Overview
Client: JobRecord
Industry: Human Resources / Job Management
Services Provided: Project Rescue, Code Optimization, UI/UX Enhancement
Duration: 4 Months
Outcome: Stabilized and optimized software, streamlined performance, new, effective development approach
The Challenge
JobRecord, an innovative, video based job portal, faced significant challenges in its development phase. The project was plagued by unresolved technical issues, frequent crashes, slow performance, and critical bugs that seriously affected the user experience. The development process was spiraling out of control with no clear roadmap, leading to missed deadlines and escalating costs.
Key Issues Identified:
Frequent System Crashes: The software would often crash under heavy load, causing frustration among users and damaging the client’s reputation.
Performance Bottlenecks: Slow response times and lag were affecting the user experience, with page load times exceeding acceptable thresholds.
Lack of Clear Development Plan: The project lacked direction, with no clear objectives or milestones, resulting in scope creep and inefficiencies.
Technical Debt: Accumulated due to quick fixes and poor coding practices, making further development difficult and costly.
Lack of Transparency: Inconsistent communication between the JobRecord team and the previous development agency led to missed deadlines, missed requirements and unpredictibility.
JobRecord approached Smartitory with an urgent need for a project rescue to regain control, stabilize the software, and align the development with their business goals.
The Solution: Applying Smartitory’s 6-Step Project Rescue Process
To address JobRecord’s challenges, we implemented our comprehensive 6-step Project Rescue process, designed to bring stability, clarity, and direction to struggling projects.
Discovery and Diagnosis:
Uncovering the root causes of the project's struggles.
We began with a deep dive into the symptoms. Through interviews with the client’s project team, and an analysis of the existing documentation and logs, we identified the core issues—both technical and process-related—that were derailing the project. This phase laid the foundation for a targeted recovery plan.
Comprehensive Project Audit:
Assessing the technical landscape to pinpoint vulnerabilities.
Our team conducted a meticulous audit of the codebase, tools and infrastructure. We uncovered a series of poor coding practices, outdated libraries, and inefficient algorithms contributing to the system crashes and slow performance. The code was built by copy-pasted code snippets from Stackoverflow, with variable names from different languages like Japanese, Hungarian, Lithuanian, etc. A detailed report was generated, outlining the vulnerabilities, listing the most critical bugs and proposed improvements.
Aligning Objectives and Priorities:
Setting realistic goals and defining success milestones.
Working closely with JobRecord’s leadership, we established a set of clear, actionable objectives and milestones. Short-term goals was centered around the upcoming jobfair, where JobRecord was invited to present their platform in front of HR managers and thousands of jobseekers. We focused on stabilizing the software, eliminating bottlenecks that caused high churn rates, and enhancing performance. Together with the JobRecord team, we agreed on high-level medium and long-term goals aimed at refining the user interface and expanding features based on user feedback. This phase ensured that everyone was aligned on the priorities and expected outcomes.
Establishing Collaboration Framework:
Creating a seamless partnership for effective execution.
We set up robust communication channels and collaboration tools to ensure continuous and transparent communication between our team and JobRecord. This framework included daily standups, sprint reviews, and feedback loops to ensure any issues were swiftly addressed, and the project stayed on track. We agreed on the responsibilities of each project team member.
Critical Issue Resolution:
Addressing the most urgent problems to stabilize the project.
Our team focused on rapid solutions to stabilize the software. We refactored the a part of the codebase, fixed the most crucial bugs, optimized database queries, and implemented load balancing to prevent system crashes under heavy load. We also tackled the most critical performance bottlenecks and improved response times significantly. We successfully managed to stabilize the project for the jobfair, so JobRecord could start to collect users and sale their services for the companies.
Strategic Development and Optimization:
Focusing on sustainable growth and future success.
With the critical issues resolved, we shifted focus to long-term optimization. We enhanced the UI/UX to make the platform more intuitive and user-friendly. We also integrated agile practices to allow for iterative development and continuous improvement, ensuring that the platform could evolve with JobRecord’s needs and market demands. We developed new functionalities and a cross-platform mobile app.
The Results
The application of Smartitory’s Project Rescue process delivered transformative results for JobRecord:
Stabilized Platform: The frequent crashes were eliminated, and the system now handles high loads without downtime, greatly improving reliability.
Performance Improvement: Page load times were reduced by 60%, resulting in a smoother and faster user experience.
Enhanced User Interface: The redesigned UI/UX led to a 40% increase in user satisfaction, as measured by feedback surveys.
Clear Development Roadmap: With a defined roadmap and agile development practices in place, the project stayed on track, on time, and within budget.
Reduced Technical Debt: Refactoring and optimizing the codebase significantly reduced technical debt, making future enhancements easier and less costly.
Improved Communication and Collaboration: Establishing a clear framework for communication resulted in faster decision-making and a more collaborative partnership.
Conclusion
By leveraging our 6-step Project Rescue process, Smartitory successfully transformed the JobRecord project from a state of “techruptcy” into a stable, optimized, and user-friendly platform. The collaborative effort not only rescued a failing project but also positioned JobRecord for future growth and success.
Ready to turn your project around?
Contact Smartitory today and let us help you go from techruptcy to triumph!
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