Table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Aims of Project.............................................................................................................................................................4
1.2 Problem Statement:.....................................................................................................................................................4
1.3 Research Scope............................................................................................................................................................6
1.4 Research Objectives.....................................................................................................................................................6
1.5 Research Questions......................................................................................................................................................7
1.6 Research Methodology................................................................................................................................................7
LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................................................................................10
2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................... 10
2.1.1 Understanding about Asset and Asset Management..............................................................................................10
2.2.................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
2.3 Objectives and tasks...................................................................................................................................................11
2.4 Components of Inventory management systems.......................................................................................................11
2.5 Principles of inventory management systems............................................................................................................13
2.6 Advantages of inventory management system..........................................................................................................14
2.7 Disadvantages of Inventory Management System.....................................................................................................15
2.8 Similar systems...........................................................................................................................................................16
Chapter 3.......................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Analysis phase.................................................................................................................................................................. 18
3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................... 18
3.2 The School’s current system.......................................................................................................................................18
3.1 User Functional requirements...........................................................................................................................19
1. All Users should...................................................................................................................................................19
2. Admin should.......................................................................................................................................................19
3. Admin –managers................................................................................................................................................19
System Requirements...................................................................................................................................................20
3.1.2 Non Functional Requirements Usability...........................................................................................................20
Accessibility.................................................................................................................................................................21
Performance................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Speed............................................................................................................................................................................ 21
Security........................................................................................................................................................................ 21
Availability :................................................................................................................................................................ 21
Data currency:..............................................................................................................................................................21
Data retention:..............................................................................................................................................................21
 Accuracy...................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Friendly GUI’s.............................................................................................................................................................22
Maintability.................................................................................................................................................................. 22
Extensibility and Scalability.........................................................................................................................................22
Disaster recovery:.........................................................................................................................................................22
Error handling:.............................................................................................................................................................22
3.2 System activities...............................................................................................................................................22
3.2.1 Use Case Diagram............................................................................................................................................24
2. All users :.............................................................................................................................................................24
Figure 25 Admin’s use cases........................................................................................................................................26
Table 2 : Use Case : Edit Supplier’s Information.........................................................................................................29
Table 3 : Use case: Send alerts.....................................................................................................................................30
Table 4 : Use Case: Update Inventory Status...............................................................................................................31
Figure 28 data flow diagram.........................................................................................................................................32
3.2.3 Functional Decomposition Diagram.................................................................................................................33
SYSTEM DESIGN..........................................................................................................................................................34
Chapter 4 System Design.............................................................................................................................................35
4.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................35
4.1.1 ER Diagram......................................................................................................................................................35
4.6 Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................40
Chapter 5 Implementation and Testing.........................................................................................................................41
5.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................41
5.2 Review of the changes in the requirements......................................................................................................41
5.2.0 Updated ERD...................................................................................................................................................41
5.2.1 Development of the project:.............................................................................................................................43
5.2.2 Tools Selections...............................................................................................................................................43
Table 13 Software Specifications.................................................................................................................................44
5.3.1 Tables:..............................................................................................................................................................45
5.3.2 Implementation issues:.....................................................................................................................................45
Creating user interfaces................................................................................................................................................46
5.4 The Database connection..................................................................................................................................46
5.5 Testing..............................................................................................................................................................46
Chapter 6...................................................................................................................................................................... 48
6.3 Difficulty faced:...............................................................................................................................................50
6.4 Future works.....................................................................................................................................................50
6.5 Recommendations............................................................................................................................................52
6.6.2 Course Recommendation:.................................................................................................................................52
1 INTRODUCTION

The School Inventory Management System (SIMS) is proposed to be used by Chipili secondary school in
Zambia. Asset in school is divided by two categories the first is inventory stationery and second modal asset.
Inventory asset is defined as any materials, such as paper, envelopes, pens, ink, rulers, etc. System is defined
as an organized and coordinated method, or a set object or phenomena grouped together for classification or
registration. the school is a group learning Institute under direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. The
financial management and asset the school has been discovered by management of Ministry of education. The
asset inventories such as stationeries are used very commonly by people working in an office. Stationaries are
supplied for the use staffs. School Inventory Management System (SIMS) in an asset booking and registration
system developed for staffs of the school to take stationeries they need, keep booking and view the
stationaries available. Other than that administrator responsible to approve the booking asset item. This
system is a computerized the manual system asset management. School Asset Management System is a web –
based system developed by HTML, PHP and JavaScript scripting languages. The system interacts with a
database using Server Query Language (SQL).

1.1 Aims of Project

The aim of the research is to develop a web based inventory management system that will be implemented
within the company to help the inventory manager record the details of the inventory and the details of the
inventory including the product ,supplier ,order and all information shall be stored in the database .the system
will provide all of the information needed for inventory manager ,display the product information ,the supplier
info which will enable the inventory manager to create /delete inventory or add new inventory or send alerts
when the inventory levels are low in stock and will enable to track order history of vendor.

