Anybody who has been working in the business of web service development will tell you that the client "doesn't know what they want but will when the see it"!  Add to this the complexity of managing a process with dozens of different paths and variables that are invisible to the client (because they are second-nature / "obvious") and we have a primary case for deploying Agile Development practices.

Now let's really make use of this development method - by removing the development team.

We have just released a new Reports management system for a client that provides a sophistication beyond anything we have ever produced using a development team, by using the No-Code platform XPOR.

The basic system requirement is to process new Technical Reports, submitted by remote Project Managers (produced as Outcomes of their Projects) to a standard that the client is satisfied with.  And to highlight the sophistication required, we are focussing on the final acceptance of a report.

Technical Reports can comprise;

1. Technical report
2. Project Summary
3. Attached Report/s (may or may not be one or more)
4. Attached Software  (may or may not be one or more)

Each of these items will require to be approved before the main Technical report (and all of its attachments) can be published through the clients website.

Furthermore, whilst the individual attachments are reviewed one-by-one, the submission of the review is not to occur until ALL attachments have been reviewed.

This is a fairly good overview of the clients requirements, though it misses out various details which, as we all know, is where the Devil hides. And some of those details don't come out until the client test drive the "completed" process.

Documenting this in a form adequate for a "traditional" Development Team approach is - a lot of work. But a No-Code approach dramatically reduces that aspect - including the need to check it has all been clearly understood!  Instead, build it yourself!

And, as an online system, regular reviews are easy to arrange and can be as frequent as necessary.

So how is a No-Code platform, such as XPOR, enabling the development?  Firstly, it is used to build a System Model - objects (with properties) and Associations.  In this instance, this model already existed as we have been working with this client for some time.

Using this Model (structure) we can see that there is a simple link between the Report and Associated Reports (Documents) and CD (Software).  But the link to the Project Resume is via the Project itself.

Now - the order of signing off of the Report and its attachments.  There was to be no prescribed order in which this was to be actioned.  For example, if a Report had two report Attachments and a CD Software file, this meant that the  reviewer must review;

1. The Main Report
2. The Project Resume
3. Attachment report #1
4. Attachment report #2
5. CD Software file

and only when all elements are reviewed (either Accepted or Rejected) will the Report be either (Rejected) passed back to the Project - or (Accepted) and published. 

But the Reviewer might review the element in any order - for example;

1. The Project Resume
2. The Main Report
3. Attachment report #1
4. CD Software file
5. Attachment report #2

So when each element is reviewed, we have to check all other elements to see what status they are at - and advise the Reviewer accordingly.

To achieve all of this we need the model, an interface (web pages with Forms) and a method of controlling how the automation works (Buttons, clicks, status changes, timers etc.).  For example, automation is built using a simpe flow diagram;

Couldn't be simpler!