Help On Board

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Help On Board
Gary Bondegary_at_helponboard.orgphp use
casewww.helponboard.orgWeb based client sales
tracking application
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Why are we here?

• Learn how php and MySql were chosen for the Help
  On Board project management application.

• Understand the challenges of using the same
  application code with multiple sites at multiple
  hosting locations.

• Deal with the use of technology to support remote
  clients.

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Session Topics

• Development experiences
• What is Help On Board?
• Php and MySql solutions
• Help On Board application development
• Application feature highlights
• Technology to support remote clients
• Questions and Answers - ?

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1. Development experiences
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1. What have I done?

• 10 years of business system development
  experience with Canadore College in North Bay,
  Ontario. Managed and enhanced in-house student
  and financial business systems in an Oracle
  database and development environment.

• 2 years of development on a web based community
  information portal project that included
  integrated G.I.S. on a windows coldfusion server
  platform.

• Proprietary environment proved financially hard
  to sustain and opened the door to open source
  solutions for development including products like
  phpnuke, phpwebsite and MySql.

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2. What is Help On Board?
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2. Help On Board Is

• A fundraising solutions company that develops and
  manages unique programs for a variety of
  cause-related and tourism organizations.

• The largest game manufacturer in Canada over the
  last 4 years.

• Located in North Bay, Ontario, about 4 hours
  north of Toronto, with a US sales office in
  Denver, Colorado.

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2. What does Help On Board produce?

• Custom Opoly style real estate trading game for
  the clients community. 3,500 games are usually
  produced for each client.

• Clients sell sponsorships that are used on the
  finished game board and package.

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2. Where are Help On Boards clients?

• 28 games since 1999, with 21 current projects
  across North America.

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2. What needs to be tracked?

• 39 game board sponsors
• Media sponsors
• Retail sponsors
• Donors list sponsors
• Box top photos
• Game tokens

Sponsor information is tracked and used in the
finished game.
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2. Help On Boards business needs

• Business model included move to a comprehensive
  web based client tool set to support increasing
  number of remote clients.

• Original web based client tools were based on
  active server pages and an access database for
  each client site. This proved difficult to scale
  and move to alternate hosting service providers.

• New tools would require dynamic pdfs, and images.

• Decision was made to move to php development
  because of included dynamic pdf and image
  creation along with portability across many
  hosting providers.

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3. Php and MySql solutions
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3. Search for php and MySql solutions

• Started project with no php programming
  experience and used web research to find php
  solutions.

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4. Help On Board application development
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4. Development environment

• Started with Virtual PC windows server
  environment for early php and MySql development.

• Decided on Dreamweaver MX for development because
  of visual design, built-in php highlighting and
  ftp client.

• FreeBSD remote hosting environment and local
  windows server development created a number of
  file conversion issues.

• Stopped using local windows server development
  environment and moved to remote file editing on
  master application site.

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4. Development Starts

• The existing Group-Office framework for security,
  themes, menu and module structure were used and
  the rest of the modules and tables were removed.

• The example module was used to start the
  development and after

• The first version of the application was
  completed in 18 days and was used during a
  webconference training session for our Kelowna,
  British Columbia client.

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4. Application feature challenges

• The application included sponsor input, dynamic
  pdf contracts, project input, and manual content
  arranged in five menus.

• Started with pdflib but converted to fpdf when
  one site was moved to a web server not having
  pdflib.

• Dynamic jpegs with truetype fonts using GD 2.
  became an issue when one site was moved to a web
  server that had GD 1.62.

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4. Development synchronization

• Dreamweaver synchronization was an issue with
  more than one site sharing the same application
  code and requiring client edited files.

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4. Application evolution

• Worked with the first client over 2 months to fix
  most of the bugs and to create new features.

• My knowledge of the business increased over the
  next 4 months and the application required a
  number of major adjustments.

• Development continued and 6 new clients were
  added. The number of new sites to synchronize
  became a time issue.

• The php ftp synchronization script tool saved
  many hours by using the files since last update
  option. The tool is also used to create new
  sites based on a master site file set.

