Concept Study Report
Summary
A computerised system is required to store details relating to both club members and the cars they own. Members can book vehicles belonging to others and the system must record these details as well as being able to show which cars are available on a user-selected date, or when a user-selected car is available.
The number of bookings each member makes must be counted so that they can be charged an extra £10 for each day over the 60 days that their annual fees cover. When members join the club they must pay the £50 yearly fee. Any extra charges should be calculated 1 year after this date and on the same day each year after this.
Critique
This is a formal piece of text, giving clear information in a straightforward manner. While it does begin to meet its purpose - detailing the initial concept for a new computer system, there is not enough information given to actually begin the project from here. Assumptions need to be made about exactly what details will be held for both members and vehicles, and there is no clue given as to user interface requirements.
The charging methods have been described, but the text would benefit from showing an example of one member joining the club, borrowing different vehicles throughout the year, and how they would be charged for this.
Although a simple piece of writing, this does not follow any convention in that there are no headings or lists given. The information given would be clearer if this text followed the format of a program Specification - with a detailed list of functional and non-functional requirements. However, it's likely that this would serve the purpose of the next stage; at this point we're just getting to grips with the concept or idea behind the new computer system.