1.2 Problem Statement:

The problem statement described for the conflict asset management of the school and problem which need to
be simplified, by recording and printing certificate of each asset. Currently, a school asset management system
at the school is performed manually, through a manual process. This, however makes the process laborious
and time consuming. The manual process normally will involve extensive paperwork and is prone to human
error. The Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel which currently used to record information of an asset
sometimes can be mistaken, incomplete and miscalculate as well as non - integrated. It is also troublesome
tedious to trace the physical asset and track their movement. According the problem discovered above,
vulnerabilities arise because of the manual process flows and its effect on almost all categories of user such as
the applicant, an administration office and staff. Basically, there are two foremost statement of the problem
which is to be solved by a proposed system;

i. How the School Asset Management System, can be used to be improved and simplify the current
process.
ii. How and what asset information can be integrated and shared among process or user. Seeing such
problems exist among the users, it motivates the author to develop SAMS, which is a computerized
system solution that is developed based on Rapid Application Development (RAD)

Some common challenges faced by include:

 Textbooks – Keeping track of potentially thousands of textbooks issued to students is often a logistical
nightmare. A quick system for checking books in and out at the beginning and end of a school year or
semester will help you keep a better track of how many books they have and how many they need.

 Manual tracking of data – Even though we’re in the 21st century, many school districts still rely on
written paper records for tracking school inventory. These records are subject to quite a bit of human
error and can be easily lost or improperly sorted. Also, this information is difficult to collate and
analyze. An electronic system of asset management is more convenient, accurate, and easy to examine
for inconsistencies, trends, or problems.

 Theft – All too often, school system equipment is stolen by students or employees. Better tracking for
school inventory can help school systems more quickly identify potential theft problems.

 Cross school and district transfers – When school equipment is transferred from one district to another,
it can get lost in the move or packed away and never used.

 Obsolescence and Lifecycle Management– Computers and other equipment may be replaced by newer
models, but the current models may still have some life in them and could be used in administrative or
office settings. Also, many obsolete electronics are shelved in warehouses and never disposed of
properly. By keeping better track of obsolete equipment, schools can better direct resources and make
use of obsolete, but still functional equipment.
1.3 Research Scope

The scopes are defined as the boundary of the functionality, user system and database. These elements are
important to make sure that the scopes of the system do not override the boundaries of the system. For User
scope’s elements, above shows the scopes of the user involved. This system is a web-based application. It can
be accessed via the Intranet so that staffs can make bookings before taking items from the counter whom the
person eel in command of the system manage the inventory asset item. It has security elements whereas only
authorized users can view the specific amount of the content of this web-based application based on their user
level of the system. In the database framework, it contains a feq table the record the data history, information,
staff details and item details. All documentations are referring to Software Engineering such as SDP,SRS, and
SDD

1.4 Research Objectives

General Objective

The main objective of this study is to develop and establish a Product Information System for Chipili
Secondary School for the improvement inventory processes and also to provide correct information through
the proposed system.

Specific Objectives

Specifically, this project aims to:

1. Establish an inventory system that enhances the speed of posting and updating products.

2. Create an Inventory system that can speed up checkouts and will monitor and maintain accurate
inventory products.
 3. Build a system that has a query module that can search product records and check the
availability and status of the product easily and create a system that can generate accurate and
reliable sales reports in a faster way.

1.5 Research Questions

- What are the problems with the current Manuel system?

- What challenges are related to the way the processes are being conducted?
- Can the Challenges and problems identified be solved by automation?

1.6 Research Methodology

It is about the conceptual framework used for planning, controlling and structuring the whole process of
developing an information system. Mostly one system methodology cannot suit all projects; different kinds of
projects can be suited with specific methodology basing on various techniques, organizations and
consideration from a project team. Consequently, there is no single ‘best’ approach to systems development.
Small problems may not even need a costly formal process; however, larger, more complex problems will
require well-defined processes.

The Systems Development Life Cycle As stated previously, the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
provides a template for the development process. The SDLC follows the traditional, phased approach with
specific activities allocated to each phase of development. It has been the most widely used methodology for
system development and although modern techniques and processes are gaining popularity is still seen as
having a significant place in system development.

Rapid Application Development (RAD) Rapid Application Development is an Object Orientated approach to
software development that includes a method of development as well as software tools (Kendall and Kendall,
2002). The primary purpose of a RAD is to speed up the systems development process. Kendall and Kendall
describe a RAD as having three phases: Requirements Planning; RAD Workshop; Implementation.

This section identifies the steps that were followed to achieve the goal of this research. The methodology that
I have chosen and intend to use for this project is the Systems development life cycle .This methodology is
chosen because it has all the steps that will be followed that must be performed for the development of a
successful and better system .This project based on the SDLC methodology will reduce errors and produce
better results at the end of the project. The system development life cycle (SDLC) categorizes the
development of any system into the following: planning, analysis, design, implementation and testing. This is
the division that will be followed throughout this project as Figure1 shows the five main stages in an SDLC.

Figure1 SDLC

System Development Life Cycle

The common stages are :

Project planning , feasibility study: In this phase the team establishes a high level view of the project and
specify its goals.

System analysis: System analysis emphasizes on the identifying the problem . It is the process of examining
and existing information system and its
environment to identify possible environment .There are further sub steps in the analysis phase and they are :

 Prepare for system analysis.

 Determine business requirements.

 Define process models.

 Define logical data.

