System analysis and design project

JackOfBlades

Hi guys im a college student and im currently taking up my majors which is the System analysis and design... well were supposed to make complicated system and we are given the freedom to use any language we choose. I'd prefer to use web application and php but the problem is everything i can think of seems to be so simple and it keeps on getting rejected by the teacher. For example, forums, inventory and online reservation systems are a big NO since they are too simple. But it got me thinking, are there any web applications that can pass that category? I mean most of what i see in the web almost always falls under those categories. If any of u can share out some new web systems please share them id really appreciate it. thanks

dalecosp

Crm?

etully

I recently built a system for a client that included the following:

A software engine that would calculate the price of a 50 different widgets based on (a) current cost of the parts, (b) the volume discounts that my client gets for each part (c) desired profit margin on each part, and (d) the desired profit margin of the affiliate who referred the customer to the site. Each widget could have up to 20 attributes.
A store and checkout that would let the customer put multiple products in their cart
A customer area where they could (a) see and re-order their old widgets, (b) see status of their current orders, (c) submit approval for production to start on a widget job. [The customer specified their 20 attributes on the site and my client would make a prototype and display it in the customer area. When customer approved, the production facility could begin.]
Data for all orders was delivered to an online accounting warehouse in xml.
Emails are sent to customers, vendors, affiliates, and production crews indicating new jobs and current status.
Customer service can (a) generate PDF invoices, (b) update status, (c) change shipping choices, (d) alter job specs.
Management can track orders, view dozens of reports showing widget production, and conversion rates from people who use the site to generate price quotes to people who actually buy the widget they quoted.

The complexity of the system isn't in the details - the number of bells and whistles. It's in the number of separate groups of people who need to integrate with the different parts of the overall system. For example, we spent an enormous amout of time on split shipping - the ability for a customer to order 5 widget jobs but have them sent in 10 boxes. For job A, the customer would order 1000 widgets and want 10 shipped overnight as demos and the other 990 sent UPS ground to save postage. Then job B would be split three ways, 10 would be sent overnight, 500 would be shipped to their Chicago office, and the other 490 would be shipped to their New York office. The split shipping was a complex bell and whistle but it was nothing compared to the complexity of building a system that would support Customers, Vendors, Affiliates, Shipping Carriers, the Customer Service department, our Accounting provider, and our Management staff.

My suggestion to you is to build a system that moves data between lots of sub systems. The amount of planning required for that is very difficult and it might be the kind of complexity that your professor is looking for.

dalecosp

Sounds pretty neat. My "CRM" suggestion is two-fold: one, people seem to need something like this from time-2-time, and it's not as commonly "known" as forums, etc.

My main app to date is the one for my own company. Though the company is small, the system does many things: local messaging, task management, customer contact data, customer trouble tickets, labor logging/timekeeping, invoicing, LAN installation estimates, accounts receivable (after a fashion; I'm not an accountant and haven't consulted with one, ever...), automated gathering of domain expirations for our domains via whois, company checkbook with computer reconciliation, customer inventory (for some customers with whom we're heavily entangled), prices for hardware that customers often ask about, etc., etc. and much, much MORE! Only from Ronco!!!! (Oops, sorry, getting a little carried away....)

I'm afraid I've no idea what your prof is looking for, though. Maybe someone should tell him that "a small deed done beats a large deed planned...." (or something like that)....