“What should I do today?” A Case Study on the Current Practices and Software Requirements Specification of a Web-Based Planner and Productivity Tracker

Abstract

Productivity can be targeted and tracked in various ways. People may use the traditional pen-and-paper approach, or they can use various task-managing or productivity-tracking applications. This study aimed to determine the practices of faculty and staff of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) for planning and productivity tracking. It also aimed to identify useful features for a web-based planner and productivity tracker based on the needs of UPOU employees leading to the development of a web-based planner and productivity tracker. This study focused on gathering requirements and conducting a needs analysis for the said web-based application. Requirements gathering and needs analysis showed that different people have different approaches to planning tasks and tracking productivity. However, based on identified user needs, it is still worthwhile to propose a possible solution that attempts to cover current practices and address most user needs. The output of this research was therefore a System Requirements Specification (SRS) developed using information gathered from an online focus group discussion and an online survey conducted on UPOU employees. The SRS will be used for Phase 2 of the study. Phase 2 will involve the actual development of the system and testing to determine the usefulness of the final web-based system. This study’s main implication is that the proposed web application could be able to help increase the productivity of those in the field of education while assisting them in their day-to-day planning. Further studies can be conducted to validate this upon the completion of the web-based system.
 Keywords: Requirements Gathering, Needs Analysis, System Requirements Specification, Task-Managing Application, Productivity Software