What's happening at IT Solutions?
You have been employed as a systems analyst by the software company IT Solutions. This company provides
software solutions to small businesses that do not have their own information technology personnel. It has a
staff of systems analysts, programmers and testers, as well as the necessary support staff.
The company has received a request from John Vandrine, owner of Diamond Video Rentals, a video store in a
large rural town, for a report into the business need or opportunity in computerising some or all of the day to
day business of the video store with the aim of making it more efficient and providing better customer service.
Moreover the recent releases of cheaper DVD TV Recorders and Media Player devices have led the company to
expand from their Melbourne base into the Sydney market, with a new business department in Sydney to
establish a foothold in that market.
Congratulations! You have now been assigned to work on the Diamond Video project.
You will be working with Mary Adams (the Project Manager) who will be providing you with advice to assist
you in meeting the client’s business needs.
Initial meetings have been held with the client and the following is the Initial Project Brief for Diamond Video
Rentals and the minutes of an interview conducted by Mary Adams with John Vandrine.
Initial Project Brief for Diamond Video Rentals
Introduction
Diamond Video Rentals is a small business that has been operating in a large country town for five
years. Its main business is to rent videos to its members. There are approximately 5000 members
and 10,000 videos in stock. In the early years the business grew steadily however, in the last year,
growth in members and rentals has not occurred.
Business Details
The business is owned and managed by John Vandrine. There are six permanent staff and up to six
casual staff.
Of the permanent staff, Deb Papadopoulos and Dawn Schultz are the most experienced and
supervise the running of the store, one on each shift. Danny Jones, Paul Trang, Mae Willis and Terry
De Santo are also permanents and at least two of them are rostered on each shift.
Ted Sloan is responsible for the accounting and purchasing functions of the business and Mary
Johnson handles preparation of the rosters and payroll. The accounting function is currently
computerised, using an accounting software package. All other functions are still performed
manually.
John Vandrine also manages the business. This involves planning and decision making regarding the
business, and resolving problems and issues that arise, such as customer complaints that cannot be
resolved by the staff.
Deb and Dawn work mainly at the counter, handling rentals, bookings and over dues. Danny, Terry,
Paul and Mae spend much of their time shelving videos and any other duties as directed. The casuals
perform both counter work and reshelving tasks.
Problem
The population of the town has grown steadily in the last two years and another video store opened
in the town six months ago, which, whilst not as old or as big as Diamond Video Rentals, has grown
rapidly in the short period.
John Vandrine is concerned that the business has not grown in line with the town’s growth and
patronage seems to be static or even in a slight decline. Also, customer complaints seem to be
Task 1: Develop an organisation chart
Develop an organisation chart for the Diamond Video Rentals Company, presented in a word processor
document (e.g. MS Word). Then identified a stakeholder of the Diamond Video Rentals Company, classified
them into the type of stakeholder as either (a) Staff (b) Client or (c) Supplier
Task 2: Determine client requirements
Create a document confirming the networking requirements given and requesting more information about
the areas which are unclear, including but not limited to:
the number of new users
current networking equipment used
current licenses available for the different software needed
any other information that may be needed to plan the network additions.
Task 3: Develop a context diagram
Develop a context diagram that shows all the elements involved in the current business process, saved in a
word processing document.
Task 4: Develop problem statement
Develop a draft Problem statement, based on a template. Have a look at a sample problem statement on the
web.
Go to the website for The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing
https://mit.imoat.net/handbook/home.htm, select Table of Contents, and then 1.3 Problem Statement
Task 5: Develop recommendation
Create a memo recommending a reference for documentation and records management that would be
appropriate for the business, including title, price and main topics covered, as well as identifying the specific
ISO standard that is being used. Standards Australia website (www.standards.org.au) Search for appropriate
standards that may be relevant to this task.
Task 6: Information Gathering Planning
Document an evaluation of two information gathering techniques that would be suitable for use at Diamond
Video Rentals, including your reasons, and a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Task 7: Information Gathering Technique
Write a list of questions for a one-to-one interview with John Vandrine, also identifying the objectives of the
interview.
Task 8: Hardware Evaluation
Develop a hardware evaluation sheet (use the template provided) detailing products from the different
vendors (suppliers) that are identified for the above equipment. Identify the networking equipment (not
Task 9: Evaluate Methodology
Research and evaluate a range of traditional and non-traditional methodologies that could be applied to
develop the new computerised system for the company and document them. Also using the evaluation and
the requirements, select the most appropriate methodology for this specific project and give your reasons.
Task 10: Infrastructure Implementation Plan
Develop a network installation plan for the new North Sydney office, in which you:
a) Develop a network installation plan for the new North Sydney office, in which you:
Identify the components required to meet the technical requirements of the user’s network.
Prioritise the tasks involved and contingency plans to achieve minimum business disruption or delay
with the installation.
Identify the appropriate people and obtain approval for plans including security clearance and
schedule.
b) Create a low level (0) data flow diagram of Diamond Video Rentals including all of the main functions of
the system.
c) Create a data dictionary recording all of the data elements that you have identified in the system