ISSN 2278-3083

Maredel T. Tanaman et al., International Journal of Science

Volume 12,and Advanced
No.5, Information
September Technology,
- October 202312 (5), September - October 2023, 44 - 48

International Journal of Science and Applied Information Technology

Available Online at http://www.warse.org/ijsait/static/pdf/file/ijsait021252023.pdf
https://doi.org/10.30534/ijsait/2023/021252023

Web-based Inventory Management System

Maredel T. Tanaman1, Jhon Lloyd A. Baylosis2, Bhrnt Joshua A. Abiles3, Mark Lester P. Catungal4,
Dr. Philipcris C. Encarnacion5
1
Saint Columban College, Philippines, [email protected]
2
Saint Columban College, Philippines, [email protected]
3
Saint Columban College, Philippines, [email protected]
4
Saint Columban College, Philippines, [email protected]
5
Saint Columban College, Philippines, [email protected]

Received Date : August 29, 2023 Accepted Date : September 25, 2023 Published Date : October 07, 2023

establishment in the locality of Pagadian City in the province

ABSTRACT of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines, is currently managing its
inventory through a manual system using paper forms. The
This software project is a web-based inventory management establishment sells industrial, medicinal, and liquefied
system for a small business enterprise established in Pagadian petroleum gas or LPG. Currently, it has four branches to cater
City, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. It primarily supports to customer needs, with a mobile store that strolls around the
the business owner of the said business enterprise to perform city to sell the products and a warehouse where each store
regular inventory management online through a web platform. requests stocks.
This mechanism did not only improve the overall business
process but also enabled the business owner to manage The said paper forms are used to serve as inventory
inventories with efficiency and convenience. The enterprise requests, and indicated therein are the items requested by the
comprises four branches and a mobile store that strolls around store branches, including its mobile store. The forms will be
the city to cater to customer needs. In addition, the current submitted by the staff to the warehouse for processing. The
mechanism of conducting inventory management is purely business owner is regularly confronted with data inaccuracy
manual through the use of paper files, which overwhelmed the issues concerning inventory requests because paper forms are
business owner with several challenges, including data sometimes lost, torn, or contain inaccurate information due to
inaccuracy due to the reliance on using papers where data are the rotating work schedules of the employees, which means
recorded and process inefficiency due to the manual recording that several employees record data on the same paper form
and distribution of inventory and sales reports. This software daily which is prone to recording incorrect or inaccurate data.
project addressed these challenges by eliminating these In addition, the business owner also needs more efficient
manual approaches through an automated computing solution processing of producing an accurate sales report due to the
using a web platform where data are electronically recorded manual system that the business owner uses when tracking and
and processed, and reports are electronically produced. calculating sales data, primarily through a pen, paper, and
spreadsheet application. Lastly, the business owner needs a
Key words: Web-based inventory management system, more convenient experience and a real-time view of the entire
online inventory management system, inventory management inventory management status, including information about
system, inventory management daily sales, because of the manual design of the process. This
situation led to designing and developing a web-based
1. INTRODUCTION inventory management system for the said business
establishment.
The integration of information technology has become a
crucial component in the daily operations of business Most establishments have always practiced a manual
establishments. Above all the many reasons, information inventory management system and always have inefficiency
technology has undeniably brought ease in conducting issues. Due to this, a digitized inventory management system is
business processes or operations such as recruitment, ideal as it transforms the manual method into a convenient and
marketing, and managing inventory by digitizing it. Inventory more efficient system [3]. Digitalization is the integration of
management involves supervising stock items and their flow digital technology into an establishment's operations, such as
from the manufacturers to the warehouse and the customer at inventory management, to significantly change the way of
the point of sale. Inventory management is vital because it doing the process [4]. Manually managing the inventory
keeps a detailed record of products from when they enter or results in issues like unrecorded items sold, mismanagement,
leave a warehouse or at the point of sale [1]. Effective overstocks, and even understocks [5]. The wide array of
inventory management provides a tangible benefit to business technological innovations useful in recording inventories is
owners as it leads to higher revenue and profits [2]. A business necessary, mainly if the process is manually performed to
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ensure accuracy in recording incoming and outgoing goods, 2.6 Security;

