WARREN SHANE PALMER

KING UNIVERSITY FINAL PORTFOLIO

BACHELOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Warren Shane Palmer704 Front Street P.O. Box 305 Coeburn, Va. 24230(276)639-2155wspalmer@student.king.eduKing UniversityDMIS 3780 Final Portfolio Assignment

Cover Letter: PAGE: 4This section contains a cover letter addressing my final portfolio and consideration for a Bachelor Degree in Information Technology from King University.

Resume: PAGE: 7I have included my personal resume which includes a list of my work and education background.

Personal Introduction and Thank you: PAGE: 10Introducing myself and thanking you for the chance to be part of the King University Alumni.

Educational Background:PAGE: 12I will be going over my education accomplishments throughout the years.

Reflective Survey Essay/Answers:PAGE: 10This section is the Reflective Survey Essay answers.

Database Project:PAGE: 17Included within is the Database Project that was completed during the course.

Designed Information System:PAGE: 31Included here is the project where we designed an information system for a small business.

Final Project with Self-Evaluation Form:PAGE: 62In this section is the follow up to the TCOM 2400 project where a workplace problem was defined and what was suggested to repair the problems.

One or more document or Project of my choice:I have included some projects to include alongside with this portfolio for your consideration.

Marketing Plan for Super Hero Cola:PAGE: 71NETWORK DESIGN ASSINMENTS WITH BUDGET:PAGE: 87NETWORK DESIGN FOR MY HOUSE:PAGE 91SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE RECOMBINATION OF INFORMATION AT A SUPERMARKETFINAL GROUP ASSIGNMENT:PAGE 92

REFERENCES:PAGE 99

Web Pages I designed and uploaded onto the Internet: https://sites.google.com/site/shanesfinalportfolio/https://sites.google.com/site/shanesportfolio2/

http://odlaw9.wix.com/warrenshanepalmer

http://odlaw9.wix.com/warrenshanepalmer2

YOU TUBE INTRODUCTION TO MY FINAL PORTFOLIO:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew385jvOz-w&feature=youtu.be

Warren Shane Palmer704 Front StreetP.O. Box 305Coeburn, VA. 24230

March 16, 2014

To whom it may concern:I I'm writing to express my interest for my bachelors degree and final portfolio in the Information Technology Course of King University. I am confident that my skills have increased in the year I have participated in these classes.

Having worked hard and long in my studies I have learned so much and feel I am ready to earn my Bachelor Degree. I am looking forward to this presentation and feel that after you have reviewed what I have included you will see I am indeed ready for my degree.

Thank you for this great opportunity and considering me, I believe my experiences and track record makes me an excellent candidate for graduation and recipient for a Bachelor Degree in Information Technology with King University. I have enclosed my resume as well, a list of accomplishments, as well as many of the projects I have worked on within my final portfolio for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Warren Shane Palmer

276-639-2155wspalmer@student.king.edu

Warren Shane Palmer704 Front Street P.O. Box 305Coeburn, VA. 24230

March 16, 2014

To whom it may concern:I'm writing to express my interest for a position in Information Technology. I am confident that my skills are well-aligned with the role, and that I would be an excellent fit for your organization.Having worked as Team Leader, Manager and a Stock Clerk, I bring to the table a breadth of experience, versatility, and insight. I believe these qualities would make me a valuable addition to your organizations team.Thank you for considering me for this, I believe my experiences and track record makes me an excellent fit for this opportunity. I have enclosed my resume for your consideration. Please feel free to contact me via phone or email at a time of your convenience to discuss my background as well as the requirements for the role.Sincerely,Warren Shane Palmer276-639-2155odlaw@hotmail.comwspalmer@student.king.edu

Warren Shane Palmer

King UniversityPermanent Address1350 King College Roadwspalmer@student.king.edu704 Front StreetBristol TN 37620(276)-639-2155Coeburn VA 24230

EDUCATIONKing University Bristol, Tennessee, May 2014Bachelor of Information TechnologyGPA: Cumulative 3.23

Coeburn High School, Coeburn, Virginia June, 1992

WORK EXPERIENCEStock Clerk, Magic Mart, Norton, Virginia, June 2009 March 2014Provide outstanding customer service.Unload trucks, supplies, and equipment.Sort items received from trucks and put with other items of the same type.Fill up stock items on the sales floors.Inspect merchandise to ensure it is correctly priced and displayed.Perform carry-outs for customers who purchase large items.Stock Clerks are also responsible for cleaning and various repairs needed to the store and other various tasks.I am always performing my job with the highest regard to company policy.Answered questions regarding the store and its merchandise.Stocked shelves and supplies and organized displays.Developed positive customer relationships through friendly greetings and excellent service.Reported to each shift on time and ready to work.

Manager and Team Leader, Burger King, Norton, Virginia, August 1995 June 2009Provide outstanding customer service.I was always performing my job with the highest regard to company policy.Train employees on store policy, proper food handling procedures, and job duties.Making sure food preparation stations stay clean.Managing employees and making sure they perform their jobs.As shift manager I was responsible for making sure a shift ran smoothly by handling customers and employees.Counting stock and money, and making bank deposits.Maintained high standards of customer service during high-volume, fast-paced operations.Pleasantly and courteously interacted with customers.Operated the drive-through window and sales register quickly and efficiently.Assembled food orders while maintaining appropriate portion control.Verified that prepared food met all standards for quality and quantity.Handled currency and credit transactions quickly and accurately.Followed food safety procedures according to company policies and health and sanitation regulations.Stored food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage or cross-contamination.Maintained clean and safe environment, including in the kitchen, bathrooms, building exterior, parking lot, dumpster and sidewalk.Reported to each shift on time and ready to work.SPECIAL SKILLSLanguage:Fluent in EnglishComputer:Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Office.Other Skills: Interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. Willing to learn!

Hello my name is Warren Shane Palmer and I would like to open by thanking King University and the Information Technology department for the chance to broaden my education with this fine institution. I am from Coeburn, Virginia and have lived here for all my life. When I first applied for admission into King University I had been out of college since 1996 when I graduated from Mountain Empire Community College with an Associate degree in Management with specialization in Computer Information Systems. About 18 years had passed since I last studied when I finally decided it was time to go back and finish something I started so long ago. Now here I am at the end of a quest to go back to school and gain my bachelor degree from King University. I have worked in Fast Food and Retail for the last 15 years and began to see my life going no-where even with an associate degree I obtained from Mountain Empire Community College. I have no one to blame but myself for staying in dead end jobs as long as I have and about a year or so ago I began to question myself, am I going to be able to continue this type of work until I am of retirement age? Or should I try again and further my education? I had often thought about going back to collage to continue my education through the years and after much deliberation and internal struggle I came to the only choice, it was time for me to go back to school and gain my Bachelor Degree. I had heard of the long rich history that King University had and began the application process for enrollment. I was accepted to King University and after being reintroduced to college through the online learning format I began the journey toward my goal of gaining my Bachelor Degree and now after a long hard fight we have come to the end of the program and my journeys end is in sight! Thank you again for accepting me within the Information Technology program and for granting me an opportunity to realize the dream I have had for the last few years!

My educational background up to Mountain Empire Community College was very consistent. I am pleased with my past education, as well as my current, and feel that I have become a well-rounded individual in many various aspects of my life. I started school like most people at the age of five by attending Kinder Garden. I began at the local Coeburn Primary School and continued there through third grade and once I was finished with third grade I began again by going to a new school and new grade. After finishing third grade I was finished with Coeburn Primary School and moved to Coeburn Middle School and fourth grade. Here I would continue with Middle School until seventh grade which I graduated and went onto Coeburn High School. Coeburn High School was a different change with additional freedom that was not afforded to us in Primary or Elementary School. I worked my way through high school and graduated and went on to Mountain Empire Community College. Mountain Empire Community College located in Big Stone Gap Virginia, was my first college experience and I choose law enforcement as my major wanting to later become a member of the FBI. I soon changed my mind however thinking this may be more than I could handle. I changed my major to Business Management with a specialization in computer information system. I thoroughly liked these classes and continued with them until I graduated with an Associate Degree. I managed to get a 2.9 Grade Point Average for all the classes I took while attending M.E.C.C. I was proud to know that while attending these classes I was named to the Deans List thanks to my good grades. This too was the end of furthering my education for now. For whatever reason I never went back or continued with my education and worked, but always in the back of my mind I constantly thought about going back to finish and further my education. This took 18 years before I finally told myself now is the time, now is when I need to go back and finish. I was not getting any younger and knew I did not want to continue working for Fast Food or Retail the rest of my life. I applied for admission to King University and was accepted and began my studies. I was new to the whole online study format and it took me a little while to get used to it. I soon found myself working on various classes I had never taken and subjects I had no idea how to do. With determination and hard work I soon got used to the Moodle and then used to the Blackboard and was able to learn a great deal along the way. In the fall semester of 2013 I was surprised to find out I was named to the Presidents list with a Grade Point Average of 3.06. Now I have reached the end of my journey and will soon be obtaining my Bachelor Degree a dream that started so long ago is finally within my grasp. Once I gain my Bachelor degree I do not intend to make the same mistake I made so long ago. I will use this degree to find a great career and better my life and feel proud of all my accomplishments.

