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Club IT Information System Design Specification

Name

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
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1. Management Summary

a. Summary of requirements

The Club IT information system will consist of the hardware and software components for the

management of all aspects of the club including inventory management, employee performance

and accounting information. Data management and storage are critical processes in this

enterprise. The security of the data is also a significant issue that will be addressed by the new

information system.

b. Development to date

Prior to the preparation of this system design specification (SDS), I conducted an in-depth

analysis of the current system and identified areas that will require development and

improvement. I also conducted a fact-finding mission to explore the opinions of the projected

users of the system including the staff and management at the club. This document outlines these

specifications and their functions. The development process will rely on information provided in

this document for system specifications and functional requirements of the system.

c. The current status report

Club IT currently relies on a single workstation consisting of a Pentium processor, 1 gigabyte of

random access memory (RAM) and a 17-inch color display unit. The system runs on the

Windows XP operating system. A Comcast high-speed modem is hardwired to the workstation

which also provides a slot for Ethernet connections. All data entry activities for club IT are

performed at this workstation through a keyboard and mouse. Microsoft Excel is used as the

primary software for inventory and accounting management in the company. This system is
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inefficient and requires significant improvement to streamline the club’s operations and data

management.

d. Project costs and benefits

The financial cost of the project will depend on the premium software that will be required to

bolster the security along with the cost for developing the database and user interface of the

system. The system components that will require development include a point of sale (POS)

interface, an inventory management system based on the orders placed in the POS, and a

database system for data storage and management.

The benefits of the new system will be the enhancement of inventory and data management and

the reduction of labor and time spent storing and retrieving data. An SQL database improves data

management compared to spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel. I chose an SQL database system

due to their open source nature and stable querying facilities that perform significantly well with

structured data. Financial savings will also be realized through the streamlining of inventory and

accounts for the business.

e. Implementation schedule highlights

The development of the club’s information system is projected to last sixteen weeks. The first

four weeks during this period were spent investigating the system requirements and conducting a

preliminary investigative report for the system. The next three weeks were spent gathering all the

data collected and developing a system design specification document for the project. The next

nine weeks will be spent developing and testing the club’s information system.

f. Issues that may need to be addressed by management

The current work station is outdated and may need several software and hardware upgrades to

maintain the new system running efficiently. Additional RAM may be required to bolster the

current 1 GB of RAM currently available. A minimum of 2 GB of RAM would be required by

the new system. The database system may also require a faster central processing unit (CPU).

The current Pentium processor may therefore need to be replaced by a faster processor. Since

manual data entry is almost impossible in the club, the new system will also require barcode

scanners for data entry into the POS system.

2. System Components

The new information system for Club IT will consist of three distinct components integrated

through various channels. These components are the POS ordering system, the inventory

management system and the intrinsic club data management system. These three components are

made up of smaller components that handle the specific aspects of the system.

a. The Ordering System

The ordering system will be made up of a POS fed through barcode scanners placed on tables

and counters throughout the club. These barcode scanners will be used to enter data on orders. A

screen with the POS interface will be placed besides each barcode scanner to enter additional

data such as the serving staff member. The POS system will use information from the inventory

system to retrieve additional information for the item being purchased, including its price.

Receipts will be printed at the end of each POS transaction for accounting purposes. The details

for the staff members will be retrieved from the data management system and information such

as waiter tips and bonuses will be updated based on sales. This information is updated in the

club’s data management system.

b. The Inventory Management System

The inventory management system will be made up of the database and user interface. The

inventory database will be created in Microsoft Access which the club already has installed in

their workstation. This database will store records pertaining to item descriptions and quantities

in stock. This information will be relevant for ordering purposes and accounting management.

The descriptions of items will include details such as the brand name, the cost per unit item, the

selling price per item, and any additional details relevant for inventory management purposes.

The user interface, on the other hand, will provide a platform through which the inventory

managers can retrieve and update this information. Adding new items into the inventory will also

be done through this user interface. Reports regarding inventory details, sales data and stock

fluctuations will be accessed through this interface. The inventory management system will

communicate will the POS though application programming interfaces designed to share only

relevant data between the two systems.

c. The Data Management System

The data management system will consist of several components including the store management

database and user interface and the accounting data management system. The store management

system will provide the database and user interface for employee detail management, tips

management, promotional details, and all other managerial details for the club. This database

will be created in Microsoft Access. Reports will also be generated based on queries run on the

data stored in this database. More complex reports such as sales and balance reports will be

generated based on combinations of data from this database and the inventory database. These

details can be accessed through the user interface created for the data management system.
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The accounting data management system will consist of a sales database that will keep track of

all transactions in the club and accompanying information such as timestamps and service

personnel. This data is critical for auditing purposes and tracking the company’s performance.

We will create a user interface presenting summaries for this data. The accounting reports will

also rely on data from this database to provide additional information about transactions.

d. Additional Requirements

The data stored in the system will require cloud back-ups to protect against data loss from

physical or virtual component damage. The cost of cloud storage varies depending on the storage

requirements. A file management system will also be created to manage all files uploaded to the

system for storage. A user interface for managing these files will provide the managers with a

platform where they can retrieve and remove these files. We will also install a firewall to secure

the system from intrusion. All user interfaces will require authentication before accessing the

data. Users will receive varying levels of access based on their authorization levels and data

updates will require a policy to ensure that only users meeting certain requirements can make

alterations.

3. System Environment

a. Constraints, or conditions, affecting the system.

4. Implementation Requirements
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5. Time and cost estimates

6. Additional Material