Computational Thinking for Information Technology

STUDENT SCENARIO:DATABASE MANAGEMENT

SYSTEMSYou have been asked to join Quick-Help-Desk, Inc.’s database software development team to work on a

help desk database management system focused on maintaining help desk records at Kippy College.

David Andrews will be your virtual guide and supervisor for this scenario. Your instructor will act as

your project manager.


ObjectivesThis course will enable you to develop logical thinking skills, including:• Asking probing questions to uncover details of a problem• Clearly defining a problem• Defining clear success criteria for the project including

measurable objectives• Making design decisions based on rational criteria• Seeing “the big picture”• Deconstructing the problem into its component parts


Objectives (cont.)This course will enable you to develop logical thinking skills, including:• Correlating the relationships between components and

prior knowledge• Identifying the steps required to solve a problem• Identifying the sequence of steps including possible

decisions and alternatives• Identifying normal and exceptional behaviors of a solution• Identifying available resources


Objectives (cont.)This course will enable you to develop logical thinking skills, including:• Developing a solution that uses only available resources• Measuring and adapting the solution to optimize resource

utilization• Measuring and evaluating solutions against the success

criteria• Adjusting the design and implementation as needed


PROJECT OVERVIEW

Prerequisites | Assumptions | User Requirements


Hi, I’m David. Welcome to the Quick-Help-Desk

database software design team! We’ll start with a brief project preview.


Recommended Prerequisites• Basic writing and reading skills• Introductory level in using database

software• Beginner knowledge in database

design & management• Ability to write simple queries using

database management software


Project AssumptionsKippy College’s IT department wants the IT staff

members to be able to pull up the help desk records

of a computer at the college before they work on it.

• Kippy has approximately 10 staff members, 10

faculty members and 200 students

The help desk database management systems IS

system will be a proof of concept – other features

can be added later.

1. Assume each user has just one computer

2. One small office/department, or

3. Limited-number user population


User Requirements• The IT staff consists of two technicians.

They will each have one computer so they

can see the computer maintenance history

which should be available for each

computer in the campus building.

• Each staff and faculty member has one

computer.

• The students will have access to 3 PC labs

(16 computers per lab).


User Requirements (cont.)• Kippy’s IT Department identifies each

computer by office or room number or name and a computer number, plus make, model and year, etc.

• Need to have a maintenance historyincluding work performed, date receivedand completed.

• The system will need to track hours worked for each department (faculty/staff and students). There is no plan to have this system interface with billing in the future.


User Requirements (cont.)• The system will need to print reports by

department and/or lab.

• Each faculty/staff PC is associated with only one user.

• Student PCs have many users.

• The systems should allow the client to be able to add, edit and delete information in the system.


User Requirements (cont.)Certain operations are performed regularly by Kippy’s IT Department.• Setup freeze and schedule for unfreezes

to obtain:– Operating system updates/patches– Application software updates– Anti-virus, etc.

• PC Technicians will need an opportunity to write notes about specifics.– Need to be able to list recommended work, if

not performed, so they can check or address at a later visit. This can be in free form text.


WELCOME

Expectations | Resources


Why you’re hereYou have been asked to work on a help desk database system focused on managing a local college PC maintenance records.

By joining this development team for this project at Quick-Help-Desk, you have affiliated with a talented group.

We pride ourselves in bringing the best and the brightest database programmers on board. This will be obvious to you when you participate in weekly tasks during development.


ExpectationsWe expect each of you to make the client’s needs your priority and be able to communicate how we are accommodating those needs in the software you develop. Quick-Help-Desk is developing a reputation for delivering quality products on time.


Expectations (cont.)It is imperative to stay in close contact with your project manager. Be aware that you will not be paid for any time you put into work on the next task before you have received feedback on the previous task.


Expectations (cont.)Pay attention to my suggestions for succeeding at work. You will be working on individual projects and in teams throughout your affiliation with Quick-Help-Desk, so take the time to learn how to do it the “Quick-Help-Desk way.”

The “Quick-Help-Desk way” includes teamwork, tasks, and professional-level presentation of results.


