You are here

Improved Room Booking / Event Management System

Project ID: 
165
Current stage: 
Manager: 
What: 

Description: This project will produce a new or enhanced room booking /event management system more suited to the use of the Forum as a major events venue

Deliverables: Either a new room booking / events management system or an enhanced version of our current room booking system

Why: 

Customer: School

Case statement: The School's events team are finding that their jobs are being made harder by the lack of certain features in the current room booking system. We need to therefore either introduce a new room booking system which provides these features or add these features to our existing room booking system.

When: 

Status: The new system to be procured has been identified. Now waiting on decision on availability of funding

Timescales: We should allow two weeks for the initial investigation and evaluation of possible solutions. Timescales after that will vary depending on the solution chosen

Priority: High

Time: Allow two weeks for the initial system specification and solution investigation. Time needed after that will depend on the solution chosen (and may be run as a separate project).

How: 

Proposal: As implied above, we have thee options:
1) Use a commercial option authored, commissioned and supported by an outside agancy
2) Move to a new open source system commissioned and supported by ourselves
3) Enhance our existing room booking system

Each course of action has risks even assuming that suitable systems exist for 1) and 2), something which is by no means clear.

Resources: Depends on the final solution chosen. Should a commercial solution be chosen, the required resources may be restricted to the provision of appropriate hardware. Conversely, should an open source solution managed within the School be selected or should we opt to enhance the existing room booking system, a considerable amount of effort may be required.

Plan: Agree a specification for the new system with all concerned parties
Investigate open source solutions
Investigate commercial solutions, possibly going out to tender
Investigate effort required to have existing room booking system meet specification
Depending on outcome of above three investigations, select course to follow
Further planning will depend on option chosen

Other: 

Dependencies: Input from the events management team

Risks: Not getting requirements clarified and agreed to from the very beginning of the project

Milestones

Proposed date Achieved date Name Description
2010-11-26 2010-05-03 agree specs Reach agreement with all parties on the specification of the new system
2011-01-28 2010-05-03 Investigate com Investigate possible commercial solutions for the new system
2010-12-20 2010-05-03 Investigate ope Investigate possible open source solutions for the new system
2010-12-20 2010-05-03 Investigate exi Investigate whether it would be possible to enhance the existing room booking system to meet the specification for the new system
2011-02-18 2010-05-03 make decision Decide which course to follow in providing the new room booking / event management system