KUMASI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND

TECHNOLOGY
COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

TOPIC
AN ASSET MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE FOR THE ESTATE
DEPARTMNET

A PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF HIGHER NATIONAL
DIPLOMA (HND) IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

BY
RICHARD NARH
(051500707)
AND

HANNAH ADUSEI

(0515OO669)

JUNE, 2018
 PROJECT MARKING SHEET

Index Number of Student: …………………………

Title:

Name of marker: Signed: ……………….

Total Mark Awarded (%):

Signature of HOD: …………………… Date:

SPECIFIC ASSESSMEMNT FEATURES:

Criteria Description Maximum Mark

Mark Awarded
Review of related work 10

Understanding the subject area 10

Content (70%) Clarity and depth of project description 10

Complexity of the project 10

Quality of the software (or device), design and style 10

Appropriate use of data structures, algorithm or design 10

principles

Appropriate use of tools, libraries, existing code and etc 10

Balance of detail 5
Organisation and
Structure of the Logically developed structure 5
report (20%)
Correct citation of sources 5

Lay out of sections and subsection 5

Style of Writing Grammar 5

Style and
presentation (10%) Length (At least 5000 words) 5

Total 100

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 DECLARATION

We hereby declare that this project was undertaken by us and that it was the record of our own
investigation and under a supervision of a lecturer. It has neither been in part nor in whole that
has been presented for another Higher National Diploma (HND) elsewhere. References that are
cited are greatly acknowledged.

……………………………… ……………………………………..

RICHARD NARH DATE

…………………………………… . ……………………………………

HANNAH ADUSEI DATE

…………………………………… ..…………………………………….

MR. ERIC YAW AGBEZUGE DATE

(SUPERVISOR)

…………………………………… ………………………………………

DR. MARY OPOKUA ANSONG DATE

(HEAD OF COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT)

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We humbly thank the Almighty God, our creator, our strong pillar, our source of inspiration,
wisdom, knowledge and understanding. He made us brilliant and has been the source of our
strength throughout this program and on His wings, have we soared high in Excellency in the
institution.

We would like to also express a deep sense of gratitude and thanks to our supervisor, without his
wise counsel and able guidance, it would have been impossible to complete the report in this
manner. We finally, express another gratitude and appreciation to our families and the
departmental members of Computer Science. We our indebted to all whosoever have contributed
in this project work and making us have a friendly stay in Kumasi Technical University. There
are others we might have failed to mention here due to lack of space. To all these people, we owe
you a huge debt of appreciation. God bless us all.

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 ABSTRACT

There are differences in the ways in which institutions keep records of their ASSET, some opt
for record keeping in files, others in hard covered books and it has got its pros and cons. With
the growth in information handling, technology has proven to be the efficient way of keeping
records for a very long time, without damage or theft. For example, some of these records are
bucked up and kept on the cloud (online servers e.g. google drive). Used assets, unused assets
(damaged assets), asset location etc. are easily accessible and retrieved at ease with the help of
a software. Unlike the previous style where, if a file/book is misplaced then valuable records
are lost, reports on asset are difficult to produce upon request by management. Thanks to
technology that has resolved this difficult method of asset management.

This study analyzed the digital way of asset record handling with optimum efficiency. The
digital way of asset management will make work very easy for the asset department, in
registering asset, report generation, asset allocation, tracking asset etc.

This study analyzed the digital way of asset record handling with optimum efficiency. The
digital way of asset management will make work very easy for the asset department, in
registering asset, report generation, asset allocation, tracking asset etc. Asset records can be
kept for a very long time, improving the value of investment made and optimizing the use of
asset. With the software (AMS), staffs in the institution handles asset records in an efficient
way. With all these integrations/functions in the system, we have been able to meet our goal.

In our further research, we discovered diverse kinds of asset and its related management
methods. For example, Natural Asset Management, Cultural Asset Management, Human
Asset Management. These are some of the respective management methods: Fire Lines,
Cultural Asset Mapping, Human Asset Evaluation etc. We also found out that a structured
asset management system must provide information about both the short-term and long-term
impacts of allocating different amounts of resources among those activities.

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This system makes it easier for staff to keep records. Assets can be registered and their
locations tracked using asset code, damaged asset are also recorded and tracked with asset
codes. The weakness of the system that it cannot receive SMS notification of complains.

The system is robust, the main purpose of the Asset Management System is record keeping,
asset allocation, report generation and complain handling.

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Table of contents

PROJECT MARKING SHEET……………….……………………………………………... i

DECLARATION……………………………………………………………………………... ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................................... iii

ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................iv-v

TABLE OF CONTENT .....................................................................................................vi-viii

CHAPTER ONE …………………………………………………………………………. 1

1.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Aim of the project ........................................................................................................... 2

1.3 Objective of the project …………………………………………………………………2

1.4 Problem Statement ....................................................................................................... 2-3

1.5 Scope of Project. ............................................................................................................. 3

1.6 Significant of the Study ………………………………………………………………... 3

1.7 Tools for Development ………………………………………………………………... 4

CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................ 5

2.0 Assets Management and Service.................................................................................... 5

2.1 Introduction …………………………………………………………………………. 5- 6

2.2 Terminologies and Explanations …………………………………………………...... 6 – 9

2.3 Methods, Processes and Challenges …………………………………………………10 -13

2.4 Assets Categories ……………………………………………………………………14 – 29

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2.5 Development Tools ……………………………………………………….......... 30 – 33

CHAPTER THREE ......................................................................................................... 34

3.1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………….................. 34

3.2 Characteristics of the System …………………………………………………........... 34

3.3 Analysis Model …………………………………………………………………. 34 – 35

3.4 The Methodology ………………………………………………………………......... 35

3.5 Waterfall Model ………………………………………………………………… 35 – 36

3.6 System Architecture …………………………………………………………………. 37

3.7 The back end of the System …………………………………………...………… 38 – 50

3.8 Design Methodology …………………………………………………….………51 – 67

CHAPTER FOUR............................................................................................................... 68

4.0 System Implementation and Testing.............................................................................. 68

4.1 Structure of Source Folder ……………………………………………………… 68 – 70

4.2 System Interfaces ………………………………………………………………...70 – 80

4.3 Testing the Implemented System …………………………………………...........81 – 83

CHAPTER FIVE................................................................................................................84

5.0 Introduction ...........................................................................................................…….84

5.1 Summary of the work......................................................................................................84

5.2 Analysis of the Implemented System .............................................................................84

5.3 Strengths of the System...................................................................................................84

5.4 Limitation of the System .........................................................................……………...85

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5.5 Conclusion..................................................................................................................... 85

5.6 Future Work ……………………………………………………………………...........85

REFERENCE ………………………………………………………………………. 86 – 87

APPENDIX …………………………………………………………………………......... 88

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 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
The Estate department is so far one of the largest department in Kumasi Technical
University. Under this department, there are sub departments (sections) which are the
Assets and services management section, Environmental and sanitation management
section and the Maintenance section.
Asset management aids businesses in maximizing the return on every investment. When
you rely on asset management to inform purchase decisions and stay on top of ongoing
maintenance, you will get more life out of your expensive assets. Additionally, by
improving assets utilization across the workforce, workflows become more efficient and
production increases. The elimination or reduction of waste from lost or stolen assets is
also reduced.
Finally, asset management enables the efficient scheduling of shared assets across
departments, reducing the need to purchase duplicate assets unnecessarily.
The assets and services section: this section deals, mainly with the management of assets.
Their main aim is to make sure the assets in their possession are properly cared for. Assets
are economic resources or useful or valuable things. They also submit budget covering
items needed from other departments. Examples of some assets the estate department
oversee are furniture, vehicles, plant and machinery and buildings (facilities) in the
university.
When equipment is delivered, it is received, at the store. Assets and Service Manager will
then be able to run a query that shows equipment have been received. The equipment will
then be located and the property tag number label will be affixed to the equipment.
Assets given out to workers will be handled by Asset Management. Assets Management
provides details such as equipment description, date, etc. Property tag number will be
assigned to equipment and entered into a file manually.
Departments notify Asset Management when they need equipment. The department will
provide documentation on the equipment needed and allocation. Asset Management will
assign a property tag number label and enter into a file manually.

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The assets and services management are responsible for allocating Bangalore for staffs of
the institution. Before any Bangalore will be allocated to any staff a form has to be filled
and filed out completely, if not it will be returned to be completed before it can be given
out.
Some of the services under this section cover utilities (water, telephone, electricity etc.). It
is also recorded manually and also sometimes into a spreadsheet.
These are possible questions asked:
 How are assets information recorded?
 How are assets tracked?
 How can the system help in assets and services management?

1.2 AIM OF THE PROJECT

A user friendly desktop application to handle record keeping in the estate department, and
to track location of assets in the institution. A longer term approach to management of
asset, improving the value of investment made. A greater focus on managing staff
expectations.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

Create a system to keep records of assets in a database, and to track assets allocation.
Again a database to keep records of damage and healthy equipment in the department and
also keep records of workers who run shift and those on leave.

1.4 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Many staff workers at the estate department have been finding it difficult working with the
manual way of recording events that happens on campus. A current study at the department
shows that almost half of the staff is not happy using the manual way of recordings.
National service personnel at the estate department without experience will have to rely on
professional advice when working with the manual method which could end in a wrong
decision with unexpected consequences. Staff members with experience can also find it
difficult if there is a slight change in the manual method of recordings. The selection of a

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suitable estate management system is one of the most significant problems in the industrial
sector. The need for selecting and using a suitable estate management system for a
particular project, together with the increase of different management systems, calls for
more organized methods of selection. To do this, decision criteria and factors related to the
selection of estate management methods and their properties must be carefully identified,
evaluated, and examined.

