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Our client is a 3PL and warehousing business. They had developed an automation tool for streamlining workflows within their warehouse, and were seeking to scale their tool into a SaaS app that they could onboard partners onto.
This involved adding in authentication, multi-tenancy, file management, and billing features into their existing tool. They engaged with All-In Consulting to design and implement a plan for doing so.
Action
We broke this this project into 3 phases:
- Discovery
- Implementation
- Go-Live
During discovery, we architected the UI and backend changes needed to support the scale out.
During implementation, we broke the project into two-week sprints with twice-per-week updates and live demos once every two weeks.
We left two weeks at the end for the Go-Live, training, and additional enhancements. As part of this, we ended up completing integrations with:
- Auth0 for authentication and multi-tenancy
- Stripe for billing
- In-house development for file, user, and organization management
Result
We finished the project on time and on budget, with a few days to spare. We assisted with the onboarding of the first users onto the tool. The client was satisfied, and we began discussions on future phased enhancements soon after.
Key Learnings
Focus on 3rd Party Integrations First
We recommend clients focus on 3rd party integrations in any development projects first, as these integrations present the most risk. Sometimes there is inadequate documentation or time-consuming coordination needed with external stakeholders. As this is less in our control, it's important to start these discussions sooner in a project than later.
Leaving Time for Go-Live
The final two weeks of go-live were critical to smooth out the UX. There are always issues that only get revealed when customers begin using the tool, so it's critical to leave some time for onboarding as part of the implementation to ensure succesful adoption of the technology.
Phasing Implementations into 2 Phases
Lastly, we recommend considering phasing implementations into two-parts. The first part is the bare minimum needed for users to begin using the tool, and the second part is for any custom enhancements or features after. That way the users can begin realizing value from the tool sooner rather than having to wait to the end.
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If you have software development needs, feel free to reach out to michael@allinengineeringconsulting.com for a free consultation.