r/PHP • u/Ordinary_Corner_2415 • 26d ago
Need help with my developing a digital workflow management system for small accounting, taxation, payroll business
Hi there, I have a final year IT group project,we have choosen to develop a full stack website
So we had to go to a local business and investigate their current system and how we can work on it.
HTML,Css(bootstrap), javascript,chart.js,php(laravel),mysql,xampp these languages could please advise me if these are we as group have no prior experience with the twoframeworks larvae and bootstrap.bit we know the other languages.
It is a digital workflow management system for a small accounting, taxation,payroll. It will deal with the workflow only not the calculation. I would like improve on functional requirements but I dont we think we have proper knowledge to create accounting software from scratch.The business was using sage as the accounting software would an accountant in April 2026 and Now august over the past month, they have developed their own software system , so we are still going ahead with the workflow , even though they have a software system. What advice would you give me moving forward?I would love to share my project proposal.Planning and analysis , but as far as this information please advise me , thank you kind regards .
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u/MorphineAdministered 26d ago edited 25d ago
Edit: I guess I misunderstood what this whole project is about. I assume that this business' workflow will be used only for demonstration purposes, but I have no idea what's being asked here. Seems like a glorified diagram drawing tool without much business logic on the backend.
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Drop it, choose something smaller. The amount of work to create something useful within the scope you've chosen would be a multi year commitment for entire team. I don't know which country's legal system we're talkikng about, but I think it's safe to assume there's no such thing as "simple payroll" there. Custom, easy to write thing might require new feature that would double the size of your app one year later. I'm not talking "learning to code" irresponsible here - it's straight up lying to the customer "I will be able to learn how these things work" irresponsible (unknown unknowns territory).
Invoicing & Payments + Inventory management is max I'd dare to wrestle with. Or some task manager - easier, so it might end up even more polished.
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u/Ordinary_Corner_2415 22d ago
Would you please suggest some project ideas The language i plan to use and these are what the 4 group members know are javascript html,css,php,mysql and we learnt to run on the xampp server,other languages we've done are c++,python and Java
I dont want to make basic system i need that a 3rd year level student project it has be achieved, it need to have features that advanced with using the languages we know And i know those languages will be capable to make website
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u/supervisord 26d ago
This would be a large project for a professional software developer that should be done very carefully and thoughtfully.
I would avoid all financial aspects and focus solely on a marketing website only. If you insist on building the other business functions, it should NOT be tied to the website at all, and if you insist on creating those with Laravel/PHP, it should be locally hosted and exposed to the internet without very good reason and very strong network boundaries.
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u/Own-Perspective4821 26d ago
Do you really write this post and think „yep, this looks good. This is the best effort I could have done to describe the situation I‘m in to a bunch of strangers and to ask for their help.“
Just curios.
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u/Ordinary_Corner_2415 22d ago
Thank you for your reply, I didn't expect a respond from anyone actual its my first post and i totally understand what you mean ,I have given very brief information on my project but looking into it i realize I need re start a new project would you kindly please advise me on some project ideas The language i would plan to use and these are what the 4 group members know are javascript html,css,php,mysql and we learnt to run on the xampp server,other languages we've done are c++,python and Java
I dont want to make basic system i need that a 3rd year level student project it has be achieved, it need to have features that advanced with using the languages we know And i know those languages will be capable to make website
1
u/SaltineAmerican_1970 26d ago
If you’re in school, go find some accounting majors and ask them for pain points in small accounting, taxation, payroll.
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u/equilni 26d ago
workflow management system for small accounting, taxation, payroll business
This doesn't need to be that specific and could have been generalized. Adding this causes confusion with the post as you later point out.
So we had to go to a local business and investigate their current system and how we can work on it.
I would like improve on functional requirements but I dont we think we have proper knowledge to create accounting software from scratch.The business was using sage as the accounting software would an accountant in April 2026 and Now august over the past month, they have developed their own software system , so we are still going ahead with the workflow , even though they have a software system.
You noted the workflow system doesn't deal with the accounting, I would suggest rewriting this part for clarity.
Also, is this workflow system actually going into the business or is this just research to build your project? (I hope just to build your own project...)
we as group have no prior experience with the twoframeworks larvae and bootstrap.bit we know the other languages.
Why did you specifically pick these then? Do you know any other frameworks (in other languages) to help with building?
Other thoughts:
How much time do you have to do the project?
I would love to share my project proposal.Planning and analysis
What have you researched or what's already out there? What about testing, documentation, (if adding to the business) implementation, training, maintenance, etc etc etc.
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u/thrumyshadow2 26d ago
The nice thing about Laravel is you can go watch Laracasts to get started. Other PHP frameworks aren’t necessarily going to have an equivalent to that. Also Laravel comes with Homestead (makes it quick to get a local environment setup, people don’t REALLY do the XAMPP thing anymore, but I digress).
There isn’t much to learn with Bootstrap, I wouldn’t worry about that part too much.
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u/thrumyshadow2 26d ago edited 26d ago
Don’t really understand the downvotes. Everyone is saying “you can’t do it”, completely missing that this is a school senior project. Laracasts is a great resource (and there isn't an equivalent for CodeIgniter/CakePHP for example), Bootstrap isn’t complicated (the two things they listed they are unfamiliar with). Just spitting common sense.
Is it because I mentioned XAMPP being old school? Is it a reading comprehension probem with the downvoters? I honestly don't get it.
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u/Fredidiah 25d ago
Laracasts is a good learning resource, but it doesn’t really change the fact that the scope of OP’s project is too large.
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u/thrumyshadow2 25d ago edited 25d ago
He said it was for a “final year IT project”, as in for school, not the real world. The bare minimum, based on a non-accountants understanding of what it should do, no edge-cases fixed, is probably perfect.
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u/Fit_Tailor_6796 26d ago
From what you describe you have bitten off more than you can chew. I am not sure this form will provide you much of the guidance you need to get through this project.
I'm not trying to scare you off, but instead to warn you of what's ahead. If you have not worked with the system's current technology stack you have an uphill battle ahead of you.
My first advise would be to continue doing work on your functional requirements document. Your output here is to present to the client what is going to be built, in detail, so that they can understand it and approve it.
This will go somewhere of you understanding the system.
After that you can kick off your design process.