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Criterion D: Evaluating

CRITERION D: EVALUATING

Self-Evaluation

I started the project with my interview of the owner and CEO of HyperSweet Labs Manufacturing Company where he detailed his requirements and needs. HyperSweet Labs was initially maintaining their records on paper and then shifted to Microsoft Word. The CEO said that he had go through different documents to find the required information and it was becoming more difficult and time-consuming as his operations were becoming bigger and wider. The primary research helped me to understand what capabilities the software must have – the CEO wanted me to design a database that would make it possible for him to search through the records of his employees and machines at each of his factory location.

Next, I started my secondary research on existing databases and compared them to the requirements of HyperSweet Labs. My secondary research helped me to compare the possible programs that I could use and finally narrowed down on Microsoft Access as the most appropriate software for my project. I then visited Microsoft’s website to learn all the various features of Microsoft Access and how to use them, such as creating validation rules, input masks, table forms, and even how to make a login form. I sketched out the designs of each of the individual forms within my software for the employees, machinery and factories.

My next step was to draw up a timeline of my project. A Gantt chart was created to plan out when each stage of my project will be completed. Although I tried to work according to my initial schedule, but during the course of the project, I was constantly carrying out my secondary research and adding new features to my program. Some of the deadlines could not be adhered to, but I am happy that I could complete the software on time and hand over the completed program to HyperSweet Labs.

Mr. El-Amin has been using the software for a week now, so I will interview Mr. El-Amin to gather his opinion about my software. I will also find out the strengths and weaknesses of my product and consider what further developments I could introduce into my software.

In my personal opinion, I already knew computer programming and so I enjoyed the “creation” stage the most, especially creating the login form as it requires the use of Visual Basic for Applications. I am confident that Mr. El-Amin would also be happy because my final product has been able to meet his specifications within the scheduled time and it should solve all the problems of managing his employees and machines at three different factory locations.

Expert appraisal – Interview with the CEO

Interview with Mr. Afzal El-Amin,

Owner and CEO, HyperSweet Labs Manufacturing Company

Me: Hi again, Mr. El-Amin, I am Subhadeep. I came to get your opinion on the database application for the factory workers. So, how do you find the application?

Mr. El-Amin: Yes, of course, Subhadeep. I must extend my sincere thanks to you for solving all my problems at one go. Your software is very helpful and has satisfied all my needs.

Me: Did you find the software easy to use?

It is also very user-friendly because the user interface and buttons are very intuitive. Although you had promised to provide me free training for using the software if I faced any problems, but the fact that I did not need to call you at all proves how easy it was for me to navigate the buttons.

Me: What parts of the application did you find the most useful?

Mr. El-Amin: I found it very useful that a table or report can be displayed for the employees or machinery with just one click. You also added the option of exporting the data which was also very useful for me.

Me: In the first interview, you had mentioned that you wanted to get information about your employees and machinery quicker. Has the application been able to do this successfully?

Mr. El-Amin: Yes, of course! It is much easier navigating and viewing information about everyone in the factories. I can also run a query about any employee or any machine or any factory and generate the required report. It is definitely much better than using word documents that I had been using all these years.

Me: Is there any way the software can be improved?

Mr. El-Amin: I am not sure if it is possible – but adding few extra buttons on the employee, machinery, and factory forms might allow me to open other applications. I am aware that the option of exporting the data does open up other applications. But, I was wondering if I could also open the calculator or chrome while I am inside the software. And, you could choose a better color scheme since I feel that the red and black does not suit the software for a candy making company.

I must emphasize that these are minor modifications that I am looking for, as add-ons. I am completely satisfied by the result of this searchable database and I am really thankful to you for addressing all my problems.

Evaluating against the design specification

When testing the program I compared the outcome with what was mentioned in the design specification. The following check list was followed during the project in order to fulfill all the objectives and requirements of my software.

Login screen with username and password	ü
Make data precise and consistent with validation rules and input masks	ü
Forms for displaying each individual record neatly	ü
Queries and reports for employees and machinery	ü
Table forms for employees and machinery	ü
Option of exporting data for employees and machinery	ü
View of all the factories	ü
Reports on all employees in a certain factory	ü
Reports on all machinery in a certain factory	ü
Export data of employees in a certain factory	ü
Export data of machinery in a certain factory	ü

Strengths

Weaknesses

·       Contains a login screen where the user must enter a username and password. ·       Has employees and machinery forms to navigate between the records. ·       Allows user to search for a specific record. ·       Has table forms to display the records for employees and machinery as a table. ·       Gives the option of exporting data for employees or machinery to several other programs. ·       Displays each of the factories, and gives options to export data for employees or machinery only in that specific factory. ·       Shows reports for all employees and machinery, or employees and machinery in a certain factory.

·       Does not include buttons to open other applications such as a calculator or web browser without exporting the data. ·       Does not contain reports for employees or machinery in each factory section. ·       Does not contain forms to show records for all queries.

Areas for improvement:

            I should have added more reports and queries on the employees and machinery in each factory section, as well as extra table forms to display them. The existing forms should have buttons that lead to the query tables instead of only the forms. Forms and reports to view records from a specific query could have been added, as well as special queries which allow the user to enter the value of a certain field in a query. Finally, I should’ve used a better color scheme that suits a candy making company.