 Reconcile business requirements with models.

 Gather and produce functional requirements.

 Produce the nonfunctional requirements.

System Design:

This phase emphasizes on the technical or implementation concerns of the system .and also includes identify
alternative solutions and chose the best .Then design the chosen solution. The specification of a computer
based solution also called physical design .There are further steps involved in the design phase and they are :

 Prepare for system design.

 Define the technical architecture.

 Define system standards.

 Create the physical database.

 Prototype system components.

 Produce technical specification.

System Implementation

This phase includes the coding and the implementing the system for the use of the client.

System Testing

The team will test the system and checks for error, bugs and interoperability.
Acceptance, installation and deployment : This is the final stage of initial development
CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature review refers on interview, book, and the internet to get some information about this project to give
a clearance perspective in developing for this project. This chapter will be discussed about overview of the
manual system, study of the development tools and database management system. Its ultimate goal is to bring
the reader up to date with current literature on a topic and forms the basis for another goal, such as the
justification for future research.

2.1 Introduction

In Computer Science, information system is all about information technology and mediates the two opposing
worlds of human activity (Steve Elky, 2006). Current system of the asset management system also has the
system that can handle the process management as a computerized. But there are few problems during using
the system and that cause they used manually system. So, this literature review has been covered about the
process of manual system as a result when the current system cannot use.

This literature review is for the purpose of getting some guidelines to implement the proposed project. Hence,
in this section, a study has been done on certain related issues. First, an understanding on procurement process
and the importance of asset management in general and in practice in the public sectors including Statutory
bodies and ePerolehan application. Next, the completion and accuracy of the records which are commonly
commented by the National Audit when auditing is done on the public sectors. The study further is continued
by studying on various asset management systems. Strengths and weaknesses on the asset management
systems under study are also identified.

2.1.1 Understanding about Asset and Asset Management

It has been the aspiration of the government to continue improving efficiency and effectiveness in the
management of an asset in the public sectors. In moving towards this, several steps have been introduced in
the public sector asset management system which is in line with the development of technology. The focuses
are given to the maintaining and maintenance aspect to ensure that government assets are well maintained and
as such their usage and life span can be optimized. In the Seventh Year Plan (1996 - 2000), the government
has allocated RM 250 million to upgrade and enhance the management of government assets in public sector,
including the Federation of Statutory Body. In the year 1999, efforts have been taken to integrate the asset-
management system that has been developed separately and stand-alone by various public agencies. Trial run
for the implementation of the asset and store management system based on the regionalization, and
operational store concepts are being carried out at four pioneer agencies. The agencies involved are the
Defense Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Agricultural Ministry, and the Malaysian Royal Police.
Through this approach, it is hope that the government asset and store management image could be improved
from an outdated and inefficient system to a more sophisticated, economic and effective system in line with
the effort to implement the electronic government (e-government).

The development of e-Procurement and Planning System & Electronic Budgetary Control ( e-SPKB ) are
among the steps taken towards the realization of electronic government management.

2.2
2.2.2 Periodic inventory systems:

Unlike the periodic inventory method where data is updated consistently as sales occur.

2.3 Objectives and tasks

Companies often use inventory management software to reduce their carrying costs. The system is used to
track products and parts as they are transported from a vendor to a warehouse, between warehouses, and
finally to a retail location or directly to a customer. Inventory management system is used for a variety of
purposes, including:

 Maintaining a balance between too much and too little inventory.

 Tracking inventory as it is transported between locations.
 Receiving items into a warehouse or other location.
 Picking, packing and shipping items from a warehouse.
 Keeping track of product sales and inventory levels.
 Cutting down on product obsolescence and spoilage.

2.4 Components of Inventory management systems

The Inventory Software is the base with components like Barcode or RFID scanner, Barcode or RFID label
printer. There is Retail Inventory System, stockroom inventory, warehouse Inventory System, and fixed asset
inventory. For the most efficient Inventory System should be integrated with the rest of your operations like
sales, shipping and receiving, accounting, and billing. You still can isolate the inventory tracking if that is
critical to your operation.

2.4.1 A barcode reader (or barcode scanner)

This is an electronic device for reading printed barcodes. Like a flatbed scanner, it consists of a light source, a
lens and a light sensor translating optical impulses into electrical ones. Additionally, nearly all barcode
readers contain decoder circuitry analyzing the barcode's image data provided by the sensor and sending the
barcode's content to the scanner's output port.

2.4.2 Radio-frequency identification (RFID)

This is the wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes
of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored
information. Unlike a barcode, the tag does not necessarily need to be within line of sight of the reader, and
may be embedded in the tracked object. Inventory management is made up of several key components that
work together to create a cohesive inventory for inventory organizations. These features include:

2.4.3 Order management: This helps to decide should inventory reach a certain threshold, a company's
inventory management system can be programmed to tell managers to reorder that product. This helps
companies avoid running out of products or tying up too much capital in inventory.

2.4.4 Asset tracking When a product is in warehouse or stock, it can be tracked via barcode or any RFID or
any other tracking criteria such as serial number, lot number or revision number. Nowadays most companies
use the barcode or RFID technology or other wireless technology for tracking the products.