which often happens [6]. After all, inventory management 2.7 Maintainability;
nowadays is integrated with an information system to quickly 2.8 Portability;
and accurately assist in managing inventory [7].
2. METHODOLOGY
Various software projects to effectively and efficiently 2.1 Research Design
manage inventory have already been developed. Although
these projects are not necessarily used in the same context, The entire software development process follows the IEEE or
they have the same goal. Oluwapelumi [8] developed an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
inventory system that will be used to record day-to-day Recommendation in software engineering. The software
activities in the context of an industry or an institution. This developers also adopted the Waterfall Model in terms of
system can also manage supply and sales activities, document software development model. The Waterfall Model has been
inventories, and store the results in a database. Misu [9] also adapted as a research design methodology because of its
developed a web-based application that manages the stocks of systematic approach. This model portrays a sequential or
an organization, stores the details of the purchases, linear progression through different phases, making it look
adjustments, bookings, and sales, and generates a report based like a cascading waterfall, meaning that a phase will begin
on a criterion. In particular, this software project is a when a previous one is completed. This further means that the
web-based system that runs online and requires that the phases do not overlap. Generally, the phases involved in this
business owner perform inventory management online by model are Requirements Specification, Planning, Design,
connecting to the Internet. Agboola et al. [10] developed a Development or Implementation, Testing, Deployment, and
web-based platform for automating inventory management of Maintenance.
a small and medium enterprises to help storekeepers make The IEEE Recommendation, on the other hand, is a set of
decisions about their stocks and reduce unnecessary stress standards and best practices established by the Institute of
brought by a manual system, keep the account current, and Electrical and Electronics Engineers for the development,
simplify the entire inventory management process. Another documentation, and maintenance of software projects. These
online inventory management system was developed by Johari recommendations cover various aspects of software
& Aziz [11], which is specifically an IoT-based system for a engineering, including requirements analysis, design, coding,
small business to generate stock counts while being accessible testing, and documentation. By adhering to IEEE guidelines,
online automatically. In addition, it also notifies the system software developers ensure that their projects are developed
users of stocks running low. Lastly, Andriani & Andry [12] with a high level of quality, reliability, and maintainability.
also designed a web-based inventory application for a steel These guidelines make it easier for different teams to
company to improve its inventory management performance, collaborate and understand each other's work. Additionally,
particularly in managing inventory data in the warehouse, the following IEEE recommendations in software engineering
incoming goods, outgoing goods, goods returned, and printing enhances software products' credibility and trustworthiness,
reports. benefiting developers and end-users alike.

Specifically, this software development dealt with the 2. RESULTS

following concerns:
1. How may the Web-based Inventory Management 1. Design and Development of Web-based Inventory
System be developed using Waterfall Model and Management System
IEEE Recommendation: This Web-based Inventory Management System was
1.1 Requirements Specification; successfully developed by adopting the Waterfall Software
1.2 Planning Development Model and the IEEE Recommendation in
1.3 Designing; Software Engineering. The phases involved in the entire
development process are outlined and discussed below.
1.4 Development/Implementation;
1.1 Requirements Specification
1.5 Testing;
This phase played an essential role in the development of
1.6 Deployment;
this software project. Requirements Specification defines and
1.7 Maintenance;
documents the functional and non-functional requirements that
2. How may the Web-based Inventory Management
any system must accomplish to meet the client's needs and
System be evaluated by the IT Experts and End-Users
expectations. It was during this phase that the developers
in Improving a Business through a Web-Based
Inventory Management System based on the performed data gathering from the intended end-users, who
following attributes or criteria as: are composed of the business owner and the employees of a
2.1 Functional Suitability; small business establishment in the locality of Pagadian City,
Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines, concerning the entire process
2.2 Performance Efficiency;
of inventory management and the issues and challenges that
2.3 Compatibility;
business owner experienced. The gathered data were used as
2.4 Usability;
the basis for the succeeding phases.
2.5 Reliability;

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1.2 Planning Figure 1 shows the functional requirement and the interactions
between the end-user and the system from the perspective of
The planning phase has been fundamental in the entire the end users by showing that an employee from a branch can
development process. In this phase, project objectives, request new stocks whenever needed as part of inventory
requirements, resources, and constraints were further defined management.
and organized to ensure the successful execution of the
software project. In this phase, the developers prepared a
comprehensive plan that served as a guide throughout the
project. This plan also served as a blueprint outlining the steps,
resources to be used, and potential risks to be managed.
Changes have occurred during the development process.
Hence, reviews and updates were essential in accommodating
new requirements during the software development.

1.3 Designing
This phase was also another crucial phase in the software Figure 2. Use Case Diagram of the Web-based System
development process because it transformed the requirements for Viewing Reports
gathered in the earlier phases into a detailed design that
produced a new blueprint as the development of a software
system continued. This system is a web-based application that Figure 2 shows the functional requirement and the interactions
supports the business owner in conducting inventory between the end-user and the system from the perspective of
management online. The system was also designed to produce the end users by showing that an employee can produce a
accurate sales reports. report based on a criterion.

a. Technical Specification c. Interface Design

This web-based online system is mainly a website that A system's interface design refers to the graphical user
allows the business owner to manage inventories and interface (GUI) that users interact with to perform
produce a sales report. The required hardware is a PC, and relevant tasks or to access system functionalities. The
Internet connectivity must be available. The following design provides users a seamless and efficient experience
technologies serve as the building blocks of the while interacting with the system.
web-based online system:
 HTML5
 PHP
 Bootstrap
 JavaScript
 MySQL

b. Use Case Diagram

A use case diagram visually represents the functional
requirements and the interactions of a system from the
perspective of the end users, which means that it shows
what the end users can do while using the system. Its
primary purpose is to provide a clear overview of how the
end-users interact with the system. Figure 3: Report Interface per Branch

Figure 3 shows the interface of a sample sales report based

on a chosen branch where the business owner can see an
update about the report automatically.

