Assignment 2 Task

Assignment 2 Task

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course Title

Submission Date

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u Journal PAGEREF _Toc483651305 h 3Fig 1.0: Journal PAGEREF _Toc483651306 h 3Task 2.01 Applications Architecture Diagram showing interfaces at Toowoomba College PAGEREF _Toc483651307 h 4Fig 2.0: XERO Application Architecture PAGEREF _Toc483651308 h 4Fig 3.0: MOODLE Application Architecture PAGEREF _Toc483651309 h 5Fig4. 0 Toowoomba International Catering College System Application System Architecture PAGEREF _Toc483651310 h 5Task 2.02: “TO BE” Process for the New Toowoomba International Catering College PAGEREF _Toc483651311 h 7Fig 5.0: UML Activity Diagram PAGEREF _Toc483651312 h 7Task 2.03: Screen Designs for Two Stories Identified in Task 1.05 and Business Rules PAGEREF _Toc483651313 h 9Fig 6.0: Screen design for student’s access to the web-based enrolment system PAGEREF _Toc483651314 h 9Business Rules PAGEREF _Toc483651315 h 10Fig 7.0: Screen design for teacher’s access to student details and courses enrolled PAGEREF _Toc483651316 h 10Business Rules PAGEREF _Toc483651317 h 10Justification PAGEREF _Toc483651318 h 11Task 2.04 Acceptance Criteria for the Two Stories PAGEREF _Toc483651319 h 11Task 2.05 Write a PD for another BA to be recruited to the Project PAGEREF _Toc483651320 h 12Personal Description PAGEREF _Toc483651321 h 12Task 2.06 Waterfall Method Processes Used and Leading to RFT PAGEREF _Toc483651322 h 14Illustration of the Waterfall Model PAGEREF _Toc483651323 h 14Task 2.07 Key Differences Between Agile and Waterfall SDLC, Their Pros & Cons PAGEREF _Toc483651324 h 16References PAGEREF _Toc483651325 h 18

JournalThe journal provides details of the activities I undertook during assignment 2. The journal also shows the actions completed, actions planned along with notes on what transpired.

Fig 1.0: JournalActivity No. Date Activity Description Status

001 20/05/2017 Revise notes and assignment 1 Reviewed all the notes handed in class from the lecturer and familiarize with assignment 1 before embarking on Assignment 2 Complete

002 21/05/2017 Review the Instructions Provided for the Assignment Carried out reviews on the instructions for the assignment to determine what was required and how the work would be undertaken Complete

003 22/05/2017 Task 2.01 Drew applications architecture diagram showing interfaces for case study Complete

004 23/05/2017 Task 2.02 Developed a “TO BE” process for the new system using UML Activity Diagram Complete

005 24/05/2017 Task 2.03 Developed screen designs Complete

006 25/05/2017 Task 2.04 Developed acceptance criteria Complete

007 26/05/2017 Task 2.05 Wrote a PD for another BA to be recruited Complete

008 26/05/2017 Task 2.06 Wrote an executive summary explaining process adopted Complete

009 26/05/2017 Task 2.07 Listed differences between Agile and Waterfall SDLC & explained why I choose Agile Complete

010 27/05/2017 Review, Finalize & Submit Assignment Review, Finalize and Submit Assignment. Complete

Task 2.01 Applications Architecture Diagram showing interfaces at Toowoomba CollegeThe task provides an application architectural diagram showing the interfaces for all systems at the Catering College. It shows the interfaces for the Xero, and Moodle system before showing how they will integrate with Toowoomba’s website.

Fig 2.0: XERO Application ArchitectureSource Layer

Bank Statements, Fixed Assets, Jobs

Xero App

Bank Feeds

Xero Network

Business Event Layer

Invoices, Transactions

Accountants, Tax Authorities

Multi-perspective General Ledger

Accrual, Cash, Tracking, Currency

Source: Google, 2017

Fig 3.0: MOODLE Application ArchitectureAuthentication Provider (e.g. LDAP)

Student Information System

Moodle

Document Repository

(e. g. Alfresco)

User Identities

ContentEnrolment

GGrades

Data Compilations for

Reporting/Analytics Tool

ePortfolio (e. g. Mahara)

