Skip to content
Functional Requirements
- User Registration and Authentication:
- Allow users (e.g., restaurants, food suppliers, consumers) to create accounts and log in securely.
- Support different user roles with varying permissions (e.g., admin, manager, staff).
- Food Waste Tracking and Logging:
- Enable users to log food waste incidents, including details such as type of food, quantity, reason for waste, and date/time.
- Allow for manual and automated logging (e.g., through integrated scales or IoT devices).
- Data Collection and Integration:
- Collect data from various sources such as inventory management systems, point-of-sale systems, and sensors.
- Integrate with other systems (e.g., supply chain management, food donation platforms) to gather relevant data.
- Real-time Monitoring:
- Provide real-time monitoring of food waste levels across different locations or departments.
- Generate alerts or notifications when food waste exceeds predefined thresholds.
- Waste Analysis and Reporting:
- Analyze food waste data to identify patterns, trends, and root causes.
- Generate detailed reports on food waste by type, source, and time period.
- Provide insights and recommendations for reducing food waste based on analysis.
- Inventory Management Integration:
- Integrate with inventory management systems to track food inventory levels and expiration dates.
- Suggest actions (e.g., discounts, donations) for items nearing expiration to prevent waste.
- Donation Management:
- Facilitate the donation of surplus food to charities or food banks.
- Track donated items, including recipient details and quantity.
- Composting and Recycling Management:
- Enable users to log and track food waste sent for composting or recycling.
- Provide guidelines and best practices for composting and recycling.
- User Notifications and Alerts:
- Send notifications to users about critical food waste issues, donation opportunities, or upcoming expiration dates.
- Provide alerts for equipment malfunctions or other issues that may lead to increased waste.
- Sustainability Metrics and Reporting:
- Calculate sustainability metrics such as carbon footprint reduction and cost savings from waste reduction.
- Generate reports on environmental impact, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and resource conservation.
- Education and Training:
- Provide users with educational resources and training modules on food waste reduction strategies.
- Track completion of training and certification for staff members.
- Compliance and Regulatory Reporting:
- Ensure compliance with local, state, and national regulations related to food waste management.
- Generate reports required for regulatory compliance and audits.
- Feedback and Improvement Mechanism:
- Allow users to provide feedback on the system and its recommendations.
- Continuously update the system based on user feedback and advancements in food waste management practices.
- Mobile Access:
- Provide a mobile application or mobile-friendly interface for users to access the system on the go.
- Allow users to log food waste, receive alerts, and view reports from mobile devices.
Non-Functional Requirements
- Scalability:
- The system should be able to handle an increasing number of users, data points, and integrated devices without performance degradation.
- Support scaling to accommodate multiple locations or regions.
- Security:
- Implement strong encryption for data transmission and storage to protect sensitive information.
- Ensure secure access control with role-based permissions to prevent unauthorized access.
- Regularly update security protocols to protect against potential threats.
- Performance:
- The system should provide real-time or near real-time data processing and analysis.
- Ensure quick response times for user interactions, even during peak usage.
- Reliability and Availability:
- The system should have high availability, with minimal downtime, to ensure continuous monitoring and logging.
- Implement redundancy and failover mechanisms to maintain service continuity in case of system failures.
- Usability:
- The user interface should be intuitive, user-friendly, and require minimal training to operate.
- Ensure that users can easily log food waste, generate reports, and access recommendations.
- Interoperability:
- The system should be compatible with a wide range of devices, sensors, and other software systems (e.g., inventory management, donation platforms).
- Support data exchange with external systems using standard protocols and APIs.
- Maintainability:
- The system should be easy to maintain, with clear documentation and modular design.
- Support for regular updates and upgrades with minimal disruption to users.
- Compliance:
- Ensure that the system complies with relevant regulations and standards for food waste management and data privacy (e.g., GDPR).
- Provide features to support auditing and regulatory reporting.
- Data Integrity and Accuracy:
- Ensure that all data collected and processed by the system is accurate and consistent.
- Implement validation checks and data integrity mechanisms to prevent errors or data corruption.
- Localization and Internationalization:
- Support multiple languages and regional settings to cater to users in different countries.
- Allow easy adaptation of the system to meet local regulations and practices.
- Environmental Sustainability:
- The system itself should be designed to minimize energy consumption and environmental impact.
- Promote sustainability by providing insights into the environmental benefits of reduced food waste.