Title of the Project

PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
PORTAL

38
Introduction
Project Management Portal is a carefully planned and organized effort to accomplish a
specific (and usually) one-time effort,for example, construct a building or implement a new
computer system. Project Management includes developing a project plan, which includes
defining project goals and objectives, specifying tasks or how goals will be achieved, what
resources are need, and associating budgets and timelines for completion. It also includes
implementing the project plan, along with careful controls to stay on the "critical path", that
is, to ensure the plan is being managed according to plan. Project management usually
follows major phases (with various titles for these phases), including feasibility study, project
planning, implementation, evaluation and support/maintenance. (Program planning is usually
of a broader scope than project planning, but not always.

39
Objective of Project
To create a generic project management portal which help any organization to monitor and
track a project, not necessarily a software project. For Example: It can be a construction of a
building or manufacturing of automobiles.

The major objectives of the project are as follow: -

The system should allow for the tracking of individual projects and their associated
customers, sales representatives, insurance companies, estimates, schedules, etc.

The system should facilitate the organization and retrieval of project related digital
photographs.

Provisions should be made for tracking material prices by (1) internal estimates (bids), (2)
external estimates (scopes), and (3) industry standard pricelists.

Contact management should be maintained for all individuals within the business system,
including employees, subcontractors, vendors, insurance and customers.

The system should provide for the tracking of subcontractors, their related fields of
specialization, and there work schedules in relation to active projects.

Provisions should be made for tracking project related details including project status, and
various notes related to project activities, as well as tracking employees responsible for the
project notes.

Post-project completion payouts should be tracked, including the status of payments for
overhead and profit, PWI, and depreciation withheld.

40
 SYSTEM ANALYSIS

IDENTIFICATION OF NEED

The complete understanding of software requirements is essential to the success of a

software development effort. The requirements analysis task is a process of discovery,
refinement modeling and specification. The software scope initially established by the system
engineer and refined during software project planning is refined in detail. Modular of the
required data, information and control flow, and operational behavior are created. Alternative
solution are analyzed and allocated to various software elements.
Both developer and customer take an active role in requirements analysis and
specification. The customer attempts to reformulate a sometimes-nebulous concept of
software function and performance into concrete detail. The developer acts as interrogator
consultant and problem solver.
Requirements analysis is a software engineering task that bridges the gap between
system level software allocation and software design.
Requirement analysis enabler the system engineer to specify software function and
performance indicate software’s interface with other system elements and establish
constraints that software must meet.
Software requirements analysis may be divided into five areas of effort:
(a) Problem recognition.
(b) Evaluation and synthesis
(c) Modeling
(d) Specification
(e) Review
Initially, the analyst studies the system specification and the software project plan.
Problem evaluation and solution synthesis is the next major area of effort for analysis. Upon
evaluating current problems and desired information (input and output) the analyst begins to
synthesize one or more solutions.
During the evaluation and solution synthesis activity, the analyst creates models of the
system in an effort to better understand data and control flow, functional processing and
behavioral operation, and information content. The model serves as a foundation for software
design and as the basis for the creation of a specification for the software
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PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
Present system is manual. The working of the organization May be described as:

All details of customer, product, sale, purchase, registration etc are maintained in
registers. All registrations are also maintained in registers. All Bills are manually created, and
send at desired place for further use. The daily-to-daily entries are also being manually.

Preliminary investigation took me to the Accounts room of Agency, where I came

across the current working process. Although the process of maintaining data is not a
recorded one as such there were no documents to be reviewed in order to determine efficacy
of the current working process. So I had to emphasize on the observation I made while in the
office. In order to complement my onsite observations I undertook a simple interview of
office bearers. The results of which are broadly catalogued below.

In concurrence with onsite observation I conducted some interviews. To get a closer

look at the present working culture and identify the problem domain I talked to some of
office bearers. I presented them with the following set of questions.

Questionnaire:

Some general questions-

1.Who is behind the request for this work?

2.Who will use the software?

3.Why do you want this software?

4.Can you show me the environment in which the software will be used?

5.What is your requirement?

6.What will be the economic benefit of a successful solution?

Other question about software-

1.What do you feel is the biggest bottleneck in your work?

Ans. The slow working process of the work due to high number of calculations.

42
2. What effect does it have on your work?

Ans. Usually it delays our work. As such we have to prepare ourselves 3 to 4 days
beforehand to say the least.

