Web Development & Migration Speeds Up Class Registration & Management

In this case study, we’ll speak on the web migration process involving our client, while highlighting why an incremental approach for development can be useful for your next project in choosing a reliable web development company.

Here, the incremental approach holds two similar ideas. First, our use of the term is based on the steps we take to plan, design, develop, launch and support our client projects. However, in our client’s eyes, the term was more centered around the idea of completing less complex projects first, before the biggest task – a full web migration.

With this approach, if unsatisfied after the first few minor tasks, the client could take their project to a new company. This practice can ease stress when you don’t want to assign a hefty project to a company before measuring a developer’s methods and workflow.

Sometimes this watchfulness results from previous experiences in the past, or unfamiliarity with the process. Whatever the reason, we were glad our incremental approach matched their incremental requirements. Now, let’s visit the step-by-step solutions, and what resulted in the process.

First, a bit about our client, the Youth Academy for Dramatic Arts (YADA). They’re an organization offering theatre training to kids in ages ranging from 4yrs to early teens. The young stars get to enroll in private or group training that prepares them for a final group performance each season.

Furthermore, YADA relies on a website and a registration portal to operate online. Their WordPress website lists information and classes, and the registration portal is where students/parents sign up to manage class schedules. After our discovery phase, we layed out an agreement for an incremental approach that included these four items:

• WordPress Updates

  • Minor bug fixes

• Technical Report/Outline of Full Migration

  • Code analysis and hosting details

• Executing Web Portal Migration

  • Migrate web products

  • Test products in new environment

• Add New Web Portal Features/Edits

  • Donation option

  • Student filters

  • Custom class functionality

To kick it off, we began with WordPress updates. There were pesky bugs that needed attention. Although not pivotal to their day-to-day work, dealing with errors and restrictions when updating a website gets tiresome quick.

Also, as expert WordPress developers, solving bugs is right in our wheelhouse, so the process went smoothly. A responsive and bug-free website gave YADA the control they wanted and set the stage for the next project.

Next up? Planning the migration. A full web migration requires a technical audit and analysis to deliver an accurate scope and timeline. The details in our report to YADA addressed system compatibility and code analysis, plus timeline and costs, that greatly grew their confidence.

This was the moment YADA was looking for. A development partner with the necessary knowledge to help carry out their migration.A key part of this migration was ensuring their login web app was fully operational during the process. It’s the primary source for parents and students to find answers to questions like: class schedules, enrollment status, and payment balance – and downtime was not an option.

Ensuring this never happened, we proceeded with the migration piece by piece. This included transferring code files, image assets, and databases. Due to proper planning and coordination with YADA, everything fell into place as expected – without any dreaded downtime.After completing the migration, we tested the backend code to confirm everything was fully functional.

In other words, we “took it for a spin,” running through real-life tasks and ensuring all the processes worked correctly. Everything worked as it was meant to, and YADA approved the work every step of the way.

With the migration a success, only one step was left – development improvements. We made small changes ranging from customizing student filters and edits to class and payment structures that simplify enrollments and class organization.

We even made improvements to the admin backend to save time for staff members. Ultimately, every change we made saved time for both staff and parents, making their lives and business operations much easier.

Our step-by-step approach solving YADA’s technical problems helped eliminate website bugs, fully document and migrate their platform but also build features to streamline backend data processing. As we do for every project, listening to the needs of YADA helped identify the problem areas and note high priority issues.

Working with an incremental approach they were comfortable with, YADA can rest assured their website and web portal have a new home with secure hosting and ongoing support. No matter what changes to class registrations, schedules, or appointment features, the confidence in our team to implement them, won’t hold them back. An incremental approach is something you can consider for your next big development project.