An Agile Methodology Approach to a Record Management and Monitoring System for Company B

An Agile Methodology Approach to a Record Management and Monitoring System for Company B Ula Dorothea M. Andaya University of Asia and the Pacific Pasig City, Metro Manila, 1605 Philippines [email protected] Jihyun Baek University of Asia and the Pacific Pasig City, Metro Manila, 1605 Philippines [email protected] Maria Rosario S. Cruz University of Asia and the Pacific Pasig City, Metro Manila, 1605 Philippines [email protected] Giuseppe Ng University of Asia and the Pacific Pasig City, Metro Manila, 1605 Philippines [email protected] ABSTRACT Company B has been facing issues of accuracy, credibility, and efficiency in their monitoring and recording of data. Their current system is heavily dependent on the Barker who manually lists the number of trips and fees paid by drivers on paper and often belatedly submits his reports to the Treasurer and President. When submitted, the reports are stored wherever convenient without a proper filing system. Reviewing and interpreting the data becomes difficult for the officers to properly do their responsibilities for the organization. Thus, there have been many instances reported that the data/information did not match what was reported due to human error or intentional modification, officers poorly investing and allocating their funds, and some pocketing them due to the lack of transparency protecting the funds. To address these problems, the researchers sought the solution of streamlining and standardizing their business processes through digitalization. The research was done using an Agile Methodology that allowed the team to build prototypes and flexibly adjust the software to adapt the feedback of the client and suggested changes after every period of development (sprints). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the system was developed in a hybrid setup where the team would remotely communicate and ask for evaluations from their client through online tools and applications when meeting physically is not possible. At its 90% from completion, results show that the group was successful in developing a web-based Record Management and Monitoring System that met the requirements of Company B. KEYWORDS Monitoring System, Record Management, Agile, Web, GPS 1. INTRODUCTION Established in 2000, Company B has been offering public transportation to Filipino commuters from Sto. Tomas and the Pasig-Ortigas Center for more than 20 years. Currently, the company has 46 to 48 vehicle units with around 60 members and have their two terminals at Sto. Tomas (near Pasig City Hall) and Robinsons Galleria. The current system of the company for monitoring and recording their inflow and outflow of financial resources has yet to transition to use (digital) technology. The pen and paper method and the passing of handwritten records between members raised concerns about their permanence and integrity. Heavily dependent on the manual listing and reporting of the barkers and treasurer who can commit human errors and/or be swayed/tempted to tamper with the records in favor of self or other drivers, some members can be put at a disadvantage when the aim of the association is to equally benefit all of its members with what is due them. Another problem they have reported was the difficulty of keeping and organizing their documents in a secure area. Without a single storage space, they entrust the files to the different officials of the association, passing them among each other whenever they needed access to a certain file. In the transmission, there have been occurrences where the documents have become lost or edited. The company has struggled to find a permanent solution to these problems and the present situation with the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more challenging for the company. Their processes were heavily dependent on human interaction and exchange. However, with the restrictions of the pandemic and even post-pandemic, they could no longer maintain the same dependency and are forced to look for other, innovative solutions. After observing the problem, we found that the company needs to digitize their business processes due to internal and external factors that make their current system inefficient. To improve the monitoring, recording, and reporting of terminal performances and financial conditions of the company, we developed a system that applies the technologies of Global Positioning System(GPS) and databases, and a website that would use the information gathered and stored by the former two to process more meaningful and credible data for the company. Information can be accessed by drivers on a common viewing platform using a unique account assigned per car unit. The barkers, the treasurer, and the president also share a platform where they exchange reports on the performance of the drivers, the terminals, and their funds. Specifically, we designed and implemented a system with the following objectives: ●To design a website that can be exclusively accessed by the drivers and operators to monitor their number of trips and the total amount of fees paid for each day. ●To formulate a website that can be exclusively accessed by the barkers and treasurer to report and record their inflow and outflow of money through a digitized accounting system. ●To construct an accurate queuing system that will detect the location of the driver. When they click a queue button, the system checks whether the drivers are within the terminal radius by applying GPS, which will prevent the driver from queuing if he is not within the terminal radius. ●To design a database and a digitized storage system where all records can be kept securely and accessed readily by the members (depending on what specific information they have access to). ●To strengthen the level of accuracy of accounting records in relation to the trip information of each UV Express unit and the inflow and outflow of money reported by the barker and treasurer; and ●To ensure that all incomes and expenses are properly recorded by barkers and can be conveniently viewed and studied by the treasurer and the president. 