Case Study: Romex GPS Tracking
Project Type: GPS Location mobile application
Customer: Romex
Platform: BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile
Product OverviewRomex launched an employee tracking solution in 2008 which includes software that runs on GPS enabled mobile phones called MyFix. The solution is sold to businesses that have employees who are regularly on the move, including those with travelling sales staff, manufacturers, engineering firms or maintenance firms and home delivery operators.
“Penrillian are industry experts who really know their stuff. Put simply, what they deliver works.” Guy Barbor, Partnerships Director of Romex
MyFix provides validation of an employee’s productivity as well as ensuring that employers comply with Health and Safety legislation (for example, work-related road safety ensuring employees are not spending more than two hours behind the wheel or speeding).
 The Challenge
The MyFix software is based on reading what the phone is doing. This required the application to work perfectly with the operating system on the handset. As a result, Romex needed to provide applications that could sit across all mobile operating platforms, including Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and, in future, Android.
Before Romex decided to partner with Penrillian they had developed one Java application that was capable of running on all the different operating systems but it was proving to be limiting and, in some cases, ineffective. What Romex needed was a multi-platform partner who was expert in programming across all the different mobile operating systems.
Objectives- To build a mobile application that is simple and easy to download and use
- To develop a mobile application that will work seamlessly across Symbian OS, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry
Method DeployedRomex approached Penrillian in April 2009. Penrillian’s unique iterative Development Process saw them deliver small sections of functionality to Romex, providing early visibility on their development. This gave Romex the opportunity to view the work in progress, change their requirements and give initial feedback on what had been delivered. The process ensured early, regular delivery of code, and made it easier for the team to manage changes in the specifications at any time in the lifecycle. The approach ensures that the final product is something the market wants.
Nick Whitehead, Consultant Engineer, Penrillian comments: “The problem we had was developing an over-the-air application that fully integrated with the handset’s operating system so it could run continually but with minimal interaction from the user. In achieving this we managed to produce applications for each platform that provide a consistent user experience and complete functionality.”
ResultsGuy Barbor, Romex’s Partnerships Director, appreciated Penrillian’s technical expertise. He comments: “It was absolutely imperative that we had a strong technical team capable of delivering a mobile application across the gamut of mobile operating systems. An organisation with BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile devices expects to be able to use an application without having to change their employee’s handsets.”
Romex is the only company to have succeeded in developing a tracking solution that works on all major operating systems and is therefore, mobile agnostic.
Whilst MyFix was developed within the set timeframe, its functionality is constantly developing in order to extend the value proposition to those who buy it. Benefiting from Penrillian’s agile approach, Romex is able to go to market with the product as it is but work to deliver further functionality once initial feedback has been received from their customers.
Barbor comments: “Penrillian can correctly interpret business needs or objectives and make them a technical reality. Working with Penrillian means we’ve been able to build some very good, robust, core technology that is very accurate.
He concludes: “We have huge plans for additional modules and further functionality. We look forward to working with Penrillian on these developments to provide even greater value to our customers.”
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