Littelfuse presentation research and performance showcase

© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
13th Annual Research & Performance Showcase: Littelfuse Business Center Order Status Project
Presented by Elmhurst College MCIS Cohort

Agenda
▪ Background about Littelfuse organization & users of the application forms
▪ Project Stakeholders
▪ MCIS Relevant Coursework & Technologies Utilized
▪ Project Charter
▪ Entity Relationship Diagram
▪ Windows Application Forms
▪ Mobile Site
▪ Key Findings

Littelfuse Employee Order Status Landing Page

MCIS Project Stakeholders Register

MCIS Coursework & Technology Utilized
▪ Fall 2013: Project Management (MBA508-54: MBA 509)
▪Microsoft Project
▪ Fall 2013: Database Systems and Programming (CS-530)
▪Microsoft SQL Server, Balsamic
▪ Spring 2015: Windows Application Programming (CS-501-51)
▪Microsoft Visual Studio, Team Foundation Server
▪ Spring 2015: Web Development (CS-550-51)
▪Microsoft Visual Studio, Opera Mobile Emulator, Twitter Bootstrap
▪ Other coursework during 20 months for MCIS not related to this project:
▪Organizational Behavior (BUS-551)
▪Computer Network Concepts (CS-504)
▪Local Area Networks (CS-511 51)
▪Wide-Area Networks (CS-545 52)
▪Internetworking Technologies (CS-570 52)
▪Cloud Computing (CS-575 61)

Project Charter
▪ During our Project Management course we discussed the need for executive sponsorship as
well as Critical Path and other important timeline measurements while gaining exposure to
Microsoft Project
▪ The Project Charter essentially Kicked-off the Project by announcing it, authorizing the Project
Manager, and Project Sponsor
▪ It provided the following: Objectives, Business Need, Requirements, Risks, Key Milestones
▪ Quote:
“This Project Charter announces the initiation of the Littelfuse MCIS Project. We are
undertaking this project in order to create a mobile website with the same functionality of the
Littelfuse Business Center.”

Assumptions for Creating SQL Database
■ This design is one website which will be scaled for the devices it is
displayed on
■ Use is internal, external sales and customers
■ Only data for Orders are designed
■ Portions of the "LFBC" website (Pricing, Availability, Order Status,
Invoice Details) will be part of the design
■ Sales order number internal / Purchase order number is external
■ Status updated when new information is delivered
■ Details include Check Order Status, Order Details, Delivery Details,
Invoice Details

Entity Relationship Diagram

Mock: Employee Order Status Landing Page

Windows Forms
Littelfuse Business Center Order Status Project Requirements for Windows Application
Programming:
▪ Master database maintenance needs to be designed and developed using Windows forms
▪ The forms are based on the database objects created previously using tables and views in
SQL server
▪ The forms must look and operate consistently
▪ Code for the forms must perform error-free operations

Windows Application - Splash Screen
Splash screen displays at the
startup of the application.
▪ Contains Littelfuse Logo

Windows Application - Menu Form
Main Menu Overview:
▪ Utilized by internal employees to add new Orders,
Invoices, or Deliveries
▪ Ability to edit existing forms by bringing user to
search form

Windows Application - Search Form
Search Form Overview:
▪ Get to the Search form from the Main Menu
by clicking either of the “Edit” options in the
Orders, Invoices, or Deliveries GroupBox
▪ The search form will be utilized primarily by
internal employees. However, it remains
flexible enough to allow external parties to
use

Windows Application - Controls
Form Controls
Document Date
▪ Uses Date Time
Picker
▪ Defaults to current
date
Status
▪ Combo Box
▪ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6
Order Type
■ Combo Box
■ PO (Purchase
Order) or SO (Sales
Order)

Windows Application - Forms
■ Littelfuse employees as end-users
■ Consistency
■ Group Boxes
■ Links
■ Data Grid Views
○ Ability to add/delete unlimited
number of order details
○ Ease of using the binding source to
pull in the entire table from the
database

Windows Application - Forms (cont.)

