TEMPLATE Technical Specification

Department or Program Name

[SYSTEM/APPLICATION NAME]

TemplateTechnical

Design Specification

SYSTEM APPLICATION NAME TECHNICAL DESIGN SPECIFICATION

ABSTRACT

The decision-making process in even a small supermarket can be complex. To be an effective

manager you must understand the process. Setting clear and specific goals is essential. Everyone

working in the supermarket should understand these goals. They need to know how they

contribute to achieving goals and be motivated to do so.

For managers to track performance and to identify reasons for inadequate results, they need a

management information system. This Simulation based system will provide users with real

world dynamic experience to better understand the decisions they make and how do their

decisions affect the results. This system will provide them dynamic and comparative feedback,

so that they can understand their decisions and how changes would affect the results.

The supermarket chain simulation will be used to train students and professionals about business

principles and techniques in real world supermarket management. Decisions would be made

about product sales, purchase, margins, promotions, marketing, store hours and labor. Other

financial decisions would include investments and loans.

The main objective of performing this activity is to improve the financial position of the

supermarkets by providing decisions about sales, purchase, margins, promotions and labors. The

decisions should be able to compete with other superstores, warehouses and hypermarkets, and

attract more customers to ultimately gain profit.

SYSTEM/APPLICATION NAME TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract................................................................................................................................. 1

1.0 Objective........................................................................................................................1

2.0 Introduction....................................................................................................................2

2.1 Background.............................................................................................................................................. 4

2.2 Motivation................................................................................................................................................ 6

2.3 Description............................................................................................................................................... 7

3.0 technical Specification................................................................................................10

3.1 Hardware/ Software Requirements........................................................................................................103.1.1 Software (server side)..................................................................................................................... 103.1.2 Hardware (server side)................................................................................................................... 103.1.3 Requirements (client side)..............................................................................................................103.1.3 Other............................................................................................................................................... 10

4.2 Business Services.................................................................................................................................. 114.2.1 Diagram.......................................................................................................................................... 114.2.2 Batch Processing............................................................................................................................ 114.2.3 Scripts............................................................................................................................................. 114.2.5 Business Processes....................................................................................................................... 11

4.3 Data....................................................................................................................................................... 114.3.1 File Structure.................................................................................................................................. 114.3.2 Extract Functionality....................................................................................................................... 114.3.3 Export Functionality........................................................................................................................ 114.3.4 Schema Objects............................................................................................................................. 114.3.5 Table Descriptions.......................................................................................................................... 114.3.6 Data Mapping................................................................................................................................. 114.3.7 Security........................................................................................................................................... 11

5.0 Backup and Recovery.................................................................................................12

6.0 Appendix........................................................................................................................12

SYSTEM /APPLICATION NAME TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

1.0 OBJECTIVE

Supermarket simulation website can be used in many teaching situations: - intensive one-day

training sessions to once-a-week classroom use, where decisions are made outside of the class

and merely turned in. It is very helpful if the student reads the instruction manual prior to

introducing the game. This can save up to an hour of class time and enhances understanding of

the simulator early in the session. If students have read the instruction manual, it should only

take about 20 minutes to introduce the simulator and 10 minutes to organize teams and start

decision-making.

The simulator can be used to reinforce business or economics principles and tools being taught

and provide a better understanding of the relationships among management decisions and their

outcomes as represented by the performance of the dealership and reported in the financial

statements and operating reports.

Ultimately the simulation will provide:

Attempt to duplicate real-world

Increase decision-making skills

Reduce costs of learning

Provide dynamic feedback

Provide support for multiple sessions

document.docPage 1


2.0 INTRODUCTION

Then, teams comprising of 2-5 members will compete with each other by making decisions.

Decisions made by one team will affect their performance and the performance of their

competitor. Based on decisions submitted by each team, results would be reported in the form of

balance sheet, operation analysis, ratio analysis and competitive report. After completion of

every quarter each team can view its results and the information in these reports should be

carefully studied in planning the decisions for the next quarter as it provides valuable insight

regarding problems and suggests areas where results may be improved.

