CHAPTER 3

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

This chapter represents and discusses the research approach, sources of

data, system requirements, and data gathering techniques that were used by the

researchers for all those technical developments for the proposed system.

Research Approach

The research approach is a plan and procedure that consists of the steps

from broad assumptions to detailed methods of data collection, analysis, and

interpretation. Therefore, it is determined by the type of research problem being

addressed. The two main types of research approaches are those used for

gathering data and those used for data analysis or reasoning (Chetty, 2016).

The researchers used descriptive research for their research strategy.

When the goal of the research is to discover traits, frequencies, trends, and

classifications, descriptive research is the best option. When little is known about

the subject or issue, it is helpful. Before you can conduct a study on why it

occurs, you need to understand how, when, and where something occurs

(McCombes, 2019).

The scientific methodology known as “descriptive research” involves

observing the sampled population in its natural environment. The goal of a

descriptive research approach is to ascertain the “what” of a phenomenon. In

this approach, data is qualitatively gathered and then quantitatively examined.

Quantitative research is defined as data presented numerically. When gathered

by a main approach, it makes use of statistical information obtained through the

use of a questionnaire (Apuke, 2017).

Software Development Life Cycle

The research methodology and creation of the research design are

discussed in this chapter, followed by the creation of the prototype system, a

discussion of analysis, rapid design, and the procedures involved in the prototype

cycle, and finally testing and implementation of the prototype system.

The Software Development Life Cycle, or SDLC, is a process that best

describes the development, maintaining, changing, or enhancing of software.

This is where ideas and plans are being constructed in order to develop or to

produce software that will provide or will exceed the expectations of the client

and will reach completion within a specific time. The SDLC also defines the tasks

that are being performed in the software development process step by step as

well as maintaining the software.

Moreover, rapid application development (RAD) is an agile project

management strategy popular in software development. The key benefit of a

RAD approach is fast project turnaround, making it an attractive choice for

developers working in a fast-paced environment like software development. This

rapid pace is made possible by RAD’s focus on minimizing the planning stage and

maximizing prototype development. By reducing planning time and emphasizing

prototype iterations, RAD allows project managers and stakeholders to accurately

measure progress and communicate in real time on evolving issues or changes.

This results in greater efficiency, faster development, and effective

communication (Lucidchart, 2017).

Rapid Application Development is divided into four stages, as shown in

Figure 3.1. These are the requirements for planning, user design, construction,

and cutover.

Figure 3.1 Rapid Application Development

The researchers used the RAD, or Rapid Application Development,

technique. The Rapid Application Development model, commonly known as the

RAD model, is one of the most prominent SDLC methods (Singh, 2020). The

software development paradigm prioritizes speed and flexibility through upfront

planning. It can easily generate numerous iterations and changes to a piece of

software without having to start over.

Requirements planning. During this phase, our group first organized

and set a date with our client within the MJC Group of Company. During the

meeting, we ask questions to them for us to determine the goals and

expectations for the project as well as current and potential issues that would

need to be addressed during the build. We explain the benefits they can gain or

be improved if these problems can be solved by the system proposed. We also

determined the Programming language and framework that we will use and who

will be responsible for the different tasks to be done in the development stage.

User design. During this phase, Designs and layouts are asked of our

client. We asked them what they like to see on the landing page of the website

and on the application on mobile that we will make for them. We also asked

about the process they need for them to have smoother transactions with both

them and their customers, suggestions are open on this phase as they are the

ones that will use it for their future system.

Rapid construction. In this phase, we already know the needs of the

system that our client wants, and our team researched the part by part of the
system. We organized our team and scheduled dates for the development as we

also don’t need to be together all the time, so a certain person is appointed by

our leader to research every part. We have our programmers code for the

system while other get resources like images that will be put in the system.

Other communicates with our client for some additional features they want to be

present in their system.

Cutover. In the final phase of rapid application development, here we

show our client our system and application made by our team. It includes data

conversion, testing, and changeover to the new system, as well as user training.

All final changes are made while the coders and clients continue to look for

bugs in the system. We finish bugs and other problems with our system as we are

also presenting the finish product.

Requirement Analysis

The study used the following methods for gathering information,

measuring, and analyzing precise insight. Additionally, the researchers did

research and analysis for the study after interviewing respondents.

Gathering Data. The researchers gathered data and exploited all

pertinent information that was accessible in order to achieve the study's

objective. Additionally, information on the MJC Group of Companies was

gathered through interviews and research.