This is the reflective survey questions for our final portfolio I have answered each of these to the best of my ability and with honesty. I hope you as a reader are able to learn from what I have written about my experiences in the program and see some of my growth as a student. It was not easy to put everything I wanted to into words, but I think I have summarized all the key points I am trying to push across.

REFLECTIVE SURVEY QUESTIONS FOR THE BTECH PORTFOLIO AND ASSESSMENTWalk the reader through each of your artifacts in the portfolio in order telling us what you learned from completing each one. I feel that I have learned something from every course I have taken while attending King University and will say something briefly about what was learned. From the very first class Management of Organizations where we were taught all the levels of management and what a manager of business has to deal with on a daily basis and the many facets involved. From Web design and Internet programming I learned about the one of the pioneers of design Milton Glaser and was able to create from scratch a web site where I could demonstrate my capabilities in the building of my first unique web site. Introduction of Computer science introduced me to the world of C++ programming and Data Structures expanded on that with advanced C++. Database Management showed us all how to design a database for a company and suggest changes to improve on the existing systems. Professional Communication taught us how to write proper responses in emails, memos, and how to conduct ourselves when creating a document that would be read by any number of individuals so the document is clear, concise, well understood, and professional. Principles of Marketing let us design our own marketing campaign for a fictional brand, organization, or product. Systems Analysis was where we learned about the methods and principles of system developments. Advanced Web design and Programming took us back into Web site creation and added the aspect of JAVA Script and online storage of files for the creation of our web sites. In network management we were able to learn how networks flow and gave us knowledge on how to work with network operating systems, we created network diagrams both for our home and for a business in need of networking. Information Security taught us the importance of safeguarding our information and just how much damage something like a virus or a Trojan can cost from the loss of information. I think I have learned a great deal during my time within these classes, but I know there is so much more to learn and getting my Bachelor Degree in Information Technology is the first step in the right direction because I will be able to use that to find a career to use the knowledge I have acquired to better myself and my life.Which of the pieces in the portfolio was the most challenging and why? Explain how you over came this task. To this point in my education I have never attempted something like a portfolio and was unaware how to tackle such a daunting task. Being able to piece together everything I have worked on over the past year into something and organize it into what you see here before you was a great challenge as I was unsure what I really wanted to use and what would show my growth as a student. Even as I wrote the response to these essay questions my mind raced and hoped I would do a good job and be able to convince who ever reads this that I do deserve my degree. I constantly worry about doing things and was scared I would fail. To be able to overcome this fear I have become determined I will succeed. By sheer determination I will do my best to make this final portfolio the best I can. I have been looking up how to make a compelling final project and I feel that in the end it will be a successful endeavor. Trying to decide the optimal design, how to organize the information I have obtained, and making it all fit together in a fluid manner is a challenge and I feel I will meet and over-come this challenge. By research and practice I hope to have everything ready and looking presentable and hope that it will be pleasing to everyone. I have enjoyed this challenge and feel that regardless of never having to take on something like this I have risen to the occasion and have shown my growth as a student.Write about the artifact which was not required, the one that you chose for the portfolio. Why this one? What do you think potential employers might learn about you from this artifact? The artifacts I chose to showcase for this portfolio was the websites that I have designed during the web design and advanced web design classes. I have had the most fun out of those two classes because I was able to showcase one of my best qualities. I have always considered myself to be creative and most people who know me say the same. I have a pretty good imagination and I feel that I pulled off some of that creativity when I created the web sites for the two classes. When a potential employer or someone else looks at the items I created and now am using for this portfolio I hope they will see that I have the potential to be highly creative and would make an excellent addition to their organization. Being able to see something of your creation come to life as a website makes me feel very proud of myself because when I started these classes I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I choose this as a way to show off my creativity and tell people I am capable of so much more all I need is a chance to be able to prove what I can do. I hope an employer seeing this would be willing to take a chance and let me flex my creative muscle and be able to design something truly wonderful. The two web design classes I took were fun and enjoyable and helped me find a way that I can showcase my talents where large amounts of people can view what I can do and show them I could be a very good asset, these reasons made it very easy for me to choose the projects I completed in Web Design and Internet Programming and Advanced Web Programming as the artifacts I used for this portfolio.Tell the reader about your design for your portfolio. How have you tried to make design a part of the presentation? What would you hope a potential employer might think when looking at your portfolio? For the design to this portfolio I decided to keep it simple, I put in a few pictures to illustrate different sections and thought that would be a good way to go simple is always better and will not overly complicate an already hard task of putting my thoughts and projects to paper for someone to go over. I did want to put some design into the project so it would not be bland and not stand out but I feel it would be more important to showcase what I have learned. I hope that a potential employer when looking at this Portfolio would see that I have worked hard and am trying to show case I am capable of doing great things. Finally, as you, yourself, look over your work during this program as represented by the portfolio, what are the takeaways for you? In other words, what realizations do you have about yourself as an IT professional, a learner, a designer, as a member of a team, as a person of values, and/or a person with new skills and insights? This list is only to help you think. Feel Free to write about insights you may have had at this point. The biggest takeaway I have been able to learn about myself through this experience is that there is always more to learn and no matter what I do there is always room for improvement. I know learning is a long never ending process that is always changing always evolving and no matter what you know there is always room to learn more to improve your-self. This was a long and sometimes complex series of classes that we undertook and there were times I felt overwhelmed. I think this is much like what we are going to be experiencing or have always experienced in life. There are times we run into situations we feel unequipped for and many times I felt this way during the time I have spent working with these classes, but much like every challenge we have to face it and do our best to overcome whatever problems may arise. Having been out of college for such a long time and being introduced to the online format I knew it would not be easy, but I feel over the year I have grown confident and slowly but surely I have convinced myself I will be able to do this. I know it has not been easy and there were times I thought I would regret starting this, but now reaching the final hurdles and being able to see the finish line in sight I am glad I undertook this unique opportunity. I think another take away I had when starting these classes was getting used to the group projects. I know working in a group is a must in the business world, but for the online courses I thought there could be easier ways to do it. I thought that the members of the group work different schedules and it would be hard to be able to organize time and do the work necessary to complete the group assignment. I had never participated in anything like it before and was worried on how to tackle this new challenge, luckily I think that I have succeeded in working within groups. There is still much to learn with group work and I look forward to other challenges like this that I will run into in the future.

My first artifact for this portfolio is the Database Management assignment we undertook. Following is the database proposal we came up with for URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR). Following you will see the final presentation, with everything the group of Nick Phillips, Andrew Pate, Curtis Wilson, and I came up with to help reorganize the database for UCOR. Everything we used for the completion of this project from the problem itself to the final report has been included here for your consideration.

