E-feller

Outcome

Computools specialists have applied innovative solutions to implement a project of global importance. The developed software is the first working prototype necessary for the further implementation and development of the whole system.

Several key options we solved:

Tracking the expiring products on each stage of the supply chain.
Managing the expiring products throughout the supply chain.
Additional features according to the specific needs of food manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.

+78%

Throughput, Users

+73%

Average Order

+49%

Increasing Productivity

+65%

Increasing Revenue

- 69%

Reducing Costs

41%

Business Process Automation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Food waste is a global ecological and economical problem. Every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted and global food waste cost exceeds $990 billion. This translates into $2000 worth of food wasted by an average household per year. E-feller is a solution for tracking and managing expiring produce throughout the supply chain from the producer to the consumer.

With the potential economic impact of IoT in retail in 2025 between $410 billion and $1.2 trillion, E-feller is set to revolutionize the industry and benefit food producers, retailers, and consumers alike.

Building Minimum Viable Product Concept

Developing a minimum viable product (MVP) became for E-feller the first step on the long way to solving the global food waste problem. The Finnish startup partnered with Computools to transform the visionary idea into a working prototype. Computools experts took the client through the vital steps of building an MVP:

Defining the market problem

According to the client, the global food waste problem is exacerbated at every level of the supply chain, from the manufacturer through suppliers and retailers to end customers.

Identifying the target audience

Through careful analysis and strategizing, E-feller and Computools devised ways to solve the food waste problem for producers, processors, retailers, and consumers.

Evaluating the competitors

Computools experts analyzed emerging RFID solutions for managing food waste and helped the client identify their advantages and shortcomings to be considered when implementing the E-feller MVP.

SWOT analysis

Extensive experience with IoT solutions enabled the Computools team to assess the project’s strengths and weaknesses. Opportunities and threats analysis laid the foundation of the client’s risk management framework.

Defining the user flow

Computools experts helped the client establish use cases and develop user flow according to the specific needs of food manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.

Prioritizing the features

Computools team assisted the client in selecting critical features vital at the MVP stage and advised on secondary features better suited for the finished product launch.

Choosing the project management method

The Computools project manager recommended a Kanban-based Agile approach to ensure brisk development pace and quick launch.

Developing the MVP

Upon devising the development plan and selecting the best-suited technology stack, the distributed team set to implement the MVP. The project was complete in 2.5 months.

Market launch and feedback analysis

Computools team continued to assist the client with feedback analysis and new features implementation following the Elisa IoT Challenge award and the successful presentation and launch of the E-feller MVP.

Digital Platform & Technology

Computools

Business Analyst

Team Lead

CTO

CLIENT

Project Coordinator

Communication

React.js

Computools team employed React.js for developing user interface. This declarative JavaScript library automatically updates and renders interfaces to reflect data changes. The component logic allowed software engineers to pass rich data through the app and keep state out of the DOM. React enabled developers to create new features without rewriting the code.

Redux.js

Redux is a tiny, yet predictable state container for JavaScript applications. It pairs perfectly with the React library and ensures consistent performance across a variety of environments from native to server. It’s an efficient tool for globally distributed teams because of its live-editing time travel environment that accelerates development and debugging.

Recharts.js

Computools software engineers integrated charts into the client’s app through the use of Recharts.js. This composable library relies on reusable decoupled React components and is built on SVG elements with a lightweight dependency on D3 submodules. The power of Recharts.js is released by developing custom components and tweaking the existing components’ properties.

Moment.js

With the importance of dates and time calculations to the client’s MVP in mind, Computools developers employed Moment.js. This JavaScript library works both on client-side and server-side and provides a variety of features to parse, validate, manipulate, and display times and dates. Easy set-up and user-friendly output are among the primary benefits of Moment.js.

BACKSTAGE

To keep the Computolls engineers in sync and establish a brisk MVP development pace, the team upholds the routine of regular meetings. Brainstorming session laid the foundation of the project, while whiteboard and dev meetings ensured seamless creative cooperation and outstanding results.

Whiteboard Meeting

Inspired by the client’s bold vision of revolutionizing the food supply chain, Computools engineers put their minds together to devise the optimal development strategy and approach. Their brainstorming sessions are held without laptops, phones, and criticism.

Brainstorming

Dev Meeting

Regular dev meetings increased the team’s productivity through combining the engineers’ experience to solve the occurring issues. The developers could flexibly adapt to the client’s changing MVP requirements, factoring them in during the discussions with all members of the distributed team.

PROJECT TIMELINE

1 week

2 weeks

2.5 months

Background

First Sight

Analyzing industry problems
Defining and narrowing down the target audience
Identifying Strengths & Weaknesses

Strategy

Planning

Defining the user flow
Developing the prioritized feature list
Defining the MVP scope
Digital Platform & Technology Selection
Defining Specification, Tasks & Deadlines

Project Management Flow

Expertise-based talent evaluation and team formation
Establishing Internal Communication Flow
Choosing Project Management Methodology

Development Flow

Selecting Development Methodology

Implementation

MVP Implementation

Environment Setting
Tasks Assignment

MVP Build

Code Creating & Refactoring
Alpha and Beta Testing & Fixing

MVP Delivery

MVP Delivery to the client
Ongoing support and updating the MVP into the final product

CASE STUDY