MAKERERE

UNIVERSITY

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL

TOPIC:
AN ONLINE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING SYSTEM FOR CIVIL AVIATION
AUTHORITY

BY

KUTEESA .N. KEVIN

11/U/18506/PS
SUPERVISOR
Mr. KASSE JOHN PAUL

A PROJECTREPORT SUBMITTED TO MAKERERE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS

SCHOOL AS AREQUIREMENT FOR THE PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
AWARD OF A BACHELORS DEGREEOF OFFICE AND INFORMATION
MANAGMENT OF
MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
APIRL 2014

DECLARATION
I, Kuteesa.N.Kevin, declare that this dissertation is my original work except where references
have been made, and has never been submitted for a degree award to this university, or any other
university or institution of higher learning that I am knowledgeable of.

Signed
Date....

APPROVAL
I hereby state and verify by my signature that I have reviewed this report and therefore I declare
that it was written by the above student in accordance with the rules and regulations established
by Makerere University Business School.
Academic Supervisor:
Signed Date..................................................
MR. KASSE JOHN PAUL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION.............................................................................................................. i
APPROVAL................................................................................................................... ii
Table of contents............................................................................................................. iii
List of tables................................................................................................................... v
List of figures................................................................................................................. vi
Abbreviations and Acronyms............................................................................................. vii
CHAPTER ONE.............................................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 1
1.1

Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1

1.2

Background.......................................................................................................... 1

1.3

Statement of the Problem.......................................................................................... 3

1.4

General objective/purpose of the study.........................................................................3

1.4.1Specific objective...................................................................................................... 3
1.5

Study Scope.......................................................................................................... 3

1.5.1

Subject Scope..................................................................................................... 3

1.5.2

Geographical Scope............................................................................................. 4

1.5.2

Time Scope........................................................................................................ 4

1.6

Significance of the Study.......................................................................................... 4

CHAPTER TWO............................................................................................................. 5
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................... 5
2.1

Internet Computing................................................................................................. 5

2.2

Information Systems............................................................................................... 5

2.3

Web-Based Information System................................................................................. 6

2.4

Concept of Scheduling............................................................................................. 7

2.5

Types of Scheduling................................................................................................ 7

2.6

Benefits of Online Scheduling Systems........................................................................8

CHAPTER THREE........................................................................................................ 11
3

METHODOLOGY......................................................................................................... 11
1.1

Introduction........................................................................................................ 11

1.2

Research Methodology.......................................................................................... 11

1.3

Data Sources/Data Types........................................................................................ 11

1.4

Primary Data....................................................................................................... 11

1.5

Secondary Data.................................................................................................... 11

1.6

Study population.................................................................................................. 12

1.7

Sample size and sample design.................................................................................12

1.8

Data Collection Methods........................................................................................ 12

1.9

Interview............................................................................................................ 12

1.10

Observation........................................................................................................ 12

1.11

Document Review................................................................................................ 13

CHAPTER FOUR.......................................................................................................... 16
SYSTEM ANALYSIS..................................................................................................... 17
4.1

Introduction........................................................................................................ 17

4.2

System Analysis-Current System.............................................................................. 17

CHAPTER FIVE........................................................................................................... 29
SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT............................................................................................. 29
5.1

Introduction........................................................................................................ 29

5.2

System Development............................................................................................. 29

5.3

Results of System Testing....................................................................................... 29

5.4

System implementation.......................................................................................... 29

CHAPTER SIX............................................................................................................. 30
DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................31
6.1

Introduction........................................................................................................ 31

6.2

Discussions......................................................................................................... 31

6.7

A Table Showing the Research Objectives, they level of accomplishment and how.................31

6.4

Conclusion......................................................................................................... 32

6.5

Recommendations................................................................................................ 32

6.6

Limitations of the study.......................................................................................... 33

4

Reference.................................................................................................................... 34

LIST OF TABLE

Table1;........................................................................................................................ 24
Table 2........................................................................................................................ 25
Table 3........................................................................................................................ 26

LIST OF FIGURE

Figure 2: Context Diagram Current System.........................................................................17

Figure 3: Level 0 Data Flow Diagram: Current System............................................................17
Figure 4: Context diagram: New System..............................................................................19
figure 5: Level 0 DFD: New System................................................................................... 20
Figure 6: Entity relational Model........................................................................................ 27

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

CAA:

Civil Aviation Authority

DFD:

Data Flow Diagram

ER:

Entity Relationship

ERD:

Entity Relationship Diagram

GB:

Gigabyte

GHZ:

Gigahertz

IS:

Information System

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1

Introduction
This chapter covers the background, problem statement, purpose, objectives, scope and
the significance of the study.

