Public High School Library Book Circulation and Inventory System

Vision
Public High School Library

June 10, 2015

Public High School Library Book Circulation

and Inventory System

Vision
Version 1.2

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Public High School Library Book Circulation and Inventory System

Vision
Public High School Library

June 10, 2015

Revision History
Date

Version

Description

25 May 2015

1.0

First draft

30 May 2015

1.1

First draft_semi complete

10 June 2015

1.2

First complete draft

Author

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Public High School Library Book Circulation and Inventory System

Vision
Public High School Library

June 10, 2015

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose
1.2 Scope
1.3 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations
1.4 References
1.5 Overview
2. Positioning
2.1 Business Opportunity
2.2 Problem Statement
2.3 Product Position Statement
3. Stakeholder and User Descriptions
3.1 Stakeholder Summary
3.2 User Summary
3.3 User environment
3.4 Stakeholder Profiles
3.4.1 MGM Store Manager
3.4.2 MGM Business Manager
3.4.3 MGM Software Architect
3.4.4 MGM Project Manager
3.5 User Profiles
3.5.1 MGM System End User
3.5.2 MGM System Administrator
3.6 Key Stakeholder/User Needs
3.7 Alternatives and Competition
3.7.1 Stay with the current system.
3.7.2 Buy an existing online securities trading service company.
4. Product Overview
4.1 Product Perspective
4.2 Summary of Capabilities
4.3 Assumptions and Dependencies
4.4 Cost and Pricing
4.5 Licensing and Installation
5. Product Features
6. Constraints
7. Quality Ranges
7.1 Reliability
7.2 Availability
7.3 Usability

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7.4 Fault Tolerance

7.5 Supportability
7.6 Functionality
8. Precedence and Priority
8.1 High Priority
8.2 Medium Priority
8.3 Low Priority
9. Other Product Requirements
9.1 Applicable Standards
9.2 Environmental Requirements
9.3 Platform Requirements
9.4 System Requirements
9.5 Performance Requirements
10. Documentation Requirements
10.1 User Manual
10.2 Online Help
10.3 Installation Guides, Configuration, Read Me File
10.4 Labeling and Packaging
11. Appendix 1 - Feature Attributes

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Vision
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June 10, 2015

Public High School Library Book Circulation and Inventory System Project
Vision
1.

Introduction
The purpose of this document is to collect, analyze, and define high-level
needs and features of the Generic High School Book Circulation and
Inventory System. It focuses on the capabilities needed by the librarians
and the patrons, and why these needs exist. The details of how the
Generic High School Book Inventory System fulfills these needs are
detailed in the use-case and supplementary specifications.
Information is what is needed to make current and future decisions and
are data that have been evaluated in the context of a specific problem
situation. Most librarians would contend that it is the proper management
of data and information that is one of the keys to a successfully managed
operation. However, most decision makers are more often than not
overwhelmed with the large amounts of data, but only limited supply of
information. The value of information is directly related to the decisions
of the superiors have to make.
A major decision making component in any organization is stock keeping
and checking. It can be a real challenge for most businesses and may
become a major problem especially if the inventories are long and in- and
outflow is huge. Manual reports are time consuming and difficult to
construct. Inadequacy, duplication, irrelevance and inefficiency are just
few of the many problems with the current manually operated systems.
List of files and papers in these files are difficult to document and
maintain, thus prone to risk of loss or damage, making the system
inefficient. Automation is the obvious solution to make transactions faster
and easier.
The introduction of the Vision document provides an overview of the
entire document. It includes the purpose, scope, definitions, acronyms,
abbreviations, references, and overview of this Vision document.

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Purpose
The purpose of this document is to define the high level requirement of
the Public High School Library Book Circulation and Inventory System.
The objective of writing a Vision document for the Public High School
Book Circulation and Inventory System is to enable agreement among
librarian and developer. Another purpose of writing a vision document is
to provide a common platform for agreement between the developers
themselves.
Scope
This document records the vision for the Public High School Library Book
Circulation and Inventory System. The purposes of this document are to:
identify and agree on the problems faced by end users and the effects of
those problems on productivity and efficiency, gather and describe
customer requests for software features, propose a solution identify any
constraints to the proposed solution, identify librarians and users, and
also identify the software development team.

Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

This is a comprehensive list of all terms used in this vision document.
Acknowledgement It refers to the signature of patrons.
Book Circulation It refers to loaning, borrowing and returning of
books.
Borrow- It refers to the transaction when the books is being borrowed
and is not carried outside the library.
Database (DB) an organized (structured) body of related information.
Inventory a detailed list of books in the library that are in stock.
Inventory of Books A detailed list of books which includes total
numbers of returned books, total number of borrowed books, unit value
of books, book description and remarks on the book condition.

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Lend It refers to the transaction when patrons carried the book outside
the library.
User a person who can interact with the software can be a librarian
or assistant library(library aide).

References
[This subsection provides a complete list of all documents referenced
elsewhere in the Vision document. Identify each document by title, report
number if applicable, date, and publishing organization. Specify the sources
from which the references can be obtained. This information may be provided
by reference to an appendix or to another document.]
Overview
The following sections outline the software product in higher detail. The
key features that will be implemented are also defined. The constraints
that will be imposed upon the software and the quality ranges, in other
words, the robustness, fault tolerance and usability of the software
product amongst other things are also covered.
In the precedence and priority section, the comment will be the most
important functionalities that the software product must have and the
integrity of the sales system. In the following sections will discuss all
other product requirements, such as, performance requirements,
platform requirements and environmental requirements. Lastly, we will
comment on the documentation requirements, such as, user manuals,
online help & support, installation and packaging.
This document contains product positioning statements, an analysis of
the systems stakeholders, an analysis of the expected system users, and
a list of features that the system should deliver. These features are
derived from the input obtained from stakeholders.
2.

Positioning

Business Opportunity

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Currently, Public High School Library Book Circulation and Inventory

System has a number of critical library objectives. The success of this
project will enable Public High School Library to continue to give
efficient and effective high quality services to its patrons.
Problem Statement
The problem of

A manual inventory system that:

Is prone to errors (redundant items)

Is not up to date.

Time consuming

All information is not placed

separately

Is very tedious especially in

accessioning of books

Is very difficult to search for book

records.

Requires a lot of paper work

affects

Public High School Library

the impact of which is

Uncertainty in the circulation and

inventory of books. We need to replace the
current manual book circulation and
inventory system.

a successful solution
would be

A flexible, cost effective book circulation

and inventory system that can be easily
configured and:
Provide the feature set demanded
by our librarians.
Provide a reliable service that has
no errors.
Reduce the operation and
maintenance costs to no more than
10% of the current inventory system.
Generates Inventory of books
automatically.

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Product Position Statement

For

Public High School Library Book Circulation

and Inventory System

Who

Needs to replace the manual Public High

School Library Book Circulation and
Inventory System because its time
consuming, very tedious, information is not
sorted properly, slow data processing, lot of
paper work, difficult to maintain records,
difficult to search for items/records, and
difficult to create book inventory reports
and waste material reports.

The Public High School

Library Book
Circulation and
Inventory System

is a desktop application Book Circulation

and Inventory System

That

Provides automated book circulation and

inventory system functionality demanded by
librarians and patrons.
continuing with the current manual
inventory system that is:

Unlike

Our product

Prone to errors (redundant items)

Not up to date.

Time consuming

All information is not placed

separately

Very tedious

Very difficult to search for records

and items

Requires a lot of paper work

Difficult to create book inventory

reports and waste material reports.

will make the public libraries more efficient

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Vision
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in public service by:

Providing error free book circulation and
inventory system that provides all of the
most popular features requested by our
patrons.
Allowing bug fixes and upgrades to be
applied quickly and cheaply.
Reducing operating costs by using
supported hardware and using standard
maintenance contracts.
3.

Stakeholder and User Descriptions

Stakeholder Summary
There are typically a large number of stakeholders to a project. Here we
list the ones that have primary responsibilities and have the largest
influence on the success of the project.
Name

Represents

Role

Librarian

This is a stakeholder
that is primary for
leading the system
development.

