notification order if the specified inventory conditions are met successfully. Besides, Club IT wants a system that generates reports and shows trends in sales of different products, the waiter with highest sales, time of the day if the highest sales affected the sales on other items, and a well-secured database. Problem or Opportunity Project Scope and Constraints · Project scope · The scope of this project is to provide the Club IT organization with an inventory management system. The system will have functionalities that enable Lisa and Ruben, the managers, to generate and show live sale reports. The inventory system will automatically adjust the entry levels of items whenever a waiter or waitress orders an item and send an automatic notification order of the ordered item if the specified inventory conditions are met. · Project creep · Club ITs project creep is attributed to the lack of a proper inventory management system. The creep has resulted in inventory shortages and surpluses due to the lack of an inventory feature that tracks the records of all menu items and products. As a result, this hinders timely delivery of menu items, inventory updates, and management of orders. · Constraints · At present, computer hardware and operating system are the significant constraints that Club IT is having. The organization requires to install an updated operating system and other inventory management software to control and record appetizers, beverage, and merchandise sales. It should also implement a point-of-sale system that tracks, automatically update inventory records of placed orders and gives a notification order if the provided inventory conditions are met to avoid inventory shortages. In the future, the companys constraint will be upgrading the software to ensure automatic inventory updates. Another constraint will be training employees on how to use the inventory system, manage it, and keeping it secure from data security threats. · Internal constraints include providing training programs to all staff to teach them how to use the new inventory system to make item orders. Suppliers for the food ingredients and beverages are the external constraints; this is in terms of their ability to supply the organization with the items on time. Perform Fact-Finding Fact-Finding The fact-finding process involved research and site visits where observations of the work surrounding were made. Also, it involved face-to-face meetings where the managers, Ruben and Lisa, were interviewed to clarify facts and find out about the organizational processes, their major challenges encountered in their day-to-day operations, requirements, and preferences. A sampling of the existing system documentation, forms, and databases was done to collect factual reports. The staff was also given questionaries to gain insight into their operational challenges and proposed ways to resolve them. From the interviews, questionaries, and site visits, the following facts were collected. · Club IT currently does not have an automated inventory management system. It has a manual inventory management system that uses manual forms which are used for making orders. These forms are collectively submitted to the managers, Ruben and Lisa, for recordkeeping and order approval. · This month, they have experienced inventory shortage six times where they run out of popular menu items. · Besides inventory shortage, Club IT has inventory surpluses for not popular items and items not in high demand. · The lack of an automated inventory management system poses a significant challenge when making reorders for popular menu items such as beverages and appetizers for resupplying. · The managers have experience using Microsoft Access for database management and Microsoft Excel for recordkeeping. · Club IT computer software and hardware infrastructure is outdated. · The managers have club operation experience. Survey / Interview Questions: · What is the background history of Club IT? · What services do you offer? · How well experienced are you with club operations? · What are the main operation processes that you are currently dealing with? Explain how the ordering process flows from the beginning to completion. · What are the pain areas or significant challenges that you experience with the day-to-day operations? · Do you experience shortages of items with high demand or surpluses for items not in high demand? · How frequently do you experience inventory shortages and surpluses? · When do you make reorders from your suppliers? Is it on a weekly or monthly basis? If not, what criteria do you use to make reorders? · What systems do you use to store inventory data and recordkeeping? · How knowledgeable are you with the database management system? · Explain the software and hardware infrastructure of the workstation? · As far as inventory growth is concerned, do you feel the need to upgrade the infrastructure, or do you feel comfortable with the current infrastructure for future use? Current Processes 2. REQUIREMENTS List of Requirements Functional requirements Input · The system must be able to allow a waiter and or waitress to make an order where they input the table number, the number of people making an order in that given table, the item of the order, the cost of each item, and the total amount of all items ordered for each individual. This input process will assign a unique ticket order that will be sent to the kitchenette or bar. The inventory system will automatically update the number of items purchased and indicate items ordered and the remaining inventory based on the items ordered. Output · The system must generate regular reports showing the item name, supplier, the ordered quantity, quantity at hand, and item cost. It must provide a notification for a low quantity flag on items below the quantity on hand threshold. Also, it should automatically reorder items whenever the notification alert is raised. Process · The system must be able to process multiple item orders for different tables simultaneously. Also, it must allow the ordered items to be delivered to the kitchenette or bar through the appetizer or drink order. Consequently, it must automatically update the remaining quantity available in Club ITs inventory. The system must generate a low inventory report and send it to the managers for resupplying when the inventory is low. System requirements · POS System · The waiter or waitress inputs an order at the designated table area. · The system generates an ordering receipt, prints it, and records it digitally. · The item order recorded is automatically updated into the Perpetual Inventory System. · Perpetual Inventory System · It automatically acknowledges orders and uploads them into the inventory tracking system. · The system automatically detects low inventory and alerts the manager for reordering. · It generated purchase orders and cost of sales reports. · SQL Database System · The database system will use the perpetual inventory and point-of-sale databases linked to make up the inventory database. · System will use an authorization mechanism to authenticate personnel to perform queries. · System will use a query to return any inquired data. · System will generate Excel exportable reports that can be printed and sent via mails. Nonfunctional requirements · Availability- the staff can use the system for 24 hours every working day. Upgrades and fault repairs are expected to take two to three hours during non-working days when the system is not on high usage. All features will be available in the next working day. · Backup-the system can create a copy of data that will be used for recovery if the original data is corrupted or lost. Backups must be performed every day at midnight. A full backup must be done, and then the following subsequent backups will be incremental; this is the best since it occupies less space because it does not store duplicate data files. · Data integrity- data stored in all databases must be valid, consistent, and accurate. Data must be validated to ensure that it is correct before being fed into the system. Also, the system must keep audit trails and logs to track data changes, detect data breaches, and identify the data accessed. · Integrability- the systems inventory interfaces can be connected to other system components and effectively exchange data and work together. In the future, the MySQL database can be integrated with other systems, and that data will still be used without any restrictions. · Performance- the system must have an average response time of 2.4 seconds to process each order request. Under a high workload, the system must have a response time of 3 seconds. Consequently, it will handle all employees operations, process order requests, generate supply reorders and ordering reports. · Reliability-the staff can make item orders ninety-eight percent of the time without experiencing failure or system lags. · Transparency- the users can access information about the systems process, showing who did what and at what time to clarify who is responsible for every action. · Privacy- each user must have log-in credentials to grant them access to the portal that they will use to make item orders. The password must contain at least eight characters where those characters must have special symbols, a letter, and a number. · Security- the system will use a two-factor authentication to grant a user access to the database. Also, the administrator will verify the users credentials and permit and restrict activities that a user can perform on the system. · Usability-the system will have a user-friendly interface will simple icons and a layout that is easily understandable and easy to use. ClubIT PIR CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 8