Figure 1: Use Case Diagram of the Web-based System for

Ordering per Branch
Figure 4: Dashboard Interface of the Web-based System

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Maredel T. Tanaman et al., International Journal of Science and Advanced Information Technology, 12 (5), September - October 2023, 44 - 48

Figure 4 shows the dashboard interface of the Web-based 1.7 Maintenance

Inventory Management System. Through this interface, the This phase refers to continuously managing the system's
business owner and the employees can perform processes. performance and functionality throughout its operation. It is
also a crucial aspect of the system because it ensures it will
continuously perform. The software developers of this project
had implemented a maintenance plan to ensure the continued
performance and availability of the system.

3. IT Experts Evaluation of Web-based Inventory

Management System

 The system was given an evaluation score of 4.61

based on the functionality suitability of its features
(Highly Functional).
 According to its performance efficiency, the system
has received an evaluation score of 4.60 (Highly
Figure 5: Warehouse Purchase Request Interface
Efficient).
 The system's evaluation score, as measured by its
Figure 5 shows the interface of purchasing from the warehouse
compatibility, is 4.57 (Highly Compatible).
as part of the inventory management.
 According to its usability, the system has received an
evaluation score of 4.73 (Highly Usable).
1.4 Development/Implementation
The actual development, which requires software coding,  The system achieved an evaluation score of 4.63
occurs in this phase. The planning and design phases were regarding its reliability (Highly Reliable).
critical steps because this phase used it as the primary basis.  The security aspect of the system has received an
The developers wrote the code based on the detailed design evaluation score of 4.63 (Secure).
specifications defined in the previous phase. Hence, this is the  According to its maintainability, the system has
actual implementation of the outlined functionalities and achieved an evaluation score of 4.58 (Highly
features of the system. As already specified, this system is a Maintainable).
web-based application, and technologies like HTML5, PHP,  The system has received an evaluation score of 4.57
MySQL, JavaScript, and Bootstrap as the underlying building based on its portability (Highly Portable).
blocks of the system are involved.
End-Users Evaluation of Web-based Inventory Management
1.5 Testing System
This phase ensures that the system adheres to the
requirements specified in the planning phase. Software testing  According to the user evaluation, the system attained
is performed in other phases to regularly identify and manage an evaluation score of 4.44 based on the
issues to ensure the software meets the desired quality functionality suitability of its features (Highly
standards. The testing for the functional requirements yielded Functional).
an overall positive and acceptable result. The system has  According to the evaluation conducted by the users,
improved business operations by providing real-time visibility the system has received an evaluation score of 4.34
into inventory levels, reducing stockouts, and optimizing in terms of its performance efficiency (Highly
supply chain management. The software developers Efficient).
conducted user acceptance and system testing with the  The system's compatibility evaluation score was 4.35
business owner, the client of this software project, to evaluate based on user evaluations (Highly Compatible).
the usability and functionality of the system.  The system has been evaluated with a score of 4.43
based on its usability (Highly Usable).
1.6 Deployment
Deployment is the development phase that prepares the
system to be integrated into the client's environment or the 4. CONCLUSION
end-users to become ready and available. Deployment is also a
The results led to the following conclusions:
critical step in the system development life cycle as it requires
planning, constant coordination with the client, and further
1. The web-based inventory management system was
testing to ensure its successful use. After the testing phase,
evaluated by both IT experts and end-users for
specific considerations had already been considered so the
system testing.
system would be successfully integrated into business
2. The user evaluation found the system to be highly
operations. The client has already accepted the system and is
functional (4.44), efficient (4.34), compatible (4.35),
already integrating it into the establishment's operations.
and usable (4.43).

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3. The IT expert evaluation found the system to be highly

functional (4.61), efficient (4.60), compatible (4.57),
usable (4.73), reliable (4.63), secure (4.63),
maintainable (4.58), and portable (4.57).
4. Overall, the system received high evaluation scores
from users and IT experts, indicating it is a highly
functional, efficient, compatible, usable, reliable,
secure, maintainable, and portable system that has
passed system testing.
5. The system has the potential to significantly improve
business operations by providing users with a
powerful tool for managing and monitoring inventory
and making data-driven decisions.
6. Future work could focus on addressing the feedback
related to UI and security and further improving the
system's performance.

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