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Memorandum
TO: Mr. Vincent Marino and the Family Support Network
FROM: Group C
SUBJECT: Project Report
DATE: May 8, 2006
Group C has designed a project for the Family Support Network that will allow the stakeholders
to input and restore data in a more efficient and timely manor. With their extra time, therapists will be
able to give more attention to the client. Per our interview with Mr. Marino, some of the major concerns
include seven therapist using one Alpha4 system to input information, no capabilit y to query by specified
characteristics, and employees are not able to generate an excel report without having to manually create
one.
As you review our proposed recommendations you will see how the system that we designed will
allow you to enter case information in a more timely and user friendly fashion, therapists will have the
capability to enter data from a remote location, query by zip code, race, age, and gender and generate an
excel report from what has been previously entered. This system will also be secured via password
protection on the database and the data will remain consistent through built-in error checking during data
entry. These changes will allow the therapist to reduce the time used on paper work and focus more on
client matters.
This report will also show the beneficial cost factors that lie within the boundaries of your annual
budget.
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to recommend a new and improved database system to Mr. Marino
and the staff of the Family Support Network. The Alpha4 system that is presently being used has the
effectiveness of data entry and data stores, however it does not meet the full specifications for generating
and revising reports. Through our research of other companies that uses the Alpha4 Software
Application, such as “Multiple Sclerosis Association of America,” “Kenne Systems, Inc.” and “Call
Center Technology Network System,” they have expressed the need for an improved application that
would better serve their employment needs.
Through out this report you will observe the essential benefits in accepting our proposed system
for the Family Support Network Center. This new and improved system will not only speed up the data
entry process, but will also improve the entire facilitated organization of the Family Support Network
Center. More families will be serviced, more child abuse cases of vandalism will be reduced, there will be
more community involvement, and an increased desire for financial contribution by outside donors. One
financial donor in particular is seeking to finance existing child related organizations that are seeking
grants for expansion.
Recommendations
After gathering and analyzing the data on FSN's current system we recommend going with a new
system that is up to date and will last the company for a long time; easily being upgradeable year after
year. Microsoft Access is user friendly and reasonably priced when compared to competitor applications.
Other options will be provided, but we feel that our Semi-Paperless option is the best avenue for FSN’s
new Management Information System (MIS). Advantages include error checking on input, easy queries
and additional data fields. Furthermore, we would like to see a computer at each workstation in the office
and laptops for the remote employees who work on the school site(s). If you look at the cost benefit
analysis you will see this option is significantly more than upgrading to Alpha5; we want to optimize your
business with the smartest choice.
Family Support Network Description
The Family Support Network (FSN) is a stand alone not-for-profit agency. The various
individuals that it brings on board are characterized by the three Ts; Time, Talent, and Treasurer. Talent
refers to legal skills, fund raising, and personnel; as a Treasurer, the persons must have money and
knowledge of other resources that will allocate money. Not-for-profit agencies always see the community
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as a stakeholder (grants, donations, and individual contributions). FSN also see its clients, staff, and board
of directors as stakeholders.
Mr. Marino and Staff’s Perception of Problems
The client believes that the current system is becoming outdated and unable to sufficiently cope
with the demands of the growing company. It is currently inhibiting work efficiency, functionality and
data storage. The client also thinks that the current system is unable to be updated or modified to fulfill
the requirements of FSN.
Mr. Marino and Staff’s Perception of Solutions
The client foresees an ideal system that will allow many of the therapists to enter information
from the ir desktop. Remote therapists, the employees that work in the school system, should have the
capabilities to enter data by laptop and other computer terminals that are away from the FSN office. Mr.
Marino would like the system to later lead to become completely paperless. The Staff that we spoke with
said any solutions to the data entry would be better than what they currently use.
Current Deficiencies
Deficiencies of this system include its method for entering data into the system; which is time
consuming, inconvenient and has no means of error checking. Report generation is also very limited and
is poorly organized. Additionally, the overall data is not able to be re-organized or sorted by categories.
The data is not secured and not conveniently backed up. FSN’s outdated system is slowing the progress
of data entry and query capabilities.
Problems and Opportunities
From our analysis of the information gathered from the client, this project allows for great
opportunities for the Family Support Network. It also allows for some downfalls or problems along the
way. Some problems that the FSN may come across during the implementation of a new system include:
• Knowledge of the new system
• Transfer of old information
• Budgetary limitations
Knowledge of the new system can be easily remedied with proper training of the personnel who
will be using the system. Transferring of information can become a painstaking task to assure quality.
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Matching fields, data structures and the ability to convert one system to another are all major factors in
the information transfer. Budgetary limitations can prevent the implementation of required or optional
devices which would further facilitate the client and the system.
There exist many obvious advantages to implementing a new system for FSN, Opportunities
include:
• Increased efficiency
• Increased accessibility
• Increased flexibility
• Increased security
Flexibility includes custom sorting of data, custom queries or reports specific to certain
contributors (e.g. United Way), and analysis and retrieval of more data than the current system can offer.
Efficiency increases come from the added (secure) accessibility of the system, and the increased ease of
entering information. Accessibility will be expanded to persons within the specified network who
provide the correct login credentials to access the system. Security will increase by means of an added
login and password system, and restricted user rights depending on the person’s specified role.
Client’s Goals, Requirements and Expectations
FSN needs a system that is adaptive to change without a great expense. This includes the ability
to edit records without having to completely remove and re-enter the entire record. There is a need for
timely data entry; decreasing this time will increase time spent on counseling families. It also needs a
system with more flexibility to sort by all categories; many donors request information that the current
system cannot provide. Being able to securely back up the data with ease is necessary for FSN. Finally it
needs a system that is able to be queried to retrieve accurate, complete information.