3. Are you always satisfied with your results?

Ans. No because it hardly leads to a conclusive result rather generating further queries. Also
the bulk of work sometimes forces us to limit our capabilities and skip through some material
and information since they may not be available.

The preliminary investigation gave me clear information about the ills

plaguing the present system.

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 FEASIBILITY STUDY
Before getting started on the new system it was important to determine the feasibility
involved in the developed system so that the new system development could be develop.
Feasibility is the determination of whether or not a project is not worth doing. The project
followed in making this determination is called a feasibility study. This type of study
determines if a project can and should Be Taken. Once it has been determined that project is
feasible, the analyst can go ahead and the prepare the project specification which finalizes
project requirements.
Generally, feasibility studies are undertaken within tight time constraints and
Normally culminate in a written and feasibility report.
The developed system is started after considering the main three type of feasibilities
which are discussed below: -
1)-Technical feasibility
2)-Operational feasibility
3)-Economic feasibility

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TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY

As we know the technical feasibility is concerned with specifying equipment

and software that will successfully satisfy the user requirement. The technical needs
of the system may vary considerably, but might include:

 The facility to produce outputs in a given time.

 Response time under certain conditions.
 Ability to process a certain volume of transaction at a particular speed.
 Facility to communicate data to distinct location.
In examination technical feasibility, configuration of the system is given more
importance than the actual make of hardware. The configuration should give the complete
picture about the system’s requirements: How many workstations are required, how these
units are interconnected so that they could operate and communicate smoothly.

ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY

Economic analysis is the most frequently used technique for evaluating the
effectiveness of a proposed system. More commonly known as cost/benefits analysis the
procedure is to determine the benefits and savings that are expected from a purposed system
and compare with costs.
If benefits outweigh cost, a decision is taken to design and implement the system
otherwise further justification or alternative in the proposed system will have to be made if it
is to have a chance of being approved. This is an ongoing effort that improves in accuracy at
each phase of the system life cycle.
The analysis part also clears the doubt of economic problems could be possible in
developing the system. As already mentioned that the company has to just pay the developed
software cost and not other investment is needed at the time of implementation of the new
system as the preliminary requirement are already exist in the company.

45
Since the cost difference between the present system and the new proposed computerized
system will be large. Considering the fact that new system will require only one time
monetary investment whereas the present system keeps on adding to the cost in a daily basis.
We can conclude that the breakeven point will be reached
within a year, making this proposed computerized news management system economically
feasible.

OPERATIONAL FEASIBILITY

Proposed projects are beneficial only if they can be turned into information system that
will meet the operating requirements of the organization. This test of feasibility asks if the
system will work when it developed and installed. Are there major barriers to
implementation? Some of the important questions that are useful to test the operational
feasibility of a project are given below:
 Is there sufficient support for the project from the implementation? From user? If the
present system is well liked and used to the extent that persons will not be able to see
reasons for change, there may be resistance.
 Are current business methods acceptable to the user? If they are not, user may
welcome a change that will bring about a more operational and useful system.
 Have the user been involved in the planning and development of the project? If they
are involved at the earliest stage of project development, the chances of resistance
can be possibly reduced.
 Will the proposed system cause harm? Will it produce poorer result in any case or
area? Will the performance of staff member fall down after implementation?
Issue that appears to be quite minor at the early stage can grow into major
problem after implementation. Therefore, it is always advisable to consider
operational aspects carefully. The system is developed in keeping mind that it should
be user friendly and easy to operate hence the system is operational feasible.

46
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PARADIGM APPLIED

After getting detail of each section, whole process was re-evaluated and a proper design for
the system was brought into existence.

The activates are defined as follows:

1. Identification of the system or subsystem’s key “Stakeholders”
2.Determination of the stakeholders “Win conditions”
3. Negotiation of the stakeholders’ win conditions to reconcile them into a set of win-win
conditions for all concerned.

