Comments on Overall Design Document

Security

• Your system is giving us more of a choice as to pick the access level for the employee, but we still can not pick exact tasks. You also say that in later versions that we can also add access levels. This promises us more freedom of choice later on, but what about right now.

Introduction

• "User Task Implementation According to Performance" (UTAP) actually does sound like "Techno-babble".

Cashier Window

• From the Overall Design Document:

  "Each time an item is entered the sub-total will be updated. The cashier then clicks on the 'Sale' button if the correct item has been picked up by the bar code reading device. The item will now be displayed on the summary of sales and refunds list on the right hand side of the screen."

  From the Systems Analysis:

  "The system is such that it allows the cashier to work, hands free of the terminal, without the hindrances of a mouse or other device. A screen is present, which shows all of the transactions, purchases, items, prices, etc. (refer to screenshot). Both hands of the cashier can be used to move groceries, and the customer has full view of the same screen which the cashier uses. Of course, the POS scanning system is tied into the main database of inventory, and all sales are updated automatically."

  The way we understood the part from the Overall Design Document, it appeared that the cashier has to click "on the "Sale" button [each and every time] the correct item has been picked up by the bar code reading device". To us this seems like a lot of work, especially when a cashier has to deal with hundreds, maybe even thousands of items passing though every day! We think the system should just scan it into the list, and then the cashier can remove it if there is a problem.

  Technical Note:

  For your implementation, instead of a scanner, having keypad shortcuts would be a suitable alternative. In other words, the "Cashier" will enter:

  	8964 [enter] (the item code for cans of Chunky Soup)
  	* 2  [enter] (multiply by two cans)
  	[enter] (process this item)
  

  At this point, the Cashier Window will re-set the "focus" to the "Item Code" combo-box and start on the next item. This would be a quick and efficient way to bypass the tedious mouse-work that seems to be needed.

Personnel Window

• What is the purpose of the "New" button? It appears that when entering a new user, you enter their info in the text boxes and click "Add".

Inventory Window

• In the inventory window, is the authorize button only for the head manager? If so, should it be there for the other managers to press? Also will the head manager have to review all departmements orders and click the autorize button before they are sent? What happens if an order is not autorized at the time the order is sent to the warehouse?

Freeze Terminal

• What happens if an employee freezes a window, then goes home. How do you unfreeze the terminal?
• Does this option freeze all screens currently on the screen, or just the one that the "Freeze Terminal" button is pressed on? Is it possible that a manager could freeze the Inventory Window, but have the Personnel Window open (and "un-frozen") available to be tampered with?
• We think that there should be a way to get back into the system functions without going back to the login menu and then navigating back to where the user left off. Perhaps an unfreeze button will appear on the screen and after the user presses this, have a prompt for a password.

Warehouse System

• It seems that the warehouse system has been rolled in with the one used for the supermarket outlets. This is NOT what was requested. Each of the supermarkets are to have their own computers (or networks) running a copy of the supermarket software. The warehouse will have a different system running on a computer at the warehouse location--the warehouse is owned and operated by a business entity separate from the individual supermarkets. The only communication the individual supermarket systems need to have with the warehouse is that required to electronically transmit orders. It is not necessary to implement a communications sub-system to accomplish this. It is only necessary that the supermarket system produce an electronic document in a format suitable to be transmitted electronically to the warehouse where it can be imported by the warehouse system.

General

• When a user is selecting items from a huge listbox, can you just type in what you are searching for and have the system locate the item in the list, rather than hunt with the scrollbar?
• In the Data Dictionary, Case Size appears to be missing.
• The case system should not only allow multiples of 12, 24 or 36. All case amounts should be allowed (and really, this should not be a real change in programming).

• Would it be possible if, on specifically the stocker and ordering forms, a text box is present that displays something like "15 cases X 24" for items shipped in cases, which would allow the user to know exactly how many cases were ordered and how many items are in each case?