Custom Software, Custom Application

Using custom software to remove bottlenecks & add speed.

Overview

Established in 2006, TRB+ Associates is a building safety code compliance services corporation in Southern California with offices in San Ramon, Sacramento, Santa Clara and Long Beach. More than 50 licensed engineers, architects and certified building safety experts assist in gathering and delivering results on a wide range of code compliance-related needs.

TRB+ deals with detailed, mission-critical information on a daily basis, but their original process for parsing project information no longer aligned with their goals (growth and greater efficiency). They needed a custom software/application solution to help them operate faster, more smoothly, and free up additional resources to dedicate to other efforts.

A custom solution to add speed and efficiency

TRB+ used an internal tool to review contracts, building plans, and all the other assorted details associated with each project and customer. The project logging took place in one spreadsheet and was funneled through one individual. It was a bottleneck that hampered agility, response speed, and acted as a persistent pain point for employees. TRB+ needed a custom solution that would improve this process and allow automation to add speed and efficiency.

The goal was to create an internal workflow and turn it into tooling so that it could be implemented easily, open to input from a variety of sources, and have the versatility to bridge the old method into a new, more efficient and future-proof option.

With automation added to the mix, VAULT collaborated with TRB+ on the differences in the process, such as protocol and rules to follow when working in the new environment versus the previous method.

The new product needed to be both versatile and foundationally secure to hold up under new work and future expectations, and it also needed to be retroactively compatible with the prior system. The new tool needed to be able to import all previous projects into the new environment — which numbered in the tens of thousands —  and merge or translate the multiple project flow management systems used before. Continued access to old and completed projects, or older but still ongoing scopes, was essential and added another layer of complexity to what was already a unique undertaking. VAULT stepped in to build a tool to help with their current process, account for all the historical data, and then added new features to increase the ease of use of the product moving forward.

Users have the option to customize their individual dashboards with multiple setups. For example, an admin could have a ‘billing’ setup where the visible table dealt only with billing matters, and then a ‘managerial’ where they could view tables related to managing workloads.

Exploring solutions and customizing features

As a client, TRB+ aligned with many who have successfully partnered with VAULT in the past. TRB+ is tech-enabled, providing a service that isn’t a technology itself but one enhanced by the use of new technologies. TRB+ also tried to address its long-standing issues through a more traditional approach first as well, examining off-the-shelf options that showed its willingness to try to come to grips with the problem.

TRB+ knew what it needed but couldn’t find what it sought, specifically. Then it recognized it required a custom product development company that could explore solutions, tailor specific features, deliver on time and budget, and elevate the entire project with additional functionality elements. TRB+ agreed to an iteration process with VAULT where the focus was developing a lean version first, working through continued development collaboratively, then keep iterating to find the best version possible that eliminated the pain from the existing workflow.

The Project Details page highlights many filtering and sorting options, allowing users to find related items quickly. By leveraging the filtering and sorting options, users were then able to configure Custom Setups ideally united to their specific role.

Design and Development

The VAULT design team worked closely with TRB+ to build an experience that was clean, intuitive, and engaging while also serving to add versatility, compatibility, and more functionality to the tool. Through the iterative process — developing an aspect, getting feedback on it, and then building on it further — VAULT and TRB+ constructed a solution that included more features than first anticipated.

  • The Project Details page implemented allowed the use of many filtering and sorting options, allowing users to find related items quickly.
  • By leveraging the filtering and sorting options, users were then able to configure Custom Setups ideally united to their specific role.
  • In addition, users could customize their individual dashboards with multiple setups. For example, an admin could have a ‘billing’ setup where the visible table dealt only with billing matters, and then a ‘managerial’ where they could view tables related to managing workloads.
  • More iterations brought about an Impersonation feature, the ability to log in as another type of user and view what they would be seeing through the application.
  • The addition of a sixth type of user led to the development of billing features, which were absent in the previous version of the workflow.

Deliverables

  • Application Sitemaps
  • User Flows
  • User Stories / Functional Specifications
  • Wireframes / Clickable Prototype
  • Page/Screen Designs
  • Style Guide
  • Iconography

Technology that saves money and time

The final product serves a critical role for TRB+ in that it does what they NEED it to do. It’s a tooling solution that eliminates previous pain points and one that will be utilized now and well into the foreseeable future. Avenues for better, quicker and more efficient completion of project management work in a core hub for the business were implemented.

VAULT helped TRB+ develop an internal tool to handle and process a tremendous amount of data that was also accessible and added speed to their day-to-day process with automated options like notifications in real time. The end product represented a successful launch that made the lives of the employees at TRB+ easier, saved time and streamlined common tasks, and allowed the team to work on and update multiple projects concurrently. TRB+ used technology to save money, in terms of time and efficiency, while solving a known problem.

The project was so well received that TRB+ asked VAULT to take on a follow-up website project because of their in-depth understanding of the core business.

The team at VAULT was very helpful, professional, and provided an excellent product. They were great communicators and ensured we were always informed of what they were working on and what stage they were at in the design process."

Dan McLaughlin
TRB+

VAULT Services Performed

Discovery + Ideation

Research, Analytics, & Insights

Product Definition

Information Architecture

User Interface Design

User Experience Design

Design Strategy

Product Design

Launch Date

January 2022