Assessment Saved Assets

Source: Google, 2017

Fig4. 0 Toowoomba International Catering College System Application System ArchitectureXero

Moodle

Website

Student, Teachers & Administration

The Xero application system will have three layers that include the source layer, business event layer and the multi-perspective general ledger. These layers will be responsible for handling the financial transactions that are coming in and going out of Toowoomba International Catering College System. The source layer will be used for processing and storing information on bank statements and the college’s fixed assets whereas the business event layer will be responsible for handling any invoices and transactions that the college carries out. Subsequently, the multi-perspective general ledger will be responsible for handling cash, accruals and currency issues the college receives or is owed. The source layers will receive information through bank feeds coming on the Xero network and will in turn share the information on the Xero network with authorized parties. Information from the multi-perspective general ledger will be important for tax authorities and accountants. The application system will be integrated to the Catering College’s website and will allow users to access the authorized information from the website or send data into the Xero system as seen in fig 4.0.

On the other hand, the Moodle system will comprise of five modules and will be responsible for storing and processing college information required by students, teachers and their administration. The authentication provider module will be responsible for authenticating user identity and after authentication; a user will be allowed access into the Moodle system. The second module will be responsible for storing and processing student information and the users can access them to attain information on grades and send data on enrolment. The third module in the Moodle system will be the ePortfolio module that will be responsible for making compilations of student grades for assessment and saving the college’s informational assets. The fourth module will be responsible for the generation of reports and analyzing data from the users. Lastly, the document repository module will be used for storing vital documents that are required by various stakeholders in the catering college that include students, teachers and administrators. In order to access the Moodle and Xero application software used at Toowoomba International Catering College, users will have to visit the college’s website and log into the system using log in details supplied to each of them by the institution’s system administrator.

Task 2.02: “TO BE” Process for the New Toowoomba International Catering CollegeThe “TO BE” process for the new system will be meant to ensure that students enroll and select courses, process enrolments, manage class lists, pass information to the billing system (Xero), the Learning Management System (Moodle) and producing reports. Further, the section assesses the impact of the new system on previous pre-automation processes and provides a briefing note for organizational change, training team and the anticipated business impact of the system.

Enrolling into Toowoomba International Catering College for First Time

Fig 5.0: UML Activity Diagram

Fill Enrolment Forms

Obtain Help

Incorrect

Correct

Enroll in Toowoomba

Accepted

Book Vacancy

Make Payment

Rejected

According to the Fig 5.0 students that are enrolling at Toowoomba International Catering College for the first time will be provided with forms online enrollment forms from the College’s website and incase they are filled incorrectly help will be offered to them. Students will fill out the forms correctly and then send their application forms to the college. Once these applications are approved, the students will be allowed to make payments and book a place in the next admission to the college. Those whose forms are not approved will be informed of the decision to reject them and will not be allowed to proceed with the enrolment process. The data acquired from the successful applicants will then be passed to the Xero and Moodle systems for billing and learning management.

The introduction of the new system will have an impact on the previous pre-automation processes. For instance, the introduction of the new system will reduce the paper work that the admission department indulged in and reduce their workload. More so, the efficiency of the student enrolment process into the college will be enhanced and students will have the capability of booking a place after making their payments in real-time. Prospective students will not also have to physically present themselves at the college to get enrolment since these services will be offered via the college’s website. These changes will most likely lead to fears of retrenchment among employees as their roles will be carried out by the new system. Thus, to avoid resistance to these changes the administration at Toowoomba International Catering College will have to take various measures.

The administration will have to establish a way for communicating with the workers about the new system during college meetings and ensure they market the business strategies to all stakeholders. The administration will also be required to ensure that employees at the college understand that the new system is intended to make their work easier and will not lead to their retrenchment as they may fear. Further, the administration will have to offer adequate training to its employees on using the new system and engage them in setting deliverables for the departments in the college. Lastly, the several employees in different departments will be selected to help in managing the planning along with the implementation of the new system.

Task 2.03: Screen Designs for Two Stories Identified in Task 1.05 and Business RulesThe section provides two MUST stories created in Task 1.05 and identifies two business rules before justifying the designs produced. The two functions that will be addressed include a student’s access to the web-based enrolment system and a teacher’s access to student details and the courses enrolled.