Review of Systems, Manuals, Forms and Material
According to Mr. Marino there are no formal manuals on how to use this system. The system is
DOS based with Alpha Four v6 loaded as the database and runs very slow. It has three low quality
screens where a user inputs information. The computer which the system runs on is outdated and slow.
The amount of information that is kept electronically is very limited and there is a strong need to add a
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safe system back up. With the current system only one person can access it at a time. The computer the
system is on is a stand alone machine; it is not connected to the network. One needs to come to the office
to work on the system; remote access is not possible. The ability to search with in the system is also not
possible. To get to the last case record one needs to scroll through all the records, until the last one is
reached. No error checking is done during data entry either. One of the biggest deficiencies of the
current system is that it is outdated. Alpha Four is not a widely used database, and it is very hard to find
someone to support it.
Most of the case information is kept in paper form in a secured location. Therapists fill the forms
out when they do assessments with the families. The information that is in these forms is very detailed.
There are also special forms for closing the case and for the follow ups. A therapist will have two follow
up meetings with the family, one in three months and one in twelve months. During these meetings
special forms are also filled out. The system generates a report to let therapists know when follow up
appointments are needed to be done. The system also produces several other reports. Since the system
only holds limited information these reports are very insufficient.
System Specifications and Processes
FSN opens their case with an incoming phone call to the agency or when someone talks to the
school-based therapist. FSN opens a case, and takes preliminary information such as name, address,
phone, family composition and reason for needing services. When a therapist is assigned to a case, the
therapist will complete an assessment packet with the family that contains extended information. All of
this is currently done on paper forms. Once the therapist is assigned to a case, the therapist visits the
family and explains why she or he is there. If the family agrees to accept the services, then the therapist
begins an assessment process that takes about three sessions. If the family does not agree to receive
services from FSN then the therapist would close the case. The therapists provide counseling, parenting
education and referrals to other helping agencies. After they provide these services they will close the
case. Based on their computer generated report, therapists will follow up with the family after a three
month period and a twelve month period.
Current System Description
The current system that the Family Support Network is using is very primitive and outdated.
According to Mr. Marino there are no formal manuals on how to use this system. It is DOS based, with
Alpha 4 V6 as a backend and very slow. It has three screens where user inputs information. Since the
system is DOS based, the screens are very simple without graphical interface. The computer which the
system is run on is very old and slow. Because number of cases is constantly increasing, the system
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performance continues to diminish. The amount of information that is kept electronically is very limited
and there is a strong need to add more information. The goal for the new system is to keep as much of the
information stored electronically and to be or be easily upgraded to a paperless environment. With the
current system, only one person can access system at a time. The computer the system is on is a stand
alone machine; it is not connected to a network. Therapists need to come to the office to enter data into
the system, remote access is not possible. The search with in the system is also not possible. To get to
the last case record one needs to scroll through all the records, until the last one is reached. It is very
inefficient ant time consuming. No error checking is done either. Nothing is done to check for the data
integrity. Numeric values can be entered into character fields and vice versa. One of the biggest
deficiencies of the current system is that it can’t be modified. Alpha 4 is not widely used database, and it
is very hard to find someone to support it. Most of the case information is kept in the paper form in the
secured location. Therapists fill the forms out when they do assessment with the families. The
information that is in these forms is very detailed. It has family’s history, diagnosis, problems, and other
very sensitive information. There are also special forms for closing the case and for the follow ups. Case
workers have two follow up meetings with the family; the first after three months and the second after
twelve months. During these meeting special forms are also filled out. These forms contain information
such as any progress for the family, the family’s special score, case workers name and the date when
follow up appointment was done. The form is also filled out if the follow up appointment was not done.
The system generates a report to let case workers know when follow up appointments are needed to be
held. The system also produces a number of other reports. Since the system only holds limited
information, these reports are very insufficient.
Process
Family Support Network opens their case with a phone call received at the agency or
when someone talks to the school-based therapist. FSN opens than case, and takes preliminary
information such as name, address, phone, family composition, and reason for needing services. When a
therapist is assigned to a case, the therapist would complete an assessment packet with the family that
contains further information about the family. All of this is currently done on paper forms. Once a
therapist is assigned to a case, the therapist visits the family, explains why she is there, and if the family
agrees to accept the services, then the therapist begins an assessment process that takes about three
sessions. If the family does not agree to services offered, the therapist would close the case. Therapists
provide counseling, parenting education, and referral to other helping agencies. After they provide these
services they would close the case. Based on their computer generated report they would follow up with
family with in a three month period and a twelve month period.
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Input
When a therapist completes an assessment packet, very little information from that packet
goes to the MIS. Information that is put into the system is parent/guardian’s last name, first name, social
security, DOB, current age, race, sex and disability. They also take the same information down for the
child or children. On screen two, they input referred source, referral reason, case status (closure,
etcetera), therapist name, referred date, assigned date, first session date, date they closed the case, three
months follow up date, and twelve month follow up date. They also have results of PSI score when they
open (Example: PSI Open= 110, Date: 02/02/2006….) and when the case is closed (Example: PSI Open=
110…..Close= 130, Date: 02/02/2007). They also input information such as family risk scales when open
and when closed. Result of IPA when open, at three months, six months, nine months, and twelve
months. They input total number of sessions or visits, number of hours provide service for, number of
canceled appointments, and number of no show appointments. They also have a place to enter general
comments which is stored by dates.
Output
The output is a variation of reports such as an alphabetic list of clients report, key dates
report, disabilities report, therapists report, demographics report, referral report, case reports with detail,
session reports without detail, and hotline reports with detail. The various reports are used by Mr. Marino
and the therapists. The current system has limited query capabilities which causes retrieving information
to become more time consuming.