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 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION

The software requirements specification is produced at the culmination of the

analysis task. The function and performance allocated to software as part of system
engineering are refined by establishing a complete information description a detailed
functional and behavioral description, a indications of performance requirements and design
constraints, appropriate validation criteria and other data pertinent to requirements.
1. Introduction
a. Purpose
b. Scope
c. Definition, Acronyms, Abbreviations
d. References
e. Developer’s Responsibilities Overview
2. General Description
a. Product Functions Overview
b. User Characteristics
c. General Constraints
d. General Assumptions and Dependencies
3. Specific Requirements
a. Inputs and Outputs
b. Functional Requirements
c. External Interface Requirements
d. Performance Constraints
e. Design Constraints
(i) Software Constraints
(ii) Hardware Constraints
4. Validation and Criteria
a. Performance bounds
b. Classes of tests
c. Expected Software response
d. Special Considerations
5. Acceptance Criteria

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1. INTRODUCTION:
This is the requirements document for the project that will be used throughout
the work. The system to be developed is for front office and financial work of agency, based
on the inputs given. This document follows the IEEE standard for a requirement specification
document, with some variations.
a). Purpose:
The purpose of this document is to describe the requirements of agency. It also
describes the interfaces for the system.
b). Scope:
This document is the only one that describes the requirements of the system. It
is meant for use by the developers and will be the basis for validating the final
delivered system. Any changes made to the requirements in the future have to go
through a formal change approval process. The developer is responsible for asking for
clarifications, where necessary, and will not make any alterations without the
permission of the client.
c). Definitions, Acronyms, Abbreviations:
Not applicable.
d). References:
Not applicable.
e). Developer’s Responsibilities Overview:

The developer is responsible for (i) developing the system, (ii) installing the
software on the client’s hardware, (iii) conducting any user training that might be
needed for using the system, and (iv) maintaining the system for a period of one year
after installation.

2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
a). Product Functions Overview:

In agency there is a counter for booking and various queries of the customers
can be solved with ease on one table. As the software provide all information
customer, registration etc provided by the agency.

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 b). User Characteristics:

The main users of this system will be the registration department and accounts
department, who are somewhat literate with computers and can use programs
efficiently.

c). General Constraints:

The system should run on win 95 /98/2000 or above.

d). General Assumptions and Dependencies:

Not applicable.

3.SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS:

a). Inputs and Outputs:

The system has all the details regarding the sale, customer, employee, product,
purchase etc. The system has several inputs in form of data entry and several
outputs in form of bills, reports etc.

The forms under the heading General Entries are sale, salary, leave etc are
maintained.

From one the bill is generated and the other helps in report generation. Here
also, the customer gets the desired registration and accordingly the bills and report
are generated.

b). Functional Requirements:

It present description of each function required to solve the problem. A

processing narrative is provided for each function, design constraints are stated
and justified, performance characteristics are stated, and one or more diagrams are
included to graphically represent the overall structure of the software and
interplay among software functions and other system elements under this topic,
the functional working of the various modules where give the complete picture for
the data flow from one location to other.

c). External Interface Requirements:

Only one user command is required. The file name must be prompted by the
system in status bar.

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d). Performance Constraints:
The reports and bills should be printed in less than 1 minute.
e). Design Constraints:
The system is to run under the WINDOWS operating system.
4. VALIDATION CRITERIA:
Probably the most important section of a software requirements specification is
validation Criteria. The specification of validation criteria acts as an implicit review of all
other requirements. The tests must be conducted to validate function, performance and
constraints.
In this project I have try the various steps in testing the links and connectivity of the
data Directorate of public grievances takes up a grievances where it is satisfied that eh matter
has not been dealt with by the concerned SSA in a fair, just or objective manner or has been
unduly delayed. It may take up such a care for investigation, call for a report and or file from
the concerned SSA and ask them to reconsider the matter and to arrive at a fair decision in a
time bound manner.
5. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA:
Before accepting the system, the developer must demonstrate that the system works
on the course data for the last 4 semesters. The developer will have to show through test cases
that all conditions are satisfied.

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 RESOURCE USED
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Operating System : Windows XP

Front End : Asp.net 2008(C#)
Back End : Microsoft SQL Server 2005
For Documentation : Microsoft Word, Power Point
Reporting Tools : Crystal Report

HARDWAE REQUIREMENTS

Processor : 1.3 MHZ

RAM : 32 MB (minimum recommended)
HDD : MIN 10 MB Virtual Space
Monitor : 15’’ CRT Monitor
Keyboard : 108 keys (Multimedia Keyboard)
Mouse : 3 Button (Normal Mouse)

52
 SYSTEM DESIGN

1. Input Design:

When designing input, the objective is to ensure that the data that will be processed by
the system is collected and entered into the system efficiently, according to the specified
requirements, and with the minimum of errors. In description with the client, the designer
will choose a method of input, which is cost effective and acceptable to the end users. The
process of input design, like output design, which was described earlier, consists of four
stages.