Customer Name:

Customer Email:

Date of Birth:

Address Number:

High School Attended:

High School Mean Grades:

Course to Enroll:

Cluster Subject Grade:

Total Points Attained:

Fig 6.0: Screen design for student’s access to the web-based enrolment system

EXIT

UPDATE

Business RulesThe students that meet the required entry standards for enrolling at Toowoomba International Catering College will successfully be enrolled.

Only students that have successfully enrolled into Toowoomba International Catering College will be allowed to pay for the course and book a position in the next admission.

Fig 7.0: Screen design for teacher’s access to student details and courses enrolledBusiness RulesReports on the number of students enrolled into a course to be generated to guide management on the appropriate number to admit into the institution.

Teachers to evaluate a student’s suitability to be enrolled in desired course.

Student’s Name:

Course Name:

EXIT

GENERATE REPORT

JustificationThe design for ensuring the student’s access to the web-based enrolment system will capture their names and demographic information to help in their identification and academic qualifications to determine whether they qualify for entry into the college. The academic information that will be attained from students will include their date of birth, high school attended, the mean grade attained, the course they desire, the grades attained for cluster subjects and the total points attained. The information will help the administration in determining whether a student qualifies for enrolment into the college or not. Such information will help the administration in ensuring that highly performing high school students get an opportunity to pursue their dreams.

More so, the design on the teacher’s access to student details will help in ensuring that students admitted into different courses are academically suited to pursue them successfully and their numbers are adequate for classes to commence. Through these initiatives, the college will be able to maintain a highly performing student body and ensure that more customers are attracted to enroll into the institution. By attracting more customers to the institution owing to the high performances students’ exhibit, the college’s reputation and profits will in the long-term grow.

Task 2.04 Acceptance Criteria for the Two StoriesThe section provides information on the acceptance criteria for these two stories and will be based on the business rules that have been developed above. Further, the section explains what would be done to prove these business rules and how they will be tested.

The acceptance criteria for the students will involve meeting the set admission standards for successful enrolment into the institution and payments only being accepted from students that have successfully enrolled. The business rule will be proven by the teachers who will be capable of logging into the system and ascertaining the students details on the basis of the courses applied for. Only students that have qualified for the courses enlisted for will be enrolled into the institution to ensure that quality results are attained by the candidates. Likewise, only students that have met the set entry criteria will be allowed to pay for a place in the next admission. Thus, any students that are found not to have qualified for the courses on offer but are enrolled will be compensated and removed from the roll of candidates to be admitted. The business rules will be proved to be right if they lead to higher results among candidates, improve the college’s reputation and help in attracting more candidates to the institution. These results will in turn lead to increased profitability for the catering college thereby implying that the business rules are true.

Task 2.05 Write a PD for another BA to be recruited to the ProjectThe section provides insight on the personal description for another Business Analyst that will be recruited under the project. It avails information on the work conditions for the employee with regards to their pay package, working time and when they will start.

Personal Description

A Business Analyst (BA) should exhibit core skills that include good communication skills to enable them facilitate meetings at work, the asking of appropriate questions and listening to answers provided. Business analysts that should be recruited to the project should also possess good problem-solving skills to enable them understand the problems arising in a business and come up with the best possible solutions (Jennings-Balthazar, 2010). The BA should also be capable of solving technical challenges in instances where these challenges involve negotiations between technical stakeholders and a business (Carkenord, 2009).

Critical thinking skills are also a requirement for the business analysts because they will help them assist teams in settling for solutions while inquiring or considering the needs of those affected by the business decisions reached. More so, the BA will require specification and documentation skills to enable them maintain efficient records and interpret the required standards on the field (Jennings-Balthazar, 2010). Subsequently, the BA will also require possessing relationship building, self-managing, technical, methodological, domain and industry skills and expertise. Academically, the business analysts should be an undergraduate degree holder or be in possession of a Diploma in a business related discipline with experience of three years in offering consultancy services in business analysis (Carkenord, 2009).

