Design and Implementation of a Collaborative and File Management System for Mobile Applications
Chapter One
Aim and Objectives of study
The objective of this study is to develop a system that should be able to:
- Manage data on a server as a web service.
- Serve as a client side office suite for effectively carrying out collaboration and file management in mobile devices.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
The Concept of Collaboration
The International Student’s Edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary has defined Collaboration as the act of working with another person or group of people to create or produce something. In this accord, Johnson and Johnson (1986) has stated that there is persuasive evidence that cooperative teams achieve at higher levels of thought and retain information longer than people who work quietly as individuals; this is of note, a viable importance of collaboration in terms of academia and the likes.
More so, the advances in technology and changes in the organizational infrastructure have put an increased emphasis on teamwork within the workforce. Workers need to be able to think creatively, solve problems, and make decisions as a team. Therefore, the development and enhancement of critical-thinking skills through collaboration is one of the primary goals of most technology driven organization. Thus, in view of the aforementioned, one may note that collaborative work produces critical-thinking and smart individual that could possibly affect the outturn of an organization positively.
Furthermore, having access to the most accurate up-to-date corporate information and the ability to easily collaborate on that information gives an organization as well as a group of individuals working together, the means to make decisions that drive the most positive business outcomes.
Also in education and academia as earlier highlighted; the concept of collaborative learning, the grouping and pairing of students for the purpose of achieving an academic goal, has been widely researched and advocated throughout the professional literature. The term “collaborative learning” refers to an instruction method in which students at various performance levels work together in small groups toward a common goal. (Gokhale, 1995).
As we can see, the concept of collaboration and collaborative work is diverse and applies to a variety of areas but is also centered on the fact that to effectively carry out a collaborative task, team members ought to be in close proximity to each other. This factor has created much redundancy with respect to collaboration. What then is the need to collaborate if an important member of a team is say, on vacation? With this mode of collaboration, it is justifiable to say that the progress/achievement of a team’s goal is inversely proportional to the team’s proximity.
i.e Team progress α 1 / Team proximity (1)
Team progress = k / Team proximity (2)
Where k = proportionality constant
Every CEO’s wish list includes a desire for tools that enable innovation, growth and boost the productivity of today’s increasingly distributed workforce (Chilton, 2012). The question of how to bring the best resources together, facilitate the exchange of ideas, foster innovation and do it all without the loss of time associated with traditional face to face meetings falls to the essence of this research work to answer and implement.
In order to solve the hunger and need for a more secure, robust, reliable and very efficient mode of collaboration, the concept of Cloud Computing was explored.
Cloud Computing Overview
Because the term “cloud computing” is relatively new, there is not universal agreement on this definition. Some people use the terms grid computing, utility computing, or application service providers to describe the same storage, computation, and data-management ideas that constitute cloud computing. Regardless of the exact definition used, numerous companies and research organizations are applying cloud-computing concepts to their business or research problems including Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and numerous other universities.
Most organizations use their hardware and software to provide storage, computational, and data management services to their own internal users, or to provide these services to external customers for a fee. These hardware and software environment that implements this service-based utilization can be referred to as a cloud-computing environment.
According to Wikipedia (2012) the underlying concept of cloud computing can be dated even further back to a public speech given by John McCarthy (1961) where he predicts that computer time- sharing may lead to the provisioning of computer resources and application as a utility.
CHAPTER THREE
SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND METHODOLOGY
Introduction
A system is a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole. Every system is delineated by its spatial and temporal boundaries, surrounded and influenced by its environment, described by its structure and purpose and expressed in its functioning.
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. In short Analysis entails breaking down a whole entity into its constituent parts for individual study (Beaney, 2012).
In today’s hectic world, we tend to look for an immediate “solution.” Rapid Application Development (RAD) and Computer Assisted Systems Engineering (CASE) tools certainly play an important role in systems analysis, but impatient users and bottom line pressures often push formal systems analysis techniques aside. However, we cannot, for the sake of an “immediate” solution, ignore important facets of systems analysis, such as quality and impact on other processes and areas.
Systems analysis is defined as looking at a process with an eye towards understanding and improvement. This requires interviewing users and management to gather insight of the process and discern how it fits into the organization’s mission and operational needs. After this comes re-engineering and change. (Priest and Borella, 1998)
On the other hand, system development methodology can be defined as a framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system.
