CIS 8020 Assignment 2 MM Google Calendar API

This blog entry shall discuss my implementation of the Google Calendar API to solve a particular business problem.

1. Introduce the scenario or the case.

Morgan Computer Consulting has a big client (Client Alpha) that requires a new ERP implementation. Morgan Computer Consulting has formed a 20-person international project team to work on this big project. Coordination among team members and project managers will prove to be essential in getting the project done efficiently.

The team needs a way to easily coordinate meetings, installations, testing, etc. Morgan Computer Consulting doesn't want to have to buy any new software or go through the trouble of installing bulky software on employees' computers. Morgan Computer Consulting needs an easy to use, cloud-based, free calendar system that all global project team members can view in order to stay coordinated and connected.

2. Explain how you can use one of the Google APIs for a potential solution.

Google Calendar offers a very easy to use API that solves the project team's needs. Google Calendar offers the flexibility of easily embedding within a dashboard or any web page (using an iFrame), and allows the customization of allowing users to see daily, weekly, monthly, or agenda item views. Every team member can see the calendar at the same time, and the calendar can be controlled by specific people (one or multiple) such as the project managers simply by logging into Google and giving Calendar permissions. The Google Calendar is free and easy to use, features an easy print option, and allows the global project team to view all project team calendar items.

3. Use Google API to build a prototype. The output can be directly integrated to the same blog entry; or you may need a separate HTML/Script gadget.

Here is the implementation of the Google Calendar. Some sample calendar entries have been entered:



4. Explain why you chose this web API for implementation; if possible, compare to other possible solutions.

This particular API's huge advantage is that it's extremely easy to implement and customize. Other advantages are that it's free and visibly aesthetic. Other solutions would be Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Sharepoint, neither of which are free or particularly easy to use. Those products would provide too much bulk and overhead to be an effective, efficient solution.

Google Calendar offers real-time coordination without the need for backup or maintenance. Printing is very easy using Google Calendar, and can be easily embedded in an iFrame for easy web, dashboard, or mashup implementation. It's a great solution for this particular problem.