Background

This project was inspired by workflow challenges I observed in warehouse receiving operations in the uniform supply industry. Large orders often included many employees under the same organization, with each order containing different garment types and embroidery requirements.

Some garments required only a standard logo, while others also required personalized embroidery such as employee names or titles. Embroidery placement also varied by garment type, including scrub tops, jackets, lab coats, and polos.

Because of these variations, staff had to manually sort items, identify embroidery requirements, count quantities, and prepare garments for embroidery. Preparing orders accurately could take up to one week, and mistakes were difficult to trace once items were mixed together.

I first created a structured spreadsheet to improve the process, but spreadsheets still lacked audit logging, validation rules, and workflow accountability. That limitation led me to design and build a dedicated system instead.

The Solution

ReceiveFlow replaces the manual process with an order-based receiving workflow.

Staff begin by scanning or entering an order number. Once the order is loaded, the system displays expected items, item types, and expected quantities. Staff can then scan UPC codes for each item, and the system validates scans against expected order data in real time.

Important actions such as scan submissions, note updates, and session changes are recorded as audit events. This provides much better visibility into receiving progress and makes troubleshooting easier when discrepancies occur.

Key Features

System Flow

The system follows a simple receiving workflow that starts with order lookup and then moves into validation and tracking.

Warehouse Staff
      │
      │  Scan / Enter Order Number
      ▼
Load Order Information
(PHP + MySQL)
      │
      ▼
Receiving Session
      │
      │  Scan UPC Items
      ▼
Validation Engine
(Expected vs Scanned)
      │
      ├── Update Receiving Progress
      ├── Record Audit Event
      └── Support Reporting / Dashboard

Results

• Reduced order preparation time from 1 week to 1 day
• Reduced manual sorting and classification errors
• Improved visibility into receiving progress
• Added traceability to warehouse operations

Engineering Highlights

• Relational database design for orders, scans, sessions, and notes
• Order-centered workflow for receiving operations
• Audit logging for operational traceability
• Real-time validation against expected order data
• Operational dashboard and reporting features

Data Notice

All data shown in this portfolio demo is fictional or anonymized and is used for demonstration purposes only. No private company or customer data is included in this public version.

Personal Note

This project started from a real operational problem. Rather than building a generic demo application, I wanted to design a system around a workflow that had clear operational pain points and measurable impact.

My goal was to make receiving faster, reduce avoidable mistakes, and provide a clearer record of what happened during order processing.