DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A

COMPUTERIZED STOCK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

(A CASE STUDY OF MIDE SUPERMARKET)

 JULY, 2019.
ABSTRACT
Stock management is very important in retail stores especially in those with large number or

variety of merchandise or items for sale. It is difficult for distributors, wholesalers, retailers and

also manufacturers to manage stocks. Due to lack of efficient inventory, keeping track of stocks

at hand in other to meet demand is said to be extremely difficult, if certain products are often

sold together or are more popular than the others, it will be difficult to actually group them

together or place the product near the delivery area to speed up the process of picking, packing,

and shipping to customers. A Stock Management System is a tool used to track goods and

services of a company. Inventory or stock management is a process that integrates the flow of

supplies into, and out of an organization to ensure right quality at right cost.

An automated stock management system is a computerized method of controlling sales

and products in a company. This application will maximize efficiency, reduce labour, and avoid

over cost. It will be efficient in tracking goods on a daily basis. The Stock Software will enhance

flow of goods, improve customer services and also enhance the inflow of cash. One of the most

important objectives of this project is aimed at increasing efficiency in operations, the automated

system is aimed at; maintaining accuracy in database handling, improve flexibility, and

increasing efficiency of the automated stock system.

This project will project will go far as harnessing the use of programming languages such as

visual basic which will be used as the major development tool and for the database we would

make use of Microsoft access and the model adopted is the prototype model. Research was also

carried out in various manufacturing and logistics companies by conducting oral interviews and

reviewing the difficulties these companies undergo in maintaining a manual stock/inventory

system.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

CERTIFICATION ii

DEDICATION iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

ABSTRACT v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction 1

1.1 Background of Study 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 2

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study 3

1.4 Significance of Study 3

1.5 Scope of the Study 3

1.6 Limitation of the Study 4

1.7 Organization of the Project 4

1.8 Definition of Terms 5

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Overview of Stock Management System 7

2.2 Software Development Life Cycle Methodologies 8

2.2.1 V Model 8

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 2.2.2 The Waterfall Model 10

2.2.3 Prototyping 11

2.2.4 The Spiral Model 12

2.3 Theoretical Framework 13

2.4 Relevance of Computer Systems in Data Processing 15

2.5 Stock Management System 16

2.5.1 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) 17

2.5.2 Manual Stock Management System 18

2.5.3 Warehouse Management System 19

2.5.4 Barcode Technology 19

2.6 Process Overview and Pre-Development Phase 21

2.7 Stock Management Control 22

2.7.1 Re-Order and Maximum Stock Levels 22

2.7.2 Economic Order Quantity (“EOQ”) 23

2.7.3 The Abc System 24

2.7.4 Just-In-Time Systems 24

2.7.5 Batch Control 24

2.7.6 First In, First Out (Fifo) 25

2.8 Benefits of Stock Management 25

2.8.1 Automated Inventory Control System Software 26

2.9 Related Works 27

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Design and Implementation Approach 29

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3.2 Research Design 29

3.2.1 Research Technique 30

3.2.2 Research Approach 31

3.3 Data Collection 32

3.3.1 Primary Source 33

3.3.2 Secondary Source 33

3.3.3 Observation Method 33

3.4 Development Life Cycle of Davido 33

3.4.1 Analysis of the Existing System 33

3.5. File Design 35

3.6 System Design 36

3.6.1 Input Specification 36

3.6.2 Output Specification 36

3.6.3 Processing 37

3.7 Database Design 37

3.8 System Flow Chart 38

3.9 Top Down Diagram 40

CHAPTER FOUR: IMPLEMENTATION, TESTING AND INTEGRATION

4.1 Development Tool 41

4.2 System Requirements 41

4.2.1 Hardware Requirements Specification 41

4.2.2 Software Requirement Specifications 42

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 4.2.3 Functional Requirements 42

4.2.4 Non – Functional Requirements 43

4.3 Implementation 43
4.3.1 Login Page 44

4.3.2 Home Page 44

4.3.3 Transaction Page 45

4.3.4 Add New Customer 45

4.3.5 New Employee / User Registration 46

4.3.6 Sales Report 46

4.4 User Assessment Analysis 47

4.4.1 Adequacy and Coverage 48

4.4.2 Efficiency and Effectiveness 48

4.5 Testing 48

4.5.1 Unit Test 49

4.5.2 System Test 49

4.5.3 Testing Process 49

4.5.4 Adequacy and Coverage 50

4.5.5 Efficiency and Effectiveness 50

4.6 Packaging (Integration) 50

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION

5.0 Introduction 51

5.1 Summary 51

5.2 Limitation 52

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5.2 Conclusion 53

5.3 Recommendations 54

REFERENCES 55

APPENDIX A 57
CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

An inventory control system contains a list of orders to be filled and then prompts

workers to pick the necessary items; also it provides them with packaging and other valid

information. Inventory control may be used to automate sales order fulfillment process and also

manage in and outward movement of items. Automation is the replacement of human workers by

technology. For optimal sales and inventory management process, robust functionality is needed

for managing logistics facilities. A Stock Management system is a tool used to track goods and

services of a company, it is a process that integrates the flow of supplies into, and out of an

organization to ensure right quality and quantity at right cost, Nabil and Govardhan (2010).

An automated stock management system is a computerized method of controlling sales and

product in a company. This application will maximize efficiency, reduce labour and avoid over

cost. It will be efficient in tracking goods on a daily basis, the inventory software will enhance

flow of goods, improve customer service and also enhance the flow of cash, (Saleemi, 2009).

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Before the Industrial Revolution, merchants basically had to write down all of the products they

sold each day. Then they had to order more products based on their hand-written notes. This was

totally inefficient and inaccurate way of doing business. They couldn’t really account for stolen

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goods unless they did time-consuming physical counts on a regular basis which seem to be more

tedious. They also encountered errors making sure they got the right number of products when

orders came in because of sparse record keeping, then a team in Harvard University worked

together looking for better ways in which stock management could be effective. They sat down

trying to design how a computer would read the punch cards and pass the information to the

storeroom, According to (Saleemi, 2009), stock management comprises various actions taken by

the management to reduce cost, maintain production, continuous supply and reduce loss. And

today the computerized method of managing inventory has taken over the manual method.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

So many companies are unable to computerize their inventory system because of funding

computerization involves the use of machines, which to a large extent work automatically, and in

this way saves human labor, recording errors, and also saves time. Effective implementation of

computerization in organization requires attitudinal change and initiating a program of a

comprehensive training and education on the use of computer and relevant software application.

This project-computerization of inventory control system is another contribution to several other

aided systems in the field that might have developed to further emphasize the importance of the

use of computer in all areas of human life. MIDE Supermarket Nigeria, a private organization is

been used as a case study. Some activities are being carried out manually and have the following

weakness Capron H. L. (2016):

• disorganized records

• Delay in the processing of the daily transactions

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 • Overstocking and under stocking

• Theft / data is not secure

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim of the study is to design and implement a stock management system for MIDE

Supermarket Nigeria, which will help track inventory level as stocks are being sold. And to make

the services rendered are efficient, and also to eradicate long queues, or scenario where

customers are delayed before they are attended to. It will also help the supermarket know when

to re- order, pickups, shipping etc., it will also help generate bill orders item tracking, service

management, product identification, inventory optimization/ flexibility and a user friendly

interface.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Creating a transition from an outdated paper based system which adapts the use of spreadsheet to

the automated and modernized system which will help maintain the right balance of stock in the

store is very significant, for a successful business a system that would ensure the firms have

sufficient stocks to meet customers need, and also aid in monitoring as well as tracking and

updating various transactions going on in the supermarket should evolve for effective

management, and accountability. This is needed to reduce overall cost of operations, and to

provide higher security in order to avoid unauthorized access.

