ennovate’s Amplified Offshore Model (AOM) based PLM services helps realize fully Automated, RFID enabled Inventory Management System

The Client :
Our Client is a leading developer of Specialty storage systems for healthcare with supply management at Departmental level in hospitals beings its major focus. The client developed some of the first supply management solutions for the Cardiac Cath lab, radiology and endoscopy departments of the hospital. Their latest offering being a web-based department level inventory management system.

The Challenge :
Our Client's latest product, Clinical Inventory Management Software, is a web-based inventory management system which utilizes manufacturer bar code information allowing departments to track and reorder supplies with minimal effort.
ennovate's task was to develop certain key modules that would redefine usage of the client's software and increasingly enhance security, networking, remote access and full automation of the inventory management software.

The Solution :

• Service Model Definition
  
• Our Client's software architecture and innovative enhancements were very tough to comprehend and implement. The software was to be built on an N-tier layered architecture using Microsoft Guidance Package (Microsoft Design & Patterns).
• In order to bridge the gap between learning and execution, ennovate proposed an onsite-offshore model of implementation with 1 engineer onsite and 5 engineers at offshore development center.
• Onsite engineer was responsible for learning exact requirements and passing on information to the offshore team. Also onsite engineer performed unit testing before module delivery to client.
• Offshore team was involved in development, testing and maintenance operations. This arrangement enabled Rapid Development Progress, Quality work and less number of iterations from concept to delivery phase.
   
   
• Design & Development
  
• Following software modules were developed in the course of the project:
  
  • Help:
    This module provides allows users to view Current Release, Product demo, Company details and contacts, End User License Agreement, Statistics, System Info and Tutorials
    
    
  • Mail:
    This feature enabled communication between end-users and support staff.
    
    
  • Organization Support Module:
    This module is to facilitate user with organization related features like associate and manipulate child organization and profiles pertain to organization. Also support staff uses this module for Manage Organizations, Manage Profiles, Manage Security, Settings, Attributes, and Organization Contacts
    
    
  • Re-Order Report:
    Once an item's on-hand quantity is less than or equal to the low par value assigned to it, the item appears on a reorder report for replenishment. This report will display an entire list of all items that are in need of ordering. From here, user can generate purchase orders that can be sent to purchase department to procure the desired quantity.
    
  
  
  • Dynamic Main Menu:
    Menu's are dynamically generated from the database on the basis of roles assigned to the logged-in user.
    
    
  • Item Summary:
    This feature displays Item details/summary and allows editing/updating Item Detail
    
    
  • RFID User Interface:
    Team ennovate along with einfochips embedded division developed an RFID system for our client's software. Through this system, the a microprocessor placed within the client's cart products which served as the clinical inventory scanned medical product's data through a chip that was placed within the medical product's wrapper. This data is then transmitted aerially through an antenna to a Web service and made available to the inventory management software. Using this control, a remote administrator could :- Issuing Cart commands, (e.g. Lock/Unlock cart, Send finger print templates, Upgrade firmware), Lock/Unlock carts,View cart logs.
    
    
  • Web services:
    By integrating RFID carts with the inventory management software through web services we enabled applications like: Inventory Log: Using RFID interface, cart would automatically update inventory log Cart Configuration: Cart Commands
    
    
  • Fingerprint Templates:
    Using this feature, only designated employees could gain access to cart contents. The cart would scan fingerprint of users and match with available templates to permit access. 
  
  
  
  • Groups and Users:
    Users can be created with assigned groups and groups can be created with roles. According to roles assigned to user, user has different security for a system.
  
  
  • Encounter Settings:
    Using this feature user can create procedure and related categories, support staff and encounter rooms. User can also set different configuration parameters for encounters.
  
  
  
  • Scan List:
    Allows adding, editing and deleting scan list (Groups of scanned items).
  
  
  
  • Reports:
    offshore team has re-developed all the reports with new architecture and optimized queries because old reports were lacking with performance even  thought it is created with LINQ.
  
  
• Testing
  ennovate's onsite Champion handled Unit Testing of Developed Modules before delivery to client.
   
• Sustenance
  ennovate handled all sustenance activities like Bug Detection and Bug Fixing. So far we enabled 4 successful releases and currently we are involved in adding further features to the product. ennovate fixed over 1500 bugs with new module development.
   
• The Hurdles
  
• The Technology being used in the project (N-tier Layered Architecture) was extremely complex and development was required to be complete in 1 month time. Our offshore team was up to the task and we began development in less than a month's time.
• In middle of project, there was realization that features proposed by our clients were flawed and not acceptable to their clients. We had 1 month to fix the new requirements which our team successfully completed for a timely release.
  

The Technology :
Asp.Net, C# 3.5, Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008, AJAX, Microsoft Web service Factory, Microsoft Guidance Package, SQL Server 2005

The Benefits :

• ennovate's onsite-offshore Service Model greatly reduced Project execution time and iterations in feature enhancements.
• The highly complex Software architecture employed in the project was implemented in record time by our offshore team, subsequently, delivering product in time for release, in spite of being new to the tools and language.
• In the wake of late revelations by the client about certain structural flaws in the specifications initially assigned, our offshore team ramped up operations in less than a month to deliver a new impeccable working model as acceptable in the market. This saved our client major losses and credibility.
• ennovate's embedded division co-partnered in introducing RFID operations in existing software, thus meeting end to end requirements cost effectively in less time frame since our teams could internally transfer relevant and confidential project information and be in sync in development.