systems development & procurement
TRANSCRIPT
Coventry University / IAA Collaboration
MBA Logistic Management & I.T
2014/15
Partners in Development
COURSE : MBA - ITM
MODULE TITLE : Systems Development & Procurement
MODULE CODE : ARUM39EKEM
MODULE FACILITATORS : Mr. Bakari Ally, Mr Allan Msolla
ASSIGNMENT : Group Assignment.
DUE DATE : 13th January 2015
Group Members
Julius Noble Ssekazinga : MBA-IT/0218/T.2014
Ndeoya Noel Mungure : MBA-IT/0215/T.2014
Kisiri John : MBA-IT/0264/T.2014
Table of Contents
Insight into the company....................................................................................................................2
General background of the company...........................................................................................2
Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
ATC vision:...................................................................................................................................2
ATC mission statement..............................................................................................................2
Development objectives.............................................................................................................2
ATC Strategic Policy on ICT......................................................................................................3
Competitors.....................................................................................................................................3
Customers........................................................................................................................................3
Market position................................................................................................................................3
Current scenario of the problem.......................................................................................................4
The Current System Analysis........................................................................................................4
Figure 1: current process flow...................................................................................................6
Problem in the Current Existing System......................................................................................8
Proposed system requirement / functional specification...............................................................9
System requirements or characteristics.....................................................................................10
Ratings...........................................................................................................................................11
Entity Relationship Diagram of Library Management System....................................................15
Function Requirement..................................................................................................................16
Other Requirements.....................................................................................................................17
Other Non-functional Requirements...........................................................................................19
Proposed solution for the problem..................................................................................................24
Characteristics...............................................................................................................................26
Benefits..........................................................................................................................................27
Challenges.....................................................................................................................................28
Offshore Process model..............................................................................................................30
Recommendation..............................................................................................................................32
Development plan.............................................................................................................................34
References........................................................................................................................................35
Insight into the company
General background of the company
Introduction
Arusha Technical College (ATC) is the autonomous government institution located in
the northern zone of Tanzania at Arusha region. This college were established for
the purpose of provision of technical education. The main objective of this college
apart from providing education is to enhance young Tanzanian to attain employment
opportunity in the technological sector. According to College Prospectus, ATC is a
technical education and training institution under the Ministry of Education and
Vocational Training (MoEVT) registered and fully accredited by the National Council
for Technical Education (NACTE) to train technicians and engineers; It was
established in March 2007 through the Arusha Technical College Establishment
Order No.78 under the NACTE Act No.9 of 1997.
ATC vision:
The vision of ATC is to become a centre of excellence that provides a national and
international high level human resource through exemplary competence based
technical education and training.
ATC mission statement
The mission of ATC is to provide high quality career-focused, skills-based Technical
Education and Training to enhance the role of individuals as productive and
responsible members of the society.
Development objectives
The ultimate objective of ATC is to contribute towards making Tanzania grow into a
middle income level state with an economy that is knowledge and technology driven.
The overriding development objective represents the highest level of results
envisioned by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in its MTSP and
particularly the HEDP.
ATC Strategic Policy on ICT
The college strategic plan clearly envisaged the need for ICT driven programmes by
stipulating that the main objective by 2016 is to strengthen ICT facilities for education
and training. It further set the target as to have: one ICT Centre to accommodate
ICT programmes (current and new programmes) and computer labs constructed by
June 2016, E-library introduced by June 2016, online programmes introduced by
2016 and New ICT facilities to replace defective ones purchased by June 2016. This
policy will be achieved upon success of Ufundi building project.
Competitors
According to College Prospectus, ATC is a technical education and training
institution under the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT)
registered and fully accredited by the National Council for Technical Education
(NACTE) to train technicians and engineers.
The ATC competitors are said to be all universities and colleges/Institution that offer
the same courses/services as ATC, some of these competitors are Mbeya Institute
of Technology and Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology.
Customers
Since the ATC is the academic institution the customers are said to be all citizens
and foreigners who are in-need of ATC services.
Market position
According to ATC Rector Dr. Richard Masika, ATC is in the 32nd position among the
best 51 among universities/colleges in Tanzania and in the 20442 position as per
world rank.
Most universities have however worked extremely harder to make the list of top 51
best universities in Tanzania while some others have skimmed off the list because
they couldn’t increase their pace of improvements on certain things forming criteria
for ranking. Note that in ranking these universities four major factors which include
their Presence, rate of Impact, Openness and Academic excellence are considered.
Based on the world ranking web of universities, below are the 51 best universities in
Tanzania and also their world ranking. In addition to that, if you scroll down further
you would see which Tanzanian universities that made the top best universities in
Africa.