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1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study covers MIDE Supermarket Nigeria as a whole, and its customers which

include suppliers and the general public.

1.6 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The major obstacles experienced during the interval of making the project is the lack of some

resources needed and lack of proper information about the operations in some firms, they feared

that passing across some information would either destroy the company’s reputation and which

was stated to be against the company’s policy, also financial constraints, program failure during

the design stage, poor internet connection. But I was able to advance more in making sure the

project produced quality information needed in finalizing.

1.7 ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT

This research work is organized into five chapters. Chapter one is concerned with the

introduction of the research study and it presents the preliminaries, theoretical background,

statement of the problem, aim and objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope of the

study, organization of the research and definition of terms.

Chapter two focuses on the literature review, the contributions of other scholars on the subject

matter is discussed.

Chapter three is concerned with the system analysis and design. It presents the research

methodology used in the development of the system, it analyzes the present system to identify

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the problems and provides information on the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed

system. The system design is also presented in this chapter.

Chapter four presents the system implementation and documentation, the choice of programming

language, analysis of modules, choice of programming language and system requirements for

implementation. Chapter five focuses on the summary, constraints of the study, conclusion and

recommendations are provided in this chapter based on the study carried out.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Automation: This is the use of technology or computers to control and process data reducing the

need for human intervention.

Database: This refers to a large store of related data on a computer that a user can access and

modify.

Password: This is a secret code that must be entered into a computer to enable access to its

applications. It is made up of numbers, letters, special characters or a combination of any of the

above categories.

Inventory Control System: A list of orders to be filled, and prompts workers to pick the

necessary items and provides them with packaging and shipping information.

Computerization: This is the conversion of a manually operated system to a controlled,

organized and automated system.

Data Bank: Is a collection of related data organised in a manner that allow access, retrieve and

use data

Data: These are raw facts or figures that are not yet processed

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Research: A careful study of a subject to discover facts, establish a theory or develop a plan of

action based on the facts discovered.

Software: These are sets of logically related instruction given to the computer to perform

specific tasks.

Analysis: The person that is entrusted with the job of systems analysis in an organisation, the

same as system analyst

Record: Is a collection of related fields, a record is one complete set of fields.

Information: These are processed data.

Program: A set of instruction given to the computer to use in processing information.

Input: The data given to the computer to use in processing information.

Files: A collection of related records.

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 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 OVERVIEW OF STOCK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

According to S.E. Walter (2007) he Stated that, “The term inventory or stock refers to the

list of the product a firm is offering for sale, and the components that make up the products”. In

companies, proper stock management is crucial to ensuring the efficient operation of your

business, stock management is the process by which items are been tracked, a stock is basically a

detailed list of all the items available. In small scale business, keeping records of items with

pencil and a paper may be sufficient but sometimes not considered efficient. Because as time

goes on and the business grows so does the operations and record tracking becomes too complex.

Every business in this modern age adopts a stock management system to help organize and make

operations very easy.

Stock management helps in identifying necessary requirements, tracking the stocks used and

available ones, it would also aid in efficiently controlling the amount of stock in order to avoid

excess inventory. Further features may include the ability to generate reports of sales, calculate

and analyze the major requirement at a particular time, and place their next order to the vendors

when needed. This whole process is very tedious and takes a whole lot of time and human effort,

which is why we employ a stock management system Nabil and Govardhan (2010).

Stock management system provides a hub for retailers, to manage all activities such as sales

records, deliveries, generate bill of material, work order, this would help keep stock at a

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reasonable level, it is essential for balancing the need for surplus supplies with the need to reduce

cash or capital that is been tied up. The proposed stock management system. MIDE-MART, will

carry out the aforementioned features.

2.2 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE METHODOLOGIES

Software development life cycle (SDLC) plays an important role in developing a new or existing

system as it helps to describe the complete requirement of the system. It is used by developers

and will be the basis during the testing phase. Common methodologies include prototyping,

waterfall, iterative and incremental development, rapid application spiral development, extreme

programming and various types of methodology.

2.2.1 V MODEL

Each phase is completed before the next phase begins. Testing is emphasized in this method

more than the waterfall model. In Nabil and Govardhan (2010) in the paper that compared the

five models of software engineering defined V-shaped life cycle as a sequential path of execution

of processes. The testing procedures are developed early in the life cycle before any coding is

done, during each of the phase’s preceding implementation. Requirements begin the life cycle

model just like the waterfall model. Before development is started, a system test plan is created.

The test plan focuses on meeting the functionality specified in requirements gathering.

The high-design phase focuses on system architecture and design. An integration test plan is

created in this phase in order to test the pieces of the software systems ability to work together.

However, the low-level design phase lies where the actual software components are designed,

and units are created in this place as well. The implementation phase is, again, where all the

coding takes place. Once coding is complete, the path of execution continues up the right side of

V where the test plans developed earlier are now put to use.
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2.2.2.1 Advantages of V Model

• Each phase has specific deliverables.

• Works well for small projects where requirements are easily understood.

• Simple and easy to use.

• Higher chance of success over the waterfall model due to early development of test plans

during life cycle.

2.2.1.2 Disadvantages of V Model

• Flexibility and adjusting scope is difficult and expensive.

• Very rigid like the waterfall model.

• This model does not provide a clear path for problems found during testing phases.

Requirements System test System Testing

planning

High level Integration

Integration
Design Testing
Test Planning

Low Level Unit Test

Design Unit Testing
Planning

Implementation

Fig. 2.1:V-shape model (Nabil and Govardhan (2010)

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2.2.2 THE WATERFALL MODEL

Waterfall model is a sequential (non-iterative) design process, used in software development

processes in which is seen as flowing steadily downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases of

conception, initiation, analysis, design, construction, testing, production/implementation and

maintenance.

Fig. 2.2Waterfall process model.

2.2.2.1 Advantages of Waterfall Model

• It is easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model.

• Phases are processed and completed one at a time.

• Waterfall model is simple and easy to understand and use.

• Works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well understood.

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2.2.2.2 Disadvantages of Waterfall Model

• Poor model for long and ongoing projects.

• Once an application is in its testing stage, it is difficult to go back and change something

that was not well-thought out in the concept stage.

• High amount of risk and uncertainty

• It is not a good model for complex and object oriented projects.

2.2.3 PROTOTYPING

A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process

or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from. It is a term used in a variety of contexts,

including semantics, design, electronics and software programming.

Fig. 2.3: Prototype model

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2.2.3.1 Advantages of Prototyping Model

• Errors can be detected much earlier.

• User feedback is available leading to better solutions.

• Users are actively involved in the development.

2.2.3.2 Disadvantages of Prototyping Model

• It will increase the complexity of the system as scope of the system may expand beyond

the original plans.

