Chapter 3 Analysis on Existing System

3.1. System Background

There are many restaurant POS systems available in current business. Each

system has its own strengths and weaknesses against each other. There are many

modules designed to support the restaurant management system, such as ordering

module, back office module, kitchen module, inventory module, table management

module, and several modules more to ease the management system.

There are several existing systems that are involved in this research as the

research object to fulfill the analysis such as Solis Resto, Quinos POS, and several

systems that are self-designed by the restaurant using simple interface control. The

analysis is conducted towards the ordering module and sales report module, as has

been stated in the scope of thesis in chapter 1, and the interface analysis is conducted

through its user friendliness and simplicity.

3.2. Current Existing System Analysis

The following analysis of existing system is based on the conclusion in

similarity between the systems that are observed during the survey. The modules that

are being overviewed would be focusing on the ordering modules and sales report

modules. Any other modules that are implemented would not be discussed in the

following

3.2.1. Existing System Comparison

Each existing system has its own strengths towards its interface and

supporting modules. Below are the table of comparison between Solis Resto,

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Quinos POS and self-design POS system based on several criteria regarding its

interface and pricing.

Solis Resto QuinosPOS Self-design POS

Supporting POS system POS system POS system

Modules o Check-In Graphical Floor plan Back Office
o Menu Order Discount and Voucher o Menu
o Billing Split Bill & Join Bill Management
o Payment Multiple Security Level o Reporting
o Delivery / Staff Attendance
Takeaway Change Table
Back Office Managers Daily
o Menu Management Report
o Table Management Cash Drawer
o Customer Management
o Waiter
Back Office
o Reporting
Inventory Control
o User Management
o Discount Scheme
Kitchen
Inventory Control
o Item Control
o Inventory Control
Report
Purchasing
o Purchasing Order
o Receiving
o Account Payable
o Purchasing Report
Interface Good graphical Good graphical Basic graphical
Design interface design interface design interface design
Smooth navigation Smooth navigation Time consuming
from one to another navigation control
User Users only need to Users only need to Users have to look
Friendliness click on the specific click on the specific for each feature
button to navigate the button to navigate the through up-down
whole system whole system selection, which is
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Easy to use on each
modules
Pricing > IDR 5 million on first
installment, with
additional price for
additional features
Easy to use on each not efficient for the
modules users while many
orders need to be
input at a short time
> IDR 5 million on first Vary prices depends on
installment on the POS the modules required.
system. Around IDR 2 4
million estimation price.

Table 3-1 Existing system comparison table

Each system provides several modules to support the management.

These modules could help to ease current management, yet it would cost quite

high during the implementation, which is hardly affordable by SME restaurant.

3.2.2. Existing Graphical User Interface Design

Each of the restaurant POS system providers has its own uniqueness on

its Graphical User Interface (GUI) towards users. Here are some examples of

the GUI design of existing system:

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Figure 3-1 GUI of Solis Resto

Figure 3-2 GUI of Quinos POS

Because most of restaurant POS system are touch screen

interface, the interface design is designed using button-based to support

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the usability of touch screen interface. This design is meant to provide

input efficiency, rather than using keyboard to type input while it

requires being fast during the peak hours for the restaurant to input

orders made by their customers.

3.2.3. Context Diagram

Figure 3-3 Context Diagram

System authorities specification:

Owner has the authority to access all database systems, which allows the owner

to acquire the sales report from its restaurant systems. Owner also could

modify the menu database by giving commands to the IT division.

IT Division has the authority to access menu database. Through this authority,

the IT division manages the data modification towards the menu on its name,

price, and description specified in the database. The menu information will be

transferred to process the sales report.

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Waiter is the one who interacts directly towards the customers. All orders made

by customers will be input to the system after all order confirmation is done.

When the order is served, they will put information on which order that has

been completed.

Kitchen will access the order database to acquire information towards menu

that is needed to be processed and served to the customers.

Cashier is the one who provides the billing receipt to the waiter after the

customers finish their meals. The receipt will be printed based on the order

made by the customers, which is differentiated through its table number.

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3.2.4. Data Flow Diagram Level 0

Figure 3-4 Data Flow Diagram Level 0

All data about the menu of the restaurant will be input to the system at

the first installment by IT division of the POS system provider. They will

manage all the information needed for the system from the owner. Later, the

menu database could be accessed by the IT division of restaurant to add or

modify the information stored in the database.

