1. Purpose of Document

Anita's Organic Mill is a medium-sized company and has been in the Food and Beverage industry for more than two decades. They offer wheat-based products and have been serving them in different locations in the Greater Toronto Area.

The purpose of this Business Requirement Document is to assess and provide solutions for the company's present needs to move forward smoothly in the near future. Essentially, this document also serves as a guideline and aids stakeholders to make decisions for the company's growth. This also determines if the project reached the standards agreed upon by the stakeholders to indicate that the project is accomplished.

Currently, the present revenue of the company has been becoming volatile due to the spread of global pandemic. For this reason, the company is thinking of a system to create an opportunity to still be in the industry and at the same time to provide solutions regarding the current situation. The company is planning to develop an online shopping system which can greatly help consumers to purchase products without going to the flagship stores physically.

Furthermore, the company believes that developing an online solution can have a great impact in the near future in terms of product accessibility and greater shopping experience. This can help consumers from distant locations to place their orders within the comfort of their own homes and they don't have to worry about going out. The system can also be an edge for the company against its competitor innovation-wise.

2. Problem Statement and Project Background

Anita's Organic Mill operates in the Food & Beverage and Manufacturing Industries with multiple, physical only, locations where customers can go and purchase by themselves any product they may want. Customers to reach the store have to commute, by car usually can take around 15 to 25 minutes, but in public transport, a person may have to travel for more than 40 minutes. Once customers arrive at the place, the current purchase procedure of the company consists of customer entry to the store complying with the health measures (mask cover and vaccination) and validating that the store can allow him/her to get inside following the maximum permitted capacity, otherwise need to wait outside until current customers inside leave the store (this can take around 10 to 15 minutes). Once inside, locate the product in the aisles and shelves, on the shelves the product is ordered by the type of flour, use, and size (500g, 2kg, 5kg, 10kg), as well as the price marked with printed labels. Then, continuing with a selection of the product and loading the shopping cart, go to the queue line at the point of sale or checkout at the only payment box enabled. For small purchases it can take around 10 to 15 minutes the product identification and payment process, for large purchases, can take 20 to 40 minutes, the process ends with the customer picking up the products and leaving the store. The company is not responsible for how the customer will take the products to their business or home. The current situation in the purchase system determines that a customer for a small purchase with a car will spend at least 70 minutes (round trip) to complete a purchase. If the customer does not have a car, this goes up to 2 hours (round trip). For big purchases with own transportation it will take at least 90 minutes (round trip). If a restriction to non-essential business is imposed by the government or weather conditions force to close the business, customers will have to wait until the company opens again. The estimated times do not consider the time it takes for the customer to choose the product inside the store and how heavy is the final purchase that the customer has to carry up to their home or business. and if the product is out of stock and the time it takes to replace it in the store.

Therefore, the company needs to evaluate strategies with possible solutions to address the current situation of the system that the company has for the purchase process, and reduce the risk associated with time constraints or eventual closure of the stores which at the end of the day implies reduced sales for the business and customers' dissatisfaction.

3. Stakeholders

In any firm, the stakeholders are the investors. They are a vital foundation that allows the business to reach greater success. When a firm is harmed for any reason, the stakeholders are also harmed because their money is invested in the company. Anita's Organic Mill's financial loss is currently harming investors as well, because their money is on the line. If the economic loss is not recovered or if the situation worsens, the investors would lose their entire investment. When running a firm, it is critical to keep in mind the money that has been invested by the stakeholders, as any misdeed or failure will have an equal impact on everyone involved.

Manufacturers, suppliers, and the government are among the stakeholders who will benefit from Anita's current position. This is because the manufacturers and suppliers' jobs are organised to assist in the creation and delivery of finished items or products to the owners, and they are also paid a commission for doing so, thus they are unaffected by the company simply having a physical store. Furthermore, the government is unaffected because it is a body that concentrates primarily on the company's compliance with the rules and regulations it imposes, as well as ensuring that the corporation pays all of its taxes on time and without dispute.

On the other hand, the collection of stakeholders who would be badly impacted by the current status includes customers, owners, and managers or employees. This is because the proprietors typically lose money, or make a small profit on the things they sell. For example, in the event of a pandemic, customers would not want to jeopardise their health simply to acquire a product from the business, which would cause them to lose interest and devise a backup plan, or rather, find a substitute at another company via an internet platform. Managers and employees also stand to lose a lot since, first and foremost, if no work is done at the company on a daily basis, they are not paid and may lose their source of income. Likewise, if a company like Anita's decides to continue operating during a pandemic, some employees or managers from various departments may come into contact with people who have been compromised within or outside the company.

4. Risk, Constraints and Assumptions

Loss of customers is a genuine risk in the current operation sequence. Having only physical stores, the company is left exposed to poaching of even their most loyal customers, by competitors with more online visibility. The company may also lose customers to CoVid'19, as customers fear for their safety and possible exposure to the virus, thereby reducing the time spent in public spaces.

In terms of constraints, CoVid'19 imposes a huge one. Local regulation and public health mandates, in a bid to protect customers and staff from the virus have come up with safety policies. These include maintaining physical distances at restaurants, hangout spots and other public buildings, wearing of face masks by customers and staff, hand washing etc. There is also a constraint on the number of customers that may be allowed within the business premises at a time, which greatly limits operation at full capacity.

The assumption in the current business operation is that customers prefer the human/physical element when purchasing the product. The current model also assumes that the product quality on offer at the company is superior to competitors'; and that this and good service delivery is enough to keep them loyal.

5. Current Scope of Work

This is currently the scope of the work being performed at Anita's Organic. Harvested grains are first shipped to the mill in Chilliwack, BC from organic farms across Canada. The unloading process takes around 90 minutes where the grains are dropped from the truck into an auger that transports it to the grain silos. For grains brought in from smaller farms, or in smaller volumes, the grains come in totes and are held inside the facility until it is time to mill. The mill operator selects the type grain to be milled and moves the grain to the mill room. Once transformed into flour it travels through a sieve, and into a hopper. From there, it is transferred to a tote and moved to the warehouse to prep for packaging and shipping. After packaging the finished product is transported a short distance to the flagship store and to the various distributors where it is stocked on shelves.

After packaging the finished product is transported a short distance to the flagship store and to the various distributors where it is recorded and the barcode scanned into the inventory management system to keep track of supply in the store. The items are scanned by employees again to get the correct price for the item and placed on the corresponding shelves in the store. Inventory tracking is automated and when a product in the store decreases to the specified reorder point, an order is sent to the warehouse to restock that item.

It is at this point the customer enters the store to select the products they are buying. After they have come to a decision on their purchase, they go to the cashier and pay by card or cash and leave the store. When a customer purchases an item, the system has recorded it and decreases the number in the inventory accordingly. At the end of the day, the staff does a check and repackages the shelves for the next work day.

6. Functional Decomposition Chart Gabriela

7. Context Diagram (DFD Level 0)

The below context diagram represents the external entities that interact with the current system, these entities being the customers, bank, management, employees and warehouse.

8. Use Case Diagram