Summary

The final term project is to implement an on-line admissions and graduation clearance system for graduate students applying to the Computer Science department. The final “product” is described in the project details document, based on which you provided a design of your database in Phase 1. Some (minor) changes have been made since you completed your Phase 1 design. Please read through the details again.

In Phase 2, each team was assigned a specific module to be designed and implemented; specifically, you implemented an Application System (APS), a Registration System (RES), and an advising system (ADS). In Phase 3 of the project, you will integrate the three different modules to provide the CS-STARRS system that meets the Banner++ specifications. As part of the team based design, integration, and testing we are essentially mimicking the design of a product by integrating different modules designed by different design teams. In Phase 3, the different components in final system are no longer the three modules you built in Phase 2 -- for example, the RES and ADS no longer look like two distinct modules when you read the description for the registration and graduation process. Once again, you will implement your system on the SEASCF machines using MySQL and PhP. Remember that you will need to integrate your application with other modules in Phase 3 – so be careful about what other software you use.

What needs to be done in Phase 3:
During Phase 2 you worked on three very different modules. In Phase 3 you should be working towards building the CS-STARRS system, but using the three modules you built in Phase 2. Much of the functionality has been built in Phase 2, but you still have a LOT of work left to complete the final project -- so plan your time carefully. Here are some specific things you need to be doing (this is only a partial list -- there are more things to be done as you will realize during this final phase) -- they are listed in a recommended order of completion.

Reading: Before you start, each of you should read through the project description document -- some (minor) changes were made since Phase 1, so you should go over it again.
Integration: The first thing you should all be working on (with the 'deadline' of next week -- April 13th) is on integrating the three modules to provide a skeleton of the complete system.

For example, the application system at the end admits an applicant. This application becomes a student once the GS matriculates them (i.e., the GS clicks on some button to make them into a student). Once they become a student, they should be able to use the Registration and Advisng Systems -- i.e., their data should now be available for the RES and ADS systems. The registration information (courses, grades, etc.) should be available to the ADS system. Be careful about your data -- you should not be replicating the data (some amount may be unavoidable)--it is the same student who is registering for courses as well as filling out Form 1, and their personal data comes from the APS modules. Note: A complete redesign of a module built in Phase 2 is NOT a good solution (Why we requiring this: imagine that these are huge pieces of code written by someone who is no longer there -- in addition, it is possible that you may not have gotten the authorization to change the code).

Check Workflow: Once you get an idea of how to best integrate your modules, go over (with a fine tooth comb!) the workflow of the entire CS-STARRS description. Identify what changes need to be made to the various components. Also take a look what did not work in Phase 2 (i.e., what the "evaluators" told you) and fix those problems first. Make sure your integrated system now meets the exact specifications of CS-STARRS (i.e., the complete final project).
Design, Implement and Test new functionality/code: Once you check the workflow and the project specs, you will realize that new functionality needs to be built. For example, online recommendation letters and advising forms (to lift registration hold) have to be built into the system now. In addition, specific Phase 3 reports/queries are listed in the project details document. Design and implement these new functions, and make sure you test them and verify that the workflow is met.
User Interface: Once you have the entire workflow working (or more realistically, once you have figured out everything that needs to be done to have the entire project working), you should take a critical look at your user interface. Work on developing an easy to use interface, and one that moves seamlessly from one application to the other. At the same time, make sure that an application cannot see the student functions (and similarly with the other roles). Your final project evaluation will take into account your user interface design. (Some aspects of good UI design will be covered in one of the lab sessions.)
Final Testing: After the Phase 2 demos, you have some idea of the testing that needs to be done. Before you come to the final demo, make sure you have run enough tests to catch at least the common errors.
Other steps:

Report Writing: You have Writing Assignments 4 and 5 due. These are formal descriptions of your project -- the specifications, design, testing steps, and labor costs (do what you can on labor costs). When you submit Writing Assignment 5 (which is a revision of Writing Assignment 4), we expect that you will add more technical information based on your experience in Phase 3. However, your report should focus on the module that you designed in Phase 2.

Teamwork: Each of the persons in a team is responsible for the module they built in Phase 2. We will use this for our grading. However, all team members must work together to ensure correct workflow and to help test the entire system.