Reverse Engineering: Legacy Inventory Management System

Date: [Insert Date]
Analyst: [Your Name]
Team Members:

1. Software Engineer
2. Database Administrator
3. Business Analyst
   Objective: To analyze and document the existing system’s functionality, data flow, and architecture in order to develop a plan for modernizing or replacing it.

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Background

The Legacy Inventory Management System has been in use for over a decade and is critical to managing the company’s inventory across multiple warehouses. The system is outdated, and documentation is either incomplete or missing. Understanding the system’s current functionality and structure is necessary for planning a replacement or upgrade.

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Method

1. Source Code Analysis: Analyze the system’s source code to understand how it operates and what business logic is implemented.
2. Database Analysis: Review the database schema to map out data relationships and identify any dependencies.
3. User Interface Review: Interact with the system to document workflows and user interactions.
4. Interviews with Key Users: Interview employees who frequently use the system to gather insights into critical features and pain points.

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Process

1. Source Code Analysis

• Tools Used: IDE (Integrated Development Environment), code analysis tools
• Steps:
  • Examine the main modules and classes to understand the structure of the application.
  • Identify key functions, such as inventory check-in, stock adjustment, and reporting.
  • Document any hard-coded business rules or logic.
• Findings:
  • The code is written in an outdated language (e.g., COBOL or VB6), making it difficult to maintain.
  • Several functions are intertwined, leading to a high degree of code complexity.
  • There are minimal comments or documentation within the code.

2. Database Analysis

• Tools Used: Database management software (e.g., SQL Server Management Studio)
• Steps:
  • Analyze the database schema to understand table structures and relationships.
  • Identify key tables, such as “Products,” “Warehouses,” “Transactions,” and “Users.”
  • Review stored procedures and triggers that handle data operations.
• Findings:
  • The database contains multiple redundant tables, indicating data duplication.
  • Foreign key relationships are not consistently enforced, leading to potential data integrity issues.
  • Some tables have outdated or deprecated fields that are no longer in use.

3. User Interface Review

• Steps:
  • Log in to the system and perform common tasks, such as adding a new product, adjusting inventory levels, and generating reports.
  • Take screenshots and document each step of the workflows.
• Findings:
  • The user interface is not intuitive and requires extensive training for new employees.
  • Several steps in workflows are unnecessarily repetitive, increasing the chance of user error.
  • Reporting functionality is limited and does not provide customizable reports.

4. Interviews with Key Users

• Participants: Warehouse managers, inventory clerks, and IT support staff
• Questions Asked:
  • “What features do you rely on the most in the current system?”
  • “What challenges do you face when using the system?”
  • “Are there any workarounds you use to accomplish tasks more efficiently?”
• Insights:
  • Users rely heavily on the system for tracking incoming and outgoing inventory but have to use spreadsheets as a workaround for complex reporting.
  • The lack of integration with other systems (e.g., the accounting software) is a major pain point.
  • Users would like more automated alerts for low stock levels and better support for managing multiple warehouses.

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Documentation of Findings

System Architecture

• Overview: The system consists of a monolithic architecture with tightly coupled components.
• Modules: Inventory Management, Reporting, User Management, and System Administration.
• Dependencies: The system depends on a legacy database and has minimal integration with other software.

Data Flow Diagram

• Incoming Inventory: Data flows from the warehouse check-in to the inventory database.
• Outgoing Inventory: Sales and shipments reduce stock levels, and data is recorded in the transactions table.
• Reports: Data is pulled from multiple tables to generate inventory and transaction reports.

Business Logic

• Reorder Levels: Manually configured for each product; no automatic adjustments.
• Stock Adjustments: Requires supervisor approval, but there is no automated notification process.
• Audit Trail: Limited auditing, with only basic logs of user activity.

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Pain Points and Opportunities for Improvement

1. Code Complexity: The tightly coupled code makes it difficult to add new features. A modular approach would improve maintainability.
2. Data Integrity Issues: Redundant tables and lack of enforced relationships lead to data quality problems. Normalizing the database would help.
3. User Experience: The cumbersome interface can be streamlined to improve productivity.
4. Limited Reporting: Upgrading to a more flexible reporting system would address user needs for data analysis.

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Recommendations

1. System Redesign: Develop a new system using a microservices architecture for easier maintenance and scalability.
2. Database Optimization: Normalize the database and establish proper foreign key relationships to improve data integrity.
3. UI/UX Improvements: Design a more intuitive and user-friendly interface with automated workflows and customizable dashboards.
4. Enhanced Reporting: Implement a modern reporting tool that allows users to customize and export reports.

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Next Steps

1. Share findings with stakeholders and gather additional feedback.
2. Develop a project plan for transitioning from the legacy system to a modern platform.
3. Create prototypes for the new system based on the documented requirements.