CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a

dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople

to sell their automotive vehicles and it may also provide services for vehicle rental. A vehicle

rental or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short period time which can

range from few hours to few hours to few weeks as the case may be. It is sometimes organized

local branches which may allow user to return a vehicle to an agreed location, and it is

commonly located around busy areas and often complemented by a website which allows for

online reservations.

The early cars were sold by automakers to customers directly, or through a variety of channels

that included mail order, department stores, and traveling representatives. The first dealership in

the United States was established in 1898 by William E. Metzger. Direct sales by an automaker

to consumers are now limited by most states in the U.S. through franchise laws that require new

cars be sold only by licensed and bonded, independently owned dealerships. The vehicle hire is

mainly aimed at providing services for people that do not have their personal car, travelers who

are out of the town, owners of damaged/destroyed vehicles and also offer services to self-moving

industry needs such as renting out of vans and trucks. Most car offices offer a range of vehicle

sizes to suit variety of budgets, purposes and space requirement while some additionally offers

specialized vehicles to suit its locations such as [convertible, prestige models, hybrid/electric

vehicles, and passengers’ vans]. Some independent car rental agencies offer high-end vehicles

for rent, and some offers older vehicles at a reduced price.

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The idea of people shopping online is something that is being embraced by many people in the

21st Century, and it is as a result of advancement in technological innovations which have

simplified human life, and many people nowadays fancy doing most activities on clicking of

button using their electronic devices. (Adeyemo 2009)

Similarly, this project is aimed at providing an online facility to book cars online within few

clicks only. It provides a platform to place the order and location where the car will be delivered

to (delivery address). It is technique that combines both reservation and information system

which will allow eligible users or customers [i.e. users who already have their details submitted

to the site] and intending users to perform varieties of functions that best suits their purpose such

as [viewing available cars from the car catalogue, supplying the necessary details where needed,

and making reservations for any preferred vehicle of choice]. It is a very useful system especially

to users who urgently require vehicle/vehicles at a go for functions such as [occasions, business

trip, official assignments, travelling, and tour e.t.c].

The proposed system will support and provide the following services;

 Enhance Business Processes: To be able to use the Internet technology to project the

company services to the global world instead of limiting the services to their local

domain alone.

 Online Vehicle Reservation: A platform through which registered customers can book for

available vehicles online prior to their expected pick-up date and time.

 Online Vehicle Order: A platform where registered customers can buy their vehicle of

choice online and make instant pay or pay on delivery without having to go to the

company for any physical transaction (e-Commerce).

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  Customer’s Registration: A registration portal to hold customer’s detail/information,

monitor their transactions and to offer better and improve services to them.

 Data Security System: An encryption program that helps to protect user information from

attackers.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The existing system can provide basically nothing but paper work which requires that users has

to go into the office before he/she can get the vehicle of choice and this does not give room to

customers’ feedback which in turns affects the sales rate.

As we all know, data increases with time, it has become difficult to store information manually.

The existing method also has another problem which is time delay. It takes a longer time to

process customers’ order and human error is another thing that the company deals with which

makes the order processing to take longer than it should. In the view of the above stated

In the view of the above stated problems, we present a new system that will automate the vehicle

ordering process and reduce the problems being faced by providing a large database for storing

user data and feedback, an interactive interface for collecting and validating user information (to

ensure correct information were entered), and a web based software that can be accessed

anywhere at any time via the internet.

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this automated system is to provide a computerized way of ordering a vehicle by

just collecting the users’ information and give them an access to a portal where they can select a

vehicle of their choice and process everything online without human intervention. Also, users’

feedback is essential so as to ensure the growth of the business, this new system will collect

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users’ feedback so the administrator can access easily and use the data collected to improve the

functionality of the organization.

1.4 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

AIM

The project is aimed at producing a web-based system that will allow customers

to register order for vehicles online and also allow the company to easily and efficiently

manage the vehicle sales business.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the system are listed as follows:

 To provide an online facility that will allow customers to order vehicles online

within few clicks only

 To reduce the time it takes to process an order and also ease the customer’s task

whenever they need to order a vehicle.

 To provide a system that will always be available, accessible and efficient

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

A semi-system which will function as a system that collects, processes, stores and handles

customer’s information and also information concerning the vehicles available in the company. It

will also give full control and authority to the administrator only as well as the privilege to view

any complain or suggestion raised/posted by users/customers/members and also restricts an

anonymous from viewing the latest promotion of the company.