Current scenario of the problem
The Current System Analysis
ATCs’ library system is operated manually by group of people as the manual library
system is explained by Ross, Brooks (1992) where many people are involved in the
process of managing the library in such a way that to keep records regarding the
books & students (borrowers), check the books manually, keep records on issued
books, all these things are carried out manually the library has a large content and
handling it is also a problem. On the other hand ATC keeps a lot of maintenance
workers which costs a lot & it is not efficient for a library. Manual record keeping is
also not a reliable method as people tend to forget things. On the borrower’s point of
view, in manual system borrower can’t find a book exactly at once as they are not
ordered well. Sometimes user might be searching for a book that is not available in
the library in such situations people get annoyed or depressed. Therefore there
should be a reliable way to manage the library system.
Any data related to the member and its transactions the library management’s deals
with the storage and manipulation of all those data. This data record system is
manual and the work is done as follows:-
A member issuing a book then all its details about its identification and books
details is mentioned in a register manually.
Member /borrower have to search his its own in the very big library and then
borrow it further
Members are given a library card in which librarian used to write the details of
the book issued to the member.
Library card helps them to keep in track about the book issued and dead line
follower.
Member are not able to issue /return the book until and unless he /she has
that library card
This card acts as a identity in the library
Figure 1: current process flow
Students Librarian
Step1:
A student enters and request for book in
the library.
Step2:
Librarian initially checks the presence of
book or not.
Step3:
Librarian asks for library card of the
students.
Step4:
Students show his/her library card and in
case for new students he asks for
membership.
Step5:
The librarian verifies the library card and
for new students s/he records the
personal information & provide new
library card.
Step6:
The librarian check the previous
withdraw or clearance if earlier withdraw
is not cleared & the deadline was over
then s/he ask for the renewal and charge
some penalty.
Step7:
Students pay the penalty & renew the
book.
Step8:
Again the librarian records the student’s
information along with the book details &
the deadline for the book to return.
Step9:
Lastly the students ask library card back.
Step10:
Finally the librarian return the library card
& issue the book to the.
Problem in the Current Existing System
Lack of security for the reading and borrowed books.
Too much paper in the room of a large sum of money to take wastage. If you
purchased a computer system to and from all of the paper used for our other
purposes will make it even more free space.
Slow Retrieval of data - information stored in different locations, and the data
is returned as long as it takes.
If you are unable to find a book of your choice in a manual library system,
trying to find a particular book in a lot of time and effort is spent.
Manual systems to operate slowly. Instead of issuing and place, to take the
books back to using a computer and a card index update will be a slow and
laborious
Staff with manual systems, mechanical, clerical tasks rather than liaising
library visitors spent most of their time.
Libraries manual library system, it is difficult to find new services to offer a
wider range. For example, a library readers to access remotely, it can be
placed on the list on its website; manual system, members visit the library to
find information or to have a telephone.
No more than one person can access the information at the same time, but at
the same time through a computerized information system in the network can
access the same data.
Time-consuming in
It requires a lot of data to place the results.
Of computer software, such as the check is repeated, such as the possibility
of data duplication · Microsoft Access.
Often lost in books, librarian, this does not need to know.
Workers, members and books transaction records for the correct number.
If manual record book data will be lost completely.
Lots of manual labor required to keep a record.
You cannot keep track of how many times in the register of workers unite to
form a copy.
The handwriting and a few human errors, for example, can be caused by an
incorrect telephone number databases are not always reliable.
Proposed system requirement / functional specification
According to Bordoni & Colagrossi (2000), the Online Library Management System
provides online real time information about the books available in the Library and the
user information. The Product functions are more or less the same as described in
the product perspective. The functions of the system include the system providing
different type of services based on the type of users [Member/Librarian].
Library Management System is basically updating the manual library system of ATC
into an internet-based application so that the users can know the details of their
accounts, availability of books and maximum limit for borrowing.
The project is specifically designed for the use of librarians and library users mainly
ATC students. The product will work as a complete user interface for library
management process and library usage from ordinary users. Library Management
System can be used by any existing or new library to manage its books and book
borrowing, insertion and monitoring. It is useful at ATC ever since it is an educational
institute where modifications in the content can be done easily according to
requirements.
The project can be easily implemented under various situations. We can add new
features as and when we require, making reusability possible as there is flexibility in
all the modules.
The language used for developing the project is Java as it is quite advantageous
than other languages in terms of performance, tools available, cross platform
compatibility, libraries, cost (freely available), and development process.
