MSIT401 System Development Methodologies

AT3 - Group Report

Case Study

Prepared by:
Arslan Ahmad CIM10244

Hussnain Bilal CIM10260

Muhammad Tahir CIM11118

Executive summary:

This report articulates the design and development plan for a Property Listing System to
be rolled out into the highly competitive Australian real estate market. PLS is one such
centralized platform bringing together in an integrated manner, property listing, market
trends, sales data and communication features for real estate agents, property owners, and
buyers.

It has some key objectives, like developing a strong, scalable, and user-friendly system
with rich functionality. Design includes functional and non-functional requirements, use
case diagrams, ERD, system architecture, and user interface mockups. Architecture is
multi-layered to guarantee scalability, security, and maintainability; the user interface is
concerned with intuitive and accessible design.

Competitiveness would be in rich user experience and operational efficiency, rich with a
plethora of innovative features like AI-driven property matching, virtual tours,
blockchain-based transaction ledger, and predictive analytics. In effect, this would mean
describing an approach to progressive development insisting agile methodology to be
used along with rigorous testing and risk management in order to assure delivery on time
and quality.

The system shall thus satiate and cater to the dynamic requirements that real estate
professionals require from a state-of-the-art feature and user-oriented experience, placing
PLS at par with being a leading tool for the real estate business. This would thus be
complemented by some key recommendations on the lines of user training, stringent
security measures, and continuous improvement for long-term success in the adoption of
this initiative. Blockchain-based transaction.
Table of Contents
Executive summary:.....................................................................................................................................2
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................4
2. Report Objectives................................................................................................................................4
3. System Requirement Analysis.............................................................................................................5
4. Use Case Diagrams and Description....................................................................................................6
5. Data Model........................................................................................................................................11
6. System Architecture...........................................................................................................................12
7. Interface Design.................................................................................................................................15
8. Development Approach.....................................................................................................................17
9. System Architecture...........................................................................................................................19
10. Innovative Features........................................................................................................................20
11. Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................22
12. Recommendations for Implementation..........................................................................................23
1. Introduction

Summary of the Case Study: The real estate business is highly competitive, especially in
Australia. This requires accurate, timely information on property purchase and sale. Real
Estate Community Associations have, therefore, developed the PLS to ease this process.
This would be a centralized server that would further consolidate property listings,
market trends, sales data, and offers against real estate. The real estate agents and brokers
require the PLS to have an overview of the property details, communicate with the
property owners, and close a deal effectively.
The PLS is a database of properties that real estate agents have contracted from owners,
and hence the information is available to all other agents in the community. Property
addresses, sizes, prices, and agent details are made available over the Internet or through
weekly listings; the system processes change automatically in real-time for integrity of
data.

2. Report Objectives

The objective of this report is to provide an information system design for PLS that
would be robust, scalable, and user-friendly with regards to the following:

1. Functional and non-functional requirement analysis

2. Detailed use case diagrams and descriptions development.
3. ERD design of data relations
4. System architecture with a complete description and performance notations of the
system
5. Mock-ups of the User Interface, focusing on usability
6. Outline Strategic Development, Testing, and Deployment Plan
7. Describe innovative features—AI and blockchain—within the system functionality and
user experience.
The whole design process will be documented in this report, comprehensive in its finding
of a solution that shall meet the needs of the Real Estate Community Associations.
3. System Requirement Analysis

Business Needs: In the highly competitive Australian real estate market, an underlying or
core, effective system should be available for attending to property listings. The Property
Listing System shall provide the agents with speedy retrieval of property information, its
handling, and updating for better efficiency and competitiveness in the industry.

The key Business Needs:

1. Single Source: A single platform with all property listings, market trends, and sales
data.

2. Seamless Comms: Easy communication between agents, property owners, and buyers
when it comes to viewings, negotiations, and updates.

3. Listing Accuracy: Listing accuracy through the delivery of real-time updates that
change as changes take place in listed properties.

4. Robust Reporting: In-depth reporting about market trends, property performance, and
agent activities.

5. Scalability and Flexibility: The platform should be able to grow on demand in the
market and adopt new technologies as they evolve.