• Incomplete application may cause application not to be used.

2.2.4 THE SPIRAL MODEL

The spiral model is a risk-driven process model generator for software projects. Based on the

unique risk pattern of a given project, the spiral model guides a team to adopt elements of one or

more process models, such as incremental, waterfall, or evolutionary prototyping.

2.2.4.1 Advantages of Spiral Model

• High amount of risk analysis hence, avoidance of risk is enhanced.

• Strong approval and documentation control.

• Additional functionality can be added at a later date.

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 Fig. 2.4: Spiral model.

2.2.4.2 Disadvantages of Spiral Model

• Doesn’t work well for smaller projects.

• It is a costly model to use

• Risk analysis requires highly specific expertise.

2.3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Stock management system has adopted a method which work in real time using technology to

transmit information to a central-based computer system as inventory, which is then monitored

and as transactions occur to ensure efficient operations and an organized management system

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and generate detail-oriented records and also better records and reports that cover all aspects of

the business Sande, O.F. (2013).

1. WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

According to who we refer to as the father of data warehousing Sande, O.F. (2013) described it

as a “system built to solve a special purpose inventory management, financial record keeping,

purchase of goods and services. Etc.”. German economist Johann Heinrich von Thunen, is

regarded as the ‘father of location theory (1820)”.

2. HISTORY

The concept of warehouse management originated in ancient Egypt as people sought ways to

manage grains gathered from crops. In fact, their development meant keeping records of grain on

papyrus to prevent famine in times of drought. As the world moved forward the basic concept of

managing warehouse inventory did not change, at some point the management was done with the

use of a pen and a paper, which appeared to be less efficient and sometimes these records were

vulnerable to errors or getting damaged or tampered with, this understandably made things more

difficult cause the bigger your business became. Once computers were invented, things were a bit

efficient but the big changer was when people started developing software that could handle data

in more efficient way. Today we have better warehouse management systems and revolutionary

tools that helps business operate more efficiently than ever before. The have functions that help

accomplish some tasks such as receiving and put away, but also takes care of minor tasks such as

shipping information, receipts, printings, notifications, all of which can be done online and can

be shared and accessed easily and instantly by employees, regardless of geographical location or

time.

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2.4 RELEVANCE OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS IN DATA PROCESSING

In MIDE SUPERMARKET an intended buyer who called either to buy goods or make enquires

is being attended to by the sales assistant who tells him to register if he/ she is a new customer

and if not the buyer will be told to order for the goods he needs and the details of such an order

will be taken, after which the customer pays and his been issued a receipt on payment

The organization adopts full services system. Full services are a system or technique whereby the

sales assistants of the organization are attending to a buyer. A successful buyer after paying is

being issued a receipt by the cashier, the receipt are always in pairs- original copy is given to the

buyer the duplicate is retained for accounting purposes. The organization is made up of four

main department which is headed by an accountant handles the sales records, payment, balancing

of account and other related tasks. The Sales department sees to the importation, and sales of

goods. The warehousing department officer sees to insurance of receipt of stored commodity.

The merchandized department is in charge of local purchase of goods from the local market

when urgent need arises.

MIDE SUPERMARKET replenish their store by applying for two forms

• Direct supply from the manufacturer (importation)

• Inter branch transfer

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2.4.1 Direct Supply From Manufacturer

The merchandized department gives output to them so that they can write their quotation which

after been approved the supplier will bring the goods to the warehouse and an invoice is issued

which is two copies, the original given to the supplier and the duplicate attached to the LPO for

the account department to act on it.

2.4.2 Inter- Branch Transfer

Since MIDE Supermarket Nigeria has branches within Lagos, and there is communication

between them by product transfer which arise as a result that a product may be moving fast in a

particular branch and being obsolete in another. This kind of transfer of product is made if the

level of stock of the product rapidly reduce to a level that urgent replenishment is necessary. In

the organization the manual system inventory control is being adopted. The sale assistants of the

organization are being delegated to count the number of goods available for each product every

morning before they attend to any customer. More so fixed number is being written down for

each product in which the product must not fall below the level before they replenish it. So if any

goods as fallen below that value the sales assistants informs the management about such goods

so that they can replenish

it.

2.5 STOCK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

For inventories to be properly managed a system must be in place, note that the way the system

is been designed does not matter, either it consist of writing inventory levels on a paper or either

using the most sophisticated radio frequency system. There are a whole lot of ways the system

could be created to help the situation, although the various types of inventory systems all have
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their advantages and disadvantages. Going for the right one boils down to which system holds

the most value for the company (Rubin, 2007).

There are four methods adopted currently in stock management systems;

• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

• Manual Stock management system

• Warehouse Management System

• Barcode Technology

2.5.1 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

RFID tags, or simply "tags", are small transponders that respond to queries from a reader by

wirelessly transmitting a serial number or similar identifier. They are heavily used to track items

in production environments and to label items in supermarkets. They are usually thought of as an

advanced barcode Rubin, K. (2007).

However, their possible area of use is much larger. This presents a few new applications that are

Possible using RFID technology such as locating lost items, tracking moving objects, and others.

RFID tags are expected to proliferate into the billions over the next few years and yet, they are

simply treated the same way as barcodes without considering the impact that this advanced

technology has on privacy. It also presents possible exploits of RFID systems and some proposed

solutions as well. At its most simple, a radio frequency identification (RFID) system consists of

two components, namely a tag (also called a transponder) and a reader (also called an

interrogator). The tag is designed to be small and cheap – perhaps the size of a credit card or

smaller whilst the reader is more expensive and larger typically around the size of a laptop

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computer. The RFID tag contains a small amount of memory for holding data, and whenever that

tag comes into proximity.

RFID technology has a reading range of up to 40 feet using the other type technology which is

the passive and also using the active technology which operates from the range of 300 feet, this

helps to increase the accuracy of moving inventories about in a warehouse (Hamlett, 2006). A

real-world RFID application will typically make use of many RFID tags, which are attached to

physical objects. When one of these objects comes into proximity with the RFID reader, date

from the associated tag can be read, this may be used to identify that specific object or to provide

information about it. Similarly, real applications of RFID technology often make use of several

RFID readers, so that the tagged objects can be identified in different locations. Reader’s radio

communication signal. This means that the reader has to drive communication, but it makes the

tag much cheaper. It is of two types the active and the passive, the active RFID functions better

in an environment where security problem occurs while passive is uses scanner for the sole

purpose of monitoring stocks Sande, O.F. (2003).

2.5.2 Manual Stock Management System

Even the smallest businesses been set up, need to implement some form of inventory control

system to keep accurate stock count, as well as for accounting purposes. Business owners have a

choice to make, either between using a computerized or a manual inventory system. The manual

system offers a wide range of potential advantages such as disadvantages. A lot of companies

that are yet to be developed, especially businesses with few or little stock in possession keep

track of inventories manually as to avoid large cost of keeping tracks using other methods which

are not necessary, they basically use spreadsheet. Spreadsheets are set up to calculate when

certain amounts of stocks need to be recorded. Before the start of a new week, the person in

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charge of the inventories manually counts the products or stocks available and enters them on the

spreadsheet, this method is one of the earliest method, though it is said to be tedious, more

affordable to set up.

