AnalysisBackground of the company:The company that I will be creating a system for is Al-Hidaayah bookstore.
The company is part owned by three brothers; they originally set the shop up a mile down the road but circumstances changed so they moved further up. They are well established amongst the Muslim community and offer a great deal of help to the community as well as running the shop. They are based in Birmingham on Coventry road, B10. The ground floor of the shop is designed as a retail outlet for books, tapes and videos all of Islamic criteria.
Beyond the shop floor is the large stockroom, also there is the recording studio for the cassette tapes and videos, there is also a post room for preparing and sending orders, however they are a company that not only sells books but also publishes them, they are professionals in Islamic books, tapes and CDs. On the 2nd floor the three brothers each have their own responsibilities. Khadim manages the stock and deliveries, Naeem manages books and publishing and Saeed manages the Hajj & Umrah tours and the general running of the store. Al-Hidaayah has been set up since 1993; they have currently two branches around the UK, in Bradford and one in Birmingham.
I am working with the Birmingham branch. They not only sell retail but also sell through mail order via fax machine and telephone. There are three shop floor employees as well as three office management partners. The location of theshop is on the map on the right. The address is-436 Coventry Road,Small Heath,Birmingham,West Midlands,B10 0UG Identification of Problem:The problem within the company is that they do not have an automated order processing system or stock control system; it is all currently done on a paper basis.
For example if a customer phones in to order some books, the order is written down on paper and filed away. There is no automated system where they are stored within a computer database. There is no calculated process for mail orders; they are carried out at any time. These orders need to be recorded, printed and processed and then sent to the customer.
This can be frustrating when trying to find orders and when processing them manually. With the paper basis customer orders are occasionally misplaced or lost or accidentally destroyed, there is no record of the orders in case of customer enquiry to check if the order is being processed. Also the stock control system is a manual processing system also done on a paper basis. I believe I can create an automated order processing system and stock control system that will not only speed up the processing system but also be less time consuming for the staff. End User requirements:System is easy to useSystem does its job efficientlySpeed up time it takes to process an orderFind customer orders quicklyReduce space taken by filing cabinets Create reports on stock and salesCreate queries on best selling books and poor sellingData Flows:1. Customer order2.
Stock Assessment3. New customerCustomer orderEnter customer details into customer file/ create new fileFind customer orderProcess credit card details/ clear cheque/ cash postal order 1. Written down on paper Stored on paper file in cabinetFile located in cabinet All files are stored in filing cabinet on paperStock AssessmentStock levelsStock files in cabinetStock history i. e. best sellers, poor sellers, low stock, etc. 2.
Written down on paperStored on paper file in cabinetFile located in cabinetCustomer details viewed on paper fileOrder packed and sent offStock soldStock returnedMail order stockCount stockCheck for low stockCheck what stock has been sold Check for missing stockCustomer NameAddressTelephoneCredit Card Details/ Cheque/ postal orderDateCustomer orderAll files are stored in filing cabinet on paperNew Customer3. Written down on paperStored on paper file in cabinetFile located in cabinet Stock soldStock returnedMail order stockCount stockCheck for low stockCheck what stock has been sold Check for missing stockStock levelsStock files in cabinetStock history i. e. best sellers, poor sellers, low stock, etc.
All files are stored in filing cabinet on paperInputs, processing and output requirments:Data StoresCustomer fileCustomer order fileStock fileSales fileInput RequirmentsCustomer detailsStock DetailsSales detailsProcessing RequirmentsCustomer joins membershipEdit customer detailsCustomer opts-outMake an orderCancel an orderNew stockBest sellersPoor sellersEdit stock pricesDelete unecessary filesOutput RequirmentsGraphs/charts on best sellersGraphs/charts on poor sellersGraphs/charts on popular customersCustomer details from member ID numberStock details from stock ID numberFinances reportInterview with end user:How is information currently kept or stored?We store information on paper. When customers phone in to order we write the order down on paper and then file it away in a filing cabinet. All ou information is stored on paper in filing cabinets. What type of information do you store in the filing cabnets?We store customer details, such as name, address, customer ID, etc. aswell as customer oreder details such as ordr ID, date of order,we also store information on all our stock which includes stock ID, stock title, price and quantity remaining. We also store information on the bestselling books and poor selling books.
We would also like to store information on our most popular customers but am unable due to the time consumtion of looking through all our customers files!Could you please describe the proces of customer ordering?A customer phones the shop. Our sales assistant, Jaffar, answers. The customer is asked if they have a customer ID or are a new customer. If they are a new customer then an ID is created for them, if they are an existing customer then their customer ID is taken down along with their order. The order is passed onto the other sales assistant who deals with customer orders.
He processes the order packs it and posts it then he files the order away under the customer IDs file. This whole process can take about 4-5 hours depending on the number of customer orders and other remaining tasks to be done within the shop. The orders are usually posted every evening but sometimes are posted the next day due to busy schedules the previous day. How long do you keep information on customers?Wellwe keep it for as long as it is needed, I mean its always in our filing cabinet unless we get a customer who asks to opt out as they do not wish to recive news letters and special offers through the post.
When we remove a customers details we only move them to another filing cabinet where old members files are kept. We do not totally get rid of their details we just stop sending them information through the post. If they ask for their details to be removed from our files then we will comply with their wishes and destroy their information. How important are customer order histories?They are very important, because in certain cases where an ordewr does not reach a customer within 7 working days we have to check our records to see whether it was dipatched or not.
If it was dispatched then we have a contact number for all our orders as they are always sent through recorded delivery. These histories are very important for us to give good customer service.
