Current System
The system currently used by D.J Roberts tiling is mostly paper based (although a word-processing package is used for the invoices) it involving Mr Roberts going to the customers home and creating a quote using a word processing Package (Microsoft word 2000) and printing this twice (one for D.J Roberts Tiling records and one for the customer) the customers is then left with the quote and the company awaits the customers decision. The ones that call back asking for work to be done will be given an invoice (again two are printed) after the work has been carried out a bill is sent through. If the bill is not paid letters are sent every few days asking for payment.
From when the customer calls up D.J Roberts Tiling Mr Roberts takes down the customers address and name so that he is able to visit them and so that he is able to measure up the job. He records the measurements in a book which is kept in the office. When he gets to his PC he uses a pre-made template to type them out a quote. This is then sent to the address that the viewing took place.
If the customer wants to take the job the customer again calls the company and talks to Mr Roberts to arrange a time for the call out to take place. The details of what job is carried out when are stored in a second book kept in the office.
Materials that are used in the job are usually obtained by Mr Roberts through an old work friend. There are no records kept by D.J Roberts Tiling other than how much all the materials cost the company.
Once the work has been completed Mr Roberts Invoices the customer with all the details that the company holds about the customer on it. Two copies of this invoice are made one for the customer and one is archived by D.J Roberts Tiling. If a customer after this stage has not paid reminders are sent out and are kept in the same file as the ones held about the customer. When a customer has paid they are issued with a receipt. A copy of this receipt is not held by D.J Roberts Tiling.
Context of the problem
The system I intend to create will only be used in the accounting side but can also help in the ordering of new tiles and other materials used.
Problems with the current system
The current system all depends on the records kept by D.J Roberts tiling and if any of these records are lost (by human error) there is no way of retrieving the data and therefore it is not known by Mr Roberts or Mrs Roberts if a job has been paid, therefore they are unable to send out letters asking for payment. This will result in the company losing money.
The current system has duplicated data stored (both quotes and invoices have exactly the same details). The system I intend to create will only allow this data to be entered once. The advantages of this include quicker data entry and will save space on the hard drive in which the program is stored.
The company invoice is stored on file for a set amount of time it is then archived until it is needed again. If there are any changes a customer wants to change his or her quote or invoice she can simply call the company. These changes are then either added to the invoice or in case of a big change the invoice is scrapped and the whole process is started again.
D.J Roberts Tiling Questionnaire
Dear Mr Roberts so I am able to make your system will you take the time out of you busy schedule to fill in this questionnaire:
- Can you give me any detail on what the current system is?
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- If you’re System were to be computerized what extra features would you like to be included?
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- Will you be using the system to enter the data as well as Mrs Roberts?
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- What information is currently stored about the customer?
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- When will the data be updated?
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- How are the Materials ordered for a customer’s job?
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- Will there be any other method of collecting data other than the use of quotes and invoices?
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- How many records do you enter on a weekly basis?
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- What calculations do you use to get your final total?
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- What data do you save?
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- How often does D.J Roberts Tiling store its data?
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- What is the current hardware and software you use?
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- Will you need any passwords or other security measures?
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- Are there any other problems I seem to have missed?
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Thanks
