Sigma University

Visitor Management System (VMS) - Official Documentation

1. Project Overview

Sigma Gate is a secure, role-based Visitor Management System designed to digitize campus entry, streamline guest approvals, and provide strict auditing for security personnel. It replaces traditional paper logbooks with an automated QR-code-based scanning workflow.

2. User Roles & Permissions

The system is strictly divided into four access tiers to maintain data privacy and security:

🛡️ Super Admin

  • User Management: Full CRUD access to create, edit, or delete user accounts. Can reassign roles and departments.

👔 Admin

  • Guest Approval: Can approve or reject guests who are specifically visiting them.
  • Pass Creation: Can pre-register guests and generate QR invites through email.
  • Scanner Access: Can use the QR scanner to verify guests if acting as event staff.
  • View All: Can view the list of all campus guests, but cannot approve guests assigned to other users.

🎓 Uni Employee

  • Guest Management: Can approve/reject guests assigned to them.
  • Pass Creation: Can pre-register guests and generate QR invites through email.
  • Scanner Access: Authorized to scan passes.
  • Limited View: Can only view their own guest records, ensuring privacy across all users.

👮 Security

  • Gate Control: This role can authorized to scan passes & log "Actual In Time".
  • Walk-in Registration: Can create immediate entry passes for unannounced guests (which are routed to staff for approval).
  • Status Tracking: Can view the approval status of passes they generated to see if staff have allowed entry.

3. Core Workflow (The Gate Flow)

Steps Guide:

  1. Invitation:
    Dashboard > Click Invite Guest > Fill Up the Form > Click Send Invitation Button
    An Employee/Admin creates a pass, or Security creates a walk-in pass. The guest is assigned to a specific "Concerned Person" and Department.
  2. Approval:
    Dashboard > Click Green Button at the associated guest entry > Confirm Approve
    If created by Security, the Concerned Person logs in and sets the allowed "Expected In" and "Expected Out" time windows.
  3. QR Generation:
    Upon approval, a unique QR Token is generated and emailed to the guest.
  4. Verification:
    Dashboard > Click Scan QR > Show QR in camera to scan
    The guest arrives at the gate. Security scans the QR code using their mobile device or webcam.
  5. Check-In:
    After Scaning QR code > Click Allow Entry Button
    The system verifies the date. If valid, Security clicks "Allow Entry," securely logging the exact entry timestamp into the database.
Security Protocol: The scanner automatically blocks entry if a guest attempts to use a QR code on the wrong date.

4. Key System Features

  • Secure Forgot Password: Users can reset passwords securely via a 6-digit OTP sent to their email. New passwords are automatically Bcrypt-hashed.
  • Responsive Data Tables: The dashboard utilizes dynamic, horizontally-scrolling data tables with built-in pagination (10/25/50 rows) to prevent layout breaking on mobile devices.
  • Real-Time Searching: Column-specific search bars allow staff to instantly filter guests by Name, Purpose, Date, or Status.
  • Smart Forms: Forms feature real-time frontend validation, highlighting missing required fields in red to prevent backend server crashes.
  • Guest Transfer: If an unknown guest arrives, the concerned university employee can seamlessly transfer them to another university employee.
  • Flexible Rescheduling: Admins and university employees can easily reschedule visits for both invited and unknown guests.
  • Recurring Invitations: Admins and university employees can set up recurring guest invites (daily, weekly, or monthly).
  • Automated Navigation Links: All university employees and admins have defined latitude and longitude coordinates in the system. When guests receive their entry QR code, they also receive a navigation link guiding them directly to the concerned person on campus.
  • Photo Capture: For enhanced security, security personnel can capture photos of unknown guests directly within the app.
  • Accompanying Guest Logging: Security personnel can quickly log the number of accompanying guests while scanning the primary guest's QR code.
  • ID Verification: Security personnel can capture and attach a photo of an unknown guest's ID when creating their entry pass in the app.
  • Data Export: All users have the ability to export their specific dashboard data directly to Excel.