Informal Requirements Specification for

Business Forms Inc.

Customer Group One


Group Members:

  • Mark Vann
  • Blair Whitford
  • Dean Skelton
  • Hugh Arai
  • Alexander Gierus
  • Ken Chuong
  • Chi Chan
  • Natalie Simpson
  • Charanjeet Jugdev
  • Lin Chung
  • Angus Ainslie
  • Gabriele Ehnes-Lilly
  • The Problem

    Business Forms Incorporated (BFI) is a Canadian company based in Calgary, Alberta. Our company sell business forms such as invoices, receipts, ordering forms, and sales contracts. The forms may be universal in layout or custom designed for a business. For example the company's logo, address, and slogan may be printed at the top.

    We currently employ 300 people in 40 regions across the country. Each region has a distribution office with a salesman and a small support staff. Our current success has led to potential future growth, expected as early as next year, with expansion into various areas of Canada as well a the United States.

    With our expected expansion we are in need of new software that will ease operations in our regional offices and assist our salesmen in their work. We require software that will create a list of all customers a salesman should visit on a specific day. The necessary information will come from an existing customer and product database.

    It is important that the software can expand along with the growth of our business. As well, since our salesmen are not fully computer literate, the software should be simple to use, i.e. minimal interaction between the salesmen and the program. The program should also provide some form of backup in case of an act of God or that the wrong buttons were pushed. This should be done in the form a secondary copy of all information stored with the system, so the backup copy can be stored on a alternate system. It is also important that any unnecessary information on the list be suppressed. For example if client X orders forms A and D only, it is not necessary to display any of the other products available, such as forms B and C. Finally, the cost of the software should not exceed our system budget of $400,000, which includes both the cost of hardware, estimated at $330,000.

    System Specifications

    Our organization requires a database system to manage our various business form clients. It is essential that the database be able to isolate optimum sales routes from these clients. Ideally we foresee a system whereby a variable number may be input into the system and a list of that variable size is produced. The list, which will represent an optimal sales route, should contain the clients which are estimated to be the most in need of our products or most likely to place a new order. So, as an example, if a list of ten is required then a list of the ten clients most likely to place a new order should be produced and this list should be in an order that fits an optimal sales route to service these clients. (By optimal it is meant that time/distance is minimized.)

    The database should track the following attributes:

  • Client name.
  • Client location.
  • List of products with price, projected order size and *order rate information.
  • Notes section.

  • * By order rate information we mean the projected number of days that their current supply will last.

    In addition we would like our product line, including names, prices and any related discount rates in the database. This line is currently seven products large and is contained at the end of this specification.

    The database should also be able to handle various maintenance functions such as:

  • Add, delete and edit all customer information.
  • Add, delete and edit required products and associated information for each customer.
  • Be able to change our home location so that routing is adjusted to fit this variable.
  • Add, delete and edit the master product database.

  • In order to produce a route the printout should contain the following information and structure:

  • List Number: ie. which number on the route this customer occupies.
  • Client Name:
  • Client Location:
  • Product Information:
      Product1: Price Information, Order Size, Days Left in Supply.
      Product2: Price Information, Order Size, Days Left in Supply.
      etc.

  • NOTES: Should be able to toggle this item on and off.
  • Hardware Requirements

    As of yet we have no preference onto which platform this system is designed and will entertain all reasonable alternatives. However, we ask that you keep in mind that we presently use an IBM pc network and MS Windows software.

    Product Information

    Products-
    ========

    We sell 7 main types of forms. They are:

  • Invoices
  • Inventory tracking
  • Payroll time sheets
  • Packing slips
  • Shipping manifests
  • Receipts
  • Application forms

  • Options for each type of form are:

    1) single sheet
    2) carbon copy
    3) computer form

    Pricing information:
    ====================

    Each box contains 100 forms.

    All single sheet forms: $20.00/box
    All carbon copy forms: $30.00/box
    All computer forms: $25.00/box

    Discounts:
    =========

    5% off initial order price
    10% off orders over 10 boxes
    15% off orders over 50 boxes

    Shipping costs:
    ==============

    - charged by distance traveled
    - free local delivery

    Additional Requirements:

    - Discounts may be given by salesperson in addition to volume discounts.
    - Total price for the order must be displayed and recorded.

    To see Supplier Group One's response to our specification:
    click here.