Operation: Get Rid of the Blue Book

Every visitor known. No book to sign.

A visitor management system from Code::Core, built for Ugandan buildings and configured to each organisation's own entry procedure. This hub holds the brief, proposed screens, technical design, marketing and funding material — and the open questions we still need to settle.

01 — The problem

The blue book records everyone and protects no one.

Walk into UCC, CAA, a bank or a multi-tenant office block and the routine is the same: hand over your ID, write your name, date, host, reason, time in and time out in a blue book, then collect a visitor card.

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02 — The proposal

One check-in. Tailored per organisation.

Proposed by an engineer who has already built and run this kind of system at a data centre, now under Code::Core: a kiosk at the gate or reception scans the visitor's ID once, runs that organisation's own entry procedure, calls or messages the host, prints the badge, opens the turnstile and logs everything for reporting.

Configurable entry steps
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Each organisation picks and orders its steps. In a multi-tenant building one kiosk serves every tenant — each keeps its own procedure and records. Visitors register once for the building, not three times.

Proposed screens — direction, not final UI

The visitor journey, from gate to badge.

Kiosk runs full-screen at 1280×800 on a 15.6" panel PC. Example tenant: a regulator with induction video, quiz and host approval switched on. Sample photos: Etty Fidele and Logan Weaver on Unsplash; names and ID numbers are fictional.

Regulator House · Main gateEN · SW
Welcome.
Sign in, not sign a book.
Place your National ID or passport on the scanner to begin.
Check inI have a QR inviteCheck out
K1 · Attract. Language toggle. Pre-invited visitors scan a QR from SMS/WhatsApp and skip straight to the badge.
Step 1 / 5 — Identity00:18
Is this you?
NameOKELLO Sarah AchiengNINCF92••••••XK4PFrom NINCitizen · Female · Born 1992Check✓ Matches card DOB & sexPhone+256 77• ••• 312
Yes, continueEdit
K2 · ID scan. Details read from the card, never typed. The NIN is decoded on the spot — C/A (citizen/alien), M/F, two-digit birth year — and cross-checked against the card. ID handed straight back. NIN masked on screen.
Step 2 / 5 — Who are you visiting?
Nam|
Namuli, Grace · LicensingLevel 4 · In office
Namanya, Peter · LegalLevel 2 · Away
Nambi Holdings Ltd · TenantLevel 6
ReasonMeetingDeliveryInterviewContractor
K3 · Host & reason. One directory across every tenant. Presence pulled from the staff app or PBX status.
Step 3 / 5 — Safety inductionRequired by Regulator House
Induction video · 2:40
1:39 / 2:40 · Skipping disabledSubtitles: EN
K4 · Induction. Per-org video. Completion is stored, so a returning visitor doesn't rewatch until the content or validity period changes.
Step 4 / 5 — Safety checkQ 2 of 3
If the fire alarm sounds, where do you go?
Wait for your host at reception
Assembly point B, car park, via the nearest stairs
Take the lift to ground floor
Pass mark 3/3 · Two attempts, then reception is alerted
K5 · Test. Organisations write their own questions and pass mark. Failures route to a person, not a dead end.
Step 5 / 5 — Host approval
Calling Grace Namuli…
She has been sent an SMS and a WhatsApp. If she doesn't answer in 60 seconds, we ring her desk phone through the intercom.
Speak on intercomCall reception
K6 · Speak with host. Unified comms: SMS → WhatsApp → SIP call to desk phone, escalation order set per org.
Approved by host · 09:16
Collect your badge below.
Go to Level 4 using lift 2. Your badge opens turnstile 1 only, until 13:00. Tap it on the way out to check out.
VISITOR
Sarah Okello Host: G. Namuli · L4 Valid 09:16–13:00
K7 · Badge. PVC card encoded with a time-limited access credential, or a paper sticker badge for low-security sites.
Code::Core · ReceptionLIVE
47
On site now
6
Awaiting host
2
Overstayed
VisitorHost · TenantInStatus
Sarah OkelloNamuli · Regulator09:16On site
Brenda AumaNambi Holdings09:11Waiting
Patience AkelloFacilities · Contractor07:02Overstay ▲
Evacuation roll callWatchlist
R1 · Reception dashboard. Who is in the building right now, across all tenants. One tap prints the evacuation roll — the thing the blue book could never do.
Admin · Regulator House Visitor types Entry workflow Hosts & tenants Devices Reports
Workflow · Meeting visitor
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+ Add step
A1 · Workflow builder. Where "tailor-made per organisation" lives. Drag steps; different flows per visitor type (meeting, contractor, delivery, VIP).
WhatsApp · Code::Core VMS
Sarah Okello is at the main gate to see you. Meeting · ID verified · Induction passed 09:15 Visitor photo
Approve I'm coming down Decline
H1 · Host notification. No app to install for hosts. Plain SMS fallback: reply 1 / 2 / 3.
Technical design — engineers & IT heads

Django in the cloud, a hardened edge at the gate.

The kiosk must keep checking people in when the internet or power drops. So the system is split: a central Django platform for configuration, records and reporting, and an edge agent on each kiosk that talks to hardware and queues work offline.

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Hardware — suggested kiosk bill of materials

Two tiers: industrial for gates, tablet for receptions.

Models are suggestions to validate with Kampala suppliers for availability, warranty and support. Prices are rough UGX planning estimates.

ComponentGate kiosk (industrial)Reception kiosk (tablet)Est. UGX
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Core data model
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Security & compliance
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Marketing — positioning & messages

Sell the roll call, not the kiosk.

Buyers don't wake up wanting a visitor system. They want to know who is in their building, prove it to auditors, and stop embarrassing queues at the gate.

One-liner

Code::Core replaces the blue book with a check-in that knows who is in your building, follows your own security rules, and hands your visitor's ID straight back.

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Proof points to collect in the pilot
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Sample flier copy Still signing three books at the gate? Scan your ID once. Watch the induction once. Get your badge in under two minutes. Your ID never leaves your hand.
Funding — draft figures for discussion

Priced by visitors per day. Tax included.

One-off package prices in UGX, inclusive of 18% VAT. Each package is sized to the visitor volume it must handle and the features the organisation needs — up to buying the full system outright.

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How we size a siteKiosks = peak hour ÷ 30
Peak hour ≈ 25% of daily visitors. Morning arrivals bunch up; we size for the rush, not the average.
One kiosk clears ~30 check-ins an hour at ~2 min first visit, ~30 s for returning or pre-invited visitors.
100 visitors/day → 25 at peak → 1 kiosk, plus a reception tablet as backup and for walk-ups.
Inside the UGX 115M Reception package
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Total incl. VATUGX 115M
Milestones
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VAT at 18% is shown separately in each package. Where the client is a designated withholding agent, 6% withholding tax is deducted at payment and credited to Code::Core with URA — it does not change the price. Confirm treatment with a tax adviser before quoting.

Banter — open decisions

What we still need to agree.

Tap where you lean. Leave comments on any card to argue it out.

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