2.4.5 Service management Companies that are primarily service oriented other than product oriented uses the
inventory management software to calculate the cost of materials that is used to provide services such as
cleaning supplies.

2.4.6 Product identification Barcodes are the often used means to whereby the data on the products and the
orders is inputted in the inventory management software. A barcode reader is used to read barcodes and look
up information on the products they represent. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and wireless
methods of product identification are also becoming more popular.
2.5 Principles of inventory management systems
 Demand forecasting
 Warehouse flow
 Inventory turns/stock rotation
 Cycle counting
 Process auditing

2.5.1 Demand forecasting: This depends on the industry, inventory ranks in the top five business costs.
Accurate demand forecasting has the highest potential savings for any of the principles of inventory
management. Both over supply and under supply of inventory can have critical business costs. Whether it is
end-item stocking or raw component sourcing, the more accurate the forecast can be. Establishing appropriate
max-min management at the unique inventory line level, based on lead times and safety stock level help
ensure that you obtain when you need it. This also avoids costly overstocks. Idle inventory increases
incremental costs due to handling and lost storage space for fast-movers.

2.5.2 Warehouse flow: the old concept of the warehouse being dirty and in unorganized form is outdated and
costly. Lean concepts including the S5 have found way in warehouse. Sorting , setting order, systematic
leaning and ensuring discipline makes sure that money is worth spent in all these processes. The principles of
any inventory management are not different form other system. Each process from housekeeping to inventory
transactions requires a proper, formal standardized process to ensure correct results.

2.5.3 Inventory Turns/Stock Rotation

In certain industries, such as pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs and even in chemical warehousing, managing
inventory can be critical specially to minimize business costs. Inventory turns is one of the key metrics used in
evaluating how effective your execution is of the principles of inventory management. Defining the success
level for stock rotation is critical to analyzing your demand forecasting and warehouse flow.

2.5.4 Cycle counting

One of the accurate methods of maintaining accurate inventory is cycle counting. This helps measure success
of your existing processes and maintain accountability for potential error success. Some industries require
100% periodic counts. this can be achieved through perpetual inventory maintenance or full building counts.

2.5.5 Process auditing

Proactive source error identification starts with process auditing. One of the most important principles of
inventory management is to process auditing which should be done often. Process auditing should take place
at every transactional step from receiving and to shipping inventory including all the inventory transactions
that takes place in between the processes.

2.6 Advantages of inventory management system

The some of the advantages of inventory system are thus summarized below which can prevent the
organization /firm from suffering from big financial loss and other problems that may occur during the daily
operations of the firm that can be viewed as the materials being out of stock or machine failures and many
other operations happenings on daily basis. There are several Advantages of using the inventory management
in a business setting are:

2.6.1 Cost savings:

In many cases companies’ inventory is one of the largest investments along with its workforce and locations.
inventory management systems help the companies to cut the expenses by minimizing the number of
unnecessary products and materials in storage.it also helps companies keep lost sales to a minimum by having
enough stock to meet demand.

2.6.2 Increased efficiency:

the inventory management system allows for may automated inventory task for example the system can
automatically collect data, calculate costs. this also reduces in costs saving and time saving and thus
consequently leading to increase in business efficiency.

2.6.3 Warehouse organization: Inventory management system help distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers
and retailers optimize their warehouses. If certain products are often sold together or are more popular than
others, those products can be grouped together or placed near the delivery area to speed up the process of
picking.

2.6.4 Updated data: provides up to date and real time data on inventory levels is and advantage of inventory
management system. Company executives can usually access the software through their mobile devices,
laptop for checking 31 current inventory numbers this automatic updating of inventory allows the business to
make informed decisions.

2.6.5 Data security: by accompanying with the restricted user rights, company managers can allow many
employees to assist in inventory management. They can grant employees enough information access for tasks
such as receiving products, making orders, transfer products and perform other tasks without compromising
company security. This can speed up the inventory management process and save managers’ time.

2.6.6 Insight into trends this helps tracking the products which are in stock and from which suppliers do they
come from and the length of the time they are stored is made possible with inventory management system by
analyzing this data the company can optimize their inventory levels and maximize the use of warehouse
space. Additionally, firms are more prepared for the demands and supplies of the market, especially during
special circumstances such as a peak season on a particular month.

2.7 Disadvantages of Inventory Management System

The disadvantages of using the inventory management systems where there are pro’s to suing a particular
system will be automatically followed by some of the drawbacks or the cons of using the system.

2.7.1 Cost

Cost can be a major disadvantage to suing the inventory management system. Many large companies can use
the system but small business may find it difficult to afford the huge expenses of buying the system. Barcode
readers and other hardware can compound this problem by adding even more cost to companies. The
advantage of allowing multiple employees to perform inventory-management tasks is tempered by the cost of
additional barcode readers.

2.7.2 Complexity:

Inventory management system is not necessarily easier to learn, remember and use. A company’s
management team must dedicate a certain amount of time to learning the new system, including both software
and hardware, in order to implement for usage. Most inventory management software includes training
manuals and other information available to users. Despite its apparent complexity, inventory management
software offers a degree of stability to companies.