Feasibility Analysis
Economic Analysis
With the new paperless system that we are currently proposing there are several benefits to
Family Support Network (FSN). One of the most significant benefits will be decreasing the amount of
time it is required for therapists to enter client data as well as the amount of time needed for the
management to create reports. Although this is an intangible benefit, it can be measured by the number of
families supported and by the response and resolution time of cases. Significant tangible benefits include
the reduction of errors in the data entry, and increasing flexibility. The new system will implement
procedures to reduce and possibly eliminate all data errors found in the current system, increase the
flexibility of what types of reports can be generated and customize them for specific companies and allow
for placement of new or current therapists in new schools and regions.
The significant costs FSN will incur are the hardware, software and consultant fees. Approximate
fixed costs will be $2083.09, which breaks down to $1356.00 for the server hardware, $560 for Microsoft
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Server 2003 OS and $167.09 for the VPN router. Variable costs include $140 per computer for Microsoft
Access and $999 for each new laptop. The VPN router will be used to allow remote access to the
network and to the Access database. Consultant costs incurred may range from $1000-$5000 for
designing, testing and implementing the database, configuring the VPN router and server, and installing
MS Access. These are all one-time costs, whereas system maintenance will either be a recurring or as-
needed cost, and can vary from one instance to another. Overall minimum costs are estimated to be about
$10,500. We believe this to be a reasonable cost with the long-term benefits significantly outweighing
the initial cost. Access is easily upgradeable although this option will not need to be considered for about
seven to ten years.
Technical Analysis
We feel that the best approach is to create the new system using Microsoft Access for both the
user interface and the database. The MIS written in MS Access presents multiple benefits over other
similar tools. Since the system will be created using the same tool for both GUI and the database,
communication within the system will not be an issue. Given the small size of the organization,
maintaining records stored in Access will not be a problem either. The creation and the implementation
of this system will not require highly experience consultants, lowering the cost of the project. Access
forms are easy to use for the average computer user. A friendly user interface in Access will allow users
to create queries and reports on demand. The database will be secured via password protection; users will
have to input the correct credentials to gain access. To be able to remotely access the new system, a VPN
router will have to be installed. Any user that will be connecting remotely to the system will need MS
Access installed on their computer. To make sure that the system is safe, a scheduled task will run once a
week to back up records in the database to another location.
Operational Analysis
The proposed system will be more user-friendly and be able to create better reports. This new
system will help Mr. Marino receive a valuable grant through use of automated system reports.
According to Mr. Marino, the current system falls short of needs, such that he spends most of his time
putting reports together. In the current system he has to print all detail reports and go through each one
and mark them to prepare a report by zip code. He did this to prepare the report for United Way. The
new system would also solve their problem of searching cases by last name; currently they must scroll
through all cases to find a case with a certain last name. The new system will help free up his time,
allowing Mr. Marino to be out proposing FSN’s services to other businesses for grants and helping
families with their needs. Therapists will also save significant time entering data into the new system.
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With their freed time they can help more families and reduce child abuse. All of these components will
work together to prevent child abuse and better server the families.
Schedule Analysis
Without getting the grants written and sent off to the different organizations which FSN receives
funding from, the possibility of updating their systems in a timely manner can be lost. Once funding has
been approved, we project the project to be completed within three weeks. Two weeks are needed for
designing, testing and implementing the new system and the remaining week devoted to training. The
therapists all seemed to be of a younger generation and computer knowledgeable , therefore it will not take
a long time to train them. The therapists will need to know how to enter information using forms and
execute reports. It is not feasible to do this project in a shorter period due to transferring data from the
current system and installing the software on all computers.
Legal and Contractual Analysis
A new system concern relating to the project feasibility is assessing the legal and contractual
issues. We must take into consideration the legal ramifications, including any non disclosure
infringements from not only patient to client, but to also include supporting HIPAA laws. When sending
reports to Jefferson City, the HIPAA laws are especially prevalent. Secure data transfer to a new system
must also be in compliance with anti-trust legislation if data is being shared in any way. Contractual
obligations including nondisclosure agreements must be supported at any level. Patient confidentially
must also be represented to maintain this obligation.
Political Analysis
The Department of Social Services is administrated by a director who is appointed by the
Governor and approved by the state Senate. This department director appoints the division directors,
whom Mr. Marino is one of for the Family Support Network Center. Its stakeholders consist of the
United Way, the ir main financial donor, its Board of Directors, its therapist and other personnel that are
involved with the company. The Department of Social Services is responsible for coordinating programs
to provide public assistance to children and their parents, access to health care, child support enforcement
assistance and to provide specialized assistance to troubled youth. While many programs give needed
financial assistance and services, other units work toward reducing the family’s financial dependency on
government funding.
The United way has recently been hesitant in giving ample funding to support the program in lieu
of constraints on requested information. For example, if the United Way requests reports on ethnicity, the
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FSN is unable to generate a report with such detailed information. When taking the perspective of a
therapist into consideration for the project, one must observe personality type. There may be some
therapists that work better in a predominantly controlled environment, while others may operate better
when given an opportunity to express the likes and dislikes of the newly designed system as well as the
paperless system.
Prototype
The new database system is going to be used to help Family Support network keep better-updated
records on each client. They will be able to access the information from where ever they are through a
VPN connection used for security and encryption of the information. We will be using an exploratory
approach for this prototype. With this approach, we will be taking current reports the Family Support
Network uses and adding more report functions for better querying and a more accurate representation of
the database’s collected information.