Public High
School Library
- End User

People who use the

system.

Plans, manages and

allocates resources, shapes
priorities, coordinates
interactions with customers
and users, and keeps the
project team focused. Also
establishes a set of practices
that ensure the integrity and
quality of project artifacts.
Validate that the features
offered by the system are
adequate and responsive to
the needs of the users.

User Summary
Name

Description

Stakeholder

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End User- Head Item

Encoder

A very knowledgeable end

user, who is on the system
very frequently and is aware
of and makes use of
advanced features.

Public High
School
Library Book
Circulation
and
Inventory
System- End
User

End User-Nave

Infrequent end user of the

system. This person needs
guidance and might need to
refer to online help for
definitions and business
consequences of book
circulation and inventory
actions.

Public High
School
Library Book
Circulation
and
Inventory
System - End
User

Public High School

Library System
Administrator

Does customization and

setup activities on the
system. Maintains up-to-date
information and produces
and analyzes operational
reports of system
performance.

Public High
School
Library Book
Circulation
and
Inventory
System Project
Manager

Public High School

Library -System
Support

Helps calling end user use

the system correctly. Reports
errors and develops
operational fixes.

Public High
School
Library Book
Circulation
and
Inventory
System Project
Manager

Public High School

Library - Developer

Part of the team that

develops the system
(software developer, tester,
etc.)

Public High
School
Library Book
Circulation
and
Inventory
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Project
Manager

User Environment
Most of the end users work alone. They have logged on to the Computer
Terminal with the book circulation and inventory management system
desktop application installed into it.
Except for the people who share an account, there is no interplay
between the different end users. They are independent of each other.
It is expected that some of end users will be encoding at the same time.
End user accesses the system through a standard computer terminal
(network). They do not need to learn new user interface (UI) techniques
of any type.
They access the system through windows platform.
Stakeholder Profiles
Public Secondary HS Inventory Management System Librarian
Representative

Public High School Library

Description
Type

Manages the library operation.

Is an expert-level user of the system.

Responsibilities

Does the business analysis of the system for

justification to the Mennens Gift Mart Business
Manager. Achieves a definition of the system that
can be built and delivered on time and within cost.
Commits the marketing and sales resources to make
money with the product.
The product (system) is accepted and makes money,
as evidenced by a continued trend of reductions in
monthly loss of customers with a corresponding
increasing trend in monthly profits.
Constantly reviews plans and development progress.
Assesses how features are being supported.
Participates during iteration assessment sessions

Success Criteria

Involvement
Deliverables

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Comments /
Issues

June 10, 2015

and when project decisions are made.

Needs to perform it functions to highest standards.

Public Secondary HS Inventory Management System Supply Officer

Representative

The entity that makes the funding decisions for

development.

Description

Ensures that the institution has the plans and

resources to deliver the system and that it is a good
business decision for the institution to spend the
funds.
Probably not a user of the system.

Type
Responsibilities

Success Criteria
Involvement
Deliverables
Comments /
Issues

Assures the funds are committed to the project and

adjustments are made with sound business sense.
Influences marketing and sales to prioritize the
system according to the companys vision. Promotes
the system with potential customers.
The system makes money for the company and is
aligned with the overall strategy. The company gets
good press from the system, and the stock goes up.
Participates in the systems phase assessments.
Provides the project team with resources and
promote the system vision with good press inside
and outside the company.
The Supply officer should be supported with solid
marketing information about the system.

MGM Inventory Management System Software Architect

Representative

The project team that develops and releases the

System.

Description

This is a stakeholder that is primary for leading the

system development.
Very proficient in the use of the system.

Type
Responsibilities

Responsible for the software architecture, which

includes the key technical decisions that constrain
the overall design and implementation for the
project. Ensures that the system is going to be
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Success Criteria
Involvement
Deliverables
Comments /
Issues

June 10, 2015

maintainable and the architectural solution

supports the functional and non-requirements.
Allocates the resources and provides the technical
and business controls to assure the success of the
project.
The project completes a sound delivery that can be
sold, as specified by the Public School Librarian
The Development Manager works closely with the
Librarians, and Analyst to ensure that all is on the
right track.
Supports the project with controls, imaginative
resolution of problems, allocation of resources, and
teams building activities.
The Software Architect can also act as an assistant
technical leader in some areas of expertise.

