SAP
Concept: Development of an internal portal for SAP employees.
The goal of the project was to create a portal application written in hyperapp.js as a front end and Java as backend using SAPUI5 framework and a content management system in headless mode for storing legal texts through the portal interface adapted to the legal context of the country.
Project Scope
Technologically, the emphasis was on creating one system suitable for all employees with offices in different parts of the world, which meant that information had to be provided not only in different languages but also taking into account the legal context of the country.
My first task on the project was the design and development of the first run wizard - the first time the portal is launched, the user shall receive introductory information about the product and adjust the main settings.
Tasks first run wizard:
- Familiarize the user with the functionality
- Collect and save basic data - language, country
- Visualize the collected data in the user's personal account
Lessons Learned:
The decision not to rely on semantic frameworks but to write custom components should be covered by tests, not impede the progress of the project, and be done with a realistic estimation of effort.
Writing unit tests should be the responsibility of the developer and be one of the acceptance criteria of a ticket or user story.
The best and most up-to-date technology may not bring the expected improvements if there is not enough expertise in the team.
Hackathon is a very useful tool that can be integrated into scrum. Also, a scrum team of 9 + developers can be effective under certain conditions.
In any other project, if possible, avoid writing the components from scratch. The outcome does not justify the means the task of any application is functionality - we need to receive information / we want the application to solve the daily tasks of the user.
What are portals?
The employee portal is a concept that has become widespread mainly in large corporations - where, due to the high number of different IT systems, there is a need to create a central place for providing information.
This is usually the main page in the employee's browser when all systems are accessed using the same credentials. The information provided to employees through the portal may include HR news, to-do lists, corporate news, required reading documents, information about corporate events, and more.
A distinctive feature is that the data for the portal comes from different systems, in this case the SAP systems. SAP develops automated control systems for such internal processes of an enterprise as: accounting, trade, production, finance, personnel management, warehouse management, etc.
Until recently, working with SAP systems required a high level of technical training - and the problem of creating user-friendly interfaces was put aside.
I was fortunate to work for an SAP partner firm that specialized in providing user-friendly portals with a good modern design. The project in question was the development of an internal portal for SAP employees