The new Access database will allow the supervisors and Mr. Marino to create better reports in a
timely manner without having to go through each record and calculate the information that they need to
write grants to receive funding for their program. Having this new database will allow therapists to focus
more on the families and their children. Having a bigger budget, Family Support Network will be able to
hire more therapists who can help more clients, and/or increase the therapist salaries so retention rate
increases. With the new system, it will help keep erroneous data down in the system by using error
checking inside the database. If errors occur, they will not be able to proceed until the information is
correct. To help eliminate the errors we are recommending the use of drop down menus so that the
information entered is static and exactly the same for all entries. Reports in Microsoft Access can be
generated in many configurations. It is designed to do almost any specific inquiry. We have created
specific reports based on previous reports along with some newly introduced reports. The previous
reports include searching by client records, client waiting list, active client list, referrals, disabilities, case
record review, demographics, monthly statistics, case closing, case outcomes, follow up reports, and
hotline reports. These reports are sorted the same way as the Alpha4 database did, while the new report
sorting will be defined when requested. Our newer reports consist of searching by: zip code, upgraded
disabilities, etcetera. There are many more functions in Access that could not be represented in the old
system. Features include easy search queries; drop down menus, error checking, and more detailed
information inputs.
The previous reports are similar in nature to the Alpha4 reports. Starting with client records, this
previous report simply searches by name and or case number and returns the case associated with either.
The waiting list report tells the user if the cases are referred but not assigned & if closed or not. The
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active client list shows all the cases currently assigned but not closed. The referral report displays the
aggregate number for each type of referral source. Searching the disabilities report returns information
one the number of cases for each specific disabilities and its association between child and adult.
Reviewing the case record lists all active cases plus all cases that were closed within the past three
months of the specified date. The demographics report displays a wide array of information including:
the total number of families and individuals served, the sex, the race, the residence based on zip code, the
annual income, age and total number for all program codes included in the sort. The monthly statistics
search shows all active cases and number of three month and twelve month follow up sessions. It also
shows numbers of: units of service, cancels, no shows and cases with some type of billing. The report
associated with closing displays the aggregate numbers for the following: total numbers of families and
individuals served, case status at closure, sessions at closure, cases hot lined and averages of: sessions,
units of service, cancels, and no shows. The case outcomes report shows a great deal of information to
the user about cases closed with four or more sessions. It show the total number of cases, average of
months open, average of sessions, averages for each category, average closing percentage, and average
number of client satisfaction score. The follow up reports simply show the number of three month and
twelve month follow-ups completed and attempted. Lastly, the hotline report displays the number of
sessions at closure and number of associated sessions with names and addresses.
With these current reports we will be making some report functionality to allow the users to
generate their own reports that they need along with the reports that are already determined and all they
have to do is re-search the information to get the most current values. Almost all therapists prefer to type
their reports. They usually put the information into the system once a week because they are usually not
in the office. Therapists usually spend fifteen to thirty minutes entering a client’s information into the old
database system. Our new database system will allow the user more time to visit other clients during the
week, since they will not have to spend as much time during the week entering data. Instead of having to
hand-write the notes and then re-enter them into the database, therapists will be able to enter information
directly into the database when given the needed information, as long as they have an Internet connection.
For a visual representation of the described prototype please see Appendix A.
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Cost Benefit Analysis 1st System – Recommended – Semi-Paperless Cost VPN router / server $167.09 Microsoft Office Access 10 licenses $1400.00 Database server $1356.00 Server Software $560.00 Offsite therapist 2 notebooks $1998.00 Total without Labor $5481.09 Labor 50 hours 1 week@ $100.00 per hour $5000.00 Total with Labor $10481.09 2nd System – Paperless Cost VPN router / server $167.09 Microsoft Office Access 10 licenses $1400.00 Database server $1356.00 Server Software $560.00 Tablet laptops 8 one for each therapist And use of doing electronic signatures $9032.00 Total without Labor $12515.09 Labor 50 hours 1 week @ $100.00 per hour $5000.00 Total with Labor $17515.09 3rd System – Alpha5 Cost VPN router / server $167.09 Alpha 5 – 10 licenses $1798.00 Database server $1356.00 Server Software $560.00 Total without Labor $3881.09 Labor 25 hours 1 week @ $100.00 per hour $2500.00 Total with Labor $6381.09
The proposed solution provides both tangible and intangible benefits. The tangible benefits will
fall within these areas, cost reduction and avoidance, error reduction, increased flexibility, and increasing
opportunities to help out more families.
Controlling cost is a major issue with companies trying to get an edge over others in the same
market. The proposed solution will help save some time, reduce errors and help get more grants and
receive more money, so that you are able to hire more therapists. Having a bigger staff, you will be able
to assist more families that need help. The current system will cost you more in the long run because the
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current system is not user friendly, only one therapist can insert information at a time. The therapists only
insert their information once a week or so new client information is not always readily accessible .
Error reduction will be greatly improved with the new system; having error checking when data is
entered and drop down menus so that the information will be set and they will not be able to have
typographical mistakes or bad data. Having incorrect information forces the supervisors and Mr. Marino
to go back over the information and correct it.
Increasing the flexibility of the database and having it accessible through the VPN connection,
the therapists are able to insert the information from off-site locations such as the client’s house, their
assigned school, or even from the therapist own home at night. It is allowing the therapist more flexibility
on when and where they are able to insert the client information into the database. With having the extra
time and money and therapists, they will be able to expand their opportunities to assist more families who
need their assistance.
In addition, to the tangible benefits, there are also the intangible benefits which include the
increased accuracy and timeliness of information. The proposed solutions to the database will be better
formatted with error checking in it. The information will be correct and the supervisors and Mr. Marino
will not have to go back and check the information. The new system will be more user-friendly for
creating queries and reports to retrieve information. They will be able to make a more positive feed back
on the community because the more people FSN helps, the stronger a family becomes and thus the
community will become stronger. The employees will be spending less time at the office entering
information and they will be spending more time assisting families in need.
Interview Plan & Schedule
Plan For the first interview, Martin, Rachel and Mike met with Mr. Marino. The plan was to have a
minimum of two persons to interview, so one person could ask questions and the other write down the
answers. For the prototype interview, we needed to meet with all stakeholders, but all were not able to
meet together. Instead we created a web-based survey for them to fill out when they had available time.