Note that if the appropriate spreadsheet formula is used, the owner can determine the stock

available and also know if they are to re-order. A manual system gives a small business owner a

greater sense of control. Instead of depending on a computer to get the job done or to indicate

when it is time to re-order, here the owner manages it on his own, the need to access his goods

regularly, such as counting stock before placing order. This method helps the owner assess the

condition of his goods, reducing the chance of a customer receiving damaged or bad goods.

Though it has its own disadvantages too, such as labor intensive, prone to errors, etc. Sande, O.F.

(2013).

2.5.3 Warehouse Management System

A warehouse management system is a software used to manage operations in a warehouse

including inventory management, picking processes and auditing, it is an important part of the

supply chain, the primary goal of which is to track and control the movement and storage of

product of materials within a warehouse, and process the associated inventory actions, including;

receiving, adding, picking, quality control, shipping, reporting and forecasting, with the addition

of listing and channel management, should the company be involved in ecommerce. It can be

defined as the legs at the end of the line that automates the store, traffic and shipping

management. It is the management of storage of stocks or items and services rendered on the

product within the four walls of a warehouse (Sande, 2003).

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2.5.4 Barcode Technology.

Barcodes manage inventory at the warehouse level as it facilitates movement of inventory within

the confines of a warehouse Sande, O.F. (2013). As far back as 1960s, barcodes were used in

industrial work environments, some of the early implementations of barcodes included the ability

to identify rail road cars, and then in 1970s, barcodes started appearing in grocery stores, to

automate the process of identifying grocery items, this consist of series of parallel vertical lines

or bars, used to assign a unique identification code to an item. A barcode combines several

sequences to create a unique set of numbers or characters that identifies the item (Encarta, 2009)

Barcodes are mainly used for businesses having large amount of stocks. It helps keep a

centralized record on a computer system that tracks products, prices and stock levels. One can

change the price as often as you like without having to put new price tags on all your bottles or

boxes, barcode technology is so accurate, and efficient in managing stocks. The basic idea is that

it gives every item that you want to classify its own, unique number then simply prints the

number on the item so an electronic scanning device can read it Sande, O.F. (2013).

Fig. 2.5: The Barcode process.

2.6 PROCESS OVERVIEW AND PRE-DEVELOPMENT PHASE

There are various ways at which inventories or stocks are been managed firstly barcodes or the

radio frequency identification sends messages or signal to the scanner, for the item a customer is

25
buying at that moment. The barcode technology this operates by scanning the tags or the barcode

on the item, then later sends it to the computer. This allows the seller to track sales and stock

either at the checkout counter or with a handheld scanner keeping the store aware of which

inventory is been sold out. Sande, O.F. (2013). Note that a software is designed for proper

management, the job of the software is to interpret the numbers from the barcode and matches

those numbers to the type of merchandise they represent. The sole purpose of this is to help make

tracking, recording, and give fast information of a particular item when called upon Michael,

Sande, O.F. (2013). A standard software should be able to do various task such as, record

keeping, keeping customers information, when to re-order, when the stock is excess, how much

item is been sold, giving a vivid image of the activities going on in the firm. Sometimes the

software is programmed to reorder so that the company doesn’t go out of stock. The proposed

software provide analytical information for the manager to access and it is important that the

manager makes a better decision so as not to run at loss, in the area of trying to re-order the

system called the Electronic Data Interchanged (EDI) is used to communicate its needs for

additional merchandise to a vendor. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), is the process by which

data or information is sent or received between two people, that is the retailer and the vendor,

note that these stock management types have their disadvantages too, for the RFID technology,

people claim that a lot of information is leaked, maximum privacy is not guaranteed because it

provides additional about their buying habits and personal data. Another disadvantage of the

RFID technology is that it can either “step on” or “collide” with each other making accurate

readings totally difficult Kenneth. Arsan T., Bas,

E_kan , E. Ar _ Z. and Bozkus (2013).

However most businesses have cut down on the features offered by the systems, which include

the high efficiency, the need for less warehouse space, less cash tied up in inventories and better

26
sales. The system helps to promote better information sharing between the retailer and the vendor

which helps cut down price for both of them, as well as the customers, stock management system

can help remove the purchased items from the stock tally to keep an accurate count of items In

store, it also can help a worker locate the items on the order list in the warehouse. Thanks to the

advancement in stock management systems they help extend the places where they can be used

that is not only for retail manufacturing areas, but also for any organization that manages a

supply chain for consumable items Capron H. L. (2016.

Stock management systems are making sure items are located whenever they are needed, by

providing business with real time inventory tracking information which makes it simple to locate

and analyze stock information in real time with a simple database search.

2.7 STOCK MANAGEMENT CONTROL

Stock management control helps to minimize the value of stocks held by merchants or

business owners (i.e. conserve cash), it also ensure that the business has the right stock at the

right

quantities to allow production to be fast and efficient. Here are

wide range of stock control systems available Capron H. L. (2016).

• Re-order and maximum stock levels

• Economic order Quantity (“EOQ”)

• ABC system

• Just-in-time (JIT) systems

• Batch control

• First in, First out (FIFO)

27
• Sub-contracting production processing.

2.7.1 Re-Order and Maximum Stock Levels

Maximum stock level is the most stock of a particular item that the business is able or willing to

hold at a giving point of time, it may also reflect storage capacity (permanent and temporary), it

also reflects management control over spending by the purchasing department while for re-order

level this helps track the order been placed and the stock been delivered by the supplier, when

stocks held of an item falls into this category, that is when the stock is almost been sold out, it

prompts an alert for a new purchase order. Note: that it is important to avoid “stocks-outs” (lost

sales) and disruption to production, Avinash N Bhute and B B Meshram (2013).

Re-order quantity
(Stock Level) (55,000 units)
10

80 Maximum stock level

50 . – order level Re

25 Minimum stock level

“Lead time
between re-
ordering and stocks
reaching minimum”

1 2 3 4 5 6 Time (months)

Fig. 2.4: Re-order and maximum stock levels

28
2.7.2 Economic Order Quantity (“EOQ”)

Economic order quantity is a standard formula used to arrive at a balance between holding too

much stock. It’s a quite complex calculation, so you may find it easier to use stock control

software, Avinash N Bhute and B B Meshram (2013).

Fig. 2.5:ABC
system

2.7.3 The ABC System

This system helps to identify which stock item is to be controlled the most, it creates an to, in this

system stocks are divided into three categories of sales value, the high value stocks get the most

management attention for stock Avinash N Bhute and B B Meshram (2013).

2.7.4 Just-In-Time Systems

JIT focuses on minimizing the holding costs of stock in a warehouse, the idea is that stocks are

brought into the production process at the time they are needed, it is described as a system which

effectively attempts to operate production with minimal/zero buffer stocks, with JIT systems,

production and purchasing are closely linked to sales demand on a week-to-week basis. This

system is said to be very important in the production aspect as it aids the continuous flow of raw

materials into stock, when work-in-progress is completed, it goes straight to the customer Jason

Gilmore W, Beginning (2010).