2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE According to the Data Privacy Act of 2012, the collection of data must be with the consent of the person from whom data will be collected. Wall, A. made it clear that because there is the aspect of giving consent, the process of data collection must be declared, and must have a specified and legitimate purpose. It should also be explained to the respondents how their data will be processed and stored [1]. The Bureau of Internal Revenue then gives guidelines on how data must be stored in a secure electronic storage system. In their Revenue Regulations No. 5-2014 Section 2-A, they require that the storage system must ensure that data is kept reliable, accurate, and with integrity [2]. They also require that the system must be able to produce legible and hard copies of the digital records. An analysis conducted by Golfo-Barcelona [3], discussed records management and data privacy. The records life cycle begins with the creation or receipt stage where the employee collects the data, then the maintenance and use stage where the use of records and control the data. Lastly, the disposition stage where it stores the records if needed and destroys them temporarily. According to Roman et. al., the first step in designing a security system is to understand the security requirements and the components that are needed for it to be developed [4]. They used an asset table that identifies the assets that are needed in the infrastructure of the system and how these assets should be protected and attacked. The asset table is then used to perform a risk management analysis to analyze the possibility and impact of any and every attack. They have found that for cloud storage systems, the most important requirements are 1) the logging system and auditing system, 2) user authentication and authorization, 3) device authentication/authorization and secure communication, 4) data protection, 5) credentials storage, 6) extended services, and lastly, 7) policy administration. They have suggested solutions like using Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) and the implementation of data-at-rest encryption for the protection of data. For the platform where the request and response queries are exchanged between the client and the server, the study of Singer found that it would be safer and more secure to do the transactions via a website application [5]. Aizan et.al (2019) proposes a queue management system that would allow healthcare patients to leave while in queue, then notified through an SMS message when it is their turn [6]. They developed a mobile application where patients can select a counter, place a ticket, and view where they are in the queue. The system uses a central server with a MySQL database that stores user and counter details (number of, designation, queue header, etc.), and monitors running tickets. Abdul’azeez (2012) enumerated the problems of a traditional record management system of an SME and concluded it to be slow and expensive [7]. Dealing with paper records would gradually grow storage space, and the complexity of securely filing and finding them. He developed a record management system that would produce electronic documents using MS Word. The system would make their records consistent to a format, easier to understand, and more accessible to find. His clients would then store them in hard disks. Anglo et.al (2022) developed a web and mobile application to book UV Express [8]. It has a dedicated interface for both the UV drivers and the passengers, with the drivers mostly considered for mobile use. The system was validated on functionality, usability, reliability, performance, and supportability through user acceptance testing. ISO 25010 is a software quality standard that determines which quality characteristics will be taken into account when evaluating the properties of a software product [9]. According to this standard, 1) Functional suitability refers to how well a product or system is able to provide functions that meet the stated and implied needs. It is composed of functional completeness, correctness, and appropriateness, 2) Performance efficiency refers to the performance related to the amount of resources used and it is composed of coexistence and interoperability, 3) Usability determines how well a product or system can be used to achieve specified goals effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily. It has appropriateness, recognizability, learnability, operability, user error protection, user interface aesthetics, and accessibility, 4) Reliability is how well a system, product or component performs specific functions under specified conditions. It has maturity, availability, fault tolerance, and recoverability, and lastly, 5) Portability assesses how well a system can be transferred from one environment to another. It has adaptability, installability, and replaceability. The Global Positioning System(GPS) is a network of satellites and receiving devices that provide users with positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services [10]. GPS satellites broadcast radio signals providing their location, status, and precise time from onboard atomic clocks. The GPS device receives the radio signals, noting the exact time of arrival, and uses these to calculate its distance from each satellite in view. Once a GPS device knows its distance, it can use geometry to determine the location of something on Earth in three dimensions. There are factors that affect the accuracy of GPS: it depends on the combination of satellite geometry, User Range Error, and local factors such as signal blockage, atmospheric conditions, and receiver design features. 