System requirements or characteristics
The characteristics that are available to the Librarian are:-
A librarian can issue a book to the member. (5 star)
Can view the different categories of books available in the Library (4 star)
Can view the List of books available in each category (5 star)
Can take the book returned from students (3 star)
Add books and their information to the database (5 star)
Edit the information of existing books
Can check the report of the existing books (4 star)
Can check the report of the issued books (5 star)
Can access all the accounts of the students (5 star)
Can manage permissions and security of the system (5 star)
The characteristics that are available to the Members are:-
Can view the different categories of books available in the Library (5 star)
Can view the List of books available in each category (5 star)
Can own an account in the library. (3 star)
Can view the books issued to him (4 star)
Can put a request for a new book (5 star)
Can view the history of books issued to him previously (5 star)
Can search for a particular book (5 star)
Ratings
According to (Bilal, 2014) the rating are based on the urgency, importance and
required for the system to operate and deliver as expected to solve the current
problem. 5 star goes for the most prioritized and important requirements of the
system. For example the issue of security and permission is important because the
system needs to limit access and manage audit of the issue and returns of the books
as again (Bilal, 2014)
This is a broad level diagram of the project showing actors and corresponding
activties a basic overview which was achieved with help of (Bilal, 2014) literature.
The users can be either staff or student. This System will provide a search
functionality to facilitate the search of resources. This search will be based on
various categories viz. book name or the ISBN. Further the library staff personnel
can add/update the resources and the resource users from the system. The users of
the system can request issue/renew/return of books for which they would have to
follow certain criteria.
According to Mitchell, (2003) elaborates the similar system requirements as the
proposed system offers and they listed below.
Functionality
Student
Staff
search_book
verify_member
check_limit
check_availability
calculate_fine
User
*
1
View_logs
*
1issue_book
1..*1
<<include>>
return_book
0..*
1
renew_book
<<include>>0..*
1
<<include>>
<<extend>>
searches
requests
request_renew
give_book
add_book
Librarian
1..*
1
monitors_request
1..*
1
take_book1..*
1monitors_renew
*
1
update_record
*
1
adds_new_book
perform_transaction_updation
1
*
11..*
performs
1
0..*
1
0..*
1
*
1
*
1
*
1
1..*
1
1..*
1
1..*
Logon Capabilities
The system shall provide the users with logon capabilities.
Mobile Devices
The Online Library System is also supported on mobile devices such as cell
phones.
Alerts
The system can alert the Librarian or the administrator in case of any
problems.
Usability
The system shall allow the users to access the system from the Internet
using HTML or it’s derivative technologies. The system uses a web
browser as an interface.
Since all users are familiar with the general usage of browsers, no specific
training is required.
The system is user friendly and self-explanatory.
Reliability
Mitchell, (2003) adds that the system has to be very reliable due to the importance of
data and the damages incorrect or incomplete data can do.
Availability
The system is available 100% for the user and is used 24 hrs a day and 365
days a year. The system shall be operational 24 hours a day and 7 days a
week.
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
The system will be developed in such a way that it may fail once in a year.
Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
Even if the system fails, the system will be recovered back up within an hour
or less.
Accuracy
The accuracy of the system is limited by the accuracy of the speed at which
the employees of the library and users of the library use the system.
Access Reliability
The system shall provide 100% access reliability.
Performance
Response Time
The Splash Page or Information page should be able to be downloaded within
a minute using a 56K modem. The information is refreshed every two
minutes. The access time for a mobile device should be less than a minute.
The system shall respond to the member in not less than two seconds from
the time of the request submittal. The system shall be allowed to take more
time when doing large processing jobs.
Administrator/Librarian Response
The system shall take as less time as possible to provide service to the
administrator or the librarian.
Throughput
The number of transactions is directly dependent on the number of users, the
users may be the Librarian, employees of the Library and also the people who
use the Library for checking-out books, returning books and checking online
library account.
Capacity
The system is capable of handling 250 users at a time.
Resource Utilization
The resources are modified according the user requirements and also
according to the books requested by the users.
Supportability
The system designers shall take in to considerations the following
supportability and technical limitations.
Internet Protocols
The system shall be comply with the TCP/IP protocol standards and shall be
designed accordingly.
Information Security Requirement
The system shall support the UHCL information security requirements and
use the same standard as the UHCL information security requirements.
Billing System Data Compatibility
The member balance amount that will be calculated and sent to the billing
system shall be compatible with the data types and design constraints of the
billing system.
Maintenance
The maintenance of the system shall be done as per the maintenance
contract.
Standards
The coding standards and naming conventions will be as per the American
standards.
Design Constraints
Software Language Used
The languages that shall be used for coding the Online Library System are
Active Server Pages (ASP), Java Servlets, Java Server Pages (JSP), HTML,
JavaScript, and VBScript. For working on the coding phase of the Online
Library System, the Internet Information Services (IIS) Server needs to be
installed.
Development Tools
Will make use of the available Java Development Tool kits for working with
Java Beans and Java Server Pages. Also will make use of the online
references available for developing programs in ASP, HTML and the two
scripting languages, JavaScript and VBScript.
Entity Relationship Diagram of Library Management System
According to (Wilson, 2004) the Online Library System provides online real time
information about the books available in the Library and the user information. The
main purpose of this project is to reduce the manual work. This software is capable
of managing Book Issues, Returns, Calculating / Managing Fine, Generating various
Reports for Record-Keeping according to end user requirements. The Librarian will
act as the administrator to control members and manage books. The member’s
status of issue/return is maintained in the library database. The librarian can fetch
the member’s details from the database as and when required. The valid members
are also allowed to view their account information.