Context Diagram9/27/13 Team 4

Progress Data entryInternal work orderAssign work loadEmployeesProgress ReportsCustomer OrderPurchase OrderCEO / ManagerProject ManagerCustomer0Project Monitoring System

Training Access Database (TAD)

Attendance IDEmployee Badge NumberCourse IDScheduled Date11000450058/13/2013210007500510/15/2013310018500510/15/201341001370079/10/201351000130038/12/2013610020300311/5/2013

Class LocationsClassroom IDClassroom NumberClassroom LocationField111Building K-1007 Rm 165422Building K-1007 Rm 221733Building K-1330 Rm 12544Building K-1652 Rm 23555Building K-2527-AE Rm 566Building K-2527-H Rm 377Building K-33 Rm 226

Course PrerequisitePrerequisite IDCourse IDPrerequisite170087007240041001360061001470081001Course ScheduleCourse Trans NumberCourse IDCourse NameCourse DateClassroom Number13003Aerial Lift8/12/2013225005Crane Operator8/13/2013237007Tamper Indicating Device Initial9/10/2013145005Crane Operator10/15/2013353003Aerial Lift11/5/20131

CoursesCourse IDCourse NameTrainerCourse Description1001General Employee Training111111Covers company policies, brief site history, and site hazards.2002Fork Truck Safety222222How to safely operate and maintenance a fork truck3003Aerial Lift222222How to safely operate and maintenance a Ariel Lift4004Radiological Worker333333Provides the necessary information and skills to work safely in areas controlled for radiological purposes5005Crane Operator222222How to safely operate and guide overhead cranes.6006DOE Work Practices111111Covers worker rights, sexual harassment, and proper use of government property7007Tamper Indicating Device Initial444444Classroom instruction covering procedural information followed by a test and practical hands on test.7008Tamper Indicating Device Annual444444Brief classroom refresher followed by practical hands on test

EmployeesBadge NumberLast NameFirst NameUser IDEmailStreet AddressCityStateZip Code10001JohnsonJoeJOJjjohnson@ucor.com1564 Center Park DrKnoxvilleTN1234510002JonesPeggyPEJpjones@ucor.com9330 Walls StKnoxvilleTN1234510003ParkerJonasJOPjparker@ucor.com1234 Kentucky AveOak RidgeTN5432110004SmithBartBASbsmith@@ucor.com642 Outer DrOak RidgeTN5432110005RogersKimKIRkrogers@@ucor.com7410 Bob Grey RdKnoxvilleTN1234510006KentClarkCLKckent@ucor.com100 Smallville DrClintonGA5555510007SansuiToddTDStsansui@ucor.com456 Hope AveRogersvilleKY1256810008ParksPeterPEPpparks@ucor.com6932 Metro StBristolTN9999910009LaneLoisLILllane@ucor.com2775 Clayborne AveBristolVA1111110010GradyLexLXGlgrady@ucor.com623 Northshore DrKnoxvilleTN1234510011HoneycuttBettyBTHbhoneycutt@ucor.com495 Stevens RdKingstonTN8899510012HoustonMarkMKTmhouston@ucor.com410 Mountain RdGatlinburgTN9632510013KittsElleELKekitts@ucor.com236 Hampton DrHamptonVA2378510014ChaneyBobBBCbchaney@ucor.com2569 Main StNortonVA2567410015CarmackPatPTCpcarmack@ucor.com598 Kings AveKinstonTN8899510016CarbajoJuanJACjcarbajo@ucor.com971 Hudson BldvMidtownTN4562110017BolesJoseJSBjboles@ucor.com14 Roane StOliver SpringsTN8877510018HuxJonJHXjhux@ucor.com133 Broad StKnoxvilleTN1234510019PerkinsStanleySPKsperkins@ucor.com488 Kingston PikeKnoxvilleTN1234510020PhelpsMikeMKPmphelps@ucor.com313 Windfield RdOneidaTN22334

TrainersBadge NumberLast NameFirst NameUser IDEmailStreet AddressCityStateZipcode111111ButlerBillBIBbbutler@ucor.com254 Wilson AveOak RidgeTN54321222222CrazeLarkLCZlcraze@ucor.com569 Gibson StOak RidgeTN54321333333SterlingGabeGBSgsterling@ucor.com711 State StKnoxvilleTN12345444444SampsonBrendaBPSbsampson@ucor.com1400 Auer LnKnoxvilleTN12345Training History

Training History IDBadge NumberCourse IDDate

11000110017/9/2013

21000620022/4/2013

31001410017/11/2013

41000320029/2/2012

51000670077/11/2013

61001620027/9/2013

71001910013/6/2013

81001940047/1/2013

91001970078/1/2011

QueriesQuery Course Prerequisite

Prerequisite IDCourse IDPrerequisite

240041001

360061001

470081001

Query Trainer Course

Course IDCourse NameTrainerCourse Description

2002Fork Truck Safety222222How to safely operate and maintenance a fork truck

3003Aerial Lift222222How to safely operate and maintenance a Ariel Lift

5005Crane Operator222222How to safely operate and guide overhead cranes.

Query Training History

Training History IDBadge NumberCourse IDDate

71001910013/6/2013

81001940047/1/2013

91001970078/1/2011

Database ManagementTraining Access Database (TAD) Final ReportThis is the final summary report for a training access database developed for URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR), hereafter referred to as (TAD), by students in the Information Technology program at King University. TAD has been designed for the primary reason of providing major cost savings to a company that has previously outsourced this internal need of training requirements and documentation for all their employees. Prior to starting this project, company officials were presented with the idea to create an internal database that would reduce costs, create more accurate documentation, and fill an unnecessary gap within the company. The development of this type of database, will also lower costs and add additional security to all employee records that should be kept confidential. Company officials were excited about this presentation and were willing to implement such a database providing the results proved to be as stated.Discussions and planning for this project were started on June 21, 2013 by four students, Nick Phillips, Andrew Pate, Shane Palmer, and Curtis Wilson. The objectives were to list the attributes for each entity, create an E-R diagram, and present results of the testing methods that would be implemented and presented to officials when complete. When designing the database, it was discovered that eight tables with multiple attributes would be needed to meet the desired requirements and fulfill the documentation criteria for each employee. These include: Employee- standard information, Trainers, Attendance, Courses, Class Location, Course Schedule, Course Prerequisite, and Training History. These tables contain all the necessary attributes, entities, and relationships that will provide efficient and reliable data for each employee all while maintaining the integrity and security of confidential data. Most of these tables were designed to use a one-to-many binary relationship while others use a many-to many binary relationship. Testing of the database began after designing the tables. We began populating TAD with samples of simulated data to check speed, integrity, and reliability of the database. When numerous sample data was introduced into the database, we developed a few sets of queries that would be used to obtain an average data retrieval speed. There were no issues or messages with these tests. So, the next step was to select each query and run them back-to-back at least 20 times to determine if there was adequate retrieval with no lockups within the system. These tests were completed and produced no locking issues. After the approval of company officials and implementation is made for this database within the company, several additional tests are planned to occur with the system which will further substantiate this project going live and eliminating an unnecessary gap within the UCOR facility. Ultimately, the decision to be self-sufficient by creating an internal database will be extremely beneficial and reduce enormous outsourcing costs for UCOR.

Group 4

Nick Phillipsnaphillips@student.king.edu

Andrew Pateadpate@student.king.edu

Warren Shane Palmerwspalmer@student.king.edu

Curtis Wilsoncdwilson@student.king.edu

DESIGNED INFORMATION SYSTEM:Up next for your consideration is the Systems Analysis and Design for Project Monitoring System for Service One Contracting. The group of Nick Phillips, Curtis Wilson, Andrew Pate, and I worked long and hard on this and I feel we did a very good job.

Systems Analysis and Design forProject Monitoring SystemFor Service One Contracting

DMIS 3465 Final Report

Warren Palmer Andrew Pate Nicholas Phillips Curtis Wilson

September 29, 2013

Chapter 1 Project Overview

This chapter provides a brief overview of the project. This chapter includes:Executive SummaryProject CharterProject Scope Statement

Project Overview Executive SummaryService One Contracting is a female owned, small business electrical contractor. The two areas of focus for Service One is Industrial and Commercial Electrical Services. Each of the two areas of focus have a variety of capabilities from the design and building of electrical systems to 24/7 service and repair. Service One Contracting was founded in 2001 and is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since 2001, Service One has grown into the third largest electrical contractor in Knoxville.The development of a project monitoring system that fit Service One's needs will alleviate unnecessary expenditures and increase performance. All the project information associated with each project is now being entered by each of the project managers. After the universal project monitoring system is implemented, Service One will appoint certain individuals for data entry and all project managers can view the various projects. Also, the owners can oversee any and all the projects in one system.