It will help managers to track performance and to identify reasons for inadequate results using a

management information system. This Simulation based system will provide users with real

world dynamic experience to better understand the decisions they make and how do their

decisions affect the results. This system will provide them dynamic and comparative feedback,

so that they can understand their decisions and how changes would affect the results.

Supermarket simulation website can be used in many teaching situations: - intensive one-day

training sessions to once-a-week classroom use, where decisions are made outside of the class

and merely turned in. The simulator can be used to reinforce business or economics principles

and tools being taught and provide a better understanding of the relationships among

management decisions and their outcomes as represented by the performance of the dealership

and reported in the financial statements and operating reports.

document.docPage 2


The simulation website developed as a part of this project will be used by faculty and students in

the Department of Agriculture. This website will also be used by companies who want to train

their employees with real market conditions and improve their analyzing and decision making

skills. It will provide them with proper learning experience of changing requirements in market

and how to plan decisions based on the market needs.

As part of project the following items described below will be delivered:

Simulation Website: This will be the main working model of the simulation delivered in

the form of website, which will be uploaded on ISU Web Server accessible to assigned

students, faculty and professionals as determined by the Department of Agriculture.

This simulation website will function as an input and output medium for users, where

they will enter their decisions and reports would be generated based on those decisions

and internal algorithms. They can analyze those reports to further improve their

understanding of the subject and make better decisions in future in real market

conditions.

document.docPage 3


2.1 Background

Current product related to the project is the “www.prostar3t.ilstu.edu” website, which is used by

the Department of Agriculture faculty to teach and train students about the real market conditions

in retails fertilizer management. Each time the players submit a set of management decisions and

run the simulation they are able to see the impact their decisions had on the performance of their

dealership.

The calculations for different variables and reports are based on a FORTRAN program

developed by Dr. Emerson M. Babb of Department of Agricultural Economics from Purdue

University. But that program only provides basic calculations and reports, and does not provide a

good user experience. It is also unable to provide any sort of dynamic feedback to user, which

can help them better understand their decisions and improve them for future use.

The supermarket simulation website to be developed plans to enhance the user experience,

increase learning by providing dynamic feedback, provide conditions closer to real market by

increasing the level of uncertainty.

Also, the current system does not allow for multiple sessions and does not support as many

different teams and instructors necessary. This supermarket simulation website will allow

multiple sessions and several teams and instructors can access the system at same time. This will

provide more users to interact with system at same time and in same market scenario.

document.docPage 4


Users will be provided with dynamic feedback consisting of comparative analysis and past

decisions. Also, the website will contain multiple virtual competitors to provide users with

different scenarios even after the market is setup, so that they have to change their decisions

accordingly as it happens in real market.

In the end, simulation will provide users in enhancing:

Decision-making skills

Business skills

Data Analysis skills

Real world problem solving skills

document.docPage 5


2.2 Motivation

The motivation behind this project is that currently users do not have any web-based solution or

management information system in place to simulate real market conditions and better learn and

understand financial management.

Currently the concepts of financial management are achieved using classroom teaching and no

efficient web-based tool is available to create “real-life” market conditions. As the current tools

do not allow duplicating specific variables of the business environment of supermarket and the

users are not able to practice strategic elements learned in class.

This tool proposed by this project will help students better understand and apply the strategic

techniques of financial management through real-life situations.

Simulations are a method of presenting information just as are lectures, exercises, case studies

and exams. This simulation will provide users with interactivity and dynamic feedback, so that

they can better understand their decisions and improve their skills based on the feedback

provided by system and faculty.

The supermarket simulation website to be developed plans to enhance the user experience,

increase learning by providing dynamic feedback, provide conditions closer to real market by

increasing the level of uncertainty.

document.docPage 6


2.3 Description

The supermarket simulation website will be used to train students and professionals about

business principles and techniques in real world supermarket management system. Decisions

would be made about product sales, purchase, margins, promotions, marketing, store hours and

labor. Other financial decisions would include investments and loans.