Function Requirement
Mitchell, (2003) puts it out that a library management system should have the
following requirements for its users i.e. Administrator / Librarian, students and
members as the proposed system offers
The Administrator Librarian
F1. Add Article
New entries must be entered in database
F2. Update Article
Any changes in articles should be updated in case of update3.
F3. Delete Article
Wrong entry must be removed from system
F4. Inquiry Members
Inquiry all current enrolled members to view their details
F5. Inquiry Issuance
Inquiry all database articles6.
F6. Check out Article
To issue any article must be checked out
F7. Check In article
After receiving any article system will reenter article by Checking
F8. Inquiry waiting for approvals
Librarian will generates all newly application which is in waiting list
F9. Reserve Article
This use case is used to reserve any book with the name of librarian, it can
be pledged10.
F10. Set user Permission
From this user case Librarian can give permission categorically, also
enabling/disabling of user permission can be set through this use case
MEMBER
F11. Authentication
User must authenticated before accessing system
F12. Search Article
User can search any article
F13. Request Article
After successful searching member mark this book as requested article
F14. Check Account
This use case is used to check account details
Other Requirements
Software Configuration
As discussed in the Design Constraints section basing on the Mitchell, (2003)
literature, this software package is developed using java as front end, which is
supported by sun micro system. Microsoft SQL Server as the back end to store the
database.
Operating System: Windows NT, windows 98, Windows XP
Language: Java Runtime Environment, Net beans 7.0.1 (front end)
Database: MS SQL Server (back end)
Hardware Configuration
Processor: Pentium(R) Dual-core CPU
Hard Disk: 40GB
RAM: 256 MB or more
Data Requirement
The inputs consist of the query to the database and the output consists of the
solutions for the query. The output also includes the user receiving the details of their
accounts. In this project the inputs will be the queries as fired by the users like create
an account, selecting books and putting into account. Now the output will be visible
when the user requests the server to get details of their account in the form of time,
date and which books are currently in the account.
External Interface Requirement
GUI
The software provides good graphical interface for the user and the administrator
can operate on the system, performing the required task such as create, update,
viewing the details of the book.
It allows user to view quick reports like Book Issued/Returned in between
particular time.
It provides stock verification and search facility based on different criteria.
The user interface must be customizable by the administrator
All the modules provided with the software must fit into this graphical user
interface and accomplish to the standard defined
The design should be simple and all the different interfaces should follow a
standard template
The user interface should be able to interact with the user management
module and a part of the interface must be dedicated to the login/logout
module
Login Interface:
In case the user is not yet registered, he can enter the details and register to create
his account. Once his account is created he can ‘Login’ which asks the user to type
his username and password. If the user entered either his username or password
incorrectly then an error message appears.
Search:
The member or librarian can enter the type of book he is looking for and the title he
is interested in, then he can search for the required book by entering the book name.
Categories View:-
Categories view shows the categories of books available and provides ability to the
librarian to add/edit or delete category from the list.
Librarian’s Control Panel:
This control panel will allow librarian to add/remove users; add, edit, or remove a
resource. And manage lending options.
System Features
The users of the system should be provided the surety that their account is secure.
This is possible by providing: -
User authentication and validation of members using their unique member ID
Proper monitoring by the administrator which includes updating account
status, showing a popup if the member attempts to issue number of books
that exceed the limit provided by the library policy, assigning fine to members
who skip the date of return
Proper accountability, which includes not allowing a member to see other
member’s account. Only administrator will see and manage all member
accounts
Other Non-functional Requirements
Performance Requirement
The proposed system that we are going to develop will be used as the Chief
performance system within the different campuses of the university which interacts
with the university staff and students. Therefore, it is expected that the database
would perform functionally all the requirements that are specified by the university.
The performance of the system should be fast and accurate
Library Management System shall handle expected and non-expected
errors in ways that prevent loss in information and long downtime period.
Thus it should have inbuilt error testing to identify invalid
username/password
The system should be able to handle large amount of data. Thus it should
accommodate high number of books and users without any fault
Safety Requirement
The database may get crashed at any certain time due to virus or operating system
failure. Therefore, it is required to take the database backup so that the database is
not lost. Proper UPS/inverter facility should be there in case of power supply failure.
Security Requirement
System will use secured database
Normal users can just read information but they cannot edit or modify
anything except their personal and some other information.
System will have different types of users and every user has access
constraints
Proper user authentication should be provided
No one should be able to hack users’ password
There should be separate accounts for admin and members such that no
member can access the database and only admin has the rights to update
the database.