Listed below are the functional requirements:

1. Property Listing Management: Adding, updating, and deleting listings.
2. User Management: Safe registration, login, and access control based on roles.
3. Advanced Search and Filter: State-of-the-art searching options which include filtering.
4. Communication Tools: Inbuilt messaging and notification system.
5. Reporting and Analytics: Report generation using data visualization tools.
6. Document Management: Safe upload, storage, and document sharing.
 7. System Maintenance and Updates: Periodic updates of the system with a reliable.
backup and recovery mechanism.

Listed below are the non-functional requirements:

1. Performance: Response time and number of concurrent users.
2. Security: Data protection using encryption, authentication, and authorization.
3. Usability: Easy to use and accessible user interface.

4. Use Case Diagrams and Description

The Property Listing System shall be developed to ensure an effective and efficient
system that holds property listings by the Real Estate Community Associations. To make
the doings of this system easily conceivable, the following use case diagrams model the
different ways that users might interact with the system.

Primary Actors:

 Real Estate Agent

 Property Owner
 Manager
 System Administrator

A simple example of the use case diagram for PLS is shown below:
 Real
Estate
Agent Create New Listing + Update
Listing
PLS Property Search Properties + View
Owner
System Property Details

Generate Reports
manager

Handle Change Requests

system
admin Manage User Accounts

Use Case Descriptions

1. Create New Listing:
Actors: Real Estate Agent, Property Owner
The agent logs in, selects "Create New Listing," and inputs property details, address, size,
and features. After submission, the listing is reviewed and then available to other agents.

2. Update Listing:
Actors: Real Estate Agent, Property Owner
Modify property details: The agent or the owner changes the details of the property such
as its price, status, or any other feature. The changes are reviewed by the manager and
then updated.

3. Search for Properties:

Actors: Real Estate Agent, Manager
Agents filter the PLS database by location, price and type and scan the resulting list to
identify which properties match the requirements of their clients.

4. View Property Details:

Actors: Real Estate Agent, Manager
The agent/manager may present all the details of a property that involve owner contacts,
history of the previous owners and sale details, and any other useful information in
deciding and negotiating.

5. Manage User Accounts:

Actors: System Administrator
The system administrator creates, updates, assigns roles, and deactivates users' accounts
in the system.

6. Create Reports:
Actors: Real Estate Agent, Manager
Reports on market trends, property performance and activities can be generated by
Agents/ managers. It can be customized by time frame and property type.

7.Send Message to Property Owner:

Actor: Real Estate Agent
The messaging feature shall be used by the agent to communicate with the property
owners regarding listing, viewings and negotiation.

The brief use cases below show how the PLS allows core functionality for the agent,
manager, and property owner in the real estate space.
 Property
owner

Real
Estate Real Estate Agent
office

Listing

Manager

Report
5. Data Model

Entity-Relationship Diagram ERD

The chief component of a system design is the ERD that represents the data model of the
PLS. It is, in effect, a diagrammatical representation of all the critical entities
participating in the system and their relationships with each other. This diagram describes
how data will be organized and how different entities interact with each other in the
system.

Key Entities in ERD:

 Property: A listed property on the PLS. The attributes are Property ID,
Address, Size, Year Built, Number of Bedrooms, Number of Bathrooms,
Asking Price, and Status.
 Real Estate Agent: An agent who handles property listings. The attributes are
Agent ID, Name, Phone, Email, and Office.
 Property Owner: He is the owner of the properties. Attributes are: Owner ID,
Name, Phone, Email.
 Real Estate Office: These are the offices within which agents work. Each
office has attributes like Office ID, Name, Address, Manager Name and
Phone.
 Listing: Relationship between properties and agents with attributes like
Listing ID, Property ID, Agent ID, Date Listed and Date Sold.
 Manager: They are managers who manage agents with attributes like Manager
ID, Name, Phone and Email.
 Change Request: Any change requests that an agent/owner can request with
regards to the property information. This will have the following attributes:
Request ID, Property ID, Agent ID, Date Requested, Details of Request and
Status.
 Report: Refers to the reports to be generated by the system. Attributes include
Report ID, Agent ID, Type of Report, Date Generated, Content Simplified
representation of ERD.
6. System Architecture

The system architecture of the Property Listing System is designed to allow maximum
scalability, reliability, and security in the various user experiences through estate agents,
privatized landowners, and managers. As a result, a multi-level separation of concerns
would permit in improved management of the system and development.

