Algonquin Homes: New Home Builder in Eastern Ontario

Case Study: Algonquin Homes

Long Answers:

Read the following case study and answer the questions that follow:

Algonquin Homes is a new home builder in Eastern Ontario. They specialize in detached homes on larger lots with quality finishes. They currently have 3 communities that they are building; Westgrove, Apple Hills and Wild Meadow. Each community has a site plan which shows the location of the community within the larger region, the location of each lot in the community including a lot number, and the street names and addresses within that community. Each of these communities has a different number of lots for sale. A number of model homes are available to be built on a lot. Larger lots will allow for a home with a three car garage, while smaller ones will allow only a two car garage. Each model has a number and a name. Each lot has a lot number and lot dimensions – metres wide by metres long. Sometimes, a community sells out fast leaving only 2 or 3 lots unsold. In this case, the builder can reduce the base price of the lot and model home as an incentive to make the sale. The community layout must also show the location of any municipal boxes such as bell, hydro, etc. on the lots in question. The layout must also show the location of sidewalks, if any, again on the lots in question. The models have specific names: Merseyside, Hawthorne, Sierra, Keystone, Briarwood, Kensington, etc. Each model has a specific floor plan image associated with it. It also has details: total square footage, number of bedrooms, number of full bathrooms, number of half bathrooms, room types such as kitchen, eating area, great room, den, mudroom, master bedroom, bedroom 1, bedroom 2, bedroom 3, laundry (stacked, main floor, 2nd floor or basement), dimensions for each room, garage type such as 2 car, 3 car, oversized, model type such as 2 storey or bungalow. Each home has a choice of 2 elevations; elevation A and elevation B.

An elevation shows what the front of the house will look like when finished with windows, doors, porch, garage, overhangs, etc. It also shows the materials used. Elevation A has a stone front with large combination windows. Elevation 2 has vinyl siding and separate window units. The colours of the brick, siding, garage door, front door and the shutters is standardized in a set of 5 designs that are provided by the builder. A buyer chooses one elevation type (A or B) and one design for their home. The stone elevation (Elevation A) is more expensive than the siding one so that cost is added to the base price of the home. All of these details, for each purchased home, must be tracked by the builder using a system. Each model on a particular lot has a total base price, such as $650,000. The features of the base price are noted with each model for ease of buyer understanding; such as rooms with carpeting, rooms with vinyl flooring, 8 foot ceilings, laminate countertops etc. A buyer has the option to upgrade a number of the home’s features. The cost of these upgrades is added to the base price of the home. The upgrade cost is a flat dollar value. All of these upgrades must be documented and recorded in the system for the specific model home on that lot. The system must allow for ease of selection for the various upgrades for the model in question.

Currently the builder, Algonquin Homes, tracks everything manually for their new homes sales system. Their desire is to build an information system which improves the process. The new system must be able to track the communities and the locations of the various lots within these communities, including which model of home will be built on which lot in which community. These details include images of the lots within the communities. All home upgrade options that a buyer may select must be tracked by the new system. All input, whether buyer profile, types of model homes, upgrade options, etc. must be controlled by Algonquin employees. Algonquin must also be able to create profiles for the various buyers of the homes, including details on the financial institution that is providing the mortgage to the buyer and a profile for the lawyer that the buyer is using. Algonquin must also be able to create a profile for their company lawyers. Reports such as completed agreements, Pending agreements, lots sold, amount they are sold, who they are sold to, lots pending sale, lots for reduced sale, homes ready by construction date, etc. must be able to be created and stored using the new system.

Answer the following questions.

1. Conduct a requirements analysis and write a brief description of the problem that Algonquin is trying to solve. Provide a summarized systems requirements specification for the project. Your requirements analysis must be based upon the details of this case study and not on a generic real estate sales system.

2. Name 5 project team members that will be working on the project identified in the case study, and clearly describe the responsibilities of each team member and why they are important in this particular project.

3. Explain what approach or system development methodology that you would deploy in developing the proposed system for Algonquin, and why would you choose to deploy this approach in this particular project.

4. Following the Principles of User Interface Design as discussed in class, describe how you would design the user interface for the new system by applying each of the six principles of user interface design.

5. Summarize the 10 knowledge areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and explain how each of these areas can be applied to this particular systems development project.