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1.6 METHODOLOGY

As clearly known that methodology refers to the method adopted to gather or collect some facts

which are related to the research study, as far as this project is concerned, the research work will

thereby adopt the following research methods so as to achieve the intended purposes.

 Examination of previous methods

 Review of related projects and documents

 Direct interviewing

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

REGISTRATION: An act of signing up on a website or for something. It is a formal way of

data collection. In other term recording inserting in an official register the act of making a list,

catalogue, schedule or register, particularly of an official character, or making entries there in.

PORTAL: A website that serves as an entrance to other facilities on a website. In other term,

any website that acts as an opening to a certain topic to a certain topic of interest or industry.

This generally include four services, email services, customized informational content for the

user as well as links to other websites.

WEBSITE: It is the collection of web pages. It is a method of using text and graphics to convey

a message over the internet.

ADMINISTRATOR: One who is responsible for software installation, management,

information and maintenance of a computer network. This person has higher privilege over other

users.

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AUTOMOBILE: Is a self-propelled vehicle that travels on land. It usually has (4) four wheels.

An engine provides the power to move the vehicle, the automobile carries people primarily for

their personal transportation. In short term is any form of self powered vehicle..

WEB-BASED: An application or document that can only be accessed through the internet or

with the use of a web browser and a server. The term typically refers to the use of web browsers

and java applets. Is an application in which all or some parts are download from the web each

time it is run.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 BACKGROUND THEORY OF STUDY

A vehicle ordering system is a set of hardware and software based tools that automate the

process of selling and hiring of vehicles over the internet, as well as keeping vehicle order

records. The kind of records kept and tracked by a vehicle ordering system includes; the

customer details (Occupation, Home address, Office address, etc.), Activity and consistency,

comment.

The emergence of computers pioneered the automation of a vehicle ordering system

where a customer can just sit anywhere and browse through the catalogue of available cars and

order the vehicle of his choice without him having to visit the company himself. This method can

be called an e-commerce system because it is an automated method of buying and selling using

the internet; though various method has been launched on the internet using the e-commerce

system e.g. Jumia (www.jumia.com) which is into selling of electronics, groceries, house

appliances, etc. As a result of this advancement, TOSOPESTORES is also upgrading their means

of selling and hiring by introducing the vehicle ordering system which will take care of the

selling and hiring process.

A vehicle ordering system is capable of alerting the management when a new order is

being made by a customer and also ensure that the appropriate bill for the vehicle ordered is paid

over a secure electronic payment platform thereby reducing the risk of errors.

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2.1 BACKGROUND THEORY OF STUDY

A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at

the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It

employs automobile salespeople to sell their automotive vehicles. It may also provide

maintenance services for cars, and employ automotive technicians to stock and sell spare

automobile parts and process warranty claims (Wikipedia 2018).

2.1.1 HISTORY OF VEHICLE ORDERING

The early cars were sold by automakers to customers directly, or through avariety of

channels that included mail order, department stores, and traveling representatives. The first

dealership in the United States was established in 1898 by William E. Metzger. Direct sales by

an automaker to consumers are now limited by most states in the U.S. through franchise laws

that require new cars be sold only by licensed and bonded, independently owned dealerships. Car

dealerships are typically franchised to sell and service vehicles by specific companies. They are

often located on properties offering enough room to have buildings housing a showroom,

mechanical service, and body repair facilities, as well as to provide storage for used and new

vehicles. Many dealerships are located out of town or on the edge of town centers. Anexample of

a traditional single proprietorship car dealership is Collier Motors in North Carolina. Many

modern dealerships are part of corporate-owned chains such as AutoNation with over300

franchises. Dealership profits in the US mainly come from servicing, some from used cars, and

little from new cars. The average new car price was $33,419 in 2015, while used cars cost

$19,397.Most automotive manufacturers have shifted the focus of their franchised retailers to

branding and technology. New or refurbished facilities are required to have a standard look for

its dealerships and have ‘product geniuses’ to liaise with customers. Audi has experimented with

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a hi-tech showroom that allows customers to configure and experience car son 1:1 scale digital

screens, in markets where it is permitted, Mercedes-Benz opened city Centre brand stores. Tesla

Motors has rejected the dealership sales model based on the idea that dealerships do not properly

explain the advantages of their cars, and they cannot rely on third party dealerships to handle

their sales. However, in the United States, direct manufacturer auto sales are prohibited in almost

every state by franchise laws requiring that new cars be sold only by dealers. In response, Tesla

has opened city Centre galleries where prospective customers can view cars that can only be

ordered online. These stores were inspired by the Apple Stores. Tesla's model was the first of its

kind and has given them advantages as a new car company. They did not need to please any

dealership like other car manufactures did. (BBC News2018).