1.2

Background
Information systems (IS) are increasingly playing a major role towards enhancing
productivity, output and service delivery of different sectors in the society. The most
fronted reasons for development and use of information systems are efficiency and
quality increase through routine automation, facilitation of better business processes,
superior service delivery and improved decision making. Laudon and Laudon (2006)
defines an information system as a set of interrelated components that collect, process,
store, and distribute information to support decision making, coordination and control in
an organization. The researchers state that Information systems are a foundation for
conducting business today to the extent that survival and the ability to achieve strategic
business goals is difficult without extensive use of computer technologies.

Much as there is an increasing transformation of industrial economies and business

enterprises as well as the emergence of digital firms which make information systems
extremely essential in business today, some organizations have not moved to adopting the
use of IS in running some of their business processes and a case in point is Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA).
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is a corporate body established by an Act of Parliament,
with the objective to promote the safe, regular, secure and efficient use and development
of civil aviation inside and outside Uganda. The mandate of the CAA is to coordinate and
oversee Uganda's aviation industry including licensing, regulation,air search and rescue
missions, air traffic control, ownership of airports and aerodromes, representing Uganda
in an international capacity to the aviation community and to all other aviation matters.
The authority operates on a highly competitive environment with rapidly changing
1

clientsneeds. This makes the entire working environment interactive in that the clients
always have to consult with the different offices about the changing needs and this means
schedulingappointments to effect such consultations.
Although CAA is technologically enabled, when it comes to scheduling appointments
with the different offices or managers, a client is unable to go to the Web to schedule an
appointment hence making the business process manual. For a client to schedule an
appointment with any of the offices, the client needs to do the following: Physically walk
to offices, register with the receptionist or the Personal Assistant (PA) of that office, the
receptionist or the PA examines the existing timeslots and then fixes the clients name in a
given timeslot of a particular day and then the client will walk back to the offices on the
day of the appointment to speak to the manager or the person concerned.

This current paper based approach for scheduling and managing appointments (paper
based & sending electronic documents) offers some limited help in managing the
appointments but does not address other workday challenges of efficiently managing
client flow. In managing phone calls, the receptionists are flooded with clients trying to
make an appointment, cancel an existing appointment, rescheduling an appointment as
well as sending reminders to the clients. Once the client arrives, the receptionist has no
way of knowing moment by moment when Staff are available to take their next
appointment. This kind of process expends considerable time and resources. It also
results in a disjointed, error prone system.

For a corporate company that is trying to advance the use of technology as a means of
improving and streamlining its business processes, CAA needs to transform the way
appointments are managed such that the clients, assigned staff and management are on
the same page. Clients need to know when to arrive, staff members need visibility of their
booked and open time and management simply needs visibility into how the overall
system is operating. It is therefore against the above background that the researcher

proposes that an appointment scheduling system to efficiently manage the appointment

made by clients.

1.3

Statement of the Problem

This paper based system used for scheduling and managing appointments at CAA was
tedious, unreliable and time-consuming thus offering limited help in managing the
appointments.The system was labor intensive in managing phone calls, the receptionists
are flooded with clients trying to make an appointment, cancel an existing appointment,
rescheduling an appointment as well as sending reminders to the clients making the entire
process tedious. This kind of process expends considerable time and resources hence
making the entire system disjointed and error prone.

1.4

General objective/purpose of the study

The general objective of the study was to develop an Online Appointment Scheduling
System in order to enable efficient and effective scheduling and management of client
appointments.

1.4.1

Specific objective

To study the current (manual) Appointment scheduling System that is used by CAA

and identify loopholes or weaknesses in that system.

To analyze the current Appointment Scheduling System so as to establish

requirements for designing the proposed Online Appointment Scheduling System.

To design and develop anOnline Appointment Scheduling system so as to resolve the

loopholes or weaknesses in the manual Appointment Scheduling System.

To test the functionality of the Online Appointment Scheduling system so as to
ascertain whether it meets the requirements for which it was developed.

1.5

Study Scope
Subject Scope
3

This study focused on developing an Online Appointment Scheduling System so as to

enable efficient and effective scheduling and management of client appointments for
Civil Aviation Authority.