29
2.7.5 Batch Control

Managing the production of goods in batches, you need to make sure that you have the right

number of components to cover your needs until the next batch. If your needs are predictable,

you may order a fixed quantity of stock every time you place an order, or order at a fixed

interval, let’s say every week or month. In effect, you’re placing a standing order, so you need to

keep the quantities and prices under review Jason Gilmore W, Beginning (2010).

2.7.6 First In, First out (FIFO)

A system designed to ensure that perishable stock is used efficiently so that it does not

deteriorate. Stock is identified by the date received and moves on through each stage of

production in strict order Jason Gilmore W, Beginning (2010).

2.8 BENEFITS OF STOCK MANAGEMENT

Stock management system is very important, especially in the day to day activities which involve

buying and selling. The reason for the automated management is to provide accurate analysis of

information needed, and help minimize the risk of error. A good inventory system alerts the

retailer, if there is need to re-order, when the company runs almost out of stock. Stock

management system ensures quality control and proper management, so that the company does

not run at loss, for instance, if the wholesaler buys 1,000,000 bottles of perfume and 1000 bottles

are missing, counting it manually can be time consuming and may also result in error.

Here are some other benefits Sande, O.F. (2013):

30
• Stock management systems can help reduce the time to respond to changing market

demand of products and can help control excess stock

• Stock management system provide a means for business to effectively manage or control

their inventory

• Stock management system helps businesses to constantly analyses their business

processes such as sales and purchasing in order to make efficient inventory decisions

• Can provide total insight on stock transactions

• Provides hands on knowledge on inventory which might lead to increased sales and

efficient customer services.

2.8.1 AUTOMATED INVENTORY CONTROL SYSTEM SOFTWARE

The automated inventory control system software is a computer based system for tracking

product levels, orders, sales and deliveries. It can also be used in the manufacturing industry to

create a work order, bill of materials and other production related documents. Companies use

inventory management software to avoid product overstock and outages and also, as a tool for

organizing inventory data that was generally stored in hardcopy form. The software is made up

of components working together to create a cohesive inventory control system which include

Sande, O.F. (2013);

• Asset tracking: This involves tracking products via its barcodes and other tracking

criteria such as serial number when they are in a warehouse or store.

• Order management: Once products reach a certain low level, a company’s inventory

control system can be programmed to tell managers to reorder that product. This helps

companies to avoid running out of products or tying up too much capital in inventory.

31
• Service management: Companies that are primarily service oriented rather than product

oriented can use this software to track the cost of the materials they use to provide

services. This way, they can attach prices to their services that reflect the total cost of

performing them.

2.9 RELATED WORKS.

Arsan , Bas_kan and Bozkus (2013) wrote an article on “Warehouse Management

System” in which he stated that inventory is a very important issue which has the interest of

managers and manufacturers because of its impact on the organization performance. The

achievement of the proposed system is the ability to minimize cost and increasing customer

service level, while the shortcoming is the inability to use a specific serial number for each unit

of product in the barcode. Sande, (2013) wrote an article on “performance indicators in Logistics

service” Provision and Warehouse Management”. They proposed that customers expect shorter

delivery times and more accurate services. As a result control of logistics service providers

increases in complexity and performance indicators can support the management of complex

systems. The achievement of the proposed system is the just – in – time inventory management

model, an automated system seeks to ensure swift services availability when needed while

minimizing stock handing cost, while the shortcoming of the system of the system is

ineffectiveness of the economic order quantity (EOQ) method due to poor results arising from

accurate data input. Avinash, Bhute and Meshram (2013) wrote a journal on “The definitive

guide to warehousing”. He proposed that warehouse operators add value for manufacturers,

assembly and operations and consolidation points by receiving, storing, maintaining, picking and

shipping materials to support large volume purchase discount. The achievement of this system is

the ability to improve low cost strategy, while the shortcomings is the inability to manage a

32
complex manufacturing company. Sande, (2013) proposed in his journal “Effect of inventory

management of organizational effectiveness” that the study of the effect of inventory

management of organizational effectiveness in selected organizations in Enugu, was carried out

to access the impact of proper inventory on management on organizational performances in

Nigeria companies. Inventories are vital to the successful functioning and retailing organization.

The achievement of this system is the ability to evaluate the nature of correlation between

inventory management and organizational profitability, while the shortcoming is the ability to

enhance diversity of inventory system to suit specific needs of production in an organization.

Jason Gilmore W, Beginning (2010) wrote a journal on “Design and Implementation of

Warehouse management using barcode system”. They proposed that availability of good

warehouse management is one of the important aspect that should be concerned in a company.

The implementation of barcode solution can affect positively the quality of the warehouse

management. The achievement is the ability to improve data quality in system, while the

shortcoming is inability to improve productivity.

Steven Alter, Glenn and Browne (2015) wrote a journal on “warehouse performance

measurement”. He proposed that the purpose of companies to gain competitive advantage, and

this can be achieved by lowering logistics costs. The achievement is the ability to improve

performance by presenting key performance indicator, while the shortcoming is high cost of

maintenance. Sande, O.F. (2013) wrote an article on “warehouse management and business

performance”. He proposed that the availability of information technology will enable

accessibility of more efficient communication and control which is essential to a competitive

global logistics capability. The achievement of the system is improved accuracy of stock

recording. While the shortcoming is

33
inefficient distribution flow.

Capron, (2016) wrote a journal on “Warehouse Management Solutions: embedded or best

of breed”. He proposed that stock taking is a vital operation in a business. The achievement of

the system is the ability to improve the inventory management of raw materials stock, while the

shortcoming is inability to cope with high volume and variety.

CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY

3.1 DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH

After discussing the literature review in the chapter, this will discuss about the project planning

phase and methodology used in the project. The sub topics is described and determined by the

model to be used. Methodology is the function of selecting the objectives of the project and

establishing the policies, procedures and programs necessary for achieving them. It involves

planning, cost or budget development, project administration, leadership styles and conflict

management. It is very important because project planning can eliminate or reduce uncertainty,

improve efficiency of the operation, obtain a better understanding of the objectives etc.

3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

This has to do with the specific procedures adapted in gathering and analyzing data needed to

define or solve the problem for which the research is embarked upon. The scope of this research

covers MIDE SUPERMARKET, Lagos state. The purpose of the research methodology is to

provide a view of the methods that was applied into this research. In addition, it defines the

system development life cycle (SDLC) for developing the system. The Research methodology

defined here is based on the methods used to collect information on the real world problem

34
pertaining to on-line retail chain stores and to define system requirements. From the analysis

study, understanding of the literature reviewed and analysis of questionnaires, will lead the initial

requirements for the system. The v model is used as methodology for SDLC. Once the initial

requirements are ready, the next step is to design the system, followed by coding and testing.

3.2.1 Research Technique

There are many techniques used to collect data. The techniques used to collect data for this

research are as follows:

• Literature review.

• Survey (questionnaire).

• Brainstorming.

• E-mail, i.e. send email to a manager in retail chain stores.

3.2.1.1 Literature Review

As was mentioned in chapter 2, the systems were reviewed in order to determine similar features

and functionalities. The features and importance of the systems have been summarized and can

be seen in chapter 2.

3.2.1.2 Research survey

Survey questionnaires are used to obtain quantitative descriptions of what business and

customers have and what they need. The structures of the questionnaires are designed to capture

data about companies that have stock management system, and customers who buy from the

mart.

