GR1 - Project Proposal and Analysis

Problem Statement

Members of a dorm community, including both those involved in management and usage of the dorm, Dorm management staff need a convenient way to keep track of information about the dorm. This includes information about dorm facilities and their availability, living conditions of residents, and information about dorm-wide events and maintenance. maintain smooth operation of dorm resident inflow/outflow, as well as physical maintenance of the dorm.

Group Members: Viet-Tran Nguyen, Sumit Gogia, Daniel Martelly

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• Dorm Manager
  • Hired from outside of MIT to manage two buildings including Next House (primary) and Tang Building
  • Keeps track of housing condition, desk workers, maintenance
  • Using software provided by campus housing
  • Tasks involve using both web application and paper
• Desk Worker
  • Hired from outside of MIT to work approximately 8 hours a day at a dorm
  • Tend to be in their late twenties
  • Comfortable using computers
• Dorm Resident
  • Regularly uses dorm facilities
  • Keeps track of dorm events
  • Keeps track of dorm maintenance
  • Monitors living conditions of other residents

Conclusions

• •  Conclusions

From these interviews, we conclude that people dorm management staff typically want to know more about their dorms, manage the facilities, centralize place where they can find and update informationhave a centralized location to view and update information about the living condition of residents of the dorm, as well as view and update information about the physical maintenance of the dorm.

Breakdown of Some Common Tasks

1.

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Physical Maintenance 

Basic breakdown

1. Delivery man delivers packages
2. Desk worker logs packages into computer system
3. Student is alerted to new package
4. Dorm management is alerted to maintenance requirement.
5. Management files maintenance report.
6. Dorm management sends request to staff for maintenance.
7. Staff makes repairs to affected parts of dorm.
8. Staff informs management of issue and resolution.
9. Management files report on maintenance conduction.Student picks up package

Key points of communication

• Management informs maintenance staff that maintenance is required.
• Maintenance staff informs management of maintenance conduction.Packages for a student is waiting at front desk

2. Moving in to a room

Basic breakdown

...

1. As a desk worker, he has various small tasks between which he must switch between often.
2. Highest priority task is to watch the door and stop non-residents.
3. The most confusing task is keeping track of who moves in and out of which rooms when. Requires effective communication between multiple desk workers, dorm manager, and relevant student.
4. The front desk has various items for rent. However, the current system is extremely poor in logging which student has rented what mostly due to it being prone to mistakes and therefore being unreliable.
5. One of the most common tasks is delivering packages. This involves receiving the package on behalf of the student, alerting the student to the package’s arrival, and then student pick up.
6. Other tasks: mail sorting, giving spare keys, locking piano at 11pm.

Dorm Resident

This user makes personal use of dorm facilities such as exercise equipment, refrigerators, and mailing systems. They also monitor important dorm-wide information such as dorm event announcements and dorm maintenance announcements to participate in dorm activities and prevent disruption in plans respectively, as well as physically check on living conditions of friends and other residents they may need to get in contact with. The resident interviewed to garner information about the resident's perspective was a resident at Next House who has lived there for three years and has no affiliation with housing.  

Requirements

1. This user needs a way to look up the facilities present in their dorm, and their availability for usage.
   1. Packaging System (are desk workers present?)
   2. Laundry (are dryers/washers taken or usable?)
   3. Exercise equipment (do we have a treadmill and is someone currently using it?) 
2. This user wants to be able to access information on the progression of processes initiated by dorm facilities.
   1. Mail System (has my mail been shipped/arrived, where in the world is it?)
   2. Laundry (how much time until my clothing has dried?)
   3. Personal cooking (will my brownies ever finish baking?)
3. This user wants to be able to check the occupancy of dorm rooms.
   1. Room's semester occupancy (is this someone's address?).
   2. Room's current occupancy (is the person living here available?). 
4. The user wants to be able to conveniently request maintenance of facilities.
5. The user wants to be able to access centralized information about dorm events and maintenance.