Overview
We wanted to build a system for Blink22 that would work well with our own operational problems, like handling changing project loads, working with people from different departments, and growing all the time. The Resource Management Platform was made to solve that problem. It is a smart, centralized system that assigns projects, keeps track of time, and shows how resources are being used across the company.
Built with modern web technologies and scalable infrastructure, the platform integrates seamlessly with tools like Forecast, Hubstaff, and Slack, providing real-time visibility into workloads and performance. It empowers project managers with actionable insights, enabling efficient planning and transparent operations across all teams.
Technologies Used
Technologies Used- React.js
- TypeScript
- Rails
- Docker
- PostgreSQL
Category
- Productivity
- Administration Interface
- Slack Bot & Workflow Automation
- Role-Based Access Control
Platforms
- Web (Admin Dashboard)
Timeline
2018
On-going
Initial Requirements
As Blink22 grew, managing resources across multiple teams and clients became increasingly complex. Manual spreadsheets and disconnected systems slowed decision-making and blurred visibility into team resource allocation.
The goal was to design a unified platform that could:
Integrate with existing time tracking and reporting tools
Provide real-time visibility into team utilization and capacity
Automate updates and notifications via Slack bot automation
Support role-based permissions for secure, scalable access
Enable data-driven decision-making through workforce analytics and reporting
With this in-house project, we were able to use our engineering skills and our firsthand knowledge of operational problems to make a custom platform that could grow with the company.
Challenge
Developing the Resource Management Platform meant tackling multiple layers of complexity:
Multi-API Integration: Connecting Forecast, Hubstaff, and Vacation Tracker, each with unique authentication, data models, and rate limits, while keeping everything in sync and reliable, essentially building Forecast API integration and Hubstaff integration into one coherent system
Real-Time Data Consistency: Ensuring that assignments, time logs, and utilization metrics remained aligned across platforms through asynchronous job processing with Sidekiq and Redis.
Granular Permissions: Designing a role-based access system with multiple permission tiers across projects, users, reports, and financials, balancing security with ease of use.
Data Architecture: Modeling a complex database structure linking users, projects, clients, and skills while maintaining performance and data integrity.
Scalability: Supporting multiple departments and future organizational growth through a modular, multi-tenant architecture.
Every challenge demanded careful planning and real architectural consideration to deliver something both technically sound and operationally useful.
Approach
Blink22's engineering and product teams took a modular, API-first approach, prioritizing scalability, integration, and long-term maintainability.
Backend Architecture
Built using Ruby on Rails (API-only), keeping services cleanly separated and easy to extend later
Implemented dedicated service classes for each external API with standardized data handling, retry logic, and transformation pipelines
Background jobs powered by Sidekiq and Redis handled synchronization and processing, keeping the main app responsive under heavy load
Frontend Development
Built with React (TypeScript), using Redux Toolkit and React Query for efficient state management
Material-UI provided a consistent, intuitive interface that adapts dynamically based on user roles
Infrastructure & Deployment
Dockerized environments kept builds consistent across development, staging, and production
A scalable PostgreSQL schema supported complex relational data and multi-tenancy
CI/CD pipelines enabled fast, reliable deployment and testing
Security & Authentication
Integrated Auth0 with JWT token validation for secure role-based access
API endpoints were hardened against injection attacks with enforced data integrity
Testing & Quality Assurance
Automated testing was built into the process from day one
RSpec covered backend testing and Jest covered frontend, combined with end-to-end QA to validate workflows, permissions, and integrations across browsers and devices
Solution
The Resource Management Platform was delivered as a unified, enterprise-grade ecosystem.
Backend Services
Ruby on Rails API supporting multi-tenant architecture and granular role permissions
External integrations:
Forecast API for project and user synchronization
Hubstaff API for time tracking integration and utilization reporting
Vacation Tracker API for leave management
Background tasks handled by Sidekiq + Redis, ensuring real-time updates and high reliability
Frontend Application
Responsive React web interface with role-based project management dashboard views
Real-time tracking of project allocation, utilization, and capacity
Modular design ready for expansion, financial reporting, and advanced forecasting among the next steps
Slack Bot
An integrated Slack bot will let team members and managers access workload insights, idle-time alerts, and skill-based matching directly through Slack commands, bridging communication with action.
Infrastructure
Containerized deployment with Docker & Docker Compose
Multi-layered PostgreSQL schema supporting 20+ interconnected tables
Automated environment management and hot reloading for developers
Outcome
The Resource Management Platform fundamentally transformed how Blink22 manages its people, projects, and performance.
Key results:
Operational Efficiency: Reduced manual allocation time through automated workflows and skill-based matching, improving accuracy of resource assignments
Real-Time Visibility: Dashboards and automated reports provide leadership with a single source of truth for utilization and workload, with instant access to team utilization, project progress, and resource availability
Data Synchronization: Seamless API integrations eliminated data silos between Forecast and Hubstaff, providing a unified view of actual vs. planned work across all projects.
Scalable Design: Architecture supports ongoing expansion and team growth.
Smarter Decision-Making: Data-driven strategic workforce planning and workforce analytics improve forecasting and project planning accuracy, leading to more accurate timelines and better client satisfaction.
Team Alignment: Slack automation strengthens communication between teams and reduces administrative overhead through automated workload reporting, idle time tracking, and skill management.