The Development and Implementation of an Inventory Management System - Research Proposal Example

Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 2. System Request 3 3. Project Charter 6 4. Functional Requirements 8 4 User Management 8 4 1 User Profile Creation 9 4.1.2 User Login/Logout 9 4.2 Stock Management 10 4.3 Order Processing 11 4.4 Inventory Management 11 4.5 Report Generation 12 4.6 Performance 12 4.7 Security 13 4.8 Testing 13 5.0 Process Models 14 5.1 Context Diagram 14 5.2 Level 0 Diagram 16 16 5.3 Level 1 Diagrams 17 5.3.1 User Login / Registration 17 5.3.2 Order Processing 18 5.3.3Inventory Management 19 5.3.4 Report Generation 20 6.0 Data Models 21 6.1 Logical 21 6.2 Physical 23 23 7.0 User Interface Model 24 CLIENT INTERRACTION 24 7.1 Client Registration 24 7.2 Login 25 7.2.1Password recovery 25 7.3 Place Order 26 STAFF INTERRACTION 27 7.3Add Staff 27 7.4 Login 27 7.4.1Password recovery 28 7.5Report generation 29 REPORTS 30 USER MANUAL/DOCUMENTATION 34 CLIENTS 34 Client Registration 34 Client Login 34 Password recovery 35 Place an Order 35 STAFF INTERRACTION 36 Add Staff 36 Staff Login 37 7.5.1Password recovery 38 7.6Report generation 38 9.0 Lessons Learned Report 42 1. Executive Summary Efficiency, profitability, and increased customer satisfaction are some of the primary goals of businesses. With efficiency come reduced operation costs, time cuts, and optimum resource utilization. The result of these factors is that companies earn extra revenue, deliver goods and services in time, and, in some instances, reduce prices to clients. This creates a robust system that keeps both producers and consumers happy. This proposal seeks to establish how companies operating in the pharmaceutical sector can harness opportunities that information technology presents to make their operations more efficient, satisfying, and profitable. It outlines how pharmaceutical distributors can automate their order processing and inventory management systems, in an effort to improve their performance. Through the application of appropriate technologies, the proposal brings out plans for the implementation of the system. This captures various stages of the project, such as functional requirements, business requirements, project charter, scope, risks, and testing strategies. The document also outlines how users will handle the system, defining the processes involved, interfaces, and reports being generated. 2. System Request Date of Request Service Requested for Organization February 20, 2013 Member Services , Warehouse , Shipping Submitted By (key user contact) Name Thamer Almaqbel Title Business Analyst, Member Services Office M212 Phone 229-1634 Name Abdulelah Alsanie Title Business Analyst, Warehouse Office W101 Phone 229-1634 Name Deema AlQurashi Title Business Analyst, Shipping Office S412 Phone 229-1600 Executive Sponsor (funding authority) Name Dr. Michael Seavers Title President , Member Services Office V500 Phone 229-9999 Type of Service Request: [ X ] New System [ ] System Enhancement [ ] System Error Correction [ ] Other ____________________________________________________________________________ Brief Statement of Problem, Opportunity, or Directive The pharmaceutical sector is extremely crucial in the implementation of proper health reforms in any country. This is because the availability of pharmaceutical drugs and equipment affects the health sector directly. Current pharmaceutical systems are mostly manual; in cases where the systems are automated, they work independent of each other. The absence of synchrony limits the efficiency of current systems. To this end, it is necessary to have a trustworthy inventory and order management system for pharmaceutical drug and equipment distributors. Brief Overview of Business Requirements The pharmaceutical business requires a system that can manage users, including both customers and staff. It should also allow staff to register new stock into the system, and process customer orders while automatically updating the inventory. In addition, the business requires a system that will be able to synchronize business activities across firms that have chains of premises. Finally, businesses require frequent reports to track their activities. The pharmaceutical business relies on data to carry out its activities. Some of this data includes information include product information, customer and order details, as well as warehouse information. This data is generated, used, and stored within the business chains. The success of business requires that the order processing and inventory management system has to be above board in terms of performance. It should be able to process large amounts of data efficiently, have good error recovery systems, and real time backup. Finally, security is particularly vital to the successful deployment and operation of any business system, including the order processing and inventory management. The systems should only be accessible to authorized personnel. The priorities of these requirements are to ensure a timely, reliable, and efficient order processing and inventory management system. Brief Statement of Expected Solution The order processing system will handle order management right from placement to processing, while concurrently updating the inventory automatically. One of the major features of the system will be improved user management, which will enhance security. Only authorized personnel will be able to access the system. In addition, special access protocols will be implemented to ensure that no single person has absolute authorization in cases involving sensitive drugs. Such drugs and equipment will only be accessible only upon authorization by two relevant users. Apart from enhanced user management, the system will include several measures aimed at enhancing security. These include running sensitive processes within an intranet, as well as installing appropriate antivirus programs and firewalls. The physical security of the system will also be enhanced to ensure that only authorized personnel are allowed into the rooms housing the system. The system will run on powerful machines with large storage space to enhance data processing and storage. The system will also include a real time backup system, which will serve for recovery in case of failure. 