Project Charter

ProjectProject Monitoring SystemStart DateAugust 28, 2013End DateSeptember 29, 2013Submitted ByWarren Palmer, Andrew Pate, Nicholas Phillips, Curtis Wilson

OverviewThis project will implement a monitoring system for Service One Contracting and will be used to track progress from start to finish, manpower required, and all safety related issues. The purpose of this system is to provide quick access of information regarding on time deliveries and progress status reports to managers and owners. This system will also enhance delivery of essential information necessary to complete contracts on time and therefore save money, employee time, and also reduce errors from previously conflicted information.

ObjectivesMinimize costs associated with too many workers assigned to on locationProvide accurate and on time delivery reportsReduce safety related issues

Key AssumptionsSystem will be built and configured by King College StudentsUser interface will be web based and protected Access through company database

Stake Holders and Responsibilities

StakeholderRoleResponsibilitySignaturesJoy VaultonPresident/CEOProject MonitorJoy VaultonBarry VaultonVP/ General ManagerResource MonitorBarry VaultonRandy MaysVP OperationsOperations MonitorRandy MaysDebbie HensleySafety ManagerSafety MonitorDebbie Hensley

Project Scope Statement

Project Monitoring SystemPrepared By:Nick PhillipsProject Scope StatementDate:9/26/13

Problem/Opportunity statementCurrently Service One is using multiple project monitoring tools to manage the day to day operations of their ongoing and past projects. Multiple project managers use different tools to manage their current and past projects which does not allow for optimal performance for the company as a whole. Increased cost is also an adverse effect of the multiple monitoring tools utilized. This action does not match their current commitment for providing cost-effective systems.

ObjectivesThe implementation of the new Project Monitoring System for Service One Contracting comes with multiple objectives. The following objectives have been identified to meet the needs of Service One Contracting. While the current systems in use by Service One have sufficed, the overall goal of the new system is to keep projects on track while providing a universal system to monitor each project. The new system should enhance company service by allowing the owners, project managers, and engineers to monitor all ongoing projects in one system. This should allow for resource sharing among the projects to better utilize the company's assets. With the current systems in use by Service One the new system should reduce current maintenance cost of the various monitoring systems by allowing maintenance personnel to focus on one system. The following objectives have been identified as the project objectives for this team.The project team's main objective is to design a Project Monitoring System for Service One that meets all the company's requirements. Our team has set the goal to provide a user friendly system. We have designed a system using multiple interfaces that will allow the users and maintenance personnel to have an easy to work with system. This project team has the objective to complete the Project Monitoring System on or before the final deadline.

DescriptionThis project involves the development of a universal Project Monitoring System for Service One Contracting. The new system will incorporate multiple methods of interaction between the system and its users by including a Command Language Interaction for programmers and maintenance, Menu Interaction, and Form Interaction for the majority of the users. This project will also include a physical database that stores and allows retrieval of the data through the new Project Monitoring System. The new system will allow Service One to track their projects progress from start to finish including managing manpower required, cost associated with project phases, and all safety related issues.

BenefitsThere are many advantages of Service One implementing a universal project monitoring system.The fact that all the information would be retained in one system for viewing and oversight.The cost associated with maintaining one system compared to multiple systems.Turnover in management would cause less impact to the company's mission.Resource sharing will be made easier.The time for updates to the system will be more efficient.

DeliverablesBaseline Project PlanScope StatementProgress ReportsIssues ReportWeekly Meeting NotesFinal ReportProject PresentationInstallation of New Project Monitoring System

Project Success CriteriaThe project will be determined successful if all the conditions listed below are met and the new Project Monitoring System meets the predetermined requirements of Service One Contracting. The project is completed on-time.The system provides fast delivery of output request such as forms and reports.Project progress monitoring for different levels of users.The new system provides control in key areas to include schedule, cost, safety, and complete monitoring and controlling phase review.

Estimated Project DurationOur project team for the Project Monitoring System for Service One Contracting has broken down the estimated durations for the different phases on the project. The first duration covers the analysis and design phase and runs from September 4, 2013 through September 16, 2013. The next break down of the project estimated duration is for the system implementation and runs from September 15, 2013 through September 22, 2013. The project's final conversion will be completed by September 29, 2013.

Chapter 2 - Baseline Project Plan IntroductionAfter all interviews and observations were completed, it was determined that the need for an efficient, accurate, and uniform system must be implemented. Multiple requirements were revealed to our project team and some requirements were brought to the attention of Service One themselves. Service One made our team aware that a user friendly interface was needed. The users of the new system will have various backgrounds with various levels of system knowledge. Our team has decided that the new system will be designed in such a way that includes multiple methods including Command Language interactions and Menu interactions. The Command Language view was decided upon primarily for the programmers that maintain the system. The Menu interaction will be the main and default view which was decided upon with keeping the diverse users in mind. Form interaction will also play a part in the interface design and again was decided upon keeping the majority or the users in mind. The Form interaction design will be used primarily in data entry and report/form retrieval. Our team proposed a new system that mirrors Microsoft Access and stressed designing a less complex design in the first implementation. Service One agreed to this development idea.

System Description

Alternatives

RequirementsCriteriaAlternative AAlternative BAlternative CRequirement 1Complex EssentialStandardRequirement 2

ConstraintsCriteriaAlternative AAlternative BAlternative CCost of Development20,00015,00010,000Cost of Hardware10,0008,0004,000Time to operation5 weeks3-4 weeks2-3 weeksEase of TrainingcomplexModerateeasy

Selected System Description/JustificationRequirements selected by Service One concluded that the most beneficial and acceptable solution for their data problems would require the purchase of alternative B. This method and proven technology not only meets their budget but also will produce all of the necessary documents, financial and completion status of each individual job that is underway. This method will also give top managers and supervisors the required real-time data to make necessary changes to scheduling and work load at adequate times to prevent missing deadlines and budgets.

Feasibility Assessment

Economic FeasibilityAfter review of the initial system design, Service One managers determined that for this to be implemented as proposed, that there could possibly be additional costs higher than their budget allowed. Team four immediately responded to address this concern and proposed a system that mirrored Microsoft Access and also stressed that by designing a less complex system to meet their budget needs, there possibly could be deficiencies in response time but these changes would still maintain accuracy. Service One agreed to these new development ideas.Technical FeasibilityIt was determined that initial planning of the Project Monitoring System contained several high risks that needed to be addressed. These risks included:

a)An inaccurate system design too complex for a small business b)An inaccurate use of familiar technology software and hardwarec)Inadequate user-friendly development

Team four reviewed each of these risks in-depth and determined system modifications were needed for a successful implementation of the new Project Monitoring System design for Service One. Team four realized that all of these risks could be eliminated by scaling back the original design and using software currently proven effective in smaller business settings. Originally, team four designed the system to be used in a large, well known company with many employees and overlooked the complex design feeling it would be adequate for any company. This proved to be untrue and design modifications were implemented. Design changes include:

a)Reducing the complexity of the system taking out many unnecessary bells and whistlesb)Using current software that mirrors MS Access and less sophisticated hardwarec)Developing a user-friendly interface

These small modifications to the system design were pleasing to Service One and they agreed to continue with the implementation plan.Operational FeasibilityInitial design for the Project Monitoring System was too complex to implement in small companies and would not solve but only create additional problems for Service One. Changes were made to the original design that would produce accurate information for all manages and CEOs to access data in real time. These new and improved design features will allow user-friendly, efficient, accurate, and reliable information that will solve the problems Service One currently faces and will help their company reach company goals to be the largest contracting service within their region.Legal and Contractual FeasibilityThis new system will require some additional legal obligations for Service One Contracting. Proper installation and implementation for several new software licenses will need to be obtained. The system design calls for up to twelve new computer stations and user license. These costs are included in the initial project estimate for design and development that has been submitted to Service One in the initial agreement. Failure to purchase these new licenses could result in severe fines.

Management IssuesCommunication planWeekly assessment and progress meetings for team four and management were conducted. Each of these meetings revealed substantial progress and fulfillment of contractual agreements to Service One Contracting. There was a mutual level of respect gained by each team member involved and a lasting business relationship formed. Project standards and proceduresWhile working on this project, standards have been reviewed and revised to improve a more detailed look at each individual company or business that team four works with in the future. This simply means that the needs for one company may not be what another company will need. This proved to be true after realizing a very complex system design was not needed for a small company. Future endeavors will ultimately be following the new standards set aside for design proposal to be accurate at the first presentation.

