Developing A Custom CMS — Phase I

As businesses, big and small, look to increase operational efficiency, the ability to create tailored tools becomes increasingly valuable. 38th Street Studios was contracted by D2K Traffic Equipment & Design to develop an internal web portal with the goal of increasing internal efficiencies via automation. The scope of the web portal continues to continually increase, however phase one included building a way to track purchase requisitions through the chain of approval. Originally, this process was handled with multiple pieces of paper that were passed up the chain of command. This standard process often had problems, such as finding lost requisitions, lack of approval with absences and difficulty with clear communication about a requisition being ordered, shipped, expected or delivered. Bottom line, this process needed to be streamlined, digitized and automated.

The development of this portal was not a one-time build, but instead was the start of a much larger portal, which would streamline all operational processes. With that in mind, our team wanted to build a foundation that would allow for expansion into additional modules while allowing interconnection between them. To allow for easy expansion and quick setup, we decided to move forward on a tech stack that consisted of Firebase, Python Flask and AngularJS. This stack allowed us to accomplish tasks quickly with an end UI/UX that was simple and easy to use. Specifically, using Firebase and Angular allows for a webpage that does not need to be reloaded for uploads, displaying the most up-to-date information to every user.

Tracking purchase requisitions is a relatively easy task at first glance, however this project had many hurdles along the way. The approval chain for a particular purchase requisition (from creator to approval and finally purchase) wasn’t linear, but instead a tree structure. This process needed to be handled through a user permissions setup that gave flexibility for various combinations of tasks. D2K also requested the ability to make notes just as they would on a standard piece of paper, so we incorporated a real-time chat feature in this tool, as well.

Now deployed, D2K uses the system to find kinks in the chain of approval, decrease man-hours spent tracking purchase requisitions and has an improved way to track cash flow. In fact, time spent on every purchase order was reduced by 90 percent with the implementation of this tool. Additionally, D2K enjoys the benefit of being able to approve requisitions from any computer, reducing “stuck time” in the approval process.

Take a look at what D2K Traffic Equipment & Design has to say about their new Purchase Order Tool:

“D2K Traffic has integrated the Purchase Order Tool that 38th Street Studios development, and our entire business has experienced positive results. Our purchasing department is working at double the efficiency and our managers creating the requisitions are able to do so with much more ease. Our cash flow reporting is aided by a better detailed purchasing system and tracking the purchase order approvals has never been easier. This tool is a game changer for any business that has a requisition system with an approved vendor list, cash flow tracking, and purchasing approval rankings. It’s a must have!”

— Devvon Clay, Owner