CS489: Research in Computer Science


The Bagger Management Project

Researcher: Michael Corder
Advisor: Dr. Wang
College: Virginia Wesleyan College

Abstract

The Bagger Management Project is a research project undertaken with express intent of allowing greater management functionality within Armed Forces Comissaries. While cashiers are government employees, baggers are not. The independent contractor status these military dependents and spouses hold means that funding for any management software or equipment is nearly non-existent. As a result, most managers must use pen and paper to keep track of a plethora of employees. This research project streamlines management in these facilities allowing for a simplified work environment for all involved.

In order to accomplish this goal, many features were crafted and implemented in the project. The most prominent security feature is a login database that keeps track of users, admins, and superadmins as well as the various functions each has at their disposal. This ensures that any individual who accesses the site will see only the pages they were meant to see and minimizes potential harm to the scheduling.

Users are bagger employees who are able to check their schedule and request time off. Administrators, meanwhile, are similarly able to check their schedules, but they have access to other functions as well. First and foremost, the administrator is able to hire on new baggers and easily add the new employees to the database, setting the schedule of these employees as they see fit. Just as easily, administrators can also remove employees from the database upon employment termination. Administrators are also able to view requested time off, modify the schedules of employees, and alter any information concerning employees. One of the most useful features however, is the ability for administrators to check the daily schedule to see which employees are scheduled that day and each employee's associated "bagger fee." (An amount each employee pays to the manager based upon scheduled hours) The superadministrator, has access to these features as well as the ability to modify administrators.

This project makes extensive use of the database technology in the MYSQL language as well as website logic and data manipulation through PHP and HTML. Through application of the principles of each programming language, a simplification of management has been created that has the potential to become the management tool of choice throughout armed forces establishments.


Project Links
User Login
(Checks user login with user database)

Confirmation Page
(Automatically skips to next page if login is successful)

Hub Page
(Requires login, changes depending on rank of user accessing it)

To login as a sample bagger, use the following:
username = sample
password = abc123

Outbound Links
Dr. Wang's Homepage
Virginia Wesleyan College