The survey consisted of mostly multiple choice, and yes/no questions so there wasn’t a large impact on
the stakeholders valuable time.
Schedule 1) What is your position (employment status) at family support Network?
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(Fill in)_________________________.
-With your current position at Family Support Network, Do you need access to be able to do queries, other than retrieving files from the database ?(yes )(no) - Do you ever need to print client reports? (Yes) (No)
2) How comfortable are you with changing to a new and improved system?
_____Comfortable _____Uncomfortable _____ Neither
3) How much computer knowledge would you say you have?
_______Spreadsheet (Excel) _______Access ______Word processing Other ____________________________________________________________
4) Do you fill in client reports (Yes) (No)? If yes, which of these statements do you think may save more time if you fill out reports? (Circle one) A. Just staying with a system that you are already comfortable with. B. A new system with small changes and a look similar to the alpha4 would save time. C. Using an entirely new but more complex system. D. Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained.
5) How often do you enter the data into the current system? a) Every day b) Every other day c) Once a week
6) How long does it take to input client's information into current system?
A) 1-15 minutes B) 15-30 minutes C) 30-45 minutes D) More than 45 minutes
7) Would you like a system that is more user friendly, which will allow you to search, find, and query without scrolling through numerous records.
_____ Yes _____ No
8) Do you prefer to write your notes or type them? Do you a type faster or write faster? (Circle one).
-Write them or Type them (if type how many words per min _______) - Type Faster or Write Faster
9) Do you have internet connection from home? (Yes) (No)
10) Would you like capability to enter the information from remote location other than office computers? (Circle one)
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Yes or No 11) Considering the fact that you gather a large amount of data and only a small amount of data is inputted into the clients MIS, would you like the capability of gathering only the information that is pertinent to the case?
_____Yes _____ No
12) Due to your budget constraints would you consider purchasing a software package from a department store that would better serve your needs rather than invest in a more personalized developed system?
_______ Yes _______ No
13) Do you visit clients out of the office? (Yes) (No)
a) Do you bring any kind of paper work for your own references? (Yes) (No) b) Do you bring any forms for the client sign? (Yes) (No) c) Is the signed form a standard form? (Yes) (No) d) Do you use any kind of recording signature device? (Yes) (No)
14) What would you like to see improved with the database system and would you not want to have changed? (Open)
Conclusion After analysis of the current Information System at Family Support Network, we have provided a
solution for the company to implement a new system that is based off of the Microsoft Access database
architecture. We believe it would be the most optimal system for the given application. The
recommended semi-paperless system is readily able to switch to a completely paperless system without
making any major changes to the database. The interface to input data will be significantly more user-
friendly than the current system as well as providing data error checking dur ing entry. This interface will
be accessible not only by desktops inside the FSN office, but also by therapists at remote locations, or
from home. The deployment schedule for this solution is within the timeframe provided and will not
require significant training on the end user’s behalf. This system also complies with the monetary
restrictions provided by Mr. Marino at the beginning of the analysis process. Overall the client will be
satisfied if this solution is chosen and implemented.
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Appendix A – Prototype Screenshots
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Appendix B - Data Flow Diagrams of Current System
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Appendix C - Survey Question with Answers What is your position (employment status) at family support Network?
Family Therapist Family Therapist Program Supervisor Family Therapist Program Director Intake Supervisor Family Therapist Family Therapist
With your current position at Family Support Network, Do you need access to be able to do queries, other than retrieving files from the database? NO Yes NO Yes Yes Yes No No Do you ever need to print client reports? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes 2. How comfortable are you with changing to a new and improved system?
Comfortable Comfortable Comfortable Comfortable Comfortable Comfortable Comfortable Neither
3. How much computer knowledge would you say you have? Spreadsheet (Excel) Spreadsheet (Excel) -
Access Access - Word processing Word processing Word processing Word processing
- Spreadsheet (Excel - - - Word processing Word processing Word processing Word processing 4. Do you fill in client reports? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
If yes, which of these statements do you think may save more time if you fill out reports?
Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained. Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained. Using an entirely new, but more complex system.
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Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained. Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained. Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained. Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained. Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained.
5. How often do you enter the data into the current system? Once a week Once a week Once a week Once a week Once a week
Once a week Every day Once a week 6. How long does it take to input client's information into current system?
5-30 minutes 30-45 minutes 1-15 minutes 5-30 minutes 5 - 30 minutes - 1-15 minutes 5-30 minutes
7. Would you like a system that is more user friendly, which will allow you to search, find, and query without scrolling through numerous records.
Yes Yes Yes - Yes Yes Yes Yes 8. Do you prefer to write your notes or type them?
Type If type WPM: 20-25 Type If type WPM: unknown Write Type Type Type If type WPM: 50 Type If type WPM: not sure
Do you a type faster or write faster?
Type Write Write Write Type Write Type Type 9. Do you have internet connection from home?
Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes 10. Would you like capability to enter the information from remote location other than office computers? No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11. Considering the fact that you gather a large amount of data and only a small amount of data is inputted into the clients MIS, would you like the capability of gathering only the
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information that is pertinent to the case?
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes - - Yes 12. Due to your budget constraints would you consider purchasing a software package from a department store that would better serve your needs rather than invest in a more personalized developed system?
Yes No No Yes Yes - No Yes 13. Do you visit clients out of the office?
Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Do you bring any kind of paper work for your own references?
Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Do you bring any forms for the client sign?
Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Is the signed form a standard form?
Yes Yes - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Do you use any kind of recording signature device?
No No - No No No No No 14. What would you like to see improved with the database system and would you not want to have changed?
