Consulting mission · Logistics · Prototype
Easy4Pro
Contribution to the development of a web prototype designed to orchestrate urgent logistics operations by connecting multiple transport providers.
Associated experience
Adneom
Backend PHP Developer / Consultant · 2016 — 2017
View related experienceProject context
Easy4Pro was a prototype web platform developed at Flash Global, a logistics company specialized in the management of critical spare parts and international supply chain services.
The project aimed to explore a system capable of orchestrating urgent transportation operations by connecting multiple logistics providers across different regions.
The platform was based on an existing internal logistics application and extended it with new capabilities intended to automate part of the transport coordination process.
I joined the project as a consultant developer through Adneom and worked directly within Flash Global’s development team.
Project objectives
- Develop a prototype platform for urgent logistics orchestration
- Extend an existing logistics system with new capabilities
- Implement features specific to the Easy4Pro concept
- Integrate the new prototype into an existing large codebase
System overview
The platform allowed users to define two locations anywhere in the world and attempted to coordinate the transport of goods between them by automatically identifying available logistics actors along the route.
The system aimed to support time-constrained deliveries by orchestrating several transport providers involved in different stages of the delivery chain.
My role
I worked as a consultant backend developer integrated into Flash Global’s internal development team.
- Contribution to the development of the Easy4Pro prototype
- Implementation and adaptation of features on top of an existing codebase
- Work on backend logic and some frontend components
- Understanding and navigating a large existing application architecture
Team structure
Development was carried out by a mixed team composed of internal Flash Global developers, Adneom consultants and an external development company based in France.
The team size was roughly under ten developers.
Technologies used
Main languages
- PHP
- JavaScript
- SQL
Framework
- Zend Framework
Frontend
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Possibly Backbone.js, with some uncertainty from memory
Database
- MySQL
Version control
- Git with GitFlow workflow
Technical challenges
Understanding a large existing system
The project was based on a substantial existing application, requiring significant effort to understand the architecture and integrate new functionality.
Working on a prototype built from a legacy codebase
Easy4Pro was developed as a proof of concept derived from an existing logistics platform, combining refactoring, extension and experimentation.
Complex domain logic
The application attempted to model and coordinate multiple actors involved in international logistics operations, which introduced significant domain complexity.
Outcomes / impact
Easy4Pro served as a prototype exploring new ways to orchestrate urgent logistics operations using an existing software platform.
The project allowed Flash Global to experiment with extending their logistics systems toward more automated transport coordination.
Personal learnings
This project was my first consulting mission after joining Adneom.
It introduced me to working as a consultant embedded within a client organization, collaborating with mixed teams composed of internal developers and external partners, navigating a large existing enterprise codebase and using Git with the GitFlow branching workflow.
It was also my first professional experience working abroad during the week, in Luxembourg, while returning home on weekends.