2.7.3 Risk of fraud

Any computerized system carries the risk of intrusion, and with a computerized inventory management
system comes the risk of fraud as well. A dishonest vendor could hack the system to receive payment for
products never delivered, or a dishonest employee could redirect checks to themselves.

2.7.4 Accuracy Issues

A computerized system alone does not ensure accuracy, and the inventory data is only as good as the data
entry that created it. Companies that plan to use a computerized inventory management system need to have a
system in place to validate their data and check the numbers reported by the system. A select hand count or
targeted audit may be necessary to ensure the integrity of the system.

2.8 Similar systems

A comparative study

2.8.1 Vendor management systems This system is a new trend for inventory management system. With this
system the distributors can control inventory management for customers .The reports are calculated on daily
basis and are transferred from the customer to the vendor. The data gathered from these reports lets the vendor
knows when to recalculate the stock of the customers merchandise. This method significantly reduces the load
of paper work /the cost and the labor .There are few drawbacks of using this method which is this will be
difficult for the distributor/suppliers to keep up with demand of the product that is popular and is demanded
by the customers from all around the world. Companies believe that the money saved in time and labor is
worth the risks involved.

2.8.2 Traker systems

Traker system is an inventory management system allowing you to control your inventory with this software
management system the you can you can track and control purchasing, invoicing, product recalls, shipping
and receiving, ordering and all other aspects of inventory management. The software comes with full system
of reports allowing you to have the status of your inventory available at your fingertips. Some of the forms
available with Traker Systems include packing slips, invoices and inbound receipts. Analysis reports include
analysis summary, allocation reports, products lists, inventory summary and inventory history. The operating
system required to use Traker Systems is Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista.

2.8.3Warehouse management systems:

WMS (warehouse management system ) is a software application that supports day to day operations in the
warehouse of company. The system enables centralized management of tasks such as tracking inventory
levels and stock locations .WMS systems may be standalone systems or integrated with the ERP system.
Warehouse management system used previously could only store the data of stock locations .the current
systems are so complex and data intensive that they require a dedicated staff to operate the system. High end
system may include routing and tracking technologies such as RFID and voice recognition. It does not matter
how complex the system but the goal remains the same that to provide the management for information that it
needs to move efficiently and control the movement of the materials within warehouse.
2.8.4 Supply chain management systems:

Is the active management of supply chain activities that maximizes customer value and achieves a sustainable
competitive advantage .Supply chain activities covers everything from product development ,pricing ,logistics
to the information system that is needed to coordinate these activities. The organizations that make up the
supply chain are “linked” together through physical flows and the information flows. Physical flows involve
the transformation, movement, and storage of goods and materials. They are the most visible component of
the supply chain. But is equally important as the information flows. Information flows allow the various
supply chain partners to coordinate their long-term plans, and to control the day-to-day flow of goods and
material up and down the supply chain.
Chapter 3

Analysis phase

3.1 Introduction

The primary goal of the system analysis to improve and enhance the efficiency of the current system.
Therefore, it is very important to study the specifications and the requirements of the system. The objective of
the chapter is to focus on the analysis phase of the system by providing a detailed description of the system
activities which includes the functional and nonfunctional requirements. It will include a Use Case Diagram
that defines the functional requirements of the system as well as a Data Flow Diagram that describes the flow
of t the actors and the different processes involved. In short, this chapter focuses on the analysis phase of the
system development life cycle.

3.2 The School’s current system

The current system at the company is being operated manually using Excel Spreadsheets as a database for
collecting information ,which has many drawbacks and limitations such as lack of centralized information and
updating of data takes time .At this time the company does not have an independent system that satisfies their
requirements and can better deliver the process from the shipment order is placed till the time the order is
received .The processes involved in the current system are then described below:

When we receive the Purchase Order we prepare a bunch of document:

Starting with filling a Work Order Form which contains all the information regarding the Customer and
Project attached with material list to be delivered, Copy of Purchase Order, and Copy of Quotation.

Take the signature of procurement Manager and Finance Manager to process the delivery.

Submit it to Stock & Doc. Controller, who enter all these information in Oracle System which allows our
Yard team to see booked Work Order in the system.
Based on the Work Order booked in system the Yard Team issue a Delivery Ticket and arrange the delivery to
the customer. After receiving the Customer signed Delivery Ticket it has been forwarded to Finance
Department to attach this Delivery Ticket to the Invoice.

The collected data is not organized which means the data is scattered in soft and hard copy files or emails
between the employees which means updated information about the inventory system us not always delivered
at the appropriate time when needed between the employees and the other vendors.

3.1User Functional requirements

This section illustrates the user requirements of the system.

1. All Users should

a. Interact with the application

b. Be able to login to their accounts using their username and password provided
c. Be able to logout from their profiles.