ScheduleThe schedule for the Project Monitoring System designed for Service One Contracting includes various tasks. The first tasks were the Project Charter and the Project Proposal. These two activities overlapped and were started August 29, 2013 coming to completion on September 8, 2013. The next set of activities involved the Systems Analysis and Systems Design phases and they also overlapped. These activities were performed from September 4, 2013 until September 16, 2013. The System Implementation phase started as the Design phase was coming to completion on September 15, 2013. The process of coding, testing, and maintenance started right away with each task running simultaneously. The System Implementation phase will combine with the Final Conversion phase and be completed on September 29, 2013. Figure 2.1 below illustrates the schedule for the terminal elements of the project monitoring system for Service One Contracting.

Figure 2.1, Gantt chart showing the start and finish dates of the terminal elements.

Weekly Log

DateActivity DescriptionGroup Member(s)Effort/TimeNotesWeek OneProject CharterCurtis10 hours

Week twoProposalCurtis5 hours

Week threeMilestone 2 MemoCurtis5 hours

Week threeDFDCurtis10 hours

Week fourDFDCurtis10 hours

Week fiveDFD- Final reportCurtis20 hours

Week OneProposalNick5 hours

Week twoProposalNick15 hours

Week threeMilestone 2 MemoNick4 hours

Week threeAnalysis/DesignNick3 hours

Week fourMilestone 3 MemoNick9 hours

Week fourImplementation/MaintenanceNick12 hours

Week fiveFinal reportNick20 hours

Week five PresentationNick2 hours

Chapter 3 - Requirements SpecificationRequirements Determination

Requirements Gathering Activities

During the five week course, Team 4 conducted several interviews with employees from each department, all levels within departments, and with all managers and owners to gain an understanding about their primary goals for Service One Contracting. This information was very useful to gain an understanding of how cohesive the organization is and to also learn their ideas for improving uniformity within their organization. With the vast amount of new information, Team 4 began to analyze all the activities that Service One was currently engaged in and also several of their new upcoming contracts. This information was then reviewed and compared for each departments current handling of activities. It was revealed that each department handled data differently by using flip charts, erase boards, and other slips of note paper with almost no efficient means of handling necessary and essential information. Team 4 devised a plan to use an existing information system that was previously designed for another business. This system had been already been implemented proven to work well. However, after proposing this system to Service One, it was discovered that it had too many bells and whistles for the needs of a small company. Team 4 realized this error and immediately began re-planning a new system for this small business that would include only the essentials needed for their business for real-time accurate information. After realization that one system will not work effectively for all companies, Team 4 reviewed and conducted additional interviews to gain more knowledge that would produce an effective, efficient, and most importantly, reliable information for all managers and owners to access in real time. This was accomplished by examining daily business needs and events more in-depth. There are basically three categories for business events: a) Tasks that happen at specific timesb) Decisions made within the organizationc) Responses to outside events Each of these categories required an investigation of company policy to provide the most effective and efficient means of properly establishing a new information system. Events and policies were reviewed, reworked, revised, and some eliminated to achieve proper efficiency and to attain company goals. The intense examination of policies and procedures revealed that several were outdated and needed revision for a proper data system to be implemented for Service One.

Requirements Summary

The requirements listed below were gathered from various interviews during the development and the Systems Analysis Phase of the Project Monitoring System for Service One Contracting.

Functional RequirementsThe new Project Monitoring System will require restricted access at various stages to include:Initial entry into the systemView only permissionRestricted access to portions of a projectAll approved employees can enter and view data in their respected areas within the new systemProject managers and high level stakeholders can enter and view all data in all areasThe new system must have the capability to generate required reports and formsReports and forms must print from the new system

Data RequirementsA relational database must be incorporated in the new system to support data storage and retrieval The new system must handle the data volume currently used by Service One plus 50%The data that is stored in the new system must export into Microsoft products such as Excel

User Interface RequirementsThe new Project Monitoring System must provide an interface for programmers and maintenance personnel such as a command language interactionThe new system must provide a user friendly interface for data entry personnel such as menu and form interactionForms must accept numeric and alphabetic entries The new system must have the capabilities of incorporating a Local Area Network (LAN)

Process Model

Context DFD and Description

Project Manager

Progress Data entryInternal work orderEmployeesCustomer OrderPurchase OrderCustomer0Project Monitoring System

Assign work load

Progress Reports

CEO / Manager

Proposed System (To-Be) DFD and Description

DFD LEVEL -0

4

Project ExpenseCEO/ Manager2Hours Assigned to Complete D1 Inventory 3Project Completion StatusEmployeesInternal work orderProject ManagerCustomer OrderPurchase Order1Current ProjectsArterial Customer

Order Supplies

Assign work

ProjectedHours

Materials Required

Customer Receipt

Status Review

Updated material expenses

Update Progress

Status reportsFinal reports

Updated salary expenses

Chapter 4 - Design SpecificationNarrative OverviewThe interviews and observations made in our developmental process reiterated the need for a uniform system. Service One made us aware that a friendly user interface was needed in the new system. Our team decided that this system would include multiple methods including command language interactions and menu interactions. The command language was implemented for programmers that maintain the system and menu interactions were put in for the diverse users that use the system. Form interaction is also a part of this design that will be primarily used in data entry and report/form retrieval. Our system mirrors Microsoft Access and stresses a less complex design than the first implementation. This system will cover the current state of a project and resource allocation for projects will be required of the new system. A form requirement listed by Service one was one that would allow a project manager to perform a cost assessment of the project currently under way.Interface (Forms/Reports) Designs

Testing and Usability AssessmentOur testing and usability assessment will cover multiple areas to ensure we have an efficient system. These processes include system functions, data input, input commands, data output, output command, and output notifications. The method of testing our team has chosen for this project is testing by users method. For example, in one scenario we had a user log in and proceed to the project update tab. The user chose a project to fill in the required space on the pop up form. Once required spaces were filled in, it was submitted and the output was reviewed and printed. The system returned zero error alerts and the desired form was printed. Another scenario we put the system through was having another user log in and go to the update tab. The user chose a project to fail to fill in all the required spaced in the pop up form. Once the user had the desired spaced filled in, it was submitted and the output was reviewed. The error message was acknowledged and the form was closed out. The system was working properly prompting the user to fill in all the required fields of the form. These scenarios among many others ensured us that our system showed high usability and functionality.

Chapter 5 Implementation and Maintenance

Implementation EstimatesThe Project Monitoring System for Service One Contracting has multiple activities and maintenance categories associated with the implementation and maintenance phase. A required time has been allied with each activity and category to better serve the implementation and maintenance personnel. An overall breakdown of the project duration is listed in Chapter 1 of this report. Our team has determined that the implementation cost will be roughly 25% of the total cost of ownership of the new system. The monetary value assigned to the implementation estimate is $6,250.00. Table 5.1 below describes the percent breakdown of the implementation activity.

Implementation ActivityEstimated Dollar AmountPercent of ImplementationBudget UsedTime Required Coding$1,875.0030%7 DaysTesting$1,562.5025%5 DaysInstallation$1,875.0030%2 DaysDocumentation$937.5015%3 DaysTable 5.1, Implementation cost and required times breakout into category.

Our team has determined that the maintenance cost will be roughly 75% of the total cost of ownership of the new system. The monetary value assigned to the maintenance estimate is $18,750.00. Table 5.2 below describes the percent breakdown of the maintenance categories.

Type of MaintenanceEstimated Dollar AmountPercent of MaintenanceBudget UsedTime Required Corrective maintenance$3,750.0020%3 DaysAdaptive maintenance$4,687.5025%2 DaysPerfective maintenance$937.505%3 DaysPreventive maintenance$9,375.0050%OngoingTable 5.2, Maintenance cost and required times breakout into category.

Implementation PlansSuggested TechnologyOur team will use Computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools to implement the new system such as code generator tools and software design programs. The Linux operating system has been chosen for the new system. The decision of using Linux was made along with Service One to cut down on cost while maintaining a high level of system confidence. The Umbrello UML Modeler is a Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram program that will be used in the implementation of the new project monitoring system for Service One. Umbrello along with Linux is open source software which played a major role in deciding to use their technology.

