Furniture Store Management System Report

Introduction

The report examines the Furniture Sales Management System (FSMS), a unified software

solution which is aimed at facilitation of the sales procedures in the furniture retailer setting. The

following study is a comprehensive of the way the system runs, implementation, and even

possible improvements.

The main aim of the report is to describe the key characteristics and purposes of the Furniture

Sales Management System, making accented on its importance for the contemporary retail

management. Also, the report provides for the technical details of development of the system,

there are technologies used, system architecture, and implementation methodologies.

The user interface can be defined as the king operations, and in this study usability and user

experience are evaluated that taking into account the efficiency of the system in terms of

engaging users with software interface. In addition, the scalability of the system is foreseen to

further estimate the ability to anticipate the growing requirements regarding future development

of furniture retailers in the evolving market environment.

In the case of recommendations and insights, optimizing the working and features of the

Furniture Sales Management System, the section 4 provides the same. Using cutting-edge

technologies and state-of- the- art management principles in the retail management of furniture

retailers allows for improvement of the operational efficiency, rate of sales, and the delivery of

excellent customer satisfaction.

Details of analyses of the system new sections of the report take up the process of information

analysis of sales, inventory management and authentication process. Further the possible

improvements to the system and the future directions are also elaborated indicating the

innovation and the opportunities for improvement in the furniture retailing operations.
 Literature Review

Inventory management integrated with RFID has been the subject of considerable interest

in recent years [1]. Sometimes by just handling the inventory manually we have deep-rooted

inefficiencies in our processes; the challenge with such systems is that they are not uniform and

prone to human error [1]. RFID tags and readers allow organizations to automate inventory

management processes, reduce human error and improve data quality [1]. Additionally, systems

based on RFID offer real-time visibility into inventory movements allowing organizations to

make and implement timely decisions and distribution of resources effectively [1].

A host of Factors have changed the way things used to be in the past and one of them is the

interesting emergence of RFID technology the subject of this paper which has found many uses

in the retail, logistics [1], and supply chain management sector. From the perspective of the

paper the furniture and inventory management, benefits which are the advantages of the RFID-

based system. For instance, the utilization of RFID tags encapsulated in furniture units facilitates

the detection of inventory through all the stages of the supply chain, right at the production

plants and ending with retail stores [1]. More importantly, inventory management systems

equipped with RFID help improve accuracy and time of inventory counts compared to traditional

manual inventory controls [1].

Amongst others, the project described by Andewar et al. [1] shows an example of the rollout of

RFID-based furniture and inventory management systems. The project itself is directed at

development an automated inventory control system operating on the bases of RFID technology

allowing determining and tracking objects of the inventory in real-time [1]. With incorporation

of the RFID readers with GUI, the system allows scanning of multiple items at one go, making
the operations more efficient as well as improving the accuracy of data [1]. In addition, the

project applies microcontroller systems, including the PIC18F25K22, which make RFID readers

and computer systems communication uninterrupted [1].

Apart from RFID-based inventory management systems, the implementation of e-commerce

platforms is becoming common in the furniture retailing industry [2]. The increased acceptance

of online shopping has led to a growing need for e-commerce solutions designed for the furniture

industry [2]. Piyoshila et al. suggest an e-commerce platform tailored specifically to satisfy small

and medium-scale companies of the furniture business that facilitates even product management,

order handling, and the management of the users [2]. The suggested software will improve the

seamless customer online shopping journey, providing a friendly user interface and a streamlined

order management process [2].

In summary, the discussed literature points out the need to use technology with the help of RFID

and e-commerce websites to improve the inventory management as well as the shopping of the

customer in the furniture retail industry. The use of RFID-based inventory tracking systems, as

well as user-centric e-commerce platforms, can enhance the operational efficiency while

minimizing cost for furniture businesses hence helping them compete favourably in the

contemporary digital marketplace [1][2]

 Methodology

1. Software Development Process

The software development process for the Furniture Management System involved a

structured approach, divided into three main parts: Admin, Officer function & also Sales person

function In an iterative type, the parts were built and developed in an iterating manner allowing

dynamic reviewing and correction over the process of life development.

Several steps were followed include gathering the requirements, analysis as well creation of use

case diagrams and class diagrams for easy prototyping of the system.

Resources such as NetBeans IDE Apache 20, was supplied to the development environment and

the choice to use it was based on their strength of performance and reliance as process

simplifiers. NetBeans IDE is a complex integrated development environment designed for Java

applications equipped with build functions, including code editing, code debugging, and project

management (Oracle Corporation, n.d.). An important part during the phase of creation, much

effort was put in during the real development cycle using outstanding practices, such as modular

design functionality reuse, code reuse and the version control, and which can deviate from truth

value to gain alternative value but truth remains the basis or some things keeps kidding to

absurdity. These tenets gave rise to quality codes, smooth teamwork, and also ensured that the

application scaled and remained maintainable in the days ahead.