The system architecture typically defines several layers, including:

1. Presentation Layer: This is basically the layer for the user to access the system.
2. Application Layer: This includes all the business rules and processes that back up the
system.
3. Data Access Layer: It provides the regulations that concern how the application
communicates with the database.
4. Database Layer: This is where all persistent data used by the system is stored.
5. Security Layer: Provides an assurance that the system is shielded from unwarranted
access and, therefore, secures the integrity of the data.
6. Integration Layer: This is the layer all external integrations with third party services or
other systems are done.
See diagram below that is the simplified system architecture representation:
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Explanation of Architectural Layers

1. Presentation Layer:
 Role: Manages user interfacing and experience.
 Components:
 Web Interface: agents log in, search properties, view reports etc by this
component using browsers
 Mobile App: On the fly access and management
 Client Browsers: System should also work well with various browsers that are
present
2. Application Layer
 Role: This is the layer with implementation of the significant part of business
logic and workflow
 Business Logic: Controls the system functioning regarding listing management
 Use Case Implementations: Actualizes particular functions, for example,
searching properties and creating reports.

3. Data Access Layer

Data access layer
 Data access layer is used between the application and database layers. This layer
is implemented in dealing with databased operations
 The following are the components of Data access layer
 ORM: It provides a twoway translation of data between object oriented languages
and the relational databases.
 DAO: This data access object provides an abstract interface over the database for
the smooth and easy execution of the data operation.
 Data services: It is the component that performs the data retrieval and storage
operations

4. Database Layer
 This is the layer that holds and maintains all data permanently. Data is maintained
with integrity and safety of data guaranteed. The database layer components are
the.
 Backup and Recovery: Unconditionally proves that in case the operations fail, the
data shall be highly secured and recovered.

5. Security Layer
 Function: Enables the system to be protected against unauthorized access and leak
of data
 Components:
  Authentication: validation of the user's access via their credentials and using
multi-factor authentication
 Authorization: restricting the user's access through roles and permissions
 Encryption: securing the data through data at rest and in transit.

6. Integration Layer
 Function: it helps to manage issues concerning outside systems and third-party
services
 Parts:
 A third-Party API: integrate PLS with the.
 External Services: can be the email notification tools and also data analytic tools
 Webhooks: Offloads its capability to the real-time change into a system and the
communication to those changed with the outside system also.

This tiered architecture will ensure PLS will be scalable, maintainable, and secure since
each layer is independent manageable and adaptable to new technologies.

7. Interface Design

Interface Mockups: The PLS User interface should be designed in such a way that it is
friendly, intuitive, and aesthetically pleasing to make sure that the real estate
professionals are comfortable in interacting with it. Below are some of the critical screens

1. Login Screen:
 Purpose: Secure login for users.
 Design: Simple form containing the fields such username and password, place for
'Forgot Password? And 'Sign Up.'

2. Dashboard
  Purpose: Houses all the core functionalities, with all the listing and property
searching facilities along with report generation_
 Design: At the above navigation, then summary activity and quick access links are
next.

3. Property List Page

 Purpose: To view and maintain the listed property
 Design: Card form such contain information relevant must-know details where
clicking the said card will enable the user to make an update or view info.

4. The Property Details Page

 Purpose: Detailed information about the property.
 Design: property details, pictures, documental attachments, comments and 'Edit'
tab.

5. Report Generation Page:

 Anonymously: for the consumers implement a report.
 Recommend: drop-down and check boxes through which one can define the
parameters to be tested to preview and export as docx options.

6. Edit Request Page:

 Anonymously: for the consumers to make a modification request.
 Recommend: a form for the user to choose the property, to describe the
modification, and to submit.

Why these Designs and Enhanced Usability

1. User-Centered Designed:
 Usability: Easy to use, i.e. conclusively clear and logical sections and hence less
learning curves.
 2. Visual Consistency:
 Common Design Elements: Predictable buttons, fonts, colors for all the screens.

2. Assistive Technologies:
 High contrast, alternative text so as meeting compliance for all the varied devices
on which it would work with responsive designs.

