The set of all possible tasks associated with each employee was clearly
defined in the CSO initial requirements specification. The CSO inventory
system will, therefore provide a means for management to choose from a set
of defined access levels for each employee type. Each of the access levels
will allow the employee access to a subset of the possible tasks for that
employee type. The specific tasks associated with each access level are
defined by the customer to meet their specific business needs. The functional
design team of 10th level solutions will contact the CSO to confirm the tasks
for each security level.
Note that this flexibility will be further increased for later releases
of the product, where management will be able to define additional access
levels for each employee type from the set of possible tasks. Phase two will
increase the systems ability to evolve as the Collective Supermarket Owners
business grows.
INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERFACE OF THE CSO INVENTORY SYSTEM
The interface for the CSO Inventory System has been designed to permit
each employee of the Collective Supermarket Owners to perform their duties
as efficiently as possible. Interface windows are simple yet implement
advanced functionality. Buttons are prominently displayed and labelled so as
to make their function obvious. Allowing the employee to perform their
function efficiently has been the primary concern of the interface design
team. Minimal computer expertise is required to operate the system.
The design of the CSO Inventory System interface takes advantage of
10th Level Solutions extensive experience in structuring system functions
using the 'User Task Implementation According to Performance' methodology or
just UTAP. (UTAP is a registered trade mark of 10th Level Solutions Inc.,
all rights reserved) To our customer this means a computer system without
all the "techno babble". System functions appear as familiar objects,
labelled with familiar terms that are formulated according to customer
specifications.
The system interface to be used by the employees of the Collective
Supermarket Owners for their inventory system divides the tasks into a few
simple categories; personnel, inventory ordering and control, system
archives, cashier sales and refunds, and inventory stock updates. These
categories reflect the needs expressed by the Collective Supermarket Owners
in their initial specifications document. Personnel involves maintaining all
pertinent information for each employee using the system, including security
access authority levels and department personnel structuring. Inventory
ordering and control involves the ordering of stock from the central
warehouse, and the maintenance of inventory records for all departments.
Cashier and Inventory stock updates are specific task centered system
interfaces designed for optimal job performance.
THE INTERFACE OF THE CSO INVENTORY SYSTEM
The following document will provide a "flavour" for the CSO
Inventory System as it appears to the employee. The design team
at 10th level solutions are
presently making modifications to system interface to satisfy the
concerns of our customers. To be certain that the CSO Inventory
System meets the needs of the CSO, throughout the design process the
design team will be contacting representatives of the CSO for their
valued input.
All Employees Using the CSO Inventory System (Login/Logout):
Once the CSO Inventory System is launched all employees will be
presented with the Primary Duty Menu. Please note that the CSO Inventory
System will be launched in a standard window operating system environment.
Therefore, there is no obvious button for quitting. Furthermore, since the
system is a central application for your business environment, there is no
need to clutter the duty menu with an "exit" button. Should it be necessary
to exit the system, the standard method of closing the CSO Inventory System
window can be followed as per the operating system menuing system.
The primary duty menu includes buttons for access system interfaces
(or windows) for all duties associated with the CSO grocery inventory
management.
- The system "Archive" will allow access to the history of the system, all
previous changes to the various databases, access to old inventory orders,
and information concerning past and present employees. For security
reasons these files cannot be altered by any employee of the supermarket.
- The system "Personnel" button will access to the system functions for
viewing and changing information concerning the grocery store personnel. As
per the Collective Supermarket Owners specifications, these functions can
only be accessed by employees at the managerial level. Furthermore, the
functions concerning personnel will have various accessibility for managers
with different access authority levels.
- The system "Inventory" button will allow access to all functions dealing
with the administration of supermarket inventory control. These include all
inventory functions concerned with the ordering of stock, change of
inventory minimum and maximum amounts, addition and deletion of inventory
items, change of the various information fields for all inventory items, etc.
The
inventory items that can be viewed and altered will depend on the particular
access security level given to the manager in question.