3. Project Charter Project Title Pharmaceutical Order Processing and Inventory Management System Project Start Data February 28, 2013 Project Finish Date May 3, 2013 Project Budget $70,000 Project Manager Dr. Michael Seavers Project Overview : The project involves the development, implementation, and maintenance of an order processing and inventory management system for pharmaceutical companies handling drugs and other medical equipment. The primary stakeholders of the project will be staff employed in the procurement and order processing departments. However, it will also include other departments which work together with procurement and order processing, including finance, IT, security, and legal services. Scope : The project will cover order processing and inventory management Project Objective : Install an automated Order Processing and Inventory Management System to help pharmaceutical stores improve their service delivery through enhanced order and inventory management. Users : 1) Clients 2) Order processing staff 3) Inventory management/ procurement staff 4) Management User Benefits : 1. Ability to process orders and update inventories concurrently during order processing 2. Improved efficiency in order processing 3. Increased customer satisfaction Response Times : 1. Order processing success rate of 100% 2. 100% automatic inventory updating 3. Minimum success rate of 98% 4. Maximum database response time of 5 seconds 5. Maximum system recovery time of 60 seconds. Deliverables : 1. Order processing documentation 2. Inventory management documentation 3. Installed system server and network 4. Installed system database 5. Installed backup system Security : 1) Physical security of the system 2) Network and application security through use of appropriate security protocols and software Risks : 1. New order processing system: users could reject the system 2. Staff training: users have to be trained to use system effectively 3. Security: unscrupulous employees could sabotage the system Stakeholders Name Role Responsibility Signature Dr. Michael Seavers Project Manager Coordinates all activities of project Thamer Almaqbel Lead Programmer In charge of all programmers Mohammed Alseraihi Database Engineer Manages activities related to databases Abdulelah Alsanie Testing Manager Handles all testing activities of the project Mishary Alayed Business Analyst Ensures project is aligned to business goals Deema AlQurashi Finance Officer Handle financial obligations Dr. Joseph Catanio Legal officer Assist on legal issues 4. Functional Requirements In order for the system to achieve its goals, it must perform up to certain expectations. These expectations include functional requirements, outlined as follows: Requirement Priority User Management High Stock Management High Order Processing High Inventory Management High Report Generation Medium Security High Performance High Testing Medium 4.1 User Management The system should cater for the following categories of users: Clients – They will be able to make orders and track their progress Staff – They will view orders made, process them, and update the inventory Management – Add users (staff) to the system and track business progress through real time reports System administrator – He or she will have overall responsibility over the system: he or she will manage all users. Any person accessing the system must be sanctioned to do so. The system provides four user levels; administrator, management, staff, and customers. 4.1.1 User Profile Creation The interface shall have a provision for the creation of user profiles. There shall be three categories of users; administrators, clients and staff. While the client registration interface will be open to the public, staff and management registration will only be accessible to a few people in the company. Clients will be able to create their own profiles through registration. Their profiles will include pertinent information such as their locations and telephone numbers. The root administrator’s profile shall be the default profile and should not be erasable. He or she shall have all the system rights; he or she will delegate some administrative rights to the various departmental managers. The departmental managers will create and manage profiles for the various staff working under them. The user profile shall contain relevant information about the user; a. For members of staff, it shall capture their employee numbers, departments, and responsibilities b. For clients, it will capture their names, addresses, telephone numbers and any other relevant information. 4.1.2 User Login/Logout Users should be able to login and log off as is necessary. The user will enter the username allocated to him or her, and password to access the system. Company staff and managers will have different interfaces through which they can access the system. Clients will also have a different interface for interacting with the system. Administrators and staff should be able to access the system only within the company’s intranet. In addition, the system will keep track of all login attempts, successful and unsuccessful while recording the usernames and passwords for failed login attempts. It will keep records off all activities a user undertakes while accessing the system. It shall also have the ability to generate reports on user activities as is necessary. On the other hand, clients should be able to access the system from any network; both internet and intranet. However, the system will keep track of the IP addresses clients use and raise alerts in case there is any trivial deviation from the normal range of IP addresses. 