Chapter 1

Project Context

Integrating different components, pieces, or systems into a cohesive whole or

operational unit is referred to as the integrated process or state. In many domains, including

technology, business, ecology, and the social sciences, where several elements are

interconnected to maximize performance, efficiency, or efficacy, this idea is frequently

applicable. To build a smooth and interoperable system, technology integration entails

combining dissimilar hardware or software components. To achieve organizational goals in a

unified manner, business operations need to coordinate various departments, procedures, or

tactics. Integration in the context of ecology describes how species within ecosystems are

interdependent and how ecosystems are interconnected. From a social perspective, it is

about encouraging unity and inclusivity among various groups or people in a community.

Integrating everything suggests a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes harmony,

cooperation, and synergy to accomplish

A scheduled meeting or session that incorporates various features, elements, or

components in a cohesive way to solve a particular problem, goal, or task is called an

integrated appointment. To guarantee a thorough and coordinated approach to reaching a

shared objective, this kind of appointment frequently entails collaboration between multiple

people, departments, or disciplines. In a variety of settings, including corporate settings

where disparate teams meet to talk about cross-functional projects or initiatives, integrated

appointments might take place. An integrated appointment's primary feature is the

convergence of various viewpoints, assets, and knowledge to maximize results and

streamline procedures.

A comprehensive and unified method for tracking and scheduling appointments

across several channels, platforms, or divisions within an organization or institution is

referred to as an integrated appointment system. To facilitate the scheduling process, this

system usually combines several features, including communication tools, resource

allocation, calendar synchronization, and online booking. By centralizing appointment-related

processes and data, it seeks to deliver a smooth experience for clients and service providers

alike. To enable effective data sharing and coordination, integration may entail connecting

the appointment system to other databases or systems inside the company. Enhancing

accessibility, effectiveness, and customer happiness while maximizing resource usage and

organizational productivity are the main objectives of an integrated appointment system.

The Siblings Catering Services started on June 12, 2021, and has become a

prominent provider in the catering industry. They offer a diverse portfolio of services that

cater to various events, including birthdays, baptisms, intimate weddings, corporate

functions, and private celebrations. With their commitment to excellence and focus on

customer satisfaction, The Siblings Catering has established a strong reputation. It is the

preferred choice for discerning clients seeking high-quality services.

Events and appointments are currently managed by The Siblings Catering Services

using manual processes in conjunction with Meta Business Suite. These approaches,

however, lead to laborious and repeated work. With growing corporate demands, they show

to be especially ineffective, inconsistent, and prone to human mistake. They also lack

sufficient tracking systems and take up a significant amount of time for management and

clients. At the end of the day, this makes the company less competitive and may make it

harder to stay up with rivals that have embraced digital transformation and automation.

Using an integrated appointment system has many advantages. It ensures correct

service fulfillment, reduces the possibility of human error, and improves operational

efficiency. It also makes managing higher order quantities easier and allows business growth

without requiring a significant increase in resources. Finally, putting such a system in place

improves the catering company's reputation by demonstrating professionalism and

dependability to customers. Customers are more likely to put their faith in caterers who use

cutting-edge technologies to deliver exceptional service.

Objectives of Study

The Developers aim to design and develop Integrated Appointment System for The

Siblings Catering Services

Specifically, it sought to achieve the following objectives:

1. To identify the processes and existing problems.

2. To identify the features of the proposed system in terms of functional and non-

functional requirements.

3. To test the acceptability of the system.

 Chapter 2

Review of Related Studies and Literature

Related Foreign Studies

According to (Niu et al.,2024) To balance patient happiness with few

medical resources, the authors discuss the importance of optimizing appointment

scheduling (AS) systems in clinics and hospitals. In addition to identifying current

structures, summarizing optimization aims, variables, and constraints, examining

applicable optimization techniques, and offering a bibliometric analysis, it

examines the advancements made in AS system optimization research. The

authors stress the need for further concentrated research to solve real-world

issues with healthcare appointment scheduling optimization in their conclusion,

outlining a path toward creating optimization algorithms designed especially for

the medical industry. While AS system optimization has advanced quickly overall,

more focused, and useful research is still required to solve the unique challenges

of healthcare scheduling.

Huang (2021) studied that the appointment system for civil servants is an essential

component of the framework for managing government servants in her nation, helping to

modernize and evolve long-standing customs. A lot of municipal administrations have been

actively investigating and putting civil servant appointment processes into place in the last

few years. Examining the civil servant appointment system is the main goal of the study.

