Designing a Computer Based System
Identify the Problem
The Blue Water Estate Agent (BWEA) is situated in Finchley, North
London. It has good publicity from its sponsor, Clear Blue Contact
Lenses. Many people go to the estate agent for good service. They get
many offers from the local area. These are usually successful and good
for the business.
Nature of the Problem
Estate Agents are paid to sell houses to the right customers. They
need to know which type of houses, customers want. They must price the
house according to the features of that particular house. Sales will
keep changing and prices will vary. The problem with the Estate Agent
is that they do not have a sufficient way of recording sales and
prices that are constantly changing. They also need to send out
letters to customers efficiently and as fast as possible.
Currently, with the present system, a house is put on sale buy the
seller. The Estate Agents show the property to the buyers who would be
interested. They know what type of property the buyers are looking for
because they fill out forms on questions about the different houses
available. Then, a viewing time is arranged which is suitable for both
seller and buyer. If the property is chosen, the buyer offers a price.
The seller either accepts of declines the offer. If accepted, the
property is sold; otherwise the property is put back on sale.
This system is very gradual and takes time for it to happen. This is
mainly because there is no quick way of advertising the property
without a computer. A website is usually a key point in advertising
for Estate Agents as the customer can look at the residences and
choose the most suitable one. They can also view the information of
the property on the Internet.
The problems with the present system are:
· Writing could easily be misread as a result of unclear handwriting.
· Once a mistake has been made, there is no easy way of correcting it
· When the details change, the database will be invalid
· If the book which holds the details is misplaced, the information
will be lost
· Handwriting all the figures would be very time consuming
· Files will take up a lot of space for storage
· It will be hard to look for the appropriate information
· There is only one copy so only one person can look at the
information at one time
· When the house is written down, there will be a big price range.
· A complex problem is advertising, it is difficult to send
personalised letters or brochures.
The solution to these problems is to use a computer. This will help
because:
· Using the computer can prevent unclear writing
· There are easy ways to correct mistakes on the computer
· Computers can easily store information
· Computers are faster and easier to handle
· People can...