These problems can be solved by:

Developing a system for the Assets and Service Section.
With the help of a database application, records can be kept in a very powerful Relational
Database Management System for Data Handling.

1.5 SCOPE OF PROJECT

The project will be focused precisely on the Estate Department because this department
practically oversees whatever goes on in the university. This department was selected
because of its large concentration. This project will make things easier for the staff in their
day to day activities. The scope of the project will be limited to staff in the estate
department and other department in the institution. The system will be tested for its
efficiency. The objective of the scope is to manage the assets in the estate such as
computers, air conditioners, mowers etc. and to keep records of it. The management of
utilities in the institution such as electricity and water bills will be recorded. Finally, the
service of the venders, their space allocation, the type of food they sell and rotational shift
will be recorded in the database.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

i. This project will make work easier for the staff of Estate Management Department in
their recordings of day to day activities.
ii This project will help the staff of Estate Management Department to communicate with
their staff in the section under the estate department and also other departments in the
institution.

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1.7 TOOLS FOR DEVELOPMENT
These are the necessary materials needed to develop this application: MySQL Server, Java
Programming Language, NetBeans IDE, Jasper iReport and Windows Platform.

MySQL Server, this is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS)

for data handling, we chose this database system because it is free, it’s very fast, reliable,
easy to use and run on multiple platforms. And also the Java Programming Language, It
is a general-purpose computer programming language that is concurrent, class-
based, object-oriented etc. Java is our core language for this project because of its VM
(Virtual Machine) making it a platform independent, thus it runs on all platforms. In
addition, NetBeans IDE (Integrated Development Environment) support java. The
NetBeans Platform allows applications to be developed from a set of modular software
components called modules. This IDE is favorable for this project because of its simple UI
(user Interface) implementations, support Jasper iReport Designer and it’s also the core
IDE for java desktop applications. Lastly, the Jasper iReport Designer is also a very
suitable graphical design tool for creating reports in java. It helps to design reports to meet
the most complex reporting demands in java. It is built on the NetBeans platform and is
available as a standalone application or as a Netbeans plug-in. It’s compatibility with
NetBeans and java programming language makes it the best design tool for this
application and finally the application will be developed on a windows platform.
The windows environment is the friendliest and easy-to-get or common operating system
for this task and it is also compatible with the above mentioned tools.

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 ASSETS MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES

2.1 INTRODUCTION
An early, comprehensive, adoption of the term, Asset management‖ in the engineering
profession was during privatization of water in Great Britain in the 1980s. in order to
establish equitable pricing, privatizes had to develop detailed asset management plans,
identifying how they would ensure the maximum return on public investment, already
made in the infrastructure of the utilities they were to acquire.
Asset management is a management paradigm and a body of management practices that is
applied to the entire portfolio of assets at all levels of an organization that seeks to
minimize the total cost of acquiring, operating, maintaining and renewing the assets within
an environment of limited resources while continuously delivering the service levels
customers desire and regulators require at an acceptable level of business risk to the
organization. [1]
Asset Management System is a web based application, which is indispensable for all
organizations and with an intention of putting the details about all the machinery working
in the different assembly lines of a big factory. The Asset management system is primarily
implemented in a plant which has multiple assembly lines with heavy machinery working
in that. [2]
Alternatively, an asset may be described as an entity which has the capability to create and
sustain value while in current use, or that which appreciates in value because of perceived
capability to create value in future use. The first part of the alternative descriptions relates
more to (tangible) physical assets whereas the second part reasonably applies to intangible
assets such as tacit knowledge. [3]
However, a tangible (Physical objects such as land, plant, machinery) asset may be
classified as a financial or a physical entity. Financial assets typically refer to stocks,
bonds, and similar instruments, whereas from an accounting ‘point-of-view, physical assets
fall into four broad categories - (i) plant and equipment, (ii) buildings and infrastructure,
(iii) furniture and fittings, and (iv) information technology or may be categorized into fixed
Assets, Current Assets and other Assets. [3]

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In fact, there are a number of definitions for physical asset management. The view here is
that it should be about creating and sustaining value, during each respective stage, and
through all the life-cycle stages of an asset. Physical asset management involves a wide
range of disciplines and processes covering the life-cycle stages of creating, establishing,
exploiting and divesting a physical asset in a balanced manner to satisfy the continuum of
constraints imposed by business strategy, economy, ergonomics, technical and operational
integrity, and regulatory compliance. Maintenance and terotechnology (is a term that is
sometimes used to account for the life-cycle cost of an asset) are among the core
competencies that form the necessary capabilities for physical asset management.
However, the impact of maintenance and terotechnology are transparent from a cost- rather
than from a value-chain perspective. [3]

2.2TERMINOLOGIES AND EXPLANATIONS

These are some terminologies and principles used in assets management, it may not
include all but has the necessary points on the subject. As every company, institution or
organization has assets in diverse form, example, tangible and physical, human assets etc.

Assets Management Paradigm

The capacity to produce output of value to the institution is directly related to sustained
performance of the assets using the process of triple bottom line evaluation of the
services provided, utilizing environmental, social and economic analysis.
Also, failures in the asset base directly affect system performance. Sustained system
performance is the result of successfully managing failure within the asset base. The
management of failure in the asset base is highly constrained by cost; that is, the institution
body is not willing to pay for zero likelihood of failure. Different assets have different
probabilities of failure, as determined by age, materials and assembly processes, operating
environment, demand/usage and maintenance. Failures vary substantially in their
consequence to the institution, that is, in terms of the production of valued output to the
institution.

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However, investment in assets (their acquisition, operation, maintenance, renewal and
disposal) should be guided by the likelihood of failure and its consequence to the
institution and regulator. The more we understand about the assets - the demand for the
assets, their condition and remaining useful life, their risk and consequence of failure, their
feasible renewal options (repair, refurbish, replace) and the cost of those options - the
higher the confidence we can have that our investment decisions are indeed the lowest life
cycle cost strategies for sustained performance at a level of risk the institution is willing to
accept.

The Three Key Principles in Asset Management [4]

There are three key principles used by some companies in asset management and these are:
 Asset Management Policy
 Strategic Asset Management Plan
 Asset Management Plan

Assets Management Policy

The asset management policy is a short document, typically not extending more than a
single page. The asset management policy highlights key principles and requirements that
the organization must follow for implementing and sustaining an asset management
strategy and defining the asset management objectives.
These principles and requirements are derived from the organization’s strategic plan and
should directly support the achievement of the organization’s key objectives. These
principles and requirements could be;
 All decisions relating to asset management shall be formally assessed against risk and
economic outcomes.
 Maintain assets in a manner that ensures they meet the life cycle requirements.
 Ensure adequate resources are provided to achieve the asset management objectives.

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 The asset management policy sets the stage for the asset management program for the
entire organization. As such, it should be reviewed and approved at the highest levels of
the organization, and communicated and displayed with all other organizational policies,
such as quality, safety, etc.

Strategic Asset Management Plan

AKA the SAMP is a key document which takes the asset management policy and specifies
how the principles and requirements will be carried out to achieve the goals of the
organization.
Depending on the size of the organization the asset management policy may be combined
with the SAMP. This is typically found in smaller organizations or organizations without a
complex asset portfolio.
The SAMP will describe;
 the asset management objectives and how they support the organizational objectives
 the role of the asset management program in achieving the organizational goals
 the approach for developing asset management plans
The document summarizes a variety of additional information related to asset management at
the strategic level. This includes, but is not limited to;
 The asset management framework
 What assets will be covered by the asset management program
 The organization context and the need for an asset management system
 The risks and opportunities associated with asset management
 The asset management planning process provides a summary of the approach to selecting
the objectives
 A documented approach to achieving the asset management objectives. This may include
decision-making criteria, the analysis techniques used or RACIs
 The specific asset management objectives
 Any specific asset management initiatives that could impact the asset management
program
 Any measures that the asset management program will be reviewed against.

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The overall goal of the SAMP is to provide clear direction, accountability, and responsibility
for all those involved in the asset management program.

Asset Management Plan

The asset management plan (AMP) is where the rubber meets the road. It describes in detail
the activities, resources, and timelines required for a specific asset, or class of assets, to
achieve the asset management objectives.
In smaller organizations, or those with simple asset portfolios, a single AMP may be used,
whereas large organizations with multiple business units and asset classes may have an AMP
for each type of asset.
The AMP will typically include;
 information on the asset or asset class such as a description of the asset(s), the roles of the
asset(s), the criticality, quantity or assets, the geographical distribution, and the
replacement value of the asset(s)
 information on the stakeholders which will have an impact on the asset(s) and who is
generally responsible for what
 the current performance and service levels of the asset(s) and any gaps to the desired level
of performance
 any life limiting factors of the asset(s) such as age, design, capacity, etc.
 any specific environmental, health and safety or regulatory requirements of the asset(s)
 the lifecycle strategy for the asset(s) in all phases, such as acquisition, operation,
maintenance, and disposal.
 a summary of the budget requirements for the asset(s) to maintain, operate and any
CAPEX requirements
 any asset specific risks, and any measures to reduce the risk
 any improvement initiatives across the asset(s)
Upon the conclusion of reading the AMP, anyone should know how exactly the specific asset
or asset class will be managed over its entire life cycle and the current state of the asset(s).

