Criteria D - Evaluating

Evaluation of the Final Product

In this section I will be conducting a self-evaluation for each stage in the design cycle that I have created, to make sure that all the aspects that I have looked at are correctly displayed in my final product piece. 

Investigation: 

The investigation part of this product is quite difficult, since it requires you to research in depth and in detail and the company that you have chosen and the software that you have decided to use. Once you decide the software; which in my case in Microsoft excel, we needed to evaluate the product against the design specification and as well as peer judgement and evaluation; looking at the positives and the negatives of this system. In the investigation it was important to choose a company which you can gather a large amount of information on, and about. I researched on the internet for many different companies that gather a large amount of information to keep/store in their company database. I saw many different options such as: hotel management, hospital services, electronics industry, etc. I, then decided to choose electronics industry, this is because my father is the VP (Vice President of an electronics company - Sharaf DG) this helped me understand in more depth about the different requirements and functions of and for the company, making it easier for me to display the right data, in my analysis. I compared the system Sharaf DG uses to store data (Oracle Financials) to Microsoft excel. I made a list of advantages and disadvantages for each of the softwares and came to a conclusion that Microsoft excel is far superior and more sufficient in holding and displaying large amount of data. I researched online to understand more about the differences between the two softwares and which software would be superior in generating and collecting multiple large amounts of data. I also created a flowchart, to help me chronologically order the steps of my creation, to further simplify my final product piece looks. 

Self-evaluation of the Investigation: 

After researching the pros and cons of using Microsoft excel compared to Oracle Financials software, I started to research the different ways to input and output different/various types of data on Microsoft excel with more understanding. I was able to see the different functions that allowed you to input or output data. 

Since, this was the first time I designed an actual product design with high level functions and features, I had to research quite a bit to have a greater understanding of the type of product I want to create, and how I am going to create it. I researched different features and functions that I could apply in my final product to make my creation more useful and helpful to the user. The different features I looked at in excel were: macros, data validation, sorting, filtering, password (for securing data), vlookup, VBA, automation, pivot tables, HLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH (Lookup formulas), conditional formatting, drop down validation, form controls, excel tables, structural references, powerpivot, data explorer and data analysis features. Although, when I created my actual product on Microsoft excel I decided to pick out a few that I will be able to proceed with in my actual creation for my product; to make it simple, easy to use (user friendly). 

I started to collect relevant data for my system creation, and in order to make my final product successful I needed input and ideas from someone who is working at the company that I have chosen. This will give me a better idea on the type of product that I need to create and the feature/functions that will be applied to make my product further useful for my client and especially my client's needs. For example if they need to calculate big numerical datas (for example subtraction or addition), this can be simply inputted into Microsoft excel using sums and formulas to create a easy to use design and product for the client. 

To know exactly what my client wants, I decided to ask particular questions to my client to understand their needs and preference for the system/software. I made interview questions directed to the information and preference for type of software, so that I clearly know what type of software I will have to create for my final product. The questions I had asked my client were: 

1) What products does the company sell?

2) How many showrooms does the company have?

3) What is the sale of the company?

4) Category-wise Value (Dirham) Sales

5) What Financial System do you use? What Financial/ business details/ records does the system keep for the company?

6) What problems or shortcomings do you face in this system?

7) How many employees work in the company? How is the employee salary calculated and disbursed?

Each question allowed me to understand the company's needs further, and with a better understanding and knowledge of the kind of information that I will have to input in my final product for the software that I am creating for my client. These question allowed me to understand the type of data the company is working with, it let me consider questions like: Will there be discounts? How can I make a spreadsheet to compare 2 products being sold at the same price? and etc. The problems of the system that the company is currently using allowed me to create a system which will not have these flaws, with several test plans and peer evaluation I will make sure the system is working in order. From the interview I understood that the previous system the company was using was very old and therefore did not cope with updates which made the system quite slow, as well as the graphics were outdated. Some more issues the company faced with the system were: 

1) The system is difficult to implement in the first place (new introduction stage in the company)

2) The system has an outdated GUI (Graphic User Interface). It has complicated screens and one must use only keyboard commands to operate the system. This was done more than 15 years ago. Now a days easy to use click on the screen type of systems have come.

3) The system is slow in terms of processing information

4) It is difficult to customize the system to company’s specific needs. It is not flexible. It has in-built programs which operate only in certain standard ways. 

5) We are not able to use the Marketing and Service Module as these cannot be easily adapted to our company current systems.

6) The system is more suitable for large companies. Smaller new custom utilities are difficult to introduce.

7) The system is expensive to buy, maintain and upgrade.