The BA should be aged between 25 and 40 years and will be required to work for the Catering College on a part-time basis. He or she will be called to assist the college administration in handling issues concerning the technical performance of the new systems and the resolution of business challenges that affect the college. The BA will be paid at an hourly basis of $25 whenever called upon to offer their services and will be required to begin offering their services immediately after recruitment. They will be serving as assistants to the existing business analysts in the college and will also report to them.

Task 2.06 Waterfall Method Processes Used and Leading to RFTThe section shows how the waterfall method was used leading to RFT, evaluation of tenders and the selection of a solution. It provides an executive summary explaining the processes undertaken to the client and recommends a preferred supplier.

The use of the Waterfall model required that logical progression be made in developing the software. The stages found in the waterfall model included the system engineering, analysis, design, coding, testing and maintenance stages (Boyde, 2014).

Illustration of the Waterfall ModelSystem Engineering

Analysis

Design

Coding

Testing

Maintenance

The implementation of the waterfall model was a step-by-step process. During the system engineering phase, the system’s requirements were methodically written down and analyzed in specification documents that would serve as the base for any future developments on the system. At this stage, what the different applications were required to do was ascertained and written down (Boyde, 2014). The second stage involved analyzing the system to generate business logic and generate models for the application while the third stage involved determining the technical design requirements for the new system. The issues that were considered during the designing stage included the data layers applicable, the programming languages to be used and the services to be provided by the new system (Unhelkar, 2016). Further, the coding stage involved writing the source code, implementing the models, service integrations and business logic that had been specified in previous stages. The testing stage was initiated after the coding stage for the purpose of discovering and reporting any issues that would arise from the application’s use for resolution and the last stage was the operations and maintenance stage where the system was deployed. The maintenance stage implied that support be availed to the system regularly in ensuring that its functions were effectively being undertaken and it remained up-to-date (Boyde, 2014).

There were several advantages of using the waterfall for developing the new system and included its adaptability to changing teams, its impact on structured organization and its ability for allowing design changes early in its development. Further, the waterfall model was advantageous because it was best suited for developments that were milestone-focused (Unhelkar, 2016). In this regards, the waterfall model had the capability of maintaining the design structures used even as an organization witnessed changes in employee teams. It also enabled organizations to maintain discipline it their designs and structure and allowed for changes in the design to be undertaken earlier in the development process. Lastly, the waterfall model would enable the development teams to ensure that the goals set at the end of every stage of the development process are achieved. However, the waterfall model also had a few disadvantages that included its inability to adapt to design constraints; it ignored client feedback and also delayed the testing period (Boyde, 2014).

Task 2.07 Key Differences Between Agile and Waterfall SDLC, Their Pros & ConsAgile SDLC Pros Cons Waterfall SDLC Pros Cons

Agile development methods require no documentation, less planning and less adherence to specified sets of steps in the development process More flexible than waterfall model Immediate feedback results in scope creeps Sequential software development process Adapts to shifts in the teams Non-adaptive to design constraints

An incremental model that uses rapid cycles Immediate feedback provided through iterations Documentation is left behind Forces organizations to become structured Ignores the feedback received from clients

Brings fewer defects in a final product Daily meetings take a toll Allows for changes early in the design stage Delays the testing period for the new software

Close collaboration and user involvement required in the development cycles It’s appropriate for development that is milestone-focused Requirements evolve and emerge in the development cycles The Agile SDLC can effectively be used whenever new changes require being implemented to a system because it gives developers freedom to do so at little cost (Unhelkar, 2016).

ReferencesBoyde, J. (2014). A Down-To-Earth Guide to SDLC Project Management (2nd Edition): Getting Your System Software Development Life Cycle Project Successfully Across The Line Using PMBOK Adaptively, New York: Joshua Boyde

Carkenord, B. A. (2009). Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis, New York: J. Ross drafting.

Google Images. (2017).The Architecture of Open Source Applications. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aosabook.org%2Fimages%2Fmoodle%2Funiversity.png&imgrefurl

Google Images. (2017). Let’s Get Rational, Xero Blog. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xero.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F%2F2009%2F02%2Fxero-accounting-engine-16-feb-09.png&imgrefurl

Jennings-Balthazar, D. (2010). Business Analysis Quick Start Guide, New York: Lulu.com

Unhelkar, B. (2016). The Art Of Agile Practice: A Composite Approach For Projects And Organizations, London: CRC Press.