Download doc - Computer Science Department

Receipt Tracking Assistant
10.0 Special Information/Supplementary Documentation
10.1 Risk Assessment
The following is a detailed risk assessment for the Receipt Tracking
Assistant (RTA). The risks for this project are divided up into four categories
including customer risks, technical risks, and financial risks. Within each
category, the risks are ordered by level of impact and probability starting with the
highest of each.
RISK ASSESSMENT GRAPH
L
I
K
E
L
I
H
O
O
D
7
2
1
5
3, 4
6
9
8
CONSEQUENCE
Figure 10.1.1
This graph emphasizes the varying levels of severity of our risks. Green signifies low risks, yellow
medium risks, and red high risks. The y-axis represents the likelihood of risks occurring and the x-axis
represents the severity of the consequence should that risk occur.
35
Receipt Tracking Assistant
RISK ASSESSMENT TABLE
Rank
Likelihood /
Consequence
Risk Title
Risk
Exp
Mitigation
Risk Type
1
5/4
High End User
Cost
20
Minimize cost of
product, excellent
marketing for mass
production
FINA
2
5/3
Limited Financial
Resources
15
Good funding proposal,
find partner company
FINA
3
3/5
Employee
Acceptance
15
User-friendly interface,
saves time on creation
of expense reports
CUST
4
3/5
OCR Errors
15
Manual input and
confirmation screen
TECH
5
4/3
Limited Primary
Market
12
Good marketing
strategy, possible future
release for private use
CUST
6
2/5
Illegible Receipts
10
Manual input
capabilities
TECH
7
5/1
Software Bugs and
Database Errors
5
Extensive testing of
software functions,
database, and
communication
TECH
8
1/2
Security Issues
2
Optional alpha-numeric
passwords
TECH
1/1
Customer Must
Have Computer
1
Most companies have
computers, provide list
of recommended
hardware
CUST
9
Figure 10.1.2
This table shows a summary of our risks with a short description of the mitigation method we will
use to address each risk.
36
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Customer Risks
Employee Acceptance
Potential customers may be unwilling to use a new product that would
change the way they do things. Some people may also be hesitant to have all their
financial transactions tracked by a single device.
Impact:
Very High
Probability: Medium
Mitigation: The amount of time spent on organization of receipts and creating
expense reports will be reduced by use of our product, which will make people
more willing to try our product. And as an option users are able to place
passwords (alpha-numeric or fingerprint) on the receipts scanned and documents
made by our software in order to reduce the chance of unwanted viewing and
tampering.
Limited Primary Market
Our targeted customers are businesses and employees of businesses which
require travel. Should some of these companies be unwilling to purchase our
product then we will lose money.
Impact:
Medium
Probability: High
Mitigation: Many companies require at least some traveling for their
employees. Also, our software may be helpful for private users to help them keep
track of their spending habits.
Customer Must Have Computer
A potential customer may not have anything which can use the software
we have created and therefore will not get the product.
Impact:
Very Low
Probability: Very Low
Mitigation: Almost every potential customer (businesses and traveling
employers) will have computers so there is nearly no possibility of this occurring.
Also, should someone without a computer wish to use our software, we will
provide a list of recommended hardware to be used with our solution.
Technical Risks
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Errors
Sometimes OCR software can misinterpret images and process them
incorrectly. And any errors dealing with incorrectly processed data can be
damaging to the customer.
37
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Impact:
Very High
Probability: Medium
Mitigation: While OCR errors can causes severe problems in parsing data from
receipts there is a low chance of this happening. Current OCR technology is very
accurate, especially in the case of most simple text documents, which receipts can
be considered to be. In the case of an OCR error, we have included the ability to
manually input/edit information so any discrepancies can be addressed by the
user.
Illegible receipts
There are several cases in which receipts will not be legible enough to able
to be parsed for data, such as damaged receipts, faded receipts, and handwritten
receipts.
Impact:
Low
Probability: Very High
Mitigation: To alleviate problems related to this issue, we have included the
ability for users to manually input data, thus helping to ensure the accuracy of the
data on a receipt.
Security Issues
All receipts being stored on a single device may lead to tampering and
abuse should the device be accessed by unwanted individuals.
Impact:
Low
Probability: Very Low
Mitigation: There will be optional alpha-numeric password settings which will
restrict viewing of the digitized documents only to people that know the
password.
Software Bugs and Database Errors
Whenever there is any programming done there will always be a chance
for human errors in the logic and coding of a program, which can cause several
errors in the future.
Impact:
Very Low
Probability: Very High
Mitigation: We will be doing extensive testing on our software before initial
release to help ensure a minimum of bugs and errors. Also, should any occur that
we were unaware of there will be future patches released to deal with the
problems.
38
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Financial Risks
Limited Financial Resources
The cost of creating a portable scanner along with creating software that
works on multiple platforms will be very high, and may require more funding
than allotted by our chosen funding agency.
Impact:
Medium
Probability: Very High
Mitigation: To reduce development costs, we will consult with experts on the
best methods of development for our software and hardware. We will also
contract out the portable scanner design and the OCR software to other companies
which are already experienced in their respective fields.
