Pediatric Trauma Society - Research Investigator...
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Author: Nicholas McCall Pediatric Trauma Society - Research Investigator Databank The Pediatric Trauma Society – Research Investigator Databank was a two-semester group project I worked on while in graduate school. Everyone in the group shared duties, but my principal role was as Operational Concept Engineer, responsible for identifying requirements with the client and maintaining them throughout the project. Issue: PTS had a website, but their members didn’t find it as useful as they wanted. The number-one thing they wanted was a database that automatically pulled their publications from PubMed. Additionally, they wanted better ways to communicate and find each other, all for the end goal of increasing research collaborations among them. I was responsible for creating the Operational Concept Description, starting on the next page, which described the work we were going to do and how it would fit in with PTS overall. Following the OCD is an overview, beginning on page 19, of what we delivered to PTS.
Transcript of Pediatric Trauma Society - Research Investigator...
Author: Nicholas McCall
Pediatric Trauma Society -
Research Investigator Databank
The Pediatric Trauma Society – Research Investigator Databank was a two-semester
group project I worked on while in graduate school. Everyone in the group shared
duties, but my principal role was as Operational Concept Engineer, responsible for
identifying requirements with the client and maintaining them throughout the project.
Issue: PTS had a website, but their members didn’t find it as useful as they wanted.
The number-one thing they wanted was a database that automatically pulled their
publications from PubMed. Additionally, they wanted better ways to communicate and
find each other, all for the end goal of increasing research collaborations among them.
I was responsible for creating the Operational Concept Description, starting on the next
page, which described the work we were going to do and how it would fit in with PTS
overall.
Following the OCD is an overview, beginning on page 19, of what we delivered to PTS.
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Operational Concept Description (OCD)
Pediatric Trauma Society
Research Investigator Databank
Team 1
Kenda Albertson, Independent Verification & Validation
Mehrdad Mahdavi Boroujerdi, Feasibility Analyst and Project Manager
Georges Hatem, Life Cycle Planner and Project Manager
Nicholas McCall, Operational Concept Engineer
Junjian Wang, Prototyper and System Architect
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Version History
Date Author Version Changes Made Rationale
10/10/12 NM 1.0 Initial draft; 1.1, 1.2, 2.1,
2.2, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3
10/15/12 NM 1.1 Added 2.3, remainder of 3 All sections now have a
draft
10/22/12 NM 1.2 Revised 2, 3.1, 3.3.2,
added tables of contents
General revisions
10/30/12 NM 1.3 Revised 3.1.3, 3.2, 3.3.1,
3.3.2, 3.4.2, other minor
rewording
Preparation for ARB
11/5/12 NM 1.4 Revised 2.1, 2.2, 3.1.3,
3.3
ARB comments
11/25/12 NM 2.0 Revised 2.4, Figs. 2-5,
Tables 3.2.1, 3.2.4
Corrections and new
requirements
12/3/12 NM 2.1 2.4, 3.1.1, 3.2.1 Corrections
2/11/13 NM 3.0 3.3.1, 3.3.2 Corrections
4/1/13 NM 4.0 2.4, 3.3.1, 3.3.2 Corrections
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Table of Contents
Version History ................................................................................................................................ iii
Table of Tables ................................................................................................................................v
Table of Figures ...............................................................................................................................v
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 6
1.1 Purpose of the OCD .............................................................................................................. 6
1.2 Status of the OCD ................................................................................................................. 6
2. Shared Vision ............................................................................................................................. 7
2.1 Program Model ...................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 Benefits Chain ....................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 System Capability Description .............................................................................................. 9
2.4 System Boundary and Environment ................................................................................... 10
3. System Transformation............................................................................................................. 11
3.1 Information on Current System ........................................................................................... 11
3.1.1 Infrastructure ................................................................................................................ 11
3.1.2 Artifacts ......................................................................................................................... 11
3.1.3 Current Business Workflow .......................................................................................... 12
3.2 System Objectives, Constraints, and Priorities .................................................................. 13
3.2.1 Capability Goals ........................................................................................................... 13
3.2.2. Level-of-Service Goals ................................................................................................ 13
3.2.3 Organizational Goals .................................................................................................... 13
3.2.4 Constraints ................................................................................................................... 15
3.2.5 Relation to Current System .......................................................................................... 15
3.3 Proposed New Operational Concept .................................................................................. 16
3.3.1 Element Relationship Diagram..................................................................................... 16
3.3.2 Business Workflow Diagram ........................................................................................ 17
3.4 Organizational and Operational Implications ...................................................................... 18
3.4.1 Organizational Transformations ................................................................................... 18
3.4.2 Operational Transformations........................................................................................ 18
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Table of Tables
Table 1: Program Model ................................................................................................................. 7
Table 2: Capability Goals .............................................................................................................. 13
Table 3: Level-of-Service Goals ................................................................................................... 13
Table 4: Organizational Goals ...................................................................................................... 14
Table 5: Constraints ...................................................................................................................... 15
Table 6: Relation to Current System ............................................................................................ 15
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Benefits Chain ................................................................................................................. 8
Figure 2: System Boundary and Environment ............................................................................. 10
Figure 3: Current Business Workflow ........................................................................................... 12
Figure 4: Element Relationship .................................................................................................... 16
Figure 5: New Business Workflow ................................................................................................ 17
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1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose of the OCD
This document details the success-critical stakeholders’ shared vision and goals for the
Pediatric Trauma Society’s (PTS) new Research Investigator Databank (RID). The stakeholders
are the USC development team, the marketing and research teams at PTS, and PTS’s
webmaster.
