Case study/Analytics
Automating Word and PowerPoint reporting for Barrett Values Centre
unicrew designed and built a C# app to automate Barrett Values Centre's Word and PowerPoint reports, with automated tests for independent QA.
Barrett Values Centre, a culture analytics company with clients globally, had a series of Word and PowerPoint reports it needed automated in a short period of time. unicrew designed and developed a C# application to generate them, working from sample prototypes and sample data the client supplied, and delivered inside the expected time frame with little to no defects. The engagement ran under our former Artelogic brand.
- Client
- Barrett Values Centre
- Focus
- Analytics
- Market
United States- Engagement
- Custom automation build
- Stack
C#
Outcome at a glance
What this project delivered.
- 01The work was completed within the expected time frame
- 02There were little to no defects, so the client could release and move on without back-pedaling
- 03Automated tests let the client QA and UAT the output independently, across a variety of data sets
- 04Progress matched the estimate, so the client could confidently share expected deliverables with other stakeholders
The challenge
Barrett Values Centre (Waynesville, North Carolina) had a series of Word and PowerPoint reports that needed to be automated in a short period of time. In an effort to increase its development capacity, the company decided to outsource some of the work, found unicrew through an online search, and chose it as its custom software provider.
Report automation outsources well when the output is already specified. Real sample documents and real sample data give a supplier something to build against and something to test against. Where those do not exist yet, the first phase is a specification exercise, and any estimate written before that phase is a guess.
Our approach
unicrew designed and developed a C# application to generate those Word and PowerPoint reports from sample prototypes and sample data. That is business-process automation against a fixed target: the document format was already settled in the client’s mockups, so the work was engineering rather than discovery.
unicrew needed two weeks of lead time to assemble the team, and in the client’s account that did not stop high-level discussions moving forward. A kickoff to get the scope of the work, then the client’s mockups and sample data, then, about a week or two later, a scoped estimate with hours against each task.
Deliverables were working code plus automated tests, so Barrett Values Centre could QA and UAT the output itself, against a variety of data sets, rather than relying on unicrew’s word for it. That is the part worth carrying into any software testing and QA handover: the client should be able to prove the thing works without us in the room. Communication ran through Slack, and the work progression matched the estimate.
Results
unicrew handed the build over inside the expected time frame, and there were little to no defects, which let Barrett Values Centre release and move on to its next project without back-pedaling. Progress had tracked the estimate throughout, so the client could confidently share expected deliverables with other stakeholders.
The nearest sibling in this portfolio is the data-entry automation study; the client reviews page has more of what clients said about working with us.
“They were very accessible and took the time to understand our needs. They truly felt like part of the team.”
Patrick McGuire, Director IT, Barrett Values Centre
What the client says
We were able to get the work completed in the expected time frame. There were little to no defects which was very nice because it allowed us to release and move on to our next project without having to back peddle. They were very accessible and took the time to understand our needs. They truly felt like part of the team.
04/Technologies
Technologies on this project
Backend
- C#
05/Quick answers
The questions behind the project
What did unicrew build for Barrett Values Centre?
A C# application that generates the client's Word and PowerPoint reports. Barrett Values Centre had a series of those reports it needed automated in a short period of time, and it supplied mockups and sample data to build against. unicrew delivered working code plus automated tests as its business-process automation partner. The engagement ran under our former Artelogic brand.
How did the engagement run from kickoff to delivery?
A kickoff set the scope of the work, the client shared its mockups and sample data, and about a week or two later unicrew came back with a scoped estimate carrying hours against each task. Communication ran through Slack. The work progression matched that estimate, so the client could confidently share expected deliverables with other stakeholders, and the build was completed in the expected time frame.
Could the client verify the output independently?
Yes. Deliverables included working code and automated tests, so Barrett Values Centre could QA and UAT the work itself against a variety of data sets rather than relying on unicrew's word for it. There were little to no defects, so the client could release and move on to its next project without back-pedaling.
How long was the lead time before work started?
unicrew needed two weeks of lead time to assemble the team, and in the client's account that did not stop high-level discussions moving forward in the meantime.