Analysis of the existing system
The interview carried out on individuals who still adopt the existing system revealed that, teamwork and collaboration have always been restricted to offices and conference rooms where the involved people usually meet to effectively work towards a common goal. This restricts the members of a team to the same space and location thus making the progress of the project a factor of distance.
CHAPTER FOUR
SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
Introduction
Design is both the process of defining the architecture, components, interfaces and other characteristics of a system or component and the result of that process. Hence we can define software design as the activities where software requirements are analyzed in order to produce a description of the internal structure and organization of the system that wills serve as a basis for its construction.
We can also say that a software design is a meaningful engineering representation of some software product that is to be built.
The design process is a very important phase which emphasizes on quality. This is the only phase in which the user requirements can be accurately translated into a finished software product or system. As such, software design serves as the foundation for all software engineering steps that follow, regardless of which process model is being employed. Without a proper design we risk building an unstable system.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Review of achievement
This documentation entails about the essence of group task and the effect of collaborative work amongst team members. It factors out the drawbacks of the present collaboration system and seeks a better way to help team members effectively carry out collaborative tasks as well as streamline the question of file management by detailing the design, development and implementation of a cloud based collaboration and file management.
This study started with the review of the proposed system, stating the background of study, statement of problems, objectives, significance, scope and the limitations. Again Concepts such as Cloud computing, Collaboration, Web service technologies, XML, cloud computing architectures etc. were reviewed in depth, in the second chapter of this study.
More so, the third chapter of this study provided a detailed analysis of the present system using the Object Oriented Analysis and Design methodology with a view to outline the shortcomings in the present system and equally propose a solution with a well detailed description.
Furthermore, the detailed study of the proposed system leading to a fine system design showing its specifications and components was carried out in the fourth chapter of this study.
Finally, this research work was concluded by summarizing the details of this study and citing the much needed recommendations were necessary.
Areas of application
The collaboration and file management system can be applied in every organization, corporate offices, industries as well as government parastatals. The ability of the system to enable file sharing and collaboration of individuals while working together makes this system highly useful in this new age of technology.
Suggestions for further work
The recommended area of further research is in collaborating with documents other than text file with other partners. This will lead to a more flexible and robust system that will effectively carry out collaborative task in all areas.
Recommendations
In order for the system to function properly and also yield proper result, users should upgrade their client application from time to time whenever there is an upgrade available, users should guide their passwords jealously in order to prevent unauthorized access to the system, the system should be adequately maintained
Conclusion
In the present age of information and communications technology ICT it may not be completely satisfactory for team members working toward a common goal to depend upon the factor of distance, space and proximity while carrying out collaborative tasks. Due to the increasing need for rapid and efficiently delivered results, team members are thus seeking a more convenient way of performing their collaborative task without necessarily being in close proximity to each other.
Also, computers and users need not depend on their local storage and paper work respectively for data storage and management but rather on a more secure and effective way which eradicates the issue of unnecessary file loss, damage or mismanagement.
This new system is an easy to learn, relatively fast, light weight, inexpensive and efficient way of carrying out collaborative tasks irrespective of distance and proximity while performing file management activities in a parallel and secure manner.
Though some limitations such as the support for only text based document exists, the system designed system can be said to adequately satisfy the set of objectives of this research work.
REFERENCES
- Anuradha A. G., (1995). Journal of Technology Education Volume 7, Number 1: Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking.
- Cavanaugh E., (2008). Web service: Benefits, Challenges, and a unique, visual development solution. Beverly: Cummings Centre. Retrieved March 2nd 2013.
- Collins English Dictionary 11th Edition and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, International Students Edition; Definition of collaboration.
- CSO (Custom Solutions Group) 2012. White Paper, The Cloud: Reinventing Enterprise ollaboration, pages 1-5.
- Deitel P. and Deitel H., (2010). Java How To Program, 8th Edition, Chapter 31, pages 1344 –`1347
- Google Drive (2013). Article downloaded April 2013.
- Harmony T., (2012). Cloud Collaboration: How To Get Your Head in the Cloud. Johnson, R.
- T., & Johnson, D. W., (1986). Action research: Cooperative learning in the science classroom. Science and Children, 24, 31-32.
- Ifediora C. E. and Anyachor O. P., (2012). Design and development of a Software as a Service (SaaS) office suite.