1.2 Status of the OCD
All sections are complete, ready for the IOC package.
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2. Shared Vision
2.1 Program Model
Assumptions:
People are willing to use an electronic system for collaboration
Increased collaboration improves research
Stakeholders (Who) Initiatives (What) Value Propositions
(Why)
Beneficiaries
(For Whom)
Developers
PTS marketing
team
PTS research
team
Webmaster
Database
administrator
Develop System
Market the project
and get people to
sign up.
Promoting
success stories.
Collect statistics
on injuries
Perform outreach
of new research
Train the web
master.
Increase research
collaborations
between members
of PTS.
Improve education
and research.
Reduce number of
injuries for
children.
Reduce the
burden on
hospitals and
clinics.
Members of PTS
The medical field
Children
Parents
Hospitals, Clinics,
Society
Table 1: Program Model
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2.2 Benefits Chain
Developers
Develop
system
Train webmaster,
database
administrator
Increased
research
collaboration
Ensures smooth operation
Increase
membership
More users lead to
more professional connections
PTS Marketing,
members
Promote
success
stories
Will attract more members
Improved
education and
research
Collect statistics on
pediatric injuries
To inform research
PTS researchers,
members, care
providers, webmaster
Reduce
pediatric
injuries and
burden on
providers
Outreach of
new research
Members, care
providers, parents,
children
Figure 1: Benefits Chain
Assumptions
People are willing to use an
electronic system for
collaboration
Increased collaboration
improves research
Key
Contribution
Initiative
Outcome
Stakeholder
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2.3 System Capability Description
The new system to be built for PTS consists primarily of two new modules to be added
to the society’s website for the exclusive use of its membership. The first is a searchable
database, culled from the vast information stored on PubMed. The second is a discussion
board. Now, all the material is already available through PubMed, and there are numerous
forums on pretty much every topic. However, the goal is to narrow down the subject to research
directly related to pediatric health concerns, in order for members to easily find relevant
research and practitioners for collaboration. Right now, PTS’s members have a difficult time
wading through all the research and finding other pediatric specialists. By having a database
focused solely on the field of pediatric medicine, members will not have to waste time combing
through PubMed to find research directly concerning children. The discussion board furthers the
goal of increased collaboration by providing a space for PTS members to communicate with
each other, as opposed to the current website, where there is no space for researchers to
casually discuss topics.
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PTS Members
Moderators
Internet
PubMed
GoDaddy service
Webmaster
DBMS Admin
PTS
Authentication
Module
PTS Website
PTS Servers
2.4 System Boundary and Environment
Figure 2: System Boundary and Environment
See published articles with abstract
Display a collaboration map
Member profile
Post new topics and respond to existing ones
User can see list of personal MESH terms
Keyword search
Advanced search
Member search
Send/receive messages
Post CV
View message history
Custom database
Support Infrastructure
Php, Perl, Javascript, jQuery
MySQL
List of services
Key
Stakeholders
and systems
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3. System Transformation
3.1 Information on Current System
3.1.1 Infrastructure
The website is written in Perl. Its HTML files are currently hosted on GoDaddy, which
offers hosting plans that can support an unlimited number of 1GB MySQL databases and
unlimited space. The members-only portion of the site, containing all the dynamic functions, is
self-hosted on PTS’s servers, and uses SQL Server. PTS uses WebBoard, hosted by dundee
WebBoard Solutions, but nobody has ever used it.
3.1.2 Artifacts
Website home page
Members area
Member search - Searching for a member brings up the person’s directory
entry
Update membership – Form to update contact information and user/password
Executive Board minutes
Newsletters
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3.1.3 Current Business Workflow
Business Workflow
User Administrator
Apply and
pay, online or
by mail, to
join PTS
Create
account and
profile
Log in to PTS
from any
page on
website
Is a
member?