2. Admin should

a. Be able to modify the structure of the webpages

b. Be able to add, delete and modify database
c. Be able to add and remove users and set authority
d. Be able to monitor the system

3. Admin –managers

a. Be able to view all tasks

b. Be able to view the list of suppliers
c. Be able to list all the users tasks
d. Be able to create, edit and delete information
e. Be able to search for information
f. Be able to notice the editings and changes made by the users
System Requirements

3.1.1 Functional Requirements

System:
1. The system should display a login screen where users can access the system by
entering their username and password .
2. The system should store information about the customers, products, suppliers,
orders , delivery order .All the users should have a profile page. The page shall
include all the necessary information about them.
3. The system shall keep track of all processes and changes happening to the data
between login and logout times of the users.
4. The system should provide authentication to the users by verifying the user name
and password before accessing the system.
5. The system should inform the inventory manager about the low levels of inventory
and send alerts to the user when the inventory levels is low.
6. The system shall allow the new users to be added or delete the users .
7. The system shall provide a feedback/evaluation of the products from the vendor.
8. The system should be able to calculate the cost of materials that will be used for
different stages of the project.
9. The system shall be able to update the inventory data including the order data,
supplier data, customer data etc.
10. The system should enable the users to logout after using the system when the user
clicks on the logout button.

3.1.2 Non Functional Requirements

Usability
The system should be available by all the authorized users from all the respective
departments .In order to accomplish this objective the system should have a simple and
well-designed interface that provides and easy navigation through the webpages.
Accessibility

The system should be made accessible to the people outside the company as well which
mean the system should be made globally accessible that everyone can use and anyone can
use the system regardless of the location and can get the information they acquire .

Performance

The performance of the system should be fast and efficient in searching creating new users ,
updating inventory status and generating different kind of reports. The system should be
available for user in real time and always up to date.

Speed

The system response time is a significant requirement because the action cannot be
postponed or delayed. The system should be fast enough to satisfy the user’s needs
and should not waste their time.

Security

The data and information about customers is the main asset in the company; therefore
the system must be highly secured from external threats and unauthorized users. In order
to access the system users should login with authorized user name and password to
ensure authentication.

Availability :

The system should operate 24 hours a day.

Data currency:

The system should have real time updates , delays are not acceptable.

Data retention:

The system should be able to store only the useful data , and data that will used later on.
Accuracy

The new system should try to reduce errors that are in the existing system .The accurate
system will improve and ease all the processes from searching to updating customer
information to generating inventory reports and many other services. Consequently this will
lead to improved customer satisfaction.

Friendly GUI’s

The users of this system have different types of roles in the company and different levels of
technical skills, therefore the system should be accessible by all the users. Consequently, the
system should provide an easy to use , friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Maintability

The system should be maintained in order to perform the best of its ability.

Extensibility and Scalability

The system should be flexible enough to allow improvements for the future and should be
able to adapt any additional future change in activities; the system components can be
modified for more changes and features allow the addition of new features without
disturbing the main functionalities of the system.

Disaster recovery:

The system should be able to recover from an unsuitable problem .and should back up
data.

Error handling:

The system should be able to handle unexpected errors quickly and easily.

3.2 System activities

When developing a system , a use case modeling is essential in order to define the functional
requirements of the system .A use case diagram outlines the system’s usage requirements and
it contains actors and use cases which describe a specific usage of the system by one or more
actors. The use case descriptions
are used to describe the sequence of events and interactions between the actor and the
system.

3.2.1 Use Case Diagram

Figure 23 All Actors

In the inventory management system there are 3 actors , which are ;

 Admin

 Admin-managers

 Users

2. All users :
Figure 24 (all users) use case
All users in inventory management system can :

 Interact with the system.

 Login with their username and password.

 Logout.

The following figure shows the use case diagram

Figure 25 Admin’s use cases

Admin can do the following tasks:

 Modify structure of webpages.

 Delete, add and modify database.

 Manger user access.

 Grant access rights.

 Monitor system.
The following section will mention a description of the sequence of events and interaction
between the system and actor of some of the essential use cases:
1- Use case : Edit the supplier’s information

Goal: The inventory manager wishes to enter or update the customer’s

information in the system.

Actor: Inventory Manager

Scope: Inventory Management System

Actor : Inventory Manager Inventory Management System

1.IM opens the system 2.System displays the login page

3.SM enters the username and 4.System verifies the username and
password password then opens the main system
menu
5.IM selects the suppliers list 6. System displays list of suppliers

8.System displays page where the user

7. IM selects the update option can edit information about the supplier

10.System displays the updated

9. IM edits some of the information and information of the supplier
selects save

Table 2 : Use Case : Edit Supplier’s Information

2- Use Case: send alerts

Goal: the inventory manager wishes to send alerts about the inventory status

Actor: Inventory Manager

Scope : Inventory Management System

 Actor: Inventory manager Inventory system
1- IM login the system 2-System displays the login page

3-IM enters user name and 4- System verifies username and password
password and then opens the systems main page
6- System displays the page for
5- IM checks the inventory status inventory status

7- IM checks if the inventory 8- System send alerts of warning

status is low
9 the message is issued that the
inventory level is low

Table 3 : Use case: Send alerts

3- Use Case: Add product details and prices

Goal : The Inventory Manger wishes to add the product details with their prices

Actor: Inventory Manger

Scope: Inventory Management System

Actor: Inventory manager Inventory System

1- IM opens the system 2-System displays the login page

3-IM enters the username and 4- System verifies username and password
password
6-System displays the products page
5- IM selects add product details with
their prices 7-System displays a page where user can add
the product details

