Planning Stage (A)

 User goals
1. What do your users need to accomplish with your form template?
Manage their data base, automate primary and basic processes, enforce internal
control, processes, and policies.
2. What scenarios do you need to support?
Student’s database, teacher’s database, Accounts payable, accounts recevable,
Communication, coresspondence, and feedback
3. How will you measure success in meeting your users' goals?
Review the accounts and with interactions with the accounts and administration
office.
 Compatibility considerations
4. Does your form template need to be accessible to users outside your organization, either
now or in the future? For example, do you want your form template to be available on
your organization's external Web site for customers who do not have InfoPath installed
on their computers? If so, you can design a browser-compatible form template (browser-
compatible form template: A form template that is designed in InfoPath by using a
specific compatibility mode. A browser-compatible form template can be browser-
enabled when it is published to a server running InfoPath Forms Services.) instead of a
standard, InfoPath-only form template.
Yes, the web browser aspect is the most essential. AS if we are not given permission to host the
forms on our webpage we could aleast send these forms via email or a secured network access.

5. Do some users in your organization need to be able to fill out your form in InfoPath
2003? If so, you may want to design a backward-compatible form template.
No , unfortunately I would have to run an assumption that no has, knows or want’s to
know about this software. ,
6. Do you want users to be able to fill out forms while they are away from the office or
otherwise offline? If so, you can add features to your form template that will enable it to
function effectively in offline mode (offline mode: The state in which users fill out forms
when working offline. Form designers can specify whether a form can be opened in
offline mode and, if it can, which data sources are accessible in that mode.).
No, to maintain, enforce, trace and track records. The forms must only be made available
online for external users. However, teacher, supervisors and other administrators could
access this offline.
 Existing user forms
 7. Do you currently use Microsoft Office Word documents or Microsoft Office Excel
workbooks to collect data from users? If so, you can easily convert those files into
InfoPath form templates.
Yes, we do. And I would like to convert it once I know the software in and out.
8. Do you have existing InfoPath 2003 form templates? If so, do you want those form
templates to be backward-compatible or do you want to upgrade them to Office InfoPath
2007 format?
No, this is our first time with Infopath. Treat me with care.
 Integration requirements
9. What other products or technologies will your form template work with? For example,
you might need to store the data in your form template in a Microsoft SQL Server
database, or you might decide to base the design of your form template on a Web service
so that you can submit data to a database that isn't directly supported by InfoPath.
I haven’t yet thought about it in detail.
 User interface requirements
10. What do you want your form template to look like?
A basic form no additional requirements. If possible we will try t work on those aspects
eventually.
11. What type of controls will you use and how will you organize them?
I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SOFWARE AND SEE WHAT IT IS CAPABLE OF
DOING.
12. Do you need to adhere to corporate branding guidelines?
Nothing that I am aware of.
 Process requirements
13. Will your form template be part of a larger business process, such as the process of
approving an expense report? If so, what kind of views (view: A form-specific display
setting that can be saved with a form template and applied to form data when the form is
being filled out. Users can switch between views to choose the amount of data shown in
the form.)
Yes, as they are just forms – or the part of the process where only the data entry is being
validated. The bigger picture must be made accessable, maybe by adding more views
available to administrators.
14. Do you need, and how will you implement the rules that govern how the data moves
through the organization and is processed by different people and business systems?
Yes if this aspect can be simplified duing implementation. This aspect could be planned,
designed and implemented.
15. Will you take advantage of workflow features in other programs, such as Microsoft
Office SharePoint Server 2007?
Yes, if they are user friendly, why not !
16. Will the form template require managed code or script? If so, will you use in-house
developers or will this work be outsourced?
Since, I’m not a programmer myself. This aspect would have to be outsourced for free, if
possible, hopefully I’m able to learn it in time.
 Data storage requirements
17. What do you want to do with the data in user forms? For example, if users need to be able
to quickly send form data back and forth, and you don't need to reuse the data, then you
may want to use e-mail messages to store the data. If users need to be able to access and
share the form data, then you may want to store collections of related InfoPath forms in
libraries on a server running Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services. If users need to
access the form data in other business applications or systems, such as expense reporting
or accounting applications, then you may want to store the data in corporate databases.
This is often accomplished by connecting the form template to a Web service, which
serves as an intermediary between the form template and the database or business system.
I will get back to this aspect.
 Security requirements
18. What kind of security challenges and vulnerabilities do you face? Does your form
template need to be installed on users' computers or can your users access it from a
network resource?
I will have to check
19. Do you want users to digitally sign their forms or certain sets of data in their forms?
No, that would not be necessary.
20. Will you connect the form template directly to a database, or will you use data connection
files (data connection file: A file that stores information about a connection to a data
source, such as an Access database, a spreadsheet, or a text file, and that facilitates data
source administration.) in data connection libraries (data connection library: A document
library, located on a site running Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, that contains
a collection of universal data connection (.udcx) and Office data connection (.odc) files.),
which are typically managed by an administrator?
For, ease of operations and execution of duties a direct database would be preferred.
 Testing requirements
21. What process will you use to test the appearance and behavior of your form template?
I’m yet to decide
22. Do you need to create a formal test plan?
Yes, as these tests would have to be carried out on a regular basis. Hence a formal test
plan would ease the execution of the tests.
 Deployment requirements
23. How do you plan to share your form template with other people?
 Primary through the official website. But if this fails then we would either work on
creating a secured network or make it available via an intimation email.
24. Where will you publish the form template? If you plan to publish it to a server running
InfoPath Forms Services, do you want to publish it to a library or as a site content type
(content type: A reusable group of settings for a category of content. Use content types to
manage the metadata, templates, and behaviors of items and documents consistently.
Content types are defined at the site level and used on lists and libraries.)?
I’m not very sure what this means.
25. How will you notify users of the form template's availability?
Email, SMS, Notice Board and verbal communication.
26. What is your plan for releasing new versions of form templates?
Depending on the requirements of the department the updates would be made.
 Maintenance requirements
27. Do you want to archive form templates, user forms, or both?
Both
28. For how long do you need to keep the data?
Until the school lasts, as these records are official.
29. What kind of archiving and data retention policies are required by your organization?
I would have to confirm these requirements in detail and get back.