3. Ease in Navigation:
 Provide a left-hand side menu and breadcrumbs that make for easy navigation.

Feedback and Confirmation: Instant feedback on user action and reduction of errors by
displaying confirmation. Flexibility and Efficiency: Provide autofill, bulk actions,
keyboard shortcuts, and such facilities to make them more productive. Error Prevention:
Through appropriate instructions, control over inapplicable actions, and confirmation of
alert box to make it impossibly performable. Customizability
column Options that can be enabled by the user enabling to achieve the best visual appeal
to their choice of how the optimal efficiency ideal workflow would look and feel.
The interface will dictate that PLS users can work in a right way and right time; hence
high quality of work and productivity gain to seek the final height of user satisfaction.

8. Development Approach

Phases of Development:
1.Requirements-Gathering and Analysis:
 Objective: Understanding business requirements and requirement of the System.
 Activities: Gather requirements from all stakeholders, features' analysis and
prioritization)
 Deliverables: Requirement document, UC diagrams, and Data Model,

2. System Design
 Purpose: System Arrangement and Database Design.
  Activities: Building Architecture diagram, UI diagram, Database diagram
 Deliverables: Building Architecture diagram, ERD, UI diagrams.

3. Developing and coding

 Purpose: To develop the core features in the system.
 Activities: Develop frontend, develop back-end logical features, Develop the data
access layer.

4.Deliverables: PLS working modules

 Objective: Validation and verification of system and its performances.
 Activities: Individual testing, integration testing, user acceptance testing.
 Data
 Deliverables: system updates and its documentation in case of enhancements.

Testing and Deployment Plan

1. Phases of Testing
 Unit Testing: testing of autonomous pieces
 Integration Testing: testing of integrated modules working properly and
functionally
 User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Testing to confirm system meets user's desire
 Performance Testing: The system should be tested while under load.

2. Deployment Strategy
 Staging Environment: Controlled testing environment to be done in
 Deployment Go-Live Plan: Deployment at the off-peak time along with rollback
and monitoring plans.
 Post-Deployment Testing: System functionality to be tested post-deployment in a
live environment.
.
Risk Management and Quality Assurance:
1. Risk Management:
  Scope Creep: A tight process on change management
 Security Vulnerabilities: Strong encryption and multi-factor authentication
 Security Issues: Effective encryption and security.

9. System Architecture

The following novel features are proposed in order to make the PLS not only functional
but modern. This design will enhance user experience, bring efficiency, and give a
competitive edge to real estate agents/managers who use this system in several ways:

1. AI-based Property Matching: It would mean devising an algorithm in which the AI

understands and automatically fits the preferences and backgrounds to the prospects with
a look at the properties. Then, it goes through the preferences of clients based on location,
budget, and property type; it then suggests the property that is most likely correct for one
of the clients. Effectively, this service saves the agents a lot of time on search duty.

2. Integration of Virtual Tours: The VT capabilities in PLS culminate with the ability to
upload 360-degree virtual property tours by an agent within the same share. This feature
will make the view prospects in reference view from a property without visiting
themselves; this shall increase, in addition, the possibility of early interest.

3. Blockchain-Based Transaction Ledger: Distributed ledger based on block-chain as the

platform to record all property transactions such as Record cannot be tempered with, and
are secure. Further this will reduce the risks of frauds and has authentic and reliable
records which provide history of ownership and changes made to the property listing.

4.Auto Prices Suggestions: Design an AI-driven tool where the market trends shall be
analyzed using the historical sales data and current listings with regards to the optimum
price recommendations will be delivered for new property listings. In this way, the agent
will optimally price the property, which will sell out at a fast pace, while there is
competitiveness in the pricing.

5. Instant Support Chatbot: Develop a chatbot in your system. It can help the on-the-go
users. Chatbots, similar to the above-mentioned ones, can help the users in their desired
property search, requests for change, or even preparing the reports, etc., by replying to his
 queries automatically to help save the user's time as well as cutting appointments with
human supporting staff.

6.Predictive analytics for market trends.

The algorithmic predictive tools are sensitive to historical data and current conditions,
projecting the trends of the market. This would give time and an informed decision on
listing strategies, marketing efforts, and client advisories for the agents and managers to
participate in.

7. Mobile App w/ Offline Capabilities:

A mobile application version of the PLS should be developed so that offline capabilities
are allowed; with this, agents are in a better position to access and update information
regarding a property even when there is no connectivity.