User Profiles
Users are listed in two categories: end users and Public Secondary HS
Inventory Management System administrators which is the Librarian. The
breakdown shown above is too detailed for this section.
Public Secondary HS Inventory Management System End User
Representative

The assistant librarian and job orders are the

representative of End Users.

Description

Uses the Public Secondary HS Inventory

Management System to perform book circulation
and inventory.

Type

The Head Item Encoder is very knowledgeable

about the systems operations and features
because of constant use.
The nave user is either a first-time user or an
infrequent user.

Responsibilities

End users give the development team feedback

about how the system supports their transactions.
They should point out lacking features and
awkward operational characteristics of the
system.
Users benefit from an improved system access to

Success Criteria

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their needs.
Involvement

Deliverables
Comments /
Issues

Users should participate in the description of use

cases, the evaluation of partial implementations,
and the assessment of the help features of the
system.
Users deliver feedback to the teams analysts and
architect either verbally or in writing.
It is very important to the project to have good
user representatives. They can improve the
system by sharing their domain expertise and
operational needs.

MGM Inventory Management System System Administrator

Representative

System administrators are represented by the

Librarian.

Description

System administrators do set up, customization,

support and development of the system.
All system administrators are users at the expert
level.

Type
Responsibilities

Success Criteria
Involvement

Deliverables
Comments /
Issues

Prepares and executes installation and

customization operations. Tends to production
problems (errors, performance, work-around
solutions, etc.) Supports end users who call for
help or to report errors. Develops and test parts of
the system.
Customer satisfaction measures.
Should participate during development in the
same way that end users do. They should
concentrate on the support and maintenance use
cases.
Comments to improve the support and
maintenance aspects of the system.
Often, the system administrator users are not
brought on-board in time to improve the system. A
special effort should be made to get their
feedback as early as possible.

Key Stakeholder or User Needs

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Requirements

Origin

STRQ1: Be able to add, edit, and remove books from

their inventory. A book would have basic information
that identifies it, specifies its description, property
number and unit value.
STRQ2: Be able to analyze the total value of books
they have as a means to check whether or not they are
sufficient.
STRQ3: In the event of theft or suspicious fire, the
company can use the system to provide an inventory of
possible lost items to law enforcement (e.g., printed
report).
STRQ4: The System should provide automatic
deduction of book inventory during book borrowing and
book lending.

Item Encoder

STRQ5: The System should provide automatic addition

to book stocks during returning of books.

Librarian/Assistant
Librarian/Job
Orders

STRQ6: The System should provide reports: automated,

detailed book circulation reports and waste material
report
STRQ7: The System should make all forms and reports
can be previewed on the screen before printing.

Librarian/Supply
Officer

Librarian/Supply
Officer
Librarian/Supply
Officer
Librarian/Assistant
Librarian/Job
Orders

Librarian/Supply
Officer

Alternatives and Competition

Stay with the current system
This is not a viable alternative due to the current operating costs and
downward trend in customer base
Downloading an open-source book circulation and inventory management
system.
Public Library High School could download an existing book circulation
and inventory system. This is surely a possibility, but these systems have

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different features than what are needed in the public high school
libraries.
4. Product Perspective
Public High School Library Book Circulation and Inventory System is planned
to run the system in a standalone desktop application.

4.1

Summary of Capabilities
Public High School Library Book Circulation and Inventory
System
User Benefit
Supporting Features
Convenient, flexible access Local access
to the system
Secured access to the
Secured access to the system
system
New support staff can
Knowledge base assists support
quickly get up to speed.
personnel in quickly identifying
known fixes and workarounds.
Customer satisfaction is
Problems are uniquely
improved because nothing
itemized, classified and
falls through the cracks.
tracked throughout the
resolution process. Automatic
notification occurs for any
aging issues.
Management can identify
Trend and distribution reports
problem areas and gauge
allow high level review of
staff workload.
problem status.