After the menu is being installed to the database, waiters of the

restaurant could use the POS system to manage the customer orders from the

menu information stored in the menu database. All of the order input by

waiters will be stored to the order database, which will be accessed by kitchen,

to retrieve order information to identify which item should be prepared.

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After all items that are listed in the order database have been served,

the waiter will check which order that has been completed, then the

information of completed order will be stored to sales report database, which

will produce bill receipt to cashier and sales report to the owner/manager of the

restaurant.

3.2.5. Data Flow Diagram Level 1 Data Manipulation

Figure 3-5 Data Flow Diagram Level 1 Data Manipulation

IT Division has the authority to conduct data manipulation of the

database. They could add, modify or delete entities listed in the database based

on the command of the owner whether there are any updates needed to be

stored to the system.

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3.2.6. Data Flow Diagram Level 1 Order System

Figure 3-6 Data Flow Diagram Level 1 Order System

From menu database that is controlled by IT division, waiter will

access the information stored in the database to select the menu that is ordered

by the customer during the process, and the system will store the selected

menu to the order database.

After selecting the ordered menu, the waiter could view the input to

conduct a crosscheck towards the order list that they obtain from the customer.

If there is any cancelation or wrong input, they could update the information to

order database, which later will be informed to the kitchen.

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3.2.7. Data Flow Diagram Level 1 Sales Report System

Figure 3-7 Data Flow Diagram Level 1 Sales Report System

The sales report will be generated from the completed order in order

database. The menu price information will be retrieved from the menu

database, and will be calculated, which will be documented as report data in

sales report database. From sales report database, cashier will obtain

information and print the information as bill receipt to the customer. This

database will also provide sales report information to the owner, which could

help the owner to take decision in their management.

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3.3. Problem Analysis

Require high cost of installment

The cost of installment for one POS system is very expensive. One of the

owner of SME restaurant business stated that it would cost around 5 million for

one POS system and it adds more expense if the company wishes to install

additional modules to the system, which is too expensive to be afforded by SME

restaurant.

Improper metric units calculation

According to Pak Luminto, the owner of Begana Restaurant in Bandung,

there is a problem in creating a fixed metric unit for the inventory system. There

has been implemented a simple self-designed POS system, but they cannot

integrate the inventory module that suit with the restaurant management. The

inventory buying system for chicken supplies in the restaurant is calculated using

kilograms metric unit, but in the practical selling, it is calculated using pieces

metric unit for one menu. Then, they prefer to use a manual check process

towards its inventory.

Fixed panel interface

POS system, such as Solis Resto and Quinos POS, has already

implemented a good interface design, but the other system that is self-designed

system has major problems with its interface design. In the system that is

currently used in Bgana Restaurant, some of the panel position is located in

uncomforting position from one to another. For example, during the order input

process, most of the time there are more than one person that choose the same

menu in one table, yet in the system, after the user input the menu, the panel
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position of multiple order is set on the left bottom corner, while the menu set is on

the top right corner. According to the waiter who controls the system, she

informed that the panel position in the system was quite uncomfortable at the first

time she used it.

3.4. Alternative Solution

From the existing system, through the comparison analysis made above, we

proposed alternative solution for the usage of POS system.

Using Solis Resto proposed system

Though the price of existing system requires high cost, it offers complete

support for restaurant management. Solis Resto provides many modules that ease

the tasks of the manager to compile the reports, and just through the system, all

reports will be printed to the manager automatically, which reduces time and

increases its efficiency on the management. It also provides convenient interface

for the users. For the primary needs of restaurant management system, by

installing the POS system provided would be a great deal with the cost stated by

their management.

3.5. Proposed Solution

Seeing through the opportunity from the above analysis, we also come up with

several proposed solution as following:

Provide cost effective solution

Through the cost effective matters, we decided to use an existing open

source ERP system, which provides free ERP system for the users. By taking the

advantage of open source, we could implement the POS system into the ERP
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system using a low cost solution. According to Pak Luminto, the primary modules

needed for SME businesses are ordering system and sales report system. Any

other additional modules would be a great help, yet it would cost too much.

Provide interface customization

Regarding the interface design issue, we are going to prepare an interface

module that enables the user to conduct self-customization on its interface. The

user would be able to move the panel position that suits most to the user. We also

will provide a default interface at the first installment, which later can be

customized by the users.