In the beginning, the United States car rental industry is believed to have begun in the

year 1916, when a man named Joe Saunders decided to lend out his Ford Model T to local and

visiting businessmen. This entrepreneur affixed a mileage meter to the left front wheel of the

vehicle and would charge renter a total of 10cents per mile in order to cover the wear and tear on

his beloved Ford. By 1925, Saunders Independent Car Rental Company had grown to operate in

21 states, Saunders also begun to diversify his vehicle offering at this point Old Chrysler Ads

from the 1920’s boasts that Saunders fleet included nearly 1million dollars’ worth of Chrysler

vehicles.

The battle begins, competitors quickly caught onto Saunders’s unique Rent-A-Car Model,

and it wasn’t long before Walter .L. Jacob started renting out a dozen or so Model T Fords of his

own by 1923, Jacob’s business was grossing more than 1millon dollars in annual sales, making

him Saunders and built their Independent Car Rental businesses from humble car rental

beginnings. In the mid-1920s, Jacob made the acquisition of Mr. John Hertz, owner of the yellow

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cab manufacturing company in Chicago. Hertz eventually bought Jacob’s car rental company

giving birth to what is now what of the largest chain car rental companies in the nation. Later,

General Motors buy out the Hertz’s yellow cab manufacturing company, renaming the car rental

portion of the business to Hertz Drive-Your-Self-System. This led to the emergence of so many

car rental ordering systems. Competition was fierce, and companies need to have unlimited

resources in order to take advantage of the expanding marketing. This calls for a greater market

influence which eventually promoted 24 independent car rental companies in St. Louis,

Missourito band together, forming the national car rental companies in 1947. The car rental

industry today has experienced a lot of bumps and bruises over the past thirty years as increase

competition has created the need for innovative discount programs and complex price wars. This

cut throat competition resulted in many independent car rental companies going under during the

early 1980’s. Big innovative companies started taking an interest in the car rental industry in the

1980, as top guns like Ford and Chrysler purchased controlling interest in some larger chain

rental agencies. To this day, many of the larger chains are still controlled by automotive

manufacturers. (Dheeraj Satta, 2015).

In 1999, Sean Coffman founded carforsale.com in Beresford, South Dakota with the

purchase of thewww.carsforsale.com domain name. Coffman built the initial website with his

father and started by offering website listings to dealers for free and cold-calling potential

customers. Carsforsale.com is used to list automotive inventory and connect buyers with sellers

of vehicles. The website hosts listings of vehicles for sale across the United States and provides

automotive dealers with dealership management solutions. (www.carsforsale.com).

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2.1.1 CLASSIFICATION METHODS

Governments and private organization have developed car classification schemes that are

used for innumerable purposes including regulation, description and categorization among

others. Vehicles can be categorized in numerous ways, E.g. by means of the body style and the

level of commonality in vehicle construction as defined by number of doors and roof treatment

(e.g. Sedan, Convertible, Fastback, Hatchback) and number of seats that require seatbelt to meet

safety regulations. Regulatory agencies may also establish a vehicle classification system for

determining a tax amount. In the United Kingdom, a vehicle is taxed according to the vehicle’s

construction, engine, weight, type of fuel emissions, as well as the purpose for which it is used.

Other jurisdiction may determine vehicle tax based upon environmental principles such as the

user pays principle.

Another standard is used for road vehicles of all types that is used internationally (except

for Australia, India, and the US.) is ISO 383-1977. In an example from a private enterprise,

many car rental companies use the ACRISS car classification code to describe the size, the type,

and equipment of vehicles to ensure that rental and sales can suite customers’ needs to available

vehicles, regardless of the distance between the agent and the rental company or the languages

spoken by either party. In the United States, the insurance institute for Highway Safety uses a

scheme it has developed that takes into account a combination of both vehicle size and other

vehicle features such as length and wheel base. For example, the IIHA (Insurance Institute for

Highway Safety) vehicle classification which is shown in Table 2.1 below while Table 2.2 shows

the United States NHTSA (National Highway Safety Administration) classification into classes

by the curb of weight of the vehicle with standard equipment including the maximum capacity of

fuel, oil, coolant, and air conditioning if so equipped.