4.2

Assumptions and Dependencies

The HACS is developed using a component based software engineering

approach. The basic features of the system are attainable with todays
technologies. No high-risk dependencies are envisioned.
4.3

Cost and Pricing

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Supply Officer is working on the pricing points and Development is working

on the cost estimates.
4.4

Licensing and Installation

The product can be installed by the end user with the basic knowledge on
software installation.
5. Product Features
Features
FEAT1: The System provides real-time inventory of books.
FEAT2: The system view patrons book in hand.
FEAT3: The system automates book circulation like book borrowing, lending
and returning.
FEAT4: The can automatically generates book inventory reports.
6. Constraintss

Security for the Public High School Book Circulation and Inventory
System includes authentication, access control, data integrity, and data
privacy.

Authentication of the user is by identifier and password.

System responds within 2 seconds on average to local user requests and

changes in the environment.

7. Quality Ranges
7.1.

7.2.

7.3.

Reliability
The system shall be designed to be robust and be able to
handle a large amount of traffic.
The system must be able to handle improper user input.

The system shall be designed in a manner that is free of

security flaws.
Availability
The system shall be available to users during the specified
time that the client chooses (24hours, business hours only,
etc.)
Usability
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7.4.

7.5.

7.6.

The system shall enable the users to navigate and perform

operations in an intuitive and easy manner. The user interface
must allow the user to search for the books in a timely
manner. Also, vendors must access the system in a secure
manner and the book information. However, they should have
this capability during the business day but not affect the
business operations of the bookstore.
Fault Tolerance
The system must be designed to be robust, especially during
the start of the Christmas season, opening of classes, and
summer terms. If a crash happens, a simple switch to a backup
or reboot fixes the problem temporarily so that the software
remains operational. The software must be able to handle
improper user input. The system shall also be designed in a
manner which is free of exploits.
Supportability
The system shall be designed for easy maintenance and
upgradability. The system will be designed to handle a large
and diverse load at peak times at the start of each semester.
The system must continue operating at a constant pace with a
maximum load.
Functionality
The system shall be designed such that a user can query
information stored in the databases. The system shall be
designed for easy navigation. Also each separate database can
be modified to tailor a clients needs. The system shall be able
to provide all the system features as outline in previous
sections.

8. Precedence and Priority

8.1. High Priority
Book Deliveries inputs from end users.
Book Circulation
Book Inventory Reports
8.2. Medium Priority
none.
8.3. Low Priority
User interfaces.
9. Other Product Requirement
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9.1. Applicable Standards

ISBN standard.
9.2. Environmental Requirements
The environment of the system is in front desk of the public
libraries.
9.3. Platform Requirements
The software will only run on windows environment.
9.4. System Requirements
The product must have an interface with the printer/printers
of the store in order to print the necessary report. It should be
designed so that possible updates and maintenance can be
done as effortlessly as possible. If a system crash should occur
there should be back up files so that the system may be
restarted.
9.5. Performance Requirements
The product must minimize the amount of time spent updating
and organizing the databases. The access time to the
databases must not exceed 1s seconds. The system is expected
to be highly dependable and highly unsusceptible to crashes.
Searches and updates to the database must be done in real
time and therefore as quickly and efficiently as possible. It
should be specifically designed to operate smoothly under the
busiest conditions.
10.

Documentation Requirements
10.1. User Manual
A user manual will provided as a PDF document to staff. It will
outline, in detail, the systems functions.
10.2. Online Help
System documentation will also be available online; it will
include the user manual, FAQ section and an email support
system.
10.3. Installation, Guides, Configuration and Read Me File

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The installation guide and configuration guidelines will be

provided as part of the Read Me file which is included as a .txt
file.

10.4. Labeling and Packaging

The software will be packaged for the Visual Studio
environment running Visual Basic 6. Labeling will include all
icons, copyright information and any applicable trademarks.
11.

Appendix 1 - Feature Attributes

Refer to [1].

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