System Design Project

This is a continuing case for Personal Trainer, Inc.

Following the decision in the system analysis phase to use an in-house team to develop a design prototype, Susan began to work on the physical design for the new information system. At this stage, she is ready to begin working with Gary on the output and user interface design. Together, they will seek to develop a user-centered design that is easy to learn and use. Personal Trainer users will include managers, fitness instructors, support staff, and members themselves.

In the presentation to the president Cassia, Susan recommended that an in-house team should develop a design prototype, using a relational database as a model. Susan said that the prototype would have two main objectives: it would represent a user-approved model of new system, and it would identify all system entities and the relationships among them. Susan explained that it would be better to design the basic system first, and then address other issues, including Web enhancement and implementation options. She proposed three-step plan: data design, user interface design, and application architecture. She explained that system analysts refer to this as the system design phase of a development project

Cassia agreed with Susans recommendations, and asked her to go forward with the plan.

Susan and Gary finished their work on user interface, input and output design, they developed a user-centered design that would be flexible and easy to learn. Now Susan turned her attention to the architecture for the new system.

Susan wanted to consider their own organization and culture, enterprise resource planning, total cost of ownership, scalability, web integration, legacy systems, processing methods, security issues, and corporate portal. She also needed to select a network plan, or topology, that would dictate the physical cabling and network connections, or consider a wireless network. When all these tasks are completed, she would submit a system design specification for approval.

Tasks:

1. For the prototype user interface, design a switchboard that leads form main sections to subsections of related system tasks. The main sections may include member information, registration, payments, fitness instructions, and any other top-level sections necessary for Personal Trainers system. Subsections may include account information, class registration, schedules, and class rosters.
2. Review the Personal Trainer fact-finding summary in the project part2, draw a ERD with cardinality notation. Assume the system entities include members, classes, merchandise, and fitness instructors
3. Design tables in 3NF. As you create the database, include various codes for at least three of the fields
4. If Personal Trainer wants to increase its Internet marketing efforts, what advice could you offer?
5. Prepare an outline for a system design specification and describe the contents of each section.