Geographical Scope
This study was conducted at the Civil Aviation Authority which is located at Entebbe
International Airport in Wakiso district.
Time Scope
This study was conducted within a period of up to 4 months from December 2013 till
April 2014
1.6

Significance of the Study

The study leads to the development of an Online Appointment Scheduling System for

CAA that enables efficient scheduling and management of appointments.

The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on information system

design, implementation and management that is vital for other researchers to use.
The study contributes to the partial fulfillment of the requirements for an award of a
degree award in Office and Information Management of Makerere University.

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1

Internet Computing
The Internet is increasingly used as a large interconnection network for deploying
distributed applications to solve challenging problems in diverse areas. Application areas
include Finance and E-business, Government Services, Scientific Computing and Grids,
Bioinformatics, Physics, Remote Visualization, Remote Collaboration, Multimedia
applications, and File Sharing.
Walsh and Godfrey (2000), define the internet as a vast and burgeoning global web of
computer networks with no central management or ownership. It is a massive network of
networks, a network which any computer can communicate with any other computer as
long as they are both connected to the internet. Similarly Gartner Group (2012) views the
Internet phenomenon as a loose confederation of independent yet interconnected
networks that share information using a standard set of protocols. Internet computing
involves, basic programming languages are such as Hyper Text Markup Language
(HTML), Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML), Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS) and JavaScript. The internet is made up of many separate but interconnected
networks belonging to commercial, educational and governmental organizations, and
Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The services offered on the internet include electronic
mail(e-mail), conferencing and chat services, as well as the ability to access remote
computers, and send and receive files (Connolly and Begg, 2009).

2.2

Information Systems
Today it is widely recognized that information systems knowledge is essential for
managers because most organizations need information systems to survive and prosper.
Information systems can help companies extend their reach to faraway locations, offer
new products and services, reshape jobs and work flows, and perhaps profoundly change
the way they conduct business, (Laudon & Laudon, 2006).

An information system can be defined technically as a set of interrelated components that

collect (or retrieve), process, store, and distribute information to support decision making,
coordination and control in an organization. In addition to supporting decision making,
coordination, and control, information systems may also help managers and workers
analyze problems, visualize complex subjects, and create new products. Information
systems contain information about significant people, places, and things within the
organization or in the environment surrounding it. By information we mean data that
have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to human beings. Data, in
contrast, are streams of raw facts representing events occurring in organizations or the
physical environment before they have been organized and arranged into a form that
people can understand and use, (Laudon, K. &Laudon, J., 2006).
2.3

Web-Based Information System

WIS is an information system generating hypermedia presentations delivered by means
of the Web to users. Many information systems today use the Web as a platform. Their
remote clients interact with the system through Web browsers. Increasing demands of Ecommerce require richer functionality of such Web-based Information Systems (WIS).
This rich functionality goes together with richer means of user-interaction compared to
just following links. For the sake of conciseness in the rest of the paper we call such WIS
(though not completely correct) interactive WIS. WIS accepts a request from the user,
collects necessary data from distributed data sources, integrates the data, and using a
process of data transformations forms a hypermedia presentation in concrete end format
(Trahanias and Chandrinos,2000)
According to Purao (2002) a web-based system should be an easy-to-use system that
provided Web-based access for all staffs, rules-based, entry of preferences and viewing of
data, credential management, and ability to retrieve information. Peng and Steve (2005)
confirmed that web-based system increased the convenience and accessibility of
Management Information System services and information about prisoners in order to
develop prisoners details with an Integrated Management Information System. Users
were provided with accessible, relevant information and quality services that were more
expedient than traditional manual system through integration of an automated system for
6

the utilization of e-government services citizen trust, innovation and acceptance factors.
Web-based

System

made

work

easier

for

an

organization

to

produce

presentations, dramatically speeding time to get the required reports.

2.4

Concept of Scheduling
Scheduling is a problem that is grounded in many different levels of computer science
and computer hardware engineering. Various scheduling and sequencing problems have
been addressed since the 1950's by researchers in computer science, operations research
and discrete mathematics (Bailey,1952). In a business-computing context, scheduling
implies the automatic execution of background tasks at pre-set points in time. Three types
of scheduling distinguished are native, basic and advanced scheduling (Bailey,1954).The
author studies the phenomenon of scheduled patients who are to be treated in a typical
healthcare delivery process. This phenomenon of priorly scheduled arrivals that are
treated by a service provider is often studied as a queuing system in which jobs arrive
following a deterministic arrival process and receive a service which varies in duration.
After

this

pioneering

work

on

appointment

scheduling

the

subject has been extensively researched in both services and healthcare.

