From Paper to System: Identifying Bottlenecks in a Butcher Shop That Was Never Digital

Introduction

Recently, I started working on a challenging project: building a POS
system for a butcher shop that had never used any kind of digital
system.

No legacy software. No computers. No automation.

The entire operation relied on: - Notebooks - Paper - Manual notes - And
a lot of improvisation

The only piece of “technology” available?

Old weighing scales (around 2014) with Wi-Fi support — never actually
used.

Understanding the Chaos Before Writing Code

Before writing a single line of code, I needed to understand how the
business actually worked.

The flow looked like this: - weigh the product - write down the value -
calculate totals manually - record everything on paper

It works — but it depends entirely on the operator.

No reliable history. No integration. No speed.

Real (and Visible) Bottlenecks

1. Fully manual operation Everything depends on human attention. Any
   mistake turns into loss, rework, or inconsistency.

2. Broken flow The service is not continuous. It’s constantly
   interrupted:

• weigh
• write
• calculate
• double-check

1. Isolated processes A critical issue appeared outside the checkout: the cold storage (backroom operations)

Infrastructure: A Problem of Its Own

The scales use an outdated Wi-Fi security standard (WPA-PSK with TKIP),
which doesn’t integrate well with modern networks.

This forced me to: - configure a router in mixed compatibility mode -
ensure stable communication - prepare the environment for real-time
integration

What I’m Building

The goal is to create a continuous flow across the entire operation:

At the checkout: - fast sales registration - direct integration with
weighing

In the cold storage: - internal requests integrated into the system

For the owner: - remote access to reports

Offline-First

The system does not depend on the internet.

If it goes down: - operations continue normally - data is stored locally

When it comes back: - everything syncs automatically

Current Status

The project is about 80% complete.

Conclusion

This project didn’t start with code. It started with observation.

Understanding workflow. Identifying bottlenecks. Connecting processes.

About

Gustavo Santos
Developer focused on building efficient systems that connect software to the real world.