I don’t need to access it off site, but would love to access it from my cubicle computer so I don’t have to wait for someone to finish using the one computer we have now. I’d like it quicker and be able to move around freely with mouse. I’d like to be able to find my record faster by typing in the case number or client name. Database system needs to have more information available to track and be adaptable to our changing needs. Need to be able to search data more readily and access data for reports. I would like for the system to be accessible by therapists working off site. Security and confidentiality issues need to be address however. Need to gather more info, easy access to records (several avenues to access records), ability to do special queries
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current system is fairly user friendly; would like new MIS to be user friendly #4 nothing could be more complex than the data recording and tracking that we do by hand because we don’t have a software program to manage the data. #6 I don’t spend much time entering data into the system because our system doesn’t handle the data that I need to record. I spend hours (most of everyday) documenting things by hand that can’t be managed by the current system. #11 I didn’t answer because all the info that we gather is pertinent. We don’t enter it into our current system because the system isn’t capable of managing it. #12 I would figure out how to use Excel to manage this data before I bought something else that wouldn’t fully meet our needs. Some of these questions don’t directly apply to my position but they apply to those I supervise. I answered the questions by keeping in mind what might be best for them. I would like to see everything changed! It’s hard to use the current system. Being able to use a mouse and not have to scroll and tab through everything would be great. Being able to input info from somewhere else would be great also since I am not in the office much and have trouble finding time to sit at the computer at the office to input the data. Efficiency, User Friendly, and Access ability: Improvements
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Appendix D – Reports Alpha list of clients report Total number of client, Last name, first name, Case#, project code, therapist name, date assigned. Key dates report Input a date range, pull number cases between the date range. Format: #, Project code, Referred, assigned, Closed, 3 mos follow, 12 mos follow, Parent/guardian name with case number. Disabilities report Input date range, it generate report sorted by code*Lname + Fname. Specifies what kind of disabilities. Therapists report (pull by individual therapist) Input: Date range Output: Number of cases gives to therapist between the date range, case statistics. Demographics report Input: Date range Output: number of cases based on race, sex, location, age, household income. Referral report Input: Date range Output: Total counts for project code (special codes) Cases report with detail Input: Date range Output: Detail description of cases sorted by project code. Session report without detail Input: Date range Output: Description of counseling session sorted by project code Hotline report with detail Input: Date range Output: Detail case information
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Demographics Report Case Number ________________ Parent/Guardian Name/Case Name Household Information Last Name First Name DOB SSN Address city
State Race Disability Insurance Provider Annual Household Income
Reports should be able to query records from any of the following inputs Should be able to query a report from either source Client Report
Name
Case Number
Program Code
Client Waiting List
Case Referred
Case Not Closed
Case Number
Case Program Code
Date Assigned
Worker
Referrals
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Aggregate Numbers for each referral source
Sort by Dates
Program Code
Disabilities
Aggregate Numbers for each Disability for Adult
Aggregate Number for each Disability for Child
Sort by Date
Sort by Program Code
Case Record Review
List all active cases plus all cases
List all cases closed within past three months
Case Name
Case Number
Program Code
Worker
Active/Closed
Demographics
Total Number of families and Individuals Served
Sex
Race
Residence Sort by Zip Code
Sort by County
Annual Household Income
Sort by 0 to 9,999
10K to 19,999
20K to 29,999
30K to 39,999
40K to 49,999
50K to 59,999
60K to 69,999
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70K to 79,999
80K to 89,999
+
Unknown
Age
Sort by 0-2
3-5
6-12
13-17
18-20
21-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-64
65 +
Unknown
Mr. Marino also wants the capability to: · Gather the Number of families with income btw 10K – 14,999 · Gather the Number of Clients btw ages 10 – 15 Monthly Statistics
Sort by Month/Year
Sort by Therapist
All Active Cases Should Reflect
Month Started---Month Follow Up
List the Number of Sessions
Number Units Service
Number of Cancels
Number of No Shows
Cases with Personal Billing
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Case Closings Should Reflect
Total Numbers of Families and Individuals Served
Case Status at Closure
Number of Sessions at Closure
Average Number of Sessions
Average Number of Units of Service
Avg. Number of Cancels
Avg. Number of No shows
Number of Case Hotlines
Results of Hotlines
Need the Following in Excel Format
Hotline Report
Closed Cases
CC Sort by Date
Total Number of Sessions at Closure Under Three
Total Number of Sessions at Closure over Four
Each Report should include Name, Address, DDB, Sex, Race
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Appendix E – Justification for Interview Schedule 1) What is your position (employment status) at family support Network?
(Fill in)_________________________.
-With your current position at Family Support Network, Do you need access to be able to do queries, other than retrieving files from the database ?(yes )(no) - Do you ever need to print client reports? (Yes) (No) Knowing the employee's position would help to determine there place in Family Support Network? Some employees may not use the current system as much as others. We also want to find out what that employee needs access to be able to do.
2) How comfortable are you with changing to a new and improved system?
_____Comfortable _____Uncomfortable _____ Neither There are a percentage of people who are terrified with change; this question will determine if there will be an altercation with the production level due to change.
3) How much computer knowledge would you say you have?
_______Spreadsheet (Excel) _______Access ______Word processing Other ____________________________________________________________ -We need to ask this question to the user of current system so we can figure out how much computer knowledge they have. Base on that we can create our prototype as advance and user friendly. If we know that all users know how to use Access and Word Processing, we won’t have to spend as much time to train them on Access.
4) Do you fill in client reports (Yes) (No)? If yes, which of these statements do you think may save more time if you fill out reports? (Circle one) A. Just staying with a system that you are already comfortable with. B. A new system with small changes and a look similar to the alpha4 would save time. C. Using an entirely new but more complex system. D. Using a completely new advanced system to save time, but you may have to be trained. This question pertains to the users of the system to get more of an idea of how they feel about the current system. If they want a newer system we want to know to what extent they are willing to change.
