1 - Discussion
Introduction
The Warrington Museum of Freemasonry (WMOF) is a museum based in Warrington.It falls
under the West Lancashire branch of Freemasonry and has 8 active volunteer members
who assist with various aspects of museum operations.
The museum documents the history of Freemasonry from its origins and houses the world's
earliest recorded document of an initiation ceremony, which took place in Warrington over
200 years ago. I have been in contact with the director and am in discussion with him and
others who coordinate the museum. Their current data management system consists of
Excel documents. They have two separate systems, one with a list of inventory and a
disused but more comprehensive collection system, which has led to confusion among those
involved in the museum's operations. The systems cannot be synchronised as there is not a
shared Microsoft OneDrive so I have been tasked with creating a system which allows for
them to do their work more productively.
In essence, this will be a comprehensive systems analysis project.
I will analyse how the WMOF currently conducts their activities, identify areas where it can
be computerised in a better manner and digitise other tasks that they may not have thought
of.
I am to create a fully bespoke system that will improve efficiency of the museum and
modernise it with a new digital system that will be passed down to the next generation of the
museum. While the full implementation may extend beyond the project's deadline, the
1
,deployed version will eventually replace both Excel and paper-based operations with a web
application. This will primarily address remote access issues while also improving efficiency
through better data management, utilising an SQLite database normalised to third normal
form.
provided a full description of the broad aims of the project using appropriate subject
based technical vocabulary
Broad Aims
The system should be simple and easy to use. The database should be remotely accessible
and hopefully the application too which would make it lightweight. Data must be entered
securely to prevent SQL injection along with hashed passwords and users will have different
levels of access to each part of the system.
Below is a list of the sort of users part of the system and the general functionalities each will
be able to perform.
Users:
● Finance
● Curator
● Administrator
● User/Visitor
Use case - Finance:
● Log in/out
● Upload/download document for accounts
Use case - Curator:
● Log in/out
● Add new items for the museum
● Remove defunct items
● Price items
● Categorise items
● View items on loan and loaned items
● Generate reports for museum oversight bodies
Use case - Administrator:
● Same as curator
● Add new categories
Use case - Visitor:
● View items in museum
2
,identified the possible limitations of a solution to the problem and is able to describe these in
detail using appropriate technical language
Possible limitations of a solution to the problem
● The hosted aspect of the program may mean a susceptibility to cyber security issues
such as DDOS and data theft if SQL injection can be performed
● Hosting also comes with a cost and the system may not be able to be completed on
time due to the learning curve of learning flask
● As more items are loaded in, high volumes of storage may be taken up
● Data migration from Excel to Database may be a challenge, especially if there are
inconsistencies or errors
● Device compatibility depends on if implemented via TKinter or Flask, flask may
require CSS tweaks due to screen size etc, TKinter may be difficult to package into
an executable on different Windows versions
● Defining access levels to prevent abuse of the system
fully considered feedback from others and, where appropriate, has used this
feedback to refine understanding of the problem and proposed solution.
Using feedback
Below is an A4 page with jottings related to my discussion with the director:
This is related to a hierarchical approach for users.
This was by the director of the museum with a sort of simplistic idea about users, etc with
admin at the top, and finance, curator, assets and database, which obviously makes no
3
, sense in computing but indicates the need for role-based access control (RBAC).
Below it is a simple visual of the interaction between users and the database.
So there are users and then categories (books, lodge items and jewels).
This is a high-level idea about components of the system - finance section, museum system,
database, logins and ‘web firewall’ as this feedback had ideas about infrastructure, though
that will be more of a concern after this project.
This confirms to me that the system is not simply an inventory system but a more complex,
bespoke solution for the museum requiring different screens, privileges and users for
different museum functions.
Whilst the broad aims have been defined, inevitably there will be iterations relating to the
concept as the program is developed.
Going forward, the general idea is that there will be administration, collection system and
finance sections. This will be a web application using python, therefore, I will need to look
into libraries or frameworks to complete this project effectively. Role-based access control
will be imperative to ensure data security and hopefully, I will be able to include further
security measures.