- The system "Cashier Window" button will allow access to the system
functions associated with the duties of the cashier, the sale and refund of
merchandise. Not all cashiers will be able to give refunds, this is under
the control of the grocery store managerial staff. Managers can change
security access to the refund function for individual cashiers using the
"personnel". This allows management more flexibility in determining the
tasks of the employees.
- The system "Stocker Window" button will allow access to the system
functions associated with the duties of the grocery store stockers. Only
stockers and management registered as grocery store personnel in the CSO
Inventory System can access these functions.
- The system "Login" button must be used by all employees to gain access to
any functions of the Inventory System, thereby protecting the information
from unauthorised persons. All employees must be registered employees of the
system. They will be assigned a unique login name by the grocery store
management and have the ability to change their password once they have been
registered as a user of the system. Should an employee forget their password
a manager must access the personnel interface (or window) to change the
password.
- The system "Logout" button must be used by all employees when they are
finished their duties and are leaving their post. For security reasons, we
recommend that employees logout whenever they are away from the terminal for
an extended period of time.
NOTE: there is an additional function in each interface to allow an employee
to "freeze" the terminal. Freezing the terminal will keep the state of their
current work. The employee must use the login function to "unfreeze" the
terminal. When the employee logs back in after freezing the terminal they
may resume their work where they left off. On the other hand, when an
employee logs off the system they will lose the current state of their work.
Refer to the section "Using the 'Freeze Terminal' Button from any window"
for more detail on the use of this function.
This is the Main Duty Menu window that all employees will see once the
CSO Inventory System is launched. When the system is first launched all
buttons will be "greyed" out except for the "Login" button which will appear
black.
[The greyed out buttons indicate to the user that pressing that button will
cause no action to take place. Buttons with bolder borders will cause an
action to take place when pressed. "Pressing a button" involves using the
mouse - please refer to your hardware user guides for more information on
the basics of your hardware system.]
The Main Duty Menu will always be prominently displayed in full view of
the employee. This will allow the employee to have more than one task window
open at any given time. This function can be extremely helpful for employees
at the managerial level. Please refer to the section that follows on
"Opening Multiple Employee Duty Windows."
Since the only button that is not greyed out is the login button the
employee will realise that they must login before performing grocery store
inventory duties. Once this button is pressed a window will appear for the
employee to enter their unique login name.
The employee first enters their login name, followed by their password
in the entry boxes provided. The entry boxes are located immediately below
the words 'Login' and 'Password'.
[For the process of entering text in a text entry box - please refer to
operating user guides provided with your system hardware]
The final step to logging in involves pressing the "OK" button at the
bottom of the Login Window.
If the employee has entered an invalid login name or login password, a
simple warning message will appear. The employee will have the opportunity
to login two more times. If the employee fails to login successfully, the
window will disappear. The Main Duty Menu will remain displayed on the
terminal screen with all buttons greyed out, except for the "login" button.
The employee must press this button to attempt the login procedure again.
However, please note that the system records all transactions and uses of
the inventory system. The unsuccessful login will be recorded in the archive
database for potential investigation.
Once an employee has successfully logged onto the CSO Inventory System
the login window will disappear. The Main Duty Menu will remain (as always)
prominently displayed in the terminal screen. However, different buttons
will be greyed out. Greyed out buttons will include the "login" button, in
addition to any button for which the employee does not have access
authority. (Access authority is set in the "personnel" window, refer to the
section that follows.) Buttons that are bold include the "logout" button, in
addition to the buttons corresponding to employee tasks for which the
employee has been given authority to use.
When an employee has finished using the CSO inventory system, they must
go through the process of logging out. An employee may logout absolutely any
time by pressing the "logout" button from the Main Duty Menu. To ensure the
security of the system, system analysts and the specification research team
at 10th Level Solutions, recognised that an employee may need to logout at
any time. If the employee has no other windows open, the Main Duty Menu will
go back to the initial state. (The initial state is when all buttons are
greyed out except for the "login" button.)