2.5

Types of Scheduling
Dynamic versus static scheduling
Cayirly and Veral (2003) give a good overview on the state of the art in appointment
scheduling categorizing appointment scheduling into two categories with respect to: static
and dynamic. In the static environment the appointment system is completely determined
in advance, in other words offline scheduling. This is in contrast to the dynamic case in
which changes in the schedule are permitted, so called online scheduling.
Information System and Appointment Scheduling
According to Manansang and Hein (1996) as IT solutions become more advanced,
scholars have begun to discuss the needs, challenges and opportunities of online
scheduling systems. In an early paper on online patient scheduling systems, Manansang
and Hein suggest that while online scheduling systems show promise, the efficient
utilization of such systems is a real concern. More recent works have also questioned the
7

efficiency of online scheduling systems. In a 2006 study, Kopach et al. (2006) examined
open access scheduling systems, which allow patients to schedule appointments 1-2
days in advance. The authors found that, under the right conditions, open access systems
are actually quite effective in optimizing the scheduling process, while maintaining an
appropriate continuity of care. Recent studies show promises that online appointment
scheduling holds for improving clinic-patient relationships. For example, Kirshners 2003
study suggests that online scheduling tools are part of a suite of IT solutions that can
improve doctor-patient relationships which therefore means that these can be extended in
other service sectors (Kirshner, 2003).
Online Scheduling System
Online scheduling system is a Web-based application that allows individuals to

conveniently and securely book their appointments and reservations online through any
Web-connected device, such as a computer, laptop, smart phone or tablet. They typically
access the online scheduling system through a Book Now button found on a Web site
or page, or from a URL provided to them. Once a date and time are selected, the system
will automatically confirm the booking and instantly record it within the system, without
any staff action needed. In addition to online scheduling, online scheduling systems also
come equipped with other beneficial features like automated e-mail and text message
reminders, which the system sends out to clients and booked individuals on a specific date
prior to their scheduled appointment; recording and record-keeping capabilities that make
it quick and simple to access data associated with a specific appointment; and repeat clients
reminders, which the system sends out automatically when a specified amount of time
has expired between appointments.
2.6

Benefits of Online Scheduling Systems

24-Hour Convenience
Scheduling appointments over the phone usually requires an individual to phone in
during office hours, as few facilities offer round-the-clock phone booking. This is an
inconvenience for most patients, as they too are working at this time. Additionally, many
individuals prefer to schedule their appointments online rather than over the phone. An
8

online scheduling system allows for 24-hour scheduling, not just during normal facility or
office hours.

Time savings
Staff spends less time on the phone booking and managing appointments, thereby freeing up
their schedule for more important and pressing tasks. Booking individuals also save time, as
they no longer have to commit a part of their busy schedule to calling their service provider
(or remain on hold, which adds minutes to the scheduling process).

Monetary savings
The time savings experienced by a facility can translate into monetary savings, as both
staff time and services translate into expenses and revenue, respectively. As staff
resources can now be directed at other tasks, a scheduling system can eliminate the need
for a staff member to work overtime or for management to hire new staff members to
handle the work overload created by the appointment-scheduling process.
Review of existing Online Appointment Scheduling systems
An Online Patient Appointment Scheduling System Based On Web Services
Architecture

The goal of the automated patient appointment scheduling is to integrate distributed

clinical systemsinto a set of consistent and convenient services accessible via a web
browser. With this system patients can book for appointments from doctors at any time
and from anywhere. This system also enables the doctors to manage their appointment
schedules from anywhere and at any time. This system is able to send reminder
notifications to the patients through emails hence making the entire process patientcentered.

The researcher bench marked from the above system to develop an online appointment
scheduling system for CAA. However with the appointments systems for CAA new
functionalities are added to the system for example the system is so responsive in that it
can be accessed on any screen size.

10

CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
1.1

Introduction
This chapter focused on the various methods the researcher used to obtain the required
information.

1.2

Research Methodology
In order to achieve the listed research objectives, this studyused a number of research
methods .According toMingers (2001) using a cross-section of research methods is better
than one because it helps in eliminating the risk of relying on only one method.
Specifically, the study used both quantitative and qualitative research techniques
involving exploratory field surveys, stakeholder consultations and benchmarking other
organizations with similar systems besides carrying out a thorough literature review.

