Project Overview / Project Introduction

In many institutes and organization, attendance is a very important factor for various purposes and it is one of the important criteria to that is to follow for employees and also students . This project was conducted to study about the implementation of the Staff Attendance System for Human Resource Management in FSKM web system. For the effective and efficient purpose in tracking and recording staff attendance , FSKM started using Fingerprint biometric time attendance management system called Fingertec i-Kiosk 100 Colour Multimedia Fingerprint Time Attendance And Access Control System on January 2010. FSKM before this applied the traditional punch card attendance track system to record all the staffs attendance.
Fingertec i- kiosk 100 is a fingerprint identification mechanism to record and monitor staff attendance. This improved technology relies on the uniqueness of each employee’s fingerprint patterns to give accurate verification of identity and the real-time attendance. Its offers a substitute model to the conventional way of recording staff attendance of manual signing in and out of the log book, punching cards, or proxy cards. This helps FSKM faculty to better manage employees and thus utilize on their human resources. It is works effectively as a standalone unit complete with USB flask disk port, suitable for remote network application. It also performs excellently in networking environment, offering multi-group network communication including TCP/IP protocol, enabling real-time data transfer for prompt and straightforward data management. It is offering various identification methods such as card and password, on top of fingerprint identification. It also enhances time and attendance functions by having work code and individual record access features.

1.1 How the fingerprint biometric system work?
When an employee is first enrolled in a fingerprint-based biometric time and attendance system, the software records a template of the employee's fingerprint and associates that template with the employee's ID number. This template measures the relationship between various points in the fingerprint. Each time the employee attempts to clock in or out, the time and attendance software verifies that the newly scanned fingerprint matches the template originally stored for that ID number. If there is a match, the punch is recorded. Occasionally, employees will have privacy concerns about having their fingerprint scanned. Additionally, because biometric verification uses relatively few points of comparison, the templates used in commercial time and attendance systems generally cannot be used for biometric identification.
By using biometric system, it calculates payroll and doesn’t allow anyone to punch in and out for another person and fingerprint authentication completely eliminates this so-called buddy punching. Using a biometric clock system , employees can simply clock in and out with their fingerprint. The attendances of the staff will be taken when they place their fingerprint on the fingerprint scanner. The system then monitors the time of staff after they have placed their fingerprint on the scanner device and the system will monitor the time of staff entering the office and the system will verify whether they are late and the system will also be able to generate payroll of the staff from the time the system verified the fingerprint. The system also generates monthly reports on the attendance progress of a staff for a particular month. This system will actually make their jobs easier since they no longer have to manually keep track of hours. While those who will be required to check in may be skeptical at the beginning, they will quickly see that the electronic time and attendance system frees them from worrying about hours and minutes.

2.0 Scope / Objective
The main purpose of this project is to propose and come out with the new requirements and new implementation of the attendance system for the existing FSKM Attendance that is currently applied to track and manage FSKM staff attendance .

3.0 Problem Statement
Previously FSKM applied manual type of attendance tracking system by using the punch in / out card to track staffs attendance . The manual system seems gave serious issues regarding to the accuracy of the staff attendance data . Because of that , FSKM now moving from traditional system to the biometric attendance system where it give more accuracy in terms of the staff data. Below are the issues that FSKM faced by using the traditional method of attendance tracking system :
a) Buddy punching issue where a colleague could punch time for other staff is always an option.
b) Staff have to carry card to record attendance or to gain access.
c) Data entry and calculation are manually done, prone to human error. Duty Roster management and reports are manually prepared, posing inaccuracy risk. Genuine attendance data is disputable because cards can be exchanged between employees.
d) Manual calculation and self generated reports.
e) Data is manually prepared therefore slow, inaccurate and tedious.
f) When data is manually inputted at month end, even though monitoring is possible, the data is scattered and not centralized.
g) Extra space is required for keeping the punch cards.
h) Heavy manual workload is proportional to the number of punch card machines installed and cards used.
i) Labor intensive where data has to be inputted by administration personnel at the end of the month for attendance records and salary calculations.
4.0 Methodology
For this system enhancement project , the data collected from the face to face interview with the FSKM Information Technology Officer which is Mrs . Salmah regarding the system that is currently used in FSKM to track staffs attendance .
Data also was collected from secondary data which is the attendance report was gathered from Fingertec website , article , document review from FSKM department , literature review from other website that is related to the Fingertec Fingerprint Biometric Attendance system and Control Access System .