However, the employee may have one or more windows open. If the current
work in the open windows has been saved the logout process will take place
with no further delay. All open windows will close leaving the Main Duty
Menu displayed in the initial state. However, if any of the open windows has
information that has not been saved, the system confirms the logout process
with the employee. Ie. confirmation will involve a prominently displayed
message as follows, "Do you wish to Logout and Lose The Information you have
changed?" The employee will be provided with two additional buttons, "Yes -
Logout Now" and "Cancel". The warning message might include specific
information concerning the information that has not been saved, and the
specific process that must be followed to save the information.
Cashier Using the CSO Inventory System:
Every time a cashier starts their shift, they will need to first
login from their post in order to gain access to the cashier functions.
For details concerning the login procedure, please read the section
"All Employees Using the CSO Inventory System (Login/Logout)". After the
cashier successfully logs in to the system, all the functions that can be access
by the cashier are enable and ready for access. Among these functions,
the "Cashier Window" button should be enabled and ready for access. The cashier
can simply click on the button and the "Cashier Window" will appear on
the screen, leaving the Main Duty Menu clearly displayed.
The Cashier Window consists of three sections: individual item
information on the left,
various actions buttons on the middle and bottom, summary of
sales/refunds on the right. The interface is especially designed to
allow cashiers easier to effectively perform daily tasks like sales of items and
refund of items. Since not all cashiers will have permission to access the
refund function, the refund button will be grey out and disabled if the
cashier does not have the privilege to perform refund function.
When a cashier is processing a customer order, they can scan the
customer's goods with the barcode scanner or input the item number
manually. The use of a barcode scanner will increase the efficiency
of processing a customer order by a significant magnitude. This
will result in improved customer service and satisfaction.
Once the item number has been scanned or entered manually, all
information of the item will be displayed; name, code, price and
other information. By default the quantity will read
one sales unit. Cashiers can override the default amount by inputting the
actual quantity that the customer has purchased in the quantity field.
When using the bar code reading device it is not necessary for the
cashier to select the "sale" button. Each scan of an item will update
the summary of sales list on the right hand side automatically. This
automatic process will allow the cashier to take full advantage of
the barcode reading device. The "sale" button is necessary for
entering items manually. This in necessary, since the cashier is
more likely to make an error entering the item number. After
entering the item number or barcode manually the cashier will have
the oportunity to read the information fields pertaining to the
item to confirm that customer is being charged for the correct
product.
During a customer transaction, If the customer
decides to drop an item, the cashier can just highlight the item from
the summary then click on the "Delete" button to remove it from the
list. This feature is important for circumstances where a customer
changes their mind or an item is damaged before completing the
transaction. A total for the transaction will appear under the summary
transaction list throughout sales process. When all the item are scanned,
the cashier can click on the "Print" button to print the receipt and
charge the customer, thereby completing the transaction.
If the cashier has the authority to offer customer refunds, the
"Refund" button on the window will be enabled. Recal that only those
cashiers with permission to perform refunds can get access to this
function. When a customer wants to refund items, the cashier can scan
or input the items and click the "Refund" button. Since the
system assumes a sale for all items scanned by the bar code, by clicking
the "Refund" button, the system will change the item from a sales
amount to a refund amount. The item will be
displayed in the summary transaction list with a negative amount. The
inventory database will be updated to reflect the change.
As requested by the customer, for better system security, there is a
"Freeze Terminal" button on the bottom of the window to allow the cashier to
lock the terminal so that they can temporarily leave their post. Please
refer to the section "Using the 'Freeze Terminal' Button from any window".
Stocker Using the CSO Inventory System:
When stockers start their shift, they need to login to the system
just like other employees of the Collective Supermarket Owners. For
more detail on the login procedure, please refer to the "All Employees
Using the CSO Inventory System (Login/Logout)". After the stocker has
logged in, the "Stocker Window" function will be available
for access.
The window consists of three sections: a section to display
individual item information, various action buttons on the bottom, and
a list of inventory items corresponding to a specific order number.
This interface is designed to allow a stocker to update the stock with
ease.
When new stock comes in, stockers can use the portable computer unit
or the workstations in the in-store warehouse to update the database.
