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This is a very disappointing project. I would imagine the IT people who worked at Morrisons were rolling their eyes as the consultants came in and delivered a w

This is a very disappointing project. I would imagine the IT people who worked at Morrisons were rolling their eyes as the consultants came in and delivered a way over engineered / overly complex system. The problems outlined in the article were solved with simpler methods 10 to 15 years ago. Why use a tablet at all? Symbol Technologies was making wireless handheld computers with scan guns 15 years ago. In a modern supermarket inventory is updated every time an item is scanned at checkout. Spot checks of inventory are constantly being done to check for discrepancies. The timing of orders was solved in supply chain applications years ago. Whoever payed for this project I'm sure had a lot of nice meetings with the contractors. But in the end they got an overly complex system when off the shelf components in use for years would have done the job better and more reliably.

fidotron 12y ago
I'm seeing this trend a lot in the internet of things world. Basically there is a push to replace stuff that works with interoperable web technology based non solutions for . . . Cost saving purposes? Actually it always looks like a way to sell consultancy and hardware upgrades. A lot of this seems based on the group coming in not actually getting how sophisticated that system they assume to be archaic really is.
cowabunga 12y ago
Having developed software for point of delivery (similar market and devices) on Windows CE approximately 6-10 years ago, I would suggest that they did indeed pick the best solution to the problem now. The symbol/intermec handhelds are expensive, terribly unreliable, slow, require a lot of maintenance and are terribly fiddly especially for people with gloves on (as you'd expect in the freezer department in Morrisons). As for the software development side of things, you're pretty much limited to a subset of win32 that isn't very pleasant to use or a mobile CLR which is so incredibly slow it makes you want to hang yourselves. Then there's the incredible deathly pain of deploying the code to all those devices. It took us three years to deliver a point of delivery system with the same staffing level with much smaller scope which was simply signing for stuff and listing a delivery schedule. The integration was done by a third party - we just passed messages back and forth. They did a damn good job at TW on this one if you ask me.
- forgotAgain 12y ago
  I disagree with you on a number of your points The symbol/intermec handhelds are expensive, terribly unreliable, slow, require a lot of maintenance and are terribly fiddly especially for people with gloves on (as you'd expect in the freezer department in Morrisons). I had different experience with industrial scanning equipment from reliable manufacturers. I found them to be reliable. They could be dropped and still function and they had a much wider functional temperature range. If the operator is wearing gloves I would expect that the environment is outside the functional temperature range of a tablet. As for the software development side of things, you're pretty much limited to a subset of win32 that isn't very pleasant to use or a mobile CLR which is so incredibly slow it makes you want to hang yourselves. Then there's the incredible deathly pain of deploying the code to all those devices. There were many devices that supported OS's other than Windows CE as well as Windows CE device that didn't require the CLR for applications. There were also thin client models where the code executed on the server which made deployment much simpler. It took us three years to deliver a point of delivery system with the same staffing level with much smaller scope which was simply signing for stuff and listing a delivery schedule. The integration was done by a third party - we just passed messages back and forth. You had a remarkably tolerant customer. They did a damn good job at TW on this one if you ask me. I disagree.
protonfish 12y ago
This is a good question. I worked at a small grocery chain (a dozen stores or so) that did a lot of their IT ad hoc. I wonder if the big consulting firms don't care or are too high priced to work with smaller businesses. Small business seems to be in a twilight zone between enterprise and consumer software. Not that there are not good reasons for this. I have found small business owners to be stingy and demanding. (Again, for legitimate reasons - their business is their baby and they can take it very personally.)
sfg 12y ago
The strategy with the tablets might be broader than this project with other (perhaps coming in the future or from different teams) functionality that the handhelds you mention cannot deliver. How capable are these wireless handheld computers?
- forgotAgain 12y ago
  The wireless handheld computers are targeted at very specific functions. They do those functions very, very well. The functions in question are critical enough that they justify specialized hardware.

fidotron 12y ago

I'm seeing this trend a lot in the internet of things world. Basically there is a push to replace stuff that works with interoperable web technology based non solutions for . . . Cost saving purposes? Actually it always looks like a way to sell consultancy and hardware upgrades. A lot of this seems based on the group coming in not actually getting how sophisticated that system they assume to be archaic really is.

cowabunga 12y ago

Having developed software for point of delivery (similar market and devices) on Windows CE approximately 6-10 years ago, I would suggest that they did indeed pick the best solution to the problem now. The symbol/intermec handhelds are expensive, terribly unreliable, slow, require a lot of maintenance and are terribly fiddly especially for people with gloves on (as you'd expect in the freezer department in Morrisons). As for the software development side of things, you're pretty much limited to a subset of win32 that isn't very pleasant to use or a mobile CLR which is so incredibly slow it makes you want to hang yourselves. Then there's the incredible deathly pain of deploying the code to all those devices. It took us three years to deliver a point of delivery system with the same staffing level with much smaller scope which was simply signing for stuff and listing a delivery schedule. The integration was done by a third party - we just passed messages back and forth. They did a damn good job at TW on this one if you ask me.

forgotAgain 12y ago
I disagree with you on a number of your points The symbol/intermec handhelds are expensive, terribly unreliable, slow, require a lot of maintenance and are terribly fiddly especially for people with gloves on (as you'd expect in the freezer department in Morrisons). I had different experience with industrial scanning equipment from reliable manufacturers. I found them to be reliable. They could be dropped and still function and they had a much wider functional temperature range. If the operator is wearing gloves I would expect that the environment is outside the functional temperature range of a tablet. As for the software development side of things, you're pretty much limited to a subset of win32 that isn't very pleasant to use or a mobile CLR which is so incredibly slow it makes you want to hang yourselves. Then there's the incredible deathly pain of deploying the code to all those devices. There were many devices that supported OS's other than Windows CE as well as Windows CE device that didn't require the CLR for applications. There were also thin client models where the code executed on the server which made deployment much simpler. It took us three years to deliver a point of delivery system with the same staffing level with much smaller scope which was simply signing for stuff and listing a delivery schedule. The integration was done by a third party - we just passed messages back and forth. You had a remarkably tolerant customer. They did a damn good job at TW on this one if you ask me. I disagree.

protonfish 12y ago

This is a good question. I worked at a small grocery chain (a dozen stores or so) that did a lot of their IT ad hoc. I wonder if the big consulting firms don't care or are too high priced to work with smaller businesses. Small business seems to be in a twilight zone between enterprise and consumer software. Not that there are not good reasons for this. I have found small business owners to be stingy and demanding. (Again, for legitimate reasons - their business is their baby and they can take it very personally.)

sfg 12y ago

The strategy with the tablets might be broader than this project with other (perhaps coming in the future or from different teams) functionality that the handhelds you mention cannot deliver. How capable are these wireless handheld computers?

forgotAgain 12y ago
The wireless handheld computers are targeted at very specific functions. They do those functions very, very well. The functions in question are critical enough that they justify specialized hardware.