High End User Cost
Potential customers may be unwilling to pay high prices just to track
receipts, or they may be unable to afford the product.
Impact:
High
Probability: Very High
Mitigation: Since we anticipated this issue, our company has decided on
several purchasing packages for our solution. These packages will include a full
package with PDA, scanner, and software, partial hardware packages with either a
PDA or scanner with the software, and a software only package. We believe that
the availability of several purchasing options at lower prices will reduce the risks
of customers being put off by the price of our solution.
39
Receipt Tracking Assistant
10.2 Scheduling Plan
Phase Zero
Figure 10.2.1
This figure shows the work breakdown structure for phase zero.
Phase zero is the research and development phase. For our purposes Computer
Science 410, Computer Productivity Initiative, is phase zero. Here we learn about
what exactly needs to be researched, designed, and written up. For our project,
Receipt Tracking Assistant, we have had some main milestones to go by to help us
along in our research and development.
I.
II.
III.
Feasibility Presentation
A. Defining competition
B. Defining market
C. Can/Should it be done
Milestones Presentation
A. Work Breakdown Structure
B. Preliminary Budget
C. Resources
D. Evaluation
E. Risks
F. Refining Market
G. Define Funding Agency
SBIR Proposal Presentation
A. SBIR Documents
B. Project Website completed
C. Gantt Charts
40
Receipt Tracking Assistant
The first one is proving the feasibility of the project. Researching whether
something like the RTA has been done or not. In order to make specifications we had
to find out what competition is out there and what exactly what is it they are solving.
Finding out how do we match up to the competition by comparing their features with
the features we would like to provide and trying to find what kind of edge can we
gain over them. Defining who is our market is critical. By doing interviews we hope
that our market is right. If we are trying to target the wrong market then our efforts
may have been a waste of time. After defining the previous we have found that this
project can be done and we believe that we should press on because there is a need
and it should be done. Then this information is presented in a feasibility presentation.
Second is the milestone presentation where we plan for the future of our
product, the RTA. Here is where our team develops the Work Breakdown
Structure(WBS), which is a breakdown of all of the individual tasks we believe will
be needed to develop and produce this project in the rest of the phases. Once the
WBS is completed, we are able to come up with a preliminary staffing plan for all
phases which includes our team and any outside help we must bring in. An initial
budget plan can be put together based on the staff and their pay and hours. A
resource list can be predicted along with an educated timeline for the project phases
and tasks. An evaluation plan of how we will know success and marketing plan of
how we are going to go about getting to this success. An extensive evaluation of
risks and how we plan to mitigate them is also provided. A demo on “Taking you
through the front door” we provide by the showing of what the current method looks
like and of how the process would look when using our method We also have a base
plan of who we will be submitting our SBIR to for funding. The milestone
presentation will sum up all of this material.
The final presentation is our proposal for SBIR funding to the review board.
Here is where we have attempted to refine everything as much as possible and try to
solve all of the problems found in previous presentations. Fine tuning everything to
the point that hopefully it is SBIR worthy material. A final budget plan, evaluation
plan, marketing plan, resource list, risk mitigation plan, development plan, and a final
display of what the process will look like with our RTA involved. The final step is
the SBIR proposal presented to a review panel of professionals from the corporate
world. Our hope is that we have developed this enough to gain the approval of SBIR
funding to continue on to the next step.
41
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Phase One
Figure 10.2.2
This figure shows the work breakdown structure for phase one.
Phase one is the development of the prototype and for our experience is
Computer Science 411, Computer Productivity Initiative II. This is where we
actually use the funding from the SBIR agency gained in phase zero. Here our
team is prepared to move on to the development of the prototype. This course
requires a large amount of writing and documentation.
Some of these documents will include for the individual:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Writing Paper
Descriptive Writing Paper
Technical Support Contracts Writing
Budget White Paper.
Some of these documents for the team include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
A Product User’s Manual
Project Web Page
Product Prototype
Production Development Specifications of the SBIR II proposal for
funding
The basic goal is to provide lots of documentation of our development and
provide the required documents. Also to prove that the development of our
product is feasible to build by our team developing the prototype. At the end of
the course our group will piece together all of our documentation and findings in
the development of the prototype and put it together in a document and
presentation for SBIR funding in phase 2.
42
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Phase Two
Figure 10.2.3
This figure shows the work breakdown structure for phase two.
In Phase Two, the RTA undergoes the critical design process. The very
first step in the critical design process is to update the documentation created in
Phase One. The system design of the entire RTA product is developed with
requirements first and then moving on to coding the functionality of the RTA
product. The functionality of the RTA product includes the following:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
GUI Implementation
Scanner Recognition Implementation
Database Profile Handling Implementation
OCR Usage Implementation
Expense Report Creation
Expense Report Validation
Database Operations
Image Validation
Customizable Report Algorithm
The functionality of the RTA product will all be coding in this critical
design phase of the RTA product design process. Functionality of the RTA
product will be tested thoroughly after it has been implemented. A full system
verification process is involved where the team tests the product as a whole. The
starting of the marketing plan is also in the critical design process. The team will
setup contracts with ODU and other departments to beta test the RTA. The beta
test will last six months to ensure proper testing procedures and to fully gain all
necessary information. Once the beta test is done, the results will provide
valuable information and the RTA team will address those concern or problems.
