An Agile Methodology Approach to the Automation of the Production Tracking of Company ABC

An Agile Methodology Approach to the Automation of the Production Tracking of Company ABC ABSTRACT The Company is a local food distributor that faces several challenges in tracking its production process.This is due to collection of manual production forms, inaccurate handwritten notes and the use of different technology platforms by different departments. To address these identified issues, the researchers created a bespoke production tracking system that streamlines the data gathering and communication between departments and unifies the various silos of data in the various departments.To develop the system, the researchers used an agile methodology, which allowed for flexibility and adaptation to the changing needs of the client. Overall, the proposed system was able to create an easy to use system that in their own evaluation would hasten and clean up their documentation of production processes as well as centralize the information. Keywords Agile, production tracking, automation, production tracking system, remote 1 INTRODUCTION The company mainly focuses on processing and packing raw materials which mainly are sourced from their own farm where they practice natural and organic agriculture, and from their partner farms in Panay and Negros Islands. They continue to develop new products aimed at health-conscious Filipinos, their products range from their best-seller Tumeric Tea to even Lemongrass Tea ranging in amounts. As stated by their CEO in an interview the researchers had with her. Based on the researcher’s initial study of the production process, we have identified three kinds of employees: [1] production personnel, [2] production head, and [3] quality assurance officer. Each of them is responsible for specific parts their production process. Nevertheless, their responsibilities are connected to one another in terms of the data they input. These employees track the production process with the use of Excel spreadsheets. In other words, these employees manually track their data which causes human error and inefficiency. There is a risk of human error as employees could input wrong data and potentially risk the whole production process as it was said earlier that all data is connected to one another. To reduce consistency issues, employees had to manually validate the production data leading to significant time overhead. After identifying the issues that the company is facing, the researchers aim to (1) minimize wrong inputs of data that are being made by the employees in their respective parts of the production process, (2) automate the mapping of data so that employees to accurately track the different materials that are currently in the company’s storage, (3) and lastly, speed up the work and approval process in terms of production and inventory tracking that the employees needed to accomplish. To make sure that the development of the system aligns with the needs and wants of the clients, the researchers make use of feedback forms as well as scheduling weekly meetings. Throughout the whole development process, the researchers have been given positive ratings by the head of the quality assurance department. 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In a traditional production tracking system, there are 8 stages: (1) resource management, (2) share production updates, (3) coordinate team coordination, (4) Job costing, (5) and KPI data collection. While these are what makes a production tracking system, it does not properly align with the issue of the company as it doesn't match the production process. Despite this, proper communication between data and proper input could give a much more accurate reading of each part of the production process. In other words, a customized production tracking system that matches the production flow of the company lessens confusion when it comes to reading and matching the different data of the different parts of the production process [1]. According to the American Society for Quality (ASQ), "Reliability is defined as the probability that a product, system, or service will perform its intended function adequately for a specified period of time, or will operate in a defined environment without failure" (ASQ, n.d.). According to Techopedia, "Performance refers to the capability of a system, product, or service to meet the requirements of the user or the expected level of quality within a specified period of time, in terms of speed, accuracy, reliability, and efficiency" [1]. Usability pertains to how the system matches the tasks and responsibilities of the users. The user must also be able to recognize these tasks when it comes to using the system [1]. Security is the protection and authorization of the different users in terms of their given responsibilities and tasks. Data privacy will continuously be maintained in the system at all times. 3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of the research are the following: - To reduce manual tracking of their raw materials, the number of finished goods was made, and the number of finished goods was shipped out. To reduce human error when regards to inputting information - To simplify data viewing of the total and input history the different raw materials and finished goods 4 METHODOLOGY This part of the paper discusses in detail the different steps the researchers took to properly develop the production tracking system. 