Final Year Project: Online Dentist Appointment Booking System (ODABS)

This project report details the development of an Online Dentist Appointment Booking System (ODABS) designed to streamline appointment scheduling for a dental clinic. The project addresses the limitations of traditional booking methods, such as phone calls and manual record-keeping, which lead to inefficiencies and patient dissatisfaction. The report outlines the project's background, objectives, scope, and success criteria, emphasizing the benefits of an online system, including enhanced patient self-service, improved staff productivity, and increased patient satisfaction. It includes a comprehensive analysis of the existing market problems, a survey of user needs, and a SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The proposed solution encompasses the development of a website and mobile app with three main modules: Dentist, Patient, and Staff, each with specific functionalities for managing appointments, patient information, and administrative tasks. The project also includes a detailed project charter, marketing research, hardware and software requirements, budget plan, project schedule, and a Gantt chart to ensure timely and successful implementation.

Online Dentist Appointment Booking
System (ODABS)

Table of Content
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................4
Project Background..............................................................................................................................5
Problems Identification........................................................................................................................6
Project Objectives ................................................................................................................................8
Scope of the Project..............................................................................................................................9
Success Criteria..................................................................................................................................12
Project Benefit....................................................................................................................................13
Proposed solution can be implemented using IT................................................................................13
Project Charter...........................................................................................................................13
Marketing Research............................................................................................................................15
Existing Market Problem Identification.....................................................................................15
Compare with existing website..................................................................................................15
Survey Method...........................................................................................................................21
Survey Result.............................................................................................................................22
SWOT Analysis..................................................................................................................................26
Proposed Requirement........................................................................................................................28
Hardware Requirement:.............................................................................................................28
Software Requirement:...............................................................................................................30
Environment Requirement:........................................................................................................31
Budget Plan........................................................................................................................................32
Final Deliverable ...............................................................................................................................33
Project Schedule.................................................................................................................................34
High-level Project Plan..............................................................................................................34
Gantt Chart.................................................................................................................................36
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................37
Appendix............................................................................................................................................39

INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, most of the business are applying for the online booking system for various
essential services such as restaurants, clinics and car parking, etc. The online booking system is
mostly based on websites and applications. It allows the users to conveniently book their
appointments. The system can process the booking through any internet-connected device such as
PC, mobile phone, and laptop. The system allows the user in selecting date, time and then confirm
booking without any manual intervention.
For the importance of my proposed project, I will develop online booking system for real
dental clinic. Since the clinic is on the path of growing; traditional booking cannot help in catching
up business growth. Therefore, online booking system could help dental clinic to easily manage the
business and thus, improve the operational efficiency as well. Also, online booking system can save
time and money of the patients.
Project Background
My proposed final year project topic is "Online dentist appointment booking system". I got this
idea because of my experience with the dentists. The current booking system has several flaws.
Small-scale dental clinics usually have few staff, and booking of treatment stays always full. There
is a shortage of the staff as well in this industry. This often leads to un answering of calls of the
people who wants to contact to clinical staff for any queries. An online booking system would not
only solve these problems but also help in enhancing the efficiency and decreasing the booking
time as well.
This project aims to provide the patients, a proper system to book a dental appointment online.
It is an application that consists of a website and mobile app. Its goals are to help staff in managing
better and efficiently the appointments.