Requirement attributes
There may be multiple admins creating the project, all of them will have
the right to create changes to the system. But the members or other users
cannot do changes
The project should be open source
The Quality of the database is maintained in such a way so that it can be
very user friendly to all the users of the database
The user be able to easily download and install the system
Class Diagram
A class is an abstract, user-defined description of a type of data. It identifies the
attributes of the data and the operations that can be performed on instances (i.e.
objects) of the data. A class of data has a name, a set of attributes that describes
its characteristics, and a set of operations that can be performed on the objects of
that class. The classes’ structure and their relationships to each other frozen in
time represent the static model. In this project there are certain main classes
which are related to other classes required for their working. There are different
kinds of relationships between the classes as shown in the diagram like normal
association, aggregation, and generalization. The relationships are depicted
using a role name and multiplicities. Here ‘Librarian’, ‘Member’ and ‘Books’ are
the most important classes which are related to other classes.
Business Rules
A business rule is anything that captures and implements business policies and
practices. A rule can enforce business policy, make a decision, or infer new data
from existing data. This includes the rules and regulations that the System users
should abide by. This includes the cost of the project and the discount offers
Status
bookID : stringbookTitle : stringcat_no. : int
updateStatus()
Database
member_details : stringno_of_Books_issued : intno_of_Books_available : intfilename : string
update()delete()
Catalogue
autorName : stringnoOfCopies : int
updateInfo()searchInfo()
Supplier
s_id : ints_name : strings_address : string
searchBook()tellAvailability()supplyBook()provideBookInfo()orderStatus()addSupplier()
Student
studName : stringgrade : string
checkOutBook()modifyDetails()
Faculty
facName : stringexperience : int
checkOutBook()modifyDetails()
ReferenceBook
bookId : intreturnLimit : string
searchRefBook()
GeneralBook
bookId : intbookType : string
search()
Journals
bookId : intpubDate : string
searchJournal()
Magazines
bookId : intpubDate : string
searchMagazine()
TextBook
subjectCode : intsubjectName : stringsyllabus : string
searchTextBook()addSubject()deleteSubject()
StoryBook
storyType : stringvolumeNo : intNoOfStories : int
searchStoryBook()
Publisher
p_id : intp_name : stringp_address : stringp_contact_no. : long
addPub()modifyPub()deletePub()
Bill
billNo : intdate : stringamount : double
createBill()updateBill()
Transaction
transId : intbookId : intnoOfBooks ; inttransType : stringdateIssue : stringdueDate : string
createTrans()deleteTrans()retrieveTrans()
1
1
Librarian
Name : stringID : intph_no : long
issueBooks()returnBooks()collectFine()searchBook()verifyMember()payBills()orderBooks()issueIDCards()sellBooks()
*
11
1
1
1
*
1 1..*
1
Books
ISBNNo : stringauthor : stringname : stringrack_no : intstatus : stringedition : intdateOfPurchase : stringNoOfBooks : int
removeFrmCatalogue()addToCatalogue()displayBookDetails()updateStatus()addNewBooks()deleteBooks()searchBooks()
11..*
1..*1
Member
memberId : inttype : stringdateOfMember : stringnoBooksIssued : intmaxBookLimit : intname : stringaddress : stringph_no : long
retrieveMember()addMember()deleteMember()updateMemeber()payFine()issueBook()returnBook()
*
1
1..*
1
Fine
amount : doubledate : stringmemberId : int
calculateFine()updateFine()acceptFine()
0..1
1
0..*
1
checks1
*
modifies
1
1
orders1
1
issues 11..*
published by
1..*1
requests
1
1..*
manages
1
*refers
pays
1
0..*
generates
1
0..1
creates
1
*
pays1
1..*
1
1
provided. The users should avoid illegal rules and protocols. Neither admin nor
member should cross the rules and regulations.
User Requirement
The users of the system are members and Librarian of the university who act as
administrator to maintain the system. The members are assumed to have basic
knowledge of the computers and internet browsing. The administrators of the system
should have more knowledge of the internals of the system and is able to rectify the
small problems that may arise due to disk crashes, power failures and other
catastrophes to maintain the system. The proper user interface, user manual, online
help and the guide to install and maintain the system must be sufficient to educate
the users on how to use the system without any problems.
The admin provides certain facilities to the users in the form of:-
Backup and Recovery
Forgot Password
Data migration i.e. whenever user registers for the first time then the data
is stored in the server
Data replication i.e. if the data is lost in one branch, it is still stored with the
server
Auto Recovery i.e. frequently auto saving the information
Maintaining files i.e. File Organization
The server must be maintained regularly and it has to be updated from
time to time
Other Requirements
Data and Category Requirement
There are different categories of users namely teaching staff, Librarian, Admin,
students etc. Depending upon the category of user the access rights are decided. It
means if the user is an administrator then he can be able to modify the data, delete,
append etc. All other users except the Librarian only have the rights to retrieve the
information about database. Similarly there will be different categories of books
available. According to the categories of books their relevant data should be
displayed. The categories and the data related to each category should be coded in
the particular format.