8-IM updates the information of the 9- System displays the edited product
 products information with
their prices
Table 4 : Use Case: Update Inventory Status
3.2.2 Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

Data flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of the flow of data between the
system processes there are three people involved in the system:

1. users

2. Inventory manager

3. Admin –manager

Figure 28 data flow diagram

3.2.3 Functional Decomposition Diagram

Figure 29 Functional Decomposition Diagram

3.3 Conclusion

This chapter provided with the use cases and the use case description for the use cases and
also data flow diagram with the functional decomposition diagram is also included in this
chapter .
SYSTEM DESIGN
 Chapter 4 System Design

4.1 Introduction

This system will include the system design, which includes the entity relationship
diagram (ERD), the data dictionary of the system and the system interface

The data entities and relationships were presented to give an understanding about the system
structure So ,by using the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) as well as the data dictionary
it will help in designing the database and demonstrate a clear view of what will look like.

The objective of this chapter is to provide and insight in the user interface that shows how
the system will actually look like and the different pages include in the system.

4.1.1 ER Diagram

Figure 30: Entity Relationship Diagram

4.2 Data Dictionary

He data dictionary includes the database fields and relationships, as well as the types of
data .This helps in creating the database of the system and to understand how data is related
to each other in the system database
4.3 Physical Database:

As shown in the tables below , physical database has been created ; each table has the
needed attributes and the foreign keys and the primary keys for each table is clearly
shown.

4.4 System environment :

4.4.1 Hardware specifications:

Processor Dual Pentium

RAM 4 MB
Hard disk drive 110 MB
Monitor Resolution 1024x768
 Mouse
Keyboards
Printers HP
Table 11 Hardware specifications

4.4.2 Software specifications:

Processor Dual Pentium 4/1.6 GHz

RAM 4 MB

Hard disk drive 110 GB

Monitor Resolution 1024x768

Table 12 Software specifications

4.5 Site Map

Figure 37 SiteMap

This section presents and initial storyboard for the proposed system. Each page was
designed to provide the functions of the system. The first iteration is based on the website
structure layout.
4.6 Conclusion

This chapter provides detailed description about the different tables to be used in the database
and the sitemap for the interface of the applications that provides generalized view of the
whole interface and also provides with the detailed description of prototypes for the interface.
 Chapter 5 Implementation and Testing

5.1 Introduction

This chapter provides all the detailed information regarding the both implementation and
testing phases of the system. For the implementation there are four parts ,the first one is
reviewing the requirements from senior 1 and the tools, the second part is the details of the
creation if database, the third part is the details of the creation of the interfaces, and the last
part is about the database connection, it will also include some parts of code explanations and
user interfaces .

5.2 Review of the changes in the requirements

Below are the changes that occurred

 The database was updated , some tables were removed which were not needed
 The ERD was updated

 The interfaces was slightly changed

 The inventory manger can send messages

 The admin manager can also send messages

5.2.0 Updated ERD

Figure 46 Updated ERD.
Some of the requirements were not accomplished , therefore these will be listed in chapter 6.

5.2.1 Development of the project:

Objectives:

 Look at the available tools for developing the application

 Create the physical database

 Develop the application

 Create the application and interfaces and contents

 Integrate the application with database

 Test the features of the application with each development

Some of the new concepts, required features ,and the application development area in general
are new experience for me ,in order to develop this project successfully ; I alone have
conducted literature review in senior 1 and research about inventory management and the
most used software tools . And in senior 2, I also have read and look at tutorials on some of
the features like how to develop the application and connecting database with the interface or
vice versa

5.2.2 Tools Selections

I had evaluated the tools and have chosen the most suitable tool that supports the
applications requirements

Operating System Windows 10

Browser Internet explorer/google chrome

Tools Visual studio code, MyPHPAdmin

Language Tools HTML,PHP,JAVASCRIPT

 Database Language SQL

Supporting Tools Gliffy / Edraw Max / Windows

Axure/SmartDraw/SmartSheet/MatchwareMindView
Table 13 Software Specifications
 Processor Dual Pentium 4 /1.6 GHz

RAM 4 MB

Hard disk drive 110 GB

Monitor Resolution 1024x768

Table 14 Hardware Specifications

5.3 Creating the Database tables:

5.3.1 Tables:

The database was created in SQL server 2008 and also in visual studio which was connected
with SQL server 2008 and was named as database. The tables were created by the design
view in the SQL server and were executed there .The application needs products, Orders,
Inventory, Supplier, materials and Staff tables.

5.3.2 Implementation issues:

Some of the challenges that I faced while creating the tables before in the same application
file in visual studio but then it was recommended that it is better to use SQL server for
database creation ,one of the first problems was downloading the tool itself I downloaded the
2008 version which was not compatible with visual studio 2010 and installation of the tool
took time because of slow internet connection and some errors in installation process this
tool was installed and uninstalled several times till the tool was completely installed
successfully without any errors. Secondly it was not the first time using the tool as I already
used this tool for my internship project /work , I created a database and for that there needs
to be connection which took time because of some errors it was successfully completed after
so much of trials. I created the database and then added the tables and named as database and
inserted some data into the tables creating relationship between the tables was so much
confusing the foreign keys and the primary keys which I had created in visual studio 2012
application then I recreated database in SQL server 2008 and connected with visual studio
2010.
Creating user interfaces

The creation of the user interface starts with the creating the master page ,then creating the
other pages and creating the contents in these pages .The master page is to be linked with
the rest of the content pages

5.4 The Database connection

5.5.1 SQL Database Connection

As the database is in the SQL server and we need to read the data from the server to the
webpages , and also store new added data to the database, we need to connect the database to
the application. So in the server name I typed the name of the server and connect to be
created Database which is Inventory Management System. This is the code that connects the
application with the database. Below is the code that connects the application with the
database.