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 The United States Federal Highway Administration has developed a classification

scheme for automatically calculating road use tolls. There are two broad categories depending on

whether the vehicle that carry commodities are further subdivided by number of axles and

number of units, including both power and trailer units. Also the United States Environmental

Protection Agency has developed a classification scheme used to compare fuel economy among

similar vehicles are classified based on a vehicle’s total interior passenger and cargo volumes,

Trucks are classified based upon their gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), and heavy vehicles

are not included within the EPA scheme.

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Table 2.1 Vehicle classification based on IIHA (Insurance Institute for Highway

Safety)

S/N Highway Institute Classification Definition

1 SPORT Cars with significant high performance

features

2 LUXURY Higher-end cars that are not classified as

sports

3 LARGE Length more than 495.3mm (195 inches) and

wheelbase more than 279.4mm (110 inches)

4 MIDSIZE Length 457.3 to 493.3mm (180-195 inches)

and wheelbase less 266.8 to 279.4mm (105

inches)

5 SMALL Length less than 457.2mm (180 inches) and

wheelbase less than 266.7mm (105. Inches)

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Table 2.2 Vehicle classification based on NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration)

NTHSA Classification Code Curb Weight

Passenger cars: MINI Pc/Mi 1,500 to 1,999 lb.

(680-907 kg.)

Passenger cars: LIGHT Pc/L 2,000 to 2,499 lb.

(907-1,134 kg.)

Passenger cars: COMPACT Pc/C 2,500 to 2,999 lb.

(1,134-1,360 kg.)

Passenger cars: MEDIUM Pc/M 3,000 to 3,499 lb.

(1,361-1,587 kg.)

Passenger cars: HEAVY Pc/H 3,500 lb.

(1,588 kg.) and above.

Sport Utility Vehicles SUV

Pick-up Trucks PU

Vans VAN

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Table 2.3 Vehicle classification based on EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

S/N EPA Car Class Total Passenger And Cargo Volume (cu.ft.)

1 Two-Seaters Any designed seat only for two adults

2 Mini-Compact Less than 85 cu ft. (2,4071mm.)

3 Sub-Compact 85 to 99 cu ft. (2,407-2,8031mm.)

4 Compact 100 to 109 cu ft. (2,832-3,0871mm.)

5 Mid-size 110 to 119 cu ft. (3,115-3,3701 mm)

6 Large 120 cu ft. (3,398 mm) or more

7 Small Station Wagons Less than 130 cu ft. (3, 6811 mm.)

8 MPD-Size Station Wagons 130 to 159 cu ft. (3,681-4,531 mm.)

9 Large Station Wagons 160 cu ft. (4,531 mm) or more

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2.1.1.1 CLASSIFICATION BASED ON SIZE

 MICROCAR: Straddling the boundary between car and motorbike, these vehicles have

engines under 1.5litres typically seat only two passengers, and are sometimes unorthodox

in construction. Some micro cars are three-wheelers, while the majority has four wheels,

micro cars were popular in Post-War Europe, where their appearance led them to be

called “BUBBLE CARS”, and more recent micro cars are often electric powered E.g.

ISETTA, TATA NANO, etc.

 ULTRA COMPACT CAR: In 2012, Japan’s Transport and Tourism Ministry allowed

local government to use ultra-compact cars as transport for residents and tourists in their

limiting area. The size of ultra-compact cars will be less than mini-cars, but have engines

greater than 50cc displacement and able to transport 1 or 2 persons. Ultra-compact cars

cannot use mini-cars standard because of strict safety standards for mini-cars. The

regulation about running capacity and safety performance of ultra-compact cars, called

category-1 motorized vehicles which it has 50cc displacement and only one seat for the

driver.

 CITY CAR: is a small automobile intended for use in urban areas, unlike micro-cars, a

city-car has greater speed capacity and occupant protections are safer in mixed traffic

environments and weather conditions. While city-cars can reach a highway speed that is

not intended use. In Japan, city-cars are called “KEI-CARS”, kei-cars have to meet strict

size and engine requirements, engines have a maximum displacement 660cc and the car’s

length must under 3400mm. E.g. HONDA LIFE, SUZUKI CERVA, FIAT PANDA, etc.

