Mikes garage has been running for almost ten years now. Based in Iford Essex, it is a small business in comparison to most other garages. Installing a system.

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ANALYSIS

INTRODUCTION

Mikes garage has been running for almost ten years now. Based in Iford Essex, it is a small business in comparison to most other garages. The garage provides a number of services for customers. These services include tyre change, oil change, engine servicing, MOTs and engine tune-ups. The garage hasn’t really changed all that much since it was set up in early 1993. There has been a general increase in the number of mechanics employed by Mike. This was originally three but has increased to a dozen mechanics, each working a different shift.

Although small in comparison to other garage businesses, Mikes garage seems to be growing at a fairly slow but steady rate. At present the garage employees a dozen mechanics, with Mike helping out on occasions. Recently Mike has introduced a number of new services, including a car washing and engine changing services. This introduction of new services was due to the large client demand in recent months. Since the business was set up new tools and machinery have been introduced. This recent investment was to replace old worn out tools.

In recent years Mike has given some thought to the possibilities of future expansion. He is currently considering purchasing a garage within the local area. This will mean that Mike will have to employ more mechanics to man that branch. Currently Mike handles the client appointment making in the present garage. If he decides to purchase this new garage then he will have to employ someone to handle any inquires that may arise by clients at that branch.  

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The system implemented at the garage records car servicing appointments and client details.  The way the system works is that a client and a member of staff would agree on a date for the client’s car to be serviced.  This is then recorded in a non-IT system.  However a computer is used for keeping accounting records. The system resembles a yearly calendar, which displays dates free for a client to book in for. This is impractical as the record document could be damaged and/or misplaced. If this should happen there is no way for the garage to know the dates for future appointments.

The system that I will design will allow the garage to utilise the full advantages of an IT system.  The system will be constructed on Microsoft Access. Customer details and dates of services will be inputted into the system via a simple form that I will create in Access.  This data will be stored on a database, which shows all the appointments at the click of a button in ascending order of date.  The system will also store each mechanics details. This will allow a particular mechanic to be designated to a particular customer car. The system will allow the user to look up a certain customer’s details if they need to cancel an appointment.

I will also utilise the queries feature of Microsoft Access. This will allow the user to get to information quickly regarding a number of queries made, for example a customer calls to cancel an appointment. The system will also have reports, which will identify which cars have been serviced by date. The reports will also look at whether car jobs have to take longer to be worked on and those ready for collection.

INVESTIGATION

        The current system employed by Mikes garage is a manual one. It consists of a calendar dairy that displays the days of the year, including time slots. The manual system has been used since the business was started. There are a number of steps to the use of the manual system;

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  • A customer would come in or call and speak to Mike, in regards to making an appointment for a service.

  • The customer would give their details as well as booking details, such as type of service requested.

  • Mike would then record the details and allocate the earliest free appointment slot available.

  • Once an appointment date has been agreed between Mike and the client the appointment is made and recorded in the book.

In my interview with Mike, he stressed the importance of the system to the running of the garage. All the clients’ details ...

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