From Windows Forms to Mobile Website
▪ Employee Windows forms were an academic exercise to create the back-end process
for the Littelfuse employees to enter orders, invoices, and deliveries into the database
▪ Provided background knowledge of what Littelfuse does on a daily basis and the structure of
the database
▪ “Middle-person” between the database and website to manage the database, protecting the
database
▪ Two options for the mobile website
▪ Quick, easy mobile access to the order status, similar to FedEx/UPS
▪ Based on the end-goal of the project, we chose this option
▪ Employee and/or customer portal with log-ins for each vendor (as shown in PM
mock up)
▪ Additional Littelfuse IT maintenance would be required
▪ Still possible for final “2.0” version

Web Application
Language Options:
■ English (default)
■ German
■ Spanish

Web Application
Enter GUID Example: 1111111-1111-1111-1111-11111111112
Order Number and Status are provided as returned results

Web Application
Enter Invalid GUID Example: 1111111-1111-1111-1111-11111111113

Web Application - Mobile
Used Opera Mobile Emulator to simulate what the URL will look like on a mobile device

Web Application - Mobile
Now, it’s your turn! Grab your cell phone check your e-mail or enter the
following URL:
http://csis.elmhurst.edu/littelfuse/
The following are valid GUIDs for Orders currently in the database:
1111111-1111-1111-1111-11111111112
abcdefg-hijk-lmno-pqrs-tuvwxyzabcd
bubbles-fish-sour-lift-ingredients

Key Project Findings: Expected Challenges
Hands on Knowledge
▪ The scope & shape of the project changed over time and as we considered how Littelfuse would likely
implement the technology.
▪The Windows Forms contained information mainly for use by the back office and required less
mobile accessibility. For this reason, the Windows forms required more complexity.
▪The mobile website had fewer requirements and is less complex than originally anticipated.
New Blood
▪ Over the course of the project our cohort graduated members and gained new ones. This brought
new ideas. Original members helped carry the knowledge forward.
Time
▪ The four main courses occurred two in a row but the 14 months in-between proved challenging.
Outsiders
▪ Without native knowledge of Littelfuse, we used our imagination and own work experience to drive
some of the decision-making creating a bias that any consultant might have.

Key Project Findings: Unexpected Challenges
Multiple Revisions
▪ The SQL ERD from Fall of 2013 was vital to both the Windows forms & the mobile
website.
▪The ERD was revised at least a dozen times during the process in order to accommodate the needs of
the Windows forms and website.
▪In the Windows forms, the ERD changes resulted in complications with the Entity Framework.
▪Chris led the charge in keeping our Entity Framework intact!
Miscommunication
▪ A discussion board was used to keep a record of communications.
▪Consensus was not always clear in writing.
▪For example, miscommunication led to confusion about the style of the forms which lead to inconsistent
development and additional necessary follow-up work.

Key Project Findings: Unexpected Challenges
(cont.)
Divide and Conquer – Harder than it looks:
▪ Team Foundation Server was new to all participants.
▪ Access was originally at a team level but it did not allow all members to participate.
▪ Once access was changed to individuals then the forms where checked out often at the same time
causing overwrites and errors in the saved result.
▪ We ultimately found it best to have one author, putting us back to square one in terms of an inability to
split up the work.
▪ Website/Web Application was difficult to divide workload.
▪ We all provided input and feedback, but the coding was led by Stewart.
▪ In other projects the site was not mobile, making its details easier to divide.
▪ In this last step, we did not want any inconsistencies and found it best to discuss the draft code with
Dean and rework with his advice in mind.

Conclusion
Overall Project Observations:
▪ Verbal agreement and written follow-up was essential to ensure consistency in design &
implementation of the database, forms, and mobile website.
▪ Our diverse backgrounds of technologies and business helped the group abundantly.
▪Jim had experience with SQL as did others who graduated.
▪Chris had experience with Visual Studio which was extremely helpful in connecting the
forms to one another.
▪All others contributed knowledge of how customers, executives, finance, sales, IT at
Littelfuse might view the Charter, ERD, forms and mobile website.

Conclusion
Project Summary:
▪ The Project Charter provided direction and helped remind everyone of the project purpose
and expected outcomes.
▪ The connections from SQL Server to Visual Studio and to the website were successful and
functioned error-free.
▪ While the forms handle the data, further communication will still be needed to complete the
work on a daily basis.
▪Communications between Accounts Payable & Sales
▪E-mails to the customers

Thank you for your attention
Any Questions?

Littelfuse presentation research and performance showcase

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