Project Description
CIPS (Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply)
Distribution and Validation Solution
THE BRIEF
The Client required an immediate solution to manage the workflow of examination papers as they came in from examination centres, the subsequent sending out of papers to exam markers, and furthermore the return of papers to an archive centre. At any point the client would receive queries as to the location of a paper or perhaps the grade a candidate had received.
STAGE 1 – CONSULTANCY
Our understanding of the confidential materials was already high, so we had already designed software in the past very similar. This made the consultancy process straightforward and we were able to understand the clients exact requirements. One major factor here was that the client required the application in a very short space of time, 5 days! Luckily due to our expertise we were confident we could deliver and we did.
STAGE 2 – TECHNICAL CHALLENGES AND SYSTEM DESIGN
As with any client, the technical challenge of navigating the network infrastructure and security was a big challenge. Another consideration was the software application had to be easy to use by all levels of staff (often casual labour) quickly. We designed the system to be entirely barcode driven, even to the point that each user had a credit card with their user name barcode. We also designed and built in an intelligent validation to ensure that all scans were valid, i.e. you could not issue a paper to an examiner incorrectly. We also designed a management console where team leaders and managers could see live progress at a glance.
STAGE 3 – DEPLOYMENT
Deployment was difficult due to extreme security measures but we worked closely with the client’s I.T. team to resolve all issues and get the application deployed. Due to the limited timescale, testing was limited but we were on hand during the project in case of any issues, of which there were none!
I had worked with Patrick & Andy on a number of other applications for our company with great results, so they where the obvious choice when we needed a secure, accurate and robust software solution for our client. They didn’t disappoint the solution was delivered on time, in budget and works a treat.
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