SoftLogic Solutions speciality is Workflow Automation and Custom Software development maintenance which leads to us working with many different businesses across Australia.
One such business is leading drug and alcohol screening provider Integrity Sampling Australia (ISA).
As part of the Australian occupational health and safety regimes for workplace, ensuring workers are safe is an employer’s responsibility.
For some businesses, to achieve this, they require a trusted and reliable drug and alcohol screening program.
Integrity Sampling Australia provides high quality, and reliable drug and alcohol screening services to a large number or tier 1, 2 and 3 organisations around Australia.
Whether it’s in the corporate head office, or on dangerous work sites such as construction or mining, you will find Integrity at work.
Custom software components & environment
To deliver their services to their clients, Integrity Sampling Australia have several custom software programs that provide workflow automation for their Technicians day in and day out.
Over almost 10 years of service, these workforce automation applications have delivered ongoing efficiencies, removed manual handling of data as well as ensuring the integrity the data that they are capturing from the field.
The systems they are running are:
- A Job Scheduling Application to allow for their call centre staff to efficiently capture, schedule and allocate their clients required drug screening in the field. The Scheduler enters all the screening required, what equipment needs to be used along with when and where the screening needs to take place. Once completed the Screening Job is allocated to a technician based on what region in Australia the screening will occur and the Job is sent to the Technicians Tablet PC.
- A Technician Application receives the Jobs and provides a workflow that helps with fast diagnosis and screening. The Job will indicate the testing devices needed so that the Technician can be fully prepared when attending to the client site. The Tablet software prompts for the required information and guides the user through the process of screening and ascertaining what follow up Lab testing is needed to confirm the results. Once the Technician completes the Job the application sends the test results to the accounts department in their State.
- An Accounts Application tracks the Jobs and guides the admin staff through the process of sending out a result once the Lab provides the final assessment. The Technician cost and Lab costs are then invoiced. The Accounts App also archives all the information about the Job securely for future reference.
Platform and language
- VBA, C#.Net
- File based Communications
- Flat Table Database
Key challenges and issues
When Softlogic Solutions started working with ISA, their workflow automation programs needed updating and a robust program to keep them running smoothly for the business.
The specific issues at hand were:
- The existing applications were using aging technologies and platforms, and as a result were creating difficulties in accessing and maintaining them and needed TLC to ensure they were properly maintained while new solutions were investigated.
- They had invested in a new application which had been developed and was in testing. However, testing revealed a critical architectural issue and the resolution was not straight forward, so the project was on hold until the best way forward could be determined.
- While ISA had a good developer for the programs, there was no supporting software specialists and insufficient coordination of requirements gathering and project management in house to support him to help deliver a work program that was aligned to the internal roadmap.
How we worked with ISA
SoftLogic took over the software program requirements analysis and management and provided the necessary support to the inhouse developer to both augment the skill set as well roll out an upgraded and enhanced system.
Specifically, we delivered and continue to provide:
- Project management and quality assurance skills to the program of work, bringing their inhouse software developer into the SoftLogic team to augment and support the work and ensure proper allocation of deployment resource, and monthly status reporting for ISA management.
- Critical features review and developed a road map to put in place important value-add solutions for monthly and real-time reporting for ISA.
- New critical features, with a complete set of documentation to support the architecture and operations, as well as working with the developer to implement the solution. We also provided the testing resources required to ensure quality assurance on the solution.
Finally, the on hold redevelopment of the entire Workflow Automation program was reviewed and a solution design to resolve the issues in the project was delivered.
This was an online version in a modern operating environment for both staff and customers to access via a secure portal to monitoring jobs, test results and billing information.
Key outcomes
ISA’s software needs were of the nature that a bigger team with broader and deeper skills across project management, business analysis, testing and quality assurance as well as a different programming and platform specialists would be difficult to justify from a financial perspective.
The hybrid service model that Softlogic Solutions was able to offer provided them with them with the best of both worlds. This is provided as part of a fixed monthly cost, transparent reporting, and none of the usual continuity of hiring and skill development.
Specifically, they now have:
- Guaranteed processes in place around version control and testing give them a robust program and environment with the right kind of support in place to keep it running smoothly.
- Future proofing and quality assurance across the program as well as documentation from installation to testing agreements to SLAs and ongoing maintenance program.
- A ticketing system to allow full visibility and reporting on the workflow and status of all bugs and enhancements across all platforms, and the ability to reprioritise as needed.
The SoftLogic Solutions Approach
Regardless of the industry or application, SoftLogic Solutions have a process to deliver ‘robust reliability’ for a custom software support and maintenance as follows.
Phase 1 – Discovery
- Gather information on the programs, environment, and business to build the SoftLogic Solutions’ understanding of the software architecture, business processes, and how to test that they are operating correctly.
- Documentation review and an investigation by the SoftLogic Solutions of the systems to understand any gaps and in the Development Environments, APIs, Source Code, Staging Systems, Test Procedures and finalisation of Support and Maintenance requirements.
Phase 2 – Handover
- SoftLogic Solutions assembles the necessary dashboards, processes and skilled tech team to support the business requirements.
- Part of this process is a familiarisation of our software development team with the Code
Base and Architecture. We take the time to talk with previous developers to fill out our knowledge. - Design and set up of Staging environment that allows our team to access all of the relevant systems in a secure manner that allows the workflow, testing regimen to be undertaken – all remotely – so our team can support the business at any time of the day, any time of the year.
- Complete documentation on the environments are created so that there is both visibility and continuity with the environment going forward. Keeping this documentation up to date is always part of what we do as part of our program of work.
- Detailed and complex testing plans and cases are created, along with bringing in the relevant subject matter experts from the business into the process.
Phase 3 – Transition to Support Operations
- Ongoing SoftLogic Solutions provide with provide Level 1, 2 and 3 support as required by the business for the programs and environment. A direct ticketing system allows staff to immediately log an issue, and an escalation process is in place so that no matter when, problems can be addressed as appropriate.