35
3.2.1.3 E-mail

It is used to communicate with people that work in companies that have stock management
system.
Because physical meetings conducted is so difficult and most of them are out of Lagos or Nigeria
and sometimes there isn’t enough time to manage a meeting, so the communication through
Emails are easier. The questions that are asked about the features and drawbacks in current
system would be used as an upgrade in this software.

3.2.2 Research Approach

The works begin with finding the information about the project. This is where the research

problems are identified. In this project, need to identify the databases that need to use in this

inventory and design the form for an application. It has been the problems that need to be solved.

The works continues with the literature reviews on comparing database between SQL and

Microsoft Office Access and comparing between Software developer JAVA or Visual basic. This

is important for the researcher to understand the fundamental concept and operations carried out.

36
 Fig. 3.1: Process for software development

3.3 DATA COLLECTION

This project was achieved by gathering materials from different sources. One of the invaluable

sources of data was oral interview, which I conducted with stake holders and prospective users of

similar systems.

Another source that gave me a wealth of information was the internet, which provided some of

the details used to analyze some key issues. Some websites are willing to provide vital

information on inventory management.

37
3.3.1 Primary Source

This involves oral interviews conducted with various personnel in various supermarkets around

Lagos, reviewing and sharing their experience about the difficulties they undergo in using the

manual inventory management system.

3.3.2 Secondary Source

This includes the use of journals, dictionaries, electronic books and internet downloads to collect

data and comprehension of the system.

3.3.3 Observation Method

This covers my personal visit to various supermarkets in Lagos during their working hour and I

observed that their warehouse looked disorganized, the queue of retailers waiting to be attended

to and the difficulties faced by the staffs in service delivery.

3.4 DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE OF MIDE

From the case study, every system has its own model to develop the system. Some developers
use

Prototyping model, Spiral model and so on. MIDE is designed using V Model because of it is

simple and easy to use, each phase has specific deliverables, higher chance of success over the

waterfall model due to the early development of test plans during the life cycle, works well for

small projects where requirements are easily understood and so on.

38
Table 3.1: Requirement Specification Gathering
1. The database shall be able to store and retrieve stock information such as, an item name,
quantity available in store, price, minimum level and description.
2. The database shall be able to store and retrieve customer details such as the name, address,
telephone number and some other details.
3. This inventory system will help create users’ accounts.

4. The software will be able to create ordering system and also generate order confirmation and
receipts.
5. The system shall provide efficient search facilities for locating stocks, orders and customers.

6. The software shall automatically calculate the price that the customer must pay for an order,
and the total sales made in a day.
7. The system shall be able to produce the following;
• Stock level
• Overdue stocks
• Employee’s details
• Statistics / Stock evaluation
• About us
• Dispatched items
• Add customer

3.4.1 ANALYSIS OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM

The existing system is one that has been manually operated over the years, it is a system in which

all the methods of managing inventory is of a manual approach. Critical analysis of this system

reveals that it is prone to errors and records are inaccurate. An example is a staff trying to

register sales and at the same time rushing back to face a queue or impatient retailers waiting to

be attended to. This makes the place so crowded with customers with just one person attending to

them. Sometimes, due to unavailability of staffs, customers who have other things to do, end up

missing their various appointment. As a result of this, the attendants find it very difficult to have

an accurate record as pressure is mounted on him. The attendant might end up writing an order

39
meant for another customer and have it delivered to the wrong person. MIDE Supermarket have

formally adopted the manual method, which has generated inadequate cords and exercise

improper management for the company and in some cases, the company may lose its customers.

3.5. FILE DESIGN

The operational data base is designed below using the format of the INS.DBD. The design is

made to accommodate, database design, representation, character type, field size and decimal

where necessary.

Table 3.2: Login Table

Field Description Field Type Field Size

USERNAME TEXT 15
PASSWORD TEXT 15

Table 3.3: Transaction Table; Supply Form

Field Description Field Type Field Size

CATEGORIES TEXT 15
(BRANDS)

PRICE PER ITEM CURRENCY 10

PRICE OUTCOME CURRENCY 10
QUANTITIY IN STOCK NUMBER 20
TOTAL PRICE CURRENCY 20

Table 3.4: Sales Table

40
 Field Description Field Type Field Size
CATEGORIES IN BRAND TEXT 15
PRICE PER ITEM CURRENCY 10
PRICE OUTCOME CURRENCY 10
QUANTITIY AVAILABLE NUMBER 15
(IN STOCK)

TOTAL PRICE CURRENCY 20

TOTAL BALANCE CURRENCY 20

3.6 SYSTEM DESIGN

The most important fact taken into consideration is the design of the new system in the

automation of the inventory management system for proper and efficient management. In the

process of the design, the daily report on customer order status are captured, databases were

created to keep customers order.

3.6.1 Input Specification

Inputs are known to be the raw data that are fed into the computer by the user for processing. The

system accepts input through the mouse and the keyboard. The registering of the data of records

is done via the mouse and keyboard. The mouse plays an important role in closing windows,

validating passwords. The keyboard is used to enter text and values into the boxes.

3.6.2 Output specification

An output is the information or result obtained from processing data which has been fed into the

computer e.g. screen, printer etc. the major output documents here will be the accounts and

financial reports and also customer order reports.

41
3.6.3 Processing

There are items which are sold and distributed to customers. A customer picks an item placed by

the shelf, the order processing executes, look up the stock of each item to find out which is

available or not and then fulfills the purchase. After formalities are achieved, bill is generated by

the system and sent to the customer by printing an invoice. The work area is automated and

maintained by management to generate a more efficient system.

3.7 DATABASE DESIGN

Files used in this project are made up of different data types. Some of the files are designed and

linked with database. There are several advantages of storing data in database and Microsoft

Access database was used in this project design.

All data are stored in a location, when a database is used, all tables are stored in a single file thus,

and we need not deal with separate buttons using the single database file. Though all data is

stored in a single file, distinctions exist because tables are used since each table is stored as a

separate entity in the file. It is possible to define relationship between tables and these are also

stored in the database. It is possible to define validation at fields as well as table level and this

ensures accuracy of data being stored. Query, report, sorting etc. are also used.

42
3.8 SYSTEM FLOW CHART

The diagram (fig 3.7) below shows the flow of control through a system while specifying all

programs, inputs, input from keyboard, CPU, disk storage, report and output.

This flow chart is to be the basis for communication among system analyst, and users,

applications programmers and computer operators. It serves as a technical blue print for

implementation. This chart represents how the program starts operation, the operation that suites

the intended task is then selected, they are:

Input: the quantity of goods available in the database.

CPU: Central Processing unit is responsible for processing the input and sending it to the disc

storage device for easy accessibility.

Disk storage: Data inputs are stored in the disc storage.

Report: final analysis of goods going in and out of the ware house.

Output: the final stage on the flow chart where the data is read as information and can thereby be
Printed and filed for record purpose.

