An Application for the Center for Creative Living

Juli Stempel
December 2002

Prof. Walter Turner, Advisor

Abstract

 

Project Description

The Center for Creative Living is a church in Asheville, NC. Rev. Barbara Waterhouse expressed the need for a computer program that will allow her to view numerous detailed categories of information rapidly regarding individuals who attends the Center.

To accomplish this need an application was designed using a Visual Basic (VB) 6.0 Graphical User Interface (GUI) and an Access XP database.

 

Project Analysis

The project has been organized using Systems Analysis and Design methods:

Phase One Preliminary Investigation:  Interviews with the client to determine how the current system works and improvements desired.

Phase Two Systems Analysis: Samples of current forms and reports were collected and analyzed. Diagrams were created to represent the system, including dataflow and use case.

Phase Three Systems Design: The database schema was designed and refined; tables for the database were created and normalized to eliminate any many-to-many relationships to minimize redundancy. Prototypes were analyzed with the client, using prepared scripts, to refine the design to assure the GUI design meets the needs being addressed by this project

Phase Four Systems Development: Programming the GUI has presented several challenges. The client expressed a strong aversion to spreadsheet formats. Consequently, major time-saving options available in VB could not be utilized. A fundamental design decision to conserve memory has resulted in an elegant solution which is not commonly used and has required an extreme amount of research.

Phase Five Systems Implementation:Creating training materials and user training

 

Conclusion

While I have learned a great deal about Visual Basic and Access beyond previous coursework, the most important aspect of this project has been experiencing first-hand the process of software development. Even seemingly simple tasks take far longer than originally estimated. Additionally, the advantage of working in groups has been realized.Of greatest importance is an increased clarity with which possible career options will be considered. Working though the entire process of creating an application, personal strengths have been confirmed.