It is shown in the three reasons for why they took up the Java language which included the

platform independence, robustness and libraries and frameworks of Java that helped them

develop the enterprise applications (Oracle Corporation, n.d.). It wasJava SDK 17 (Oracle

Corporation, n.d.) that enabled a possibility of developing the required utilities and APIs to
provide different functionalities of the Furniture Management System, like data processing, user

interface building and system integration.

Besides software development there were very strict testing procedures which ensured the

validity and stability of the system.

Unit tests, integration tests, and user acceptance tests did not fail strictly in-rely on the

point that defects or inconsistencies in the system were discovered and corrected (Myers et al.,

2011).

Design of ensuring the collaborative nature of the development process resulted in effective

communication and coordination among employees, there was an ease of getting feedback,

solving a problem as well as decision making in time. Regular meetings, code reviews, and the

practices of documentation were significant in keeping project goals aligned and fostering

transparency and accountability.

Considering the process stages, the development based on the adopted industry standard tools,

methodologies and practices helped implement the robust and user-friendly Furniture

Management System that reflects specific needs of different stakeholders.

Figure 1: Use Case Diagram
Figure 2: Class Diagram: Furniture Store Management System
 2. Data Collection

The available data source for data collection is the ‘ Furniture Price Prediction.csv’

dataset which is easily accessible online. Items of furniture in this dataset are fully described not

only in terms of names, quantity, cost, but also with respect to certain other attributes. Other than

this, there were no follow ups in collection of any data source. The choice of the “Furniture Price

Prediction.csv” dataset was made as per the convenience by its relevance to the project’s needs

and as the available one with a lot of information on furniture’s prices. This dataset played the

role of the database from which the system was populated with relevant information and in

which the various functionalities, predicting the sales and their management included, were

facilitated.

3. Software Implementation

Several essential stages accompanied the software implementation of the Furniture

Management System aimed at the system’s functioning, usage, and stability. Based on the

industry standard methodologies, the development process started collecting thorough

information of requirements through needs and objectives analysis of the system (Al- Mudimigh

et al, 2001). Works conducted during this phase directed at stakeholders like furniture sales staff,

managers and administrators helped to identify the necessary aspects and functionalities.

From here onwards, requirements were identified after which the system design phase started,
where the architecture and technical specifications got defined. The team decided to use layered

architecture to distinguish concerns and support modularity (Al-Mudimigh et al., 2001). Java

was used behind for its availability of strong and platform independent framework and

simple .txt files were used to store data thereby doing away with database management systems

(Al-Mudimigh et al., 2001).

Java Swing was used to design the frontend interface due to its easy-to-use nature, lightweight

and yet capable of unpredictability traits, along with lesser technical dependence. Supported by

user-centric design principles, the systems were designed in such a way to have intuitive

appealing interfaces ensuring minimal training needed in navigating the systems (Al-Mudimigh

et al., 2001).

4. Implementation

In the process of implementation, a series of iterative development cycles were

conducted, thus permitting regular feedback and upgrading. Meetings were done frequently with

the stakeholders for reviewing the progress, obtaining the feedback, and taking required

adjustments accordingly ( Al-Mudimigh et al., 2001). This agile way of doing things then

allowed for the team to adjust to updated demands and focus on the attributes that would be

necessary to the user based on need.

Quality assurance and testing, among other things, the reliability and robustness of the

system. The testing strategies used were broad based and included unit testing, integration testing

and user acceptance testing that aimed at identifying and dealing with defects early in the

development life cycle (Al-Mudimigh et al., 2001).

In the last, deployment and rollout were optimized to cause limited interruptions to
operations. The user training sessions familiarized staff with the new system to manage the

change process smoothly ( Al-Mudimigh et al., 2001). Post-deployment support and maintenance

were exemplified for all the trouble or concern raised post the deployment of the Furniture

Management System to ensure a great standard of the system.

Limitations of the Project

The introduction of FSMS in the furniture retail industry, is still the kind of milestone

achievement that would be hard to match in terms of streamlining the sales processes as well as

improving the opportunities to control the inventory. Nonetheless, some limitations and

challenges should be recognized to ensure a thorough insight into the system’s possibilities and

points of development.

First limitation of FSMS is related to the scalability constraints. Though the system is good

enough in dealing with the current size of sales data and inventory list, the system may have

questions to its scale as the business grows. With additional transactions and inventory items, the

system’s functioning might be impaired, and either some optimizations or transformations of the

infrastructure manual should be performed. This task highlights that the monitoring of system

performance should never sleep and all bottlenecks and lack of resources should be e pre-

empted.

The other challenge is that of the sophistication in setting up the FSMS, interfacing with

inherited legacy systems or applications acquired from third party vendors. The procedure of

incorporating arose from the different systems is often riddled with problems of compatibility,
discrepancy in data format and interoperability challenges. The smoothing data integration

between the FSMS and peripheral systems may need more effort and technical support, creating

difficulties for the implementation process and possibly extending deployment period.