3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The research group aims to improve the record management and monitoring activities of the organization by accomplishing the following objectives: ●To increase the transparency of the terminal queues, the performance of barkers and drivers, the inflow and outflow of funds, and the use of funds; ●To produce, view, and store credible, permanent records of the terminal and financial activities of the organization; ●To create a standard for business processes and other deliverables; and ●To create a common platform for all members where they can transact and coordinate with each other despite differences in location and devices used. 4. METHODOLOGY This section of the paper will enumerate the implemented method and process during the development phase of the project. 4.1 Research Design In solving the presented issues of Company B and to have collaborative interaction with the client, the researchers adopted an Agile Methodology approach. This allows the researchers to continuously improve the design of the system by receiving feedback from the client at the end of every sprint and making the appropriate adjustments in the following sprint. With this, the researchers can be more certain in developing appropriate solutions to address the needs of the company. The duration of the sprint would usually vary based on the set deliverables in each sprint. The researchers would have a sprint planning process at the start to analyze the approximate working hours or days for each ticket, and to set the deadline for the whole sprint. The group usually runs the sprint for two to four weeks. At the end of each sprint, the researchers meet with the client to present the deliverables, inquire their feedback, and measure the estimated time taken to accomplish each test case. Then, the client will go through the sprint evaluation process via Google Form. Taking into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the development of the system was done through online platforms. With the resumption of face-to-face classes, the researchers were able to meet and discuss the development of the system in the campus if needed. However, the majority of the tasks were still done online, where the group found it more comfortable and efficient that promotes productivity. Discord and Google Meet are the main communication channels for online meetings with the researchers, and with the clients. They were used to conduct testing by the client and to receive live feedback on the deliverables of the sprint. After meeting with the client, the group would send them a Google Form for the end-of-sprint evaluation to collect numerical data on the results and feedback on the system. The group also used Team Viewer, a remote control computer software, for the testing to give hands-on experience to the users. For easy collaboration while working remotely and online, the group used the project management tool Trello. It allowed the team to organize and assign development tasks in the form of tickets under lists of sprint backlogs. It was also helpful in tracking the work of each member and checking the overall progress of software development. The team also used Trello for updating queries for the database by leaving them as comments in the ticket/task they were done for. Github served as the main repository for the source code where the team can readily add their work, and pull and continue working with the latest update of the code. The group also used Google Drive for sharing and storing initial foundation queries, documents, evaluation results, etc. that are necessary in the development and documentation of the Record Management and Monitoring System. In addition, the researchers used following software applications and dependencies in the development of the system: ●Apache NetBeans IDE 12.0 ●MySQL Workbench 8.0 ●Apache Tomcat 9.0.34 ●MySQL Server 8.0 ●Apache Commons IO 2.11.0 ●Connector/J 8.0.33 ●JSTL 1.2 ●JavaBeans Activation Framework ●JavaMail 4.2 Physical Deployment Layout Figure 1: Physical Deployment of the System The web application will be deployed to a web host [11] that would have its own web and database servers. This was seen as the best approach for an application that will be accessed from different areas using personal devices connected to different networks. The company will also not have its own server. This would lessen the burden of physically passing data, making them more accessible and readily available. The cloud solution also works for reducing expenses on acquiring paper, transportation, and others that come with physically recording, storing, and monitoring their data daily. To imitate how it would be hosted on the web, the group developed the system using Apache NetBeans with a Tomcat server and connected it to a local MySQL database. It is also expected that the deployment would be smoother as the project would already be compatible with the web host. [11] Heroku is a cloud platform for deploying and managing applications that applies the best security practices like Security Assessments and Compliance, Network Security, Data Security, Vulnerability Management, among others 4.3 Research Participants The researchers interviewed the following roles, whom to be considered as core members, in the company: ●Driver ●Treasurer ●President ●Barker 4.4 Data Gathering Procedure After every sprint, the researchers would virtually meet up with one of each main actors of the system: a driver, a barker, a president, and a treasurer. They are given the opportunity to explore the web portal from their own devices using the TeamViewer application. For web pages designed for mobile users, the host device has a Chrome plugin that allows a mobile view on the desktop. The group will provide them with a script to test modified or new functions/solutions. After testing, they are then asked two simple questions - what did you like/dislike about the