Preliminary analysis
Problem definition
DigitalWave is a local computer hardware store founded in Western Australia in 2008. Recently, they have expanded across Australia, opening new stores along the east coast. While they maintain a local and friendly business model, they have been highly profitable, and currently operate over 50 stores nationwide.
Their current system handles the business’ data independently per store, and it is the manager’s responsibility of each branch to report their weekly statistics to the headquarters in Perth, WA.
An internal investigation is conducted into the current system used to manage finance, inventory, customers, and other data for each store. They concluded that managers found it frustrating, as it lacked many essential features, was difficult to work with, and was severely outdated, being created in 2009.
It didn’t synchronise the available stock between stores, meaning employees would regularly have to call other stores to confirm inventory. The interface for the system was also poorly designed, making it difficult to use and teach to new employees. The database was so slow that simply looking up a product took too much time.
The owners have decided that they want to redefine their internal system to allow unification of their stores across Australia. This involves the centralisation of their finance, inventory, and employee management system over their different stores.
Gantt chart
Jordan Rodrigues • 2023