Label Management & Procurement System A SaaS based product, from the ground up!

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1 Label Management & Procurement System A SaaS based product, from the ground up! Executive summary Supported by its SaaS and Adobe products programming development experience, Mindfire Solutions came to the fore to become the complete software services provider to a soon-to-be single-product based US-firm. The objective was to build and launch the US firm s new, sole product to its targeted Labeling, Packaging & Print industry market. The initial engagement started the LMPS Label Management and Procurement System, product development, laying the foundation for a long-term relationship including development of next versions in the software product roadmap, along with the development or establishment of supportive and extending tools, solutions, & related services. The product/system roadmap includes considerations for providing more features like label-versioning, multiple platforms support, integration with Active/Open Directory services, tight integration with messaging/ services, integration with order tracking and implementation of common print industry standards for better interfacing. It also includes considerations for moving to a higher SaaS maturity models/levels beyond level 2 (Configurable) i.e., Level 3 - Configurable and Multi-tenant Efficient, and then Level 4 - Scalable, Configurable and Multi-tenant Efficient. About our Client Client ABCXYZ Inc. Its business objective is to provide a definitive system or tool for label management & procurement operations to its targeted industry companies which market numerous separate products and are continually challenged to coordinating their packaging, labeling and print distribution. Location Idaho, USA Industry Labeling, Packaging, Print industry Business situation The US firm set out to achieve its primary goal to build an internet/web based, workflow-driven software through which enterprises could easily perform label management and procurement operations. Although multiple software service providers proposed solutions, Mindfire s excellent software solution(s) and strategy stood out, fulfilling the core requirement of WYSIWYG or Precision Text Editing on labels in a SaaS-based implementation, and providing a definitive roadmap to deliver required product versions and supporting services/processes. These were key aspects crucial to the success of the ABC Inc. s Label Management and Procurement System s business case. We proposed a well thought out solution, considering all the technical aspects such as features, look and feel, quality, performance, and usability. It was important to guarantee the successful implementation of core concepts. We did it neatly with the help of a detailed project management plan, technical architecture, storyboards, and a demonstration/ prototyping of the web-based WYSIWYG, Precision Text Editing implementation using a SaaS-based solution. The PM Plan had the complete set of phases & milestones described in details, including associated deliverables. The PM plan for the first version of the product satisfied the need-to-speed priorities & timely deliverables, which matched the time-bound windows of the definitive product marketing strategy. In addition, Mindfire understood, analyzed, and laid out well-defined plans for supportive business cases to the original product idea. This included a migration plan for potential customers wishing to move to ABC Inc s product, and an expansion or upgrade plan for next versions of the software product and related services.

2 Solution details The Mindfire Solution The complete solution to build and execute the software product in a services model consists of: 1. Building the first version of the LMPS product Mindfire is building the first version, dividing the project into two phases, where: a. The first phase essentially a promotional/demonstrable 1 st cut release of entire end-to-end solution, and b. The second phase is the production system, where the workflow implementation is exploded and an administrative module added to form the final release candidate. 2. Streamlining migration operations for potential customers We have a set of steps outlined, a mix of automated and manual efforts, which may be required to migrate to the LAPS system, and 3. Providing production server and operations support to execute the system 365x24x7 Mindfire will be managing the system in production along with the related services like administration, technical support, maintenance etc. The LMPS software solution had implementation of the key features: A multi-tier client-server architecture with clear separation of presentation, logic and data WYSIWYG, Precision Text Editing in a SaaS implementation, and Label Management and Procurement operations workflow implementation We created a multi-tier architecture, separating the presentation, business/application logic, and the data management into different layers, making technology decisions considering deployment & total costs to the client and its customers. Presentation Tier ASP. NET AJAX Views/ Controls / Validators WYSIWYG Text Editing Business Objects Business/ Logic Tier Data Layer Abstraction Users, Permissions, Programs, Templates, Events, Controllers Data Tier SQL Server DB Look-ups, Transactions Stored Procedures Logging/ Trace Figure 1 Four-level SaaS maturity model (Ref - MSDN) Figure 2 Multi-tier Architecture All layers have a generic, loosely coupled interface, to allow for improvements in scalability, performance, easier change control, and better control on functionality. Presentation layer is essentially an ASP.NET web interface. Business logic layer is the core application-processing engine, supplemented by a generic database-interface layer. The data layer consists of the database server, where all relevant data and information is stored.

