Arbitration Forums Application Redesign & Upgrades
Client Name and Full Address
Client Name: Arbitration Forums, Inc.
Full Address: 3820 Northdale Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33624
Project Description
Arbitration Forums, Inc. engaged reUrgency, LLC to redesign and upgrade 8 enterprise web applications within their Total Recovery Solution (TRS) suite. These upgrades focused on updating the outdated Angular and Bootstrap libraries to improve security, performance, maintainability, and interoperability across Arbitration Forums (AF) applications. reUrgency's project scope included Angular and Bootstrap upgrades for TRS, enhancements to the eSubro Hub, and additional design and development support for AF's Guidewire application and miscellaneous front-end needs.
Period of Contract
The project period began on January 1, 2022, with a duration of two years.
Approach to the Project Including Work Package Strategy and Evaluation
Project Approach
- Angular Upgrade:
- TRS Application: Upgraded from Angular 8 to Angular 16 using a wholesale upgrade approach due to the significant version gap.
- Other AF Applications: Applications previously upgraded to Angular 15 were brought up to Angular 16 to maintain version parity across the suite. This ensures consistency and improves future upgrade paths.
- Bootstrap Upgrade:
Upgraded Bootstrap from version 3 to version 5 in the TRS application, adopting various strategies to address API changes, including Regex-based find-and-replace scripts, manual restructuring, and SCSS architecture adjustments.
- eSubro Hub and Guidewire Enhancements:
reUrgency provided front-end design and development support for eSubro Hub and Guidewire, working closely with the respective teams at AF to implement new features and enhancements.
- Collaboration and Development Cycle:
- Utilized high-bandwidth sessions with a dedicated AF liaison to streamline requirements gathering and ensure efficient communication.
- Followed AF's sprint schedule and development cycle, adhering to best practices for code stability, continuous integration, and quality assurance.
- Evaluation:
The iterative upgrade and enhancement process enabled early testing and validation to ensure security, performance, and functional improvements across the applications. Regular collaboration with AF's teams ensured alignment with project goals and requirements.
Regulatory and/or Legal Environment or Constraints
The project operated within constraints related to data security and compliance with industry best practices, as the updated applications needed to be secure, with closed vulnerabilities, in line with Veracode scans and other security standards.
Complexities of the Project and How They Were Overcome
Complexities
- Security Vulnerabilities: Addressing security gaps in outdated Angular versions was a top priority. reUrgency mitigated risks by upgrading to the latest versions and ensuring all third-party dependencies met security standards.
- Breaking Changes in Frameworks: Transitioning from Bootstrap 3 to Bootstrap 5 and Angular 8 to 16 involved significant API and architectural changes. reUrgency managed these challenges with a combination of automated scripts, manual restructuring, and modular SCSS updates.
- Version Parity: Ensuring consistency across multiple applications required synchronized upgrades, which were facilitated through parallel processes for applications under AF's suite.
Resource Management to Achieve Best Value for Money
Resource Management
- Lean Team and Agile Collaboration: The project utilized a focused team with defined roles, enabling effective sprint-based development and cost control.
- High-Bandwidth Requirement Sessions: reUrgency collaborated with AF through concentrated requirement-gathering sessions to reduce costs, avoid rework, and maintain efficient, high-quality output.
- Incremental Code Integration: Front-end developers adhered to a development cycle that included story assignments, testing, and code promotion to QA environments, ensuring only stable code was promoted through the stages, reducing downtime and bug-related costs.
Project Outcome
The project successfully upgraded the TRS and other AF applications to modern Angular and Bootstrap versions, significantly improving application security, performance, and maintainability. The enhancements to eSubro Hub and Guidewire provided AF with additional functionality and improved user experience. The upgraded framework is expected to reduce operational costs, improve interoperability, and streamline future version upgrades. Overall, reUrgency's work enabled Arbitration Forums to maintain a more secure, performant, and cohesive application suite.
Conclusion
This case study illustrates reUrgency's expertise in modernizing enterprise applications with a focus on security, performance, and user-centered design. Through effective collaboration and a structured upgrade strategy, reUrgency delivered a solution that met AF's evolving needs with minimal interruptions to ongoing feature development and zero production downtime.