4
Introduction
The Warrington Museum of Freemasonry (WMOF) is a museum based in Warrington.It falls
under the West Lancashire branch of Freemasonry and has 8 active volunteer members
who assist with various aspects of museum operations.
The museum documents the history of Freemasonry from its origins and houses the world's
earliest recorded document of an initiation ceremony, which took place in Warrington over
200 years ago. I have been in contact with the director and am in discussion with him and
others who coordinate the museum. Their current data management system consists of
Excel documents. They have two separate systems, one with a list of inventory and a
disused but more comprehensive collection system, which has led to confusion among those
involved in the museum's operations. The systems cannot be synchronised as there is not a
shared Microsoft OneDrive so I have been tasked with creating a system which allows for
them to do their work more productively.
In essence, this will be a comprehensive systems analysis project.
I will analyse how the WMOF currently conducts their activities, identify areas where it can
be computerised in a better manner and digitise other tasks that they may not have thought
of.
I am to create a fully bespoke system that will improve efficiency of the museum and
modernise it with a new digital system that will be passed down to the next generation of the
museum. While the full implementation may extend beyond the project's deadline, the
1
,deployed version will eventually replace both Excel and paper-based operations with a web
application. This will primarily address remote access issues while also improving efficiency
through better data management, utilising an SQLite database normalised to third normal
form.
provided a full description of the broad aims of the project using appropriate subject
based technical vocabulary
Broad Aims
The system should be simple and easy to use. The database should be remotely accessible
and hopefully the application too which would make it lightweight. Data must be entered
securely to prevent SQL injection along with hashed passwords and users will have different
levels of access to each part of the system.
Below is a list of the sort of users part of the system and the general functionalities each will
be able to perform.
Users:
● Finance
● Curator
● Administrator
● User/Visitor
Use case - Finance:
● Log in/out
● Upload/download document for accounts
Use case - Curator:
● Log in/out
● Add new items for the museum
● Remove defunct items
● Price items
● Categorise items
● View items on loan and loaned items
● Generate reports for museum oversight bodies
Use case - Administrator:
● Same as curator
● Add new categories
Use case - Visitor:
● View items in museum
2
,identified the possible limitations of a solution to the problem and is able to describe these in
detail using appropriate technical language
Possible limitations of a solution to the problem
● The hosted aspect of the program may mean a susceptibility to cyber security issues
such as DDOS and data theft if SQL injection can be performed
● Hosting also comes with a cost and the system may not be able to be completed on
time due to the learning curve of learning flask
● As more items are loaded in, high volumes of storage may be taken up
● Data migration from Excel to Database may be a challenge, especially if there are
inconsistencies or errors
● Device compatibility depends on if implemented via TKinter or Flask, flask may
require CSS tweaks due to screen size etc, TKinter may be difficult to package into
an executable on different Windows versions
● Defining access levels to prevent abuse of the system
fully considered feedback from others and, where appropriate, has used this
feedback to refine understanding of the problem and proposed solution.
Using feedback
Below is an A4 page with jottings related to my discussion with the director:
This is related to a hierarchical approach for users.
This was by the director of the museum with a sort of simplistic idea about users, etc with
admin at the top, and finance, curator, assets and database, which obviously makes no
3
, sense in computing but indicates the need for role-based access control (RBAC).
Below it is a simple visual of the interaction between users and the database.
So there are users and then categories (books, lodge items and jewels).
This is a high-level idea about components of the system - finance section, museum system,
database, logins and ‘web firewall’ as this feedback had ideas about infrastructure, though
that will be more of a concern after this project.
This confirms to me that the system is not simply an inventory system but a more complex,
bespoke solution for the museum requiring different screens, privileges and users for
different museum functions.
Whilst the broad aims have been defined, inevitably there will be iterations relating to the
concept as the program is developed.
Going forward, the general idea is that there will be administration, collection system and
finance sections. This will be a web application using python, therefore, I will need to look
into libraries or frameworks to complete this project effectively. Role-based access control
will be imperative to ensure data security and hopefully, I will be able to include further
security measures.
4
