Answer

1. 1. Use appropriate investigation and analytical techniques to elicit information requirements and model those requirements in terms of the processes and data involved.

    

   2. Appreciate the need for a professional approach to systems development and the importance of agreeing requirements with the user community.

    

   DETAILS OF THE ASSESSMENT

   Howie’s Performance Car Hire (HPCH)

   HPCH is a small but growing business specialising in the loan of a small collection of prestige sports cars e.g. Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin etc. The business currently has 4 staff, Howard the owner of the business, Susan who manages the accounts and general administration and James who manages enquiries and bookings. There is also a technician and delivery driver Mark, who checks the cars before they go out on loan and also when they are returned to check for problems damage etc.

   Clients join up as club members by completing a membership form and paying an annual fee they receive a membership card if successful. The membership form is placed in the membership file which is also used to maintain other relevant member information e.g. annual fees paid.  Membership entitles members to loan the cars for at least a day though, more typically for a weekend. Some members are classed as business members as they loan cars regularly in order to transport their clients to and from various destinations e.g. business meetings, airport etc. For each booking members pay a loan fee to cover costs and insurance. The cars are normally collected by the members from the office in Leeds city centre or alternatively delivered by Mark to the member’s address on a low loader or driven there depending on distance from the office. 

   Currently bookings are made by the members by telephone. The bookings log (a PC spreadsheet) is checked by James to see if the requested car is available for the dates requested. If it is a booking form is completed by James and a copy goes to Susan who checks the membership file for eligibility to loan the car. If the member is not eligible due to owing fees etc. then the member will be informed by telephone that their request has been declined and their booking cancelled. If the booking is accepted then the bookings log which lists every car loan including member no, hire date, return date and rental fee is updated. The accepted booking form is filed in a folder in the office.

   Susan checks the bookings log daily and produces a loan form for each car that is to be loaned out the following day. She also produces a daily schedule showing the cars that need to be collected or delivered that day this is passed to Mark so he can arrange for the delivery or collection.

   When a member takes delivery of a car they are asked to sign the 2 part loan form. One part is given to the member as a receipt and the other copy part is returned to the office where it is filed.

   When a car is returned the car is inspected by Mark and any damage is noted on the office copy of the loan form. If the car has been damaged then he makes a phone booking with a suitable car dealer for the repair. The bookings log will be amended if the car won’t be available for a booking and the relevant member(s) informed.

   At present all the information is held on paper in ring binders or stored on the office PC’s using Office applications. The business is growing steadily and Howard feels that the time is right to automate the system where possible and in particular would like to use the internet for bookings etc.

   You have been called in to analyse the current system and specify a new automated system. In order to identify any further system requirements you should form a team of 4 or 5 with others from your group. The team will be expected to meet briefly with your module tutor who will act as the company owner in order for you to ask suitable questions and identify any further new system requirements. These requirements should be modelled on the logical DFD of the proposed new system as requested below. This interview meeting will take place during your normal session in week 8.

   You are required to submit the following deliverables

   Based on the case study above and the interview with the business owner produce the following using the QSEE CASE tool for your diagrams. Your work should be uploaded as a single MS Word document:

   Part A: Current System

   1. A Physical Level 1 DFD of the existing system.
   2. A UML Use Case Diagram comprising of all first level base use-cases for all of the actors identified in 1 above.                                                                                                            

   Part B: Required System

   1. A Logical Level 1 DFD of the proposed new system (including any new requirements following the interview in week 8).                                                                                                
   2. A requirements catalogue for the new system.
   3. A List of entities and their attributes needed for the new system.