43
Fig 3.5: System implementation Flowchart
3.9 TOP DOWN DIAGRAM

44
 LOGIN

CUSTOMER STOCK TRANSACTIO SECURIT SUMMARY LOGOUT EXIT HELP

MAINTENAN
CE

NEW
SUMMARY ABOUT
REGISTER VIEW USER
CUSTOMER
RECORDS US
PRODUCTS TRANSACTION

EDIT EDIT

CUSTOMERS PRODUCT

RECORD

Fig. 3.6Top down Diagram

This diagram breaks what is contained in the software. When the software is run, the Login form

appears and the user must input the information required by the software to allow access to all its

features which are; Username and password. Once information is inputted, the user can finally

gain access (i.e. software). After passing through the Login form, you find the manage button on

top left corner of the home page the manage button contains three drop down menus, the staffs

form, items form, customers form and users form. Then the next button close to manage is

Transaction button, which has only one drop down menu which is the point of sale, then the third

button is the Monitoring button which has two drop down menus and also Exit button as well

which when clicked upon closes the entire software.

CHAPTER FOUR

45
 IMPLEMENTATION, TESTING AND INTEGRATION

4.1 DEVELOPMENT TOOL

In this project, the programming language employed in the implementation of this system was

Visual Basic 6.0, Because of its availability and flexibility and user friendly.

4.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

This requirements for the implementation of this system are as follows;

• Hardware requirement

• Software requirement  Functional requirement

• Non-functional requirement.

4.2.1 Hardware Requirements Specification:

It is required that for a proper operation of a newly designed system, the following minimum

hardware specification are recommended:

• PC with 300 megahertz.

• 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommendation

• 1.5gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space.

• Super VGA (800 X 600) or higher – resolution video adapter and monitor

• CD- ROM or DVD Drive

• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.

46
4.2.2 Software Requirement Specifications

The following are required for the development of SAMDAN software:

• Operating system (Windows XP/7/8.1/10)

• Web browsers

• VISUAL BASIC 6.0 for the front end (programming language)  Microsoft Access for

the back end (Database).

4.2.3 Functional Requirements

A. INPUT AND OUTPUT

• System should display transaction details

• System should provide facilities for change in address/name

• System should have a form to accept the customer details

• System should have a form to accept customer order.

• System should maintain details about placing order / dispatch of order

B. ERROR HANDLING

• System should report out of range values on numeric fields.

• System should report invalid login errors

• System should report violation of rights authorization

• System should report data type mismatches on fields on the form.

47
4.2.4 Non – Functional Requirements

• Transactions should be processed on time

• There will be backup procedure to maintain records

• All user manuals should be provided in the necessary format.

4.3 IMPLEMENTATION

The new system is designed to be put into efficient use. Here, we will look into the various

technical aspects that influenced the successful implementation of this system and determine the

effective operation of the system. System implementation follows the approval of the system

proposals and its objectives, thus it is to arrive at a satisfactory, implemented, completed, and

function evaluated automated system. It also embodies the preparation of resources including

equipment and personnel.

The supplier login password and identification is entered, he checks, tracks order, dispatch order

on customer and sends invoice after which he updates records. The customer studies and makes a

list of requirement, places the order, makes payment and receives his invoice. However, this also

includes the steps taken after the final coding of the program.

48
4.3.1 LOGIN PAGE

This is the first form that appears when the software is run. The user is required to provide the

information (i.e. username and password) needed in order to access the features of the software.

Fig 4.1:Login Form

4.3.2 HOME PAGE

This form is seen after username and password have been supplied or inputted into the previous

form. Then the features of the software can be accessed.

Fig. 4.2: Home Page

49
4.3.3 TRANSACTION PAGE

This form enables the user or admin to process transactions, find items and print out receipts for

goods bought.

Fig4.3:Make Sales / Process Transactions.

4.3.4 ADD NEW CUSTOMER

This form allows you to add new customers details to the database, update it if need be and also

search for the name in case there is a special discount price a customer receives.

Fig4.4:Add New Customer

50
4.3.5 New Employee / User Registration

The essence of this form is to add new users or employees information so as to know the amount

of people working in the firm.

Fig4.5:New User Registration.

4.3.6 Sales Report

At the end of the day the form produces records of items been sold, quantity, price and the total

amount.

Fig4.6: Sales Report

51
4.4 USER ASSESSMENT ANALYSIS

The table in figure 4.1 gives the result of the survey carried out to test the functionality, user

friendliness and so on using the questionnaire in chapter 3. Number 1 represents strongly

disagreed, number 2 represent disagreed, number 4 represents agreed and number 5 represents

strongly agreed. The survey was carried out in the supermarkets by with 10 people which include

the sales manager, HR manager and the sales reps.

1 2 3 4 5

Response

Questions
1

4 - - - - 10

5 - - - 3 7

6 - - 2 3 5

7 - 1 1 4 4

8 - - - 2 8

9 - - - - 10

10 - - - 1 9

11 - - - - 10

52
 12 2 2 1 5

13 9 - - - 1

14 - - - - 10

15 - - - - 10

16 - - - - 10

17 - - - 2 8

18 - - - 4 6

19 - - - - 10

20 - - - - 10

4.4.1 ADEQUACY AND COVERAGE

The Stock Management System can perform following functions

• Reorder point

• Service management

• Provide user with adequate help by the user manual with the software

• Print receipts

4.4.2 EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS

• The stock management software calculates the total profits made in a day and makes it

faster to manage the inventories well.

• The software does its calculation in a very clear and concise manner. All records are

guaranteed and accurate.

53
4.5 Testing

Testing is the last stage in this software development and it presents an interesting anomaly for

me where I attempted to build software from an abstract concept to a tangible product. During

testing, I created series of test cases to discard preconceived notions of the “correctness” of

software just developed and overcome a conflict of interest that occurs when errors are

uncovered. As a secondary benefit, testing demonstrates that the software functions appear to be

working according to specification, that behavioral and performance requirements appear to have

been met. In addition, data collected as testing is conducted provide a good indication of

software reliability and quality as a whole.

4.5.1 Unit Test

Each unit of the new system was tested (test run) individually alongside with the old system in

other to identify areas of further enhancement and development.

4.5.2 System Test

The entire system was as well tested (test run) in general alongside with the old system in other

to identify areas of further enhancement and development.

4.5.3 Testing Process

The first process here is the “level of testing”, the next process is the “test plain” process. In this

process, the engineer makes certain plans for the test will be carried out. The next process that

follows in the “test procedure” process.

The next process that follows again is the “test case specification” process. The next process that

follows is the “test execution” process. In this process, the tested software is executed. Next

process is the “test analysis” process. Here, the executed software is analyzed to check for error.

54
If an error is noticed, the engineer goes back to the “test plan” process and follows the steps

again but if no error is noticed, the engineer goes to the next and final process which is the “test

report” process where he makes a report of all the process of tests carried out to achieve the

successful execution of the software.

4.5.4 Adequacy and coverage

The Stock Management System software can perform the following functions

• Give accurate information of daily transactions

• Print transaction slips

• Provide the user with adequate help by the user manual with the software

4.5.5 Efficiency and Effectiveness

• The system helps provide fast information of stock performance and give better records

4.6 PACKAGING (INTEGRATION)

The software will be designed using visual basic. After which will be complied and packed for

easy installation in any computer system and further use. The complied software will be

transferred in to a CD or a Flash drive.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION

55
5.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter states the summary of the entire project and also makes recommendation(s)

as to what ways and areas that it can be further developed. It also gives the conclusion on the

entire design effort that the project represents.