 Firstly, identifying the inputs into the system, by listing the data flows on the required
logical data flow diagram which cross the system boundary on their way in
 Then determining the content of these inputs by inspecting the data dictionary
 Next choosing an appropriate input device to change the user's data into a form which
can be read and processed by the computer system
 And finally completing the detailed design work involved in specifying forms, input
screens and other data collection documents.
Project development required complete analysis of system right from the scratch
Analysis of the system required great attention on big as well as minute transactions This
required exhaustive study of Manual management system. Manual system was divided in
various sections, which were dealt individually. Getting detail of each section was a tedious
and a time consuming task. This involved various meetings with head of each individual
section. After getting detail of each section whole process was re-evaluated and a proper
design for the system was brought into existence. Design was discussed with the Workshop’s
Manager and was further improved by eliminating some loopholes. Designing process is
carried on very carefully as this serves as backbone for development of any software. Thus
synopsis of the package was prepared.
After Design phase attention was laid upon source code of the package.
Whole project was divided into small modules. Source code for each module was
individually prepared and tested both syntactically and logically (Modular Testing). In cases
modules were further divided into units and tested (Unit Testing). These units were merged to
get modules and these modules were further available for integration. This sort of testing
comes under Integration Testing. Various tests were conducted on the package to

53
demonstrate that the system satisfies all the requirements stated in requirements
documentation. This is Acceptance Testing.
Phase 1 of the package has been prepared and is running successfully
(Implementation).
Maintenance of the package would require further enhancement of the package as per

requirements of the company.

2. Data Base Modal Apply:

The data in a database is organized according to the data structure 'imposed' upon it by
the physical data model. The physical data model is normally produced during the physical
data design stage in the development life cycle and tailored specifically to the selected, or
imposed, database type.
The rules regarding this implementation and its subsequent optimization will vary
widely according to the type of DBMS.
The Database Management Systems available today can be grouped into four types.
These are:
 File Management Systems (FMS)
 Hierarchical Databases (HDS)
 Network Databases (NDS)
 Relational Databases (RDBMS)- The relational database model resulted from an
IBM-sponsored research project by Dr. E.F.Codd. The relation model attempts to
overcome some the failings of the hierarchical and network database model, and
provides easy-to-use and flexible data structure.
 The relational model includes data structure (table), operators that can be used to
manage the data in data structure, and some integrity rules that ensure that the data
obeys the business rules defined for the system.
 The relational model is based on relational algebra concepts and theory and, in the
early days, used some of the same technology to describe the processing that could be
performed on the data structures For example, relational theory uses the words
"relations" to mean tables, "tuples" to mean rows, and "attributes" to mean columns in
table
 Relational database are the most common type of database management systems in
use today.

54
 Relational database includes Oracle, DB2, Ingress, Informix, Sybase, and SQL
Server.
 Another important concept in relational databases is that relationships between tables
are not hard-coded in the structure of the data that is there are no pointers in the data
to relate one table to another. This means that you can specify the relationships
between two sets of data at development time rather than when the tables are first
created. This greatly improves the flexibility of the database management system.
 Relational Database Properties- A relational database management system
(RDBMS) has the following properties:
 Represents data in the form of tables
 Does not hard-code relationships between tables
 Doesn't require the user to understand its physical implementation
 Provides information about its contents and structure in system tables
 Can be manipulated through SQL commands
 Supports the concept of NULL values
In this project the database used is SQL.
Overview of SQL:
A relational database is an extremely simple way of thinking about and managing the data
used in a business. It is nothing more than a collection of tables of data.
A relational database management system such as SQL server gives you a way of
doing things in an understandable and reasonably uncompelled way. SQL server basically
does three things:

1. Lets you put data into it.

2. Keeps the data.
3. Lets you get the data out and work with it.
The information stored in SQL server is kept in tables. There are three major characteristics
of the tables.

 Columns
 Rows
 Name
3. Tables of Information:

55
 SQL stores information in tables. These tables have one or more columns. The columns
heading describe the kind of information kept in the column. The information is stored
row after row. Each unique set of data gets is own row.

