Mobile and Web App Development for Logistics and Customs Brokerage Company

Solution

Mobile App Development

Within the framework of this project, we took over the entire process of business analysis and solution design. SPD Technology had to analyze the business processes of our client’s different departments and make them work in cohesion in a single mobile application.

Discovery Stage

For the discovery phase, we formed a team of three experts on the SPD Technology side, including a software architect. Although to the moment of our collaboration with this client, we had never worked in this domain before, we rigorously studied it to maximize the value of our expertise. After a series of meetings and interviews with the client, we collected the information about the business processes and aggregated it into QML charts, BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) diagrams, UML diagrams, and specifications. As a result of our analysis, we presented the options for software solutions that would be best for this case.

It became clear that there was no off-the-shelf solution containing the expected features for the mobile application. Our team recommended the client customizing Odoo CRM to cover part of the functionality, particularly internal processes. The remaining functionality was planned to be covered by a mobile application built from scratch. We provided the client with time and budget estimates, along with documentation, completing all actions for the discovery phase.

While any software development company could potentially work with the client based on our research, the client reviewed the offers on the market and decided to continue our partnership, delegating the creation of the app to us. For the implementation of Odoo CRM, the client hired another company that we suggested for the job. The client decided that a native Android app would be the most fitting option for the first iteration of the project.

Development Stage

We initially decided to collaborate with the client on the basis of the managed product engagement model. The size and team composition had proven to be perfect for the continuous development of an application. 

The development of the app started approximately at the same time as the company-wide implementation of Odoo CRM. We decided to code a back-end part, building an API in particular, to connect the mobile app with Odoo CRM. During the work on this integration, we needed to agree with all the parties involved in the development over the choice between modifying both the API and the Odoo CRM modules in order to eliminate the differences in the data structures. As we reached an agreement, we established an effective way for collaboration, which resulted in several other high-performance integrations.

After the beginning of the development, the idea of a Smart Way app was presented at 14th Pitch Day by Ukrainian Startup Fund. Our client placed second among the Ukrainian IT-startups and received additional funding for building the Smart Way app. Our groundwork as well as extra investments allowed us to further develop the next solutions:

• Autotests helped reduce the amount of manual testing by 70%.
• Machine learning capabilities were implemented in the application as a client requirement. That’s why the data in the app is structured in a specific way and is consistent. Smart Way app is capable of collecting the fullest raw data for the opportunity of machine learning future introduction. 
• MongoDB, a non-relational, document-oriented database, was chosen to quickly store data of the same type.
• Spring WebFlux technology was selected to maximize server efficiency in the communication between the mobile application and Odoo.

Web App Development

A year after we delivered the mobile application, our client decided to build an expanded version of their logistics mobile application for B2B clients. They also opted to shift to Flutter technology to achieve greater ease of use and cost-efficiency, as Flutter allows a single mobile app to be developed for two platforms simultaneously.

The foundation for the mobile product to be built was laid during the early stages of the first logistics app development project we had implemented for the сlient. That project had an intensive discovery stage, during which our business analysts gained an in-depth understanding of the company’s numerous complex business processes. We refined the client’s initial idea of the product and helped shape it virtually from the ground up. The insights collected during this time helped us shape and design the new, B2B version of the client’s mobile app.

We embarked on the development of a new version of the client’s product, a B2B logistics mobile app that is part of the company’s B2B and B2C logistics platform. The application allowed a cargo carrier to build and display driver networks, display multiple cargo locations in real time, and interact with the Ukrainian customs services (the cameras and queue at the border, submission of eDocuments, and more).

For cargo senders, we configured the mobile app to have such features as choosing a route, placing a cargo delivery order, scanning the related documents, making an online payment, receiving an order confirmation, and GPS-tracking their orders online. For cargo recipients, we developed the functionality to track the status of the cargo being transported to them.

Our team also automated truck drivers’ multiple interactions with the various state bodies they need to deal with while delivering cargo internationally. Thanks to our efforts, a truck driver now can remotely join the electronic queue at the border-crossing, order customs and logistics services, obtain information on the nearest weight inspection points and speed cameras, apply for medical assistance online, obtain life or cargo insurance, or register various documents by using a QR-code. Thus, the application fully supports the diverse documentation management workflow for a truck driver that is otherwise way too time-consuming, paper-intensive, and effort-intensive.

Additionally, truck drivers received the ability to search for merchants that provide services they are interested in in their vicinity. These merchants include filling stations, service stations, places to eat out, and more. The application’s service integration with partner networks (filling stations, service stations, cafés, and so on) allows the user to benefit from discounts. The application displays all of a partner’s network points on the map, and the user can generate discounts for their services within the partner network. The software is also integrated with a payment system. Due to this, the user can pay for their paperwork directly in the app.

Just like in the first project we’ve implemented for the client, our project team was working in close contact with a third-party Odoo CRM implementation team. They were also working in contact with the Python development team, developing the web-based part of their logistics platform.uted to establishing a secure and reliable learning environment.