CHAPTER FOUR SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE 4.

1 SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation includes all those activities that take place in converting the old system to the new system. The old system consists of manual operations, which are operated in a very different manner from the proposed new system. A proper implementation is essential to provide a reliable system to meet the requirements of the organizations. An improper installation may affect the success of the computerized system.

4.1.1 Implementation Methods There are several methods for handling the implementation and the consequent conversion from the old to the new computerized system. The most secured method for conversion from the old system to the new system is to run the old and new system in parallel. In this approach, the personnel may operate in the manual older processing system as well as start operating the new computerized system. This method offers high security, because even if there is a flaw in the computerized system, one can depend upon the manual system. However, the cost of maintaining two systems in parallel is very high. This outweighs its benefits. Another common method is a direct cut-over from the existing manual system to the computerized system. The change may be within a week or within a day. There are no parallel activities. However, there is no remedy in case of a problem. This strategy requires careful planning. A working version of the system can also be implemented in one part of the organization and the

personnel will be piloting the system and changes can be made as and when required. But this method is less preferable due to the loss of entirety of the system. Due to security and the criticality of this production environment, the parallel model was adopted for the software implementation

4.2

DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF PROGRAM

The system is developed using the waterfall model of software design. System testing is a critical aspect of Software Quality Assurance and represents the ultimate review of specification, design and coding. Testing is a process of executing a program with the intent of finding an error. A good test is one that has a probability of finding an undiscovered error. The purpose of testing is to identify and correct bugs in the developed system. Nothing is complete without testing. Testing is vital to the success of the system. In code testing, the logic of the developed system is tested. For this, every module of the program is executed to find an error. To perform specification test, the examination of the specifications stating what the program should do and how it should perform under various conditions. Unit testing focuses first on the modules in the proposed system to locate errors. This enables errors detection in the coding and logic that are contained within that module alone. Those resulting from the interaction between modules are initially avoided. In unit testing step each module has to be checked separately. System testing does not test the software as a whole, but the integration of each module in the system. The primary concern is the compatibility of individual modules. One has to find areas

where modules have been designed with different specifications of data lengths, type and data element name. Testing and validation are the most important steps after the implementation of the developed system. The system testing is performed to ensure that there are no errors in the implemented system. The software must be executed several times in order to find out the errors in the different modules of the system. Validation refers to the process of using the new software for the developed system in a live environment i.e., new software inside the organization, in order to find out the errors. The validation phase reveals the failures and the bugs in the developed system. It will be come to know about the practical difficulties the system faces when operated in the true environment. By testing the code of the implemented software, the logic of the program can be examined. A specification test is conducted to check whether the specifications stating the program are performing under various conditions. Apart from these tests, there are some special tests conducted which are given below: i. Peak Load Tests: This determines whether the new system will handle the volume of activities when the system is at the peak of its processing demand. The test has revealed that the new software for the agency is capable of handling the demands at the peak time. ii. Storage Testing: This determines the capacity of the new system to store transaction data on a disk or on other files. The proposed software has the required storage space available, because of the use of a number of hard disks. iii. Performance Time Testing: This test determines the length of the time used by the system to process transaction data.

In this phase of the software developed, Testing is exercising the software to uncover errors and ensure the system meets defined requirements. Testing was done at 3 levels. Namely; i. Unit Level Testing: A Unit corresponds to a screen/form in the package. Unit testing focuses on verification of the corresponding class or Screen. This testing includes testing of control paths, interfaces, local data structures, logical decisions, boundary conditions, and error handling. Unit testing may use Test Drivers, which are control programs to coordinate test case inputs and outputs, and Test stubs, which replace low-level modules. A stub is a dummy subprogram. At this level, different individual program units (classes, data structures etc) were tested individually for bugs and errors were corrected. At the end of the test, each unit was optimised to perform well ii. Module Level Testing: Module Testing is done using the test cases prepared earlier. Module is defined during the time of design. Here, each module of the software developed was tested running it at the least configuration and testing with extreme and minimal values to define all possible results. iii. Integration & System Testing: Integration testing is used to verify the combining of the software modules. Integration testing addresses the issues associated with the dual problems of verification and program construction. System testing is used to verify, whether the developed system meets the requirements. At this level, the modules are integrated as a full system and the system is then executed as a whole for testing.

4.3

SYSTEM CHANGE OVER PLAN OR SCHEDULE

4.3.1 Implementation Plan The implementation plan includes a description of all the activities that must occur to implement the new system and to put it into operation. It identifies the personnel responsible for the activities and prepares a time chart for implementing the system. The implementation plan consists of the following steps: i. Install Point-of-Sale using the installation script. While running the Point-of-Sale installation script, accept the default options even when nothing is selected. ii. The tables should be populated with the item, employee, coupon and other retail data that the store needs. If a database is being built from scratch, it needs to be populated with data. The following command can be executed to build the tables and insert a minimal data set. iii. iv. Compare functionality with the old system Phase out the old system when the new system meets the system requirements

The implementation plan anticipates possible problems and is able to deal with them. The usual problems may be missing documents; mixed data formats between current and files, errors in data translation, missing data etc.