Expectations (cont.)We want programmers who are adaptable, creative problem solvers and independent learners…those who can work well with people and work successfully on teams. We value people who are professional and know how to get projects done efficiently and effectively.


Online ResourcesQuestionnaires• How to Write a Questionnaire

http://www.ehow.com/how_16596_write-survey-questionnaire.html

• Questionnaire Design http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_winter/Topics/quest-design/

Proposal Writing• How to Write a Proposal

http://www.ehow.com/how_2052820_write-proposal.html

• Proposal Writinghttp://facstaff.gpc.edu/~ebrown/pracguid.htm




http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_winter/Topics/quest-design/





http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~ebrown/pracguid.htm

Ready to get started?

Task 1 awaits!


TASKS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Your will be assigned specific Tasks & Assignments for you or your team to complete. Use the navigation menu to discover the details of the tasks. Be certain to review

the Requirements section for each task or subtask before you embark on your solution.


TASKS AND ASSIGNMENTS (CONTINUED)

Our Research & Development assistant has gathered Resources for you to reference as you complete the Tasks assigned. If you have suggestions for additional resources, please post them to

the Discussion area of your project website.

After you have completed each task, review Debrief questions to confirm your learning and understanding of the task.


Tips for Success:

Get to know each other by posting a brief bio at your group’s discussion area. Use this as a means of identifying any special talents and getting your group organized.

When developing your questionnaire be sure to use compatible word processing software such as MSWord and save it in universal format such as .rtf.

In your proposal, be sure to use proper grammar and spell check.


More Tips for Success:

You are encouraged to submit ONE draft of each deliverable for your manager's review. In order to receive feedback and incorporate it into your final submission, your draft must be submitted via email to your project manager at least 24-48 hours before the due date. You will submit your final draft at your group’s file exchange area by the due date as indicated. Be sure to include the names of each group member who helped in developing each of the deliverable’s final drafts.


TASK 1: IDENTIFYING NEEDS

Your team was identified because of your expertise in database management and design, rather than

your expertise in help desk records management, so you will have to identify needs quickly.


Task 1 Overview

Marketing has set up a meeting so you can interview Kippy College’s office manager, who is also the IT manager. Interviewing a user will allow you to take the abstract concept for the PC maintenance records management system and generate a set of concrete functional specifications for it.

The office manager happens to be the person pushing to automate systems and knows the needs of users of the database management system you are developing.

Ask her any and all questions about how shewants to use the system and derive yourproposal from her responses.


Deliverables: 1. Research and Client Questionnaire

Documentsa. Research existing help desk software

databases on the Internet• List other (3-5) help desk software

with description of featuresb. Needs Analysis

• Develop a client questionnaire to better define the problem & determine need


Deliverables: 2. Database Management System Proposal

a. Scope of Project & Hardware/Software System Requirements (1-2 pages)

3. Definition of Roles with Individual Tasks and Calendar Work Schedulea. Introduce yourself at your Group's

website discussion boardb. Divide responsibilities within your

group/create a proposed schedule


Notes:

Your team is under a tight schedule to produce these items. Work together as quickly and efficiently as possible to complete them. You will to post them by the due as indicated by your project manager at your group’s online file exchange area.

Please post questions well in advance, at least 48 hours before the due date, in the Discussion area of our project website since I will be traveling.

Good luck.


Action Plan:

1. Research the help desk software databases on the Internet and come up with a list of 3-5 examples including name, website address and description of features.

2. Come up with a list of 5-6 questions for your interview with the client to determine database needs.


Action Plan (cont.):

3. Confer with your team and write a project proposal to include a description of your database and the software/hardware requirements.

4. Consider the expertise you have in your team members and submit a proposed schedule of work with division of team member responsibilities. Use the sample team schedule template spreadsheet.


Checklist for Submitting Your Work:Before you submit your deliverables, check that you have attended to the following areas of the task:• Did you list the database website addresses, website

names and software descriptions in your list of help desk database help examples?

• Did you a common word processing format for your documents?

• Did you write 5-6 client questions?• Did you create your proposal and document the

hardware/software requirements?• Did you use proper grammar and spelling in

your documents?• Did you use the team schedule template?