4.2 Stock Management There will be an interface through which staff will be able to enter new stock into the system. The system will be able to track stock from the time it is delivered in the firm’s warehouses, through to the time they are processed according to customer orders and leave the warehouse. There will be an interface displaying this information in real time, as well as a button that will enable management to request for instant reports. The reports should capture stock information such as the delivery date, supplier, value, and the expected expiry dates. The system will capture supplier information, expiry dates, date received, and unit value. It will also allow management to determine thresholds at which it would alert them for a restock. These alerts will be sent to management through auto-generated e-mails. Preparations should also be made to allow the system to send automatic requests for stock replenishment to suppliers in the future. Interfaces should be provided for future expansion of the system in the future. 4.3 Order Processing Clients will be able to make orders on the system. They will enter product details as well as preferred collection or delivery locations. The system will track the status or order processing; both management and client should be able to receive regular updates on the status of orders made. In addition, it will track customer activities by keeping records of all customer transactions and offer reward points. 4.4 Inventory Management System automatically updates the inventory while processing orders. In addition, staff can add and remove items from the inventory as is necessary; this can happen when items expire while still in the warehouses. However, this can only be done upon authorization by management. The system will, therefore, require double authorization in cases where a staff member has to remove items from the inventory. A member of staff shall, therefore, initiate the removal process, but it will remain pending until relevant authorities in management approve the withdrawal 4.5 Report Generation The system should generate frequent reports automatically, and as requested by the user. The reports will give clients information on the status of their orders, as well as provide managers and employees with stock information. The reports should also be able to give summaries of trends, depending on how order processing takes place. These reports include: Stock level reports Staff activity reports Inventory reports Client reports 4.6 Performance The response times for the various components of the system will be vital to its operation; a fast response guarantees an efficient system. The following conditions will have to be met: 4.7 Security The security of the system has to be guaranteed if its implementation is to be successful. The system, therefore, has to have security protocols that meet the following requirements: 1. Staff and management should be able to access the system within the company’s intranet only. 2. Clients security should be guaranteed by deploying relevant security protocols on the interfaces meant for clients 3. Deploy security protocols to ensure the system is safe from unauthorized access even within the company’s network. 4. Provide appropriate recovery mechanisms in case of security breaches. 4.8 Testing The system must go through rigorous testing before it is installed. This will be done, in multiple phases, to ensure that it not only meets its functional requirements, but also complies with accepted system development standards. Testing will be inherent at all stages of development: a) Design –The design will be tested, at the design stage, to ascertain whether it meets the conditions set in the SRS document. The design team will conduct the tests with the software elicitation and specification teams. b) Coding – Programmers will test their work from the beginning to the end to ensure that they eliminate as many errors and bugs as possible. After integrating system units, they will also conduct tests to ensure that they work together efficiently. c) Deployment – all stakeholders will take part in testing at this stage. Each category of stakeholders will participate by sending representatives to take part of the exercise. This team will be tasked with the responsibility of developing a testing manual, which will include every possible event. The system will then be tested, and recommendations made on its suitability. Any issues arising should be addressed before the system is deployed. 5.0 Process Models 5.1 Context Diagram The order processing and inventory management system shall be at the centre of operation in the order processing department. All users will have interfaces to interact with the system appropriately. Clients will, after logging into the system, be able to make orders. In addition, they will also be able to track the progress of their orders by entering their order numbers in a search box that will be provided. They will also be able to see their cumulative points gained from using the system. Staff will login to the system, receive and process orders, initiate stock removal, and view client information. Management shall allocate staff clusters of orders to process 5.2 Level 0 Diagram First time clients have to register to access the system. Only then can they be able to login into the system and make orders. After the client has submitted an order, he or she will receive a system generated acknowledgement message via e-mail. The system will then process the order and update the goods sold and inventory databases. The report generating component of the system will rely on information stored in the two databases to produce reports for management. 