Dilemma Web Based Booking and Counseling System

Technical Report from the year 2008 in the subject Computer Science - Software, grade: Merit, London Metropolitan University, course: Computing Information Systems, language: English, abstract: This web based booking and counseling project was initially conceived for Dilemma Counseling

Services as a web system, offering counseling to masses (refer to project proposal). The idea

then was to have an online portal where clients can post problems and counselors respond to

them. However the core issue was, whether it would be done for free at the expense of Dilemma

Counseling time and finances. But as the idea of the web based counseling system was

brainstormed by top management, new requirements arose. To maximize potential of the web

based system proposed, the management realized their booking system was a mess and resulted

in data duplication and clashing bookings. The ineffectual booking system then in place brought

constant complaints from clients whose counseling sessions clashed. The Dilemma Staff

contracted me to offer expertise on if counseling and booking can be incorporated into a web

based system that is financially viable this was possible. So I adopted a Unified Software

Development Process (USDP) because after interviewing the various staff I was not satisfied

with the feedback. Thus I choose USDP as the software development method since it allows new

requirements to be factored at any project stage. Sure enough as the software development

process progressed new requirements arose like online counseling system, processing payments

made and assigning username and passwords for clients who pay but prefer online counseling as

opposed to face to face counseling. The system allows staff to book clients remotely online via

secure log in. The clients counseled can have their progress tracked easily via the secure

counseling chat system. I stuck to the USDP process and working on each workflow and

resultant artifacts like Unified Modeling Language diagrams to ensure the project was well

modeled to be realized in construction and transition phases.