Proposed solution for the problem
According to Paul Stanley, (2013) A bespoke software application, custom written to
meet specific client requirements, makes running a business easier, more efficient,
and removes the restrictions and frustration associated with off-the-shelf software.
Advantages of Bespoke Software / system
Bespoke software is easy to use because it works the way you work.
You are in control - changes can be implemented quickly, as your business
grows, or to meet new legislation or client requirements.
Bespoke software precisely matches your working practices, resulting in
improved efficiency, less supervision, fewer errors
Bespoke applications increase productivity, and reduce costs by automating
repetitive tasks.
Your own software differentiates you from the competition with unique and
better products and services.
Business information is easier to understand because bespoke applications
incorporate your business know-how.
Information can be integrated from existing applications, suppliers and
customers. (Paul Stanley, (2013)
Bespoke Software Vs Off the Shelf
A custom application may be a better solution than standard, off the shelf, software
application. Off the shelf software is designed for a wide range of businesses and
may not be ideally suited to your specific business.
Costs can be deceptive as off the shelf software may not include setup, data
import, customization of reports, support nor your own learning time.
Off-the-shelf software caters for a wide range of organizations and may include
many functions you will never use. Generic screens, not specific to your business,
may be much slower, harder to user than a bespoke software screen built.
Custom software can actually cost less, especially for large number of users. With
PSS you pay a one off fee regardless of the number of users.
Basing on the above Paul’s argument and literature, ATC is a small college with
special needs for it’s library therefore we have proposed LibLime Koha an open
source / bespoke solution as elaborated in the following.
About LibLime Koha
LibLime Koha is the most
advanced open-source
Integrated Library System in
use today by hundreds of
libraries worldwide.
LibLime Koha is web based, so there is no software to install on desktop
computers, and LibLime hosting services means that no servers are required in the
libraries. LibLime's IT experts manage all upgrades, backups and general system
maintenance, and the Library's local IT staff can focus on the Library's many other
projects.
The development of LibLime Koha is steered by a growing number of libraries
throughout the world. These libraries, either on their own, or collaborating in groups,
sponsor the development of new features to support their workflows. LibLime Koha's
impressive feature set continues to evolve and expand to meet the needs of its
sponsoring libraries. Everyone may not use the same features. This freedom to pick
and choose from features, through the administration of system preferences, offers
librarians the opportunity to tailor their LibLime Koha instance to match their specific
workflow needs.
LibLime Koha are developed in Perl, with embedded JavaScript’s and HTML
templates. Both applications use Debian as the operating system, the Apache HTTP
server, and MySQL as the underlying relational database.
Accroding to max 2014, an online library system should have enhanced matching
policy, support , imports functionalities and easy-to-use circulation policies as the
proposed system Koha.
Characteristics
LibLime Koha offers Libraries and its Characteristics as stated by LibLime
website (2014).
Easy-to-use circulation policies, strong patron management, intuitive
navigation, and extensive permissions for staff accounts.
Parent-child relationship for patron records, as well as a 'copy' patron
feature to quickly add families.
A Clubs and Services feature that allows libraries to manage reading
groups, book clubs, and other other community outreach programs. This
feature is easily managed by library staff.
Extensive support for holds, including an option to 'suspend' and
'reactivate' a hold, an option to place holds from a patron's OPAC account,
an option to allow staff to re-organize the holds queue, and an option to
place holds at either the title or item level.
Enhanced matching policy rules for the 001 and 035 tags, allowing
libraries to update older records with a newer version.
Libraries to 'undo' entire import batches from the catalog in a single click,
rather than having to delete on a one-by-one basis.
SIP2 configuration for a wide variety of vendors and their products,
including ITG, 3M, EnvisionWare, Talking Tech, Overdrive, TechLogic,
and Librarica. LibLime Koha also works with EzProxy as a dual
authentication source for remote database access.
OPAC, staff, administrative features and self-checkout interfaces are all
based on standards-compliant World Wide Web technologies--XHTML,
CSS and Javascript--making LibLime Koha a completely Web-based
solution.
Brabbaba points out that a good online library system should atleast have the
following benefits; unfettered access, technical support, configurable and
comprehensive.
Benefits of LibLime Koha System:
According to the LibLime Koha white paper document and LibLime website (2013),
the following benefits are delivered if LibLime Koha is implemented.
LibLime Koha is open-source therefore there is no software licensing fee
LibLime Koha libraries have unfettered access to all of their data at all times
for no charge
Reduces cost of procurement through integrated Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI) services
Scalable for small libraries with 1 librarian up to large libraries with millions of
transactions
Comprehensive – you get all the functionality you need in one system.
Configurable - you can turn off those modules you do not need!
Intuitive, easy to learn and easy to use.