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2.3 METHODS, PROCESSES AND CHALLENGES
Challenges of Computer-Based Asset Management System
Developing a custom application is a large sophisticated project from the idea stage to the
finished product and it takes a whole lot of time, money and requires a team of experts,
when developing a software, one normally has the user or users in mind, but once well
developed, it can be used for several other purpose the developer never thought of. Custom
application requires good planning and structure to prevent great ideas from turning to
helpless catastrophe.
In addition, a structured asset management system must provide information about both the
short-term and long-term impacts of allocating different amounts of resources among those
activities. Additionally, an agency manages many different types of resources, and the
structured asset management system should show the impact of limitations on the different
amounts of the various types of resources. These impacts should be expressed in terms of
performance measures. Programs developed during the planning stage are delivered and
periodically evaluated by the agency. Results from program delivery are monitored using
performance measures to quantify the asset management program’s effectiveness and to
allow timely corrective actions as needed.

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Figure 1.1

Components of an Asset Management System

An asset management system undertakes several procedures, enhancing different
components, tools, and activities. Asset management systems provide decision makers
with tools for evaluating probable effects of alternative decisions. These tools develop
decision support information from quantitative data regarding the agency’s resources,
current condition of physical assets, and estimations of their current value. According to
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), to effectively support the asset
management process, an asset management system should include (FHWA 1999):
 strategic goals;
 inventory of assets;
 valuation of assets;
 quantitative condition and performance measures;
 measures of how well strategic goals are being met;
 usage information;
 performance-prediction capabilities;
 relational databases to integrate individual management systems;

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 consideration of qualitative issues;
 links to the budget process;
 engineering and economic analysis tools;
 useful outputs, effectively presented; and
 Continuous feedback procedures.
These asset management elements can be grouped into five major building blocks: basic
information, performance measures, needs analysis, program analysis, and program
delivery. In detail the individual components of each building block, providing a
comprehensive view of an asset management system. Asset management is a goal-driven
management process. To manage assets effectively, the decision-making process must be
aligned with the agency’s goals, objectives, and policies. Goals are expressed in terms of
objectives to be met over the planning horizon. Policies are developed to provide the
necessary framework to support achieving target objectives. Policies regarding engineering
standards, economic development, community interaction, political issues, administration
rules, and the agency’s organizational structure influence asset management components.

Performance Modeling
Performance models are used to predict future scenarios for the asset network. Projecting
the asset network condition over the planning horizon serves to identify future funding
needs. Appropriate selection of performance models is essential to effective asset
management. The selection of performance models is based on the types of assets being
managed and the data available in the agency’s data inventory to support the models.

Action and Funding Analysis

Actions considered in the strategy require funding. Funding analysis involves forecasting
the impact of investment strategies on the asset network. This impact is assessed by
analyzing changes in performance measures used by the agency.

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Alternative Analysis Methodologies
Program analysis implies studying different alternatives that may be feasible for
implementation. Analytical tools are developed to assist agencies evaluating the
implications of different investment scenarios and work plan strategies. “What if” analyses
are usually performed to assess the impact of alternative management decisions? This type
of analysis is difficult, if not impossible, without the assistance of analytical tools.
Analytical tools to assist evaluating alternative decisions may involve simulation, life-
cycle costing, benefit/cost analysis, database query, optimization, risk analysis, and other
methodologies. Decision-support tools to assist an agency’s personnel in identifying needs
and comparing investment alternatives are essential in the asset management process.

Performance Monitoring
Monitoring the asset performance over the planning horizon serves to assess whether the
desired level of service is being accomplished or not. Performance monitoring requires
tracking performance over time, which allows the agency to detect changes in the asset
condition and to take necessary corrective actions if needed. The desired level of service
targeted by the agency may also be adjusted based on results from implementation.

Feedback
Feedback is an essential activity to maximize the agency’s benefits from an asset
management system. The asset management system should be capable of incorporating
lessons learned from monitoring the ongoing process. Goals, objectives, and the agency’s
policies may be adjusted based on feedback from implementation. However, great care
should be taken before modifying core components of the system. Frequent modifications
can damage its credibility. Major modifications to the system, including changes in
database requirements, prediction models, economic analysis techniques, and reporting
tools, deserve careful evaluation. Minor changes that simplify the flow of information in
the process are preferred. Particularly preferred are those changes that provide better
means of accomplishing the agency’s objectives without disturbing ongoing activities.

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2.4 ASSET CATEGORIES
I. Human Asset
The most important asset at your company isn’t something you can put your hands on. It
isn’t equipment or the physical plant, and it isn’t data, technology, or intellectual property.
The most valuable part of your company is the people, the human capital, and any plans to
move your business forward have to start there. Yet today’s business leaders are often
running a full-time sprint just to keep up with the day-to-day demands of business. This
means that human capital, the single most important asset a company needs to take the
next step in growth and innovation is often under used, or under developed. In fact, only 32
percent of global leaders are confident their organization has the necessary leadership
talent and skills to achieve their strategic goals, according to a recent Harvard Business
Publishing Survey of global professionals. [5]

An article written by Martin Allen (a software professional and industry driven in the
British Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy). Allen placed emphasis on the fact that
humans are a very important asset in an industry and must not be looked down upon.
Example he hammered on why humans are a great asset in the software industry, how
human assets are evaluated and enhance to boom production.

Adam Smith
Adam Smith Widely recognized as the “father of modern economics, in his seminal book,
“The Wealth of Nations,” included both tangible assets (machines, buildings, and land) and
humans as essential wealth-generating resources. Our present high technology industries
are eager to invest in and protect their tangible assets (such as computer networks), but the
modern accountancy paradigm forces the view of an employee as merely a cost. Humans
are indeed primary assets.

Adam Smith and I (Martin Allen) share more than nationality, we both believe that
humans are key assets in the pursuit of economically favorable results. For more years than
I care to admit to, I have held a strong conviction that substantial and sustainable advances
in industrial-scale software engineering will not come from new tools or programming

14
languages, they will not emerge from the hyperbole surrounding heavyweight or
lightweight processes; they will not come from accruing quality badges or collecting
metrics, and they will not arrive via a modeling notation (such as the Unified Modeling
Language). The potential for improvement is the most that various software tools,
techniques, and initiatives can ever deliver. Substantive progress has been and will
continue to be a direct consequence of employing software professionals and providing
them with a suitable environment in which to operate. Competent personnel are an
organization’s pivotal assets. Having an appropriately trained software workforce has a
double-edged effect. Educated teams focus on productive work, shared knowledge and
experience, give them the cohesion with which to address the intellectual tasks that
comprise engineering. Equally significant is that teams spend less time evaluating and
correcting substandard software artifacts simply because these are produced in negligible
quantities by competent engineers. While there is a widespread fallacy that technical issues
are the primary source of project woes, people aspects seem to dominate the most
expensive project disasters. Without a doubt, the majority of perceived difficulties are
simply symptomatic of intrinsic people factors (politics is a popular euphemism for these).
To quote from the influential book, “Peopleware”: For the overwhelming majority of the
bankrupt projects we studied, there was not a single technological issue to explain the
failure ... The major problems of our work are not so much technological as sociological in
nature. [6]

Particularly in knowledge economies, the success or failure of technology programs hinges

on assessing capabilities and recognizing the needs of the engineering teams. To this end, I
have generated seven human-centric rules for software development organizations to
adhere to:
 Rule 1: The main causal factors of project success, mediocrity, or failure should be
recognized as human and organizational, not technological.
 Rule 2: Professionalism and software engineering competence should be assessed
objectively and encouraged proactively by senior management.

15
 Rule 3: The number and seniority of software professionals employed within an
organization should be commensurate with the magnitude and criticality of the required
software systems.
 Rule 4: Organizations should provide an environment conducive to the intellectual
task.
 Rule 5: Management should recognize its primary functions are to attract, motivate,
facilitate, and retain talent. Teams should be given an identity, a vision, and quality
goals.
 Rule 6: Teams should be organized with respect to member strengths and
competencies.
 Rule 7: Dependable sources of knowledge should be provided in the form of textbooks
and training materials. Readers familiar with my May/June 2009 CrossTalk article will
recognize two of these rules. Attention was also drawn to three essential ingredients of
software development called the 3Ps: people, products, and processes [7].

