PRACTICAL EXAM | SWE202c-Introduction to Software Engineering | Supermarket Management System
PRACTICAL EXAM
Subject Code
Subject Name
Introduction to Software Engineering
2
Page No
Topic
Supermarket Management System (SMS)
Time
120 minutes
Tools
MS Word, Draw.io, MS Visio, Astah, Visual Paradigm, StarUML
Note
SWE202c
Open book. Students are NOT allowed to use the Internet.
I CASE STUDY
FreshMart is a mid-sized supermarket chain operating five branches across the city. The company employs approximately 320 staff, including cashiers, inventory clerks, department managers, and a corporate administration team. At present, all branches handle daily operations - product stocking, sales transactions, employee scheduling, and supplier orders through a combination of standalone POS terminals, paper-based inventory sheets, and manual phone communications with suppliers. This fragmented approach leads to frequent stock discrepancies, delayed supplier deliveries, inaccurate payroll calculations, and an inability to analyse cross-branch performance in real time.
To address these challenges, FreshMart's executive team has commissioned the development of a centralized, web-based Supermarket Management System (SMS). The SMS must unify and automate four core operational domains across all branches.
Sales and Point-of-Sale (POS): Cashiers must be able to scan product barcodes, apply promotional discounts and loyalty-card points, accept multiple payment methods (cash, card, e-wallet), issue printed and digital receipts, and process returns or exchanges. The system must integrate with the existing barcode scanners and card-payment terminals already deployed at checkout counters.
Inventory Management: Inventory clerks must be able to monitor real-time stock levels at
both the shelf and warehouse level, receive automated low-stock alerts when a product falls below a configurable reorder threshold, record inbound deliveries against purchase orders, and write off damaged or expired items. Automatic purchase-order suggestions must be generated when stock reaches the reorder point.
Supplier and Procurement: Procurement officers must be able to maintain a supplier
catalogue (contact details, lead times, pricing tiers), raise and track purchase orders through their lifecycle (Draft Submitted Confirmed Delivered Closed), record goods-received notes, and process supplier invoices for payment approval. The system must send order confirmations to suppliers by email automatically upon approval.
HR and Payroll: HR managers must be able to maintain employee profiles, define weekly shift schedules, record daily attendance via clock-in / clock-out, calculate gross and net pay (including overtime, deductions, and tax), and generate monthly payslips. Payroll calculations
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PRACTICAL EXAM | SWE202c-Introduction to Software Engineering |
Supermarket Management System
must comply with the country's current labour law regarding overtime rates and mandatory
deductions.
From a technical perspective, FreshMart imposes the following constraints and quality requirements. The system must support at least 80 concurrent users during peak shopping hours (10:00-12:00 and 16:00-19:00) with a response time under 2 seconds for all POS transactions. Because the system stores employee personal data and financial records, all communication must be encrypted using TLS 1.3, and access must be governed by a role-based access control (RBAC) model. Data must be backed up automatically every four hours, and the system must achieve 99.8% uptime during branch operating hours (06:00-22:00 daily). The user interface must be accessible on both touchscreen POS terminals and desktop workstations, with a minimal training requirement of no more than two hours for cashier-level staff. The architecture must support adding new branches with no changes to the core codebase.
II QUESTIONS
Answer ALL questions. Base your answers on the Supermarket Management System case study above. Where diagrams are required, use standard UML notation and label all elements clearly.
Question 1: Software Development Model (2.0 points)
1. Identify and justify the most appropriate software development model (SDLC) for the SMS project. In your justification, address each of the following points: (1.0 point)
Whether requirements are not fully known and not stable at the outset
The need for iterative delivery and regular stakeholder feedback
Risk factors specific to the SMS (e.g., POS integration, data security, multi-branch deployment)
Team size, project duration, and FreshMart's change-management capacity
2. Select ONE alternative SDLC model and compare it with your chosen model in the context of the SMS. Your comparison must include at least two advantages and two disadvantages for each model. (1.0 point)
Question 2: UC Modeling (1.5 points)
1. Identify FOUR actors in the Supermarket Management System. For each actor, state their primary goal and whether they are a primary or secondary actor. (0.3 points)
2. List at least SIX use cases for the SMS. For each use case, state the initiating actor(s) and a
one-sentence description of the goal. (0.4 points)
3. Draw a complete UML Use Case Diagram for the SMS. The diagram must include: (0.8 points)
All identified actors, placed correctly inside or outside the system boundary
All major use cases inside the system boundary rectangle
At least ONE <<include>> relationship - provide a brief written rationale
At least ONE <<extend>> relationship provide a brief written rationale
Any actor-generalisation relationships that apply
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