Resource EstimatesThe team has consulted Service One on the estimates for resources that will be needed for the implantation process. For a seamless installation of the new project monitoring system in a parallel installation our team has requested two skilled users from each project team to be made available during this process. Our team has made Service One aware that the times needed for each user would not overlap and be limited to five hours of use for each user. The only tools required will be the separate work stations installed for the new system.

Implementation/Installation StrategyThe implementation phase of the Project Monitoring System for Service One Contracting has multiple associated activities. The fist activity involves the process of coding the physical design specifications into working computer code. The use of CASE tools such as code generator tools will be utilized to perform the in house code generation. The second activity in this implementation phase involves testing and is discussed in greater detail in the test plan for this project. The essentials of the testing activity include test plans, test cases, test scenarios, and test logs. The testing will cover hardware and software. Currently Service One Contracting utilizes various methods for monitoring their past and present projects. The implementation of the new project monitoring system was evaluated and it was determined to perform a parallel installation. A parallel installation will allow the team to evaluate the new system and make any necessary adjustments. An implementation diagram will be used for the process of development to show what activities run simultaneously and the order of how the current systems will be shut down. The various systems that Service One currently uses will continue to run simultaneously for some period not to exceed 25 business days. The use of CASE tools such as code generator tools will be utilized to perform the in house code generation.

Test PlanThe following is a list of the areas to be focused on during testing of the new project monitoring system for Service One Contracting. All tests will be controlled. The testing will take place throughout the implementation process. System FunctionsData InputInput CommandsData OutputOutput CommandsOutput Notifications

Our team has developed various scenarios for testing the new project monitoring system for Service One Contracting. Listed below are two simple test scenarios with the expected results:Test Scenario 1.0 - With the system running, log in and proceed to the project update tab. Choose a project and fill in required spaces on the pop up form. Once required spaces are filled in, submit and review output. Print form. Expected result - the system should behave in a manner that provides zero error alerts and the desired form should print. Test Scenario 1.1 - With the system running, log in and precede to the project update tab. Choose a project and fail to fill in all the required spaces on the pop up form. Once desired spaces are filled in, submit and review output. Acknowledge error message and close out of form. Expected result - the system should behave in a manner that provides an error message prompting the user to fill in all required fields of the form.

Installation deliverablesAt the completion of the installation process multiple deliverables will be made available to Service One Contracting. For the process of maintaining the project monitoring system it was decided upon to use CASE tools such as maintenance and reverse engineering tools to generate the user guide, training plan, and maintenance notes. The Imagix 4D reverse engineering tool will be the primary tool for the maintenance portion of the project. The user guide will consist of a table of contents, written procedures and instructions, reference material, and a glossary. The user training plan will consist of required and recommended training cycles along with test scenarios for the user to execute in training situations. A list of common mistakes and best practices will accompany the training plan. This phase of the project cycle will also produce maintenance notes. The notes will include scheduled maintenance times, procedures, and past maintenance that has been performed.

Appendix A: Top 5 Lessons Learned

Lesson 1 Well defined requirements The lack of well-defined requirements set our team back a great deal. After reflection, taking the time initially to obtain a list of better defined requirements would have saved our team a lot of time in the end. Revisiting phases of the life cycle hurts in making future deadlines.

Lesson 2 Assuming work is finished This team suffered from assuming each team member was performing up to their capabilities. It is not safe to assume that all team members are finishing work before deadlines. A system of accountability should be in place for all projects no matter the size of the project. This team failed to put one into place.

Lesson 3 Organized project requirements Before our team started this project we failed to organize the requirements of the project. When requirements are in various locations you should compile and organize them so that you set yourself up for success and not failure.

Lesson 4 Be reasonable in taking on work Our team started this project and may have chosen a project that was too large for the time allotted. We should have been more reasonable in our project selection.

For the Proposal Topic Artifact I have included the project that we undertook in TCOM 2400 where I chose my employer Magic Mart to look at and propose some changes that they could make. Technology is a necessity in modern day business and any business that does not accept those changes can get left behind and struggle to compete. Here I look at the problems Magic Mart faces and try to give some answers to those problems and what if anything Magic Mart has done to fix these problems.

In this final project report I have been studying my current place of work and lay out the technology problems it is currently experiencing and how it could possibly improve. I will also talk about the importance of technology in the workplace and how important it is for organizations such as my current employer to keep up or get left behind and end up suffering in the long run.I am currently employed at a retail store Magic Mart, owned by Ammar's incorporated whose main office is located in Bluefield, Virginia. The Ammar family first came to this country from Syria in 1911, and in 1920 when a store front property went up for auction K.A. Ammar won this auction and the Ammars Brothers Department store was born. In 1967 as business trends began to change the Ammar brothers opened their first Magic Mart in Grundy, Virginia.As the Magic Mart brand became successful and more numerous, the last of the old Ammar Brothers' stores were closed in 1974. Magic Mart has 21 stores located in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Magic Mart is a first class regional operator of department stores with outstanding service and offering selections not found in any comparable stores. They feature value priced national brands at money saving prices. The Magic Mart I currently work at is located in Norton, Virginia and has been a part of Norton for many years, and Magic Mart as a whole has 21 stores located over four states. Compared to other retailers such as K-Mart, Target, and the Goliath known as Wal-Mart I think it is amazing that such a small contender like Magic Mart is able to hold on.

This report will address the problems faced by Magic Mart and the organizations continuing to depend on technology of the past. Magic Mart seems to not want or be able to update its systems or the items it uses in its everyday running of the business. Technology is ever evolving and so is the business world, yet Magic Mart seems to be inflexible and unwilling to change its ways which in the long run can and will ultimately hurt a business. By updating and advancing its current systems Magic Mart would be better placed to continue competing in this ever changing business world.

