| As we watch the building addition
progress, questions about the new auction system may also arise as the progress on this
new auction system isn’t as visible yet! In a series of articles, I will offer some
insight into the methodology we are using to build the new auction system, as well as some
key milestones from both the development side as well as the user side à the system users that is! System users include growers, buyers
and the UFG staff of course. What is the UFG Auction System? It includes the clocks,
readerboards, keypads, keypad controllers, UNIX servers, workstations, label printers,
invoice and report printers, UFG Supply and the Direct Sales Desk. Of course this also
extends to the networking infrastructure throughout the building that permits all the
components to talk to each other.
A bit about the process we are using to build the system, and yes it is normal for the
phases to cross somewhat in terms of dates.
1st Phase:
- Vision and early system definition: what is the system? What does it do? (up to November
‘97)
- The wish list for this system has been discussed for many years, although now we put
pencil to paper during the late summer ‘97 and spelled out the overall system
requirements such as ease of use, speed of the system, up-time and acceptable down-time
(very minimal of course!)
- We created two teams of people involved in scoping the requirements from the UFG
perspective, growers and buyers were of course consulted throughout the process in both a
formal and informal manner. The core decision team includes Tom, Kevin, Dennis and Anne.
The project team started with Tom, Kevin, Dennis, Roy, Sylvie, Corri, Cor, Carol, Henk,
Linda and Anne, then others participated when needed.
- We met with vendors in Canada and Holland to establish what they had to offer that was
already built, and what they would have to customize to meet UFG’s needs.
2nd Phase:
- Requirements, functional description, choose the vendors (August ‘97 to January
‘98)
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- In the Fall of 1997, we wrote a Draft Requirements Document that outlined
what the system should do. This document served as the basis for the bids we received from
the various vendors.
- Vendors provided bids, offered the project team demonstrations of their
current solutions and what they would customize for UFG, as well as committing to writing
the functional specifications of their part of the system.
- December 17, ‘97 was the kick-off meeting with the new vendors: OES for the clocks,
readerboards and keypads; Essential Software Solutions (ESS) for the accounting back-end
and the customized auction aspects; James Lawler (JBL Systems) for the custom auctioneer
software and interfacing with the clocks and keypads; The Westerheim Group (TWG) to
provide the hardware for the UNIX Servers and the office LAN; Pacific Coast Communications
with BKS to do the actual wiring for telephones and network; Ansatel remains the vendor
for the phone and voice-mail system; Fairmile is of course managing the construction of
the building and working with me on any conduit needs for telephones and wiring; I, Anne
Coulombe from SciPlan Systems have been working on the project since summer ‘97 as
the Systems Project Manager to coordinate the entire project and all the vendors involved.
3rd Phase:
- Development, this is when we actually build the system! (January ’98 to September
‘98)
- OES produced technical drawings and prototypes of the keypads, drawings of the clocks
and other components.
- ESS and JBL are busily writing the programs that will permit the auction to operate.
- BKS will install the wiring for the network and phones, this includes 2 types of Beldon
wiring for the keypads and clocks, Ethernet Cat5 for the network, fiber optic backbone
between the two redundant UNIX servers, a fiber backbone between the new and existing
building as well as a 100-pair tie cable for both UFG and buyer telephones. TWG will
set-up all the computers including testing the fault-tolerant and redundant UNIX servers,
workstations and the office Windows NT server.
- An Alpha version of the auction system is slated for completion by August
15th. At this time all components will operate together, although we will still
have to debug the system.
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UFG staff as well as some growers and buyers will be asked to
participate in "mock-auctions" with this early version of the system so that we
can adjust the system if necessary.
- A Beta version of the auction system is slated for mid-to-late September.
This is when many more people will be able to try the system, receive training, and of
course comment on the system itself.
4th Phase:
- Implementation (October ’98 to December ’98 à
although UFG must decide exactly which day we "go live" in the new gallery)
- This phase is comprised of mock-auctions, training for everyone using the system,
feedback sessions, and the decision of which day we "go live" with the new
system in the new gallery.
- Everyone will receive training and will have the chance to test-drive the new system
before we switch over. This is a time for hands-on use of the system when mistakes will
help us learn and push the limits of the system without any effects on the real data
5th Phase:
- This is when we turn on some features that were not available when we "went
live" such as auto faxing of daily grower summaries, invoices and other reports. The
ability to dial-into a secure Web-site to find out in real-time how much you have bought
or sold in the currently ongoing auction etc.
- Of course we will want to add features to the system such as secure Internet based
queries and reports, the ability for local buyers to use their computers to buy at the
clocks, easier access to data etc.
This is certainly much information to digest! Over the next months I’ll be more
specific about the actual features and functionality of the system, as well as the
training and test-driving of the system. Should you have questions regarding the
development of the system, the tying together of the various components including the
networking infrastructure or anything you think I can answer for you, then please do
contact me!
I can be reached at UFG on many mornings or at SciPlan Systems by phone (604) 878-0982,
fax (604) 421-4466 or e-mail at acoulombe@sciplan.com.
Anne L. Coulombe
UFG Systems Project Manager
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