4.3.2 User Training The implementation of the proposed system includes the training of system operators. Training the system operators includes not only instructions on how to use the equipment, but also on how to diagnose malfunctions and what steps to take when they occur. So proper training should be provided to the system operators. No training is complete without familiarizing users with simple

system maintenance activities. Since the proposed system is developed in Graphics User Interface, training will be comparatively easy than systems developed in a non- Graphics User Interface. There are different types of training. We can select off-site to give depth knowledge to the system operators. Success of the system depends on the way in which it is operated and used. Therefore the quality of training given to the operating person affects the successful implementation of the system. The training must ensure that the person can handle all the possible operations. Training must also include data entry personnel. They must also be given training for the installation of new hardware, terminals, how to power the system, how to power it down, how to detect the malfunctions, how to solve the problems etc. The operators must also be provided with the knowledge of troubleshooting which involves the determination of the cause of the problem. The proposed system requires trained personnel for operating the system. Data entry jobs must be done carefully to avoid errors. This will reduce the data entry errors considerably. It is preferable to provide the person with some kind of operating manuals that will explain all the details of the system.

4.3.3 Post Implementation Review After the system is implemented, a review was conducted to determine whether the system is meeting expectations and where improvements are needed. System quality, user confidence and operating systems statistics are accessed through such technique event logging, impact evaluation and attitude surveys. The review not only assesses how well the proposed system is

designed and implemented, but also is a valuable source of information that can be applied to a critical evaluation of the system. The reviews are conducted by the operating personals as well as the software developers in order to determine how well the system is working, how it has been accepted and whether adjustments are needed. The review of the system is highly essential to determine the future enhancements required by the system. The system can be considered successful only if the information system has met it objectives. The review analyses the opinion of the employees and identifies the attitudes towards the new computerized system. Only when the merits and demerits of the implemented system are known, one can determine what additional features are required.

4.3.4 System Maintenance Maintenance is an act of making adaptation of the software for external changes (requirements changes or enhancements) and internal changes (fixing bugs). When changes are made during the maintenance phase all preceding steps of the model must be revisited. There are three types of maintenance. These include: i. ii. iii. Corrective (Fixing bugs/errors) Adaptive (Updates due to environment changes) Perfective (Enhancements, requirements changes

4.4

DOCUMENTATION

4.4.1 System documentation This phase of the project talks about how the system works, because the system is menu driven, all that is required are:

Stage 1: Login page Once the website is loaded, the login page is displayed. This stage displays the authorization form where user will enter his/her username and password, then the system authenticate the pass word before moving to the next stage Stage 2: Staff home page If the user is not an admin then staff hompage is loaded. This webpage allows staff other than the administrators access to the point of sale software. Here, the staff can process sales orders and this automatically updates stock from the inventory and updates daily sales Stage 3 If the user is an admin at stage 1, the software redirects the user to the inventory page where the user can view stocks, see daily sales, generate reports and monitor activities of staff accounts.

4.4.2 Program Documentation The new system is design PHP, this is because PHP is real time, Object Oriented Programming (OOP) language and can work across other platforms of operating systems as it is web-based too. The Database is designed in MySQL which is a flexible and reliable database package and easily integrates with PHP, which makes the installation and operation of the software easier. Installation: it is easy to download and install any AMP package e.g. XAMPP, WAMP etc, then copy the contents of the POS software into either htdocs in XAMPP or www in WAMP, then create a database named liveeditin Phpmyadmin (MySQL) and import the .sql satabase in the software folder.

CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATION 5.1 SUMMARY

Few purchases can have as dramatic an effect on your retail or hospitality business as a point of sale (POS) system. The right POS system will give you a new level of control over your operations, increasing efficiency, boosting profits, and helping you fine-tune your business model. The wrong system, however, can be a waste of money and a source of ongoing frustration. Switching from a traditional cash register to a computerized POS system can be difficult - there are many factors to consider and some pitfalls to avoid. However the return on investment and benefits to your business can really make it worth your time and effort. As a result, the need for a computerized Point of sales system cannot be overemphasized.

5.2

CONCLUSION

At any point of the day, a POS system can instantly tell you how many of a particular product have sold today (or last week, or last month), how much money you have in your cash drawer, and how much of that money is profit. Detailed sales reports make it much easier for you to keep the right stock on hand. Track your remaining inventory, spot sales trends, and use historical data to better forecast your needs. Often, the software can alert you to reorder when stocks run low. Many store owners who think they know exactly what trends affect them find a couple of surprises once they have this data.

5.3

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following are the recommendation required in order to effectively use the new design are: The hardware and software requirement should be as specified Staff should have basic knowledge of computer operations Staffs should be trained on the job, no special training is needed to achieve full implementation

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