HP
The second incarnation of Hewlett-Packard, Inc., officially known as HP Inc., is an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, that develops personal computers, printers and related supplies, as well as 3D printing solutions.
HP, a leading technology company, had an existing global sales tool that was built on an outdated technology stack. The tool was used by HP sales teams around the world to quickly and easily identify Care Pack Services for customers' HP computing and printer products. However, the tool was slow, buggy, and difficult to maintain.
HP approached us to rewrite the platform (Care Pack Central - or CPC, from now on) using modern technologies and improve its performance and usability. The new tool had to be scalable, easy to maintain, and accessible to HP's global sales teams.
After analyzing the existing codebase, we decided to rebuild CPC using Node.js and React. Node.js provided a fast, scalable, and efficient server-side environment, while React enabled us to build a fast and responsive user interface. We also used their internal APIs and databases, where all this information is aggregated and centralised.
We followed an Agile development methodology and worked closely with HP's product teams to understand their needs and requirements. We prioritized the features and functionalities based on their feedback and delivered the new tool in phases.
Definitely, one of our most challenging projects we've ever built. To rewrite a core tool for all of HP's global sales workforce was no easy task. Heads up, we defined meticulously every task, set the expectations straight with every project stakeholder, and started chipping away at the task, bringing all of our previous experience working with Fortune 500 companies and our most experienced team.
Project tech stack
Node.js
Node.js is a back-end JavaScript runtime environment, runs on the V8 JavaScript Engine, and executes JavaScript code outside a web browser.React
React is a free and open-source front-end JavaScript library for building user interfaces based on components.Redis
Redis is an open-source in-memory storage, used as a distributed, in-memory key–value database, cache and message broker, with optional durability.Elasticsearch
Provides a distributed, multitenant-capable full-text search engine with an HTTP web interface and schema-free JSON documents.
The new tool had several key features that made it more user-friendly and efficient than the old one. These included:
Real-time data updates: The new tool used more efficient connections to provide real-time updates to sales teams, allowing them to quickly respond to changes in their requests.
Enhanced search and filtering: We implemented a powerful search and filtering functionality that allowed sales teams to easily find and manage their products.
Updated UI: The new tool provided a fresher look with several UI improvements for better usability while still retaining the corporate guidelines imposed by the brand.
Integration with their tools: We integrated the new tool with HP's existing set of internal tools and infrastructure platforms, to comply with the strict security policies of HP globally.
The new tool was a huge success and was widely adopted by HP's global sales teams. The tool's performance and usability were greatly improved, resulting in increased productivity and revenue. The new CPC also reduced maintenance costs and improved overall system reliability.
How did we do it?
Constant communication -> Being the client and us a distributed team in different timezones, made this a challenging point for a successful collaboration. We proactively led the communication with the client so we could work asynchronously and meet the expectations week after week.
Business context knowledge -> We developed the application from scratch and had to learn the business intricacies of the project, plus the underlying systems from which the application fed. This level of ownership of the project accelerated problem solving, and ultimately led us to develop more effectively every week.
Stable team -> We prioritised a stable team to ensure deep business knowledge and continuity. Although we typically rotate personnel across different projects to foster diverse experiences every 12-18 months, the unique demands of this project required maintaining a consistent team, keeping the same individuals on the project for three years.
Advanced cache strategy -> The implementation of an advanced caching strategy and the use of cutting-edge search technologies like ElasticSearch, made the low performance of the underlying systems completely transparent to the user. Although the project depended on data from slow external systems, we managed to optimise the speed and response in the indexing and querying of large volumes of data in real-time, ensuring a smooth and efficient user experience.
Rewriting the global platform of CPC for HP using Node.js and React was a challenging and rewarding project for MarsBased. We were able to deliver a modern, scalable, and efficient solution that met HP's business needs and exceeded their expectations. This project demonstrated our expertise in modern technologies, Agile development, and client collaboration.
You can check it live here.