BPMS (Building Permit Management System)

Overview

Developing Solutions (DSI), a building permit acquisition and management company, required a management system for clients to review the progress of construction projects. With over 100 different permit types, multiple variables per permit, and dozens of jurisdictions, the system had to provide powerful data management capability with intuitive data viewing capability.

The Process

Ideal gathered the bulk of the systems requirements in a two-hour conference call, wherein DSI management dictated their needs. Ideal responded within 48 hours with a collection of user interface screens, which provided DSI management with a visual representation of the system. Edits were made as required and Ideal began coding the backend of the system.

The system first required the ability to create new clients, new contacts and projects. Each project would have a client and multiple contacts assigned, which would then allow those contacts to both receive updates (see Image 1) and also login to review the progress of projects in detail.

Next, the system had to allow users to update a list of permit types and then assign those permits, as needed, to each project. The permit types also required the flexibility to be arranged in an order that suited each individual project. Interfaces were also built to accommodate the management of jurisdictions, work orders, utilities, password admin and system backup.

Next, we had to provide an interface for users to update all building permits for each project. As projects were updated, contacts would be notified by email, depending on their relationship to the project. Level 1 contacts would recieve all notifications and other levels would not. However, the hierarchy of the system had to allow all contacts associated with a project to login and view the project history.

Delivery

BPMS was delivered in under 10 days and Ideal continues to host and maintain the system by adding and revising features.