(file teamschedule.xlsx)


Debrief:Reflect on what we've learned from this task by discussing the following questions with your colleagues and manager(s):1. Did you find and learn about features in other help desk

database software systems?

2. Does your questionnaire include enough thorough questions that you would need to ask your client to develop a help desk database?

3. Is your proposal addressing the needs of the user?

4. How did your team reach consensus on theirjob roles?

5. Did you develop a schedule that would meet the request of this project?


TASK 2: DATABASE DIAGRAM

In this task, you will outline your database using

diagrams, tables and data definitions.


Deliverables:

1. Describe the tables and their relationships by creating an Entity Relationship Diagram

2. Show each table functional dependencies and determinants via a Bubble, Data Model or Functional Dependency Diagram

3. Identify and eliminate anomalies using normalization (3NF) and create a Data Dictionary Document after Third Normal Form (3NF) conversion


Action Plan:

1. Create diagrams and a data dictionary for each table.

2. Use software that is compatible for all users.

3. Make sure to keep backups of all work.

4. You are encouraged to submit ONE draft for your manager's review. In order to receive feedback and incorporate it into your final submission, your draft must be submitted via email at least 24 hours before the due date.


Action Plan:

5. The final drafts should be posted at your group’s file exchange area.

6. Be sure to include the names of your team members who contributed to your final draft documents.


Checklist for Submitting Your Work:

1. Submit all files: 1 entity relationship diagram, 1 functional dependency diagram and 1 database dictionary for each table. You can combine these into one document for each table if you wish. If you are using diagram software, you may want to copy and paste screen shots into MSWord then save in .rtf format.

2. Follow all Technical Guidelines listed in the Resource area.


Debrief:Reflect on what we've learned from this task by discussing the following questions with your colleagues and manager(s):1. What elements of other teams’ solutions did you particularly

admire? Why?2. What worked well within your team re project management and

efficiency? What would you have changed?3. How did your team divide up responsibilities?4. How did your team communicate and share files?

5. Do you have a better understanding of relationship diagrams?

6. Do you think documentation is important to the planning process and good database design?


TASK 3: BUILDING YOUR DATABASE

In this task, you will create tables, forms, reports

and queries, and populate your database.


Deliverables:

1. Create Tables• Two or more related tables• Populate with data

2. Design & Create Forms• Two or more individual table forms• One multiple table form with graphic &

calculation

3. Design & Create Reports• Two or more individual reports• One multiple table form with graphic &

calculation


Deliverables:

4. Design & Create Queries• Two or more individual table select queries

that include sorting & one or more criteria• Two or more multiple table select queries

that include sorting & one or more criteria• One action query to append, delete or update

table


Action Plan:

1. Make sure to keep backups of all work.


3. The final and completed database should be posted at your group’s file exchange area.



1. Submit the database file that contains your tables, forms, reports and queries

2. Review Resources listed for Task 3


Debrief:Reflect on what we've learned from this task by discussing the following questions with your colleagues and manager(s):1. What elements of other teams’ solutions did you

particularly admire? Why?2. Why did your team make the choices you did?3. How did your team communicate and share files?4. What would you have done differently and why

or why not?


TASK 4: IMPLEMENTATION

In this task, you will implement and create a user

interface for your database.


Deliverables:

1. Implement all elements of the database management system requirements.

2. Create a user interface for the database.

3. Develop a user manual in a compatible format.


Action Plan:

1. Ensure all aspects of the database are working properly

2. Write the database management user manual

3. Make sure that you have a back-up of all your work



Action Plan (cont.):

5. The final and completed database & user manual should be posted at your group’s file exchange area. Include the names of the team members in the manual for those who contributed to creating it.



1. Submit the completed database file.

2. Submit the user manual

3. Review Resources listed for Task 3


Debrief:

1. What elements of other teams’ solutions did you particularly admire? Why?

2. What worked well within your team regarding project management and efficiency?

3. What would you have changed? Why or Why not?


INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION

eMail:

Phone:

Office location:

Office hours:

Other info:


Computational Thinking for Information Technology

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Transcript of Computational Thinking for Information Technology