Literature Review
5.1 System Features (Fingertec.com, 2010)
a) Unique welcoming screen
During attendance check-in or check-out, the welcoming screen features auto vocal greeting, the name of the employee, photos and reminder alert. The screen also includes logo, live date and time which prompts the actual clocking in/out reports.
b) Security
• Login/logout session
• Each users are granted a different access level depending on their job task: super admin, supervisor, and user.
c) Generate reports
i) Staff Attendance Report
• Calculates daily total working hours of each employee, e.g. early entrance or early departure time, over time,lateness.
• The reports are organized by days and can be set by date range. These reports and statistics are viewable in bar charts for easy reference
ii) Individual Report
Generates individual log report which can be organized by days, date and time range for individual reference.

5.2 System Functions (Fingertec.com, 2010)
a) Time Attendance
 eliminate “buddy punching” incidents
 collect clocking data systematically
 manage data quickly and effective via software
 provide ease of use with combinations of fingerprint , password and RFID/MIFARA /HID card .

b) Access Control
 curb the unauthorized via keyless device
 monitor staffs movement at anytime
 control staff accessibility via time zone settings
 provide extra security with combinations of fingerprint , password and RFID.
 integrate with door lock system easily (DC12V 3A EM Output).

c) Multimedia
 Work code is available to allow user to input clocking reasons
 Short message display on screen to broadcast faculty information to user .
 Private message short display intended for particular users .
 65K color TFT screen display for vivid color and presentation
 Local language greetings and display available

d) Connectivity
 TCP/ IP, RS232 and RS485 connections
 Multi-readers powered by software TCMS V2
 USB port available to ease data transfer

5.3 Key Specifications/Special Features (Fingertec.com, 2010)
a) Features a color TFT display for graphical presentation of icons and photos.
b) Works effectively as a standalone unit complete with USB flash disk function, ideal for remote network application
c) Offers multi-group network communication including TCP/IP protocol, enabling real-time data transfer for prompt and straightforward data management.
d) Offers card, password and fingerprint identifications & enhances time & attendance functions by adding work code and individual record access features.
e) Furnished with T9 input method, short messaging, screen saver and i-Kiosk theme.

5.4 Hardware and software functions (Fingertec.com, 2010)
5.4.1 Hardware Features
a) High Sensitive
b) Able to recognize fingerprints accurately
c) Able to retrieve data accurately
d) Multi – mode access (fingerprint , access card , password or a combination of any two modes from the list)
e) Able to operate both on and off line
f) Combines time attendance systems and simple access control system
5.4.2 Software Features
a) Collects the daily attendance data automatically
b) Generates reports (example : overall & individual attendance report )
c) Configure able for shift work
d) Able to backup and recover data for security purposes
e) Data archiving
f) Low basic requirements for software installation
g) Features a certain level of access control


Significance of Project / System Benefit
a) Secure, fast and reliable
The system will grant access only to registered fingerprints and accurately record the time of entry. In addition, it can be used to track FSKM staff movements from place to place.

b) Huge storage capacity
A fingerprint reader can store up to 3,000 templates and 120,000 transactions.

c) Ease of operation
Easy enrollment and fast verification. A fingerprint template can be enrolled and verified within a very short time.

d) Enhance Human resource management
Allows tracking of staff work attendance, which is a factor in staff performance reviews. It simplifies staff management for the HR Department as well.

e) Secured premises
Only users with registered fingerprints are allowed to access the premises.

f) Empower staff productivity
Attendance reports can be generated as quick references for the employer.

g) Cost-effective
No more spending on manual log books, punch card systems, proxy cards, etc. This one-touch technology gives an edge in the way FSKM manage staffs.

h) Time Zone control
Restrict the access of specified users during specified times.

i) Integration with other applications
User access records can be synchronized with human resource applications to allow for
multiple user access as well as easy web reporting.
13.0 References
[1] FingerTec is a site that presents the information about products fingerprint and time management system
fingertec .com
[2] Biometric Attendance. Retrieved Monday, 29 March 2010 from http://employeeattendancesystemsbiometri...dance.html
[3] HR2000. Retrieved Monday, 29 March 2010 from
http://hr2000.com.my/downloads/demo/qtms/index.html



[4] FSKM IT Office – Puan Salmah (IT officer )

Get the report here:
http://mediafirefile/12ml59im151ws82/FSKM%20Fingerprint%20Attendance%20System%20Enhancement%20Proposal.doc