Page 04 Part 3: Design Phase Of System Analysis And Design

Pg. 04part 3 Design Phaseit243 System Analysis Designsemester 1

Schedule for a systems analysis project covering the planning, analysis, and design phases of the SDLC for a small organization, focusing on system development methodology, work plan, business requirements, process modeling, data modeling, architecture, user interface, and class diagrams, applied to a project on automating medication dispensing in a clinic.

Paper For Above instruction

The project titled "Automation of Medication Dispensing in Clinic" aims to develop a comprehensive system that transitions from paper-based prescriptions to an electronic system, streamlining medication management and dispensing processes within a healthcare setting. This system involves physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, and intends to improve accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility of prescription data.

Introduction

The increasing demand for efficient healthcare delivery necessitates the modernization of clinical workflows, especially in medication management. Traditionally, prescriptions are handwritten by physicians, which often leads to errors, delays, and communication gaps between healthcare providers and pharmacies. To address these challenges, this project adopts the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology, encompassing planning, analysis, and design phases, to conceptualize a system capable of automating medication prescriptions and dispensing processes in a clinical environment.

Planning Phase

The planning phase establishes the foundation for the entire project by selecting an appropriate SDLC methodology and developing a detailed work plan. For this project, the Waterfall model is suitable due to its sequential and structured nature, which aligns with healthcare process regulations and ensures comprehensive documentation at each stage.

Utilizing the Waterfall approach, the project initiates with requirements gathering, moves through design, implementation, testing, and deployment, although only the initial phases are detailed here. A Gantt chart illustrates the project timeline, scheduling tasks such as stakeholder meetings, requirements analysis, system design, and review sessions, ensuring coordinated progress and resource management. This plan helps identify key milestones and deliverables, streamlining project execution and accountability.

Visual diagrams such as Gantt charts are included within this section to depict project timelines visually, illustrating overlapping activities and task durations. This planning ensures clarity and structure for subsequent phases, accommodating potential project risks and resource constraints.

Analysis Phase

The analysis phase focuses on understanding the core business requirements to inform system design. This involves creating use cases, process models, and data models to capture all relevant functionalities and information flow.

Use Cases

The use cases define how different users interact with the system: physicians create and submit prescriptions, pharmacists access prescriptions to dispense medications and manage refills, and nurses assist with certain prescription details or medication administration. The primary use cases include "Create Prescription," "View Prescription," "Dispense Medication," and "Update Prescription."

Process Modeling (Data Flow Diagram)

A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) maps the flow of prescription data from physicians to the pharmacy. It includes external entities such as physicians and pharmacists, data stores like 'Prescriptions Database,' and processes such as 'Enter Prescription' and 'Dispense Medication.' The DFD highlights how data moves within the system, emphasizing points for security and efficiency.

Data Modeling (ER Diagram)

The Entity-Relationship (ER) model illustrates the key data entities: User (with subclasses Physician, Pharmacist, Nurse), Prescription, Medication, Patient, and Refill. Attributes such as Patient ID, Prescription ID, Medication Name, Dosage, Frequency, and Refill Count are defined. Relationships describe how prescriptions relate to medications and patients, ensuring data integrity and supporting system functionality.

Design Phase

The design phase refines system architecture, user interfaces, and class structures based on identified requirements.

Architecture Design

The system adopts a three-tier architecture comprising a client layer (user interfaces), a server layer (business logic and data processing), and a database layer (data storage). This separation promotes scalability, maintainability, and security, and supports remote access for physicians and pharmacists via secure login interfaces.

Screen Design

User interface screens are conceptualized to facilitate ease of use and clarity. For example, the physician's prescription entry screen includes fields for patient details, medication selection, dosage, and refill options, along with save and submit buttons. The pharmacist's view displays a list of prescriptions awaiting dispensing, with options to update status or request refills. The nurse interface provides medication administration confirmation and updates.

Sample screen sketches visualize the layout—highlighting navigation menus, data entry fields, and confirmation messages—ensuring a user-friendly experience aligned with clinical workflows.

Class Diagram

The class diagram models the core system classes and their relationships. Key classes include User (with subclasses Physician, Pharmacist, Nurse), Prescription, Medication, and Refill, with attributes such as UserID, Name, Role; PrescriptionID, Date, Status; MedicationID, Name, Dosage; and RefillCount. Class relationships depict inheritance, associations, and multiplicity, supporting object-oriented implementation and system extensibility.

Conclusion

The systematic approach outlined in this report provides a robust framework for developing an automated medication dispensing system tailored to clinical needs. By carefully planning, analyzing, and designing the system, stakeholders can ensure efficiency, accuracy, and user satisfaction, ultimately leading to improved patient care. Future phases like implementation and testing will build on this groundwork to realize a fully operational system that streamlines pharmaceutical workflows and minimizes errors inherent in manual processes.

References

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