1.3

Data Sources/Data Types

The data on the study was gathered from both primary and secondary sources.
Primary Data
This wasobtained from the staff and management of CAA especially those involved or in
charge of making appointments at CAA (Receptionist) as well as the clients who interact
with the different offices. It involved observing the way receptionist schedule
appointments for the different clients and also interviewing some of the employees and
clients of the organization on the processes they go through to schedule any appointment
with a particular office.
Secondary Data
This was obtained from secondary sources through reviewing literature about similar
studies. Some of the secondary data was also obtained from the company journals,
magazines as well as mission and vision statements of the organization. This helped a lot
in understanding the processes involved in appointment scheduling at CAA.
11

1.4

Study population
A total of 25 participants were involved in this study. These comprised of CAA
employees as well as clients.

1.5

Sample size and sample design

The researcher used simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Simple
random was applied when selecting interview respondents for clients while Purposive
sampling was used in selecting other categories of respondents. To enable diversity of
views up to 2 respondent categories were involved including clients and employees. For
example 12 employees and 13 clients were selected randomly to participate in the survey.

1.6

Data Collection Methods

Data was collected through observations, interviews and document reviews. This led to
collecting reliable and comprehensive data that led to conclusions and recommendations
made by this study.

Interview
According to (Brief 17, 2009) an interview is a method of asking quantitative or
qualitative questions orally of key participants. In this study the researcher interviewed
the employees and clients about how they make and manage their appointments and what
they would need to efficiently improve on the appointment process and the researcher
was able to capture these as part of the requirements. If you want to get more in-depth
information about perceptions, insights, attitudes, experiences, or beliefs it is suggested
that Interview is the best option for data collection (Brief 17, 2009).
Observation

12

The researcher used Observation as another way of collecting data for the study. The
researcher conducted regular visits to CAA to study the current Appointments scheduling
system and identified the various weaknesses of the current system.

Document Review
The researcher also examined documents, forms, reports, and files associated with the
current system. This was a good way to gain some understanding of the system, quickly
gather information from the existing documents of the organization, books from the
library, internet, journals and other relevant published literature to enhance development
of an effective online Appointment Scheduling system.

1.7

REQUIREMENTS SPECFICATIONS

The sections covers the user, functional, non-functional and system requirements for the Online
Appointment Scheduling system to work and run efficiently and effectively.
System Requirements
These included the hardware and software that were required and included:
Hardware Requirements

A dual core processor with at least 2.8-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor, 300 GB
hard disk 4GB of and RAM for a fast system.

A laser jet printer was required for printing the reports.

Software Requirements

Wamp server 5.0

13

This software help in creating a database that keeps the information about the different
appointments made by the clients

Laraval framework
This framework was used for developing PhP or web based applications

Bootstrap
This software was used to enable the responsiveness of the system such that it can be
accessed on any screen size be it of a laptop or a smart phone

User Requirements

The system should be updated frequently

The system should facilitate the process of scheduling appointments with the Resources

It should be user friendly and easy to operate.

Functional Requirements

The Online appointment scheduling system should be user friendly

The system should be updated frequently

The system should provide up-to-date information regarding clients time availability

The system should facilitate the process of scheduling appointments with the Resources

Non-Functional Requirements

The system is able to deny non authorized users from accessing information through
provision of administrative restrictions like passwords.

Manages data over the Internet and CAA private Networks

14

It should be scalable

System Design
The system was designed following the prototype approach of the system life cycle development.
In this approach, the researcher came up with a model that was given to the users to try out and
later errors were identified and rectified. This was an iterative process until the final product was
delivered.Prototyping was used because it is relatively inexpensive and quick to build.
The four step model of the prototyping process consists of the following; Identify users basic
requirements, develop a working prototype, use the prototype, revise enhance the prototype

Identify basic user requirement

At this phase the researcher identified the basic requirements that the users (clients and
resources) wanted from the system and these were the ones that were based on to develop a
working model of the system. Among the basic requirements identified was making sure that the
users can manage their appointments from anywhere at any time.

Develop a working prototype

Based on the requirements elicited from the user, the researcher (system developer) developed a
working prototype. This was developed using the larval framework, bootstrap and work bench.
This was later presented to the users.
Use the Prototype
After developing the working model it was presented to the users who used. As the prototype
was used the users were able to ascertain whether the prototype met the user expectations or
notand on that basis a decision was made whether to operationalize or revise and hence the
prototype.

