Reference no: EM1389634

The spring Breaks "R" Us Travel Service Booking System

Introduction

Spring Breaks "R" Us Travel Service (SBRUTS) books spring break trips for college students to resorts in Florida, Texas, California, and the Caribbean. The company operates out of its main office in Atlanta and uses about 1,500 local campus representatives(usually students working part-time) as its means of customer contact. The information system which SBRUTS currently uses involves forms which are filled out by hand or on typewriters and mailed to the appropriate parties as needed. The company would like to upgrade or replace this system in order to make better use of current information technology. You have been hired as a systems analyst and designer for the project.

Current System Background Information
Sometime during the fall, participating resorts submit information to SBRUTS indicating room availability, capacities, and rates for each week in the upcoming spring break season. Capacity refers to the number of persons which a room can hold. A variety of rooms with different rates and capacities are usually made available by the resorts so that students can book the right size room. Having the right size is important, since rooms with higher capacities cost more and it is illegal for the number of people occupying a room to exceed capacity

In December, SBRUTS generates a list of resorts, available weeks, and room rates sorted by amenities and capacity. The list is distributed to the college campus representatives across the country. When students submit a reservation request for a week at particular resort, SBRUTS assigns rooms with sufficient capacity and sends each student a confirmation request by mail. When the reservation cutoff date for a spring break week arrives (usually one week in advance for most resorts, although this can vary), SBRUTS sends each resort a list of students and their room assignments for the following week. These lists are sent by fax. When the students arrive, they pay the resort directly for their rooms. The resorts then send commission checks to SBRUT. These checks are usually mailed 3 to 4 weeks after arrival in order to allow for check clearing and receipts from credit card payments. Commissions must then be shared with the campus representative who made the original reservation.

New System Requirements
SBRUTS senior managers prefer that the new system keep the same general features as the current system, but convert as much as possible to electronic form.

System Analysis and Design Tasks
Do all of the following. Your work should be professional in appearance and cover all of the necessary point.
1. Prepare a requirements list for the new system. Make sure your list is as complete as you can make it and that it distinguishes between functional and nonfunctional requirements. Use your list as a guide for the next three steps.
2. Prepare an application architecture plan for the new SBRUTS information system. Include two data flow diagrams as part of your design (one should be a context DFD, the other should be an overall system DFD). Be as detailed and complete as you can. You should include provision for various system users to interact with the system.
3. Prepare a database design plan for the new SBRUTS information system. Include both a complete data list and a context entity relationship diagram showing all relationship types as part of your design. Be as detailed and complete as you can. Assume that you will be using a relational database.
4. Prepare an input/output design plan for the new SBRUTS information system. Include examples of input/output screens, forms, and reports as part of your design. Be as detailed and complete as you can. Make sure you consider who will be using the various parts of the system.
5. Prepare an estimated schedule for the analysis, design, construction, and installation of the new SBRUTS information system. Include all necessary steps and your best estimate of the time each will take. Use Microsoft Proect to determine a project start date and end date, as well as showing which steps in the project are critical.