Problems Identification
Presently, the patients need is to take an appointment for which, they must have to physically
arrive at the dental clinic for booking or contacting the staff for an appointment. Many times, the
issue that emerges is that after closing time of the dental clinic, the customer care numbers also go
busy or not reachable. This makes the patient unaware of the next day bookings and other related
queries. So, the person might have to wait for the next day for booking. It acts as a very lengthy
process. The dental clinic and the staff takes a lot of time in doing operations manually. There are
several problems in the dental clinic without the online dentist appointment booking system as
below.
A. Patient’s cannot self-serve
Without an online dentist appointment booking system, the traditional booking system is a
manual process. That means after the service hours of the dental clinic, the service numbers also
stay not reachable. Therefore, the patients cannot help it. Therefore, if online appointment booking
system is initiated, the patients can book themselves, thus it can help in patient satisfaction.
A. Hot line constantly ringing
Without an online dentist appointment booking system, the patients need to take the bookings
by phone. This is a problem because that means when the dentists or nurses during the surgeries do
not answer the hot line, the patients call hot line regularly and when no one picks up the phone on a
continuous basis, it disappoints the patients to a huge extent. Therefore, if provided, the online
appointment booking system, the patients can book the appointment through the system to reduce
the rate of continuous phone calls for booking appointments.
B. Dentist difficult to oversee the appointment
Without an online dentist appointment booking system, the dentist can't quick to know the
details of appointment of him/her. Because the details of appointment are mostly managed by the
assistant staff and the dentist needs them to report the patient schedule. If the assistant staff forget to
report one of booking the dentist may have been left the clinic back to the home. The patient may
need to reschedule it for another day.
C. Risk of the physical record

Without an online dentist appointment booking system, all the bookings are mostly written in
the task calendar. It can not quickly review all the bookings and patient information. If it is required
to find the record, it may need some time. Also, the record has a physical risk when the fire disaster
occurs, the data cannot be recovered.
Project Objectives
The Online Dentist Appointment Booking System consists of various websites and mobile
applications on the internet. It provides the easiest way for all the clinic all of patients can
scheduling the appointment as quickly as possible from anywhere. [2]
The purpose of the system is patients can be scheduling the appointment to the dentists on the
selected day. That is the patients do not need to physically arrive at the dental clinic for booking.
The patients may do the booking online without physically present at the dental clinic. Therefore,
the system avoids the staffs being unable to answer the calls because they are involved in
supporting the dentists during their surgeries. Also, even the hot lines are unavailable in out of
service hours the patients also can use the system to book the appointment.
My proposed Online Dentist Appointment Booking System that can help the patient’s book
and view the time slot more easily also can help the dentists in their works.
A. The system allows the patients to book the empty slots online.
B. The system allows the dentists to manage their appointments by patients.
C. When the patient visits a dentist, his/her medical record is archived in the database by the
dentist.
D. After the first medical report, the patients can view his/her medical record.

Scope of the Project
My proposed "Online dentist appointment booking system" website and app are having three
major modules with their sub-modules:
A. Dentist
The system allows the dentists to log-in and accesses the following modules. The dentist's
account is created by Admin.
- My Information
The system allows the dentists to view his/her profile information after log-in the system.
- My Appointments
The system allows the dentists to view the appointments related to his/her.
- Search Patients
The system allows the dentists that they can search for a patient under to his/her.
- Write Description
The system allows the dentists to update and view the patient's medical history.
B. Patient
The system allows the patients to log-in and accesses the following modules. The patients need to
first register themselves to login into the system.
- My Information
The system allows the patients view his/her profile information after login.
- Book Appointment
The system allows the patients to book an appointment for a particular dentist anytime by
specifying the appointment date and time.
- View Appointment
The system allows the patients that they can view their booked appointments after successful
booking.
- Cancel Booking
The system allows the patients can cancel their appointments anytime.

- Search Dentists
The system allows the patients can search for the dentists through the name or categories.
C. Staff
The system allows the staff to log-in and access the following modules. The staff then uses the
account to manage the dentists and patients account.
 Create Dentist
The system allows the staff to create the dentist account.
 Manage Dentist
The system allows the staff can view the dentist list for further management.
 Manage Patient
The system allows the staff can view the patient list for further management.
 Manage Appointment
The system allows the staff can view the booked appointments by patients for further management.