Even though the tables are independent, we can easily see that they are related. A column in
one table is related to a column in the other table. This relationship is the basis for the name
relational database. This is the basic idea of a relational (sometimes called a relational
model). Data is stored in tables. Tables have columns, rows, and names. Tables can be related
to each other if each has a column with a common type of information.
The retrieval of data from a database can be faster with primary key. A primary key is
a field that uniquely identifies each record in a table is called a foreign key.
To cascade updating and deletion of related fields, we enforce the referential integrity.
Whenever a change is made to primary key.

When two tables have single common field, they are said to be 'related'. The types of
relationships, which the tables in SQL can have, are:
 One to One
 One to many
 Many to One
 Many to many
SQL server, objects can be defined as reusable software codes which are location
independent and perform a specific task on any application environment with little or no
change to the code. SQL products are based on a concept known as the “Client/Server
Technology”. This concept involves segregating the processing of an application between
two systems. A client or front-end database application also interacts with the database by
requesting and receiving information from the ‘database server’. It acts as an interface
between the user and the database. Further, it also checks for validation against the data
entered by the user. The database server or backend is used to manage the database tables
optimally among multiple clients who concurrently request the server for the same data. It
also enforces data integrity across all client applications and controls database access and
controls database access and other security requirements.
SQL is a RDBMS and consists of a comprehensive set of application building and
end-user products, aimed at providing complete solutions. SQL applications are potable
across a variety of platforms and operating systems. It provides a flexible DBMS called
SQL server for storage and management of information used by all applications.

56
 An object relational database management system (ORDBMS) extends the
capabilities of the RDBMS to support object-oriented concepts. We can use Oracle as an
RDBMS or take advantage of its object-oriented features. The information stored in SQL
is kept in tables. The three major characteristics of most tables are columns, rows and a
name.
Tables can be related to each other if each has a column with a common type of
information.
SQL avoids specialized, academic terminology in order to make the product more
approachable. A column may be called an “attribute”, a row may be called a “tuple”, and a
table may be called an entity.
SQL was the first company to release a product that used the English-based
Structured Query Language or SQL. This language allows end users to extract information
themselves, without using a systems group for every little report. Oracle’s query language has
rules of grammar and syntax. SQL is an astonishingly capable tool.
Some benefits of using SQL are:

 Large Databases
 Many Users (multiple user can work)
 Portable
 Backup & Recovery features
 Security
 Client/Server Support
 Data entities & Key Fields
 Entity & Attributes
Entity-
An entity is an object, place, person, concept, or activity about which an enterprises
record data.

Attribute-
An attribute is the characteristic property of an existing entity. The difference
between attribute type and attribute instance has to be understood.

4.Relationship Diagrams
A relationship is defined as "an association among entities". A relationship type is an

association of entity, while a relationship instance is an association of entity instances.

57
 One-to-One
If in an entity there is a one field, which is not repeated, and another entity it is related
and also entered once is called One-to-One relationship.
 One-to-Many (or Many-to-One)
In One-to-Many relationship in one table field is not repeated and in another table which
is related to the first table the field has to be repeated like in the current project in
consumer master file consumer number is not repeated and booking file there is
repetitions of consumer number whenever consumer booked the refill.
 Many-to-Many
In many to many relations ship both table can have repetitive data .

5. Screen Designs
The quality of screen design can have a direct impact on the performance of the users
of the system, and the designer needs to consider the format as well as the content of the
screens on which the dialogue, or interaction, between the user and the system is based. A
number of features of screen design are worth discussing here:
 Text – Must be easily readable. In addition to choosing an appropriate font and size
for the characters, readability can be improve by using lower and upper case letters,
rather than the approach some times adapted in screen design of using all upper case
evenly
Space text, with an unjustified right margin is easier to read than right justified text,
which has spaces of varying sizes between the words. The use of concise phrase,
familiar vocabulary and appropriate abbreviations make it easier for the reader to
understand the text. The most visible section of the screen is the upper left-hand
corner
And it is a good idea to locate important messages in this area. Again it is important
that
The designers understand the characteristics of the in user in order to deliver quality
products. Beginners, who are usually looking at their fingers, will noticed error
messages
Which appear on the button line on the screen, where as the top right corner of the screen is a
more appropriate location for experienced keyboard operators.
 Colour- another set of the design option is possible, in addition to those described
above, if the display is in colour. Being in a different colour to be rest or being enclosed in a
coloured box can highlight text. Background colours can be changed or a design convention
can be used in which different types of information are displayed in different colours. The

58
consistent use of colours on screens within the same system is important, and the designer
must be wary of using to many colors or creating lurid combination as these will work against
the effectiveness of the screen design.
 Graphics – can be used to good effect for displaying information, especially trends
in numerical data. They can be coloured, solid, three-dimensional or animated, and the
designer must decided on what is appropriate to the purpose. Another use of graphics is as an
integral part of the structure of the dialogue-known as a graphical user interface (GUI).