5) How often do you enter the data into the current system?
a) Every day b) Every other day c) Once a week
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This question is tied up with the previous question about how long it takes to enter the data. This will help determine use of the new system. Once we know how often they use the system, we can estimate how often they will need desk support help.
6) How long does it take to input client's information into current system?
A) 1-15 minutes B) 15-30 minutes C) 30-45 minutes D) More than 45 minutes This will give us an idea of how much time they spent to enter their data in the database. Base on the average time they spent to enter the data into the database; we can try to reduce that number down to reasonably small amount of time entering data.
7) Would you like a system that is more user friendly, which will allow you to search, find, and query without scrolling through numerous records.
_____ Yes _____ No This question is to determine the frustration level of each therapist as they have the scroll through each record to find a small about of pertinent information on a client, such as a birth date.
8) Do you prefer to write your notes or type them? Do you a type faster or write faster? (Circle one).
-Write them or Type them (if type how many words per min _______) - Type Faster or Write Faster This question will help us determine what type of prototype we can build. As we talk about Tabloid PC where therapist can either write their notes straight on the computer or type them as well. This question will give us better understanding of therapist wanting to type their notes or they prefer to write them. Let’s say that they prefer to write down their notes than we can build new system where user will not have to enter to much data.
9) Do you have internet connection from home? (Yes) (No)
- We are asking this to see if they are able to cut back on having to spend time commuting to and from the office where after there last appointment they can go home and insert all the information the database would need.
10) Would you like capability to enter the information from remote location other than office computers? (Circle one)
Yes or No
This question will help us determine what they would prefer when it comes to entering data into the system. Also help us determine the cost of the new system. It will help us determine what hardware and software we will need to set up the remote base system.
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11) Considering the fact that you gather a large amount of data and only a small amount of data is inputted into the clients MIS, would you like the capability of gathering only the information that is pertinent to the case?
_____Yes _____ No This question will help therapist or supervisor focus more on proper time management and less on large irrelevant paper files of clutter.
12) Due to your budget constraints would you consider purchasing a software package from a department store that would better serve your needs rather than invest in a more personalized developed system?
_______ Yes _______ No This question is to give the client more flexibility with the disbursing of their finances.
13) Do you visit clients out of the office? (Yes) (No)
a) Do you bring any kind of paper work for your own references? (Yes) (No) b) Do you bring any forms for the client sign? (Yes) (No) c) Is the signed form a standard form? (Yes) (No) d) Do you use any kind of recording signature device? (Yes) (No)
This question tells us if and what kind of paper work is used with home visits with a client.
14) What would you like to see improved with the database system and would you not want to have changed? (Open)
Depending on the employees position there feedback will help to provide ideas that may have been missed.
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Appendix F – Data Dictionary * Denotes Primary Key, + Denotes Foreign Key Table Name Field Name Data Type Size Description tblCaseInformation *Case Number AutoNumber Long Integer Auto generated number for cases Case Type Text 50 New or past closed case +Project Code Text 50 Code for project type +Therapist Number Number Long Integer Auto generated number for therapists +Client Number Number Long Integer Auto Generated Number of client Referred Date Date/Time N/A Date client was referred Assigned Date Date/Time N/A Date case was assigned to a therapist First Session Date Date/Time N/A Date of first session Closed Date Date/Time N/A Date case was closed 3Month Date Date/Time N/A Three month follow -up date 12Month Date Date/Time N/A Twelve month follow -up date Sessions Number Long Integer Number of sessions with client Cancellations Number Long Integer Number of cancellations by client No Shows Number Long Integer Number of no shows by client Notes Memo N/A Therapists' notes Percent Completed Number Long Integer Completion status of case +Status at Closure Text 50 Status of case when closed +Progress at Closure Text 50 Progress of client when case closed Family Risk Percent Number Long Integer Percentage of client's family's risk
Client Satisfaction Score Number Long Integer Satisfaction rating by client
Previous Case Number Number Long Integer Previous case number, if applicable
+Referral Source Text 50 Referral source +Referral Reason Text 50 Reason of referral Hotlined Text 50 Whether or not the client was hotlined Hotline Substantiated Text 50 Specifies if hotline was substantiated tblClientInformation *Client Number AutoNumber Long Integer Auto Generated Number of client G1First Name Text 50 First name of primary guardian G1Last Name Text 50 Last name of primary guardian G2First Name Text 50 First name of secondary guardian G2Last Name Text 50 Second name of secondary guardian G1 Gender Text 50 Gender of primary guardian G2 Gender Text 50 Gender of secondary guardian +Child1 FName Text 50 First name of first child +Child1 LName Text 50 Last name of first child +Child2 FName Text 50 First name of second child +Child2 LName Text 50 Last name of second child +Child3 FName Text 50 First name of third child +Child3 LName Text 50 Last name of third child +Child4 FName Text 50 First name of fourth child +Child4 LName Text 50 Last name of fourth child +Child5 FName Text 50 First name of fifth child +Child5 LName Text 50 Last name of fifth child Income Number Long Integer Income of client +Nationality Text 50 Nationality of client Address1 Text 50 Home address of client
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Address2 Text 50 Second line of home address
City Text 50 City of client's residence County Text 50 County of client's residence State Text 50 State of client's residence Zip Code Number Long Integer Zip Code of client's residence G1 Birthday Date/Time N/A Birthday of primary guardian G2 Birthday Date/Time N/A Birthday of secondary guardian Home Phone Number Text 50 Home phone number of client
Mobile Phone Number Text 50 Mobile phone number of client
