Pig-check

Client

Based in Germany, the client is a provider of software solutions for agricultural companies, farmers, veterinary surgeons, and consulting organizations.

Project goal

The goals to prevent pig-tail biting and improve animal welfare were of high governmental concern. As part of the German National Knowledge Network Copier Waiver project, the client aimed to renounce routine ping-tail docking.

For this purpose, it was crucial to digitize and segment the information (risk analysis reports, animal owner declarations, etc.) from farmers, veterinary surgeons, consulting organizations, and other parties. Additionally, it was important to collect the data to further evaluate the initiated measures to reduce tail-biting and determine progress on farms.

Another task was to showcase to farmers the weaknesses within their companies at all levels, as this knowledge was a prerequisite for implementing the docking ban.

To address these issues, the project owners decided to develop a SaaS platform for all process participants. The client came to Aligned Code by referral, with our team introduced as a trusted IT partner with vast expertise in building SaaS systems. After a one-month testing period, the customer continued our collaboration.

Solution

Our team started by collecting and analyzing client requirements, then estimated the work scope, formulated the list of tasks, and prioritized features. Then, our IT experts outlined a solution delivery roadmap.

After developing a dynamic, clickable prototype, we proceeded to create an intuitive user interface (UI) / experience (UX) design. Following Agile best practices, our software engineers were able to implement new functionality every 2–3 weeks.

The challenges we solved:

• Since a SaaS system stored a lot of sensitive information, it was critical to achieve data security and privacy. Additionally, the app was created for EU companies, so ensuring compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was another priority.

To enforce security, we implemented two-factor authentication and role-based access control. For extra protection, our software engineers also applied data encryption. By taking those measures, our IT experts also achieved compliance with the GDPR.

• It was important to provide users (farmers, consultants, veterinary surgeons, etc.) with the possibility to interact with the web system offline. The customer also wanted to make the service available on smartphones, but was afraid it would cost a lot.

For offline use, our team suggested the company create a PWA, which is a mix of a website and mobile product. Thanks to this, users can interact with the system when there is no Internet connectivity. Acting as a web solution, a PWA can be downloaded on smartphones without opening app stores (Google Play, App Store). On top of that, our developers optimized the PWA for iPads.

As a PWA involves mobile features, we removed the need for the client to build a mobile application. As a result, the company was able to cut expenditures.

Finally, we built a SaaS system for farmers, veterinary surgeons, and consulting companies consisting of 4 modules that include authorization, PDF service (versioning, document export, data synchronization, etc.), PWA functionality, and emailing.

The delivered web application supports Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari browsers. Furthermore, we ensured compliance with EU Directive 2008/120/EC.

To achieve the smooth, error-free product operation, our quality assurance engineers used various testing types. For instance, we performed unit testing to test features and modules separately, identifying and fixing bugs much faster. By conducting end-to-end (E2E) testing simulating real user scenarios, our QA experts verified that the system behaved as intended.

Regarding communication flow, we provided the customer with weekly reports about the completed tasks and statuses. We also demonstrated intermediate demos at the end of every project stage.

Our team was always quick to respond and assist the client via Slack, Gmail, Google Meet, etc., answering questions, discussing the required issues, and sending the requested information. With daily Scrum meetings, our IT professionals established effective internal cooperation.

Key features

Our team created a SaaS platform for pig farm management that has the following features:

1. Sign up/in
2. VVVO - Authorization
3. Role-based data access control
4. User groups creation
5. Master data changes
6. User languagе saving
7. PWA functionality
8. PWA optimization for iPad iOS
9. Synchronized checklists
10. Export checklist entries as PDF (PDF service creation)
11. PDF versioning
12. Emailing
13. Email templates translation