15

Revise and enhance the prototype

After using the system the users were able to identify more improvements to be captured in the
prototype and the system developer was able to capture all those improvements in the prototype.

Operationalize the prototype

The last phase was to operationalize the prototype into a complete working system after the users
accepted that the system met all their needs and requirement.
Figure 1Process of Developing a Prototype
Identify basic requirements

Step 1

Develop a working prototype

Use the prototype

Step 2

User
Satisfied?

Operational prototype

Revise and enhance the prototype

Step3

16

YES

Step 4

Systems Testing
The researcher carried out different tests which included; unit tests, integration tests, systems
test, quality assurance tests, validation tests. This helped to ascertain whether the system
functionswere as intended.

17

CHAPTER FOUR
SYSTEM ANALYSIS
4.1

Introduction
This chapter focused on the analysis of the Online Appointment Scheduling system that
was designed for the Civil Aviation Authority.

4.2

System Analysis-Current System

The current paper based system used for scheduling and managing appointments at CAA
is so tedious, unreliable and time-consuming thus offering limited help in managing the
appointments. The system is so labor intensive that in managing phone calls, the
receptionists are flooded with clients trying to make an appointment, cancel an existing
appointment, rescheduling an appointment as well as sending reminders to the clients
making the entire process tedious. Once the client arrives, the receptionist has no way of
knowing moment by moment when Staff are available to take their next appointment.
This kind of process expends considerable time and resources hence making the entire
system disjointed and error prone.

Figure 2: Context Diagram Current System

The figure below shows the interaction between the system and external agents which act
as data sources and data sinks. The context diagram shows the entire system as a single
Resource
Client process, and gives no clues as to its internal organization.

Paper based Appointment Scheduling System

18

Schedule Appointment

Time and Date Available

Time and Date of Appointment

Client Information

Clients

1.0
Call secretary

Figure 3: Level 0 Data Flow Diagram: Current System

Schedule Appointment

call detailsCall details

2.0
Sign NameCall
in Appointment
Book
details

Appointment details

Sign in the bookAppointment details

3.0
Go to Office on schedule day

Clients
Appointment details

Day & time of appointment

Resource

19
4.0
Meet resource

Go toofficeDay of appointment

Day & time of appointment

Meet resource
Advice
Advice details

Figure 4: Context diagram: New System

Resource

Client

Online Appointment SchedulingSystem

Schedule appointment

Advisor Information

Appointment day & time

Reports on appointments

System Administrator
System
MonitoringSystem
User feedback

20

21

s
figure 5: Level 0 DFD: New System
Resource

Clients

View
Schedule Appointment

schedule
1.0
Login to Appointment system

client login

Resource Login

3.0
view schedule

2.0
View resource appointment day & time

Appointment
Details

schedule details

AppointmentAppointment details
details
4.0
Go to office on schedule day

Day of appointment

5.0
Meet with resource

22

4.3 Scope
The study concentrated on the development of an Online Appointment Scheduling system for
CAA that was to be used to handle efficient and effective appointment scheduling for both the
clients and employees of CAA.
4.4 System Objectives

Performance objectives
The online appointment scheduling system is able to improve on the appointment scheduling
process between the company clients and the company in that it will be able to improve
efficiency and client satisfaction.

Cost objectives
The online appointments scheduling system enables the company to reduce on the costs of
conducting business with its clients. The clients can be able to make appointments online without
moving to the company premises.

4.5 Feasibility Study

The researcher carried out a feasibility study to assess whether the online appointment
scheduling system was viable by the CAA. The feasibility study included the following
dimensions;
Technical feasibility
This described the technical aspect of the online appointment scheduling system. The researcher
assessed that the technology that was to be used to implement the system and found out that it
was in existence which included internet technologies.
23

Operational feasibility
The current organizational activities and the procedures were adequate to support the online
appointments scheduling system at CAA because all the employees were educated therefore had
the minimum requirements to operate and use the system when availed with the system.
Economic feasibility
It was found that the online appointment scheduling system was economically viable to take on.
After weighing the cost of taking on the system verses its benefits it was found that the online
appointments scheduling system would increase productivity and client satisfaction hence the
decision to take it up.

Legal Feasibility
The online appointment scheduling system was found to be legally viable. Following a detailed
review of the all the laws in relation to information technology, information usage and people,
there was no trace of the system violating the rights of the individuals that would use the system.
All the information that the system desires was carefully agreed on by CAA.

