Case Study Car Rental System
This case study will illustrate the requirements gathering and definition process that we have been
working through to date.
Narrative
The car rental system is typical of how most of these businesses operate. Real world examples are
Enterprise, Budget, Hertz, and National etc., to name a few.
To rent a car, a customer can either call ahead or use their website to reserve a vehicle. Some customers
drop in to the rental office and, depending on availability, will rent a car on the spot. When a reservation
is made, the customer is provided with a confirmation number.
When customers pick-up their vehicle, they are attended to by a Customer Service Representative (CSR)
who prepares a rental agreement. The rental agreement lists the customer information including drivers
licence, the vehicle details including VIN No, Model, Make, colour, license no, and current mileage.
Details of the duration of the rental are also recorded including return date, any alternate drivers,
number of free kilometres allowed and pricing. Optional insurance coverage is also discussed.
Once the Rental agreement form has been prepared and signed by the customer, the CSR takes the
customer to the vehicle for an inspection where any scratches or other blemishes are noted so that on
its' return the customer is not liable for any pre-existing damage. The customer is then given a copy of
the rental agreement, which serves as proof that they are authorized to operate.
When the customer returns or drops off the vehicle, the CSR retrieves the rental agreement and then
performs an inspection of the vehicle, where the odometer reading is recorded, fuel tank level is
checked and exterior and interior are checked for any damage (beyond what was noted earlier). The bill
or invoice is calculated and presented to the customer for payment. Retail Customers normally pay by
credit card, the details of which are noted on the rental agreement. If the customer is covered under a
corporate account, they sign the bill and a separate corporate invoice is generated at month end and
forwarded to the head office accounts payable department for payment.
When the vehicle is returned to the storage parking area it is noted in the vehicle inventory file as
\"Returned-Service\". It is then cleaned and serviced to be made \"available\" for the next rental
opportunity. However, if the vehicle odometer exceeds 20,000 km, it is taken \"out of service\" and held
\"For Auction\" until sold. This is standard policy in the business, as customers want and expect to rent
new vehicles. Once a vehicle is sold at auction, it is purged from the inventory file. In some instances, a
vehicle may be damaged on return and must be repaired. This is also noted in the inventory records and
when repairs are completed the car is once again made \"available\" for rental.
