Case Studies
Storeroom Solutions, Inc.
Chariot Solutions: Bringing Balance to Storeroom Solutions Through J2EE Expert Knowledge
Background
By providing managed operations of in-plant storerooms, Storeroom Solutions, Inc. (SSI) has perfected the process of just-in-time inventory management. SSI leverages its reseller buying power to handle purchasing, receiving, and issuing of all maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supplies for its large industrial plant customers.
Storeroom-On-Site™ is the central application that drives the company's primary business operations. Built on the BEA's WebLogic platform, the software automates business processes to provide a seamless vendor managed inventory (VMI) solution. Unfortunately elusive flaws causing small but troublesome discrepancies in SOS™ represented a significant hindrance to the company's growth. The rapid business expansion had diverted the IT group's resources toward performing data fixes on a rapidly growing pace of transactions. As a result, the underlying code problems were not being addressed. After several unsuccessful attempts by various IT service vendors, SSI brought in Chariot Solutions to remedy the situation.
"It was a chief priority to resolve the issues with Storeroom-On-Site™ because our reputation among our internal users was on the line," said Ron Rothrock, senior vice president and chief information officer for SSI. "We had worked with several IT partners - companies that claimed they could get the job done, but each was overwhelmed by the complexity of the task. We needed a partner with the right expertise to evaluate the problem, dig in and bring resolution." www.storeroomsolutions.com.
The Solution
SSI engaged Chariot, a leading provider of Java-based application architecture and software development services, to diagnose and correct the flaws in the Storeroom-On-Site™ system. Chariot's architects conducted a thorough assessment, walking through each business process and scrutinizing the associated software code.
They quickly found that steps were not occurring in properly configured, holistic transactions. A process such as receiving an item involves numerous mini-transactions: creating a record of receipt, searching for pending requisitions, allocating the inventory to those requisitions, issuing the item and creating an invoice. If the execution of a business process terminated abruptly (i.e. due to a system failure), the results of previous database interactions were not being rolled back.
For instance, suppose a customer employee requisitions two widgets. Per process, the storeroom manager would pull the virtual stock card for widgets and verify that two are available in inventory. He would then attempt to satisfy the request by issuing the widgets. However, after the on-hand quantity of widgets has been reduced, a system failure prohibits the completion of the issue. Rather than restore the quantity of on-hand widgets to its previous state, the database reflects incorrect data. In this case, zero widgets are showing in inventory, despite the fact that two are sitting on the shelf.
The error is then compounded. At the next request for widgets, the manager would pull the virtual stock card, mistakenly believe there aren't any widgets in inventory and place an unnecessary order.
Each of the various use cases revealed similar problems. Chariot's architects uncovered these inconsistencies, reconfigured the transaction handling and modified code as necessary to create legitimate, linked transactions. Using their expert J2EE knowledge, the architects were also able to overcome complicated code challenges including deadlocks and table locks and were able to introduce container-managed transactions.
"Solving SSI's problem required a detailed understanding of how the company uses Storeroom-On-Site™, knowledge of WebLogic, and, most importantly, advanced Java transaction architecture capabilities," said Dan Hayes, senior architect for Chariot Solutions. "This wasn't a matter of simply 'turning on' transactions in BEA WebLogic. We had to break down the code and, in many cases, rewrite critical business components - all without negatively impacting other functions."
The Results
Within two months, Chariot Solutions had completed its mission and re-written all of the faulty transaction coding. Attacking the problem by individual use case ensured that all bases were covered. Although this approach to a code maintenance task required a high level of effort, the results were thorough and have executed flawlessly. Since the completion of work, there have not been any new code-related variance issues. Those errors that have occurred have been the result of old data; not the source code. Chariot has also recommended several additional areas in the system that can be refactored to improve performance which are now being addressed for resolution. They are currently serving as SSI's Java development team. With the code discrepancies now remediated, Storeroom Solutions, Inc., can now focus on a long list of enhancements, which will bring value to its customers.
"Chariot is the first IT vendor we've worked with that truly delivered on what they promised," said Ron Rothrock. "Their expertise, integrity and commitment to deliver make them an exceptional information technology partner. They have brought Storeroom-On-Site™ from a functional state which required IT handholding and attention, to its current responsive, reliable state. Now we can focus on value-added enhancements that were put on hold due to the pressing challenge of balancing system transactions."
SSI has realized several tangible results from its transformed system:
- Improved customer relations - Discrepancies in reports have been eliminated, renewing customer faith in the reliability and integrity of Storeroom-On-Site™, which is now Sarbanes Oxley compliant.
- Greater efficiency - Employees are no longer spending time manually reconciling reports with actual inventory. With all areas in sync, they are able to focus on serving clients.
- Increased employee satisfaction - The users of the system are excited by the responsiveness of the new application as well as the improved turnaround time for trouble-shooting requests.
"As a leader in J2EE architecture and development, our goal is to creatively focus our expert IT knowledge to solve business issues for clients, said Tracey Welson-Rossman, vice president of business development for Chariot Solutions. "Our extensive development background coupled with a hands-on, consultative approach enabled us to help SSI move forward with the growth of their business."
"By tackling this momentous challenge successfully, Chariot Solutions has restored credibility to information technology organizations," said Rothrock. "Now that Storeroom-On-Site™ is functioning smoothly, we are planning several major projects to deliver greatly expanded functionality to our customers. We look forward to working with Chariot as a trusted advisor as we pursue these additional projects."