Through this analysis, the assessment processes are unduly structured, the hiring and

testing procedures lack scientific rigor, and the pay scales are unreasonably high. The
author suggests practical solutions to these problems, promoting open hiring practices,

improved evaluation techniques, and the creation of uniform pay scales. In addition to

offering a framework for enhancing the public servant appointment process, these

recommendations seek to increase openness and transparency.

(Wang et al.,2020) Their study offers a novel optimization approach for handling

walk-in patients as well as planned appointments in healthcare facilities—an area that is

crucial in practice but is frequently disregarded. Making use of data analytics, the model

creates the best possible appointment schedules considering both heterogeneous, time-

dependent no-show behaviors and possible walk-ins. It emphasizes the necessity of

managing the uncertainty walk-ins present by highlighting the notable disparities between

ideal schedules with and without them. Notwithstanding these difficulties, scheduling works

well to lessen the adverse effects of erratic patient behavior. Applying real-world data shows

significant cost savings that can be attained by implementing suggested timetables,

highlighting the often-overlooked benefit of allowing walk-ins during planning. Despite having

a healthcare focus, the study's findings can be applied to appointment-based services in a

wide range of industries.

Zhou and Yue (2019). In multi-stage sequential service systems, where the best

schedules must balance service providers' idle time and consumers' waiting times, the

writers address the problem of appointment scheduling. It reduces the model to a two-stage

program by introducing a dynamic program formulation for this problem and establishing

linear correlations between waiting and idle periods across phases. Next, using the qualities

of the second stage program that have been evaluated, an effective L-shaped algorithm is

created. By expanding on earlier research on two-stage systems to a more comprehensive

multi-stage setting and presenting the application of the L-shaped approach to multi-stage

appointment scheduling challenges, the study adds to the body of literature. The remaining

portion of the work is devoted to a review of pertinent literature, problem formulation,

algorithm construction, performance evaluation of the method by numerical analysis, and

conclusions.

Businesses prioritize process improvement above quality control in competitive

business contexts to improve the production of high-quality goods and services. To efficiently

manage patient flow, the Hospital Appointment system controls patient admissions to clinics

at designated periods. Longer wait times for appointments are a result of the system's

difficulties caused by hospital capacity restrictions. To get appointments, patients turn to

wasting a lot of time on the phone or online. By analyzing and enhancing the healthcare

appointment process, with an emphasis on quality, time efficiency, technology use, and

customer satisfaction, this study seeks to address these issues (Güç et al., 2023).

Related Foreign Literature

According to Abdullah et al., (2019) Every semester when classes start again in

higher education, one of the usual tasks on the academic calendar is scheduling lectures.

But the original plans frequently need to be modified, which calls for rescheduling. Thus, a

new lecture scheduling system utilizing the Welch Powell Graph Coloring Algorithm is

required. This study was carried out using subject schedules from 2013, 2014, and 2015 at

the Informatics Engineering Department at Universitas Malikussaleh. The study's

conclusions show that the Welch Powell Graph Coloring Algorithm successfully resolves the

problem of lecture scheduling by guaranteeing that planned elements do not clash with one

another.
Reference

Foreign Studies

Niu T, Lei B, Guo L, Fang S, Li Q, Gao B, Yang L, Gao K. A Review of Optimization Studies

for System Appointment Scheduling. Axioms. 2024; 13(1):16.

https://doi.org/10.3390/axioms13010016

Huang, Z. (2021). Rethinking and perfecting the appointment system of civil servants in my

country. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities

Research. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211215.014

Wang, S., Liu, N., & Wan, G. (2020). Managing Appointment-Based Services in the Presence

of Walk-in Customers. Management Science, 66(2), 667–

686. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2018.3239

Zhou, S., & Yue, Q. (2019). Appointment scheduling for multi-stage sequential service

systems with stochastic service durations. Computers & Operations Research, 112,

104757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2019.07.015

Güç, G., Gedi̇ K, M., Çilgin, C., & Yaman, T. T. (2023). Process management and

improvement in health services: a hospital appointment system example. Jhesp Journal of

Health Systems and Policies, 5(1), 11–40. https://doi.org/10.52675/jhesp.1257436

Foreign literature

Abdullah, D., Nurdin, N., Yaton, M., Sujatmiko, H., Kristanto, S. P., Nazmi, H., Sridanti, I. L.,

Suhendi, A., Hasibuan, A., Kurniawati, R., Harahap, D. E., Hutabarat, H. D., & Sudarsana, I.

K. (2019). Lecture Scheduling System using Welch Powell Graph Coloring Algorithm in
Informatics Engineering Departement of Universitas Malikussaleh. Journal of Physics:

Conference Series, 1363(1), 012074. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1363/1/012074