Low code solution implementation at ABB

About ABB

ABB is a leading global technology company with a wide range of digitally connected electrification, robotics, automation, and motion solutions. The company has a long history of technology innovation investing in collaborative research activities covering topics such as artificial intelligence, sensors, mechatronics, power electronics, electrodynamics, and manufacturing.

ABB employs 105 thousand talented people in over 100 countries. Out of approximately 7 000 employees in R&D, more than 60% are focused on software and digitalization.

Factors driving the need for a change to professional emailing tool

ABB, like virtually any organization, and frankly speaking - most of us, thrives in an everchanging IT environment. New frameworks emerge, infrastructure evolves, the IT systems are becoming faster, more reliable, and user friendly. Some IT solutions become obsolete and need to be substituted with newer tools that allow adaptation to the changing IT world and people’s needs.

Exactly this has happened at ABB with its emailing needs. The Company distributes thousands of emails, which need to be carefully prepared, checked, and approved, daily. The setup is complex and substantial, with multiple user groups, subscribers, and administrators. The ABB’s existing tools, which were scattered and created organically, could no longer keep up with the fast-paced changes in infrastructure and IT environment.

This is when the PMG Platform was chosen as the low-code solution, suitable for rapid application development, release, and maintenance. GGS was selected to build the single, centralized Emailing Tool application and help to embed the PMG solution within ABB’s infrastructure environment.

The following ABB’s needs were addressed:

• decommissioning of obsolete tools,
• the need for a reliable and performing tool capable of handling up to 20 000 emails at once,
• the need for archiving, auditing, and access to the history of events,
• the need for flexibility in arranging the security module: level of access, groups, rights, viewing, and administration,
• possibility to extend and build on top of the solution,
• using low-code for fast implementation, flexibility, and multipurpose.

Identifying challenges

Our GGS team recognized the following challenges during the low-code development of the tool:

• multi-layer and complex IT environment - related to IT security, cloud services, and SaaS solutions operating in multinational environment,
• custom requirements with multiple stakeholders, accustomed to the existing tools and solutions,
• multiple data sources to connect to,
• large volumes of actions that needed efficiency,
• high visibility in the organization,
• time pressure related to the year-end and decommissioning of other tools.

Surprisingly, the greatest challenge was not building the tool itself, which was carried out by the experienced ABB - PMG - GGS teams on a partnership basis. It was rather the complex infrastructure setup, which required extensive communication, conscience, and patience on all sides. Fortunately, as teams heavily experienced in implementation and set up of IT projects, we all knew that any potential issues will clear up if we keep going in the right direction.

The solution

Low -code solution provided by PMG was a great match.

Its versatility allowed to quickly build the application and add flexibility. Another advantage of the solution is that it allows to develop other applications relatively quickly - not necessarily related to the Emailing Tool itself.

The platform, therefore, has a great potential of automating and digitalizing other areas of the organization. The GGS automation team was selected for the integration and the build.

Here is what our team proposed:

• low code workflows as an engine that powers the solution,
• configurable interactive forms and pre-defined templates that allow crafting the notifications,
• powerful and multi-layered security model, that allows to slice and dice roles and responsibilities, including super administrators, administrators, and regular users,
• AWS-based technology, with SQL databases underneath,
• archiving, events history, and auditing,
• a graphically appealing interface that helps to remove the fear of change from the end-users.

The project:

• agile Kanban based methodology,
• lines of communication with the client, integrator, and the software provider,
• GGS serves as the implementation and communication partner, assisting in removing road blockers on the client and SaaS provider side,
• the friendly, proactive atmosphere created by the ABB’s, PMG and GGS teams.

The solution

We are proud to share the following results of the successful integration:

• Consolidating multiple scattered mini-tools into one, centrally managed solution with unified configuration,
• Reliability increased - notification always delivered in expected form,
• decommissioning of outdated platform with numerous notifications modules,
• improved archiving, auditing and access to historic events capabilities,
• delivery in weeks rather than months,
• potential for extensions and covering other similar needs with less effort,
• 20 000 employees served within the service scope,
• 120 000 emails sent in the first two months after the release
• 291 users subscribed in the first two months
• 34 users with the rights to administer notifications and groups,
• 25 new email templates created,
• Look and feel and usability increase (ease of administration, higher end user satisfaction)

The Tool was well received and is willingly adopted by the users.

If you’d like to learn about the cutting-edge tools that will help your company adapt to the fast-paced changes in the digital world, let us know!