Systems Documentation Assignment

Part I

FineLine, Inc. makes a variety of writing instruments such as ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils. The company is based in Anniston, Alabama, and it has been in business for over 40 years. It sells its products to office supply stores. A portion of one of its business processes is described below. This description will serve as the basis for requirements (a) and (b) of Part I.

When a customer's order has been completed, a hard copy of the sales order is moved, along with the goods, from the factory floor to the shipping department. A clerk in the shipping department uses a keyboard to enter the sales order number of the completed order into a computer located in that department. The computer locates the sales order in the sales order master data file and displays the open sales order on the shipping clerk's screen.

After verifying that the correct sales order number has been displayed, the shipping clerk enters in the items and quantities to be included in the shipment. Once the shipment data is entered, the computer displays the shipment data on the shipping clerk's screen. Once again, the shipping clerk reviews the screen and, if correct, clicks on a button on the screen to indicate that the order is to be accepted. (Note that error routines for incorrect sales order numbers and incorrect shipping data entry are not described here).

After the button is clicked, the computer updates the sales order master data file, records an invoice in the accounts receivable master data file, and prints a 3-part invoice on the printer in the billing office. In that office, a billing employee signs the invoice. Next, the first 2 copies of the invoice are mailed to the customer, while the third copy is filed in the billing department alphabetically by customer name.

Required:

(a) Prepare a table of entities and activities for the above narrative
(b) Prepare a system flowchart.

Part II

Convert the Level 0 logical data flow diagram (DFD) shown below into a narrative (i.e., a description of what is going on in paragraph form).

- You should assume that the name of the company is "Jamey's Apparel", and the expenditure process is being diagrammed.

- Your goal should be to create a narrative from which the following diagram could have been drawn.

- All information presented below MUST be included in your description.

- Be sure to add "who", "how" and "where" details to make the narrative flow properly even though they are not distinguishable from the logical DFD.