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4. Where are we now?

• I took on the role of client trainer for the
  application after the first 9 months. Through
  this role I learned how the application needed to
  change for workflow and new features.

• Added phpMyAdmin to the development environment
  to ease testing and updates to each client site.

• We now use a dedicated hosting server in North
  Carolina to isolate our client sites from other
  hosted clients.

• The application has been used on over 30 sites
  and is increasing in features and stability in
  response to client requests.

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5. Application feature highlights
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5. Data driven public website

• Public website draws information entered in the
  application.
• Minor amount of manual html file editing.
• Graphic designer created site template and is
  updated for each client.

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5. Public website visual sales board

• Dynamic jpeg visual game board on the public and
  tools side.
• Quick visual cue to what is sold, on hold or
  available for sale.
• Image is recreated as sponsors are updated.

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5. Application Dashboard

• Password protected application for project
  leaders and committee members.

• Dashboard with sales chart and quick links to
  other areas within application.

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5. Application menus

• Data driven, collapsible content menu system.

• When a top menu is clicked the left content menu
  is updated to show all items.

• The left menu is always shown expanded.

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5. Client project manual content

• Online Help On Board project manual with sample
  documents and images for client use.

• Replaces printed client project manual, adds more
  information and reduces printing costs.

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5. Saleable components top half

• Clients must understand what components can be
  sold and is crucial to a successful project.

• Mouse over on game components displays a graphic
  description of component.

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5. Saleable components bottom half

• Left side has detailed component description.

• Right side is javascript based input for each
  component group and displays totals for
  sponsorship revenues.

• This is used to pre-populate the pricing input
  and link to a project financial forecast.

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5. Sales kit documents

• A number of documents are provided to help create
  a sales kit.

• Project logo graphics, letterhead template,
  presentation labels, and sales sheets.

• Nine different game blank pdf sponsor contracts
  can be generated with the project logo and
  contact information.

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5. Project input

• Basic project information used on public website
  contract, invoices, and thank you letters.

• Application settings only available to Help On
  Board personnel.

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5. Photo/Token input

• Photography and game token input displays choices
  made.

• Inputs are done using a common popup dialog.

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5. Game component pricing

• Ability to control pricing of individual game
  components and shows the items colour keyed to
  space on game board.

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5. Homes/Hotels plastics colour

• Javascript based colour selection for homes and
  hotels.
• Email sent to Help On Board on colour selection
  update.

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5. Interactive visual sales board summary

• Interactive dynamic jpeg visual sales summary
  board.

• Tabbed interface to sponsor summaries.

• Quick view advanced component edit popup.

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5. Sponsorship sales spreadsheet

• Game sponsor sales summary is colour coded to
  game board and shows payment details and totals.

• Control display order on public site.

• Common add, view, delete functions.

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5. Prospect edit and convert

• Sales leads are entered and pre-filled pdf
  contracts can be generated.

• Sales lead can be converted to a sold game board
  sponsor.

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5. Sponsorship edit and convert

• Sponsor information is used in pdf contract,
  invoice, and thank you letter.

• Sponsor can be converted back to a prospect.

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5. Sponsor game purchases

• Sponsor game purchase summary shows games
  pre-purchased and payment and balance details.

• Quick edit popup updates payment and games
  delivered status.

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5. Document generation

• Document generation and storage.

• Dynamic pdf contracts.

• Dynamic word .rtf file templates for invoices and
  thank you letters.

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5. Sponsor csv export

• Sponsor information is available in 3 excel
  compatible comma separated values files for use
  in client side applications.

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5. Retail inventory management

• Master and retailer inventory tracking with
  inventory distribution and sales charts.

• Summary and details screens for master and
  retailer inventory.

• Inventory task popup for both master and retailer
  inventory.

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6. Technology to support remote clients
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6. Webconferencing

• Webconferencing is used to train our clients and
  has saved many miles of travel and cut down costs
  to our clients. We use webconference.com as our
  service provider.

• Firewalls and spyware applications can interfere
  with the webconference software.

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7. Questions and Answers - ?