Conducting Interview. The researchers interviewed the CEO of MJC

Group of Companies, Dr. Manuel Callanta, about the processes and procedures

of their businesses in stalls and rentals and inventories for construction materials

to gather useful information that would help to improve the proposed system. (As

reference you may check the interview guide question in appendix B.)

Survey Questionnaire. By using a questionnaire, the researchers

acquired data from Dr. Manuel Callanta, CEO of the MJC Group of Companies.

The questionnaire, which includes a variety of questions, is used as an extra

research tool to find out more about the respondents’ enterprises in rentals and

stalls as well as their inventories of building supplies.

To collect these data, the researchers requested permission from the MJC

Group Company’s office-in-charge to conduct an online survey that only

Pozorrubio residents could complete. (As reference you may check the survey

questionnaire in appendix C.)

Related Literature. The researchers read related literature to obtain a

variety of data pertinent to the study and to increase their knowledge of various

approaches and techniques used to create applications for clients that involve

the process of identifying, locating, organizing, and analyzing information about

a research topic. Literature review also provides valuable information about how
to measure the research variables involved and what research designs will be

most useful. A thorough literature review before the implementation of the study

reflects the depth of discussion, analysis, and interpretation of findings. (As

reference you may check the review related of literature in chapter 2.)

Document Analysis. The researchers also used document analysis to

collect more information for the project to provide more reliable information for

the project. It allows researchers to make sense of their resources and select the

appropriate pieces for their studies. Organizing the data allows researchers to

combine document analysis with other types of research. (As reference you may

check the document analysis in appendix H.)

Sources of Data

Data collection plays a very crucial role in the statistical analysis. In

research, there are different methods used to gather information, all of which fall

into two categories, i.e., primary data and secondary data. As the name

suggests, primary data is that which is collected for the first time by the

researcher, while secondary data is the data already collected or produced by

others (Surbhi, 2020).

The primary source of data was used by the researchers, who conducted a

survey and an interview to acquire relevant responses from the respondents to

acquire the necessary information for the construction of the proposed system.
 Secondary data is the data that has already been collected by and is

readily available from other sources. This secondary data may be obtained from

many sources, including literature and published documents that are related to a

research problem that is derived from the internet.

The primary source of data for the developed system was to interview the

President of the MJC Company, whereby valuable information about their daily

transactions and services offered by the company was obtained. The information

collected includes the theme , color, and logo that the company wants to use.

We conducted an interview with Dr. Manuel Callanta, CEO of MJC Group

of Companies, as well as the employees and residents, to gather data and to

know the processes of the transactions in their company in Pozorrubio.

Survey and Questionnaire

In order to develop a system, the researchers also made use of

questionnaires as a research instrument. A questionnaire is the term used to

describe the set of questions you’re asking an individual. A survey is the process

of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data from many individuals. It aims to

determine insights about a group of people. A survey goes much deeper than a

questionnaire and often involves more than one form of data collection.
  Questionnaire

Questionnaire Answer Percentage

1) Do you have system? YES 0%

NO 100%

2) What kind of system do MANUAL 100%

you have in your COMPUTERIZED 0%
company?
3) List of the systems that Point of Sale System 0%
are available in your Lending System 100%
company?
Inventory System 0%

Table 1.1 A Questionnaire to the Owner of the company

 Survey

Respondents Questions Percentage

YES NO
1) Do you think Integrated 88% 12%
Management System will help the MJC
Group of company in terms of storing
data of residents/ clients & inventories
 MJC Group of information?
Company 2)  Is it necessary to develop on 90% 10%
Staff/CEO Integrated Management System for
MJC Group of Company?
3) Is the system is convenient and user 50% 50%
friendly?
 4) Do you find it effective in terms of 74% 26%
design construction and home rentals?
 Residents
5) Would the use of computerized 92% 8%
system will make the user more
efficient and convenient than manual
process?
6) Would the security features 88% 12%
 Clients/ embedded in the system are sufficient
Customer enough to protect data? 
7) Do you think Integrated 88% 12%
management system will help the
company manage their stocks and sales
for their daily transaction? 
8) Is it easy and reliable to use?  42% 58%
9) Is it going to help clients to reach 70% 30%
the company easily?  ? 
10)  Is the system would be effective in 78% 22%
order to have a plenty of clients?    

Table 1.1 Online Survey for Sunshine Villages Residents

The researchers conducted a survey among the residents of MJC Sunshine

Village Subdivision in Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, which accumulated to a total of 50

respondents. The MJC Group of Companies is still using the manual process of

transactions that tends to lose some records when it comes to their records for

inventory files, though they are using computers for printing purposes only. In

terms of developing the system, it shows that it will be a big help to the

company in terms of storing important files in their inventories and clients' files ,

88% answered yes and 12% answered no. There are 10% who answered no
that it is not necessary to develop a system because of the fact that they will be

unfamiliar with the new system, and 90% who answered yes that it is necessary.