As everyone knows technology in the workplace can allow a business to expand quickly and efficiently. Technology such as video conferencing, social networks, and virtual office technology removes boundaries that can limit business expansion. With business technology, companies can target a wider base of customer and grow to higher levels.With Technology a business can improve communication within the work place. Workers are not limited to phone calls or inter-office mail to interact with one another anymore. E-mail for example, allows workers to send and receive messages without interrupting the recipient. Technology also improves communication with any client or business partner because that information can be passed along through multiple channels almost instantly. By using technology you can improve the human capital of a business, this efficiently helps screen, recruit and hire potential candidates. By utilizing the internet a company can spread the word about job opportunities. Technology like a personality assessment or screening tool can help a business determine whether a candidate will be an appropriate fit in the organization.Office technology can save time by speeding up work flow, digital filing systems save space, paper and printing costs. Using computer systems will allow corrections to be made instantly. Using resources like electronic files will be available with the click of a button.Mobility in workplace technology will practically eliminate space and time, by using video conferencing you can interact with each other and reduce travel costs. Technology will allow a business to establish global presence with a fraction of the cost.Magic Mart as I have already stated has been in business since the 1960s and in that span of time and they have done very little to change with the times. The computers they use for scanning in their delivery trucks are IBM 330 personal computers and use DOS programming. As you are probably aware most computers of today are windows programming based and windows is so much better than DOS because the primary way DOS displays information is through plain text. Earlier versions of windows are graphical shells for DOS, but these computers have no Windows elements at all. If they would upgrade these computers they would be able to store more on the computers, multitask and allow the use of multiple users, Windows based programs are so much more user-friendly.This is but one of many ways Magic Mart is lacking behind in technology. When it comes to the actual inventory of the store, everything is done visually. Places like Wal-Mart have scan devices that can be used to scan a product and tell the associate if you have more of that item in the back and how many you have.We have no such thing, if a customer asks us if we have an item we have to visually search for the item and quite often this can take a frustrating amount of time because everything is not always where it is supposed to be.Sometimes, we can take a ticket off a product to the front counter and the managers can use the computers at the front to search for items, these computers are more up to date than the ones used to scan the trucks, however not enough so to find items. I have scoured the back before looking for stock that the computers says we have, but it cant be found. The computer system should update itself on a regular base, but it doesnt.This is a severe waste of time if you ask me, Ive seen it go a few days before it would update.The computers that the managers use to do most of their work at the front of the store are a lot more up to date with the windows XP professional operating system, but even these are not updated very well. If a customer brings something back that may be damaged, the manager scans the item and it goes back into the system even though it is damaged and unsellable.The system says we have the item and we spend time looking for something that we cant sell. If the computer system could differentiate between a regular item and a damaged item this too could save us a lot of running back and forth between one-side of the store to another. Someone in there computer application area should write a program or hire someone to create programs into the system to separate the damages from the regular inventory.When a customer brings there intended purchases to the front the cashiers use the hand scanners to scan every single item individually because unlike most places magic mart is still using printed tickets instead of using UPC barcode scanning. They are gradually and slowly transitioning from these printed tickets to the UPC scan system, but until they do they are spending so much money buying the rolls of tickets to put on every single item that is out on the sales floor.When a cashier goes to scan each item they are using very old handheld scan guns that are attached to the register, which is fine I think, but I feel they should be using the scanners which are built into the counter much like most retailers have.Dont get me wrong its not a bad system that they use, but it seems to me those hand scanners are constantly tearing up on them and they are having to change them out and send them to be repaired or replaced by the exact same kind of scanner instead of updating to something a little more modern.The dishonest customers are known for taking the printed stickers off of a less expensive item and switching it with a more expensive item, a practice called ticket switching. If a cashier is caught unaware this less than honest person could be walking out of the store paying much less for something than they should. This is another way switching over to all UPC pricing, that way a customer cant take the printed ticket off of an item if it doesnt have one in the first place.Magic Mart like I said is slowly changing over to full UPC scanning, but in the meantime they are behind other retailers who have all but done away with printed out tickets.A few times a month during the spring, summer and fall the company holds what they call department schools, what these are is meetings where they bring several employees together from each store and different departments within the store and they all drive to a store and discuss upcoming sales, and items they will be getting in within the upcoming months.Some of these employees have to drive hours to be able to come to these events. This is a severe waste of time, and gas for everyone involved, if they were to invest in video conferencing such as Skype they could hold these meetings without all these employees driving way out of the way just for a meeting that usually lasts a couple of hours.With a video conference they can have the same meetings and convey the same information without having to drive out of the way.One of the biggest waste of company time and money comes in the form of the once a year full store inventory. Every single January the store will close down around 12 noon and stay closed the rest of that day, the whole day the next day, and on the third day it will reopen around the evening time usually around 3 o clock. This is when we are performing a store wide inventory.During day one of this time the employees go around the store and visually count each and every single item in the store filling out what we call inventory tickets. We put what the item is, how many of each we counted, and how much the retail price is. This usually lasts from the time we closed at 12 noon, till around 9 oclock or so, depending on how much we have managed to count.We come back in the next day and pick up where we left off and prepare for the buyers, and other important personnel from the Bluefield office to show up. Yet again a lot of employees are driving hours out of their way to come and look over what we have counted, check for errors, and make price changes.To me this is yet again a big waste of time and money, it just boggles my mind that a business would shut its doors for what is essentially two full days and not allow any customers of any kind in, until we finish counting and entertaining the buyers and cooperate honchos. I do not see how they can afford to close down each and every one of their stores for that length of time so they can count.I can understand why they would do it though because its hard to get an accurate count as you have customers running around in the store, but to me if they were to invest in some sort of counting system much like what Wal-Mart or some other store uses would be much more efficient.As we begin to count the inventory and before the store actually closes we use plastic, string, and buggies to block off areas where we have counted and put up signs letting the customer know if they would like something down the aisle that we have already counted or are counting all they have to do is ask and someone will assist them.So there are areas of the store while open that a customer cant get to which might discourage even further business. A person might see all these areas being blocked off and decide they do not want to fool with it and go back out the doors. Places like Wal-Mart hire people to come in with walking scanners and are able to scan the inventory and give a good count on what is located out on a sales floor without closing the doors.It may be a little inconvenient with all those people running around, but you can still shop and it would take less time and a shop can remain open and not lose potential customers. If they were to hire a crew or invest in some sort of updated inventory counting software they would not only be able to stay open, but also finish within a matter of hours instead a matter of days.This too would help prevent all those people from driving all that way just to change prices. They could have that scanned information sent to them at their office where they could look over it and email the store of any price change they would like to make.On several occasions I have heard members of the management team say that the owners of Magic Mart are too cheap to update their systems, in the business world to be able to make money you have to spend some money.They have also stated that it is getting harder and harder to find parts and upgrade soft-ware for some of the programs they are currently using.They spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on these giant rolls of stickers that they put on everything. They have the magic mart bar codes instead of the product UPC code. I think if they were to just use the UPC bar code that comes with the product they could save tons of money.When making the magic mart stickers they put the giant rolls of stickers in these machines where they use the hand held machine to type in the codes and use it to print out multiple stickers to put on every single item.Eventually I am sure they will be unable to find anything they can use to fix the old outdated programs and the hardware as well and will have no choice to update. I think if they were to update a little at a time it would help them in the long run, but I guess as long as they can continue to find anything cheap and easy they will stick to the if it is not broke do not fix it mode of business thinking.

My recommendations for Magic Mart as an organization would be to stop what they are doing by living in the past and step into the present. Technology is a wonderful thing and every organization needs to embrace the future. Here are a few things that Magic Mart could do to update themselves and better compete in todays business world.Update the handheld scanners-If they were to replace these with the types of scanners that a business like Wal-Mart has would make ringing up a customer faster.Update the computers-By getting rid of the outdated IBM computers and buying something more current Magic Mart would not be struggling to find updates.Update to UPC scanning-If they complete the transition to full UPC scan like other business use they would save some money by not having to buy the rolls of stickers they use.Use Video Conferences-By using a video conference Magic Mart could save time and money by not sending employees all over the place when they want to have meetings and discuss the business.Alter their Inventory practices-Hiring an independent group to come in and count the inventory would save some time and Magic Mart would not have to close so counting could be done.Update Software-Software updates for the current system is getting harder and harder to find and by updating to Windows instead of DOS related programs would help run the computers.These are but a few things I would suggest for Magic Mart to use to better their business. I do not know however if they will. As I stated earlier they seem to not want to spend money or may not be able to spend the money that is required to be able to make the necessary changes that are needed for Magic Mart to get updated and better compete with other business that have already adopted the technology needed to run at the upmost efficiency.

This is my self-evaluation for my proposal project. Here I address the audiences, purpose and other questions that were asked about my putting together this presentation.

Who is your audience? The audience for this project is the faculty of King University within the Bachelor of Information Technology department and any prospective employee that would be interested in seeing what I am capable of.

What is your purpose? My purpose is to show the work I have completed over the course of my time within the Bachelor Technology Program and let the faculty of King University as well as prospective employees see that I am hard working and determined to succeed. I too tried to convey with this project that technology is necessary and all business must keep everything they have up to date in order to survive.

Prewriting: Describe the types of prewriting you did. As I was putting this portfolio and project together I did various brainstorming activities and put many ideas down and revised them to suit the subjects that I was covering. I also read on each section the portfolio called for and researched and came up with a good way to put all of this information together.

Outside Reviewers: Describe the amount and kinds of advice/help you have received on this report. Whom did you consult? As I worked on this report I consulted various web sites for advice and structure. Looking up portfolios and other projects online allowed me to see how to design and build this report and make the information interesting to the reader. I asked several family members as well as trusted friends to proof read this report and I was very open to any advice given to improve everything within these pages.

How have you insured that your project is professional in tone and style? Following the instructions provided to us and researching project design online has led me to use the tone and style I have used on this project. I included the picture inserts to try and make my project stand out and look good to anyone who may want to read this and see I am a professional individual.

Format: Have you followed the report format prescribed on the assignment sheet? I think I have followed it pretty close, I do not think I followed it precisely as it was laid out on the assignment sheet, but I feel that nonetheless I did a good job and was able to lay out everything the assignment asked for.

Editing: What grammar points or punctuation did you pay attention to as you wrote this report? I used basic grammar rules while writing this report. I tried to make sure I did not have run on sentences and my spelling was correct. I tried to make sure to use correct spacing, punctuation, and tried my best to effectively write this.

Strengths: What are the strengths of your solution to the identified problem? Why do you think so? The possible strengths of this solution would be that the business would be more efficient. By updating their systems they would not have to struggle to find updates to the outdated software and hardware they currently have.

