FastDrivers Online Booking System Technical Design

Justification

This document is intended to provide technical design of FastDrivers online booking system.  It provides an overview and guidance to the technical and management which will be involved in the project success.  Also it will provide background information for anyone who want to get involve with the system development or monitoring the progress.

FastDrivers aims to introduce an online booking system for customers which allows them to book lessons. The online system will enable customers across state of NSW to register, book classes, and subsequent booking for those who have already registered themselves. The FastDrivers’ management can be able to approve or postpone the classes to another time if the services will not be available at the date the customers had book. This will bring a lot of inconvenience to the customers since it is had for them to get notification in time.

The current system being used in FastDrivers is a conventional method whereby every business process model has to be done through manual method. Customers has to visit the premise for registration, booking service and subsequent services. Customer records are being stored in spreadsheets.  Schedule services are pin on the wall where customers would check when they visit the premise.  

Operating the business using conventional methods has a lot of challenges in the business operations, therefore there is a need to implement a new method of business where business operational are automated. This involves using an online system where operational are centralize and accessible from anywhere and anytime. With this kind of business there are various benefits of doing the business.

The following are the cons of a current conventional methods being used in the business process. This involves:

• Time consuming. Currently records are being stored in files, so retrieve data for the pass two to three years is time consuming since every files will need to be check manually. This method will be expensive in terms of labor intensive.
• Prone to data lose. Environmental disasters such as flood or fire may lead to total data loses. Since the files are not backup in a remote area, in case of these natural calamities data will be lost.
• Poor communication. Customers will not get notified in real time in case of a new service or schedule of a service. Customers need real time communication in any business this will ensures that their time are taken into the consideration.
• Poor Business decision making. The customer data being compile for a span of years will be hard to compile and analyze so that they are used in business decision making. Handling large files will be cumbersome and time consuming to be compile.
• Prone to errors.In conventional methods, human errors are possible since they are no mechanism to protect this errors. Human being are not like machines they get tired while processing this information hence errors can be documented.
• There is no data confidentiality, integrity and availability.Since files are handle by different users, customer sensitive information may be accessed by unauthorized personnel. Also the data may be amended losing its integrity. Since these data are prone to environmental disaster such as flood and fire data loose may occur and the data may not be retrieved.

FastDrivers online booking system will provide online services to both registered and unregistered users.  Users across the state of NSW will be able to check available services and request or schedule the service for another day. The management on other side will be able to process the customer’s request through web in real time. In case of inconvenience of the service by the management, the customers will be able to get notified through the web portal. The web portal will support both mobile and personal computer therefore any user can login anywhere and anytime hence eliminating scenario where user has to travel to FastDrivers location in order to get the service.

• User Registrations. All the customers will register themselves through web portal form. The following data will be captured from the customers include: Name, Mobile Number, Email address, Location and type of service being requested and date of the service.
• Booking Services. New customers will create account before booking for any service in the system. When user has successfully created an account and login, the homepage will consist of list of available services which user will choose by booking. Already existing user in the FastDrivers’ database, the user will just login and do a subsequent booking.
• User Booking Transaction’s History. This involves all the subsequent booking which user have done. The history of all the user’s booking will be kept for future analysis.
• Scheduling of Services. Management will be able to add all the services which they provide to their customers in the system.The system will be able to schedule services records which are viewable through customer’s portal.
• List of Registered Customers.  All the customer records will be kept in the database. The management of FastDrivers will be able to retrieve all the customers’ details. In case of any new service being introduce the target customers will be able to get email or phone call notifications.
• Through the transactions in the database, reports can be retrieved include: daily, weekly, monthly and yearly report. This reports can be used in making decision on provision of customer services.
• Since Online portal will be accessible through mobile and personal computers, many people who want services such as driving classes will find out therefore the online portal will target most of the clients in NSW and other towns. 

The following are the benefits of an online system as compared to the conventional methods. This involves:

• The new method business operations keep records in database which is faster to be accessed, unlike the conventional methods whereby each spreadsheet has be check for specific record. Searching a record requires little time to be retrieve.
• Minimal errors. In a system that uses a centralize database being manage by different users, there is minimal errors that can be made since data being input is validated the application.
• Since the system will be hosted in cloud, cloud providers provides fault tolerance hence the application can survive hardware and network failures and. This will ensure the application will be available thought.
• Marketing strategy. A system that is available online will be accessible by millions of online users unlike the current conventional method whereby only the local at NSW are able to access the premise. The FastDrivers will be able to market their services to the nearby towns and whoever want the service across the county or the globe.
• Real time notification. Through email communication, in case of schedule services all the customers which they had applied for the service can receive emails notifying of a schedule service. This will ensure them to be up to date about the FastDrivers’ services being provided.
• Since the data are being centralized in one place by storing in a database, management can retrieve reports such as daily, weekly, monthly or annual reports. This reports can be used in decision making to come up with better services. It is unlike conventional methods where data are in different files which will be hard to compile and produce one report.
• Data safety. The current technology provides various methods of data availability in case of disaster. Database snapshots and daily backup which are stored in a secured location by the cloud providers will ensures that FastDrivers data are safe and available. In case of hardware failure or malwares attacks data can be restored from backup. Unlike the conventional methods such as filing system whereby floods can damage the entire data in an archive.
• Data integrity. Since centralized data are stored in a secured platform and manage by the only authorized users, data integrity will be achievable since no one will be able to alter transaction data without authorization and identity. Unlike
• Data confidentiality. Customers’ information are being safeguard through database access control. In FastDrivers Company not everyone will be able to access all the customers’ data. Roles will be used to delegates’ rights to an individual.  Only a portion of information will be provided to staff who will be dealing with customer data. Sensitive such as payment through credit card will be encrypted in the database and will not be readable by human.

Monetary Cost. Since the system is online and will be hosted in cloud computing, the services that the cloud providers will provide such as database backup and security implementation will come at the cost.

Internet access. Online requires internet connectivity in order to do any transactions therefore users which don’t have internet access will be limited to the access of the system.

Usability. User experience in the new online system will be hard to predict. Some may find hard to use while others may find it easy. Therefore to address all this issues will be a challenge to the FastDrivers Company.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have identified the benefits of implementing an online system as compared to conventional methods through system design and analysis.  In order for the system to be developed, all the business and technical requirements must be met to ensure project success.

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