5.3 Level 1 Diagrams 5.3.1 User Login / Registration The user has to provide a username and password before accessing the system. New users (clients) have to click the registration button to get access to the registration page. The new user will enter his or her preferred username and password, email address, contact information and location. Once this information is saved, the new user will receive a confirmation email containing a link that he or she will use to verify his or her registration status. Once verification is done, the client can use the system to make orders as often as he or she wishes. 5.3.2 Order Processing Upon receiving the customer’s order, the system will transform the information into a spread sheet that is forwarded to the warehouse where the drug or equipment is to be picked. Consequently, the system will generate incremental data for the sold items database and decrements for the inventory, updating them in real time. 5.3.3 Inventory Management The inventory management module uses data from order processing and staff input to update the inventory. Data from order processing, such as sold items and inventory decrements data, is used to decrement the inventory, while staff input is primarily meant to increment the inventory. However, in special cases, staff will be allowed to initiate direct decrements, which will have to be sanctioned by management. 5.3.4 Report Generation This module relies on data in the inventory, user, and order databases to generate reports. The report s generated will depend on the user category; only management will have access to user activity reports. Staff members will be able to view reports on orders they have attended to only, as well as inventory information, while clients will get access to information pertaining to their activities in the system. These include reports on orders they have requested, as well as their cumulative reward points earned. The super administrator shall receive regular updates on user activity on the system. He shall have real time access to information on all users of the system. This will include usernames, IP addresses, and access times. The system will display details of users accessing the system at any one time. It will also capture data on failed logins. 6.0 Data Models 6.1 Logical 6.2 Physical 7.0 User Interface Model CLIENT INTERRACTION 7.1 Client Registration A new user (client) has to register in order to use the system. User registration captures user information that is relevant to the implementation of the system. User registration happens as described here: 1. Enter First Name 2. Enter Last name 3. Enter your desired Username 4. Enter your desired password 5. Confirm your desired password 6. Enter your email Address 7. Enter Your location in the Address field 8. Provide your telephone and/mobile phone number. 9. Press the “Register” button to save your information on the system 7.2 Login To login, the user: 1. Enter username 2. Enter password 3. Press login button 4. If you have forgotten your password, please click the “Forgot Password?” buttton 7.2.1 Password recovery To recover your password; 1. Enter your email address 2. Press the “Recover Pass” button 7.3 Place Order To place an order: 1. Search for the desired item in the system 2. Enter the quantity you want to purchase 3. Enter the address you want the goods to be delivered to 4. Select the mode of payment you want to use 5. Select the mode of delivery you desire 6. Press the “Order” button to complete placing your order STAFF INTERRACTION 7.3 Add Staff To add a new staff member to the system, the system administrator does the following: 1. Enter employee’s Fast Name 2. Enter employee’s Last Name 3. Enter employee username 4. Enter employee’s password 5. Confirm employee’s password 6. Enter employee rank 7. Press “Add User” button to complete action 7.4 Login To login, staff members: 1) Enter username 2) Enter password 3) Press login button 4) If you have forgotten your password, please click the “Forgot Password?” button 7.4.1 Password recovery To recover your password; 1) Enter your email address 2) Press the “Recover Pass” button 7.5 Report generation To generate reports; 1. Select the type of report desired in the “Category” field 2. Enter the desired criterion eg. 12345 for UserID 12345 3. Select the initial date 4. Enter the final date 5. Enter your password 6. Click “Generate” to generate report REPORTS The system will be able to generate the following reports i. Orders placed on 4/23/2013 The system will display details of orders made on a particular day or range of days. This information will be availed by selecting the range of days. ii. Orders Placed by Client 12345 The system can sift through orders and select those made by a particular client. This is achieved by entering the Client ID in the provided field. iii. Orders Placed on all Products Orders can be sorted based on products. This can be done for all products or individual products. Orders Placed on all products Orders Placed on Product CT7690 iv. Orders to be delivered on 7/23/2013 Orders can be sorted based on delivery dates. This information is crucial for the prioritization of order processing and arrangement of delivery. v. Orders to be delivered by Courier The system can sort orders by delivery mode and delivery date. This information is presented sequentially starting with the closest delivery date. vi. Order Status as seen by Client The client can view the status of his or her order by clicking the order status button on his profile. This displays all orders the client has made, indicating their statuses. vii. User Activity The system keeps track of all user activities. It captures information such as login and logout times, as well as the IP Addresses users access the system from. USER MANUAL/DOCUMENTATION CLIENTS Client Registration As a new user (client), you have to register in order to use the system. User registration captures user information that is relevant to the implementation of the system. User registration happens as described here: 1) Enter First Name 2) Enter Last name 3) Enter your desired Username 4) Enter your desired password 5) Confirm your desired password 6) Enter your email Address 7) Enter Your location in the Address field 8) Provide your telephone and/mobile phone number. 