system? Using Discord, all group members could spectate the activities of the user. One guides the user through the evaluation process; the other two simultaneously take notes on the dedicated Discord thread. For tests following scripts, one member records the time it takes for the user to finish the task. Observations on the user activities were also noted. They are then asked to answer a Google Form to numerically evaluate the system with a specific criteria based on the ISO 25010 standard. Consistent with the works of Belo et.al (2022) [12], the evaluation forms use a Likert scale that has 1 as the lowest score and 5 as the highest score. It allows the test users of Company B to evaluate the system on its Functionality, Reliability, and Usability. The description of each was aligned to the business processes and practices they are familiar with; for them to also better understand and appreciate how the system addresses the requirements and specifications of the corporation, and provides solutions to their existing problems. The description of functionality would vary according to the role and position of the member, and so its section of the form was customized for each actor based on their activities in the organization. 4.5 Treatment of Data Based on the initial requirements and specifications of the client, the researchers have developed a prototype that is modified or improved with new client feedback after every sprint. The first 3 sprints were spent on building the base prototype with the succeeding sprints dedicated to adjusting the design or adding new functions according to the needs of the client. The data from both the interview and the evaluation forms are collated in a dedicated thread of the Discord server of the group. Discord being the main communication channel used among the members, client, and respondents, data was readily inserted and accessed by the group during the Sprint Retrospective, Sprint Planning, and Scrum Meetings. In these, the researchers discussed new or modified solutions for the current/next sprint and aligned them to the design of the system. Results from testing were also documented and used in the evaluation. According to the ISO 25010 standard, Functionality, Reliability, Usability, Performance Efficiency and Portability are evaluated with a list of sub-requirements under each [9]. In one evaluation form, the score of a criteria would be the mean of all scores of its sub-requirements. Having at least 4 test users from Company B for every end-of-sprint evaluation, the final score of a criteria would be the mean of its scores from all evaluation responses. Additionally, since Functionality was customized for each actor (Driver, Barker, President, Treasurer), and was expected to change as the sprints continue, the group would get the mean of all items of the first sub-requirement of Functionality before computing its score. This sub-requirement lists what the user should be able to do with the system given his/her role and position in the organization. Data collected from the end-of-sprint evaluations are then converted into Trello tickets for the next or succeeding sprints with the guide of the Scrum Master. 4.6 Validation Before proceeding with the next sprint, the researchers will have a Sprint Retrospective with the Scrum Master. During the retrospective, the progress of the system and the performance of the researchers in its development is reviewed. Points of improvement for the next sprint are discussed, along with the client feedback and the responses of the group in the form of the tickets they have created. This ensured that the researchers were able to proceed to the next sprint with the right course of action in mind; aiming to improve the system in terms of its completeness and correctness. At the end of the sprint, the group will meet with the client again to present the updates they made and to evaluate the system on how it was meeting the requirements, including their feedback from the previous sprint. The cycle continues until the system is completed. Using the results from the evaluation forms as measurement, the researchers have the goal of maintaining or increasing the evaluation score after each sprint. It validates the system on how it is meeting the objectives of this project: a. Functionality - measures the ability of the system to aid or replace their current business processes in accomplishing their tasks in the organization. b. Usability - measures the convenience of using the new digital solution for their activities REFERENCES [1] Alex Wall. 2020.(May 2020). Retrieved December 1, 2021 from https://iapp.org /news/a/summary-philippines-data-protection-act-and-implementing-regulations/. [2] Bureau of Internal Revenue. Www.bdplaw.com.ph. Retrieved December 1, 2021 from https://www.bdplaw.com.ph/sites/default/files/RR%203-2014.pdf [3] Mary Grace Golfo-Barcelona. Records Management, Data Privacy and you. Retrieved October 25, 2021 from https://www.upd.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/ 2019/04/RecordsManagement-Notes.pdf [4] Rodrigo Roman, Miguel Rodel Felipe, Phua Eu Gene, and Jianying Zhou. 2016. Complying with security requirements in Cloud Storage Systems. Journal of Computers 11, 3 (2016), 201–206. 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Andaya is a 4th year Bachelor of Science in Information Technology student at the University of Asia and the Pacific. Jihyun Baek is a 4th year Bachelor of Science in Information Technology student at the University of Asia and the Pacific. Maria Rosario S. Cruz is a 4th year Bachelor of Science in Information Technology student at the University of Asia and the Pacific. Giuseppe C. Ng has a degree in Master of Science in Computer Science from De La Salle University, and is also currently pursuing his PhD in Computer Science at De La Salle University. He is a faculty member of the IST Department of the University of Asia and the Pacific.