4.1 Research Design The researchers found it best to use an agile methodology-based approach to develop the production tracking system. This is because considering the limited time given, the researchers want to be adaptable to the needs and wants of their clients. The researchers then would often schedule weekly meetings with their client to update and clarify the features that were being developed especially since each user role (production personnel, production head, quality assurance officer, Administrator) has their own specified set of responsibilities and tasks. The development cycle is divided into sprints. Each sprint would last 2 months due to the fact that the researchers were given a limited time period. 4.2 Research Participants The researchers worked together with the head of the Quality Assurance department of the company. 4.3 Data Gathering Due to the precautions during the pandemic and the distant location of the company, the researchers were not able to visit their clients. As an effect of these circumstances, the researchers and their clients communicated through online platforms such as Gmail and Google Meet. Through this, the researchers gather necessary information and update the clients on their work and development through weekly refinement sessions to further develop and enhance the scope of the project. For the researchers to keep track of their tasks and responsibilities, they hold weekly scrum meetings. Scrum meetings are usually dependent on the availability of each researcher and last for 1-2 hours. The purpose of these meetings is to have the researchers continuously update one another in the development process, organize tasks in terms of whether more time is needed for its completion, and ask questions or help if needed. These Scrum meetings were not strictly limited to once per week but this was as such the minimum amount of meetings we would need to hold every week. 4.4 Treatment of Data The company’s production process can be divided into 5 stages - (1) receiving of raw materials, (2) cooking of raw materials, (3) drying of raw materials, (4) packaging of goods, (5) and storage of finished products. Each of these stages has its own respective forms which are then handled by specific user roles. The forms of the production process were the primary data gathered by the researchers. With a proper understanding of how the production flow works and what data is being input into the forms, the researchers were able to analyze how each input of a form creates an effect on the form the comes after. The researchers did sample data inputs with the client to further analyze what the client expects after completion of every form. As an effect of this, the researchers were also able to identify the non-functional and functional requirements needed to build the system. After each sprint, the researchers are to present their updates on their development to the client of the company. The reason for this is to seek validation from the client and ensure that the created features follow the demands of the client. During the meeting, the researchers ask for feedback from the client to assess the state of the system. 4.5 Validation A prototype system was developed by the researchers to address the company's main issue when it comes to the production process which is the manual inputting of data in Excel sheets. At the end of the development process, the client was given by the researchers a feedback form which mainly asks under the following criteria: (1) security, (2) reliability, (3) performance, (4) usability, (5) supportability, (5) and availability. 5 FINDINGS After having several interviews with the client, the researchers learned that the company was facing several challenges in their production and inventory management processes. The first challenge was the inconsistency of data due to the manual collection of information at the production level, which led to errors in the number of ingredients used and produced. The second challenge was that tracking of the production process was done through a single computer, causing delays as workers had to manually note down their mixtures and input them later when the computer was available. The third challenge was that different departments used different systems, with inventory using Google Sheets and production using standalone Excel, resulting in difficulties in data management. The client has stated from interviews that around 65% of the work being done in these forms is to check the past forms of the production process to make sure that the new inputs being put in other forms match the total number of products and resources that the company currently has in that moment. 15% of the work being done is recounting the products and resources the company currently has at the end of each day to always double check. The rest of the work is on completing the forms and getting the approvals from the higher ups ( the production head and the quality assurance officer). To address these issues, the researchers developed software features specifically designed to tackle them. These features include role approval for specific processes such as inventory management and production process monitoring, as well as recipe management. The software covers a wide range of functions, including boundary validation for all recipes based on inventory levels, which includes not just ingredients for juice and spice mixes, but also packaging materials. Refer to Table 1 for the list of issues and the software features to address these. As mentioned previously, each stage of the production process is handled by a specific employee. The first stage of the production process, raw materials, is split into 2 sub-stages - (1) the receiving of raw materials (2) and the extraction of raw materials. The next stage, which is the cooking of raw materials is handled by the production personnel and these forms are approved by the production head. In the drying stage, production personnel is responsible for inputting the form, and these forms are approved by the production head. The packaging stage is handled by the production personnel. As for the stage of storage of finished