 SUPER-MINI/SUB-COMPACT CAR: super-mini has three, four, or five doors, and even

has an estate shape. They are designed to seat four passengers comfortably. Current

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 super-mini hatchbacks are approximately 3900mm long, while saloon and estate cars are

around 4200mm long. E.g. OPEL CORSA, PEUGEOT 208, VOLKSWAGEN POLO.

 SMALL FAMILY COMPACT CARS: These are the hatchbacks and shortest saloons and

estate cars with similar size. They are approximately 4,250mm (167 inches) long in case

of hatchbacks and 4,500mm (177 inches) in the case of saloons and estate cars. Compact

cars have room for five adults and usually have engines between 1.4 and 2.2litres, but

some have engines up to 2.5litres. Some early compacts had optional v8 engines of up to

6.6litres. These are the most popular vehicles in most developed countries. E.g.

PEUGEOT 308, TOYOTA AURIS, VOLKSWAGEN GOLF, etc.

 LARGE FAMILY (MID-SIZE) CARS: Cars are drawn with a sedan shape, nevertheless

some designers introduced some innovations during 2010s, like the CITROEN DS5

which is a hatchback large family car. This joins the general trend of making the design

in more sportive way and with a more cross-over approach, like lift back for SUV or four

doors sportive SEDAN COUPES.

 VAN: In some countries, the term “VAN” can refer to a small panel van based on a

passenger car design (often the ESTATE MODEL/STATION WAGON); it also refers to

light trucks, which themselves are sometimes based on SUVs or MPVs. The term is also

used in the term “CAMPER VAN” or just “CAMPER” equivalent to North American

recreational vehicle (RV).

In the United States, the term “VAN” refers to vehicles that like European mini-buses are

even larger than large MPVs and are rarely seen being driven for domestic purposes

except for “CONVERSION VANS”. These possess extremely large interior space and

are often more intended for hauling Cargo than people. Most van use body-on frame

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 construction and are coach work, known as conversion. Conversion vans are often quite

luxurious, boasting comfortable seats, soft rides, built in support for electronics such as

television sets, and other amenities. E.g. FORD E-SERIES, VOLKSWAGEN

TRANSPORTER, MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER, TOYOTA HIACE, NISSAN NV.

(Wikipedia 2018).

2.1.2 ADNAVTAGES OF ONLINE VEHICLE ORDERING SYSTEM

i. It helps to speed up business operation

ii. Keeps track of the vehicles purchase in a certain period

iii. Automated report generation which ensures accuracy

iv. Secure E-payment facility

v. Reduces the chances of making errors

2.2 CURRENT METHOD IN USE

The current system in place at TOSOPESTORES requires the customer to come down to

the warehouse, check the vehicles in stock and check the price with the staff, make payment for

the chosen vehicle. The staff will go through the stress of checking the price, find the vehicle

documents and record the sales made. When it comes to the hiring aspect; it entails that

customers supply their info ration by filling out forms to rent a car, the form will be submitted to

the office and after the verification process is completed, car and the driver information will be

delivered through the system, along with rental history records.

This current method has caused the process of record keeping and retrieving to be taking

and sometimes there may be a problem of losing a particular record. The following are some

needs for automation of an ordering system:

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 i. TIME: A lot of time could be wasted in retrieving records needed which could cause

problem between the customer and the management of TOSOPE STORES.

ii. ACCURACY: Because of imperfection of human nature, there could be high degree of

inaccurate number in manual system. Computerization reduces the risk of making error.

iii. SPEED AND EFFICIENCY: A computerized order system makes everything easier.

Doing a pen writing information take days but with a computerized system, it can be

done in a matter of hours.

2.3 APPROACH TO BE USED IN THIS STUDY

As a result of large benefits of the internet today, a number of ordering platforms have

emerged with comparison sited, which serve as an efficient and fast search tools to consumers,

and this has given the users a non-stop access to available products.

The main aim of this ordering system is to reduce the stress that both the customers and

the staffs go through in the process of the purchase and rental by keeping track of customers’

orders and notifying the staff when an order is made.

For this system to be exceptional, therefore a point of management must be provided for

the staffs so they can keep track on customers’ request, review comments and complaints and

generate relevant reports.