5.1 SUMMARY

This research work focuses on the use of computer system with reference to computerized

inventory control system of SAMDAN Nigeria Limited

The work covers the manual system of operation as regards to the problems identified, stating the

aims of the new system, stating the various specifications and then implementing the programs.

The work was successfully developed using Visual Basic (VB) 6.0, Microsoft Access and Font

page was used, a user- friendly programming language, and the package was tested and improved

upon which yields an automated computerized inventory control system.

The project work cannot be said to be perfect, but however, its benefits cannot be

overemphasized. It has led to the improvement in the speed of processing operation, efficiency,

accuracy and improved storage of items.

5.2 LIMITATION

In this project, it is only restricted to the stock department of MIDE store Nigeria .There are

some limitations they encountered in the updating of some finished product supply into store

56
house and are delivered to the customer who depends on demand and supply as a method of

stock control the recorder stock level and economics order quantity.

Also, the administrative department orders materials for the production of the required product

these materials could be gotten through local purchasing order. In addition, the project cannot

run on its own without human involvement

5.3 CONCLUSION

The objective of the project is to maintain an efficient and effective database management

package for MIDE SUPERMARKET NIGERIA which will in turn aid as a device or tools and

57
effective decision making about stocks in the organization. Also, the project is aligned at

providing the

management of MIDE SUPERMARKET NIGERIA an accurate report of stocks in the

organization. The project also has the capacity of informing the organization if any goods as

fallen below the recorder level, and goods that are in store and also the quantity available in the

store. The project among other achievement has an efficient security facility, which makes the

records highly confidential, through the use of effective password program. The project has been

able to achieve the best of the limited resources. I have been able to benefit greatly from the

design of these systems, as it has aided me to able to design any system of my own.

5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the achieved objective of this project and the experiences gained during its design and

implementation, I wish to make the following recommendations for future improvement.

Students should be exposed to serious practical exercise during the course of their studies. In this
58
regard, the students should be made to write at least a working program with veritable results

before graduating. This could be accomplished by providing more computers qualified lecturers

in the department. Companies and institutions should computerize their inventory system for

greater efficiency, neatness, and reliability. This will go a long way to save the company of

having over stock or under stock items in the store. Finally, the students’ project should be

closely supervised and monitored to achieve more success.

REFERENCES

Arsan T., Bas, E_kan , E. Ar _ Z. and Bozkus (2013), A Software Architecture for Inventory
Management System, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-3535-8_2, _ Springer Science+Business Media
New York 2013.

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Avinash N Bhute and B B Meshram (2013) System Analysis and Design for Multimedia
Retrieval Systems, the International Journal of Multimedia & Its Applications (IJMA) Vol.5,
No.6, December 2013.

Capron H. L. (2016), System Analysis and Design, the Benjamin/Cumming Publishing

Company, Inc, 2016.

Capron H. L. (2016), Abroad View of Systems Analysis and Design Implications Research,
Communications of the Association for Information Systems (Volume 15, 2015) 981-999.

Finchley, O.S (2001). Developing Strategic Rules Engine For Warehouse Management Systems.
Five Models of Software Engineering.

Gonroos, C. (2001). Warehouse Management and Inventory: Managing the Moments Of Truth

Hamlet, J. (2006). Cultivating Alliances with Customers. International Journal

Harry, E.G. (2005). Tracking Inventory: London: Underwood Pitman. Harvard University,
March-April, pp. 64-73.

Hollywood Illinois: Richard D Irion Inc.In Competitive Manufacturing Organizations

Massachusetts, Toronto; Lexington Books Information Technology, Massachusetts. Vol.
2, pp. 35-43.

Jason Gilmore W, Beginning (2010). PHP and MySQL: from novice to professional, 4th edn.
Apress, Berkely, 2010.

Kenneth. D.C. (2002). Contemporary Inventory Management Systems. Massachusetts, Toronto:

Lexington Books.

Michael, G. T. (2002). RFID Concept: Principles and Practice. New York: John Wiley and Sons
Ltd.

Nabil Mohammed Ali Munassar and A. Govardhan (2010). A Comparison Between New York:
McGraw Go Spot Of Organizational Management, New York. Vol. 7. Issue 3. Pp.
255287.

Rechheld, F.F and Bills C. (2004). Loyalty-Based Management. Harvard Business Review,

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Manufacturing Organisations. USA: Peterson Educational Inc.

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Sande, O.F. (2013). Automated Warehouse Management Systems. Journal of Toronto. Vol. 1,
Pp. 45-51

APPENDIX A

SOURCE CODE

61
FORM Login

Imports System.Data.OleDb
Public Class frmLogin

Private Sub Login()

Try
sqL = "SELECT * FROM Users WHERE Username = '" & txtUser.Text & "' AND pwd
= '" & txtPwd.Text & "'" ConnDB()
cmd = New OleDbCommand(sqL, conn) dr =
cmd.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.CloseConnection) If
dr.Read = True Then
frmMain.lblEmployeeNo.Text = dr("StaffID")
txtUser.Text = "" txtPwd.Text = ""
Me.Close()
Else
MsgBox("Incorrect username or password!", MsgBoxStyle.Critical, "Login")
txtPwd.Focus()
End If
Catch ex As Exception
MsgBox(ex.Message)
Finally
cmd.Dispose()
conn.Close()
End Try
End Sub

Private Sub btnLogin_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

Handles btnLogin.Click
Login()
End Sub

Private Sub txtUser_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

Handles txtUser.GotFocus
AcceptButton = btnLogin
End Sub
Private Sub txtPwd_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
Handles txtPwd.GotFocus
AcceptButton = btnLogin

62
 End Sub

Private Sub btncancel_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

Handles btncancel.Click

If MsgBox("Are you sure you want to close?", MsgBoxStyle.YesNo, "Close Window") =

MsgBoxResult.Yes Then
End
End If
txtUser.Focus()
End Sub End
Class

FORM Main

Imports System.Data.OleDb
Public Class frmLogin

Private Sub Login()

Try
sqL = "SELECT * FROM Users WHERE Username = '" & txtUser.Text & "' AND pwd
= '" & txtPwd.Text & "'" ConnDB()
cmd = New OleDbCommand(sqL, conn) dr =
cmd.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior.CloseConnection) If
dr.Read = True Then
frmMain.lblEmployeeNo.Text = dr("StaffID")
txtUser.Text = "" txtPwd.Text = ""
Me.Close()
Else
MsgBox("Incorrect username or password!", MsgBoxStyle.Critical, "Login")
txtPwd.Focus()
End If
Catch ex As Exception
MsgBox(ex.Message)
Finally
cmd.Dispose()
conn.Close()
End Try
End Sub

63
 Private Sub btnLogin_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
Handles btnLogin.Click
Login()
End Sub

Private Sub txtUser_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

Handles txtUser.GotFocus
AcceptButton = btnLogin
End Sub

Private Sub txtPwd_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

Handles txtPwd.GotFocus
AcceptButton = btnLogin
End Sub

Private Sub btncancel_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

Handles btncancel.Click

If MsgBox("Are you sure you want to close?", MsgBoxStyle.YesNo, "Close Window") =

MsgBoxResult.Yes Then
End
End If
txtUser.Focus()
End Sub
End Class

64