All technical support is provided by LibLime
Re-allocate your staff and resources currently supporting your proprietary
solution
Sponsored development from LibLime Koha libraries benefits all
Libraries using LibLime Koha benefit from many advanced technology
solutions that they otherwise could not afford to develop themselves
Simplifies customization of your system through powerful configuration tools
Improves user experience by extending borrowing methods
Support for industry standards and guidelines - Z39.50, SRU, and SIP2
XML-tagged MARC record storage provide quick access to data
Fully developed ILS functionality - including Course Reserves, Acquisitions,
Serials Control, etc.
Support for third party Debt Collect, Telephone Notices, etc. (Breeding,
Marsall, 2002)
Challenges of a bespoke solution/system
According to SmartPros, (2013) the challenges that bespoke software introduce
include the following:
Early in the project of bespoke software the first challenge is apparent.
Defining intended requirements that are equally understood by you and the
developer is essential.
Bespoke software has shallower beta testing than other software. The test
environment is more controlled and the real world application of the software
may expose many more bugs. Simply put, there are fewer testers and users
than off-the-shelf software often has.
While bespoke software is often contracted with a contracting entity, the
design and development of the end product usually relies on individuals
instead of companies. The continuity of support for the product, maintenance,
etc. is also subject to that small group of people. Nonetheless, the developer
rarely provides a lifecycle assurance of availability of those elements for the
software. (Abdul Azeez, T. A (2004)
Supporting bespoke software with changing technology priorities and
possibilities are difficult and may shorten the useful life of an initiative. One of
the best examples would be a mobile computing application that is not
wireless capable.
The developer should be aware and superficially familiar with the other
software in your environment. In all situations, including off-the-shelf, no
software is operating in a vacuum. Nevertheless, in the creative process of
starting in the beginning with custom software, you can overlook the realities
of processes and data entry points that should not be repeated. Otherwise,
the development has created a new monster of inefficiency.
(Yudkowsky,2013)
LibLime Koha Challenges
Now looking at the Challenges for the proposed system LibLime Koha, are listed as
literature by Khalid, H.M. (2000). And Tang, Jinhong (2001) says.
Local Context
Economic Stability; Economic challenges include under-funding of universities and
their libraries.
The rapid growth of student populations has provided enormous challenges to the
college
Physical infrastructure
Library buildings and equipment; buildings show signs of wear and tear they are few
necessary or safe wiring for the technology and the number of total computers and
printers for student and staff access is inadequate.
Networks and bandwidth
To a large extent, the existence of a University Wide Area Network (WAN) and a
Local Area Network (LAN) within the library determines the success of
computerization of library services. It is achieved through surface cabling which
exposes the cables to the effects of fire, storm, vandalization etc
Computer Literacy and Library staffing
Many of the staff of college are not computer literate. This is a great setback in
computerization. Many of the staff are reluctant to jettison their old mindset which
resists change. Many are conservative and traditional, and suffer computer phobia.
Research results show that, although the use of electronic information increases job
satisfaction, confidence, and the effectiveness of librarians in their work, lack of
technical expertise can be very frustrating to the librarians (Edward, et al, 2005).
Power backup
Due to the power state of the generator, regular power generation remains a
problem in the college. Frequent power outages constitute a serious bottleneck to
automation. The cost of running generating plants is prohibitive.
Offshore Process model:
According to Campbell (2013) offshore development will only help your project save
about 15 to 25 percent of its costs because the most logical piece of a project that
can be outsourced is the commodity-oriented, programming component.
Campbell (2013) also adds that regularly scheduled conference calls, e-mails, and
chat sessions are necessary for managing these projects. Not only are these
sessions for sharing information and establishing a clear perspective on the status of
the project, but also they are important for avoiding any of the miscommunication
that can plague an offshore development project.
Offshore development does work and it does save you money. Two steps needs to
be considered before embarking on this LibLime offshore development project. First,
conduct an internal readiness assessment to see if existing processes,
infrastructure, and tools can support an offshore development initiative. Second, try
LibLime offshore development with small and relatively low risk, internal application.
These two steps can help college move through the learning curve with a lower
degree of risk than betting the college on a large engagement.
The figure below will be used for the process model.
How LibLime can help:
The LibLime team is made up PMP-certified project managers, professional
librarians (with academic, public, special, and archival backgrounds), ILS system
administrators, trainers, data specialists, documentarians, programmers (Java, Perl,
Javascript, HTML, etc), trainers, IT specialists, and library support analysts. (LibLime
website, 2015)
Hosting and Support:
• No need for server management or IT resources in the Library;
• Backups, upgrades, bug fixes, server management - all done by LibLime;
• Every Library enjoys multiple Koha instances – one each for production, testing and
reporting. Libraries can train staff, try new features and run resource intensive
reports without impacting the production environment; (LibLime website, 2015)
• Customer Support Center with Web Portal interface for placing new requests,
tracking existing requests, and researching FAQs.
Implementation:
Professionally-managed, milestone-based schedules which include:
• Installation.
