Britânia - Diagnosis and Evolution of an Existing CRM Project

Client
Britânia 

Area
Home Appliances 

Summarized Problem
Britânia (which today also owns the Philco brand in Brazil) had been developing, with another vendor, a new CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to centralize and organize customer relationship management, but the project was interrupted. As a result, the company first needed a consultancy to analyze what had already been built in order to confirm whether it was feasible to continue the development. In addition to understanding a reference tool and proposing the best solution while meeting specific rules, Visionnaire would need to follow Britânia’s development standards, create a robust and modular architecture, and reduce the risk of inaccurate estimates, since the initial scope was not sufficiently detailed. 

Summarized Solution
Visionnaire began by assessing the CRM source code developed by the previous vendor, evaluating four areas: Architecture, UI/UX, Frameworks (such as Node.js and React), and Management. In the end, it was concluded that it was feasible to continue development based on the existing code. The project then advanced to the subsequent prototyping and development phases, in which Visionnaire specialists supported Britânia’s internal team until the client itself took over the project. 

Results
Visionnaire was essential for Britânia to complete the development of a CRM system that had been stalled. Through a careful analysis, it was concluded that it was possible to continue developing the system that had already been created by another developer, which generated savings for Britânia. In addition, Visionnaire’s ability to take over ongoing projects, despite all the difficulties this entails, was clearly demonstrated.

The meticulous requirements work and technical definition led by Visionnaire provided the necessary foundation for Britânia to move forward with the development of a system that had been on hold. Visionnaire not only successfully managed the analysis phase, but also became a key pillar in the development process.

This is yet another case that proves Visionnaire is capable of supporting every stage of a customer’s journey, from legacy system management to completing development.

In summary, Visionnaire delivered increased productivity to Britânia while also reducing costs through a highly specialized software development team focused on delivery with agile and cloud-based processes, in addition to using Scrum and weekly sprints. 

Technologies
The main programming language used was JavaScript, since the platform was Node.js. Frameworks such as NestJS, React, and Redux were also used. 

The chosen database was Microsoft SQL Server, with specific use cases involving NoSQL databases. 

Integration with TOTVS was required. 

The system was hosted on Britânia’s own servers.

Detailed Problem
Founded in 1956 in Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, Britânia (which today also owns the Philco brand in Brazil) began its operations manufacturing stoves, portable burners, and metal furniture, before expanding to include home appliances, coffee makers, sandwich makers, and fans in its production line. Today, it is one of the leading companies in the small appliances sector. 

In mid-2020, Britânia was developing, with another vendor, a new CRM (Customer Relationship Management), i.e., a solution to centralize and organize relationships with customers and potential customers, since it consolidates information such as contact data, interaction history (emails, calls, WhatsApp, etc.), sales opportunities, proposals, orders, support, and preferences. 

However, development was interrupted. In this context, Britânia first needed a consultancy to analyze the system developed up to that point in order to certify the possibility of continuing development. 

The project took place during the 2020 pandemic; therefore, solutions needed to be online. Not only that: Britânia was transitioning to agile practices, but with difficulties covering all its projects simultaneously. 

Visionnaire needed to understand the reference tool, elicit requirements, and propose the best solution without “reinventing the wheel”, while still meeting specific rules. 

Another point of attention was Britânia’s own development standards, and it was imperative that development followed these standards in order to facilitate subsequent maintenance and the future transition to in-house ownership. 

To avoid issues previously experienced with another vendor, it was necessary to create a robust and modular architecture to enable future evolution. Given that Britânia deals with many vendors, this part was especially complex. 

In the initial discussions between Visionnaire and Britânia, there was still not a sufficiently detailed scope that would allow a 100% reliable estimate. Therefore, the client had two concerns: exceeding allocated hours or “inflating” the estimate due to lack of clarity. 

In short, the project was complex, involving many Britânia departments. 

Detailed Solution
At first, Visionnaire conducted an assessment of the system’s source code developed by another vendor, with four main perspectives: Architecture, UI/UX (User Interface/User eXperience), Frameworks (such as Node.js and React), and Management. 

The assessment work consisted of a series of meetings between the teams from both companies, demonstrations of the system in its current state, virtual and in-person meetings, visits to Britânia’s factories in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and on-site presence to observe how the tools were being used at that time, followed by presentations of the conclusions. In summary, it was found that it was possible to continue development of the system based on the source code. 

With the requirements phase completed successfully, the project moved on to the next phases, that is, prototyping and development, during which Visionnaire specialists supported Britânia’s internal team until the client took over the project.

Brochure
Case Brochure  

Presentation
Case Presentation