8) The after sales support of local Oracle office is rather slow.

9) The system requires qualified IT professionals to support it.

10) The system has not been fully successful as some processes like balance sheet, HR and After Sales Service are being done using other supplementary systems.

This information helped me make a superior system which did not make such errors, to avoid failed systems to be given to clients. 

The design brief was written to sum up the entire project to a simpler form, to make it easier to create the product with reference towards the design brief and the design specification. I had also created a test plan using tables to test my final product when I have completed it, this is to make sure that I meet the design specification when I have completed my product.

Design: 

At this stage I have gathered various different information to support my product, and in order for me to create a good final product for the company. I have a good idea on what kind of product my client is hoping for, and what features would suit their level of work. Whether the system is required to calculate many numerical data, or it is required to validate data, etc. Before I actually started to create my final product for the company, I created various types of sketches with different layouts and designs. This helped me draw to the best possible solution for the product. I drew several sketches of input and outputs of the screens as well as annotating each part with intricate detail; to avoid errors and to create the best possible design that suits my client and their uses. I drew 2 design sketches for the 2 different data collection that was required by the company. I created 2 designs for storing employee data, and I created 2 designs for storing products data. Drawing two different variants for the same design helped me draw a conclusion to the best fit or the best option for my client and the company's needs. 

Self-evaluation of the Designing Stage: 

I had several different sketches for my designs and after evaluating each of them, I chose the best fit for my client. I found that the design that I chose was appropriate for my user, because of its features and functions availability. I put in several different features and functions for each design to evaluate and choose the best design, suitable for my client. The first design I had made looking at the company and client's requirements, I had decided to make a spreadsheet for Employee data. This will help the company keep track of what each employees position is, or salary, or qualification, and since all of the employee names will be together it will be much easier for the company to compare employees when deciding to change, position, salary, etc. On the top left-hand corner you can see a logo has been sketched, this will help authenticate the sheet. In the middle there will be the title in a beautiful, eye-catching font. On the bottom of the tab I decided that there will be a cell with a formula that will help the user calculate annual salary.

In the second design for employee data the categories are still the same (Name, position, salary, etc). In the second one I had made significant changes to make this product more user friendly, to be easily accessible by clients/the company. For starters the font of the heading which is in the middle, is a more appropriate font, which is easily readable. To make the title stand out more, I decided to underline it making it stand out from the whole spreadsheet. I also decided to make the sheet more aesthetically pleasing by adding colors where necessary. I decided to give each different category a different color, and there will be a color legend on the bottom of the page. I will do some more research and try to find out whether colors can be used in formulas, this will make it much easier for the client or the company to calculate data effectively. I have also shown in the sketch above the different formulas I will be using to make my product more efficient and user friendly for my client. 

For calculating the salary, I have given the formula: = cell + other cell. On the left-hand side you will see the company logo, I did not make any changes to this. 

In my design evaluation I gave reasons to why I chose the second design. This was because of the type of features, functions, looks, programs that I had decided to use. Design 2 was preferred as design 1 lacked sophistication in controls, formulas, and user accessibility. Design 2 includes several options to the user and also has an option to look at categories with ease, because of the color coordinated scheme. This design looks well-structured and aesthetically pleasing, hence this would be preferred. In the design specification I have mentioned the requirements of my client, and they would like the product to be easily accessible and data to be clear and easy to find. Design 2 serves this purpose, as the title is in a professional font along with a dark underline to give further importance. The whole spreadsheet is based on the requirements, as the colors make it much easier for the user to quickly find what they are looking for.

For my second design I looked at the company product details. For product details I found that there was much more thought required, and since there were many calculations that would take place, I created a small legend on the bottom with all the different formulas. Again I had kept the logo on the left side. The title "Products", was written in an eye-catching font which looks aesthetically pleasing. Since, there are so many cells that may be hard to identify it made sense to make each cell a different color (Color code). To understand how to best make a product design, I had to think like the user's perspective to understand the flaws and make sure that everything on the sheet made sense and was user friendly most importantly. This is the 2nd tab of the spreadsheet and will have a similar layout to the first one to make sure they match. The different formulas I decided to add to this product to make it more useful to my client are: Count if, this will help the client (or company) find a specific category of a product they are looking for. For example, since I am doing an electronic company, they would frequently check how much stock might be available for a certain product, and for them to skim through all the data would be difficult, as it would be time consuming and not as efficient. There would be addition and subtraction to calculate prices of products together, easily. 

