Department of Computer Science and Engineering

National Institute of Technology, Srinagar

Hazratbal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir - 190006, India.

PRE-PROJECT
REPORT

MESS COMPLAINT PORTAL

Submitted by

Muskan Chaudhary- 2020BCSE024

Niyati Gupta-2020BCSE073
Richa Shrivastava- 2020BCSE044

IV Year B.Tech. CSE (7th Semester)

Under the guidance of

Dr. Pramod kumar Yadav

Assistant Professor

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 ABSTRACT

The Mess Complaint Portal is a comprehensive web application catering to

hostel environments, providing essential features for students, wardens,
accountants, and representatives. Through user authentication, users access
functionalities like complaint management, menu viewing, and expense
tracking. Students can register complaints and engage in community
feedback through upvoting/downvoting and commenting. Wardens resolve
complaints while student representatives oversee user conduct.
Accountants manage hostel expenses, utilizing detailed nancial analysis
tools for better decision-making. This system enhances operational
ef ciency, fosters transparent communication, and improves the overall
hostel experience by addressing concerns promptly and facilitating
informed nancial management.

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 CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 Introduction…………………………………04

CHAPTER 2 Problem Statement………………………….05

CHAPTER 3 Objectives…………………………………..06

CHAPTER 4 Technologies Used………………………….07

CHAPTER 5 Features and Functionalities………………..10

CHAPTER 6 Implementation Details……………………..13

CHAPTER 7 Challenges…………………………………..16

CHAPTER 8 Visuals………………………………………17

CHAPTER 9 Work Ahead…………………………………24

CHAPTER 10 Conclusion…………………………………23

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

In the dynamic landscape of educational institutions, ef cient management

of hostel facilities plays a crucial role in ensuring a conducive environment
for students. The Mess Management System is a pioneering web-based
solution crafted to address the multifaceted challenges encountered in
hostel operations. Hostels serve as more than mere accommodations; they
are integral components of student life, fostering a sense of community
and belonging. However, managing these environments ef ciently requires
robust systems for communication, complaint resolution, and nancial
oversight.

Our project aims to bridge these gaps by offering a comprehensive

platform tailored to the speci c needs of students, wardens, accountants,
and student representatives. Through a range of features including user
authentication, complaint management, menu access, expense tracking,
and detailed nancial analysis tools, the Mess Management System
empowers hostel stakeholders to streamline operations, enhance
transparency, and improve the overall hostel experience. By facilitating
seamless communication, prompt complaint resolution, and informed
nancial management, our system endeavors to optimize hostel operations,
creating a conducive living environment conducive to academic excellence
and student well-being.

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 CHAPTER 2

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Hostel management faces hurdles in facilitating effective communication,

timely resolution of complaints, and transparent nancial oversight. This
leads to student discontent, suboptimal resource allocation, and
administrative complexities. A comprehensive solution tailored to hostel
environments is imperative to streamline operations, foster transparency,
and improve the overall hostel experience for students and administrators
alike.

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 CHAPTER 3

OBJECTIVES

• Develop a comprehensive Mess Management System that

addresses the communication, complaint resolution, and
nancial management needs within hostel environments.
• Provide user-friendly interfaces and functionalities tailored
to students, wardens, accountants, and student
representatives to streamline operations and enhance user
experience.
• Enable students to register complaints, access mess menus,
and engage in community feedback through upvoting/
downvoting and commenting features.
• Empower wardens to ef ciently resolve complaints and
oversee hostel operations, fostering a conducive living
environment for students.
• Facilitate transparent nancial management for accountants
through expense tracking, analysis tools, and detailed
nancial reports for informed decision-making.
• Enhance accountability and transparency within hostels,
promoting a collaborative environment conducive to
academic excellence and student well-being.

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 CHAPTER 4

TECHNOLOGIES USED

• NODE.JS
• JAVASCRIPT
• NPM
• POSTMAN
• EXPRESS.JS
• MONGO-DB
• TAILWIND CSS
• REACT.JS

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 MERN STACK

MongoDB: MongoDB is a NoSQL database that was utilized to

store and manage the data for the Mess Management System. Its
exible document-based model allowed for easy storage and
retrieval of various types of data, including user information,
complaints, expenses, and menu items.

Express.js: Express.js is a web application framework for Node.js,

providing a robust set of features for building web servers and
APIs. It was used to create the server-side logic and RESTful API
endpoints for handling requests and responses in the Mess
Management System.

React.js:React.js, a popular JavaScript library for building user

interfaces, was employed to develop the front-end components of
the Mess Management System.
Its component-based architecture allowed for the creation of
reusable UI elements, promoting code reusability and
maintainability.
React's virtual DOM (Document Object Model) and ef cient
rendering mechanisms ensured fast and responsive user
interactions, enhancing the overall user experience.

Node.js:Node.js served as the back-end runtime environment for

the Mess Management System, enabling the execution of server-
side logic written in JavaScript.
Its non-blocking I/O model and event-driven architecture made it
well-suited for handling concurrent requests and performing
asynchronous operations.
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Node.js provided a scalable and ef cient platform for building the
server-side components of the application, ensuring optimal
performance and reliability.

React.js, a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces,

was employed to develop the front-end components of the Mess
Management System.
Its component-based architecture allowed for the creation of
reusable UI elements, promoting code reusability and
maintainability.
React's virtual DOM (Document Object Model) and ef cient
rendering mechanisms ensured fast and responsive user
interactions, enhancing the overall user experience.

