In this module, we were introduced to the complete Visual Basic 6.0 Studio Suite. Our project consisted of building an application that would enable the user to add, modify and view information pertaining to companies, applicants, positions and skills. The application also provided the user with the opportunity to match applicants with available positions. This module also introduced application design and development as a GUIDS document was developed for the virtual placement agency. A Response to Request for Proposal was also developed during this module.

VPA wanted an application that would allow them to maintain data on client companies, their corresponding job openings, and applicants.  Applicants looking for employment needed to be able to access the info on available job openings by accessing the agency's Web page.  From this Web page, the applicants can apply for positions.

All this information needed to be stored on a central database.  

The project was broken into four parts:

My team was asked to deliver a prototype for the application required by VPA.  The prototype would allow the end user to maintain info on client companies, jobs, and applicants. 

The prototype was successful, so VPA asked us to work together with its end users and analysts to elaborate on the requirements.  The analysts wrote the requirements in the form of use cases, but they were passed to my team so we could formalize the design using UML modeling techniques and the GUIDS methodology for documentation. The GUIDS documents that we completed describe the goals and objectives of the project, the architecture of the system, and the strategies for constructing the application.

After completing the GUIDS document, a formal architecture review session occurred.  My team presented a walk-through of the architecture for the agency's development staff (i.e., their analysts, designers, and developers).  This was necessary to validate the architecture prior to developing the code.  It also served to transfer the knowledge to the agency's development staff.

Once the architecture design from Part II was approved, my team developed the code for the system.  We used the GUIDS documents as a blue print for developing the code.  Therefore, we developed a distributed component-based system that would run on a client/server network.  The data was to be shared and accessed by several agency staff members.  The components were deployed using Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS).

During this phase, there were periodic code review with both my team members and the agency's development team as the audience.  Upon completion, there was a formal acceptance test with the agency's end users and development staff.  

The agency wanted my team to develop the Web pages from which applicants could apply for a position.  We developed ASPs that could interact with the ActiveX components developed and deployed in Part III.