Human Asset Evaluation

Not all assets are of equal value; so too can be said of human assets. The process of
evaluation for most assets is based fundamentally on attributes and objective criteria, with
a variable dash of subjectivity on top. Houses with identical specifications and locations
(objective) can have different valuations due to the varying attraction of the décor
(subjective). Likewise, diamonds of the same number of carats (objective) can have
different valuations due to their luster (subjective). When assessing the value of human
assets, we can follow a similar scheme. The main objective criteria for evaluating
professional (software) engineers are:
 Qualifications/education.
 Formal training.
 Experience.
If necessary, qualifiers can be used to turn these into quantitative criteria consider the
applicability, duration, and timeliness of each criterion. For example, a relevant degree
is very valuable; if my experience is typical, this has shaped an engineer’s aptitude
from an early age. Subjective criteria, sometimes referred to as soft skills, may include:

16
 Communication ability.
 Attitude/commitment.
 Adaptability.
 Assertiveness.

Decent soft skills are particularly relevant where team interaction and influence are
important. One may expect the formality of an employee evaluation scheme to vary with
respect to the industry and the criticality of the application. With safety related software
systems in Europe, the range of individual and team competence is unacceptably wide. In
recent years, I have had the pleasure of working alongside competent professionals with
the requisite qualifications, training, and experience. I have also worked in critical
environments where, clearly, the engineers lacked even basic skills. Some years ago, I was
involved in an initiative to introduce a competence assessment scheme into a safety-related
industry sector. A significant number of managers and engineers were unwilling to take
part in the scheme until the objective criteria had been replaced by subjective criteria.
Those same people would probably balk at the idea of being passengers on an airplane
flown by a pilot who was not trained, but who had a pleasant voice over the speaker.
Unfortunate as it seems, adopting formal employee evaluation or competence assessment
schemes is like diet and exercise we need it to stay fit and healthy, but doing the things that
are best for us is not always easy. For safety-related systems, the British Health and Safety
Executive have published guidelines for introducing a competence management system
[8].
Could the certification of software engineering professionals be the answer (or part of the
answer) in establishing competence? As is often the case when challenged to answer a
software engineering question, we rely on respected sources of knowledge such as
CrossTalk. Perhaps, surprisingly, there is a lack of information on professional
certification; the obvious conclusion is that certification is at least an unpopular subject, or
even taboo. Without a doubt, there are leading academics and practicing professionals who
are concerned about the efficacy of certification programs. The core of the IEEE’s
Certified Software Development Associate and Professional efforts [9], the Software
Engineering Body of Knowledge, has been criticized, for example, its ability to encompass

17
all application domains is questionable. However, my own experiences (in various industry
sectors in Europe) show a multitude of people, particularly in technical leadership roles,
which would be fearful of successful certification initiatives that could expose their
shallow grasp of a deep discipline. Perhaps there are less formal and more palatable ways
of assessing an engineer’s competence. For instance, I have assembled a portfolio from the
many projects I have worked on. This collection includes samples of requirements
specifications, architectural designs, test specifications, process definitions, presentations,
lists of technical books read and owned, etc. This gives me the ability to show someone the
level of my experience and ability; yet, having a portfolio is far from common in our
industries and it receives very mixed reactions. As DeMarco and Lister suggest, “It would
be ludicrous to think of hiring a juggler without first seeing him perform” [6].

On the topic of hiring competent staff, professionals must be dismayed at the high
proportion of job advertisements, over a substantial period, focused on low-caliber skills.
For instance, experiences with a specific programming language or a particular
requirements management or design tool are often cited as essential skills. With regard to
requirements, the major skill is always in the specification: Tool proficiency can inject
quality into requirements management, not the specification thereof. A skilled engineer
will be trained to specify atomic, consistent, structured, and testable requirements; Wilson
provides a synopsis on requirements specification in [10].

Similarly, with design tools, and to quote Grady Booch, “CASE [Computer Assisted
Software Engineering] tools have allowed merely bad designers to produce bad designs
more quickly” [11].

The absolute fixation by whole industry sectors on programming language experience is a

continuing embarrassment. There is an ever-present concern in our profession that the
wrong categories of skills are encouraged and valued. Judging from the feedback I
received from my previous article, the most contentious areas were the rules and the
section dealing with people—specifically, the contrasting behavior between professionals
and amateurs. For a comparison, see

18
Characteristics of Software Professionals versus Amateurs

The Professional Practitioner The Amateur or Hobbyist

Views the overall task as an Describes the overall task as an art or
engineering discipline. craft.
Promotes a holistic life-cycle view. Holds an implementation, coding bias.

Places emphasis on the application or Places emphasis on the technical detail of

problem domain, and present the solution domain to the detriment of
architectural solutions. the customer or user.
Learns principally from published Learns principally by emulating
engineering literature. colleagues.
Encourages compliance with Prefers improvised, local procedures.
industry standards.
Employs quality criteria to manage Manages projects via schedule alone
projects.
Conveys an outward, discipline Conveys an inward, project focus.
focus.
Exhibits a balanced approach to risk. Adopt a naïve approach to risk.

Table 1

We can take one of the divergences between these groups of people and analyze it further.
Consider a sliding scale with art at one end and science at the other. If, by a process of task
analysis, we conclude that the creative nature of software engineering and its resilience to
practical mathematical proof places it nearer art than science, we must pause for thought.
Good literature is founded on the discipline of strict linguistic standards (e.g., punctuation,
spelling, and grammar), whereas music is founded on structures for tone, rhythm, and
notation. History has proven, therefore, that discipline has released creativity, not stifled it:
Discipline is as elemental to an artist, writer, or musician as it is to an engineer. When a
student receives a classical education in software engineering, this indoctrinates a view of,
and an approach to, the discipline that is not just different from common practices,

19
perceptions, and mythology, it is diametrically opposed. The gap between professional and
amateur is not a gap, it is a chasm. Therefore, in comparative arithmetic terms, it is ludicrous
to assume that 10 untrained personnel can perform even the work of a solitary professional.
Perhaps this accounts for the 10 to 1 productivity ratio recorded as long ago as 1975 by
Frederick P. Brooks in “The Mythical Man-Month” [12].
In 1980, I was a new graduate working in the British defense industry. I was approached
by a concerned manager who observed, “You appear to be faltering and are not producing
code as quickly as your peers.” No one amongst this large office of software developers
had ever witnessed a qualified and trained softie ratifying and specifying requirements,
devising software architecture, designing the software, defining test cases and recording
test results, as well as generating robust code. Wind the clock forward almost three decades
and, in a high-dependability environment, our team was tasked to review multiple software
requirements specifications produced by untrained personnel. Even with the availability of
practical guidelines, the authors had produced worthless specifications. Combined with the
worst that a bottom-up, functional software architecture has to offer, the project was in an
undesirable state. The real problem in such a scenario is that, again, a group of untrained
people cannot match the actual productivity of one professional. Equally, the majority will
dominate proceedings and a solitary professional will toil to correct the substantial but
substandard output of 10 untrained employees. Lean Engineering is a populist topic,
although it is well-documented that production oriented techniques do not transfer readily
into a (software)
development environment, also known as the make a cheeseburger, sell a cheeseburger
mentality discussed in [6].

However, one of the principles of Lean is the reduction of waste in a production line. In
terms of waste, having non-professional software personnel producing substandard
artifacts is analogous to having an untrained team preparing and then selling raw, frozen
burgers on a bun, with or without the cheese. In order to rectify this and similar waste
issues, an organization may choose to assess the capabilities and training needs of project
personnel, or choose to assess the competence of the management team that appointed and

20
tasked untrained personnel in the first instance. If the economic aspects of the software
engineering life cycle were ever to be modeled, the most significant variables in the
equation would reflect the human knowledge and experience. Then again, the life cycle has
been modeled and the people capability attributes are the most significant. Barry Boehm
identified this truism as early as the 1980s, and it is captured in COCOMO [13].
In addition, there are already significant clues here as to how to assess the value or
competence of software engineering personnel. However, if your organization is still
searching for a magical productivity enhancer, then look to laetrile1 for the futility of
searching for wonder cures, or “easy technological non-solutions” as described fully in
chapter 6 of [6] and again in Brooks’ “No Silver Bullet” chapter in [8].

Human Asset Enhancement

As we know, many assets (like cars) depreciate in value, while others (like real estate)
increase in value, so we maintain, build on, and ensure against loss those appreciating
investments. Humans increase in worth through enhanced knowledge or experience and,
likewise, an organization is prudent to invest time and money on its most precious people
assets as well as to guard against the mishap of their loss. In our competitive technology-
driven markets, companies striving to be the best have to attract, nurture, and retain high
caliber engineers. I remember an organization that purchased each member of its
administrative personnel a top-of-the-line PC and smart laser printer. What happened? The
engineers stopped squabbling over their rented, one-between-five, basic machines and
looked on enviously. In this case, the organization showed a blatant disregard for its
engineers. After this, many resumes were typed into those rented computers, including my
own. When an organization equips all of its people adequately, provides an environment
conducive to the intellectual task of technological development, and supports personnel
growth, it in turn maintains, enhance, and protects
human asset value. Engineers are people, and people need to feel their contributions are
valued. As indicated earlier, staff competence assessment schemes are often viewed
negatively, but suppose such assessments were shown to link directly to an organization’s
development of, and investment in, its people. Therefore, the most effective teams can be
organized on the objective basis of competence rather than on arbitrary and subjective

21
opinions. As initial reluctance gives way to synergy, people will get into strong teams.
Having assembled a strong team of competent professionals, how should it be organized?
Brooks gives sound advice in his “The Surgical Team” [8] chapter. A surgeon and his
surgical assistant perform an operation, while supported by nurses, an anesthesiologist, and
administrative staff. This arrangement compares favorably with the roles of software
architect, software manager, programmers, testers, and an administrator2. Consider the
difference in the structure and formalism within different groups of musicians. A random
collection of musicians can meet for a jam session; without proper direction or sheet music,
the small group can still produce some decent, improvised sounds. Similarly, a small band
of jazz musicians can, given reasonable levels of competence and practice, entertain an
appreciative audience. However, to reach the excellence of a large professional orchestra is
a monumental challenge in systematic coordination, the conductor on the rostrum and the
sheet music are not just for show. For technical teams developing software intensive
systems of systems, the analogy is clear: Systematic and formal coordination is essential.