Then, teams comprising of 2-5 members will compete with each other by making decisions.

Decisions made by one team will affect their performance and the performance of their

competitor. Based on decisions submitted by each team, results would be reported in the form of

balance sheet, operation analysis, ratio analysis and competitive report. After completion of

every quarter each team can view its results and based on those results, they can change their

strategies to improve performance.

The simulation website developed as a part of this project will be used by faculty and students in

the Department of Agriculture.

Teams will be formed among the students who will submit their decisions about different

variables such as margins, sales, purchase and inventory. Based on those decisions, calculations

would be performed and different reports such as balance sheets, sales analysis and purchase

analysis will be produced.

A Faculty member can act as an administrator and view the generated reports. Based on reports,

he/she will provide suggestion to students. Thus the website would be helpful in providing

document.docPage 7


students with real-time work environment with real market conditions.

Faculty can also create or delete teams and markets based on when they plan to use it in the

classroom. Students have to submit their decisions within specified time limit to compete with

other teams.

This website will also be used by companies who want to train their employees with real market

conditions and improve their analyzing and decision making skills. It will provide them with

proper learning experience of changing requirements in market and how to plan decisions based

on the market needs.

Companies can train their employees to compete with rival companies, so that they can change

their strategy based on other competitor’s decisions.

The students will need to analyze market conditions and enter decisions as part of their

assignments. Then, faculty will provide feedback to students to improve their analyzing and

decision making capability in real market conditions.

The results of the decisions made will be conveyed to each team in the form of a report

composed of an operating statement, balance sheet, and other information about their operation.

In addition, they will receive a market report showing the percentage of sales each team has and

other information about the specials, store programs, double coupons, and advertising policies of

document.docPage 8


rivals. The information in these reports will be carefully studied in planning the decisions for the

next quarter as it will provide valuable insight regarding problems and suggest areas where

results may be improved.

These reports will help users better understand financial management. Good financial

management is essential to perform well in the simulation. This supermarket simulation will help

students improve their management skills, which are necessary in real market conditions.

Also, dynamic feedback will be provided to students based on the reports generated, so that they

can better learn how make good decisions. Dynamic feedback will be generated using past data,

current user decisions, other team decisions and plan for future. This will provide an overall and

best feedback to users comprising of all the decisions currently in system.

document.docPage 9


3.0 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

3.1 Hardware/ Software Requirements

3.1.1 Software (server side)

o Development environment: Visual Studio 2008 (.Net Framework 3.5)

o Development Language: C# .Net, ASP .Net

o Database: SQL Server 2005

3.1.2 Hardware (server side)

o Processor Type: Pentium IV (Dual Core) - compatible processor or higher

o Processor Speed: Recommended: 2 GHz or higher

o Memory (RAM): Recommended: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM or more

3.1.3 Requirements (client side)

o Operating System: Windows XP or Higher/ Mac OS 10.4 or Higher

o Browser: IE 6.0 / Firefox 2.0 / Safari 2.0 / Chrome 3.0

o Internet Connection: Cable or DSL

o Computer Processor: 1.5 GHz Pentium IV - compatible processor or higher

o Computer Memory: 1 GB or more

3.1.3 Other

o Deployed on a Server and accessible to normal user as a website.

o Multiple users environment

o Website hosted on ISU server

document.docPage 10


4.2 Business Services

4.2.1 Diagram

Include a diagram of the application or system. Click on the sample diagram to open Visio and make any changes.

Sample diagram:

4.2.2 Batch Processing

4.2.3 Scripts

4.2.5 Business Processes

4.3 Data

4.3.1 File Structure

4.3.2 Extract Functionality

4.3.3 Export Functionality

4.3.4 Schema Objects

4.3.5 Table Descriptions

4.3.6 Data Mapping

4.3.7 Security

document.docPage 11


5.0 BACKUP AND RECOVERY

6.0 APPENDIX

document.docPage 12

Documents

TEMPLATE Technical Specification