 Animation- although this is little used in screen design, it can be a powerful

technique for attracting the attention of the user, because the eye is always drawn to a moving
object; to mark the position of an object, for example, a blinking cursor can be used; or to
communicate a message, a clock with a moving hand , or an hourglass with moving sand,
indicate to the user that they have to wait while some processing is carried out by the

machine.

6. Program Design

1. Programming Language Used

ASP.NET 2005(C#): -
ASP.NET is Microsoft’s new version of ASP for the managed environment. ASP.NET brings
about significant changes from its predecessor, most notably by supporting strongly typed
and precompiled languages such as C# and VB. With ASP.NET you can also design web
application GUIs using the drag-and-drop form design approach that made Visual Basic
popular. ASP.NET is a server-side technology that requires the installation of Microsoft
Internet Information Server (IIS).
With .NET, Microsoft has completely redesigned ASP to address its limitations. To
accomplish this task, backwards-compatibility with ASP had to be sacrificed. As we will see,
migrating ASP scripts to the managed environment is not always a straightforward task.
Since ASP is in such wide use, however, Microsoft ensured that ASP scripts execute without
modification on a machine with the .NET Framework (the ASP engine, ASP.DLL, is not
modified when installing the .NET Framework). Thus, IIS can house both ASP and
ASP.NET scripts on the same machine.
Some features of ASP.NET are as follows:-
 Separation of code from content.

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  Support for compiled languages
 Greater support for different browsers via server-side
 Intuitive GUI design.

7. File Design
The way in which data is organized and accessed can be crucial to the effectiveness of

a computer system. Data can be stored in files or in a database.

Types of Files

Master file contain records, which are critical to the system and its users. The records
in master file store permanent information of long-term value to an organization and are used
regularly in the organization’s key system.
Transaction files contain transient data relating to business activities, such as telephone
calls logged. They are used mainly to update master files. Transaction files usually
contain records relating to a particular period part of time.
8. Dialog Types
A. Common Dialogs
There are a number of different approaches which can be taken when design
conversation or dialog between the user and the computer system. Essentially a dialogue
consists of the user responding to a prompt from the computer by providing input. The
computer processes this input and a response is output to the screen, which in turn may
prompt the user for the next input.

The main dialogue types are summarized below. It is up to the designers having
considered the alternatives, to decide which of these is most appropriate, based on the
requirements and characteristic of the end users.
B. Menus
Menus are widely used in screen design because they require minimal effort, and
skill, on the part of the user. This in turn reduces the training requirement when preparing
individuals to used the system. A common approach is to structure the menus
hierarchically in a' nest'; selecting an option is chosen, and so on. This allows the number

of alternatives on any one screen to be kept to a minimum.

C. User Support

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 When designing off-line help, which is usually paper-based but which could also
be in the form of audio or videotapes, a key principle is to think the needs of the users
who will be referring to them. They will be keen to find a quick solution to their problem.

And will frequently be anxious and in a hurry. Manuals should therefore be

kept simple and not overloaded with information, and should be relevant to the
common types of problems encountered by users. The most useful way of developing
such material is by working closely with end users and modifying the text in the light
of the difficulties they experience when using the system.

On-Line help can be basic, usually in a concise form with reference to a

manual where more detailed information can be obtained; it can be context-sensitive,
providing appropriate information about the particular function being used at the time
the help is requested; or it can be intelligent, responsive to the route a user has
followed while navigating through an application and their needs when the help
screen is called.
User support will also take the form of training for those who will be
interacting with the computer system. Again, this can be provided off-line,
in the form of a training event (either a taught course or an open learning
programme), or on-line, as a tutorial, which takes the user through the functions of the
system and then through a series of structured exercises.
It must not be forgotten, when designing a computer system that users are part
of this system, and can be considered almost as an extension of the computer. Their
role must be defined and designed like any other component of the system, and
thought must be given early on as to how they can best be supported in carrying out
this role.

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