Having assembled a strong team of competent professionals, how should it be managed?

Consider an environment where managers (verbally) whip teams to meet implausible
milestones; where engineers are forced to cut corners and undermine basic quality criteria;
where training is regarded as an unnecessary expense, and reading a book is considered a
waste of company time; where professional opinions are most unwelcome and people are
expected to just get on with the job; where political mendacity is a substitute for
competence; where knowledge is wielded like a bludgeon with people herded into pens
like cattle; in an office where it is too hot, cold, or noisy for anyone to function efficiently.
In contrast, imagine an environment where people are encouraged to design outstanding
products; where teams and individuals are challenged to excel; an office with shelves
groaning from the weight of books by software gurus; where training is viewed as a
necessity; where professionalism is a given; where diverse opinions are seen as the balance
in an open political culture; where personnel are provided with adequate tools and comfort;
and a place where the organization and staff have mutual goals and aspirations. In
summary, it is as easy to obtain the least value from your human assets as it is to obtain the
most value.

22
Conclusion
The legacies of Adam Smith and Robert Owen are an important reminder to us that people
are at the heart of commercial and social success. In our rapidly changing technological
world, it is worth considering their centuries-old wisdom. Perhaps there is an opportunity
for our organizations to look again at the value, rather than the cost, of their people assets.
When people are viewed truly as vital assets, then investment in them is sure to deliver a
mutually beneficial corporate future. This will, in turn, lead to greater customer
satisfaction.

II. Natural Asset Management

Natural assets to date have been more commonly referred to as natural capital, though the
meaning is the same. The concept of natural capital is used as an economic metaphor for
the limited stocks of physical and biological resources found on earth. A complex web of
biological, chemical, and physical processes produces ecosystem goods and services that
flow like interest or dividends from those stocks, supporting all life on earth and deeply
influencing the quality of human life. Ecosystem goods are the products from natural
capital such as food, fiber, clean air, and water; ecosystem services are the less tangible but
no less significant benefits from ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, water
purification and climate regulation, and non-material benefits such as recreation, aesthetic
and cultural benefits. There are many varying definitions of natural capital, but all revolve
around the main theme of the stock of renewable and non-renewable natural resources that
includes land, water, atmosphere, minerals, plant and animal species, and all living things.
For example, “Natural Capital can be defined as the world’s stocks of natural assets which
include geology, soil, air, water and all living things.” The term ‘capital’ has been
borrowed from the financial sector to describe the value of the resources and ability of
ecosystems to provide flows of goods and services such as water, medicines and food. [14]

23
Fire Management
The role of fire in the world’s vegetation is mixed. In some ecosystems natural fires are
essential to maintain ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity and productivity. Fire is also an
important and widely used tool to meet land management goals. However, every year,
wildfires burn millions of hectares of forest woodlands and other vegetation, causing the
loss of many human and animal lives and an immense economic damage, both in terms of
resources destroyed and the costs of suppression. There are also impacts on society and the
environment, for example, damage to human health from smoke, loss of biological
diversity, release of greenhouse gases, damage to recreational values and infrastructure.
Again, most fires are caused by people. The list of human motivations include land
clearing and other agricultural activities, maintenance of grasslands for livestock
management, extraction of non-wood forest products, industrial development, resettlement,
hunting, negligence and arson.

Further, some key objectives of fire management could be considered:

 Managing the natural assets as effectively and as close as possible to the natural fire
regime, while working in conjunction with the Fire Management Plan (Infrastructure
protection).
 Maintaining burning for ecological purposes in natural areas of campus.
 Create burning regimes that protect fire sensitive communities.
 Protect vine thickets by keeping fire away from vine thickets.

Fire Management Strategies & Tactics

When wildland firefighters are called to action, they immediately assess the situation to
figure out how they can best attack the fire while keeping firefighters safe. When
developing a strategy, a series of questions are addressed, most importantly: What is
burning? The types of fuels involved have a great effect on a fire's behavior. Different
vegetation requires different strategies, based on size, thickness, and dryness. A fire
burning in sagebrush likely will require a different plan of attack than a fire burning in
ponderosa pine trees. What is nearby? The firefighting strategy for a forest or rangeland
fire will differ from that for a fire near structures. Other factors are also important, such as
the presence of people, pets, or livestock. This information is used to choose tactics and to

24
allocate resources in order to save lives, homes, personal property, and valuable natural
resources.

Fire Lines
Next, wildland firefighters usually focus on establishing a fire line. A fire line is a break in
fuels created by removing all vegetation up to an existing barrier. The barrier can be:
 Bare mineral soil
 A natural feature (such as a rock outcrop, creek, or other body of water)
 A constructed surface (such as a road or driveway)
Fire lines are started at an anchor point, usually the coldest part of the fire. The anchor
point ensures a safe barrier between the fire and any unburned vegetation that could ignite
and trap firefighters. The width of a fire line depends on topography, types of fuels, and
weather, all factors that determine fire behavior.
Also, Fire lines often are constructed using hoe dads, shovels, or bulldozers. A prescribed
burn is another method, also called a burn out. Aerial support is another tactic. Helicopters
and air tanks dump fire retardants on the landscape to establish fire lines and protect
structures, not to extinguish flames.
After a fire line has been established, firefighters must ensure that it will keep the fire from
spreading. When it’s windy, wildfires can jump fire lines, requiring firefighters to move to
another location and start building a fire line all over again.

MOPPING UP
Once a fire is securely contained within a fire line, firefighters look for hot spots near the
fire line where vegetation is still burning and extinguish them using water from fire
engines and helicopters. This keeps wind from reigniting and spreading the fire. Ground
crews then move through the burned area with water and hoe dads, turning over every
stump and log to make sure it is cold.
A wildland fire is not considered out until a thorough mop-up has been done and no smoke
has been seen for several days to weeks. Many large wildland fires, especially in
wilderness areas, are not completely extinguished until rain or snow begins to fall. [15]

25
Land Management (Sustainable Land Management)
Sustainable Land Management is a knowledge-based procedure that aims at integrating the
management of land, water, biodiversity, and other environmental resources to meet
human needs while sustaining ecosystem services and livelihoods. The term sustainable
land management is used, for example, in regional planning and soil or environmental
protection but also in property and estate management. The World Bank defines
Sustainable Land Management as a process in a charged environment between
environmental protection and the guarantee claim of ecosystem services on the one hand.
On the other hand, it is about productivity of agriculture and forestry with respect to
demographic growth and increasing pressure in land use. "SLM is defined as a knowledge-
based procedure that helps integrate land, water, biodiversity, and environmental
management (including input and output externalities) to meet rising food and fiber
demands while sustaining ecosystem services and livelihoods.
Now let look at some management practices;
Improper land management can lead to land degradation and a significant reduction in the
productive and service (biodiversity niches, hydrology, carbon sequestration) functions of
watersheds and landscapes." The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE) applies the term in a much wider context. Besides agriculture and forestry, they
include the mineral extraction sector, property and estate management. "Land management
is the process by which the resources of land are put to good effect. It covers all activities
concerned with the management of land as a resource both from an environmental and
from an economic perspective. It can include farming, mineral extraction, property and
estate management, and the physical planning of towns and the countryside." In the course
of national politics and programs only few European states use the terminology
"sustainable land management." Here Australia and New Zealand are to be mentioned as
both countries have agreed on sustainable land management with respect to climate change
as part of their government programs.
In the European context the definition of the European Network for Land Use Management
for Sustainable European Cities (LUMASEC) may be used as a reference.
It emphasizes the inter- and trans disciplinary cooperation on sustainable land
management: "As management is the human activity meaning the action of people working

26
together in the aim to accomplish desired goals, land use management is a process of
managing use and development of land, in which spatial, sector-oriented and temporary
aspects of urban policy are coordinated.
Resources of land are used for different purposes, which may produce conflicts and
competitions, and land use management has to see those purposes in an integrated way.
Therefore, land management covers the debate about norms and visions driving the policy-
making, sector-based planning both in the strategic and more operative time spans, spatial
integration of sectorial issues, decision-making, budgeting, implementation of plans and
decisions and the monitoring of results and evaluation of impacts."

III. Cultural Asset

A cultural asset is something that has value because of its contribution to a community’s
creativity, knowledge, traditions, culture, meaning, and vitality. They can be the places you
visit to express your cultural identity, and/or the resources one uses to pursue a creative
practice. They can be tangible assets such as cultural facilities, specific buildings, or
physical works of art. They can even intangible and temporal things such as annual events,
shared cultural stories, or cultural landmarks and icons that no longer exist. [17]

In recent years, urban planning, arts and culture, economic development, and city
administration have found common ground in a raised awareness of the importance of
culture to a community's livability and prosperity. In fact, cultural vitality is increasingly
referred to as one of the four pillars of sustainability, along with social equity, economic
health, and environmental responsibility.
Numerous cities across North America have begun to leverage cultural assets for attracting
business, investment, and people. Smaller municipalities often have serious challenges in
competing with their larger urban cousins to achieve these kinds of successes. Cultural
asset mapping (CAM) is used to understand and interpret the complex interrelationships of
cultural elements for use in strategic planning and economic development and is scalable
for use in smaller municipalities.

