Preferred learners
- Anywhere
- Academic experience
Categories
Project scope
- What is the main goal for this project?
-
The main objectives of this project is to develop a streamlined inventory management system for Gina's Gelato, to not only keep track internally for stock levels, but also to help enable us to start selling online by populating availability (in stock or sold out) of flavours for customer pre-orders and pick up. We would like it to be a simple system for our gelato servers to be able to use; perhaps a handheld scanner and barcode system, but open to other equally easy-to-use systems.
This goal of this system is two-fold:
- It will enable us to track gelato inventory in real time, ensuring accurate stock levels and reducing manual tracking errors as our gelato staff pull pans of gelato from the deep freezer to be served to customers. This will help us see popularity of flavours over the course of the year and be able to better refine our operations in the kitchen.
- Additionally, the project aims to integrate the inventory system with our future online store, allowing customers to view real-time gelato availability and pre-order their favourite flavours online.
Currently, we are keeping a handwritten tally board for each flavour directly on the deep freezer, but this often leads to mistakes, miscounts, or not counting at all if a server can't find a pen to change the tally for a flavour they pull from the freezer. This system also doesn't get tracked over time, since it is handwritten and very elementary.
We're going into our third year of business and would love to offer an opportunity for a student to help us develop systems for our growing gelato & dessert shop.
Thank you for your consideration of this project — please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any further questions.
- What tasks will learners need to complete to achieve the project goal?
-
- Designing the Inventory Management System: Students will design a user-friendly inventory management system for Gina's Gelato, focusing on simplicity and ease of use for gelato servers. This may include researching and selecting a suitable handheld scanner and barcode system, or exploring alternative solutions that are equally easy to use.
- Developing the Barcode System: Students will develop a system to scan and/or update inventory counts in real time, such as developing a barcode system with an inventory database.
- Creating the Inventory Database: Students will develop a database to store and update inventory counts for each gelato flavor. The database should be accessible to Gina (owner) to be able to update incoming inventory as she makes new pans of gelato, and allow servers to easily reduce pan counts through a simple system (such as a barcode scanner) to reduce counts as pans leave the deep freezer.
- Database should connect directly with an online store to update totals in real time so customers can see which flavours are available and which are not.
- Database should record and store data over time to show totals sold of different flavours, and at what time of year these sales were made (e.g. how many pans of chocolate gelato were sold during x period), helping us see what flavours are most popular during specific times of the year.
- Scalability Consideration: The inventory management system should be designed to accommodate the future growth of Gina's Gelato. As the business expands, the system should be able to handle a larger volume of inventory data.
- What is the main goal for this project?
-
The main objectives of this project is to develop a streamlined inventory management system for Gina's Gelato, to not only keep track internally for stock levels, but also to help enable us to start selling online by populating availability (in stock or sold out) of flavours for customer pre-orders and pick up. We would like it to be a simple system for our gelato servers to be able to use; perhaps a handheld scanner and barcode system, but open to other equally easy-to-use systems.
This goal of this system is two-fold:
- It will enable us to track gelato inventory in real time, ensuring accurate stock levels and reducing manual tracking errors as our gelato staff pull pans of gelato from the deep freezer to be served to customers. This will help us see popularity of flavours over the course of the year and be able to better refine our operations in the kitchen.
- Additionally, the project aims to integrate the inventory system with our future online store, allowing customers to view real-time gelato availability and pre-order their favourite flavours online.
Currently, we are keeping a handwritten tally board for each flavour directly on the deep freezer, but this often leads to mistakes, miscounts, or not counting at all if a server can't find a pen to change the tally for a flavour they pull from the freezer. This system also doesn't get tracked over time, since it is handwritten and very elementary.
We're going into our third year of business and would love to offer an opportunity for a student to help us develop systems for our growing gelato & dessert shop.
Thank you for your consideration of this project — please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any further questions.
- What tasks will learners need to complete to achieve the project goal?
-
- Designing the Inventory Management System: Students will design a user-friendly inventory management system for Gina's Gelato, focusing on simplicity and ease of use for gelato servers. This may include researching and selecting a suitable handheld scanner and barcode system, or exploring alternative solutions that are equally easy to use.
- Developing the Barcode System: Students will develop a system to scan and/or update inventory counts in real time, such as developing a barcode system with an inventory database.
- Creating the Inventory Database: Students will develop a database to store and update inventory counts for each gelato flavor. The database should be accessible to Gina (owner) to be able to update incoming inventory as she makes new pans of gelato, and allow servers to easily reduce pan counts through a simple system (such as a barcode scanner) to reduce counts as pans leave the deep freezer.
- Database should connect directly with an online store to update totals in real time so customers can see which flavours are available and which are not.
- Database should record and store data over time to show totals sold of different flavours, and at what time of year these sales were made (e.g. how many pans of chocolate gelato were sold during x period), helping us see what flavours are most popular during specific times of the year.
- Scalability Consideration: The inventory management system should be designed to accommodate the future growth of Gina's Gelato. As the business expands, the system should be able to handle a larger volume of inventory data.
- How will you support learners in completing the project?
-
We will provide full support to learners throughout the project. As we're a new company, we don't yet have a budget for hourly or project pay, but we will do all we can to provide the software and systems needed to complete the project with the student. This includes dedicated time for feedback and assistance, access to all necessary tools and technology required for the project (such as handheld scanners, barcode systems, and database management software, as needed), as well as access to relevant data related to gelato inventory and sales. Additionally, learners will have the opportunity to communicate directly with Gina, gaining insights on real-world in business needs and operations.
- What skills or technologies will help learners to complete the project?
-
- Working understanding of inventory management principles
- Working understanding of database management systems
- Strong communication skill (to communicate with us)
- Attention to detail and accuracy
- Familiarity with programming concepts, if necessary (e.g., for database integration)
- Ability to troubleshoot and problem-solve
- Interest in operations management and process improvement
- Willingness to learn about the needs of our business and adapt the project to fit
Supported causes
About the company
- https://ginasgelato.com
- 2 - 10 employees
- Consumer goods & services, Food & beverage, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Retail
Gina's Gelato, located in the mountain ski town of Nelson, BC, is a small, young gelateria where every flavour is crafted from absolute scratch by Gina using traditional, locally-sourced, simple, all-natural ingredients. The gelateria places a high priority on supporting the community, especially the student community, hiring students and providing enriching work experiences.
Gina's Gelato is like stepping back into the slow-food era of the early 20th century. Gina takes pride in making everything on site herself, from grinding nuts to making cones by hand. She uses milk from BC cows, grinds nuts, cracks local eggs, and sources individual, natural ingredients as locally as possible. There are no pre-made bases or pastes used here.
The gelateria aims to provide customers with a rare experience of desserts that are entirely all-natural and made from-scratch by hand.