Members-only
area
Yes
No
Send new
member login
details
Update
membership
Search
directory
Access
reference
material
Add user to
member
spreadsheet
Figure 3: Current Business Workflow
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3.2 System Objectives, Constraints, and Priorities
3.2.1 Capability Goals
ID Capability Goal Priority
OC-1 Custom Database: There shall be a database populated with
information from PubMed
Must Have
OC-2 Article Search: Members can search by keyword, author Must Have
OC-3 Member Search: Members can search member directory Must Have
OC-4 Profile Contents: User shall have a profile page with a list of personal
MESH interests, articles, downloadable CV
Must Have
OC-5 Discussion Board: Members can post and respond to topics Should Have
OC-6 Private Messaging System: Members can send/receive messages
and see message history
Should Have
OC-7 Frequent-Collaborators List: Members will have a list that displays
his or her most-frequent coauthors
Would Like
OC-8 Advanced Search: Separate detailed search: MESH, state, etc. Should Have
OC-9 Collaboration Map: Frequent-collaborators list overlaid on a map Would Like
Table 2: Capability Goals
3.2.2. Level-of-Service Goals
ID Level-of-Service Goal Priority
LOS-1 Number of Users: Support 200 users, 100 concurrently Must Have
LOS-2 Scalability: System shall be able to expand as membership and
database grows
Must Have
LOS-3 Response Time: Search time will be under one minute Must Have
LOS-4 Downtime: Consistent and no more than four hours per month Should Have
Table 3: Level-of-Service Goals
3.2.3 Organizational Goals
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ID Organizational Goal
OG-1 Share Research: Increase dissemination of research by providing a custom database
OG-2 Prospective Partners: Create a space to learn about members’ work with detailed
user profiles
OG-3 Facilitate Communication: Encourage members to connect with each other through
the discussion board and messaging system
Table 4: Organizational Goals
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3.2.4 Constraints
ID Constraint
CO-1 Exclusivity: Members are the only users that can access the system
CO-2 Compatibility: The new components must be compatible with the current website,
which is coded in Perl
CO-3 Budget: Still under discussion
Table 5: Constraints
3.2.5 Relation to Current System
Capabilities Current System New System
Roles and
Responsibilities
Website wholly maintained
by webmaster
Moderators will guide discussion board
New designated database manager
User
Interactions
Some reference material
Search directory
Unused forum
Find pediatric research
Find detailed member profiles
Communicate with members
Infrastructure Simple website Regularly updated database
Stakeholder
Essentials and
Amenities
Current repository for pediatric research
Easy-to-use communication tools
Future
Capabilities
TBD
Table 6: Relation to Current System
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3.3 Proposed New Operational Concept
3.3.1 Element Relationship Diagram
PTS RID
User CV Files
PubMed
Search
Module
Profile
Management
Module
PTS’s
Authentication
Module
User
Discussion Board
Private
Messaging
Module
Database
Articles
Profiles
CVs
Login Hyperlink
Hyperlink
Hyperlink
Review, update
Query for articles,
profiles
Pull research
articles
Figure 4: Element Relationship
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3.3.2 Business Workflow Diagram
New Business Workflow
User
Enter
members-
only area
Manage
profile
Manage own
work from
PubMed
Upload CV
Verify articles
from search
results
Is user
author?
Delete
article(s) from
database and
profile
No
Yes
Search for
articles,
members
Enter
discussion
board
Post/read
topics
Send
messages
Apply and pay,
online or by mail,
to join PTS
Create
account and
profile
Log in to PTS
from any page on
website
Is a
member?
Yes
No
Send new
member login
details
Administrator
Update
membership
Access
reference
material
Add user to
member
spreadsheet
Figure 5: New Business Workflow
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3.4 Organizational and Operational Implications
3.4.1 Organizational Transformations
A database manager will need to be hired, or an existing staff member can be trained, to
maintain the new database and troubleshoot it when any problems arise. He or she will
need to work with the webmaster to ensure that the database cleanly interfaces with the
site.
The discussion board will need several moderators to keep it organized, update it, and
mediate any interpersonal conflicts that arise. Moderators need not be new hires, but
can be PTS officials, or any active and personally invested member who wants some
responsibility. These people will be intimate with the daily running and, possibly,
troubleshooting of the software.
3.4.2 Operational Transformations
PTS will become a new destination to find up-to-date pediatric research.
Members will gain a revamped site that is a useful place to meet other researchers and
communicate, hopefully leading to increased research collaboration and greater shared
knowledge.
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Results
(Screenshots show dummy data.)
New profile page:
20
New edit-profile page:
21
Once a member’s publications were imported, he or she could verify each entry,
deleting any, if necessary, by pressing the red circle.
This screen shows the entire view of the PTS website. We contained our work within the
main body and in the “Quick Links” portion of the sidebar.
22
The searchable database was the must-have component of the project.
23
Result of a basic search. The live version could produce pages and pages of results.
24
Advanced Search hints at what the database contains.
25
PTS originally wanted to also have a messaging system and collaboration pods as a
way for individual groups to have their own online workspace. The pods’ complexity was
outside the scope of the course, so we negotiated and agreed to install a message
board instead, which, while not as fancy, could suffice until the next major project. We
chose phpBB and I set it up. We wanted to implement single-sign-on, but the
webmaster did not want to share security information, so that had to be left for PTS staff
to do.