4.6 Requirement Specification

System Requirements
These included the hardware and software that were required and included:
Hardware

A dual core processor with at least 2.8-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor, 300 GB
hard disk 4GB of and RAM for a fast system.

A laser jet printer was required for printing the reports.

24

Software Used

Wampserver 5.0
This software help in creating a database that keeps the information about the different
appointments made by the clients

Laraval framework
This framework was used for developing PhP or web based applications

Bootstrap
This software was used to enable the responsiveness of the system such that it can be
accessed on any screen size be it of a laptop or a smart phone

Anti-virus; Norton antivirus was used to prevent attacks from viruses.

User Requirements

The system should be updated frequently

The system should provide up-to-date information regarding clients time availability

The system should facilitate the process of scheduling appointments with the Resources

It should be user friendly and easy to operate.

Functional Requirements

The Online appointment scheduling system should be user friendly

The system should be updated frequently

The system should provide up-to-date information regarding clients time availability

25

The system should facilitate the process of scheduling appointments with the Resources

The system should be scalable

The system should be easy to manage and update

The system administrator should have full access and privileges to manage the system

including editing resources time availability and adding new users

Non-Functional Requirements

The system is able to deny non authorized users from accessing information through
provision of administrative restrictions like passwords.

Manages data over the Internet and CAA private Networks

It should be scalable

4.7 System Design

26

Conceptual Design of the System

It involved specifying the entities that were used, the corresponding attributes of the entities, as
well as the appropriate data types of the attributes
Table1;
clients
clien id
cfname
clname
cgender
cemail
cpassword

cphone
caddress
corg
created_at
updated_at

Data Type
INT
VARCHAR(25)
VARCHAR(25)
VARCHAR(6)
VARCHAR(50)
VARCHAR(100)

VARCHAR(15)
TEXT
VARCHAR(100)
TIMESTAMP
TIMESTAMP

Table 2
Resource

Data Type

27

id

rname

rtitle

rposition

rgender

remail

rpassword

rphone

created_at
updated_at

TINYINT

VARCHAR(50)

VARCHAR(10)

VARCHAR(50)

VARCHAR(45)

VARCHAR(45)

VARCHAR(100)

VARCHAR(45)

TIMESTAMP
TIMESTAMP

28

Book
id

client_id

resource_id

bpref

bday

bfrom

bto

breason

binfo

bstatus

bcomment

created_at

updated_at

deleted_at

Data Type
INT
Table 3
INT

TINYINT

VARCHAR(10)

DATE

TIME

TIME

VARCHAR(50)

TEXT

VARCHAR(10)

TEXT

TIMESTAMP

TIMESTAMP
29

TIMESTAMP

30

4.8 Logical Design of the System

This involved clearly showing how the different entities relate with each other.it involved
identifying the primary keys of each of the entities as well as the foreign keys so as to create the
relationships as shown below.
Figure 6: Entity relational Model

31

Systems Testing
The researcher carried out different tests which included; unit tests, integration tests, systems
test, quality assurance tests, validation tests. This helped to ascertain whether the system
functions were as intended.
Unit Test
These were conducted on the Login module within the system. This tracked and monitored the
Login attempts that were provided by the user when logging into the system. This module
tracked the attempts and if a user continued providing a wrong password, the fourth time the
system closed suggesting to the user to seek help from the system administrator.
Systems Test
This testing was conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the system's compliance
with its specified requirements. The hardware and software were tested upon passing through
the integration tests. This helped to detect defects both within the "inter-assemblages" and also
within the system as a whole. The system response in relation to the commands and requests by
the users were a success as the users were able to receive the information without a hitch.
Volume Test
This testing was done to ensure that the system is capable of handling a large quantity of data
since the system was expected to work for a long period of time and that a large amount of
records had to be input for the long time of operation.
User acceptance Test
This was conducted to check if the requirements of the systems were met. Users were able to
make and cancel appointments.

32

CHAPTER FIVE
SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
5.1

Introduction
This chapter describes how the entire implementation of the system was done and
describes the testing of the entire project.

5.2

System Development
The system development was done through the use of Bootstrap, and Wamp server 2.1,
work bench as well as larval framework. With this new system the clients can make or
manage their own appointments from wherever they might be without necessarily
walking to the office premises of CAA because the system can be accessed from online.
The employees can also manage their own schedules through approving, pending or
rejecting appointments without necessarily using their secretaries .When the client logins
into the system he or she makes an appointment with the resource. The resource in turn
always keeps checking on the system to either reject, pend or approve the appointment.