Debugging the software will last for three months where all the bugs and
problems are addressed. The marketing plan also includes advertising at
tradeshows and conventions as well as solicits large companies and other
universities. The final steps of the critical design process are to investigate
potential investors and begin finding customers for our production sales.
43
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Phase Three
Figure 10.2.4
This figure shows the work breakdown structure for phase three.
In Phase Three, the RTA project will begin production and provide the
services for our customers. Any additional materials and resources that are
required will be purchase to accommodate for the increasing employees. The
team establishes Customer Support and Tech Support in this project’s life cycle.
Customer Support is there to take orders and provide any basic information. Tech
Support is there to provide any technical issues with our RTA product. When
establishing these two services, the RTA team develops a list of positions that are
needed and interview the qualified applicants. Hiring new employees will also
require us to train the new employees as well. In this particular phase of the
project’s life cycle, legal representation will also be established. A lawyer will
assist the team to obtain patents and copyright protections for the RTA product.
The majority of the phase’s efforts will be the mass production of the
software and setting up individual contracts for other companies. An
organizational production plan is drawn up to provide the tasks need to be done
during the production phase of the project. We will hire and train more
employees to assist us in making more quantities of the RTA product. The
individual contracts with large companies provide a better market for our project
ensuring a steady flow of production sales.
44
Receipt Tracking Assistant
10.3 Budget Plan
Phase One
Figure 10.3.1
This table shows the phase 1 costs for personnel, hard resources, and miscellaneous expenses.
45
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Expense Total: $97,000
Employee
Overhead
$15,000
Salaries
$37,000
15%
38%
47%
Resources
$45,000
Figure 10.3.2
The phase 1 budget pie chart, showing a simple breakdown.
46
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Phase Two
Figure 10.3.4
This table shows the phase 2 costs for personnel, hard resources, and miscellaneous expenses.
47
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Expense Total: $670,000
Employee
Overhead
$146,000
22%
Evaluation
$100,000
54%
15%
Salaries
$363,000
9%
Resources
$61,000
Figure 10.3.5
The phase 2 budget pie chart, showing a simple breakdown.
48
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Phase Three
Figure 10.3.6
This table shows the phase 3 costs for personnel, hard resources, and miscellaneous expenses.
49
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Expense Total: $678,000
Marketing
$250,000
Salaries
$252,000
37%
37%
15%
11%
Resources
$75,000
Employee Overhead
$101,000
Figure 10.3.7
The phase 3 budget pie chart, showing a simple breakdown.
Phase 1
$97,000
7%
Phase 3
$678,000
47%
Expense Total
$1,445,000
46%
Phase 2
$670,000
Figure 10.3.8
This is the all phase pie chart breakdown.
50
Receipt Tracking Assistant
Interviews
Kim Davis Computer Science Fiscal Technician
1.) Can you give me an estimate of how many people this company employs?
23-26
2.) Could you give me a percentage of how many employees travel for (this company)?
There are a third of the employees that travel regularly
3.) Average length of the trips?
2-5 days, average 10 receipts per trip
4.) Average number of trips per month?
During the summer, 1-2 times every 2-3 months.
During the school year, 3 times per year
5.) Can you describe the reimbursement process and the approximate time it takes for
each?
The process starts with all the receipts being handed to Kim. Then she puts them
in order by category. Sometimes they come ordered, but usually they do not. Then the
receipts must be checked for its validity and then must be taped to paper for faxing
purposes. After filling out the expense report by hand, a signature must be acquired.
Lastly, the expense report must be filed and put away.
6.) How long does processing a reimbursement request take?
20 minutes (without interruptions); up to 2 hours; average is an hour to an hour
and a half
7.) What requirements must be met for an expense to be reimbursed?
CI Travel looks up quotes first. If it happens to be local then your spending must
be within the allotted amount. For example, $8 for breakfast and $20 for lunch per
person. The State needs approval before you go (travel request).
4.) What kind of receipts are the hardest to validate?
Tolls on highways, payphone calls, taxi rides
5.) How are the receipts organized in the expense report?
By category
6.) How are different currencies handled in the reimbursement process?
She looks up the exchange rates and puts the date and amount on from the receipt.
7.) Are exchange rates taken from the time of transaction or the time the request is
processed?
Yes, it has to be looked up by the date on the receipt.
51
Receipt Tracking Assistant
8.) Does your company accept digital reproductions of receipts?
Yes
9.) Is there anything you would like to see that could help you in this whole process?
The exchange rates aren’t always great. There needs to be copies made and
mailed or faxed out.
10.) Would your company be interested in a product such as ours?
Yes, I would definitely be interested in this product as it would save me time.
11.) Would you mind if we contacted you again with any further questions?
Yes
12.) Would you mind if we cited you as an expert and/or resource?
No
52