How we built WE while testing no-code solutions

A tool that organizes the daily work in Innovatika
Scope: Ideation, Researching needs and problems, Gathering requirements, UX and UI design, Low-Code programming, Testing with users, Maintenance
Industry: Human Resources, Administration
Duration: Implemented

Executive summary

Challenge
  • the company did not have a clear, universally accessible source of information on issues related to the administration or management of daily operations;
  • the company’s processes and documentation were scattered across multiple platforms and management tools.
Actions
  • we decided to use no-code/low-code tools to build the solution;
  • using these tools allowed us to validate our business hypotheses more quickly by creating a working MVP in a very short period of time;
  • an important part of the project was the close collaboration between the product design team and the no-code engineers – this approach ensured that we were agile in making key changes.
Results
  • thanks to the use of no-code/low-code, our solution was created in no time – after just one and a half months of work, key users could enjoy the first functionalities and use the ready-made solutions;
  • the approach used also allowed us to significantly reduce costs.

Needs growing with the organization

Development is a process that is crucial to achieving business goals in an organization. However, it comes with many challenges. As a business grows, its needs often evolve as well. Excellent evidence of this is the genesis of WE, the tool we use every day at Innovatika to organize our work.

Until the development of WE, Innovatika had not used any global, commercial solution to manage administrative processes internally. Like many organizations, we struggled with data fragmentation. Much of the key information for employees was stored in emails, files, clouds and single process management software. As the company grew and the number of employees increased, we began to feel the need for change.

This need became particularly apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the very first months, when we were forced to switch to a complete remote work mode, the existing approach to managing administrative processes proved to be a major challenge. It was then that we made the final decision to implement a solution that would facilitate our daily work.

While reviewing the available commercial solutions, we unfortunately did not find anything that met our very specific requirements. The tools available on the market lacked flexibility and openness to the changing needs of our team.

No-code, a new look at business applications

However, the lack of an obvious answer to our challenge did not make us forget about it. Since the market did not offer us a ready-made solution, we decided to develop one on our own. The final aspect that led us to this decision was our testing of no-code/low-code tools. Implementing our own solution using traditional programming work would have been costly and, above all, time-consuming. Given the number of ongoing projects at the time, this was a significant obstacle for us. However, better knowledge of news from the world of no-code opened new horizons for us.

At the planning stage, the project was divided into several key phases. First, we moved to an in-depth analysis of the needs of future users. Employees in different positions had varying expectations regarding the management of administrative matters. It was very important for us to study and respond to the needs of all users. So we decided to divide them into groups. We identified the roles of Administrator, Manager, Project Manager, Back Office Operators and Employee.

The next step was empirical research. We conducted them both quantitatively and qualitatively. From each of the identified groups, we selected at least one representative with whom we conducted an in-depth interview. In the interview, we were able to learn more about his specific needs and his previous experience with administrative processes. The remaining employees took part in an anonymous survey on a similar topic.

This stage allowed us to define the final requirements for our solution. An additional advantage of the survey and interviews was that they also allowed us to generate new ideas for functionality. A large part of them found actual application in the final version of the application.

Multidisciplinarity first and foremost

After defining the requirements, we were able to start creative work. At this stage, cooperation between our product design team and no-code engineers proved exceptionally important. The designers responsible for UX and UI had the opportunity to work side by side with the developers, which allowed us to take into account comments on the feasibility of the designed solutions on an ongoing basis. This approach provided us with time savings and flexibility during implementation.

The work on WE was inspired by our test of new no-code tools. Even before the tests were over, the decision was made that we wanted to use no-code for this very project. After just 1.5 months of starting work on WE, we deployed the first version of the solution for use by Innovatika employees.

Mimi
 | No-code engineer

Since we executed the project in-house, we had a constant opportunity to test the implemented elements “on a living organism.” Agile cooperation between teams with different sets of competencies, was also conducive to quickly finding and implementing new solutions.

Ultimately, the WE project is an excellent demonstration of the importance of multidisciplinarity of the teams that create solutions designed by Innovatika.

All in one place

The final stage of our work was to implement and make the created management system available to our employees. Due to the attention and time devoted to researching their needs, the process went really easily – our users got the solution they were waiting for. After a company-wide presentation of the solution and a short trial period, we were able to successfully implement WE at Innovatika. The advantages could be seen just a few weeks after implementation. Many processes that until then had no fixed place were finally anchored in a central, company-wide tool.

WE helps me organize the work of my team members with the ability to schedule time and access to analysis of the time they report. I also appreciate the fact that in WE, scheduled absences and vacations are visible to everyone, so I always know when someone, a person even from another team will be unavailable for work.

Damian
 | Product Manager

At this point, everything is available in one place: space for time reporting, HR/PR communications, communication with the organization’s various departments, space for industry reports and analysis, and even access to a library or employee benefits.

From my perspective, the request management module is a great improvement – I have everything there: every employee request for benefits, equipment and other needs. I can preview the status of requests and see their archive, i.e., the history of each person’s requests. The leave module changes the experience of both employees and HR people – it’s very transparent, you can quickly report an absence and see its status, and most importantly – we don’t have to operate on paper leave requests. WE saves my time and makes HR processes transparent and happening in one place.

Paulina
 | People & Culture Expert

We in numbers

from the start of work on WE to the launch of the first version of the application

in project team

in 2025 will be built using low-code and no-code tools

Everyday assistance

WE streamlines daily administrative tasks, making processes easier and, most importantly, giving us more time for our daily creative work.

Everything in one place. I no longer have to jump from app to app. I don’t waste time writing e-mails, because through WE I can make a request for equipment, a request for employee benefits, and download and view the documentation I need at the moment

Kasia
 | Community Manager

Finally, it is worth mentioning that WE is a solution extremely close to Innovatika’s employees. It is a solution that has brought a new quality to the management of our daily duties. At this point, we can’t imagine working without WE, and we certainly don’t want to return to old habits.

Let’s do great things together

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