goods, the forms are being completed by the production personnel and are approved by the quality assurance officer. Table 1 - Problems with Corresponding Software Features Problems Software Features Awaiting Aproval The system empowers Production Heads and Quality Assurance Officers to review and authorize pending data inputs before they are recorded in the system. Once authorized, the data is inputted into the system for further processing. This eliminates the possibility of inaccurate or unverified data being added to the system, ensuring that the information available for analysis and decision-making is reliable and of high quality. The feature enables a streamlined workflow, reducing the need for manual data entry and increasing the efficiency of the process. Typographical errors -Data entries inputted are able to be edited. -Data entries that have not been approved are deleted -Entries can be filtered and searched -Excel Files can be uploaded and downloaded incase of database transfers. -Clearer user friendly UI Calculations -The software is build with automation in mind, letting the system calculate inventory and packaging. 6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The development was completed in 3 sprints. The researchers would show our total progress with each sprint and show the product to them to get suggestions and feedback from the client. We would be showing progress of the system and then adjust accordingly based on the clients needs. Refer to Table 2 for the list of sprints and company suggestions Table 2 - Company evaluations and suggestions per sprint Sprint Number Company Suggestions Sprint 1 ●Verify the process of the company so that we may integrate it. ●Colors suggested for the UI ●Verify which roles can do what so that features will be locked on to certain users ●Data collection of process flow chart ●Form collection and virtualization Sprint 2 ●CSS improvements ●Calculations verified by the company ●Enforce more stricter permissions for each user ●Download and upload feature in case emergencies. ●UI changes for computers with different resolutions ●Step by step flowchart Sprint 3 ●UI and typo fixes ●Paper refinement ●Documentation ●Bug fixing ●User experience refinement Feedback from the client was discussed through a live demo and discussion with the Quality Assurance head and the CEO of the company. We asked them to give constructive feedback on the system and if it would fulfill their current process needs. This was done through a thorough demonstration of the system through every single department and through the start to finish of the process from receiving of inventory to releasing of the inventory everything is up to their expectations but the main comment they made was to make it look less overwhelming in terms of look and feel. After analyzing the feedback of the clients, the researchers understood that one of their concerns should be how there should be checkers in some forms. Most of the data that were given by the client are interconnected to one another in a way that if data of one of their products were low in quantity, other forms have to follow through it in order to continue to give out accurate results. After evaluating their requests the researchers along with the approval of the stakeholders gave the system the all clear signal, signaling that the system is up to spec to their needs and that it would significantly help with their processes. 7 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Through an Agile methodology, the researchers were able to observe and determine key weak points in their production process, this includes their inventory requirements and process which consisted of excel sheets that kept track of inventory as orders were made. As a consequence of using an agile methodology, the researchers were able to work in an extremely fast-paced working environment to fulfill the clients requirements. The researchers determined that the Agile methodology is the best methodology to use in this situation, it was the best method because it allowed the researchers to be adaptable to the ever changing demands of the client throughout the whole development phase. As mentioned previously, the agile method used by the researchers has also made them flexible with how they used the limited time provided to finalize what was needed to meet the client's needs.While this was not experienced here per say but it became apparent that for specific processes and short timelines and even smaller teams. The researchers were able to reduce manual tracking of their products as the system made by the researchers provided functions that will help automate the calculations on their products and use these data as a checker to provide accurate results for each stage of the production process. The system also provides a simpler viewing of the data as it summarizes each of the forms and displays the total number of the company’s raw materials, finished products, packaging materials, and products that were shipped out. The researchers fully believe that the solution presented through the system is able to solve all the problems and issues that they are currently facing in their day to day production processes. These include, but are not limited to; Inconsistency of data due to information being manually collected at different levels of production, tracking of the production process in terms of quality control and centralization of data. The system is able to tackle these challenges and issues in what we believe is to be the best possible way with the resources they had. This solution would help scale and help keep track of the quality that they hope to preserve. References Small businesses online accounting software: QuickBooks Europe. QuickBooks®: Official Site. (n.d.). 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