Success Criteria
Item
No. Success Criterion Relative
Importance
1. Deliver the system on time 20
2. Deliver the system report on time 20
3. Within the determined budget 5
4. Meet all the determined project requirements and feature 5
5. Meet the quality requirements 5
6. Have the satisfied users 5
7. Have regular check the project schedule 15
8. Add value to the system 5
9. Determine what does the user want 10
10. Implement the user need in the system 10
Total: 100
Table 1 - Success Criteria
Before starting the project, it should define the success criteria. When the success criteria is
defied, it can make the project planning easily. Such as "Deliver the system on the time" and
"Deliver the system report on the time" should be a highly relative importance. If these two parts
cannot be on schedule complete. The project will fail. Therefore, when implemented the success
criteria with the project, it could be more help the project make better chooses about which place
should invest time and effort.

Project Benefit
A. Enhance the competitive advantage with the self-serve
First of all, the booking appointment system could enhance the competitive advantage with the self-
serve. The existing dental clinic only provide the traditional booking method. The patients want to
make the appointment they need to contact the clinic confirm with the staff date and time. When
implemented the online appointment booking system, the patients could be more easily and quickly
make the appointment by themselves.
B. Enhance the productivity of the booking appointment
Also, the booking appointment system could enhance the productivity of the booking appointment.
The system provides the website and apps for the patients booking. That means the patients doesn't
need through the staff to make the appointment. The patients could make the appointment
anywhere. Moreover, the system could reduce the workload for manage the booking of the staff.
C. Enhance the patient's satisfaction
Moreover, the booking appointment system could enhance the patient's satisfaction. The system
provides the online booking for the patients, they do not need to physically arrive at the dental clinic
to make the booking. Besides, when the staff supporting the dentists and during their surgeries, they
may not be able to pick up the hotline to do the booking. The system can prevent this problem allow
the patient booking appointment anytime.
Proposed solution can be implemented using IT
Project Charter
Project Title: Online Dentist Appointment Booking System (ODABS)
Project Start Date: 05th Sep, 2017 Projected Finish Date: 04th May, 2018
Project Background:
- The current traditional booking system of the dental clinics has several flaws.
The dental clinics often have few staffs only, and the booking of the treatment
is always full. Also, the staff is always out for supporting the dentists and their
surgeries. This often leads to the staff being unable to answer the calls.
Moreover, the hot lines are unavailable out of service hours. My proposed

online booking system would solve those problems.
Project Objectives:
 Patients can be scheduling the appointment on the selected day
 Help the patients easily book the appointment
 Patients view the time slot more easily
 Help the dentists manage their booking
Project Scope:
- The system has contained the website and app three major modules:
1. Dentist
2. Patient
3. Staff

Project Deliverable
1. Automated booking and do not need the staff to handle appointment booking
2. Enable patients online to apply the time slots
3. Enable patients to book appointments of anytime and anywhere
Table 2 - Project Charter
Marketing Research
Existing Market Problem Identification
The marketing research is defining the existing market problem of my proposed project. At the
root question of the existing internet dental clinic, there are the common problems of the internet
dental clinic. The existing internet dental clinic doesn't provide the online appointment. Most of the
internet dental clinic only provides basic website interface. It only includes basic information and
contact point of the dental clinic. If the patients want to get the appointment, they need to contact
the dental clinic or send the email to confirm the date and time with the dental clinic. Some dental
clinics do not have efficient budgets, they will create the page on the Facebook. Whether it is the
website with basic information or create the Facebook page. It only has the promoting effect of the
dental clinic. For the booking the appointment the patients still need directly contact the dental
clinic. But the staffs may not be able to answer the calls because they are supporting the dentists
and during their surgeries. A few of the internet dental clinics provided the website with table field.
It allows the patients can insert the name, contact information and requirements. Patients through
the website submit the online form, the website will generate the email to send the notification to
the dental clinic.
The objective of the project to solve above problem, the patients can be scheduling the
appointment to the dentists on the selected day. That is the patients do not need to physically arrive
at the dental clinic to book. Therefore, it a good opportunity to be acted upon to develop the online
appointment booking. It can help the patient’s book and view the time slot more easily also can help
the dentists in their works.
Compare with existing website
To design a suitable and considerable online appointment booking website, I have research 6
different dental clinic websites to make my proposed website much better.
1. Dental Bauhinia [3]

Figure 1 -
Dental Bauhinia