Equipment Check-Out (ECS)

Case Background
GB Manufacturing is a producer of electronic components and testing equipment for the oil
industry, located in Corpus Christi. The corporation has just over 500 full-time employees.
Approximately 20 employees are employed with the company's Maintenance department,
which is responsible for the maintenance of building and grounds. Maintenance has assigned a
group of employees to provide maintenance for each building or plant. The employees assigned to
each building or plant collectively possess the skills needed to provide proper upkeep. Such
employees include carpenters, electricians, painters, welders, plumbers, and the like. The
Maintenance department also has a group of employees with special skills to assist with special
projects that may arise.

Organization Structure

The following individuals report directly to Bill Venkman, Director of Maintenance. Each of the
managers has a group of foremen and supervisors that report directly to him or her, though only the
supervisors of the Equipment Depot are listed below.

GB Manufacturing Maintenance Department

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 1
 The Problem

In December of 2016 Bill Venkman and his management staff completed a one-week retreat aimed
at assessing the maintenance operations. Several initiatives resulted from this retreat. It was
determined that the most important initiatives were those that primarily dealt with the equipment
depot operation.
The equipment depot's function is to provide the equipment needed by maintenance
employees to perform their job duties. Employees are provided with a toolbox containing
commonly used, and relatively inexpensive tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, tape measures,
and so on. Other tools and pieces of equipment that are needed to complete a job must be checked
out through the equipment depot. When the job is completed, the employee must return the
checked-out equipment.
Often pieces of equipment become lost, stolen, or damaged and are therefore never checked
back in and made available for others. The dollar amount of lost and stolen equipment has reached
an alarming total. It has been estimated that more than $70,000 worth of tools are lost or stolen
each year. Bill Venkman has decided that something must be done to get the losses under control.
Thus, he is giving top priority to the development of a new automated equipment check-out system
that that will track the check-in and check out of equipment.
The Materials Warehouse is responsible for obtaining and storing supplies that are needed to
complete jobs. For example, the Materials Warehouse makes sure to maintain a supply of screws,
nails, plywood, drywall, and other materials. The Materials Warehouse is located in a separate
building approximately 100 ft from the manufacturing building. When workers need materials for a
job assignment they are supposed to check the warehouse to see if the goods are available. If the
goods are not available, some employees have chosen to simply move on to the next job assignment
rather than putting in an order for the goods that they need. When asked why, employees have said
the ordering process is confusing and difficult to work with, so they would rather have a manager
take care of that. This puts an additional burden on managers and causes long delays on some of the

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 2
maintenance projects. A new and improved warehousing system is a top priority for the
Maintenance Department that not only manages the inventory well, but also makes it easy to place
orders.

Sample Exhibits

Exhibit 4.3

Storage List

Equip ID Type Description Aisle Bin

1201 Machine Bridgeport Milling Machine with Digital Readouts 6
1202 Machine Bridgeport Milling Machine w/ 2 axis Prototrak Control 6
1203 Machine Trak Milling Machine w/ 3 axis AGE Control 6
1204 Machine Vertical Band Saw 8
1205 Machine Horizontal Band Saw 8
1206 Machine Small toolroom Lathe 15
1207 Machine EDM machine for Tap Removal 14
1208 Machine Drill Press 15
1209 Machine Surface Grinder B19
1210 Machine Glass Saw B20
1211 Machine Lincoln "TIG" Welder 14
1212 Machine Lincoln "MIG" Welder 14
This case is1213 the one Small
Machine
adapted from createdSheet Metal
by Lonnie Punch
Bentley B14 Page 3
1214 Machine Hydraulic Greenlee punch set B17
1215 Machine Small Sheet Metal Shears B16
 Exhibit 4.4

Equipment Check-Out System Data Attribute Dictionary

Below is a Data Attribute Dictionary that contains some attributes and definitions. Note that the
following list is not exhaustive. In reality, this case study system could contain many more attributes
(and therefore, entities!) than those listed.

Aisle A numeric identifier of the aisle where a tracked tool is stored. The
Equipment Depot currently has 10 aisles.
Bin A 4-digit alphanumeric identifier of the bin where a type of
untracked tool is stored.
Building Name The full name of a building.
BuildingID An alphanumeric abbreviation of the name of a building to which a
maintenance employee is assigned, the longest building
abbreviation is plant11.