The approach to be used to achieve the stated functionality is broken down as follows;

 PLANNING: This is the first approach the researcher uses to gather information, and to

find the core problem and constraints in the existing system and formulate goals of

analysis that focuses on an Online Ordering System.

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  ANALYSIS PHASE: The researcher analyses the company’s management workflow,

look for problem that occur within the company, understand the ordering procedures and

the data processing. It aims to find the ideal form of application by taking into account

various factors of issues and needs that exist on the current system.

 DESIGN: The researcher will use several tools to create the system which might involve

a relational database for storage of various records, data flow diagram, flowchart, etc.

 IMPLEMENTATION: The next step will be to implement the system application design

into programming language that can be understood by the computer such that the new

system can be tested and used. The researcher uses software and scripting language PHP,

MYSQL as the database engine, and JavaScript as the client side programming language.

 TESTING AND USE: The researcher ensures that the program is well tested and error

free by conducting a series of operations to find errors that may occur (Semantic errors,

Logic errors, and error analysis program). (I. Commolly and C. Beggy Database

System).

The system will be at maximum availability of 24hours in a day, 7days in a week, and 365 days

in a year. The system will be designed in a such a way that it will as an immense assistance to

TOSOPE STORES management.

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 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 SYSTEM INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS

System investigation and system analysis are tasks that are to be carried out by system

developer in order to effectively know the basic principles that guide the operation(s) of the

existing system and all problems that the existing system is currently facing.

This section of the project deliberates on the source of information about the current

system organization and maintenance. In this project work, the system analyst will deal with the

existing system and the advantages of the proposed system over the existing system.

Finally, the proposal of the system to be developed, its exploration, input and output

specification, requirements and the scope will be expressed.

3.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON CASE STUDY

TOSOPE STORES is a two-sided digital automotive marketplace that creates meaningful

connections between buyers and sellers. Established in 2005 and headquartered in Ibadan, the

company empowers consumers with resources and information to make informed buying

decisions around The 4Ps of Automotive Marketing: Product, Price, Place and Person, by

connecting advertising partners with in-market car shoppers and providing data-driven

intelligence to increase inventory turn and gain market share.

3.1.1 SYSTEM ANALYSIS

System Analysis is disciplined problem which begins with the establishment of user

requirement for a given application and concluded with the implementation of a fully operated

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amend with facts. The system analyst proceeds to analyze the present system by asking some

technical questions like;

1. What forms are being used to store records manually?

2. How does the system work?

3. Why do we want to change the current operation?

4. Are there alternative methods?

The main stage of system analysis is often referred to as life cycle SYSTEM

INVESTIGATION.

After the management has given its approval, the next stage is detailed fact finding through

system investigation. Before any system investigation can be considered, the project request

must be examined to determine what precisely the originator wants.

The following are some likely questions that may be needed to answer;

 Can the project be done with the current equipment, existing software technology? If a

new technology is required, what is the likelihood that it can be developed?

 Are there sufficient benefits in creating the system or are the costs of not creating the

system so great that the project must be undertaken?

 Will there be resistance from users that will underline the possible application benefit?

FACT FINDING METHOD

The following are several methods that can be used to gather facts or data about a system.

1. Interviewing

2. Questionnaire

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3. Examination of records and procedure manual

4. Observation

 INTERVIEW: this method has much to recommend if that fact can be gathered

directly from the person who has experience of the system investigation. It is usually

the most helpful techniques for establishing and verifying information and provides

an opportunity to overcome possible resistance or change.

 QUESTIONNAIRE: This method is useful when only a small amount of information

is required from a large amount of people but provide accurate response. Questions

need to be ambiguous and precise.

 EXAMINATION OF RECORDS AND PROCEDURE MANUAL: If procedures are

already well documented when the procedure manual can provide a ready-made

source of information in the way procedures should be carried out. The examination

of current procedure is carried out. It is also important that the analyst examines all

documents used in a system if it is clear and satisfies its purpose.

For example, form may not indicate clearly the type of data entered under each

heading in any case, it may well require redesigning of any new system that is

introduced.

 OBSERVATION: It is most important to observe a procedure in action so that its

irregularities and exception are noticed. Observation should be made fully aware of

its purpose in other to arrive at a good conclusion.

