MODELLING EXERCISES
1. Draw a level zero, logical dataflow diagram of the processing at Benefits Plus described below.
Benefits Plus is a supplemental health insurance company that pays medical andhospital
claims after its policy holders' primary health insurance benefits through Medicare have been exhausted.
In order to have their claims processed, policy holders must submit a claim form along with evidence that they have received their full Medicare Benefit. All claims are either mailed or presented in person to Benefits Plus' Claims Processing Department. Claims forms are first checked by claims screening clerks and any incomplete forms are returned to the claimant for completion. Details of those incomplete forms which are returned by mail are firsty entered in a claims pending file. Each week this file is checked and any pending claims more then 45 days old are removed and the policyholder is notified by a form letter that their case has been closed.
All complete forms, including those pending claims which have been resubmitted, are then passed to the claims clerks who sort them according to the type of claim and assign a claim number to each form. The claims clerk then retrieves the policyholder's policy record from the policy files and records policy and claim action details on the claim form. The policy record is also updated with details of the current claim and then refiled. A benefits cheque is then prepared and sent to the claimant along with a tear-off slip from the original calim form. The tear-off slip serves as the claimant's record of their claim. Processed claim forms are filed by claim number after first being microfilmed for archival storage purposes.
At the end of each day a summary of all claims processed is sent to the Claim Payments Records Section.
2. Draw a logical context diagram and a logical level zero diagram for the situations described below.
a. The Monash Main Bookshop is required to supply textbooks to students for classes at the university’s five campuses. The Main Bookshop has a branch store located on each campus. Several weeks before the start of each semester the academic departments submit information to the Monash Main Bookshop about the subjects to be offered at each campus during the following semester. For each subject the Main Bookshop needs details of projected student enrolments at each campus, required textbooks, and all subject lecturers for each subject. The Main Bookshop staff then prepare purchase orders which are sent to the various publishers who supply the textbooks. Academic departments are notified of any textbooks which are unavailable so that alternative texts may be ordered. Book orders arrive at the appropriate campus branch bookstore accompanied by packing slips. These packing slips are then verified by the bookstore staff. If delivered orders are correct, the relevant academic departments are billed by the bookshop for the textbooks they have ordered.
b. The Hummel Music School offers music lessons to pupils aged from five to fifteen years. A variety of instruments is taught, including violin, cello, piano, flute and all woodwind instruments. Teachers are hired by the school and paid on an hourly basis. Many teachers give lessons in more than one instrument.
Bills for lessons are prepared at the start of each term and are sent to the pupil's parent who is paying for the lessons. Frequently more than one child in a family is taking lessons, and some children take lessons in more than one instrument. Each bill includes all children in the family who are taking lessons. The cost of a term's lessons for each pupil is determined by the instrument being studied, by the length of the lessons (30, 45 or 60 minutes) and by whether the lessons are taken on an individual or group basis.
Parents who encounter difficulties in meeting payments may be offered special payment facilities including payment by weekly instalments. Some parents prefer to pay for a whole year's lessons in advance in which case they are allowed a discount of 20%.
c. Stay-a-While Motor Inns is a national motel chain that franchises a number of local motels. Each motel has about 30 rooms and operates its own restaurant. A centralised reservations system is operated by the motel chain. Guests may make bookings for any of the motels via this system. Each morning the centralised system sends reservation information to the front office of every motel. This includes names and addresses of all guests included in each reservation as well as check in and check out dates.
When the guests check in, they fill out a registration form and a file is created for that reservatiion. Details of all services used during their stay, including restaurant meals, laundry services and telephone calls, are entered onto the reservation file.
When guests check out, a bill with the cost of all services and accommodation charges is prepared and given to the guest who is responsible for paying the account. Guests may pay either by cash or credit card. A receipt for payment is produced and handed to the guest who has paid the account
d. Prism Gallery is an up-and-coming art gallery located in a suburb of Melbourne. The gallery mounts approximately twenty exhibitions per year of artworks of various categories, eg. oils, watercolours, ceramics, sculpture. Most exhibitions present the work of one or more artists working within one particular category, although different categories are sometimes combined, especially when artists have not been able to produce enough artworks for an entire exhibition.
The gallery maintains a register of past and potential exhibitors. They are listed alphabetically within each category in which they work. Information about new artists is obtained via the gallery's numerous contacts in the "art" world and via art magazines.
Exhibitions are scheduled up to 12 months in advance. Negotiations with the artists take place until finally the gallery prepares contracts which must be signed by the artists concerned. A file is created for each exhibition and details of the exhibition are entered as they are finalised. The artists' progress towards completion of all required artworks is monitored and also recorded in the file. Eventually a detailed list of all items to be exhibited is typed up and added to the file. A copy of this is sent to the gallery's insurance company for insurance cover for the exhibition and another copy is sent to a printer for exhibition catalogues to be produced. Once exhibition details are finalised an official opening is scheduled with invitations sent to the press and other interested parties. Delivery of artworks to the gallery is arranged by the gallery using a number of reliable carriers.
Once the exhibition is underway, any sales of artworks are recorded. A deposit is required from the buyer, and at the end of the exhibition an invoice is prepared for the balance outstanding. Artworks are only handed over when full payment is received. Receipts are issued for deposits and for final payments. The gallery's commission is calculated and deducted from the amount which is paid to the artists for their works which have been sold.