Development of Clinical Inventory Management Software

Executive Summary

Our customer is a leading developer of Specialty storage systems for healthcare with supply management at departmental level in hospitals. They have developed a new web based software which helps in simplifying the supply chain management by maintaining the stock levels, increase ROI, and standardizes the billing, purchasing and patient information. For a better advancement and greater control on a critical medication facilities these systems has multi dimensional advantages.

ennovate was engaged to develop certain key modules using Microsoft’s N-tier layered architecture for a RFID based inventory management software in a month’s time frame. ennovate successfully executed development, testing and sustenance using its amplified off-shoring model.

The Customer

• Our customer is a market leader in storage and inventory solutions for the healthcare industry. For more than 20 years, our customer has specialized in providing storage cabinets and casework, open shelving and storage racks, mobile supply and procedure carts, and clinical inventory management/RFID systems to medical facilities worldwide

The Challenge

• To understand RFID based software product and develop key modules that would redefine usage of current software and increasingly enhance security, networking, remote access and full automation of the inventory management software using N-tier architecture and Microsoft’s Guidance package (Microsoft Design & Patterns) in 2 months’ timeframe

The Solution

• In order to bridge the gap between learning the product and execution of the enhanced features, ennovate proposed an amplified off-shoring model where 1 engineer was onsite and 5 engineers were at offshore development center in Ahmedabad, India
  • Onsite engineer was responsible for learning exact requirements and passing on information to the offshore team. The onsite engineer also performed unit testing before the module delivery to the customer
  • Offshore team was involved in the development, testing and maintenance operations

  This amplified off-shoring model has enabled the rapid development progress, quality deliverables 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 allows users to view Current Release, Product demo, Company details and contacts, End User License Agreement, Statistics, System Info and Tutorials.

  • Mail

    This feature has enabled the 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. Support staff also 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

    Menus 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 embedded division developed an RFID system for our customer's software. Through this system, a microprocessor placed within the customer's cart products which has served as the clinical inventory, scanned the 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 can Lock/Unlock cart, send finger print templates, Upgrade firmware & View cart logs.

  • Web services

    Integrating RFID carts with the inventory management software through web services we have 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 the user, he/she has different security for the 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 has optimized queries because old reports were lacking with performance even though it is created with LINQ.

• Testing

  ennovate's onsite Champion handled the Unit Testing of Developed Modules before delivery to the customer.

• Sustenance

  ennovate handled all sustenance activities like Bug Detection and Bug Fixing. So far we have 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 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 amplified off-shoring model delivered the project on time despite the number of run time changes during the project execution
• ennovate’s software and embedded team worked together on RFID implementation of 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 with the development

Customer Testimonial

• "Excellent work! Having an on-site champion here to assist us while we learn to utilize the offshore resource has been a tremendous help...Good job!"