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3.2 OPERATION OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM

Different company has different ways of enhancing its organization. Any company needs

to be controlled but the reasons for control may vary from one company to another. For example,

TOSOPE STORES wants to reduce the stress of customers coming to the factory and staffs

collecting reports manually. The management and the analyst need to discuss what improvement

is expected from this new system. This comprises of the following;

I. FUNCTIONLITY REQUIREMENT: This has to do with how the system should

function. For example, it specifies if the system will be menu driven or not, its level of

error tolerance and how each system will function with it.

II. NON-FUNCTIONALITY REQUIREMENT: These are the requirements that do not

affect the function but the system as a whole like Security (how the system will be

accessed and who can access it), Reliability (To be able to conduct business 24hours a

day, 7days of the week, and 365 days of the week). In order to design the proposed

system, an arrangement must be reached on time. The kind of changes to be made, input

needed, the output expected from the organization contents of the file required to serve as

the connecting links between the input and output.

3.3 ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS

It is obvious that the ordering process at TOSOPE STORES is very poor, Customers

details, etc. are needed to be kept for a period of time, customers record piled up remain a large

volume of stationary.

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3.3.1 INPUT ANALYSIS

The input analysis involves the type of information that is to be collected from TOSOPE

STORES whenever records are to be kept by the person in charge of record management. This

give description of input to the system and how the program will be accepting the inputted data.

The existing system implements the manual method to collect users’/customers details. It accepts

its input from book or any handwritten document. The input includes information such as;

 Name of the customer

 Job type/occupation

 Contact Address

 Phone number

 Marital status

 License number

 Age

 Purpose of reservation (when hiring)

 Car status, and other necessary booking information.

3.3.2 OUTPUT ANALYSIS

The system produces a written report for both monthly and quarterly bases on car

reservations and sales that has taken place for that period of time, this report generated can then

be typed and printed if there is need for such. The system also produces a report on booking

details and related information, such as car/vehicle sold, vehicle booked for hiring, vehicles

booked and returned, number plate, pickup-date, return-date, total income for a specific time etc.

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3.3.3 ADMINSTRATION/MANAGEMENT OF THE SYSTEM

The system is managed by the recording officer who is answerable/accountable to the

director when needed or as the case may be and the director is directly accountable to the CEO.

3.3.4 HOW DATA AND INFORMATION ARE BEING STORED BY THE SYSTEM

Each transaction that takes place on a daily basis is being identified by a reference

number and recorded in the ledger which is a documentation book for keeping accounting

records and for keeping related records

3.4 PROCESSING ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE SYSTEM

This is the most difficult stage in the analysis of the findings. Due to the complexity of

the customer’s request, records takes a longer period before it can be processed to produce

report. Once there is error in the input process, there will be error in the processing as well.

3.5 PROBLEM OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM

It is well knowledgeable that two heads are better than one, hence, the need for the

research work should be carried out. The problems of the existing system are as follows;

i. Difficulty in finding the vehicle specified by the customer in stock

ii. Time wastage

iii. Problem of security

iv. Difficulty in retrieving customer records

v. It is difficult to analyze in manual system as a result of large volume of paper used

vi. Problem of slow service

vii. Problem in calculating the total sales within a period of time

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viii. Records can be altered since there is little or no authentication measures.

ix. Customer has little knowledge of the vehicle they want to buy

3.6 SUGGESTED SOLUTION TO THE EXISTING SYSTEM

The only and the fastest solution is to develop a software that will be able to store users’

information, vehicles in stock, generate report and keep track of customers’ record because as

stated above, manual method creates a lot of havoc when vehicle related information. After

series of research and consultation, it has been established that the implementation of an

automated database for storing vehicle related information would be of numerous advantage.

Therefore, the suggested solution to the existing problems is to develop a software

package the will for electronic documentation. The potential benefits will be;

i. Time saving: Looking around for phone numbers/emails/locations of vehicles is time

consuming. With the introduction of the online ordering system, it will easier and faster

to locate any information needed by the management and since the automated system will

be accessible from anywhere, it will help the organization get more customers.

ii. Reduced cost: the company would have to pay less tax, lesser staff that it requires for a

showroom and thus make a larger profit. As for the customers, they will be charged only

depending on the area where they have asked for delivery and the amount required for the

vehicle bought or hired.

iii. Direct Mailing: The Company can reply their customers’ suggestions, complaints, and

comments through an electronic mailbox.

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iv. Security: The automated system provides authentication and encryption facilities so as to

prevent unauthorized access to customer’s personal information.

v. Information update: The automated system will provide a platform where the user can

modify their personal details from time to time as the case may be.

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