Work Phone Number Text 50 Work phone number of client +G1 Disability Text 50 Disability of primary guardian +G2 Disability Text 50 Disability of secondary guardian G1 Email Address Text 50 Email Address of primary guardian G2 Email Address Text 50 Email Address of secondary guardian Family Size Number Long Integer Size of client's family G1 SSN Text 50 Social Security Number of primary guardian G2 SSN Text 50 Social Security Number of secondary guardian tblChildInformation *First Name Text 50 First name of child *Last Name Text 50 Last name of child Gender Text 50 Gender of child Nationality Text 50 Nationality of child Birthday Date/Time N/A Birthday of child +Disability Text 50 Disability of child SSN Text 50 Social Security Number of child tblReferralSource *Source Code Text 1 Code for referral source Source Description Text 50 Description of code tblReferralReason *Reason Code Text 1 Code for referral reason Reason Description Text 50 Description of code tblClosureStatus *Status Code Text 1 Code for status at closing Status Description Text 50 Description of code tblClosureProgress *Progress Code Text 1 Code for progress at closing Progress Description Text 50 Description of code tblNationality *Nationality Text 50 Nationality lookup tblProject *Project Code Text 3 Code for case project type Project Description Text 50 Description of code tblTherapist *Therapist Number AutoNumber Long Integer Auto Generated Number for therapist Therapist Name Text 50 Name of therapist tblDisability *Disability Code Text 1 Code for disability type Disability Description Text 50 Description of code
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Appendix G - Graphic Representation of Survey Answers
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Spreadsheet Access WordProcessing
Other
How Much Computer Knowledge Do You Have
Series1
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
1 - 15 min 15 - 30 min 30 - 45 45 +
How Long Does It Take You To Input Data Into The Current System
Series1
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0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Type Write
Do You Prefer To Type or Write Your Notes
Series1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Yes No
Would You Like The Capability To Enter Data From Remote Location
Series1
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0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Yes No
Would You Like A System That Is More User Friendly
Series1
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Notes o Relationship to Case Name (same, spouse, paramour, child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, other relative, non-relative, unknown) o Sex (male, female, unknown) o Race (African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Bi-Racial, Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, other, unknown) o Disability (none, ADHD, autism, behavior disorder, cerebral palsy, development delays, epilepsy, head injury, learning disability, mental illness, mental retardation, physical, spinal bifida, other, unknown) [if yes, registered with Regional Center? Yes/no/unknown If yes, DMH/Regional Center number _________] Social Security Insurance (Medicaid, MC+, private, uninsured, list plan and number for person(s) billed_________) Per the conversation that was held with Mr. Marino, when they receive grants there may be times when their proceeds are greater than their expenses. When this occur they put the extra money into a reserves account, of which is not available for operational use..... this can be used as an added note to our report. I am in the process of contacting the state child abuse and neglect hotline this is in Jefferson City. Once I receive the information I will forward it to the group. Rachel Notes:: Include: (a) prioritized user requirements; and (b) resolution of current system's deficiencies
E-Mail From Mr. Marino Demitriy, I am not available on Saturdays. I could be available tomorrow between 11am and 1pm. I will try to answer your questions as best as I can: 1. There is no manual for the current MIS. I can provide a hard copy of the screens and the reports that the current system uses and generates. However, I am unable to e-mail these to you. I can also make arrangements to leave a copy for you at our front desk (Mon. through Fri., 8 am through 4:30 pm). 2a. We collect a lot of information on families. Only a small portion goes into the client MIS. The packet would show what we currently input into the system 2b. The packet includes copies of all the reports that the system currently
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generates. 2c. A licensed therapist visits the home or meets with a child/family at a school. The therapist provides counseling, parenting education, referrals to other helping agencies, and we also follow up with families after we close the case to ensure that the family is doing OK. 2d. The therapist visits the family, explains our program, and after the family agrees to services, the therapist begins an assessment process that takes about 3 sessions. 2e. Normally, most cases begin with a phone call to the agency or someone takes to one of our school-based therapists. We take some very preliminary information when the person calls (name, address, phone, family composition, reason for needing services). When a therapist is assigned, they have to complete an assessment packet with the family that contains much more information. All of this is currently done on paper forms. 2f. Some basic information is entered into the client MIS. All of the other information on paper forms is kept in a case record which is securely filed at our office or one of our school sites. 3. Alpha Four V6 4. DOS-based Old computer, slow (and getting slower as we add more cases) Contains limited information, need to add additional information Can only access case by what we call case name (if you want to find the Mary White case, you have to start at A and scroll the alphabet to get to the W's) No error-checking Stand alone computer, only 1 person can input at one time, must come to office to do this Unable to change or add anything to current system ("no one" has heard of Alpha Four) Vincent Marino 314-644-5055 -----Original Message----- From: Levin, Demitriy (UMSL-Student) [mailto:[email protected]] To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: BA3816 Project Meeting Mr. Marino, We are one of the groups in BA3810 wanted to meet with you on to get some additional information for the project. Pleas let us know if Saturday between 12pm - 3pm good for you. If not please let us know the time that is more convenient for you. In case that if you are not available to meet with
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us at all, then please answer the following questions. Our presentation is due next week, so we would greatly appreciate if you respond by Friday night. The question we wanted to discuss are: 1. Review systems, manuals, forms and other written materials 2. Identify system characteristics
a) What information do you collect? b) What system reports do you use? c) What is the actual process for helping a family? d) What do you start with? e) How do you collect information? f) What happens once you have information?
3. Current system description; 4. Current system deficiencies. If you have any questions regarding this, please let us know. Thank you, Demitriy Levin email - [email protected] Ketan Patel email - [email protected]
References http://www.msaa.com/publications/spring05/research.html http://www.cconvergence.com/shared/article/showarticle.jhtml.3article sId.8 http://www/msaa.com/publications/spring05/research.html www.moccrrn.org
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