For the second design I did exactly the same as the first one but the only change I had made was making the title bold and underlined giving it more importance. I also decided to keep the font professional and readable for the client. This is much more effective and is good for office uses as it serves the purpose well. In my evaluation I decided to pick the second design, and this is because design 2 is preferred as design 1 lacks sophistication in controls, formulas, user accessibility, and variety of formulas to help navigate the system efficiently. Design 2 includes several options to the user and also has an option to look at categories with ease, because of the color coordinated scheme. This design looks well-structured and aesthetically pleasing, hence this would be preferred. In the design specification I have mentioned the requirements of my client, and they would like the product to be easily accessible and data to be clear and easy to find. Design 2 serves this purpose, as the title is in a professional font along with a dark underline to give further importance. The whole spreadsheet is based on the requirements, as the colors make it much easier for the user to quickly find what they are looking for. There are many more formulas in the sheet, making the product more user friendly and less time consuming.

Plan: 

For my planning stage I created various different charts, diagrams, and tables to help me draw conclusions and find the best fit for my client. The planning stage helped me organize my time well, by allocating certain projects in to time frames to get work done efficiently and quickly for my client. Using excel I created a Gantt chart to help me guide all my work completion in a certain time frame. The Gantt chart was created to allocate my time into different aspects of the project effectively, and for me to easily see at what date I have what work to do. In my Gantt chart I created space for minor and major projects that will be required to do, in order to complete a good final product for my client. The schedule was very helpful when I started to create my product, and this is because I was able to clearly see what different aspects had to be completed and what my deadline was-to complete each task. I created several draft tables to input all the data that I will be inserting in my final product. The tables helped me organize my data in chronological order and helped me clearly identify the different aspects that will be applied into the system to create a good final product for my client. 

Self-evaluation of the Planning Stage:

Planning for my final product really helped me look at all the different ideas and perspectives of the program/system, and helped me look at the different ideas that I can input into my final product to make it better than what I had planned for. However, the final product does not always follow the plan, and sometimes I realized that certain areas required much more time than I had allocated to them, and this is because some functions may have required practice and research to fully understand how to operate each function that I was willing to put into the program for my client. Since, this was the first time I had been given this task of creation I was unaware of how long my 'Create' time would take. I had to take in account the different functions and features that I will have to learn in a certain amount of time, and where they can be used appropriately. I watched many YouTube videos to help me understand how to apply features with steps and visual content involved. I also researched and found many online websites which were helpful when creating my final product.

Create: 

The creation of the project was definitely the best part, this is because I got to learn so many new features/functions and apply them to my product. I was able to use all my creative knowledge about IT on this product creation, and in the process I discovered many new ways of portraying my data interestingly and sophisticatedly. This was my first time in using Microsoft excel to create a project such as this and I was really keen and looking forward towards all the new features I will come across and finally use in my final product. I used my interview and research that I had previously done for the company, to make sure my final product would fit my client's needs and expectations. To make sure I accomplish in creating a good piece of product, I tested it against the design specification, and also asked my teacher and parents for expert advice. 

Self-evaluation of the Creation Stage:

When I had started to create my product I researched quite a lot about the different functions and feature that I can input in my system to make it fit the needs of client and their company. For this part I also decided to create a Gantt chart to help me allocate the time it will take me to create my final product. In the Gantt chart I allocated time for macros, forms, menus, home page, designing pages, tab 1, tab 2. I thought that the creation would be quite enjoyable and easy, although the creation took most of the time, and was difficult to put together with the functions, design, and looks. 

Evaluation:

In this part of the project I spent time analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the program, different ways I could have improved and how I could have improved my product further. In this part of my product, I am evaluating and reflecting on all the programs that I have looked at and used in my final creation, for my product. I will be evaluating the product against the design specification to make sure that I have reached the standards and requirements, for my client as well. I will also be conducting an interview to the VP (Vice President) of the company I am creating this product for (Sharaf DG). This interview will be conducting to find out whether the product was successful and useful for the company's needs and requirements. The VP will be explaining their experience of the product and if an improvement can be made to make it further better for the company's uses. 

Self-evaluation of the Evaluate Stage:

This stage helped me look over and reflect at what work I have done so far, this helped me double check mistakes that I might have made in the process of creation. Doing this stage helped me improve my evaluating and investigating skills throughout this task. When doing this project I felt that more time was required to create a better outcome for my client. Since, now as I am evaluating I realize many additions that I could have added to make my product further useful for my client, if I had the sufficient time, to do so. 