27
Cultural asset mapping has been defined as: "a process of collecting, recording, analyzing,
and synthesizing information in order to describe the cultural resources, networks, links,
and patterns of usage of a given community or group."
However, maps are most often understood as the indispensable tools that help us navigate
our physical world. Cultural asset maps, by representing the spatial relationships between
such things as artists, markets, fairgrounds, heritage sites, and buildings, help tell us about
who we are, based on our unique identity, history, and cherished stories, in other words,
our culture.
In addition, there are two categories for these maps: (1) resource maps, identifying and
recording tangible cultural resources, such as buildings or locations; and, (2) community
identity maps, identifying intangible cultural resources, such as the stories and traditions
that define community identity.
Also cultural resource information that is spatially-based, allows it to be integrated
into municipal projects and land use planning in a number of ways:
 Awareness and marketing - promoting culture with residents and tourists.
 Economic development - targeting or facilitating entrepreneurial investment in creative
cultural industries.
 Planning and policy - informing municipal decision-making relating to land use, social
planning, heritage planning, urban design, and place making.
 Networks and collaboration, facilitating partnerships with cultural groups and
identifying opportunities to maximize assets [18]

Cultural Asset Mapping

Let consider the concept of cultural asset mapping and its approach.
Cultural asset mapping is a foundational step in cultural planning. It identifies a
community’s strengths and resources through the process of inventorying tangible and
intangible cultural assets. Tangible assets include arts and natural heritage resources on
public and private land, including urban design and public art, cultural facilities, cultural
industries, artist networks, cultural festivals and events, cultural occupations, and cultural
organizations. Intangible assets include stories and traditions that contribute to defining a
community’s unique identity and sense of place.

28
In addition, Massachusetts Cultural Council has produced a cultural assets inventory check
list, which identifies cultural assets as including: theaters, museums, movie houses, cultural
centers, art galleries, performance spaces, festivals, farmers’ markets, open studios,
galleries, concerts, walking tours, historic districts, and buildings on the National Historic
Register, artist studios, rehearsal spaces, recording studios, film studios, and creative
economy businesses.

Asset Mapping Approaches

Asset mapping can vary in scope depending on the goals and objectives of the planning
process the mapping exercise intends to inform.
 A comprehensive asset mapping approach takes a broad view of the social, economic,
natural, and organizational arts and cultural conditions in a study area and examines
tangible and intangible arts and culture assets. It utilizes qualitative and quantitative
methods of data collection.
 A storytelling asset mapping approach utilizes interviews and focus groups to collect
qualitative data on tangible and intangible cultural assets.
 A public realm and natural resources-focused asset mapping approach focuses on
assessing resources in the built environment and public realm, including public art,
natural and historic resources, and other physical features that are regarded as assets.

To conclude, asset management as a whole is very essential in every sector of human

living, the sustainability and progress of human society cannot be achieved without
ASSET as a pivot in the game. The review of HUMAN ASSET, NATURAL ASSET and
CULTURAL ASSETS denote that assets management are very vital in human community.
The Human Asset has a very vital role to play in maintaining and improving human vitality
in a society and not just a mere worker. Also the Natural Asset played a very important
aspect in protecting and maintaining natural reserves and its managements. Lastly, the
cultural asset hammered on how and why this asset can help develop the human
community and how this can help in development.

29
2.5 DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
A. MYSQL
MySQL is an open source relational database management system (RDBMS) based on
Structured Query Language (SQL). MySQL runs on virtually all platforms,
including Linux, UNIX, and Windows. Although it can be used in a wide range of
applications, MySQL is most often associated with web-based applications and online
publishing and is an important component of an open source enterprise stack
called LAMP. LAMP is a Web development platform that uses Linux as the operating
system, Apache as the Web server, MySQL as the relational database management system
and PHP as the object-oriented scripting language.
MySQL is selected in building this application because of the following reasons:
Firstly, MySQL is undeniably fast. It is a true multi-threaded database server that excels at
retrieving information. MySQL was originally designed for the purpose of querying
information at an amazingly fast pace. Again in the interest of speed, MySQL designers
made the decision to offer fewer features than other major database competitors, such as
Sybase and Oracle. However, despite having fewer features than the other commercial
database products, MySQL still offers all of the features required by most database
developers.
Secondly, MySQL includes solid data security layers that protect sensitive data from
intruders. Rights can be set to allow some or all privileges to individuals. Passwords are
encrypted.
In addition, it supports several development interfaces: Development interfaces include
JDBC, ODBC, and scripting (PHP and Perl), letting you create database solutions that run
across all major platforms, including Linux, UNIX, and Windows. Aside all this MySQL
can handle almost any amount of data, up to as much as 50 million rows or more. The
default file size limit is about 4 GB. However, you can increase this number to a theoretical
limit of 8 TB of data.
To every merit there is a corresponding demerit. MySQL in as much as it is fast it is very
limited in its usability for real-time applications, and it offers no OLAP (Online Analytical
Processing) functions. This is special methods for the management and analysis of
multidimensional data. OLAP-capable database systems are often called data warehouses.

30
Another related issue is that According to Digital Ocean, MySQL tends to be somewhat
less reliable than its peers. These stability issues are related to the manner in which it
handles certain functions (such as references, transactions, and auditing). While the
database is certainly still usable in light of these problems, they do tend to make MySQL a
poor choice for certain use cases [20]. This is why MySQL is the better choice in this
project.
B .JAVA
Java is a computer programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun
Microsystems (which has since been acquired by Oracle Corporation) and released in 1995
as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of
its syntax from C and C++, but it has fewer low-level facilities than either of them.
Java has significant advantages over other languages and environments that make it
suitable for just about any programming task. Some of the reasons JAVA is the best choice
for this project is because Java is easy to learn, Java was designed to be easy to use and is
therefore easy to write, compile, debug, distributed and multithreading than other
programming languages. Again Java is object-oriented; this allows you to create modular
programs and reusable codes. In addition, Java is platform-independent; one of the most
significant advantages of Java is its ability to move easily from one computer system to
another. The ability to run the same program on many different systems is crucial to World
Wide Web software, and Java succeeds at this by being platform-independent at both the
source and binary levels. Because of Java's robustness, ease of use, cross-platform
capabilities and security features, this makes JAVA the best and suitable language for this
project.

Inasmuch as JAVA has a profound merit over other languages, let consider a few demerits
of this language.
To start, Java Takes More Memory Space, this is one of the big problems in the Java
language and developers of the language haven’t been able to overcome this problem. Java
takes more memory space than the other native programming languages like C and C++.
Also java is relatively slower than its native languages like C and C++, it also consumes lot
of memory. Above all JAVA is the best language and suitable for this project.

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C. NETBEANS
NetBeans is an integrated development environment (IDE) for Java. NetBeans allows
applications to be developed from a set of modular software components called modules.
NetBeans runs on Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux and Solaris platforms. Also the IDE
is free or its open source.
Let consider some fantastic reasons why NetBeans is the best IDE (Integrated
Development Environment) for this project.
To start NetBeans provides a Powerful GUI Builder. The GUI (Graphical User
Interface) Builder (formerly known as Project Matisse) supports a sophisticated yet
simplified Swing Application Framework and Beans Binding. Now you can build GUIs in
a natural way. Again, Profiling and Debugging Tools
With NetBeans IDE profiler, you get real time insight into memory usage and potential
performance bottlenecks. Furthermore, you can instrument specific parts of code to avoid
performance degradation during profiling. The “HeapWalker” tool helps you evaluate Java
heap contents and find memory leaks. Also, Through the NetBeans IDE build process,
which relies on industry standards such as Apache Ant, make, Maven, and rake, rather than
a proprietary build process, you can easily customize projects and add functionality. You
can build, run, and deploy projects to servers outside of the IDE. [21].

Like earlier said, there are some demerits associated with this tool and let take a look at a
few:
The NetBeans IDE is a bit slow to load as compared to other IDE’s and again, it consumes
lot of memory space than lighter IDE’s. Finally, some advance tools require training.
Above all NetBeans IDE is the suitable tool to use for this project.

D.JASPER iREPORT
Jasper iReports is an open source java reporting engine. Jasper iReports is a Java class
library, and it is meant for those Java developers who need to add reporting capabilities to
their applications. iReport can help to generate database reports.
Let consider some fundamental reasons why Jasper iReport is suitable for this project

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Jasper iReport comes bundled with JDBC drivers for several open source relational
database system, such us MySQL, PostgreSQL, HSQLDB and others. If we want to
connect to a different database, we need to add the JDBC driver to iReport’s CLASSPATH
and boom! we have connected to iReport. Also iReport has a plugin in NetBeans and this
makes the iReport and the IDE a compatible tool to use alongside the JAVA language. To
add but a little, Jasper iReport Designer is also open source software.
There are some few drawbacks with the usage of this application, Jasper does not allow
you to create two sources inside one report. You need to create sub report to do so. Again,
it does not support joining data sources and also it’s a little bit complex. In the afore
mentioned points Jasper iReport is very suitable to build reporting in this management
system.
To conclude these are the tools we will use for the development of the project. Almost all
the tools are easy to get as they are open source and provide favorable environment to
work with, they all support the windows platform since that will be our main working area.
We chose to work on windows because of its user friendly environment and it is easy to
use though it’s not an open source OS.

