The purpose of this page is to help you
to construct a specification for the application you need
. If you have already completed this part and want to
construct a specification, click here.
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Introduction |
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All data management solutions start with the
'Specification Document'. It is a bit of a mis-nomer really
because it is actually several documents in a single file.
This page defines what is in the Specification Document and
gives a few examples. |
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There are 3 main documents. The first, is a simple flow
diagram showing each
step of the operation
as in this example.
This gives us a three-dimensional overview of the actual
operation of
the system. It
is, in effect,
a 'Use-Flow Diagram',
that is; a diagram
that explains
how the system
will be used.
Looking at the example on the right, the first box tells
us that only
registered users
can access the
site, so we need
an authentication
system. The second
box tells us
that the data
held on the server
needs to be viewable
(on a formatted
web page) by
authorised
visitors.
The fourth box tells us that confirmation emails must
be constructed
at the time the
user books their
sessions and
sent automatically.
All of this is done online. The next boxes tell us that
the data operator
will be producing
a client list
(presumably as
a register) for
the lecturer/session
organiser, recording
the details and
producing statistical
reports of attendance.
This latter section will use Microsoft Access or other
proprietory database
system for report
generation and
entering attendances.
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| Data
Type |
Description |
Source |
| Session
Details |
Time,
date, place,
title, description,
duration,
lunch provided |
Spreadsheet |
| Attendees |
name,
client reference,
email address |
Online
Form |
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The
next part of the specification document is a 'Data Source'
specification:
This
is essentially a table showing all of the data types
required (or available) and their sources.
A
very simple
example is shown. The first column shows the data types,
the second shows either a description
of the data,
or a list of fieldnames. Fieldnames are labels given
to a specific piece of data (like 'Firstname'
or 'Postcode').
The third column shows the source of that data.
In
our example, the session details will be supplied to
us by our customer in the form of an Excel (or other)
spreadsheet file. The Attendees data will of course be
entered online as people book sessions. |
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Finally, the Special Instructions Document
is used to fill
in the details.
This will perhaps
contain a basic
description of
the system, along
with ideas about
user 'look-and-feel'
aspects: screen
colours, special
web requirements
(visitor counters,
rollover buttons
etc) and other
technical details.
For example, if your system is to integrate with existing
(legacy) systems,
it should be
noted on the
Special Instruction
Document. In
addition, this
document should
list all computers/network
servers that
will be used
to run the application.
This should include
Operating System
(Windows XP,
Linux etc) and
Integrating Application
names and versions
(Microsoft Office
XP, Access 2000
etc). |
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IMPORTANT
NOTE
Please
remember that
the Specification
document as
described using
these examples
represent the
Ideal Case.
We are happy
to accept specification
documents consisting
of only the
Use-Flow Diagram
or the Special
Instruction
Document. There
will be a lot
of communication
between your
assigned edm-i
project leader
and yourself.
So we can always
ask for details
or clarification.
Please note
however, that
a more accurate
initial estimate
will be obtained
if you can
provide all
of the Specification
Document parts.
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How to create and submit your Specification
Document
The easiest way is to compress your files into a .ZIP
file. This is
a single file
that contains
all of your specification
documents in
a single, compressed
file. There are
many programs
available to
create .ZIP files,
some of which
are free (check
out www.download.com).
Perhaps the most
famous is WinZip - from the people
who first defined
the .ZIP file format.
Alternatively, you can import all of your specification
files into a
single MS Word (or
other word processor)
file, an Excel
spreadsheet,
a Powerpoint presentation
or a .PDF file
(check out PDFCreator).
The
following page
will allow
you to download
the requisite
forms
to help you
to construct
a Specification
Document.
Click
here to
continue. |
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