The stocker must first select the order number from a pull down menu
next to the "Order Number" field. Alternatively the stocker can
manually enter the order number from the laiding form into the "Order
Number" field. After the order number is entered, all ordered items
from that original order will appear in the list box on the right hand
side of the window. The list will display the item number, a brief
description, followed by the number of items (Note that the number
ordered will reflect a total that is a multiple of 12, 24 or 36, since
these are the sizes of all cases defined in the initial CSO specifications).
By selecting any item in the
ordered item list the stocker will see that the fields on the left hand
side contain the information for that item.
The stockers primary duty in the CSO Inventory System is to check that
the correct number of items have been received. As the stocker scrolls
through the "Ordered Items" list that corresponds to the order number in
question, the stocker examines which items, if any, need to be changed to
reflect the actual amount of stock received from the warehouse. If one of
the items needs adjustment, the stocker selects that item, thereby
displaying the information on the left hand side. Then the stocker enters
the amount actually received in the field "Amount Received".
Keep in mind that it is not necessary for the stocker to enter a value
in the RAmount ReceivedS field for each item. By default this field will
display the amount that was placed on the original order.
Once the whole order has been verified, the stocker presses the
"Confirm Order" button. When the stocker has finished performing their
duties they select the "Done" button. When this button is pressed the
stocker window will disappear and the Main Duty Menu will return to the
initial state.
Department and Head Managers Using the CSO Inventory System:
When a department or head manager of a grocery store logs on to the CSO
Inventory System the buttons on the Main Duty Menu which correspond to the
duties of that manager will become enabled. The login button will be greyed
out, while the logout button will become enabled. The manager is now ready
to perform their duties.
The buttons that are enabled depends on the security level of the
manager in question. The method for selecting a security level for a
particular employee is discussed below.
Managers - The Personnel Window:
The Personnel window is the tool for managers and head managers to
administrate employees' information. Every employee will have their general
information on the database as well as a login name and password to allow
them access to the CSO Inventory System. By requesting employees to login
before their shift starts, unauthorised access to CSO inventory system is
eliminated.
Upon on entry, the window consists of three major sections: employee
information on the left, two list boxes listing personnel and departments on
the right and various actions in the middle. Also, a department list is located
on the
upper-right corner for head managers to change to other departments or to
see all personnel working in the supermarket.
Prominently displayed on the right hand side of the window are two
listboxes. The top listbox labelled "Departments" lists all departments in
the grocery store. When a department is selected from this listbox, a list
of employees corresponding to the selected department will be displayed in
the second listbox labelled "Personnel". By selecting a particular person
from the "Personnel" listbox, all information concerning that person will be
displayed in the information fields located on the left hand side of the
window.
On the lower-left corner, there is a panel displaying the security
level for each of the three employee types. The employee types correspond to
the Major Security level choices: Cashiers/Stockers, Department Managers,
and the Head Manager. When any one of these choices is selected (refer to
selecting from a list of radio buttons in the users guide to your system
software) three minor security levels are displayed corresponding to the
employee type selected. The minor security restricts access to certain
functions for that employee, depending on which minor security radio button
is selected. For the Cashier/Stocker, one can be a Cashier (Sales), a Head
Cashier (Sales/Refund), or a Stocker. There will be three possibilities for
a head manager. The three options correspond to the only three permutations
of duties possible, Head Manager - Inventory, Head Manager - Personnel, and
Head Manager - Personnel and Inventory. The exact security access levels for
department managers will be defined by the customers of the CSO Inventory
System. This security level system allows assignment of tasks to a
particular manager for better administration of the department and
security.
Arrangements will be made for our security consultants to meet with
representatives of the Collective Security Owners to discuss this most
urgent matter. The CSO consultants will have every opportunity to adjust the
security levels already determined by the design team, to ideally match
the business process requirements of the specific grocery store.
On the occasion that new employees need to be added to the system,
managers must first click on the "New" button to create a empty record. Then
he/she can simply input all the information; first name, last name, ID,
login and password. When all information has been entered the manager can
click on the "Add" button to input a new employee record in the database.