Both 50% answered yes and no that the development system is very convenient

and user-friendly to use. In terms of design construction and home rentals, 74%

find it effective and 26% don't find it effective. An accumulated total of 92%

answered yes that it is better to use a computerized system than a manual

process because it is more efficient and convenient for everyone to use, and 8%

answered no. With the security embedded in the system, 88% answered yes,

meaning it is sufficient enough to protect their data, and 12% were not sure nor

satisfied. In terms of developing the system, it shows that it will be a big help to

the company in terms of managing their stocks and sales for daily transactions,

88% answered yes, and 12% answered no. About 58% answered no, that the

system is not easy and reliable to use because some of them don't know how to

use mobile applications, and 42% agreed with it. There are 70% who answered

yes that the system is going to help clients easily reach out their concerns to the

company, and 30% who answered no. In terms of the effectiveness of the

system in order to have plenty of clients, 78% answered yes , and 22%

answered no. That may not see the effectiveness of the proposed system.

According to the overall results of the survey performed among residents

of MJC Sunshine Village, having an E-Connect: Integrated Management System

for MJC Group of Companies will be beneficial, effective, and will be a big help
not only for the company but for the residents, employees, and future clients as

well.

System Requirements

Requirements a statement describing a quality, trait, or capacity that a

system must possess in order for it to be valued and useful to its users. Once the

requirements are known, researchers can start doing more technical work,

including designing, developing, testing, implementing, and operating systems.

Table 1.2 Developers’ Recommended Hardware System

Hardware Requirements Specification

Processor 3.04 GHz or better

RAM 8 GB
Free Storage 4 GB(SSD)
Screen resolution 1920 x 1080

Table 1.3 Developers’ Specification Software System Requirements

Software Requirements Version

Android Studio 4.0

Java Jdk 8

Parse Sdk 1.4

 PHP 7.4

JavaScript Es6

CSS CSS3

HTML HTML5

Visual Studio Code 1.60

XAMPP 7.4

Tools for Data Analysis

Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD). An entity relationship diagram

(ERD), also known as an entity relationship model, is a graphical depiction that

shows the connections between individuals, things, locations, ideas, or events in

an information technology (IT) system. Data modeling methods are used in an

ERD to help describe business processes and provide the framework for a

relational database (Biscobing, 2019).

Entity relationship diagrams offer a visual foundation for database design

and can also be used to identify information system requirements throughout an

organization. In the event that further debugging or business process re-

engineering is required, an ERD can still be used as a reference after a relational

database has been deployed. (As reference you may check the entity
relationship diagram in appendix D.)

Database Schema. A database schema represents the blueprint or

architecture of how our data will look. It doesn't really contain data; rather, it

defines how the data may be organized and related to other tables or models. An

instance of the database schema will be a record in our database. It will have

every attribute listed in the schema. Logical and physical database schema types

are the two basic types that specify the various components of the schema. The

table-based organization of the data is represented by the logical database

schema. While the physical database schema specifies how data is kept on hard

storage, it also shows how attributes from different tables are connected to one

another. In other words, it is the code that will be used to build the database's

structure (Kopecky, 2020). (As reference you may check the database schema in

appendix F.)

Database Instance. A database instance is a set of memory structure

and background processes that access a set of database files. All users can

participate in the process. The memory structure that is used to store the

majority of database query results. This reduces the amount of I/O against data

files, which helps to enhance database performance (Thakur, 2022). (As

reference you may check the database instance in appendix G.)

Flowchart. A flowchart illustrates the steps, sequences, and

decisions of a process or workflow. It’s a powerful tool that can be

applied in multiple fields for planning, visualizing, documenting, and

improving processes (Asana, 2022). This process starts with gathering data

and information from the personnel of MJC Group of Company and tackled by

the researchers to help them develop the E-Connect: Integrated Management

System for MJC Group of Company. (As reference you may check the flowchart

in appendix I.)

Use Case Diagram. According to Fonseca (2022), Use case diagram is a

visual representation of the different ways and possible scenarios of using a

system. It illustrates how a user will perform actions and interact with a

particular system, such as a website or an app. It is written in natural language,

which helps users easily understand them. Additionally, they provide businesses

an excellent way to communicate with customers. (As reference you may check

the use case diagram in appendix E.).