PsiWare

PROJECT TYPE
Web App

STATUS
Done

INDUSTRY
Psychological Consultation

Introduction


Stone, McElroy and Associates and Code Switch have partnered together since way, way back in the day...back when Code switch was just Brandon operating as a part time developer. Most recently however, we've revived that partnership to help build a platform that provides Customer Relationship Management and Scheduling capabilities for their clients and candidates, and secondly allows the management of every phase of their psychological evaluations.

What needed to be done?


  • Complete front-end and back-end code overhaul.
  • Modernize the look and feel of the site.
  • Allow more in-app settings and customizations for platform users.
  • Add new features to the CRM and scheduling platform, such as the ability to save personal report parameters.
  • Enable multi-tenancy for the platform.

Challenges


  • One of the major challenges for this project was the fact that a good portion of the code was developed by a different, initial set of developers, and was essentially handed over to Code Switch for completion. Although this means we had a head start, there are some significant difficulties in picking up an existing code base...
  • Learning and understand how the code is structured.
  • Piecing together what’s been completed, not completed, completed by not working, etc...
  • Potentially needing to undo / redo certain sections of the site to fully achieve the desired end result.
  • For each fix and feature needed, this led to having to untangle how features worked in the code currently, research how changing that could cause downstream impacts, make changes and test effectively.

Solutions


  • Approaching code that has been worked on by a separate development team often requires the assessment of whether or not to refactor (or re-do) the code in place. Given the desired timeframe for releasing the platform, instead of considering a full rebuild of the code, Code Switch identified areas of the app that needed some re-work and would benefit from a refactor. Focusing on smaller areas allowed us to refactor, test and move forward with those updates much faster. Over time, additional refactoring opportunities may put us in a position where the code is completely updated and providing 100% of the features SMA is needing.
  • To get an idea of what features in the app were completed, not yet completed or not working as expected, Code Switch worked with SMA to create a test plan for the site in the state in which it was passed to us. This allowed several user types from SMA to attempt using the platform as they were expected to and to provide targeted feedback as to what worked, what did not work and what changes were still needed. This has allowed us to progress through the app in a systematic way without starting from scratch with a requirements gathering session and the upfront planning and conversations needed from that process.

Client Result


We are working very closely with Stone, McElroy & Associates to complete our phased testing approach, and are looking to close this project out very soon! Weekly calls and progress updates are currently the norm to ensure we deliver the end result asap!


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