Some of the items such as the inventory and Dashboard, test boxes need to read the data
from the database ,so I had added the Grid View and the SQL Data Source and was
emphasized by me that the queries will return the required data in each item.

5.5 Testing

5.7.1 Testing Methodology

Different types of testing have been applied on the application which are as follows:

1. Unit testing : after coding in the implementation phase ,I will start a unit testing for the
code .Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome were the platforms in which the
code was tested .

2. System integration testing : making sure that all different parts of the
application is able to communicate with each other.

3. User Acceptance testing: test performed by the user/client to see the application is
built as required.
 Chapter 6

6.1 Conclusion

Online inventory management systems are used in many business application settings but
within the region the use of this system has not been implemented by many organization
s/companies yet which can track inventory in an effective way .

This part of the research paper (senior 2) consists of seven chapters. Chapter one present’s
the project’s scope ,problem statement and the project objectives is also included in this
chapter. Chapter two ,a review of many similar online inventory systems that have been
implemented in different companies and some of the advantages and disadvantages of using
the system and review of similar soft wares is also included in this chapter .In the third
chapter ,the gathered requirements were analyzed and presented in a way that assists in
designing the required application and also Functional Decomposition Diagram
,DFD and use cases of the system is included .In the fourth chapter this presents the logical
database and the physical database and the ER diagram showing the attributes and the
relationships between the entities carrying the attributes and the design of the system is
illustrated. This includes the initial site map ,and the storyboard(prototypes) of the system’s
interfaces .Finally chapter 5 concludes the first phase of the research and chapter 6 will
include the conclusion with the with the difficulties faced and Chapter 7 includes the
references .
6.2 Requirements that were not met and limitations:

After implementing the application IMS , we discovered a number of requirements and

important limitations that need to be considered:

1. Due to the shortage of time as part of the dashboard for the inventory manager
displaying product details in charts could not be created
2. I could not create an option for calculation of cost of materials at the end of the
project as part of the dashboard for the inventory manager.
3. I also could not create a dashboard for the employee as was stated in the functional
requirements.
4. For the inventory manager the usability option of sending messages to the manager
relating to the inventory status no proper form of email /sms system is implemented
as part of the inventory manager dashboard .This was created very abstract to give an
overview about it.
5. There was not much options for the admin manager as the tasks were the same as
inventory manager .There could have been more of these tasks added as part of
admin manager dashboard that could not be implemented.
6.3 Difficulty faced:

While working on the project I had faced lot of problem and difficulties that were
handled with proper time management and research .

1. Selecting the group for the project which was the difficult phase that took some time
as the other students from senior 1 already had their project with their groups .
2. Selecting a particular topic for project also took some time. The idea of the project
was completely changed from the CS 390 research seminar course to be
implemented in senior 1 and senior 2 project.
3. Selecting the sub topics and modules to be developed.
4. Took so much time in review of literature.
5. Gathering requirements and analyzing them.
6. Face difficulties in developing the data flow diagrams.
7. The ER diagram was recreated after reviewing requirements in senior1.
8. Time management in between the project and the rest of the courses as in senior 1. I
was taking 17 credits each course with 3 credits and all important courses . As I was
alone so I had to focus on all tasks by myself but was handled successfully.
9. Designing an appropriate application interface: The interface was recreated to
meet the requirements of the application. I had spent ample time researching the
best application interface.
10. Searching the best tools and platforms to build the application .The initial start to
the project was difficult as I was tempted to depend upon previous
knowledge .However, I spent time learning new tools , programming languages
and database platforms.
11. Lacking knowledge of the technical support and resources for the
implementation and testing phase.

6.4 Future works

This research covers the enhancing of currently used inventory management system as
compared to other similar systems. The future work of this research, is replacing of the
current manual way of tracking inventory with a fully integrated and supported inventory
management system to have a better
technology and more powerful and would be more helpful for the
inventory managers at the companies.

6.5 Recommendations

6.6.1 Application Recommendations:

 To implement the proposed system and integrate it with the

current database of the Hashem company.
 Include more Management options for different positions in the company.

 To be able to be accessed from the people by outside the company.

 To be able to implement within other departments of the company.

 Enhance the interfaces and make the application more dynamic.

 Create a mobile application that can access the application.

 Enhance the messages and alerts system.

 Integrate the application to other departments in Hashem

Construction and Trading Co.

6.6.2 Course Recommendation:

I suggest from my experience that the department should encourage the students
from both the Computer Science and Information System to team up for senior
projects .This will develop a strong blend of capabilities of the project. Also
provide technical support for the students and offer the required tools and
tutorials.