Weaknesses: What part of your solution may be a weakness? Why? I think the main weakness to this plan is Magic Mart may not be willing to try and change and the cost to change would be outrageous. They seem to work on the old saying if it is not broke do not fix it. The system does work for them, but I still think they would greatly benefit by updating.

Feedback: What kind of feedback do you want? I am open to any kind of feed-back good and bad. You can learn much from both kinds of feed-back. You can learn what to do, what you did right and what you can change or improve upon.

Document Design: Comment on the graphic design of your document. I tried to keep the graphic design simple. It is important to have some sort of design, but I feel the information included is far more important than how it looks. However design is important and a good document will include some sort of good design, but it also needs good information to go along with it.

SUPER HERO COLAORLANDO, FL. Phone #555-555-5555FAX #555-555-5556 4/6/2014Warren Shane PalmerSUPER HERO COLA MARKETING PLAN

Situation Analysis:

In the United States the general masses dredge through life never knowing their true potential. You go through your life never knowing what you are capable of and not truly able to reach the absolute limit of human perfection. We here at Super Hero Cola incorporated have uncovered a way to let the average Joe live the fantasy of being more than normal, better than average, to be super in every single way! Our founder Doctor Super has developed a new and exciting product that allows the consumer to experience something that they would never be able to in their normal run of the mill life. By combining super science and his own secret ingredients with your average run of the mill energy drink Doctor Super has created our new product we are unveiling to the world at large, Super Hero Cola. Super Hero Cola has the potential to sweep not only the United States, but the world itself. We are in a position to change the world at large with Super Hero Cola. The average consumer after purchasing and consuming our product will be able to briefly gain unimaginable power, allowing them to be stronger, and faster, being able to finally see what perfection feels like. The potentials with Super Hero Cola are almost endless! By getting our product into the market place and into the hands of consumers we are in a position to revolutionize not only the beverage industry, but also the medical field as well, Super Hero Cola being able to allow the consumer to ignore pain, heal at unbelievable speeds, cure disease and even cheat death. We currently see no limitations with our product and are always looking into other venues that we can introduce Super Hero Cola.

Market Summary:

Super Hero Cola was created in early 2013 by French super scientist Doctor Jean-Luc Super. Doctor Super began as a designer of energy drinks, but due to personal tragedy wanted more. As his wife was dying of an inoperable cancer Doctor Super began to research cures for his wives cancer and how to make the human body stronger, and healthier. By exposing his own unique super-secret recipe for his unique energy drink with experimental cosmic radiation Doctor Jean-Luc Super accidently created Super Hero Cola. Initial testing was conducted on various kinds of laboratory animals and insects and the effects were astounding. Various results were recorded from hundreds upon hundreds of tests. The animals showed increases in brain mass, muscle strength, dexterity, stamina, and recovery. One of the most impressive results recorded was of a lab rat nicknamed Steely, after given a sample of our first batch Steely developed teeth that could chew through solid steel. Once it was determined that the first batch of our formula was safe we moved into phase two, human testing. Initial tests Im afraid to say were disappointing, our test subjects showed no effects from the batch and it was soon determined the amounts of radiation among other factors would have to be tweaked. Doctor Super went into redesign phase and began the process of determining the proper chemical combinations needed so that we could see results on the human level. After hard work and sweat Doctor Super found what we were looking for, a viable product formula to allow us to witness the results we were hoping for within our human subjects. After extensive testing it was determined we had found the mix we were looking for. Super Hero Cola was ready for the world at large.

Market Demographics:

Our market research into possible demographics has determined our key demographics would be Males and Females ranging in ages from 18 to 40, but we here think the market is wide open for all ages beyond 40, Super Hero Cola is also going to be marketed to all races. We also wish to make Super Hero Cola available for anyone no matter their economic standings, if you are rich, poor, or middle class we want you to try and enjoy our product. We however, want to limit the usage of Super Hero Cola to adults as we have found sometimes the mind of a child ages 17 and under cannot handle the extensive changes that can occur when consuming Super Hero Cola. We have hired many consultants and have conducted extensive research and are keeping all of our options open. Super Hero Cola can and will fit into any and all aspects of life. Demographics show that the medical field is wide open as well, just imagine a Medical Doctor prescribing Super Hero Cola as an antibiotic, an anti-histamine, or as an antacid. The possibilities are endless. Initially we will be introducing Super Hero Cola in the biggest of cities within the United States, New York and Los Angeles being the first two cities selected as the best test markets. Once it has been determined that the need for the product is there we will slowly expand through the entire United States of America. Once Super Hero Cola is available and is a viable selling product within the United States and it is determined it is selling to our expectations we will be expanding or markets to overseas areas of the world. Within a year we expect Super Hero Cola to be available in England, and France. Depending on how well we do in those markets we will be able extend Super Hero Cola and allow it to be available worldwide.

Market Needs:

The Market Needs for Super Hero Cola is limitless, who wouldnt want to experience what it is to be like a super hero? The average consumer can drink our product and live a life of a superior existence. Being able to walk into your local grocery store and purchase our product will let anyone who wants to have this super life even if it is briefly. Any adult who wants to fly, bend bars, run at super speeds, or have a dizzying intellect will want to purchase Super Hero Cola. We are on the verge of a revolution in the beverage industry, no other cola on the market offers not only the removal of thirst and will give you refreshment, but also will make you stronger, faster, and more powerful than you were before. Super Hero Cola will become a staple from everyones favorite fast food joints to the highest level five star restaurants. Want to be able to pick up a car? Super Hero Cola is for you, want to be able to move objects with your mind? Drink Super Cola. We have the potential to become the number one cola in the world. We will be able to capture ever market in the beverage world. We as of now have no completion in the super power granting market so unless some other firm comes up with something we will dominate. Our prices will be only slightly higher than your average beverage, but when you look at what you will be getting when you purchase our product, the decision will be simple, because no other product will offer what Super Hero Cola can deliver.

Market Growth:

The Market Growth for Super Hero Cola we expect it to be very high and go up very fast. In this report we have included a chart of our suspected sales we expect to have within our first five years. We have put extensive research into growth potential and this chart is what we think we could possibly earn modestly. We here at Super Hero Cola are hoping to be surprised and our estimates be blown out of the water by the demand. We are offering something that has not been done before in known history. Once advertising such as Television, Radio, Newspaper, The Internet and probably the most important word of mouth begin to circulate about how you can go into any store pay about the same price you would for other leading beverage brands like Coca Cola or Pepsi, take a drink and gain any number of Super Powers, our Growth will be a reality. Just imagine an average 9 to 5 employee going into work one day up to the water cooler and one of that persons co-workers telling them a tale of how they bought Super Hero Cola took a few drinks and was able to fly through the city just like a bird or a plane. Super Hero Cola has the potential to sell itself just by word of mouth alone. Our target customers, starting out will be anyone who grew up watching any number of Super Hero movies, or reading their favorite comic book and once those people tell their friends, family, and co-workers the experience they lived with Super Hero Cola the sky will truly be the limit when it comes to growth and potential for growth.Chart1

1.79

2.5

3.3

4.9

5.1

Super Hero Cola Sales in Billions

Sheet1

Super Hero Cola Sales in Billions

First Year1.79

Second Year2.5

Third Year3.3

Forth Year4.9

Fifth Year5.1

To resize chart data range, drag lower right corner of range.

SWOT Analysis - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

We have come to the point where we look at our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We have included a table with everything we here at Super Hero Cola have determined that will either help or hinder our future performance. The future is not certain and it is very important that we look into everything and research everywhere to make sure we do our best every single day. Much research has gone into this and as time goes on we feel we will be redefining this chart to suit the market and suit our needs for growth.

Strengths

We are the only Beverage on the planet that will allow anyone anywhere to live the dream of being a super hero for a 12 hour period. You can drink Super Hero Cola and fly like a bird, throw fire from your hands, read minds, or run faster than super-sonic speeds.

We have some of the finest minds in the country researching and experimenting making super hero cola the best it can be. We have scientists from all branches of science to help Doctor Super improve upon his Super Formula, doctors from varying specializations to study the changes that occur to our test subjects, some of the best lawyers to let us know that we are within the laws of the land.