Criterion B: Developing Ideas

CRITERION B: DEVELOPING IDEAS

Design Specification

            A design specification is an essential part of a project, especially when the product has to be made to meet some unique requirements or provide solutions to some specific problems. My design specification needs to specify how my software will address the requirements of the HyperSweet Labs. Specifically, the company requires a software application that will help them search through their database of workers and machines and help them locate each of them along with their details in the manufacturing process.

            My database will have two tables to store details about workers and about robotic machines, which would be connected using linked data relating to their location in the factories. The software will have features that will enable the Human Resources manager to add, delete, edit, save the inputs and outputs generated. The outputs can be generated using the queries and reports features. The software will be easily searchable, user-friendly, menu-driven, and should be able to address all the issues being currently faced by HyperSweet Labs.

Feature	Description
Tables	Stores the data.
Linked Fields	Shows the computer that fields in separate tables are actually the same field.
Key Fields	Gives each record a unique field from which they can be located easily.
Validation Rules	Stops invalid or incorrect information from being entered.
Validation Texts	Gives an error message when validation rule isn’t followed
Input Masks	Turns all entered data in a certain field into a similar format regardless of the actual input.
Forms	Displays the information in a more organized way.
Buttons	Allows users to do commands with one click.
Navigation Buttons	Allows user to control which records they can see.
Combo Boxes	Allows user to choose from options to assign value to a certain field.
Queries	Finds certain records which the user has entered
Reports	Creates an organized, printable version of a query.
Utilities	Opens other applications such as Excel or Calculator.
Login Screen	Forces user to enter a username and password before gaining access to the database.

Table for the Employees

Field Name	Data Type	Field Size	Example
Employee Number	Number	Integer	9405
First Name	Short Text	25	Addison
Last Name	Short Text	25	Brun
Email Address	Short Text	70	addison.brun@hyp ersweetlabs.ae
Nationality	Short Text	40	Bulgaria
Gender	Short Text	1	M
Age	Number	Integer	24
Date of Birth	Date/Time	Short Date	22/12/1991
Years of Experience	Number	Integer	4
Factory	Number	Integer	1
Section	Short Text	1	A
Occupation	Short Text	40	Import/Export
Job Description	Short Text	-	Driving the trucks to import ingredients and exports products.
Salary/Month	Currency	-	1400 AED

Field Name	Validation Rule	Validation Text	Input Mask
Employee Number	Is Not Null & >=0	Please enter a valid employee number.	9990
First Name	Is Not Null	First Name is a required field.	>L<????????????????????????
Last Name	Is Not Null	Last Name is a required field.	>L<????????????????????????
Email	Like “[A-Z]*@hyper sweetlabs.ae	Please enter a valid email address. **Must be @hypersweetlabs.ae	-
Gender	=”M” Or “F”	Enter either M or F.	>L
Section	=”A” Or “B” Or “C” Or “D” Or “E”	Enter a valid factory section.	>L
Occupation	-	-	>L<???????????????????????????????????????

Table for the Machinery

Field Name	Data Type	Field Size	Example
Model Number	Number	Integer	9688713
Model	Short Text	30	FH 380
Manufacturer	Short Text	30	Volvo
Cost	Currency	-	75,000 AED
Purchase Date	Date/Time	Short Date	27/6/2011
Warranty	Date/Time	Short Date	12/7/2019
In Use	Yes/No	-	Yes
Factory	Number	Integer	1
Section	Short Text	1	A
Job Performed	Short Text	40	Transportation
Job Description	Short Text	-	Delivery of goods.

Field Name	Validation Rule	Validation Text	Input Mask
Model Number	Is Not Null & >=0	Enter a valid	99999990
Manufacturer	-	-	>L<?????????????????????????????
Section	-	-	>L
Job Performed	-	-	>L<???????????????????????????????????????

Validation Rules
Operator	Function	Example
NOT	Tests for converse values.	NOT > 10
IN	Tests for values equal to existing members in a list.	IN (“Tokyo”, “Paris”, “Moscow”)
BETWEEN	Tests for a range of values.	BETWEEN 100 AND 1000
LIKE	Matches pattern strings in Text and Memo fields.	LIKE “Geo*”
IS NOT NULL	Forces users to enter value in the field.	IS NOT NULL
AND	The data must fall within limits that you specify.	> = #01/01/2007# AND < = #03/06/2008#
OR	One or more pieces of data can be true.	January OR February
<	Less than	<10
<=	Less than or equal to	<=10
>	Greater than	>10
>=	Greater than or equal to	>=10
=	Equal to	=10
<>	Not equal to	<>0

Input Masks
Character	Explanation
0	User must enter a digit (0 - 9).
9	User can enter a digit (0 - 9).
#	User can enter a digit, space, plus, or minus sign.
L	User must enter a letter.
?	User can enter a letter.
A	User must enter a letter or a digit.
a	User can enter a letter or a digit.
&	User must enter a character or space.
C	User can enter a character or space.
.,:;-/	Decimals and thousands place holders, date and time separators.
>	Converts all following characters to uppercase.
<	Converts all following characters to lowercase.
!	Causes the input mask to fill from left to right.
\	Characters immediately following will be displayed literally.
“"	Characters enclosed in double quotation marks will be displayed literally.

Gantt Chart

Main Menu 

Employees Form

Machinery Form

Factories Form