WESTERN REGION TOY LIBRARY
Four years ago, six families who knew
each other through the local kindergarten,
came up with an idea to gather their
children’s toys together and loan them out
to one another’s children so that
youngsters could enjoy a variety of toys
and each family was not overspending on
the latest toys and gadgets. (this is the
company’s aim and background)
The toy library has grown considerably
and includes many more families, some
who live several suburbs away. Currently
the library is located in a large backyard
shed, and swapping of toys is done on a
rostered basis (different parents volunteer
to be on duty managing the Library)
every Saturday morning between 9 am
and 12 noon. Records of families,
payments, purchases, children, toys,
borrowings and so on are written by hand
into standard exercise books. (These are
some of the different fields that you
will need to think about when creating
a data base)
Last year, the parents elected a
Management Committee for their
organisation and introduced an annual
family fee to support the ongoing
purchase of toys for the library. (Note
that here we are bringing in a new field
called “family fee”)
The children continue to be delighted
with having many toys to choose from,
and the families are also pleased as it has what do the committee want to know?
eased financial pressures. However, the
Management Committee feel that they are χ.Identify data validation tests. (How will
living amid an information overload,
because the Toy Library continues to
rapidly expand and no one person can
keep track of all the details, let alone find checking? – query on toy types etc?)
facts from the records written in various
ways by different parents. (The problem) form)
In addition, many toys are outdated and
need to be replaced. To date, toys were
Problem-solving steps
1. Analysis
α.Define the problem.
β.Define the organisation – type, purpose
and goals.
χ.Suggest possible decisions to be made
and classify as operational, tactical or
strategic. (What do you think that they
need to be able to keep their
information together?)
δ.Analyse the problem using an IPO chart
and determine any constraints.
ε.Prepare a project plan that identifies
tasks, duration, milestones, and
dependent tasks.
φ.Create a Gantt chart for the whole
project.
(These will be joined together as one
task. This is the “step-by-step”
procedure that you will take when
creating the database. Don’t forget
that you need to make clear that you
cant do step 4 without doing steps 1, 2
and 3 etc.)
2. Design a solution by:
α.Determining the data structure (table
names, field names, data types).
β.Determine Queries, Sorts, Forms and
Reports to be produced. (This is saying:
Where toys are etc.)
you check the database is working?)
δ.Identify a set of test data to test
validation procedures. (What are you
ε.Design input screen layout. (Create a
φ.Design and justify report layout.
(Create a report and make sure that all
purchased from various toy stores but it is
difficult to monitor which toys come
from where, and what they originally
cost. Furthermore, not all families are
paying their annual fees on time and need
to be chased up. Toys become lost and,
quite often, parents are keeping them
beyond the return date. Not all of the
library members adhere to the regulations
in relation to fees, borrowings and doing
rostered duty.(The mail merge can be
taken from this. “This is what you
owe”. “We need to replace toys. Where
did you get the toys you bought and
how much were they?”)
As an IT expert, you have been called in
by the Management Committee to help
solve their information problem. They
want you to find a solution and create a
product that they will be able to use after 5. Implementation
you have left. (this is what they want
from you)
then information that you are trying to
show, can be seen on the print out.)
3. Development
α.Develop solution and monitor
progress.
(Create the database and make sure
all parts work. Also check that the
information you have put into a mail
merge is the same as what you
thought it would be)
4. Testing
α.Conduct various tests using the test
data and record and amend problems.
(error log)
β.Include user testing.
α.Finalise your database product.

They will input data from the old records 6. Evaluation

themselves, but have asked you to
populate your solution with enough test α.Write a report that evaluates the
data to ensure that all aspects work efficiency of the solution and the
properly.(this is where you have been effectiveness of the reports in meeting
asked to create a database) the identified decision-making needs
of the organisation.
 You agree to do the job for $6 500
and have been given 12 days from (does the database work? Does it work
start to finish. (not important) well? Why is this? Does it do what they
 You decide to manage it through wanted it to do? Etc.)
Project Management, to keep an
Error Log during its construction,
and to write a detailed report at the
end. (this error log means that
when you are thinking about and
creating your database, you will
write down any problems you
come across).
 You will provide the Toy Library
Management Committee with the
solution to be run on their computer
that has Office 2003 installed, as a
user-friendly package. (this means
you will use access and word)
 You may assume that all users can
use a computer.

 You do not want people interfering

with the important parts of your
solution, so you should carefully
design the parts that users are able to
see, and hide the parts you do not
want them to see. (what? Don’t
worry about this, it wont be on the
sac!)