|
CS 414 Team 9 |
|
Chuck Maupin Chris Unton Jim Munafo |
Feasibility Report
Career
Fair
Company Registration Database
Feasibility Report
Career Fair Company Registration Database
The purpose of this report is to recommend the best solution for the development of an online Career Fair company registration database, with a web-based user interface.
Currently, companies fill out two separate online forms, and the information in these forms is emailed to the associate director of Career Services, Jan Ford. The associate director must manually sort through all of this information to include it in a Career Fair company information booklet to be used by students. This process is very time consuming and very inefficient.
The information gathered by the two current forms is valid, with the exception of adding a query for how many representatives will attend. The Career Services department also has plenty of space available on Rose Hulman’s web server. The project team has access to an Oracle database management system for development. Therefore, the main focus of this project is to input information to, and output information from the Oracle database via the web. The capability to run CGI scripts on Rose Hulman’s web server is also available.
Therefore, the recommendation is to combine the two web-based forms into one, easy to use interface. Submitting this form will create an entry in a database, rather than sending an email. The system will also reply with a confirmation email to the registering company including a login name and password. Thus, the company will have a way to view and modify their current information. Students will be able to search the database by major or company name as well. Finally, it will be possible to generate an alphabetical listing of all registered companies. This listing can be easily converted into the Career Fair handout booklet.
All of the development software that is needed is available to the project team. When in production, it may be desirable to relocate the database onto a server that is exclusively used by Career Services. This is outside the scope of our project.
2.1.2 Time
The main cost of this project will be the significant time contribution from all three members of the project team. None of the members is sufficiently experienced with the development tools at this time. Therefore, time must be allotted for learning the tools and their capabilities. At this early stage, it is difficult to come up with a precise estimate of the total number of man-hours required to complete the project. However, the plan is to have a complete and functional system by the end of May. Please refer to the table below for a layout of the current schedule.
|
Phase |
Estimated
Time for Completion |
Man-Hours
of Work |
|
Brainstorming / Feasibility Proposal |
2 weeks |
8 |
|
Analysis / Learn Tools |
2 weeks |
25 |
|
Design |
5 weeks |
100 |
|
Prototype and implementation |
5 weeks |
100 |
|
Debugging, testing, and completion |
2 weeks |
10 |
2.1.3 Maintenance
After the project is finished, there should be minimal need for maintenance. Whenever Career Services would like to modify the information that is collected, a small amount of time will be required to update the interface and database. Also, whenever the Career Services’ website receives a makeover, the registration pages will need to be updated to maintain a consistent look and feel.
2.1.4 Return
Once this system is in place, Career Services will no longer need to manually aggregate and organize information to be included in the Career Fair booklet. Students will be able to peruse company contact information online. The main advantages of the new system are increased efficiency and accuracy, as there is less human intervention.
Although outside the scope of this project, an important consideration is where the software will finally reside. The project team will be flexible in using the available tools and hardware, and will push for the most secure, cost effective solution.
In review, a solution was established for the career fair registration problem. A rough schedule for the creation of the solution has been outlined. The benefits of the proposed solution have also been brought to the surface.
It is recommended that the project team forge ahead with the proposed solution. It is also recommended that there be additional dialogue between the project team and the associate director of Career Services to ensure that the project remains on track.
Project
Team
Chris Unton (812) 232-2871 chris.unton@rose-hulman.edu
Chuck Maupin (812) 877-8501 charles.maupin@rose-hulman.edu
James Munafo (812) 237-0280 james.munafo@rose-hulman.edu
Career
Services
Jan Ford (812) 877-8338 janice.h.ford@rose-hulman.edu