Uqbar initially approached ZRP to create a complex product with several flows that had not yet been defined, in a timeframe that we did not believe was possible, which led Uqbar to accept an unrealistic deadline from another company. Uqbar then got back in touch and presented the "solution" created by the other company, an unfinished "application" full of architectural problems, and it was up to ZRP to continue with it so that it could be launched at an annual Uqbar event; the deadline was tight, but we accepted the challenge. We started the project by fixing the bugs. It took many months just to fix them. There was no documentation, no information on why certain actions had been carried out or partially implemented, but as we progressed we saw that many features that had been given as "ready" (by the old company) only had the frontend and so we started work on implementing them. As the application was already large, we had to divide it into pieces in order to be able to make continuous deliveries. After finishing everything that had been "delivered" by the old company, we started new features from scratch.

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• We launched something in production for the first time by compiling the images with docker manually and applying them to digitalocean's kubernetes (the cloud chosen by Uqbar) manually, because we had inherited this way of doing things from another company and there was no time to automate it;
• We finalized and put into production what had been "delivered" by the old company;
• We implemented integration with Vindi (billing system) to manage recurring subscription charges. We had to deal with and write an sdk for Vindi in order to deal with a limitation of their API, as the limit of requests per minute is limited to a modest 120 requests;
• We updated the version of Strapi from version 3 to version 4, which was very outdated and unsupported, keeping the system prone to receiving innovations and taking advantage of the entire ecosystem of the new version of Strapi. This generated a lot of resistance from the client, but over time it proved that the technical choice to migrate enabled the advances that exist today;
• We have created all the necessary functionalities to inactivate old applications that have been incorporated into the Uqbar platform;
• We make the entire application responsive;
• We have created new features to be a networking platform;
• We modified the platform to integrate with external applications such as google analytics, rd station, online events platform;
• We optimize the performance of the platform that handles a lot of data;
• We created the 2023 Yearbook;
• We have created new functionalities to be a market network platform;
• We migrated the payment system to a better one, stripe (currently being finalized);
• We are refactoring the entire visual identity of the platform

Our long-term relationship with Uqbar has been divided into several phases.

Initially, we inherited the system from another company, after difficulties during the development phase. We then carried out in-depth investigative work, analyzing the code and creating regression tests to complement and tidy up the list of bugs found.

Throughout the process, we identified unfinished functionalities, so we decided to divide our approach into two major actions: corrections and new functionalities.

We started with fixes, reducing the number of critical bugs in the platform as much as possible, and segregated the work into a few additional levels.

Initial focus on visitors

We fixed everything that non-logged-in users could access and launched the first version of the platform into production. We then fixed everything that users on the free plan could access and also the permissions control.

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After the success of the free launch, we focused on integrating the payment solution (Stripe) into the system.

Collection and Centralization

To launch the next plans, we fixed the missing bugs and implemented integration with the external billing application, launching the paid plans in production.

In this new paid experience, one of the big challenges was the centralization of systems, since old users had access to legacy applications. To solve this, we focused on bringing the old functionalities to the new platform, consolidating the new system and strengthening our relationship with users, giving them a clear incentive to migrate.

Network and Management

With the aim of being a platform for networking as well, from 2022 we will focus on implementing new features such as institutional and professional profile registration, strengthening the notion of the platform as a hub for networking.

During this phase, we also focused on consolidating the management process. Due to the existence of some legacy systems, data was brought into the application, but was not directly editable. We then migrated and centralized the entire management process in an administrative environment, avoiding jumping between systems and facilitating the financial and operational management of the platform.

From that point on, evolving the platform became a data analysis job. We strongly believe that a data-driven methodology brings better results, by combining our team's and the client's notion of a unified and real view of what happens to the platform's users.

To take this first step, we added more robust analytics tools, allowing us to base our decisions on the platform's new visual identity.

From the second half of 2023, we are focused on refactoring all the screens for the new visual identity, and refining the existing functionalities, creating an increasingly cohesive, close and functional experience for the platform's users and Uqbar's clients.

Uqbar has managed to launch a centralized platform so that its clients can access everything they want in one place. This platform has up-to-date data and content, allowing users to create their own social profiles and access those of others. The long-standing ZRP Uqbar partnership has brought great rapport and trust. As a result of this work, we have produced an excellent platform that helps Uqbar publicize its educational area, its database, its produced content and enables market networking among users. The platform still has a lot of growing to do, considering its goal of being a market network platform for the financial market.