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 CHAPTER THREE

3.1 INTRODUCTION
A conceptual schematic overview as an overall vision for addressing the research
Problem is presented in this chapter. This overall vision was used as a preliminary
framework upon which the requirement analysis and design approaches were crafted.
The system requirement analysis phase involves the investigation of the structure of
current system, with the objective of identifying the problem and difficulties with the
existing system. The purpose of the existing requirement analysis phase is to obtain a
thorough and detailed understanding of the need as defined in the project. The major step
involved in the phase includes defining the user requirement and studying the current
system to verify the problems. The performance expected by the new system is also
defined in this phase in order to meet the user requirements. The information gathered
from various documents were analyzed and evaluated and the finding reviewed in order to
establish specific system objectives.
There are two major activities in this phase: problem understanding or analysis and the
requirements of the new system that is to be developed.
In problem analysis, our aim is to understand the problem and its context, and the
requirement of the new system that is to be developed. The requirements specification
document specifies all functional and performance requirements, the format of inputs and
outputs, and all design constraints that exist due to security reasons.

3.2 CHARACTARISTICS OF THE SYSTEM

The estate management system is the platform which will help staff from the estate
department with their day to day activities. Other departments can also make complains to
the estate department and have it kept for review.

3.3 ANALYSIS MODEL

To produce a model of the system which is quiet essential, lucrative and complete, we need
to construct the analysis model which focuses on structuring the requirement of the system.

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DOMAIN:
For each attribute associated with an entity set, we must identify a domain of possible
values, for example the domain associated with the attribute name of the staff might be of
the set of 20-character string.

KEY:
Further, for each entity set we choose a key. A key is a minimal set of attribute whose
values uniquely identify an entity in a set. Since there is more than one user we designate
one of them as primary key. For now, we will assume that each entity set contains at least
one set of attributes that uniquely identify an entity in the entity set, that is the set of
attributes that contains a key.

3.4 THE METHODOLOGY

Software development methodology is the process of dividing software development work
into distinct phases to improve design, product management, and project management. It is
also known as a software development life cycle. The methodology may include the pre-
definition of specific deliverables and artifacts that are created and completed by a project
team to develop or maintain an application. Other methodologies
include waterfall, prototyping, iterative and incremental development, spiral
development, rapid application development, and extreme programming.

3.5 WATER FALL MODEL

The waterfall model is a popular version of the systems development life cycle model for
software engineering. Often considered the classic approach to the systems development
life cycle, the waterfall model describes a development method that is linear and
sequential. The steps involved in waterfall model are:

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 Requirement gathering and analysis
 System design
 Implementation
 Testing
 Deploying of system
 Maintenance

Advantages of Waterfall Model:

This model is simple and easy to understand and use.
It is easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model – each phase has specific deliverables
and a review process.
In this model phases are processed and completed one at a time. Phases do not overlap.
Waterfall model works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well
understood.

Disadvantages of Waterfall Model:

Once an application is in the testing stage, it is very difficult to go back and change
something that was not well-thought out in the concept stage.
No working software is produced until late during the life cycle.
High amounts of risk and uncertainty.

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3.6 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
A Use Case diagram shows a representation of the user’s interaction with the system and
depicting the specification of a use case. A use case diagram can portray the different types
of a system and the various way that the user interacts with the system. This type of
diagram is typically used in conjunction with the textual use case and will often be
accompanied by other types of diagrams as well.

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3.7 THE BACK END OF THE SYSTEM
The backend consists of the database, which contains the entities and attributes, the entity
relation diagram and dataflow diagram.
Database: Database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can be easily
accessed, managed and updated. In a database data is organized into rows, columns and
tables and it is indexed to make it easier to find relevant information. The database name
used for the system is ”estatemgt_db”.

Entity Relation (ER)

An entity relation diagram describes interrelated things of interest in a specific domain on
knowledge. An ER diagram helps to design database in an efficient manner. A basic ER
model is composed of entity types and specifies relationships that can exist between
instances of those entity types.

Dataflow
Data flow gives a pictorial view of how data flow into, around and out of the system. The
user will request the login for accessibility, the user could either be rejected or have full
access into the next phase (Main Manu), the system will check the user’s details from the
data store called “credentials” and then the details will be sent back.
Let consider the various tables with their attributes and values.

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Accommodation Handling

Table 1 Accommodation

Create Account Handling

Table 2 Account

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 Complain Handling

Cubicle Allocation Handling

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 Damaged Assets Handling

Flat Details Handling

Table 6 Flat_details

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 Generators and Polytanks Handling

Table 7 gen_polytanks

Inspection Handling

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 Laundry Services Handling

Table 9 Laundry_services

Report Handling

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Vendors Handling

Table 11 Vendors

IP Setup Handling

Table 12 ipsetup

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 Asset Register Handling

Table 13 Asset register

Asset Category Handling

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Building Location Handler

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The Asset Management System ER Diagram

Figure 3.2 An ER diagram of the system

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 These are the meaning of the various symbols used in the ER diagram

The data flow diagram of the asset system

Figure 3.3A A dataflow diagram of the system

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Continuation of the previous diagram

Figure 3.3b A data flow diagram of the system

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Continuation of the previous diagram

Figure 3.3c A data flow diagram of the system

These are the meaning of the various symbols used in the Data Flow diagram:

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3.8 DESIGN METHODOLOGY

LOGIN
The login is very essential to help users interact with the system. This will be the first point
of access to the system. It has a login and a configure IP button. First the admin configures
the IP to the server if the system will work on a Local Area Network (LAN). After this is
successful, other users also configures their system to synchronize with the admins system
using admins IP. Now admin and other users can log into the system by entering their
username and password in a text field and click on login button to gain access into the
system. User is denied access if username and password is wrong. There is a forgot
password option where any user can click and reset the account.

CREATE ACCOUNT
A default account is being created in the system for the user to login. It is required that a
user creates a new account before using the system else the user cannot access other
components in the system. After account is being created successfully, re-login by clicking
the logout button and enter your new username and password.

THE ASSET
This is the main part of the Asset Management System which has two menus (QUICK
ACCESS and ASSET MENU) which also contains other sub-menu (drop-down menu) of
other components.
Let’s take a look at the two menus.
To start, the first menu QUICK ACCESS contains some quick components the user will
want to visit even when browsing other forms or pages such as Asset registration, Report,
complain etc.
Again, the next menu is ASSET MENU which contains the main component of the system.
The sub menu under this menu contains vendors (vendor list, cubicle allocation), cleaning
and services (generators and polytanks, laundry services, inspections), accommodation.
The user selects any of these components and performs the necessary operations.

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ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
The account management is where the user can update his or her account records.

COMPLAIN
This is where departmental complains are recorded and reviewed when necessary.

REPORT
This is where the report about the various assets are generated and printed via a printer.

ASSET REGISTRATION
Asset registration is where the user can register assets. It is one of the most important
aspect of the system.

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The following are the use case diagrams of the various functions of the system.
The Login

Figure 3.4 A login user case diagram

Create Account

Figure 3.5 A use case diagram of create account

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Account Management

Figure 3.6 A use case diagram of account management

Complain

Figure 3.7 A use diagram of complain

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 Report

Figure 3.8 A use case diagram of report generation

Asset Registration

Figure 3.9 A use Case of Asset Registration

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The following are the flowchart diagrams of the various functions of the systems.
Login

Figure 3.10 A flowchart diagram of login

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Create Account

Figure 3.11 A Flowchart diagram of create account

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 The Asset

Figure 3.12 A flowchart diagram of the asset

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Continuation of the Asset

Figure 3.12a A flowchart diagram of the Asset

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Continuation of the Asset
Asset Registration

Figure 3.12b A flowchart of asset registrations

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Continuation of the Asset

Figure 3.12c A flowchart diagram of the asset

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 Account Management

Figure 3.13 A flowchart diagram of account management

Complain

Figure 3.14 A flowchart diagram of complain

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Report

Figure 3.15 A flowchart diagram of report

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These are the various interfaces of the system.
Login

Figure 3.16 A login interface

Create Account

Figure 3.17 A Create account interface

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The Asset

Figure 3.18 Interface of the asset

Account management

Figure 3.19 Manage account interface

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 Complain

Figure 3.20 Complain interface

Report

Figure 3.21 A interface of the report

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Asset Registration

Figure 3.22 An interface of asset registration

Flat Details

Figure 3.23 An interface of flat details

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 CHARTER FOUR

4.0 SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING

This chapter will describe the detail implementation of the system. A vivid sequence of
implementation stages shall be well noted here and interaction of the various models. Snap
shot of the various interfaces together with short notes or description of the various
interfaces and functions will be stated.

4.1 STRUCTURE OF SOURCE FOLDER

The platform used in the development of the application is structured into a parent
directory (AMS—Asset Management System) which contains four packages (Source
Packages, Test Packages, Libraries and Test Libraries).
Now let take a detail look at each package;
1. The Source Packages
This Package houses folders with files used in building the project. The various folders
here include the CLibraries, Cleaning_and_Services, Vendors_and_Accomodation, frames,
images, users_account.

The first named folder contains the connection.java class for handling the connection string
for all other classes that communicate with the database.
The second named folder contains Gen_and_Polytanks.java, Inspection.java, Laundry.java.
This class file handles updates, searches, deletes, clear and save operations on data.

The third named folder contains Asset_mgt.java, Calculate.java, Cubicle_allocation.java,

Flat_details.java, Vendors.java, accommodation.java. These class files also handle updates,
searches, and deletes, clear and save operations on data except for the calculate.java class
which is a calculator the user can use when handling some basic arithmetic’s on
Flat_details.