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 4
CheckOutID A system-generated large integer numeric value unique to each
check-out transaction.
Classification An attribute that identifies a particular type of skill (such as
plumber, electrician, carpenter, etc.).
Cost The cost of a repair.
CostPerUnit The cost per unit of equipment on a purchase order.
Damage A large alphanumeric field where damage related to a check-out can
be recorded.
DateCheckedIn The date the employee actually returns checked out equipment.
DateCheckedOut The date an employee checked out equipment.
DateOrdered The date a purchase order is placed.
DateRecd The date the equipment on a purchase order is received.
Description A 200-alphanumeric description of a repair.
Employee Name An attribute that consists of an employees last, first, and middle
names.
EmployeeID Unique five-digit, alphanumeric, code assigned to every employee
for identification purposes.
EquipID A five-digit number that will be assigned to identify a piece of
equipment. It will uniquely identify a piece of tracked equipment or
it will identify a kind of untracked equipment. The new system
needs to maintain the EquipIDs from the manual system.
EquipName An alphanumeric description of the equipment
ExpectRtnDate The date the employee expects to return checked out equipment.
OfficePhone An employees office phone number.
PONum A six-digit number that is assigned to a particular purchase order.
Qty The quantity of pieces of equipment that is checked out by an
employee.
Reason A 200-alphanumeric description of the reason for a purchase
request.
RepairDate The date of a repair.
RepairID A system-generated large integer numeric value unique to each
equipment repair.
RequestDate The date an equipment purchase is requested.
RequestedBy The 5-character ID of the employee requesting the purchase.
RequestID A system-generated large integer numeric value unique to each
purchase request.
Serial Number The ten-digit alphanumeric identification of a particular piece
tracked equipment.
SupervisorID The EmployeeID of the employees supervisor
Type A 15-character alphanumeric equipment classification.
Vendor The name of the vendor associated with a purchase order.

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 5
ASSIGNMENT

You are a consulting team that performs systems analysis and design of information systems. Your
consulting group has been chosen to perform the task of analyzing, recommending, and designing
business/information-processing solutions. Use information available from the case description, design
techniques you have learned, and available tools to prepare your responses to each of the phase
requirements.

The intent of each interim deliverable is to receive 1) feedback from the user (a role filled by the
instructor or instructor assistant) and 2) guidance from the instructor. Interim deliverables are
expected to be submitted as per the schedule but will not be graded individually. Comments from
the user and the instructor will be annotated on the interim deliverables and returned to the project
team as a feedback mechanism. The grade for the project will be determined by evaluating the final
product. Interim deliverables will be reviewed during final grading process to determine if the project
team has taken the users feedback into consideration in their final system recommendation.

Writing clarity and accuracy (grammar and spelling), format, and overall appearance of your work
counts.

Phase 1 Deliverable

Team Contract - Agreement to standards of conduct by members of the project team. See Appendix.

Phase 2 Deliverable

Memorandum to the principals of the organization. This memo should state the purpose
of the report, contain an overview of the contents of the rest of the report, and identify any
decisions the principals must make before your consulting group proceeds. This memo
also sets the scope of your project and is subject to user (instructor) approval.

Feasibility Analysis of the technical, operational, schedule, legal and contractual, and
political feasibility of the proposed system. An economic feasibility of the proposed system
should include a discussion of and estimate of tangible and intangible benefits of the
proposed system. Estimated costs of the proposed system should include both one-time
and recurring items.

Summary of limitations and opportunities

Timeline a detailed Gantt Chart needs to be created to show the steps of your plan and
when they will be completed.

Interview plan and results includes: 1) Goals of the interview; 2) List of interview
questions as well as the answers; 3) Summary of all information gathered and any
assumptions made. The instructor will have someone who will serve the role of the user
and is available for interview as scheduled by the consulting team.

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 6
Phase 3 Deliverable

Use Cases created for each system use.

Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) for the proposed system describing proposed flows,
processes, stores, agents, etc. (entire system).

Entity Relationship Diagram describing entities and their relationships. Note: Try to
normalize your entities as much as possible (3rd normal form).

Data Repository definitions for all attributes in each entity. Definitions include
information describing each attribute (data type, data size, data range (if numeric),
description).

Process-Entity Matrix (CRUD Matrix) that shows the relationship between each entity in
the ERD and the primitive processes in the DFD. The matrix should reflect the operations
(create, read, update, or delete) that each primitive process performs on each entity.

Phase 4 Deliverable

System Interface - Design enough input/output screens to show how your system
functions. This needs to include the login, main menu, and all data entry screens to show the
major functional capabilities of your system. User documentation should accompany
system interface.

Interface structure diagram to show screen navigation design.

Test Plan Create five different test plans for testing a variety of aspects of the system.

Reports - List all of the reports that you believe will be helpful in addressing the information
needs for this project. Also, show three reports (including data) that will be generated from
the system.

Final Submission of all Deliverables (Final Project Design)

(all contained in some type of project folder or binder) be sure all the information is
consistent among the deliverables that you are revising.

1. The final project (written report) should include:

Executive Summary (different from memorandum in Phase 2)
Table of Contents
All revised deliverables

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 7
 Appendix - all originally submitted deliverables with original
instructor comments must also be submitted. Clearly indicate
that these are Deliverable 1 through Deliverable 4

2. Group presentations of approximately 25 minutes (oral with visual

aids) must cover the highlights of the assigned project deliverables.

