The End of Semester Document | |
RWL |
Fall Semester 2000
11/16/2000 Document Author: Project Sponsors: |
Project Team:
Brett Keenan (Manager)
Project Advisor: |
Prior to our database creation, requirements for the overall system were created in an effort to help next semester’s team to better understand the functionality of the system quickly. A testing environment has also been created which allows the group here in Atlanta to collaborate with our Lockheed clients. This on-line environment has helped our group better understand the system requirements as well as the use cases we created. Both our group and our clients in New Jersey have the ability to post ideas and run SQL statements on our database through this on-line tool. Future classes will be able to gain confidence in our database design with the documentation at rootnode. This documentation identifies system actors and requirements while providing a framework to design and test the database. The documentation system remembers all work. It records a history log to capture our thought process as design and requirements change with understanding. By allowing future groups to see our thought progress they will be less likely to repeat our mistakes and trust our design. Five UML diagrams were created to serve as visual aid for understanding the documentation on rootnode. The UML diagrams represent the database, actors, usecases and how they all relate. These Diagrams are in PDF format and can be accessed from the news room on rootnode.
Once we created a reasonable design that satisfied Lockheed, our group began work on a simple user interface that will be used to demonstrate the functionality of our back-end. Sample screenshots have been made for the major screens of the application, which can be used by next semester’s group. Though our short-term plan changed drastically because it was decided that the back end that last semester’s group created was inadequate, we managed to fulfill all the goals we set for ourselves this semester. We have created a fully functional back end data base written in SQL Server for Project Notebook, we have created the SQL code which will query the data base and will be used by next semester’s group in their UI, and we have created a simple user interface which will be used in a demonstration to our client. In addition, we have created and made available on our web page extensive requirements documentation and electronic mail messages we have used to express our ideas throughout the semester.
Our team this semester will be leaving behind multiple significant documents that can be used by next semester’s team to understand the client’s problem and get started with the user interface design quickly. The programming environment is completely set up with the applications needed on the server laptop; therefore next semester’s group can begin development within the first few weeks. All of our code for both the database and the user interface is located on the server laptop because we have problems with the client laptop.
Links:
· Short-Term
Project Plan
· Long-Term
Project Plan
· Updated
Status
· Use
Cases
· Design
Document
· Requirements
Document
· Design
and testing use cases
· DB/DB
UI Documentation
· Email
Records
· Peer
Review
· Test
Document
· Final
Presentation
We also ran into problems looking for necessary software licenses that
we needed in order to do development. Our clients wanted us to use
SQL Server to create our database, however licenses for this product are
expensive. We were able to obtain all the necessary software and
were doing development by the seventh week of the semester. Our team
has obtained all the software which will be needed to develop Lockheed’s
device monitoring system, therefore future groups working on this project
will simply need the server and client laptops which have been provided
for development.
We had hardware problems with one of the laptops Lockheed provided
us as well. The client laptop was unable to connect to the LAN we
were using. This problem was solved after we changed operating systems
to Windows 98 as opposed to Windows NT, and should not happen again.
Meeting with our clients has been difficult as well this semester. Because our clients are located in Moorestown, New Jersey, we are only able to meet with them via conference calls, though Scott Hoyle, our main client, has met with us in person several times. Further, our clients typically work until around 5:00 pm each day, and leave their office, while the best time for our team to meet is usually at night after classes. We handled this problem by having a scheduled meeting time of 11:00 am every Friday, which was our regularly scheduled Real World Lab class time. We did not meet with our client every week, but they were available at that time for collaboration if we had questions. Future teams working on Lockheed’s project should plan to have a tentative meeting time with the client each week during the regular workday to keep communication open with them.
Finally, at times, communication within our group was difficult due to everyone’s busy schedules. There were several instances of weekly goals not being met simply because people were busy with other classes or work. This did not cause major setbacks because other group members helped to complete these unaccomplished tasks. To avoid this potentially costly problem in the future, teams are encouraged to communicate problems within the group, and if a task is more difficult than first expected, group members should tell their manager as soon as possible. Team members are encouraged to look at their schedules and recognize weeks when they will be particularly busy with coursework from other classes as well, and let their manager know that during those weeks, they will be unable to help with the project as much as others.
Weeks Activities 1-4 Understanding of the project
Meeting of Lockheed Martin clients
Setup of laptops with any necessary graphic design software
Familiarize with existing documents and code
Learn JSP, JAVA, SQL Server3 Test UI and entire system 4-7 Revise and add to the existing requirements document in more detail
User interface addition design with screenshots7 User interface diagram with flow charts 8-14 Implementation of the additions to the user interface 14 Create a help document 15-16 End of semester documentation and presentation There are several risks which next semester’s team is encouraged to address. First, the team may not be proficient in JSP or Java. The programmers in the team are encouraged to learn Java and JSP as soon as possible, perhaps asking the client to provide books on the two. The team may take longer than expected to familiarize themselves with the problem. To avoid this risk, next semester’s team is encouraged to schedule a meeting with this semester’s group to have any questions answered in the first few weeks. If new software is installed on the server machine, there is a possibility of the machine crashing. It is recommended that all code and the database be backed up on disk somewhere.