Facility Permit Processing System (FPPS)

Project Type: Requirements Analysis, Design, Development, Installation and Integration of Enhanced Permit Processing System

Summary of Work Performed: SCAQMD anticipates a 250% increase in new facility permit applications in CY1996. To adequately respond to increasing demands, the agency has moved from issuing permits for individual equipment to a consolidated facility permit procedure. This contract is focused at providing the agency with a system tailored to enhancing the SCAQMD permit processing procedure by streamlining and improving the facility permit data entry, adding permit processing functionality, and by integrating with existing and future systems.

This is a multiple phased contract requiring the iterative design and development to be performed on-site at SCAQMD in two phases. During Phase I, Sierra developed Detailed Design Documents, and the Software Requirement Specifications, identified and recommended database structure design enhancements, and finalized the project plan for the second phase. Sierra has proposed to undertake a detailed workflow analysis of the permitting process. The objective of the workflow analysis will be to identify key design and implementation issues, evaluate technology, determine cost relationships to productivity factors, and to actually implement the technology in a permit processing environment. Sierra's design incorporates on-screen and object-based user interfaces and the use of stored procedures to decrease execution time of queries, reduce network traffic, and increase data independence. Sierra is implementing an intelligent search-assisted manual data entry capability based on recently available expert system companion products which are cost effective, and offer performance advantages.

During Phase II, Sierra will develop the Software Description from the Detailed Design Documents and the Software Requirements Specifications, developed in Phase I. In addition, this Phase will see the development of the Software Test Plan, Data Conversion Plan, and the Data Integrity Plan. We have proposed to develop the SDD in accordance with ANSI/IEEE Std 1016-1987. Once this documentation is reviewed and approved by SCAQMD, we will proceed to implement the FPPS design. Our development methodology will be decided after our workflow analysis and prior to completion of the Software Design Description for FPPS.

Sierra's development process includes provisions for user feedback to ensure ease of user interface and to demonstrate progress to end users and management.