That individual will be added to the personnel list on the right hand
side of the window. The new employee can now use the CSO Inventory system,
using the system functions that are enabled according to their security access
level.
To delete an employee, the manager can simply find the employee from
the personnel list on the right then click on "Delete" button. A dialog box
will appear to confirm the action.
There is also a function to create and delete a department, these
functions can be accessed only by the Head Manager, as specified by the
CSO in the initial functional specification document. To add a new
department, first click on "New department" to create the new
department. A a dialog box will then be display to ask for the name of the
new department. Afterwards, simply click on the "Add Department" button
to add the department. To delete an existing department, the Head
manager must highlight the department in the department list and click
on "Delete Department" button. A dialog box will appear to ask where
the the inventory and personnel should transferred. If no choice is
made, the inventory and personnel will be placed in the 'Unclassified'
category.
When a manager is finish working on the window, they can just click on
the "Done" button to exit the Personnel Window. The Main Duty Menu will
return to the initial state.
Managers - The Inventory Window:
When a Department/Head Manager needs to make changes or inspect the
inventory, they will turn to the Inventory Window. The Inventory Window
provides necessary functions to add, change, and remove items from the CSO
Inventory System. The window consists of three major sections: the inventory
list on the left, individual item information on the lower-left corner, and
a list of ordered items corresponding to a particular order ( or a yet to be
created order ) on the right.
In addition, there is a pull down menu on the upper left had corner for
selecting the inventory for a particular department, and a pull down menu on
the upper right hand corner for selecting a particular order number. Only
the Head manager has the authority to change between departments or see the
inventory for the entire grocery store, as specified by the customer
requirements.
When a particular item is selected from the inventory list, all the
pertinent information is displayed on the bottom left hand side of the
window; item name, product code, barcode, price, amount, amount on hand,
amount on order, minimum/maximum in stock and the location of the item. If a
manager wishes to change any information on an item, he can simply click on
the appropriate entry on the individual item information box on the
lower-left corner and make changes. (providing the manager in question has
the necessary security access, to change the field in question).
In order to order items which are not yet on the order form, a manager
can highlight the item from the inventory list then click on the "Add"
button to add the item to the order list on the right. If the manager wishes
to change the amount to order, he can simply change the number from "amount
to Order" box, below the list of ordered items. Note that when an item is
added to the list of items corresponding the order number in question, the
amount to order is automatically calculated from the Current Stock, minimum
stock, and maximum stock fields. The amount computed will, as per customer
specifications, reflect a value that is a multiple of 12, 24, or 36,
corresponding to the size of the cases the item sent in from the warehouse.
On the other hand, a Manager can remove an item from the order form by
highlighting the item and clicking on "Remove from Order" button. For the
Head Manager, he can also authorise an order by clicking on the "Authorise
Order" button. Managers can also browse through other previous orders by
clicking on the "Order Number" pull-down list and selecting the desired
order number from the list.
When a manager finishes the task, he can just click on the "Done"
button to exit and return to the main window. The Main Duty Menu will return
to the initial state
Opening Multiple Employee Duty Windows:
One of primary advantages of having the Main Duty Menu visible to the
employee at all times is the option of opening multiple Employee Duty Menus.
An employee can select any combination of the buttons on the Main Duty Menu.
Under control of the operating system the windows can be moved about
the screen and resized according to the preferance of the employee.
At the Management level this can prove to be a significant advantage to
performing daily duties. For Example, the head manager can have the
"Personnel" duty window displayed to create a new grocery store department.
The "Inventory" duty window can be displayed at the same time allowing the
employee to view the inventory of any department. This way the manager can
consider what inventory will fall under the authority of the new department
Naturally, an employee cannot open duty windows that they have not been
given the appropriate security access level permitting access to that area.
Using the 'Freeze Terminal' Button from any window:
The "Freeze Terminal" button is prominently displayed at the bottom of
each employee duty menu. Freezing the terminal is a feature that has been
implemented to satisfy needs of security for the CSO Inventory System. Not
only does this security function provide security for the database
information, but it provides some security control for the individual
employee over their own day to day functions.