5.3

Results of System Testing

The system was tested to find out whether it matches with the objectives and the
requirements. Data was input into the system and the following were observed;

The system is able to keep the unauthorized users from accessing data through
requirement of a username and password.

The system is able to allow clients to make appointments online.

The system enables a resource to manage his or her appointment schedule

Therefore, the system is able to meet the objectives and the requirements as specified.
33

5.4

System implementation
System implementation was done by the use of Work bench which was used for creation
of the database. This was used alongside larval framework which was used to develop the
body of the system. Bootstrap was also integrated in the development of the system so as
to make the system very responsive to any screen size be it of a laptop or the smallest
smart phone. Wamp server was also used to support the database of the system

34

CHAPTER SIX
DISCUSSIONS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1

Introduction
This chapter focused on the discussions, conclusion, recommendations, limitations and
the future work of the system. The following are discussed below;

6.2

Discussions
The findings of the study that triggered the design of an Online Appointments Scheduling
System indicate that CAA was using a manual system for scheduling and managing
appointments. This was really so tedious, unreliable and time-consuming thus offering
limited help in managing the appointments. The system was so labor intensive that in
managing phone calls, the receptionists were flooded with clients trying to make an
appointment, cancel an existing appointment, rescheduling an appointment as well as
sending reminders to the clients making the entire process tedious. Once the clients
arrived, the receptionist had no way of knowing moment by moment when Staff were
available to take their next appointment. This kind of process expended considerable time
and resources which made the entire system disjointed and error prone.

35

The study therefore came up with an efficient and effective system (Online Appointment
Scheduling) which offers a user friendly interface allowing clients and managers to
manage the appointment scheduling process in a more efficient and effective way. With
this new systems the Clients can go online anytime, review the managers available days
and timeslots, schedule an appointment, cancel and reschedule appointments. The system
sends an automated email to remind clients of their appointment a day prior to the
scheduled day. On the other hand, the system also allows managers to go online at any
time to check their schedule, make changes to their available timeslots, or even
cancel appointments. Overall, the system helps provide better service to clients and
managers.

6.7

A Table Showing the Research Objectives, they level of accomplishment and how

they were achieved.

Objectives
1

Level of completion

To study the current (manual) Appointment

scheduling System that is used by CAA so as to
identify loopholes or weaknesses in that system.

The objective was highly achieved since

loopholes in the current system were
identified.

To analyze the current Appointment Scheduling Requirements were well established for
System so as to establish requirements for the new system development
designing the proposed Online Appointment

Scheduling System
To design and develop an Online Appointment
Scheduling system so as to resolve the loopholes
or weaknesses in the manual Appointment

36

A conceptual and technical design for the

system were designed

Scheduling System.
4

To test

the

functionality

of

the

Online

Appointment Scheduling system so as to

ascertain whether it meets the requirements for
which it was developed.

6.4

An

Online

system

was

Appointment
designed

Scheduling
and

tested

successfully

Conclusion
The study shows that the development of an online appointments scheduling system can
help to effectively improve client satisfaction through reducing waiting time. The new
system eliminates the excessive use of paperwork at the same time streamlining
appointment scheduling process at CAA. With the new system the labor intensive
activities are significantly reduced and the time taken to make an appointment is also
tremendously reduced. This goes a long way in improving efficiency and customer
satisfaction.

6.5

Recommendations
Training
The researcher recommends adequate and proper user training to both the staff and the
clients of Civil Aviation Authority so that they can be well conversant with the usage of
the system.

Backup
A backup site or replica of the system should be put in place in case of any break down of
the system so that work is not put to a standstill while working on the system.

37

System security
System security should be enhanced to avoid hackers and viruses from attacking and
tampering with the system. Security measures should be put in place for example the use
of firewalls, updated antivirus software, passwords.

System Maintenance
Just like any other system, system maintenance is very vital, if the system is to continue
performing according to users needs, data administration is very crucial so as to maintain
data integrity.

6.6

Limitations of the study

The researcher was constrained by inadequate fund as she was not in position to acquire
all the requirements she hoped to use in the design and development of the online
Appointment Scheduling system.

The researcher was not able to integrate all the features in the information system because

there was limited time and yet the project required a lot of dedication and patience.
Training users, people hate change especially when it comes to changing from the system
they are used to one where they need to be trained. People were hesitant to switch to the
use of the new system.

38

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