Basically, this will improve the user's ability to create a personalized dashboard in which
he or she will drop and order the widgets of their choice, probably by putting them into
place in terms of easy access to favorite searches, upcoming appointments, or recent
activity logs. Such customization can make work easier and will give the users a personal
experience.

10. Innovative Features

1-Artificial Intelligence (AI) Property matching:

Property suggestions as fast as can be increasing the level of customer delight and help in
reducing the sales cycle. AI aids selling agents to get a competitive edge, not just in deal
closures faster and more accurately but also in the total time an agent has to consume in
mapping the properties with the buyers.

2. Virtual Tours Implementation:

Rationale: With reinforcing needs of inspection of properties from a distance, this service
can hardly fail to give a fresh, modern impetus to PLS in the ever-changing field of
digital real estate trends and new customer needs.
3. Blockchain-based Transaction Ledger:
 Validation: This Blockchain provides better security of the transactions and more
transparency to Blockchain; hence, this helps in building trust between clients, regulators,
and the respective event. It will record and trace trends in the sector and reduce the risk of
fraud with an immutable record of transactions.
This would make its agencies fairly priced, and hence it would avoid overpricing or
underpricing, which is expensive in whichever way. This would also avail agencies with
insight to data-drive decisions on how to serve clients better.

5. Chatbot for Instant Help:

Chatbot provides real-time availability —24x7—an enhances the user experience by
eliminating the time that would need to be wasted waiting and therefore allowing the
users to carry out their tasks in the most efficient way.

6. Prediction Analytics on Market Trends

Justification: The agents will have the ability to monitor the market trends through
analytics and forecasts where they can change their strategy towards the imminent
forecasts. In that way, the above tool will be able to make PLS more as a strategic asset
other than being there for listing management.

7. Mobile App on which the User can Work Offline:

The off-line support is made to be such that the agent can get and access information and
manipulate it out in the field; therefore, the PLS is reliable and applicable in the field .
Custom Dashboards. Customizability of dashboard implies satisfaction among users and
effectiveness as one can adapt according to his or her best fit; thus, it promotes usage, and
also it is in place with workflows.

11. Conclusion

The community property listing system would all be inclusive in the package, which
would be needed by the community. With this report, it was able to design a way of doing
development of a system in the understanding of details, analysis of business and system
requirements, designing of key component views like the use case diagrams and data
model, and system architecture among others; some other innovative features that could
be added to drive better effectiveness.
The findings can be summarized to:

1. Inclusive System Requirements: The PLS will be designed based on a detailed and
comprehensive understanding of the business requirements from the listing real estate
agents, owners and attractions. It shall include all functional and non-functional
requirements that would allow the fulfillment of core competencies for property listing
management, user authentication, and reporting.

2. Robust System Architecture: Multitiered, scalable, secure, maintainable, high-

performance designs that ensure data integrity to sustain the increasing demand over
time.

3. User-Centered Interface Design: The user interface shall be user-friendly, thus more
intuitive and more accessible; this has been taken care of during the course of its design.
Features such as customizable dashboards, AI-driven property matching, and virtual tours
make it even easier to use.

4. State-of-the-art features: Not only will innovative features such as AI Property

Matching, a Blockchain-based Transaction Ledger, and Predictive Analytics drive this
PLS to the top of the real estate business-related tools and give paramount advantages
over traditional systems, but they will also remain on top for quite a while.

5. Structured Development Strategy: Through step-by-step development, stringent

testing, and risk management plans in place, the system will surely be delivered on time
and meet all quality standards.
12. Recommendations for Implementation

1. User Training and Support:

Extensive trainings along with user documents. Help desk and chatbot for speedy
assistance of users.

2. Agile Development:
Follow Agile methodology to receive constant feedback from stakeholders and make
iterative improvements.

3. Strong Security Measures:

Implement safe security protocols: encryption, multi-factor authentication, and frequent
audits. Add blockchain to allow transparency into transactions.

4. Scalability and Performance

Design the system to scale and test regularly for performance so as to be efficiently
resistant to peak loads.

5. Marketing and Adoption

Advertise PLS through targeted campaigns. Offer incentivizing, such as discounted
subscriptions, in order to attract users.

6. Continuous Improvement
Gather user feedback and performance monitoring after deployment to come up with
future updates that keep the PLS relevant.