Solo
FeaturedInternal Planning & Operations Platform
The Mission
Plan and log onto jobs and visualise their status at all time, with dashboards personalised for different user groups and use cases.
Overview
Solo is a factory planning and operations platform built to make day-to-day production work visible, coordinated and auditable. It connects planners, operators and managers through role-based workflows that surface real-time status, constraints and next steps. The system embeds capacity limits, compliance checks and operational rules directly into the workflow. Alongside planning and execution, it supports attendance, access control and visitor management to keep operational data consistent across the business.
100% adoption factory-wide by 100+ daily users across planning, operations and management
Improved planning accuracy and visibility using capacity contraints derived from operators' departments and work patterns
Embedded safety and compliance checks into workflows, preventing unsafe actions until requirements were met
Enabled audit-ready traceability with logs and dashboards used for operational review and decision-making
01 // Discovery & Design
// Discovery
Worked with planners, operators and managers to identify pain points in daily workflows
// Key Decisions
Direct integration with ERP system and door access to have a single source of truth
// Trade-offs
Prioritised operator-facing task flows for speed and clarity; less critical management dashboards were iterated more slowly
🛠️ One thing we changed after launch
Moved the buttons for logging units from the bottom of the screen to the side, to enable better ergonomics and avoid operators' body twisting
02 // Technical Execution
// Tech Stack
Node.js backend with MSSQL database, JS and Handlebars frontend and ERP integration for live data
// Implementation
Hosted in a Linux on-prem server to avoid sensitive data from leaving the building
// System Design
Compliance gates (ESD checks) implemented as workflow blockers, enforcing rules without relying on training alone
💡 One thing I would do different now
Use Luxon everywhere for time handling and implementing await/async functions
03 // Ownership
// Team
One of two developers taking product direction from operations and co-designing workflows with operators and end users
// Timeline
Released core planning modules within months, expanded iteratively over ~2 years and continues to receive targeted enhancements as a mature, trusted and reliable operational system
// Ownership
Co-owned backend, frontend and database development, with a big focus on usability and end-user collaboration
❤️ The thing I enjoyed the most
Seeing staff using the system daily and knowing I built something genuinely useful that makes their working lives easier