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Again, the fourth folder contains Complain.java, Main_Menu.java, Reports.java,
View_complain.java, login.java, main_ams.java. The complaint handles records on
complain collected from sectors of the university and save into the database, to review and
delete complaint, it is handled by View_complain.java class. The Main_Menu is the first
point of contact after login, it takes care of how the user navigate to other main interfaces
of the system e.g. Reports, Asset etc. The report handles report generation and printing via
a printer. The user is able to print a periodic report upon demand by management. The
reports generated by the system includes accommodation report, vendors report, flat detail
report etc. here the user is required to keep a generated report in a folder and its name is
saved in a database for future review. The login is where the user is required to enter
his/her username and password to gain access into the system, user is denied access if
username and password is incorrect. NOTE: the default username and password is
default and the admin is required to delete this account after creating his. For the
purpose of testing we used “scanc” and “cypher” as our created account username and
password respectively. The main_ams is the actual working area of the system where
almost all activities of this application takes place.

The fifth named folder contains icons and other images used on buttons, labels and panels
in the application.

The sixth folder contains Account_MGT.java, PassWord_Reset.java and Account.java.

The Account_MGT class takes care of user account updates, deletes, searches, and clear
operations. The PassWord class takes care of user password updates or resetting. A users
account creating is handled by the Account.java class.

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 2. Test Packages
By default, this package is created by NetBeans (the IDE) and it contains nothing.

3. Libraries
This is also a default library created by the platform which handles the necessary libraries
(Libraries are simply a bundle of java classes that are imported in a java class or project
during development) the application requires to run efficiently. Some of these libraries are
mysql-connector-java-5.1.20-bin.jar, rs2xml.jar, jcalendar-1.4.jar etc.

IV. Test Libraries

Again this is also created by the platform and it contains nothing.

4.2 SYSTEM INTERFACES

In order to design user interfaces many controls are used but for the purpose of this
application the under listed controls were used in the designation of the application’s
interfaces:
 JTextfield: This is used to collect user input data. This was used at the login to take
users username.
 JPasswordField: This control is similar to JTextField but the only difference is
JPasswordField is specifically for password intake. It was also used at the login to take
users password.
 JButton: This is a button for handling events in the application per instructions on it e.g
clicks. After a user enter his username and password at login, he then clicks this
control.
 JTable: This display user’s records from the database and also handles click events, to
populate text fields when triggered.
 JTextArea: This control is also similar to JTextField but mainly used to display text to
a user. It was used on the report form to instruct a user of the system.

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 JLabel: this control was also used often in the system to display simple text to guide
user in form filling. It was also used to handle icons on the login form.

The following are snap shots of the working application interface:

The login of this application enables the user to be authenticated before seeing the next
interface.

Figure 4.0 A working interface of the login

This is the next interface after login successful. It is the main navigation menu of the
application

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 Figure 4.1 A working interface of the Main Menu

This interface helps the user to create account and login. NOTE: an image size of not more
than 600KB should be used when creating account.

Figure 4.2 A working interface of create account

This interface is for account management, account can be updated, deleted and password
window is triggered here.

Figure 4.3 A working interface of account management.

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This is where all complains are recorded

Figure 4.4 A working interface complaint

A user can reset the password here

Figure 4.5 A working interface of password reset

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The user view complains here and can trigger delete event.

Figure 4.6 A working interface of view complain

This is the main working area of the system which contains almost all necessary
component to work on. It has only two menus (QUICK ACCESS and ASSET MENU).

Figure 4.7 A Working interface of main_ams

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 This interface contains information on flat details

Figure 4.8 A working interface of flat details

A simple calculator the user uses to handle basic calculation when dealing with flat details

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Figure 4.9 A working interface of calculator

This where damaged assets records are recorded

Figure 4.10 A working interface of damaged asset

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With the help of this interface a report is generated and printed via a printer. Report is
also saved or is removed

Figure 4.11 A working interface of report generation and printing

An interface of sample report generated

Figure 4.12 A working interface of report generated.

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 This is where vendors’ information’s are taken

Figure 4.13 A working interface of vendors’

This is where cubicle allocation records are collected.

Figure 4.14 A working interface of cubicle allocation

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Generator and polytanks are serviced periodically. Its records are taken here.

Figure 4.15 A working interface of generators and polytanks

Laundry services information are recorded here.

Figure 4.16 A working interface of laundry and services

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Reports from inspection collected are recorded here.

Figure 4.17 A working interface of inspection

Occupant of the university’s buildings (assets) are recorded here

Figure 4.18 A working interface of occupant accommodation

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 This is where assets are first registered into the system

Figure 4.24 A working interface of asset registration

4.3 TESTING THE IMPLEMENTED SYSTEM
At this level the various wrong inputs are captured.
The login interface

Figure 4.18 Login validation of inputs

The prompt that appear when a user login with the default account and tries to access other
interfaces except create account.

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 Figure 4.19 A prompt on Main Manu using default account

Validating email when creating account

Figure 4.20 An email validation when creating account

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Password Validation when a user’s password mismatch

Figure 4.21 Password validation when creating account

Text field validation against the submission of empty fields.

Figure 4.22 validating empty fields

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Validating text field to accept only digit when creating account

Figure 4.23 Validating text field to accept only digits

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 CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 INTRODUCTION
A summary of the overall project will be made and a discussion stating whether the objectives
stated in chapter one are being met and how they were achieved during the project. A future
prospect of the implemented project shall be included in this chapter.

5.1 Summary of the work

The assets management system aids in keeping records of the assets. The system can also help
other departments make complains and print out report. It makes work easier for the staff.
Previously all records were kept in books. The system is a desktop application.
The interface of this application is so simple and straightforward to navigate about. It has six
interfaces login, assets, create account, manage account report and complain.

5.2 Analysis of the Implemented System

Analyzing the entire implemented system, the following tools where used to help bring the
totality and functionality of the assets management system and these are Wamp Server for
data handling (Database Management System), Java for application design and
implementation and Jasper iReport Designer for report generation.

5.3 Strengths of the System

This application makes it simpler for staff to keep and search records at ease. Assets can be
registered and tracked with an asset code, damaged asset are also recorded and tracked with
asset codes. Lastly, a soft copy report can be generated and printed with a click.

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5.4 Limitations of the system
The limitation of the assets management system is that the system cannot receive SMS
notification of complains.

5.5 Conclusion
The assets management system has been completed successfully and tested with integration of
the features of every software component for its development. It would help reduce the
manual way of keeping records in the estate department.

5.6 Future Work

The Asset Management System can further be extended to having the following features:
a. System Backup
The asset management system can also have a backup file in case of any natural disaster.
b. SMS notification for complain.
SMS notification will be added to the system where other department in the institution no
longer have to come to the estate department to issue a complain.

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 REFERECNES

[1]. http://simple.werf.org/Books/Contents/Getting-Started-(2)/What-is-Asset-Management-
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[3].https://docslide.net/documents/ieee-2004-ieee-international-engineering-management-
conference-singapore-58acbd39c3b2b.html ( E. Amadi-Echendu Department of Engineering
and Technology Management, University of Pretoria, South Africa )
[4]. https://hpreliability.com/the-key-3-asset-management-documents/
[5]. https://qz.com/403391/why-human-capital-is-your-companys-greatest-asset/ {QARTZ
Harvard Business School Executive Education, Sunday, February 17, 2018}
[6]. DeMarco, Tom, and Timothy Lister. Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams. New
York: Dorset House, 1999.
[7]. Allen, Martin. “From Substandard to Successful Software.” CrossTalk May/June 2009
<www.stsc.hill.af.mil/ crosstalk/2009/05/0905Allen.pdf>.
[8]. Health and Safety Executive, The Institution of Electrical Engineers, and The British
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<www.hse.gov.uk/human factors/topics/mancomppt1.pdf>.
[9]. IEEE Computer Society. “Certification and Training for Software Professionals.” 2009
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[11]. Booch, Grady. Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications. Menlo Park, CA:
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[12]. Brooks, Frederick P. The Mythical ManMonth: Essays on Software Engineering. 20th
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[13]. Boehm, Barry W. Software Engineering Economics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
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[15]. http://idahofirewise.org/fire-ecology-and-management/fire-management-strategies-and-
tactics/ {Firewise Culture Fire Ecology & Management, 27th February, 2018 }

[16]. https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/sustainable_land_management.htm {Science Daily,

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 APPENDIX
This involves how to setup the application for first use.
 The application folder contains “Wamp server”, this must be installed. It will serve as the
backend database handler for the software
 Install java which will also be in the application folder, Java provides a runtime
environment (JVM) for the software.
 The application setup can now be run and installed by double clicking on the setup (AMS)
and follow the installation guide to install.
 A database file is included also in the application folder with the name “estatemgt_db”,
This should also be imported as possible into the Wamp server.

HOW TO IMPORT THE DATABASE FILE?

1. Run the Wamp server
2. From the system tray/taskbar, there is a green icon indicating server is running. Click on it
and go to “phpMyAdmin”.
3. This is launched in your browser.
4. Click on new and enter the name of your database (estatemgt_db) and click on create.
5. Click on your newly created database name and locate “IMPORT” on-top right side of
your screen.
6. Click on import, choose file and browse to the location of your database file and open.
7. Scroll down the screen of your computer and locate “GO”.
8. Finally click on “GO” to import all your tables
9. You can now run the application
10. DONE!

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