When an employee presses the "Freeze Terminal" button, the
functionality of all open windows is frozen. All of the buttons will
become greyed out except for the "Login" button. Therefore,
only clicking on the "Login" button will cause a result. To return the
window to a normal operating state the employee must
press the "login" button from the Main Duty Menu. This function is
particularly useful for an employee who must leave the terminal abruptly,
without finishing their current task.
When the employee returns form the interuption they must go
through the login process. Once through the login process all windows and
buttons will display the same information prior to the freezing process.
The employee may now resume their duties returning to the same point
they left off.
In the situation where an employee is unable to return to the
terminal another employee may login to the system. The new
employee will be presented with a dialogue box providing the option
of resuming the previous employees task. However, the new employee
must have either the same access level or higher. If the employee
does not have the same access level they will have the option of logging
in but will be warned that they will lose the previous employees
unfinished task.
This feature has advantages for all employees. For cashiers who
must leave to go to the washroom, for example, another cashier can
take over to prevent a customer from waiting too long. Managers can
leave their terminal to handle other administrative duties without
the concern that their previous task will be tampered by a person
without the proper authority.
The System "Archive" Window:
One of the most important features necessary to maintain security
and integrity of information in a database is the ability to investigate
changes to the system. Every time an employee uses a function that
results in a change to information in the database files, including
inventory and personel, a record is created that contains all information
pertaining to the transaction including the employee responsible and
the time of the transaction. By maintaining a record of all changes to the
records in the database, the CSO can monitor the information in
the inventory system and determine sources of error. In addition
to providing security, these records can assist in the process of
cleaning the data.
A comprehensive interface for access to the system archive will be
implemented in later phases of the project. For further information on
this function refer to the Appendix.
THE WAREHOUSE SYSTEM FOR CSO
The Warehouse system delivered this April will provide the
necessary functionality requested by the Collective Supermarket Owners.
The system will accommodate the following functions; receive orders from
the grocery stores, print a laiding to be sent with shipments fulfilling the
orders, receive confirmation that an order has been received, and
print invoices for confirmed shipments. The CSO Inventory System
located at each grocery store will electronically submit the orders to
the warehouse system.
The interface for the Warehouse system is very simple. As with the
CSO inventory system the Warehouse interface has been designed to permit
warehouse employees to perform their duties as efficiently as possible.
Windows are simple yet implement advanced functionality.
Buttons are prominently displayed and labelled so as to make their
function obvious.
Since the role of an employee of the CSO Warehouse is similar to
the role of a stocker in a grocery store, the Warehouse interface
will have the follow the same format as the stocker window.
However, the Warehouse will have the additional functionality necessary
for sending orders, confirming shipments, and printing invoices.
The layout will allow the Warehouse employee to select, by order
number, any incoming orders or any orders waiting confirmation.
By selecting an order from the pull down menu of orders awaiting
confirmation, the employee will have the option of confirming the
order and then printing an invoice. By selecting an order from the
pull down menu for pending orders, the employee will have the ability
examine all items in the order much the same way a stocker
updates the inventory at a grocery store.
When an pending order is filled, the Warehouse employre selects
the order number. All items on the order will be displayed in a
listbox on the right hand side. The list of items ordered will provide
enough information for the Warehouse employee to fill the entire
order. If the Warehouse can only send a partial amount, the employee
can select an item from the listbox to display more detailed information
on the left hand side. The employee can enter the actual amount sent
in the appropriate information field. Having a method to provide further
detail on an item can allow the employee a method of determining the
exact item if more information is required.
Since the an order is received electronically, the Warehouse
employee can access all in pending orders by simple selection.
The process of sending an order from the Warehouse system is much
the same as receiving fulfilled order at the CSO Inventory System
from a grocery store location. Therefore, the interface has the
same look and feel.
The Warehouse System of the CSO provided this April will
assist the CSO in maintaining effective delivery of inventory to
all grocery store locations. Increased system sophistication is
in the planning stages for later phases of the product. These include;
Warehouse inventory control, Warehouse staff management, and
Warehouse security features.