Moreover, the FSMS may be low on customization and especially in meeting the specific needs

that certain furniture retailers may have. Although the system provides configurability in terms

of the user interface, there may be certain bespoke features or workflows that might need to be

customized provided, under-the- hood or not readily available. This restriction emphasizes the

need for a comprehensive needs assessment to derive the requirements and the stakeholder

consultation to ensure the FSMS meets the need of and that of individual organization.

In addition, information security threats are another major hurdle for FSMS, due its

management of customers’ highly personalized information – both personal, as well as

financial. Any weaknesses within the archit facet of the system or any hole present in the

principles of system access may the organization become the target of a violation of information

or attack. Prevention of such risks requires strong data encryption procedures and authentication

methods that protect sensitive information gain access to them by the relevant governmental

body through advanced controls of data access.

Furthermore, the effective application of the FSMS largely depends on the acceptance and

competence of the users. To fully utilize the system capabilities and minimize the change

resistance factor the organization should make the system users comfortable by providing

training and support in users especially the sales team administrators and management. In

dealing with the training and adoption hurdles, there is a need for the flow of information,
friendly interface and ongoing support that ensures that user concerns are dealt with adequately

and smoothing transition to new system.

Finally, regular maintenance and service owing to software bugs, performance issues, as well as

new business needs play an essential role. Sufficient implementation of resources and the

establishment of appropriate communication channels for users’ feedback and technical support

is critical for the long-term success of FSMS. With the FSMS limitations and practice examined

– the leading furniture retailers could preemptively integrate these limitations and challenges in

order to facilitate the full use of the FSMS in the sector so as to reduce operations, improve

customer satisfaction and the sector’s income.

Recommendations

Due to confrontation with limitations on scalability, it is important for the FSMS to

perform performance reviews and capacity planning. FSMS adopting scalable architecture and

cloud-based solutions, higher sales data and inventory items will be taken without making

ineffective and inefficient. In addition, the investing in scalable database system as well as

distributed computing technologies will lead to the FSMS scalability to the business

complexities.

Improving integration functionalities should be on the FSMS’s agenda to bring more efficiency

to the flow of data and the process of workflows automation. Adopting regular data formats and

communication protocols such as RESTful APIs and XML/JSON interchange formats will

promote interoperability with the existing files and third-party applications. Through partnership
with industry players and technology vendors, all the problems will work out, and there will be

harmony with smooth integration which would come with facilities to upgrade the functionality

and flexibility; if the case of online furniture ordering and retail stores.

Giving FSMS customers the chance to customize helps the company keep up with its individual

customers. FSMS enables users to fully customize the system according to their needs through

modular architecture, customizable templates and extendable APIs. It will be possible to change

settings and workflows with ease with the help of a FSMS interface for administrators, setting

the business needs as a driving force, which might change.

The provision of user training and training support materials greatly contributes in increasing

user adoption and expertise. Sessions for onboarding, programs for advanced training, and self-

service documentation will provide users with the ability to utilize FSMS. Putting in place an

internal team of dedicated support or creation of a helpdesk will have the immediate assistance

and troubleshooting for user satisfaction and system usability.

A culture of continuous improvement needs to be championed to bring innovation and increase

the FSMS capabilities. Employment of such methodologies as agile development as well as user

feedback accumulation will facilitate future informed decisions on additional feature enrichments

and updates. Monitoring the performance of the system and the satisfaction of user metrics will

guarantee the continuous improvement of the level of the reducing furniture retailer and

customer demands, guiding them to the operational excellence and business growth.
 Conclusion

As a conclusion, the Furniture Sales Management System (FSMS) marks one of the most

innovative developments in retail management delivering a secure set of services merchand. In

this report, we dove into the complexities of FSMS, its origin and development methodology

through to its implementation and suggested areas of improvement. Making use of high-end

technologies, for instance RFID and Java, as well as employing industry standards, FMS has

proven how it is able to change the furniture retailer’s way of operating. Going forward, it is

essential that stakeholders respond to the indicated limitations and embark on the suggested

improvements to ensure that FSMS remains cutting-edge in the furniture retail industry. FSMS is

geared to support the transformation of furniture retail towards digitized business with a spirit of

continuous improvement and meeting future needs of users.

References

Al-Mudimigh, A., Zairi, M., & Al-Mashari, M. (2001). ERP software implementation: an

integrative framework. European Journal of Information Systems, 10(4), 216-226.

Myers, G. J., Sandler, C., & Badgett, T. (2011). The art of software testing. John Wiley &

Sons.
 Oracle Corporation. (n.d.). Java SE Downloads. Retrieved from

https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-downloads.html

Schwalbe, K. (2020). Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.

The Apache Software Foundation. (n.d.). Welcome to the Apache Software Foundation!

Retrieved from https://www.apache.org/

Appendix

Appendix A: Furniture Data

Figure 3: Furniture Data

 Appendix B: Designs and Code Snippets

Figure 4: Login Page

Figure 5: Sales Quotations

Figure 6: Approve/ Decline Sales

Figure 7: Sample Reports

Figure 8: Code Snippet