3 We implemented the required workflow where users can: Setup their own label archives using a workbench, with required information and associated data/images, Search for labels in the pre-established archive, Edit existing labels using WYSIWYG precision text editing; they can quickly compose, selectively modify, instantly preview, and submit requests for acceptance of their changes to the label team lead, Proof revisions, rejecting or accepting changes, accordingly notifying the concerned team members, Send/Place the label print orders, including the label images and associated data, Schedule orders renew, reuse, modify existing orders or create new ones, An administrator module provides features to establish labels, users, permissions, configurations, and preferences. Achievements We have designed the WYSIWYG precision text-editing feature in a SaaS implementation, using Adobe Illustrator application serving text edit requests on label images at the backend. The workflow screens use AJAX give the user a desktop application type response. We created a greatly simplified architecture and workflow based mechanism, which can work in both a single user setup and a much bigger (100-user) setup. We have created this Level-2 Maturity Model SaaS architecture such that the lead up to Level-3 and Level-4 is achievable as a quick and natural transition. The system is scalable load balancing is possible with quantified extra efforts, done with servicing components at the backend multiplied and placed on different machines. Technologies Presentation tier o ASP.NET web application developed in C#, with TinyMCE used for text editing mapping most of Adobe Illustrator styles in and as HTML, and neatly designed web user interface (Adobe Photoshop). o AJAX used to quickly get the text edit request submitted to the server end, rendered by Adobe Illustrator, generate equivalent JPEG and PDF previews, displayed back on to the web/presentation interface via zoombased image control and Acrobat PDF viewer ActiveX control. Business tier o Business objects implementation state machines, permissions/privilege matrices, validations, data lookups, transactions processing etc. Data tier o MySQL database server used in the data-tier, easily replaceable by any other database server, given the generic interface created for data layer abstraction. o Stored procedures, lookup, transaction, history, and log tables, relationships, administrative and user data, metadata about file server artifacts etc. o File server with label images, text XMLs etc. Server side o Windows 2003 server, IIS, ASP.NET web site, Adobe Illustrator executing PTE requests coming from client/user. Client side o IE7, Safari, FireFox support on Mac and Windows platforms in future versions/releases.

4 Final Results Software System The following figures including architecture, deployment, edit request and order workflow diagrammatical representations provide a glimpse of the developed first version of the product/software system. Figure-3 shows the primary activity in a basic deployment diagram, all processes running on separate machines. Figure-4 shows the main working station for the user; workflow stages accessible at any point. Figure-5 shows the Edit Request object state machine based on the primary workflow. Figure-6 shows the Order object state machine based on the primary workflow and stages. Figure-3 Storyboard and Deployment diagram Figure-4 Main Working Station

5 Figure-5 - Edit Request Workflow diagram Figure-6 - Order Workflow diagram Customer Benefits The specifications were more on the conceptual side. Mindfire provided product design support, analyzing and understanding basic requirements doing elaborate discussions with the client, brainstorming for workflow and features to come to the best possible design & implementation. Client communication and co-ordination was the key to the decision-making on feature details. Mindfire has an excellent understanding of the business, architectural, operational, customer base specific considerations and requirements for various steps/versions the complete product/system roadmap. Clear vision of the scope and future requirements continues to be a big plus in reducing the number of iterations, redundancy, and associated costs. Mindfire sharply reduced the time to market, delivered Phase-1, which closely matched the production level requirements in terms of finish, stability, and performance. This version allowed the client to convince potential buyers/customers ahead of time, much before the production system release learning more and adapt to customer requirements i.e., the targeted markets. The client continues to benefit on overall cost for the software product development working with Mindfire. Mindfire s skills, experience, and aggressive pricing has greatly reduced the total costs. Future relationship Given our great commitment and high-quality delivery, we shall continue to be the service provider for the next versions in the product roadmap. We have a three-pronged plan once the first version is in production: We have outlined a set of steps, which are a mix of automation, and manual efforts required to migrate to the LAPS system. Mindfire will be managing the system in production, along with the required, related services like administration, technical support, maintenance etc. Continued analysis, discussions, and innovative ideas have already led to concepts for next set of features for this product. Next version s development shall start as soon as the first one is out in the market.