Problems faced during development:

• Took quite a bit of time to research and understand how to use each function or feature that was decided to be applied to the system/program. 
• It was difficult to make sure that all menu bars are in working order to avoid errors/mistakes. 
• It was difficult to make sure that all the macros that were inputted into the system were in working order. 
• It took some time to understand the correct and appropriate calculations that need to be put into the different aspects of the forum. 
• It took time to create menu bars, since I had to think of the appropriate data that needs to be put into the data. 
• I had to use many online websites and a lot of research material to clearly understand how to input the different data that I have collected, in the correct part of the product. 
• It was difficult to put in the appropriate data for the different aspects of the spreadsheets. For example when I was working on my Employees Data spreadsheet, it was difficult to think of the data that I will put in for testable uses. I had to think of the name of the employee, employee ID, employee position, employee degree, employee number of years worked in the company, age of employee, email, phone number, monthly salary and annual salary. (This part was quite time consuming) 
• To calculate total salary of staff/employees I had to input large data, and calculations

Weaknesses of the system:

• There was very limited time to complete the product. 
• Even though a lot of time has been spent on creating the macros there is a chance of them not working, the only way to make sure that the macros are in working order is that, the client will have to test it to see if it is in working order. 
• The program has no passwords to secure the company data, so all files are insecure and can be accessed by any user. 
• The company will need to make sure that they have a working color printer, do to the different colors used to create the design of the product, the layout and the logos. 
• There is no indication or legend showing which buttons are the macros, this will make it difficult for the company to use the system correctly in the first trial. 
• There is limited data, the program could have more tabs to support the company's needs. 
• Personnel data needs more employee and manufacturer data.
• Products description could be enhanced. 
• The font size of the in-depth detail of each data page could have been larger. 
• There could be more information about the distributor, distributor name, age, region they deliver and pick the products from. 
• Manufacturer and product type could have more detail. 
• Allowances should have been on the same sheet as the salary. 
• There should have been a column for the department each staff/employee member is working in. 
• There should be a section for passport and visa expiry date, and other necessary passport details. 

Evaluating the product against the design specification:

Design Specification	Objective Accomplished
The tables will be linked using a one to many relationship	Yes
A logo for the company	Yes
Several validation checks were employed to make sure that the data entered is reasonable and error messages are displayed when errors are made	Yes
Input mask is used to control the data that is entered so that the data is consistent	Yes
Several buttons are used to provide a simple to use interface where the user selects options. The program will have menu with submenus with buttons that can be clicked to perform a certain task.	Yes
The system will have the ability to reduce errors due to several validation checks that will be employed thus improving data integrity.	Yes
The program will have 2 forms, one for employees and the other for products. This can be accessed easily through the menu to help maintain the table.	Yes
In order to make it easy to input details combo boxes are provided for Gender, title, type of electronic, and warranty period.	Yes
Option buttons are provided to select the number of electronics/products.	Yes
There are several queries available to retrieve desired information from a database	Yes
A variety of reports are created so that printouts can be obtained	Yes
The code builder will be used to calculate monthly salary, and yearly salary.	Yes
The form will have options to Add, Delete, Edit, Sort and Save data.	Yes
The allowances, monthly salary, yearly salary, discount for staff - of the employees will be worked out automatically by the computer.	Yes

Interview with the Vice President of Sharaf DG:

Me: How was the overall performance of the new program?

Mr. Jonathan Willson: The program has integrated well with the overall structure and data analysis needs of the organization. 

Me: Previously you had specified that the time taken to give a response to customers was too long. Has the new system addressed this problem successfully?

Mr. Jonathan Willson: Yes, to an extent. As we go into the second phase of our upgrade things are expected to be smoother. 

Me: Are you finding the program difficult to use?

Mr. Jonathan Willson: No. The program is highly interactive, automated and useful with regards to report generation. 

Me: Are the outputs helping you with your work?

Mr. Jonathan Willson: Indeed. these reports are comprehensive, accurate, and time efficient. 

Me: Are there any changes that you would like to see in the system? Or any further developments?

Mr. Jonathan Willson: Yes, as mentioned earlier all gaps will be bridged in second update. 

Me: Thank you for your time Mr. Jonathan Willson!

Analysis of the Interview: 

The overall feedback is positive in terms of data generation, integration, report generation, time efficiency and detailed and accurate overview of employees and products. 

In holistic view initial implementation of program has generated positive results, however upgrade during second phase is something to look forward to. This will allow an opportunity to further enhance the system in terms of quality and quantity of database.

Letter of appreciation from the HR Director of Sharaf DG: 

Saturday, November 26th, 2016

Dear Veronica, 

On behalf of entire team its my pleasure to congratulate you for successfully conceptualizing, designing and executing the entire Information Technology system design. After using the system for a while the overall feedback from HR and Sales team is positive. 

