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Case Details

Optimizing Business Performance through SaaS Development

business-managment-app

Optimizing Business Performance through SaaS Development

Workfacta is a SaaS-based business performance management that aims to help the management team in enhancing organizational transparency, collaboration, and accountability. It leans more towards objective setting and OKR-based performance tracking, as well as key business process automation in facilitating meetings, reporting, and making decisions.

This project aimed to evolve the conceptual business idea into a serious, commercially scalable SaaS solution that could work across industries and manage complex business operations efficiently. Ariel Software Solutions was chosen as a technology partner for designing, developing, and maintaining the whole of the platform from the minimum viable product to a full-scale, enterprise-grade solution.

Project Features

User-Friendly UI

Intuitive dashboard for managing employee activities.

AI-Powered Insights

Automated analysis for productivity trends.

Task Management

Streamlined tracking and allocation of tasks.

Collaboration Tools

Centralized communication and document sharing.

Real-Time Monitoring

Live activity tracking and reporting.

Cloud-Based

Accessible and secure with Azure hosting.

Project Info

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Challenges

1. Complex Business Logic

From financial and operational data, Workfacta needs to deliver these weekly, quarterly, and yearly performance measures to its users with accuracy. The subtask for Ariel Software Solutions was the implementation of the complex business logic needed to calculate this data while keeping sufficient room for adaptation to various sorts of business areas. For example:

  • Custom reporting: The users would require a variety of report formats that provide information in terms of financials, productivity, and goal alignment.
  • Multidimensional Performance Monitoring: As per OKRs, the technology should track organizational, departmental, and individual performances.

2. Dynamic Meeting Scheduling

To ensure that meetings happen on a regular basis at the organizational level, whether it is weekly, monthly, or quarterly, Workfacta had to facilitate recurring meetings.

  • Flexible Scheduling: The operating schedule was flexible, as different teams had different requirements. There was a weekly operating review requirement from some teams while a quarterly strategic review was needed from others.
  • Collaboration Tools: For any meetings, integration of collaboration features with real-time updates towards the business performance dashboards in discussion are required.

3. International Clients’ Time Zone Management

With the international user base of Workfacta, time zone differences were a critical aspect in scheduling meetings or sending out notices and reminders. Thus, the company had to be sure that the platform could manage the following:

  • Cross-Time Zone Notifications: It will also provide quite accurate and timely alerts to users who are in transboundary disputes located at different time zones.
  • Automatic adjustment for Daylight Savings: Automatically adjust notifications across different regions, given daylight savings.

4. Technology Upgradation

The application was developed using Angular 6 on the front end from the start. With the increase in users, the UI/UX had to be enhanced further. Thus, an upgrade was required from Angular 6 to Angular 11 was essential. The task included the following:

  • Meeting Agendas and Minutes: Users could set predefined agendas for each meeting, and notes or minutes could be recorded and shared post-meeting.
  • Real-time Data Updates: Performance dashboards were integrated into the meeting
    module, allowing teams to update OKRs and KPIs in real-time during discussions.

5. Database Upgrade in the Interest of Cost Optimization

An MVP was initially developed on Cosmos DB. It proved too expensive to maintain costs once the user base had reached a significant size. So, according to the recommendations of Ariel Software Solutions, it was advisable to move towards MongoDB, making the platform’s operational cost lower and the same level of handling within the data.

Solution Provided

Ariel Software Solutions adopted an agile, collaborative approach to ensure that Workfacta’s vision was realized through innovative technical solutions. The key solutions provided are outlined below:

1. Platform Architecture and Backend Development

The platform was designed and built using ASP.NET MVC 5 and Web API frameworks to ensure
robust backend functionality. Ariel Software Solutions focused on creating a highly scalable
backend capable of managing complex business logic without compromising on performance.

  • C# Programming: Leveraging the power of C#, the team implemented complex business
    rules for financial calculations, OKR tracking, and KPI visualization
  • API Design: Web APIs were developed for integrating the backend with a variety of third-party services, ensuring that the platform could scale smoothly.

2. Frontend Development with Angular

The front end was initially developed using Angular 6 but later upgraded to Angular 11 to improve user experience and performance. The upgrade process included:

  • Modular Structure: Breaking down large, monolithic components into modular ones, which made future updates easier to implement.
  • Performance Optimization: Implementing lazy loading and code-splitting techniques in Angular to reduce page load times.
  • Enhanced UI/UX: The frontend revamp led to a modern and intuitive user interface, significantly improving user satisfaction and engagement.

3. Time Zone Management

Ariel Software Solutions implemented a dynamic time zone handling system that automatically adjusted notifications, reminders, and reports based on the user’s local time. The system was flexible enough to manage daylight savings adjustments globally

4. Dynamic Meeting and Collaboration Tools

The team created an adaptable meeting scheduling system that could accommodate different
meeting cadences. Features included:

  • Meeting Agendas and Minutes: Users could set predefined agendas for each meeting, and notes or minutes could be recorded and shared post-meeting.
  • Real-time Data Updates: Performance dashboards were integrated into the meeting module, allowing teams to update OKRs and KPIs in real-time during discussions.

5. Database Migration

Ariel Software Solutions led the migration from Cosmos DB to MongoDB, which reduced database management costs by 60%. The transition was executed with zero downtime, ensuring that no user data was lost or corrupted during the migration.

saas_app

Measurable Outcomes

1. Enhanced Business Collaboration

The dynamic meeting scheduling and real-time updates improved collaboration across teams. As a result:

  • 50% Improvement in Team Collaboration: Teams could conduct more structured, data-driven meetings, leading to faster decision-making.

2. Cost Savings

Migrating from Cosmos DB to MongoDB resulted in significant cost savings:

  • 60% Reduction in Database Costs: The switch to MongoDB provided similar data handling capabilities but at a much lower cost, allowing Workfacta to invest in other areas of the platform.

3. Improved Performance Tracking and Goal Alignment

The OKR tracking system provided users with valuable insights into performance, helping align individual and team objectives:

  • 40% Better Goal Alignment: Users reported more precise tracking of OKRs and performance, which translated into improved business outcomes.

4. Increased User Engagement

The upgrade from Angular 6 to Angular 11 improved platform usability, leading to higher user engagement:

  • 20% Increase in Active Users: The modernized frontend led to smoother navigation and a more intuitive user experience, keeping users more engaged.

5. Operational Efficiency Gains

Automated performance dashboards and reports led to more efficient management:

  • 30% Boost in Operational Efficiency: The automation of performance tracking and reporting saved users considerable time in manual processes.

Conclusion

Ariel Software Solutions successfully translated Workfacta’s vision into a scalable SaaS platform feature-rich. This led to innovative business performance management solutions, along with user engagement, collaboration, and general performance tracking over the former operational cost reductions.

Ariel Software Solutions remains a partner with Workfacta, where continuous improvement and integration of new features have been embraced to keep improving to meet the changing needs of its users.