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 CHAPTER 5

FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITIES

User Authentication:

Description: The Mess Management System provides secure user

authentication mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can
access the system.
Implementation: Users are required to register and log in using their
credentials (username and password). Authentication tokens are
generated upon successful login to authenticate subsequent requests.

Complaint Management:

Description: Students can register complaints regarding mess-related

issues, which are then routed to the warden for resolution.
Implementation: Students can submit complaints through a dedicated
form, providing details such as the nature of the issue and the location.
Wardens receive noti cations of new complaints and can view,
prioritize, and resolve them through the system.

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Menu Access:

Description: Students can conveniently access the mess menu for their
respective hostels, enabling them to plan their meals effectively.
Implementation: The system provides a user-friendly interface where
students can view the daily or weekly mess menu, including breakfast,
lunch, and dinner options. Menu items may include details such as
ingredients, allergens, and nutritional information.

Expense Tracking:

Description: Accountants can add expenses related to hostel

operations and track nancial transactions in the system.
Implementation: Accountants have access to a dedicated interface
where they can record expenses incurred for items such as groceries,
maintenance, utilities, and staff salaries. Expenses are categorized and
logged in the system for transparency and accountability.

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Financial Analysis:

Description: Accountants can generate detailed analysis reports to gain

insights into hostel expenses, income, and nancial trends.
Implementation: The system provides tools for generating charts,
graphs, and tables that visualize nancial data over different time
periods (e.g., weekly, monthly, yearly). Accountants can analyze
expenditure patterns, identify cost-saving opportunities, and make
informed decisions based on nancial insights.

Student Representative Actions:

Description: Student representatives have the authority to temporarily

ban/unban users for inappropriate comments on complaints.
Implementation: Student representatives are granted special privileges
to moderate user comments on complaints. They can review
comments, ag inappropriate content, and take action to temporarily
ban users who violate community guidelines. Additionally, they can
review and lift bans as needed.
These features and functionalities collectively enhance hostel
management operations, promote transparency and accountability, and
foster a collaborative environment conducive to student well-being
and satisfaction.

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 CHAPTER 6

IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS

The implementation of the Mess Management System involved

several key steps, including system design, development, testing, and
deployment. Here's a description of the implementation process, along
with challenges faced and solutions adopted during development:

System Design:
Description: The system design phase involved translating the
requirements gathered from stakeholders into a comprehensive
architecture. This included designing the database schema, de ning
API endpoints, and planning the user interface layout.

Challenges: Ensuring scalability and performance while

accommodating the diverse needs of different user roles posed a
challenge. Additionally, integrating complex features such as
complaint management and nancial analysis required careful
planning and consideration.

Solutions: To address scalability concerns, the team adopted a

modular approach, breaking down the system into smaller components
that could be developed and tested independently. Regular
communication and collaboration between team members helped in
identifying potential bottlenecks and devising effective solutions.

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Development:

Description: The development phase involved building the front-end

and back-end components of the system using the MERN stack
(MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js) along with Tailwind
CSS for styling.

Challenges: Integrating real-time features such as noti cation systems

for complaints and user actions posed a challenge. Ensuring data
consistency and security across the system also required careful
attention.

Solutions: Leveraging libraries and frameworks such as Socket.IO for

real-time communication and JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for secure
authentication helped in addressing these challenges. Additionally,
thorough code reviews and testing practices were adopted to ensure
data integrity and security.

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Testing:

Description:
The testing phase involved conducting unit tests, integration tests, and
user acceptance tests to validate the functionality and performance of
the system.

Challenges: Ensuring compatibility and responsiveness across

different devices and browsers posed a challenge. Identifying and
addressing edge cases and corner cases in complex features such as
complaint management required thorough testing.

Solutions: The team utilized automated testing tools and frameworks

such as Jest and Enzyme for unit and integration testing. Manual
testing was also conducted to validate the user interface and
functionality across various devices and screen sizes.

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 CHAPTER 7

CHALLANGES

Some Challenges we ran into:

• some git related issues

• while implementing the Line graph in the expense page , I
couldn't extract the data precisely.
• while implementing comments, i wasn't able to update it in real
time , I had to refresh the page in order to get the newly posted
comment
• Ran into some implementation problems in Upvote and
downvote feature.
• for connecting the frontend and back-end we were using proxy
initially, and that was giving us errors.
• We were not aware of some technologies like charts and graphs
in react. js
• ran into some styling issues
• Faced error while implementing routes due to silly mistakes

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CHAPTER 8

VISUALS

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 CHAPTER 9

WORK AHEAD

• Calculation of expenses on weekly and

monthly basis.

• Implementation of blocking feature for

those who post inappropriate comments

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 CHAPTER 10

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the implementation of the mess complaint portal

project will demonstrate signi cant potential in improving the overall
dining experience for students. Through the systematic collection
and management of feedback and complaints related to food quality
and service, the portal serves as a valuable tool for enhancing
transparency, accountability, and responsiveness within the dining
facility.

Looking ahead, the continued evolution and optimization of the

mess complaint portal will be essential to sustaining its
effectiveness and relevance in meeting the evolving needs and
expectations of the student community. Integration with advanced
technologies, such as mobile applications and arti cial intelligence,
will further streamline the complaint reporting process and enable
proactive measures to prevent recurring issues.

Overall, the mess complaint portal project represents a signi cant

step forward in the institution's commitment to providing an
exceptional dining experience for its students. Through monitoring,
evaluation, and re nement, the portal will continue to play a pivotal
role in fostering a positive and satisfying dining environment for all
stakeholders involved.

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