Project Description

A global heavy machinery manufacturer required a modern solution to provide field workers with seamless access to equipment manuals and documentation. Given the nature of their operations in remote mining and construction sites, they needed an application that could function both online and offline, ensuring workers could retrieve crucial information regardless of connectivity constraints. Additionally, the company required tools for collaborative document review, user access control, survey capabilities, analytics tracking, and administrative oversight. Xorbix was contracted to develop a comprehensive software solution that addressed these needs across multiple platforms.

Challenge

Problem

  • Field workers lacked an efficient, centralized system for accessing critical equipment manuals and documentation.
  • Many work environments had limited or no internet connectivity, making remote access difficult.
  • The organization needed a structured and secure method for managing access to documents based on job roles, company affiliation, and mine site location.
  • The process of reviewing and annotating manuals before publication was inefficient, requiring a collaborative workflow to streamline document adjustments and approvals.
  • No structured way to collect and analyze user feedback through surveys.
  • Lack of analytics tracking to monitor user behavior, engagement, and document usage.

Project Goals

Application Goals:

  • Provide seamless access to manuals and documentation across desktop, mobile, and tablet devices.
  • Ensure offline functionality for remote workers.
  • Implement user role-based access control, restricting documents based on company and mine site.

Document Review Goals:

  • Develop a collaborative tool for annotating and reviewing PDF documents.
  • Enable real-time collaboration for teams working on manual revisions.

Analytics & Survey Goals:

  • Implement advanced analytics tracking to monitor user interactions and document usage.
  • Develop an integrated survey tool for gathering user feedback directly within the app.

Solution

Solution Overview

Xorbix developed a suite of interconnected tools designed to address the organization’s unique challenges:

Tool 1: Manuals App (Core Application)

  • A cross-platform application available on Microsoft Store, Microsoft side load (UWP), iOS, and Android.
  • Seamless online and offline functionality using local caching mechanisms.
  • Intuitive user interface ensuring quick navigation and searchability of manuals.
  • Integrated role-based access control, allowing only authorized users to access specific documentation.

Tool 2: Publication Review System (Document Review)

  • A collaborative PDF annotation tool, built using PDFTron, enabling teams to work together on manual revisions.
  • Role-based workflow for document originators, adjusters, and reviewers.
  • Real-time updates and multi-user collaboration, allowing teams to make simultaneous annotations, markups, and edits.
  • Version control and tracking to maintain an organized document history.
  • Integrated Adobe PDF API to enhance real-time annotation and review experience.

Tool 3: Analytics Dashboard & Admin Portal

  • A central hub for administrators to manage manuals, assign documents, and track usage analytics.
  • Integrated analytics platform providing insights into how users interact with documentation.
  • Custom dashboard featuring interactive visualizations, filters, and reporting tools.
  • User engagement tracking with features such as account activity, document interactions, and annotations.
  • Advanced reporting to track manual downloads, search terms, user behavior trends, and system performance.

Tool 4: Survey System

  • Survey Upload: Admins can upload surveys as PDFs directly into the admin portal.
  • Survey Notification System: Implement a pop-up notification across the applications to inform users of active surveys.
  • Survey Interaction: Users can fill out and submit PDF surveys within the app.
  • Data Tracking: Track which users have viewed or completed surveys.

Innovations:

  • Seamless Offline Mode: Critical for mining and construction environments, ensuring full functionality without an internet connection.
  • Real-Time Collaboration: Multi-user annotations on PDFs using PDFTron, improving document review workflows.
  • Modernization & Performance Upgrade: Successfully migrated the system from Angular 4 to Angular 19 and transitioned backend to .NET Core 8.0, enhancing performance, security, and maintainability.
  • Advanced Analytics Dashboard: Providing comprehensive insights on manual interactions, downloads, and user behavior.
  • Integrated Survey Tool: Enabling real-time collection of user feedback and engagement.

 

Core Technologies (Technical Details in Section 3.6):

  • Frontend: Angular (Upgraded to 19), Flutter for cross-platform development.
  • Backend: .NET Core 8.0 with SignalR for real-time collaboration.
  • Database: SQLite for offline storage, cloud sync for centralized updates.

Security: Role-based access controls and encrypted offline storage to ensure data security.

Process

Team Composition:

  • Project Manager – Oversaw implementation and coordination.
  • Frontend Developers – Built and optimized the cross-platform UI.
  • Backend Developers – Developed API services and offline synchronization mechanisms.
  • QA Engineers – Conducted rigorous testing to ensure reliability across all platforms.
  • UI/UX Designers – Designed an intuitive and seamless user experience.
  • AI & Data Analysts – Explored advanced analytics and AI-driven search capabilities.

Development Methodology:

  • Agile development with iterative releases and continuous stakeholder feedback.
  • Regular updates via managed services, ensuring continued enhancements over time.
  • Comprehensive testing across multiple environments, including real-world field conditions.

Development Challenges:

  • Ensuring Consistency Across Platforms: Flutter provided a unified approach, but performance tuning was required for seamless behavior on mobile and desktop.
  • Offline Synchronization Issues: SQLite and cloud sync mechanisms were carefully implemented to prevent data conflicts.
  • Migration to Angular 19 & .NET Core 8.0: Required significant refactoring but resulted in a more scalable and maintainable architecture.
  • Real-time Annotation System: Implementing SignalR for live document collaboration presented unique challenges in session tracking and conflict resolution.

Results

  • 100% Offline Accessibility: Workers now have full access to manuals even in remote locations.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: The PDF review tool streamlined the document revision process, significantly reducing review cycles.
  • Improved Admin Control: The new portal allows administrators to easily manage manuals and track user engagement.
  • User Engagement Analytics: Data-driven insights help refine documentation strategies and improve accessibility.
  • Seamless Modernization: Upgrading from Angular 4 to 19 and .NET Core 8.0 improved system performance, security, and future scalability.

Optimize your heavy equipment operations with a secure, multi-platform documentation solution.  Contact Xorbix today to modernize your field workflows with seamless access and collaboration.

 

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