MONOPRIX Magasins
Software porting in the retail sector
The project consisted in the iso-functional porting of two internal store management software programs, previously used by the customer on old barcode reading terminals.
Total project duration : 12 months
The total cost of the project was 350 man-days.
Details of the project :
Mission statement
Rewrite the two above-mentioned software programs, with identical functionalities, for a new type of terminal: Symbol MC3090 (Windows CE v5.0).
Organization
For the realization of the project, 3 persons have been allocated :
- 1 project manager, technical and functional manager
- 2 development engineers
This contract was executed entirely with Tana Corp resources dedicated to the project.
Main characteristics of the client
The Monoprix group operates 4 banners for more than 300 stores in France. It employs 20,000 people and has a turnover of more than 3.5 billion euros. The food sector also represents 64% of the group’s turnover.
Conduct of the project
Solution features
Business processes covered by the solution
- Inventory
- Stock
- Order picking
- Reception
- Price audit
- Competitive price lists
- Label printing
What were the most difficult features to implement ?
The synchronization part with the central mainframe system used a 30-year-old protocol (MSI2WAY), which did not exist in the target technology.
Solution: Implementation of the protocol from scratch.
technical platform elements
Software package, software or development languages used
After analysis of all the constraints, Tana Corp proposed the realization of a custom application, based entirely on a Microsoft solution :
- Microsoft .Net Compact Framework, C# language
Reasons for the choice
- Microsoft .Net Compact Framework with C#: In order to improve productivity, the interface had to offer improved ergonomics. The choice of this technology, as well as the embedded hardware, was made in close collaboration with the customer.
Share of pre-existing developments used on which the Supplier capitalized to complete the project
- Application trace tool (logs) already implemented on other mobile applications
Challenges and key success factors
- Embedded: application running on a mobile terminal limited in performance and capacity,
- Ergonomics: daily use of the application in a production context,
- Synchronization: update of the central mainframe on user request (product repositories and order taking).
Business result
Today the application is operated in production and has allowed to:
- considerably reduce the training time of a new employee thanks to its user-friendly interface,
- replace old mobile terminals that were no longer supported by the manufacturer with a new range.