All employee files and product records have been successfully transferred into the system in a workable format. This has resulted in a product which is highly interactive, automated and useful in report generation. The program has integrated well with the overall structure and data analysis needs of the organization. 

Once again, I would like to congratulate and thank you for putting together an efficient system which aligns well with our existing format. 

As discussed we look forward to further enhancements and benchmarking the system against the best. 

Sincere Regards

HR Director

Ms Leela Mathur

Further development:

The system is so far working quite well, and fitting many needs of the company, although I will be looking into the recommendations of the company to further improve my product. 

• An option to print out the documents and details that have been created on the product. 
• An option to secure all the data - Password
• Copies of the document, so that they can be shared with the employees in the company, and each individual can keep their own password, to secure their data, and they can add data as required - to their system with ease. 
• There could be an option to create an account, so that different users can easily log in and out of the system with ease. 
• Make sure the document prints logo of company along with each tab of spreadsheet created on the product. 
• There could be blank tabs for different employers to input various numerical data at their will. 
• More tabs could be inputted for several different uses within the company. Such as, manufacturer details, passport details, employee family details, etc. 
• Tabs with layout of data, to help assist the employees to fill out different data within the product. 
• An option to email employees at will. 

Peer Evaluation:

Expert Evaluation: 

Unit Question Answer:

Unit Question: How can a Business or an Organization modernize its records using Information Technology?

The success of every business depends on certain factors. Some of which are accurate analysis, choosing the right technology and the future vision. Research from the last two decade has proved that those organizations that do invest in technology and choose the path of innovation increase their market share, financial figures and overall competitiveness. Information technology is the only technology which provides you the opportunity to analyze specific data and plan your business journey accordingly. It also provides you many tools which can solve complex problems and plan the scalability (future growth) of your business. Now I will briefly explain how information technology plays a vital role in different phases of business.                

Decision Making

Every successful organization has to go through a comprehensive market research process which enables management to make the right decision.  Market research can be done in many ways through online surveys, forums, blogs, group discussions using World Wide Web and of course through in-person interviews as well. Currently Big data, Google Analytics and Microsoft CRM Dynamics are also great tools to extract useful information which can impact on decision making. These online tools not only provide real time responses from the potential audience but also ensure the accuracy of data by minimizing the risk of human errors.                        

IT has dramatically changed the lives of the individuals and organizations. Currently online shopping, digital marketing, social networking, digital communication and cloud computing etc are the best examples of change which came through the wave of information technology. Now accurate business planning, effective marketing, global sales, systematic management, real time monitoring, instant customer support and long term business growth cannot be achieved at the optimum level without IT.

Marketing and Business Growth

The heart of the business success lies in its marketing which enables the management to identify its target audience first and then observe their trends and needs. The overall marketing covers public relation, advertising, promotion and sales which subsequently impact on business growth. Many types of marketing can help you reach your potential customers. Currently web market is booming at a very fast pace because most of the entrepreneurs have understood that the long term success in business is not possible without digital presence on the internet. Millions of new websites are being added on the internet every year. 

Customer Support and Satisfaction

Higher level of customer satisfaction is the key to success which cannot be achieved without a real time customer support process. Business success depends on knowing its customers needs, trends, behaviors and satisfaction level. Effective communication is the best tool to understand the customer demands, problems and their solutions. Thanks to the Internet Technology that has enabled us to communicate with millions of potential or existing customer in the real time. IT provides many channels to communicate with the customer without going out in snow or rain. Some of these channels are email, webinar, social media, member portals, online newsletters and text or multimedia messaging through the smart phone.

Resource Management and Globalization

When it comes to medium or large organization, it is very hard for the top management to manage all the resources manually. These resources may include tangible, financial or human resources etc. Information technology has played a vital role in automating such complex problems by introducing user friendly solutions. 

Conclusion

In todays day and age of globalization It is playing an active role in bringing people, products and systems together. A good IT system is no more a matter of choice it is a must to run a successful business. Right from strategy to operations, people to products, manufacturers to consumers or anything that you think of, IT has a vital role to play. Social platforms are becoming increasingly attractive to all generations. One simple proof is a few years back I wouldn't be doing my homework on Blogger, or using managebac. IT has played a big role in each individuals lives. 

References: 

• Abid Afzal. (2016). The Role of Information Technology in Business Success. Available: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/role-information-technology-business-success-abid-afzal. Last accessed 26th Nov 2016.

• Webcasts. (2016). The Importance of Information Technology In Business Today Read more-at--http://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/importance-information-technology-business-today-01393380#3Lgc9JE934S8cJbM.99.Available: http://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/importance-information-technology-business-today-01393380. Last accessed 26th Nov 2016.