Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow - Report Example

?PROGRESS REPORT This report is written to highlight various aspects of the project and also display its progress and the accomplishments that were achieved along the way. This involves explaining and analyzing the background to the project whereby the importance of the project to the society will be highlighted. The aims and objectives of the project will also be reviewed as well as the project plan. The progress made so far will also be revealed including the experience gained. Necessary methodologies were utilized to acquire information about the project and also to carry it out successfully as will be shown. The project was carried out with complete regards to the laws and regulations and with utmost professionalism. Background of the Project:- Large or medium companies find it difficult to work effectively with their colleagues particularly if they are from different branches or departments of the same company. As a result, they find that they are working on the same task rather than solving different problems. This limits the creativity and exploration of untapped potential among the staff members. The project is specifically designed for companies with a large number of employees working from different branches or departments across a large geographical area within the company. It is aimed at making it easier for the employees to work and monitor the progress of various projects regardless of their proximity to the place of work. It is also aimed at ensuring that employees can be aware of the current projects thus expand their creativity on how to improve the company. Aims and Objectives of the Project:- One important aim of this project is to prevent teams in a company from working on the same task despite the fact that they work in different geographical regions. This helps in economizing on time and company resources which would otherwise be exploited on one project twice. By listing all the available projects as well as the teams working on each, the application makes it easy for employees and their supervisors to monitor different projects and also observe projects that were undertaken previously. Further than that the purpose of the application is to ensure that the team working on a particular project can be contacted in case of new discoveries or changes that need to be made. Another major aim of this application is to manage the details of each employee within the stated company regardless of the branch they work for. This is important because it reduces the work load of the human resource management when employees are transferred from one branch to another. The application would be effective in managing the employees’ salaries, expenses on accommodation, holidays, and benefits among many other related details. Further than that, the employee would also be able to observe their details such as overtime hours, salary and even the number of off days left for them. The application is highly secure in the senses that the employer and the employee can access details such as their salary. However, other information is accessible to other employees such as one’s position in the company, their geographical location, and contact address among other details. The main objectives of the project include:- To research and plan how to carry out the collection of data and also other important aspects to be considered and added in the application To gather and record the client’s specification of the project To research and understand Model, View and Controller architecture which would be necessary in keeping the code to use and alter in case need arises and also to keep it more orderly. To Create the required website using the pattern applied in Model, View and Controller architecture design To create the model for the website and outline the functionalities To design and put the view into operation and build the necessary prototype through the use of HTML/ CSS ?jQuery To provide the client with high levels of security for their data To store the lists of the users and the projects underway through the creation of a SQL database connection. To design and implement different levels of access for the employer and the employees. To alert the employees and the employer in case of an expiring visa Additionally, the function of the application would be to enable the employees to contact and arrange conference calls with others from a different geographical location issuing the particular date and time. In order to achieve these objectives, the project required a Database Management System (DBMS) for example Microsoft SQL server which would be necessary for the storing of details for the employees and the projects being carried out. A user database was also required to categorize users according to their level in the company. After critical research, various programs were used to achieve these objectives including HTML/CSS/jQuery/Ajax used to create the design of the page, PHP which was used to create and manage the functionality of the website, MVC architecture which was used to develop the model and the view of the website. In addition to that, the fulfillment of the final objective was achieved through the use of Asterisk which is a server (Linux Voice Over IP Server) necessary for the enablement of conference calls (Morley 2011, pg. 419). Progress made and Experience Gained:- The current progress of the project will be explained below as well as the time taken to achieve each task. To start with, the research and planning of the project was completed. This involved acquiring the necessary information about a large company and consequently establishing that they were affected by the problems being tackled by the application. The research also involved the number of companies that would be interested in using this application and improve their management. The planning process involved meeting with the company’s management and acquiring the design they wanted and additional information they would have wanted in the website. The research and planning process took one week to complete. The development and generation of a logbook showing the underway projects and a list off employees is still underway and is expected to be completed by 06/05/2013. This however did not prevent the development of a project plan which was completed in ten days right after interacting with the client and gathering their requirements which took 5 days. So far, the research and design of the site map have already been accomplished with approval from the customer. Research was carried out on how to implement the design successfully consequently the design was created and implemented. Additionally, I carried out research on the framework and the necessary tools to achieve the client’s specifications and this resulted in eventually coding the framework. Various milestones were encountered along the way such as studying for examinations and handing in other assignments on time. Eventually, the progress of the project was stalled. However, this did not prevent me from achieving what was expected within the given time. Future plans involve creating a presentation of the project and testing the functionality of the project. Eventually, in case of any problems, they will be rectified thus ensuring that the project would be ready before the presentation and it would be functioning successfully during the presentation. I have gained experience in various fields through research and interaction with the management of the company and other programmers within this field. This experience was mainly in relation the development of different designs and how to apply different programs in the development of an application. Furthermore, I also gained experience in the setting of an actual working environment which involves working with a timeline and reaching of deadlines. I also learnt how execute client’s requirements successfully and expanded my experience in coding using the required languages. Methodologies used in completing the Project:- Any successful project needs to follow a methodology which allows the developer to ensure that the system will be delivered as the customer required. Early, throughout the process one of the Agile techniques was used to gathered the client specifications which been maintained in time. The technique that the system used to gather the customer requirement was the User Stories which been provided earlier to the customer who test all of them and return its feedback. Another technique that followed throughout the process is questions and answers (Q&A) and project management through processes of managing, planning and delivery of the system. For instance, the Gantt chart of the system processes was written in very professional way by using a smart system called smartsheet (www.smartsheet.com), which provide many features one of them was used seriously which allow the client to track and type comments where needed in each process been done or in progress to maintain better quality. Successful completion of the project requires the use of appropriate methodologies and web technologies proposed in various literatures. For this particular project, I applied the various methods for the development of a secure website limiting the accessibility to only the company employer and employees. In order to create a safe website, I used Dreamweaver and Eclipse which ensures the security of the code and the security of the employee information. It also provided a suitable design for the website’s page as was approved by the customer . (Shelley 2009, pg. 19) For the storage of data, I used MySQL. MySQL is consistent for use by the employer and employees due to its speed and reliability. I applied MySQL mainly as the key-value store in the development of the website. This is because the data is usually distributed randomly among a vast set of logical instances thus allowing for employees to carry out advanced searched on other employees in different geographical locations. HTTP was also applied to ensure that the information accessed from the website was secure for the safety and privacy of each employee. (Marcus 2011, pg. 30) Differences between the Gantt Charts The only difference between the two Gantt Charts is the addition of a new activity. This activity is the coding of the framework which will was commenced on the 21st of January 2013 and is expected to be completed on the 2nd of February 2013. Conclusion:- The project will be accomplished in time for presentation and constant interaction with the employer will ensure that they development of the website goes as planned. One of the main points of this process is the system which will deliver to an organisation not going to be a useless piece of software thus, throughout the process, the system trying to achieve in an excellent manners. Additionally, the information required from the logbook is being updated on a daily basis thus ensuring that the website is up to date and is reliable to the company for its benefit and smooth running. References:- Marcus, A. 2011, Design, user experience and usability: theory, methods, tools and practice : first international conference, proceedings, Berlin, Springer. Morley, D., Parker, C. S., & Parker, C. S. 2011, Understanding computers: today and tomorrow, Boston, MA, Course Technology, Cengage Learning. Shelly, G. B. 2009, Adobe Dreamweaver CS3: comprehensive concepts and techniques. Boston, MA, Course Technology. Read More