9) Press the “Register” button to save your information on the system Client Login To login: 1) Enter your username 2) Enter your password 3) Press login button 4) If you have forgotten your password, please click the “Forgot Password?” button Password recovery To recover your password; 1) Enter your email address 2) Press the “Recover Pass” button Place an Order To place an order: 1) Search for the desired item in the system 2) Enter the quantity you want to purchase 3) Enter the address you want the goods to be delivered to 4) Select the mode of payment you want to use 5) Select the mode of delivery you desire 6) Press the “Order” button to complete placing your order STAFF INTERRACTION Add Staff To add a new staff member to the system, the system administrator does the following: 1) Enter employee’s Fast Name 2) Enter employee’s Last Name 3) Enter employee username 4) Enter employee’s password 5) Confirm employee’s password 6) Enter employee rank 7) Press “Add User” button to complete action Staff Login To login, staff members: 1) Enter username 2) Enter password 3) Press login button 4) If you have forgotten your password, please click the “Forgot Password?” button 7.5.1 Password recovery To recover your password; 1) Enter your email address 2) Press the “Recover Pass” button 7.6 Report generation To generate reports; 1) Select the type of report desired in the “Category” field 2) Select the initial date 3) Enter the final date 4) Enter your password 5) Click “Generate” to generate report 8. Testing Strategy The system must go through rigorous testing before it is installed. This will be done, in multiple phases, to ensure that it not only meets its functional and business requirements, but also complies with accepted system development standards. Testing will be inherent at all stages of development: a) Design –The design will be tested, at the design stage, to ascertain whether it meets the conditions set in the SRS document. The design team will conduct the tests with the software elicitation and specification teams. b) Coding – Programmers will test their work from the beginning to the end to ensure that they eliminate as many errors and bugs as possible. After integrating system units, they will also conduct tests to ensure that they work together efficiently. c) Deployment – all stakeholders will take part in testing at this stage. Each category of stakeholders will participate by sending representatives to take part of the exercise. The tests conducted will seek to establish that the system being developed meets the following business and functional requirements: i. User Management The tests will seek to answer the following questions: a. Does the system allow users to register? b. Does the system identify users uniquely? c. Can a client login and logout? d. Can the administrator add staff to the system? e. Can the system identify the activities done by users while online/ ii. Inventory Management This will seek to answer the following questions: a. Does the system allow employees to update stock? b. Does the system allow for double authorization to remove stock? c. Does the system update the inventory automatically as orders are processed? iii. Order Processing a. Does the system allow staff to update progress made in order processing? b. Can clients view the status of their orders from the client panel? iv. Report Generation a. Does the system generate reports based on: i. Orders made by a single client ii. Orders made on a particular date iii. Orders made on a product iv. Orders based on mode of delivery v. Orders based on date of delivery b. Does the system display client order statuses on the client panel? c. Does the system provide the administrator with information on user activity? v. Security a. Can anyone access the system? b. Can clients and employees recover their passwords? c. Can staff access the system from the internet? d. Can the system be accessed by hackers? vi. Performance a. Does the user get a response within 0.5 seconds? b. Can the system operate on a computer with a processor speed of 1 GHz? c. Does the backup system come online within 0.4 seconds of failure? d. Can the system run on a computer operating on 256 MB RAM? 9.0 Lessons Learned Report The development of this proposal presented many challenges to the team. The team learnt many lessons in the process of overcoming these challenges and drafting the proposal. The lessons learnt were as follows: 1. Stakeholder Participation The establishment of business and functional requirements proved to be a hectic exercise. At first, the team did not get access to enough stakeholders, making it impossible to establish business and functional requirements effectively. The team learnt the importance of including as many stakeholders as possible right from the onset of the project. 2. Resource Mobilization The team also encountered various challenges owing to shortage of resources, both human and financial. As such, the group learnt of the need to acquire all necessary resources prior to the commencement of any project. 3. Planning The team realized that the key to development of an effective software development proposal is prior planning of the whole process. This ensures that everything goes on as intended, avoiding delays; hence, shortening delivery time. Read More