The system will use the existing PC’s. It is expected that the system can be written in Access, Spreadsheet and Word processing for which the college already has licences.
A budget and date needs to be confirm .
Present system
When a member of staff or outside organisation wants to hire a room for a meeting they will get a form. Members of staff will get an internal room booking form and people outside of the organisation will get external room booking form from Estates Department and they will fill it and send it back to Estates Department. Then the Estates Department will send that form to the person who is allocated that room, if the room is available the ‘owner’ will sign that form and send it back to Estates Department. The Estates Department record all the green form information on spreadsheet and they keep green forms in their file. If the room is not available they try finding another room for them.
Room booking is free for members of college staff. People outside of the college organisation have to pay. This is charged hourly per room and the minimum hire rate for up to 3 hours is £40. A 5% discount may be received for multiple bookings of more than 6 booking in any term and a further discount may be considered for recognised, registered charities.
Every Year in July they have meetings and decided how much they will charge to let a room. Every week The Estates Department produce letting lists and send them to 20 people.
Existing System Deficiencies
The main problems with the current system follow from the fact that it does not cover anything to do with rooms. However the room booking system is not easy to use, with very little ability to look up customers. Management cannot get reports or graphs which provide any useful analysis of room history and which room have been mostly used.
The college timetable does not tell the how big a room is and who owns the room.
College timetable are completed in September so The Estates Department does not know if there is any changes in the timetable.
There isn’t any password for the folders and the files to keep them secure. They have not got an electronic copy of the green room booking form.
There is not any facilities to show room is booked that why sometimes room booked twice because they
It is difficult to keep track of the number of room booked by members over four years.
User requirements
The following are essential unless stated otherwise:
- Allow who allocated the room
- Allow how big is a room
- Provide a password to files and folders
- Allow look up which room is available
- Allow entry of member and room details
- Provide graphs to see which room have been mostly used
- Allow electronic copy of green room booking form
- Allow electronic room booking
- Allow quick entry of orders from forms
- Allow quick identification of customers from surname, first names- from first few letters only. Ideally allow postcode look-ups of addresses
- Provide weekly, monthly and quarterly letting lists
- Record money received from customers
- Record money spent on exam booked rooms
- Room Booking Confirmation Report - displays all Booking details in a selected range
- Room Schedules Report - displays Booking Start and End times, sorted by Date and Room
The user was interested in providing a capability for customers to book directly onto college website on the Internet. Although this is not part of the scope of the proposed project, in the future it is expected that this will required so that the project should try to ensure that the project work can be used as the basis for this future capability.
The systems should be developed to use the standard colours and logos throughout. Most users of the system should be able to use the system without extra software training (for example in Spreadsheet), although they will obviously need training to use the system itself.
Memo
Date: 12 January 2005
To: Mavis White
From: Manmeet Kaur
Re: Alternative Solution
CC:
Three alternative proposals have been considered. These are described below.
- Improvement to existing spreadsheet system
The existing spreadsheet could be automated to a certain extent with macros. The communications procedures between department and routine of exactly when the facts about college timetable, and which room is booked, can be improved.
This proposal, however, will not really satisfy the objectives of providing a system, which can be operated by someone without an in-depth knowledge of spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is already large and unwieldy and has to modify every time a new room booked up. There is no practical way of automating these functions.
2. Purchase an integrated software solution
Software packages exist which are specifically for room booking and which would provide a complete integrated system handling all the subsystem in the college, include the college timetable. This solution would involve a major change to every subsystem in the college and is beyond the scope and budget of the specified system.
3.Develop a solution using MS Access
A tailor made solution could be written using MS Access, which would provide a standalone solution to the problem. Improvements need to be made to the communications procedures between departments to ensure that all data is captured correctly.
This solution will potentially satisfy all the objectives within the allotted budget. No new software or hardware will need to be purchased. A new system of ensuring that all relevant information is entered into the room booking system will also need to be put into place.
Evaluation
I have been asked to investigate and carry out some of basic analysis and design for Estates Department room booking system.
My first task was group work to investigate of the room booking system. In my group were Hayley, Dayna and Sophia and we arranged some general questions about the business for the interview.
We had interview with Richard Smith- Estates Officer. Interview went well and almost all the information we get from him. But in interview Sophia didn't turn up. In my individual task I wrote a problem definition report for room booking system. My third task was to find alternative solution for the problem I identified in my report.
The benefit will include the time saved in performing room booking. The time spent on updating green room booking form will no longer needed and from graphs user will know which room mostly used.
Y:\svn\trunk\engine\docs\working\acumen4\133269.doc\Manmeet Kaur\1st
