How we met
Some years ago I was approached by Ross Jones, the CTO of Trackmatic Solutions. They were working on a complete redesign of their core product, and were looking for someone to take ownership of architecting and developing their client-side web application.
It is an all-in-one solution for companies looking to manage their drivers, vehicle fleet, route planning, address validation and more.
An ambitious plan
The plan was ambitious and the work to be done was quite complex. The application consisted of several modules each of which had it’s own business role and acted as a stand alone piece of software. The application also had to be completely internationalized so that Trackmatic could easily move into new markets.
My responsibility was to architect a modular system, in addition to setting guidelines under which all future modules were to be built. Consistent code structure across modules was a priority. I also wanted to keep them decoupled, because that allows for making drastic changes to one module without affecting the others.
What I built
Most importantly, I was to build a couple of core modules that Trackmatic wanted to release to their customers as soon as possible.
Account module
Takes care of authentication, user settings, password management, and other user related functionality.
Organisation module
Administrative module where customers manage their organisation, people, access groups, vehicle sites, admin privileges and more.
Fleet module
A place for managing all things related to drivers and vehicles. Customers can keep track of everything from registration plates and truck wheel configurations, to various digital documents.
Tracking module
The most complex part of the application. It's heavily integrated with Google Maps API, and it enables customers to:
- Create and manage custom full-screen dashboards with multiple maps per screen, where hundreds of vehicles on the road are tracked in real-time.
- Create and manage various locations and zones that are shown on maps during real-time tracking, route planning, and other activities.
- Configure and receive custom notifications, for example, when vehicles arrive to destinations or enter dangerous zones.
- Go back in time and track vehicle history data. Interactive timeline shows various data points such as trips, location visits, speed limit violations, fuel amounts, tire pressure, temperature graphs, and much more. The timeline is linked to a map component where all data points are displayed geographically.
Reusable components
I also crafted a set of reusable user interface components which would be used to bootstrap other miscellaneous Trackmatic projects.
Watch the video below to see a small part of the app in action
In conclusion
The project was challenging from the technical standpoint and it forced me to rapidly learn and expand my skill set.
The folks at Trackmatic were a joy to work with.
I collaborated with the CEO, the design team, and most of all, with Ross and his API team. They were always pleasant, respectful and quick to provide any necessary information. Although we were separated by thousands of miles, we worked and delivered as if we were in the same room.
Working with Ivor was a smooth process. He is easygoing, reliable and a quick learner. He had no trouble understanding what needed to be done, even though the product we’re building is quite complex. Initially we were looking to hire someone for two months tops, but after witnessing Ivor's work we decided to keep him on for as long as we could.
Get in touch 👋
I'm happy to talk business or simply give you some free advice. If both sides see value in working together, we’ll move forward. If not, that's okay too. Worst case we both had a nice chat and received some free feedback.