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 8
 Peer Evaluation of Team Effort
Due Same Day as Each Project Phase Deliverable

Name: __________________________________________________________
Date: ___________________________________________________________
Group Name: _____________________________________________________
Project Phase:
Final Project &
Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Presentation

1. Use the team performance factors listed below in the table along with the following instructions.
Consider each team members performance and behavior during the rating period on each of
these factors before rating their overall performance.
a. Disregard your general impressions and concentrate on one factor at a time
b. Consider the definition for each factor and rate each team member on that factor only
c. Call to mind examples that are typical of the members work and behavior but do not be
influenced by unusual cases that are not typical
d. Comments may support ratings where applicable

Factors to consider about each team members work:

Provides work that is accurate and complete
Is timely with work products
Provides task support to other team members
Relates and communicates to other team members
Attends group meetings (in and out of class)
Is reliable in completing tasks
Participates in and contributes to exchange of information
Willingness to share time and resources with team
Provides emotional & motivational support to team
Demonstrates leadership in team activities

Calculations for overall team member performance:

3. Considering your factor ratings above assign an overall performance rating to each team
member, including yourself:
Team Member Name Rating (Low 1 5 High) Comments on the team member
_________________ _______ _____________________________________________

_________________ _______ _____________________________________________

_________________ _______ _____________________________________________

_________________ _______ _____________________________________________

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 9
_________________ _______ _____________________________________________

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 10
 Creating a Team Contract:

Code of Conduct

Many of you have already experienced teamwork in classroom or in the workplace. Some teams
you have been on may have worked well while others do not work so well.

Each team must create a code of conduct in the form of a contract. The intent is to encourage
students 1) to choose teams wisely and select teammates who share their ideas and 2) to agree on
how the team should function during the course of the semester. Your team should make this
contract as thorough as possible so all team members know the expectations of the group (this will
save you some headaches in the long run).

All members should read the code and sign it. This will be kept on file in my office.

Items to consider when creating your code:

What does it mean to be on time for a meeting?
What is meeting attendance (do you always need to be prepared, awake, both physically and
mentally there, verbally participate)?
If you must miss a meeting how should you notify the team (via email, contact with one if
not 2 other team members)? How are you to receive information about what occurred in the
meeting?
What does it mean to be an active group member? Does this mean you merely accept group
assignments when asked or that you are proactive about your work on the project?
What does it mean to communicate regularly with the team? Via email? In class? What if
you dont check your email for a week and have not been to class?
How do you define doing your work on time and meeting deadlines? What if you are asked
to do a portion of the project and you have your part ready on time but the work is of low
quality and other team members must re-work your piece? What is your responsibility for
this?
How are decisions made in the group?
How is conflict handled?
What happens when a team member does not live by the teams code of conduct? Do you
want to have the option to fire a team member? If so what is the process? If not will you
give them a lower group participation grade instead?
How will specific tasks be assigned to team members?
How will team members give one another feedback on their performance?

Feel free to add in additional ideas that you have found to be areas you wished had been planned for
in your other group experiences.

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 11
Verified Syntax Errors
Appropriate symbols are used for data flows, processes, data stores, and external entities.
Each process has a name (verb phrase).
Each process has a description (on use case).
Each process has a number.
Processes within diagrams should be numbered hierarchically (1.2.4 is a sub process of
1.2)
Every process is wholly and completely described by the processes on its children DFDs.
The use case names should agree with the names of the processes on the data flow
diagrams.
Every data flow, data store, and external entity (if using modern techniques) on a higher
level DFD is shown on the lower level DFD that decomposes it. (exclude data store on
context diagram)
Followed rules of balance between Level 0 and level 1 DFD
A process must have at least one input and one output data flow. Dont have these
Black hole: only has input data flows
Miracle: only has output data flows
Grey hole: insufficient inputs to produce the needed output
A data store must always be connected to a process. At least one end of a data flow
connects to a process.
A minimum number of data flow lines cross.

The data flow name is description of the INFORMATION provided. Data flows are named
using nouns. The process is the verb. Data flow = information coming into or going out of
the process.
Data that travel together should be in one data flow

Data cannot flow between stores (process has to come between)

An external entity must always be connected to a process via a data flow.

External Entities must be named (noun) after what they represent

There is a consistent viewpoint across DFDs.

Every set of DFDs must be associated with a context diagram.

Each store probably typically has an input and output. Think of a file cabinet. You add

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 12
 files and you retrieve files from the cabinet. It is possible, however, that a data store is
read-only (output) to a process. Understand what you are doing with the information.
Data stores are named after the stored data (do not include the word file or store in the
name)

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 13
What I look for in ERDs:
Are there missing or unnecessary entities, relationships or associative entities?
Does data appear in ERD instead of attribute?
Are there misplaced attributes including ones that are missing, added or misplaced?
Are relationships unnamed or poorly named?
Are there any missing or unnecessary symbols for multi-valued attributes?
Are any Primary Keys unmarked or poorly chosen?
Are there ANY handwritten items for assignments that are supposed to be produced via
software application?
Are attribute fields broken down where necessary?
Are there problems with either cardinality or optionality?
Are there any drawing errors or spelling errors?

This case is adapted from the one created by Lonnie Bentley Page 14