• Application configuration (both at the administrative level and at the modular level).
• Data migration. Includes: bibliographic records, item/copy records, holdings
records, authority records, patron records, and current circulation transactions
covering fines/fees/holds/current status. (LibLime website, 2015)
Development:
• Perl, Java, Javascript, and HTML programmers on staff to enhance existing Koha
functionality, or to create new features;
• Creation of design specifications with our customers to map the requirements with
existing Koha workflows;
• DBAs and system administrators who support the development team with hardware
and database experience.
Recommendation
We recommend ATC to move from a manual library system to an automated library
system
Library automation;
As Bilal, D. (2014). Puts it that the Online Library System improves the efficiency of
Librarians, Library employees and Users. The Online Library System to be
developed benefits greatly the members and the Librarian of Arusha Technical
College. The system provides books catalog and information to members and helps
them decide on the books to borrow from the library. The Librarian can keep the
books catalog updated all the time so that the members (students and the lecturers)
get the updated information all the time.
The application of computers to perform traditional library housekeeping activities
and operations such as acquisition, circulation, cataloguing, and the reference
service and serials control.
Bilal, D. (2014). Argues that Automation is used to reduce to the amount of staff time
devoted to repetitive (and more often less challenging) activities that must be done in
any properly functioning of the library activities and services.
We recommend that ATC to implement an automated library system because it will
result to the following:
Speed Information processing; with an automated library in place the information
processing is done much faster which ensures better work flow through the library
the librarian and staff will not have to maintain the library information manually this
will reduce hiring costs.
Accuracy of the information; the degree of precision and accuracy in processing
information will be high. However, it is dependent on the accuracy of information led
into the system, if ATC implements automation of the library system it will help to
reduce information confusion among the users.
Cost Effectiveness; Operating costs will be reduced because the system is well
designed and will be well managed, because the system will notify the librarian on
accounts which have not yet returned the books and on accounts which need to be
penalized because of extension of the due date.
Reduction in library workloads; Library workloads will be reduced as the computers
will do vast amount of work and processing in the current system there is a lot of
paper work which consumes a lot of space and costs the organization a lot of
money.
According to Srinivasulu, V. (2000), Automation of the library system offers Improved
services to users; High rate and better quality in performance will be achieved
through the use of an automated library the users will not suffer time loss due to slow
retrieval of data because the data will now be stored on one place for easy and quick
access also various users will be able to access the information at the same time
from the information system network.
Srinivasulu, V. (2000) also illustrates how automation avoids duplication of work and
human errors; the hand writing can be difficult to read and it is very easy to make an
error when the manual system is used hence forth the database is not reliable but
with an automated library system the information will be reliable.
Edwards, C., et al (2005) urges that due to cost efficiency and accuracy of a library
management system we strongly recommend ATC to implement library management
system to eradicate the problems of high operational cost and inaccuracy problems
of a manual library system, the organization will only require a strong and reliable
internet network to ensure proper running of the system. Implementing this project
will have to undergo change management strategy because it will involve a lot of
changes within the organization and usually there are some stakeholders and staffs
in the organization who will resist the changes.
Development plan
According to Cervone, (2009), the following stages of library system develop are
important in the plan to have a successful system on time.
Task s/n Task name Task
duration
cost Professional
requirement
1 Requirement
study
5days USD500 ATC ICT
department
2 Feasibility
study
2weeks USD700 ATC &
external IT
consultants
3 Proposal 1 week UDD600 ATC &
external
consultant
4 Functional
specifications
3days USD200 ATC ICT
department
5 Design 2 weeks USD400 Contracted
company
6 Development 3 weeks USD1,000 Contracted
company
7 Testing 1 week USD650 Contacted
company &
ATC ICT
department
8 Implementatio
n
1 month USD800 Contracted
company
9 Training 2weeks USD600 Contracted
company
References:
Bilal, D. (2014). Library Automation. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Wilson, A. (2004). Library Web sites. Chicago: American Library Association.
H. Frank Cervone, (2009) "Strategic analysis for digital library development", OCLC
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19
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103 - 108
Breeding, Marshall. “An Update on Open Source ILS..” Information Today 19, no. 9
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———. “LibLime Acquisition by PTFS Marks a New Era for Koha.” Library Journal,
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enter the twenty-first century",Library Management, Vol. 22, Nos. 45, pp 181-186.
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SmartPros, < http://accounting.smartpros.com/x35358.xml>, CHAIM YUDKOWSKY
2013
John Ross, Jane Brooks, (1992) "Costing Manual and Computerised Library
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Paul Stanley (2012) http://www.pssuk.com/AdvantagesBespokeSoftware.htm April
29, 2015
Byran Campbell (2013)
http://web.mit.edu/outsourcing/class2/Real_World_Offshore_Development_Campbell
.pdf April 30, 2015
Bawden, David (2004). Education and training for digital librarians: A Slovenia/UK
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