WorkPAL

Workforce management and staff wellbeing online portal and mobile application

Overview

WorkPAL is a cloud-based digital performance platform, created by Thirsty Horses Ltd, which provides real-time data, reporting and a robust audit trail for HR and Organisation Development professionals, and NHS managers and executives. The platform is used to monitor performance and productivity, as well as identifying how staff are working to achieve organisational objectives, and how they demonstrate organisational values, behaviours and goals.

Challenge

Our team was invited to support a top-to-bottom review of the WorkPAL platform’s code, as the company transitioned from an external to internal development team. It was also tasked to help develop the platform to be solid, scalable, flexible and fit to be evolved with WorkPAL’s core market in mind — NHS Trusts. This required future-thinking and an approach to development that occurred seamlessly while the platform was continuously in use.

Service

Working within our founders consultancy framework, WorkPAL invited members of its SIG (Special Interest Group) to participate alongside WorkPAL team members in a number of scoping sessions. The sessions allowed representatives from a number of Trusts who were actively using the platform to share wants and current needs, changes on the horizon and future requirements, to fully inform the technical roadmap and prioritise improvements.

Through these sessions, we worked with the WorkPAL team to understand what the clients were saying and how the platform could be developed within its legacy framework to deliver a solution and collaborated to develop a technical roadmap. Roadmap in place, during the project we partnered with Pixelbeard, who specialise in .net frameworks, and WorkPAL’s internal development team to implement a code overhaul in the back office and improve UI and UX of the client facing system, as well as actioning other priority changes that emerged from the scoping sessions. These included rebuilding the admin panel, redesigning and rebuilding the front end application user interface and then subsequently building iOS and Android WorkPAL apps.

Impact

Since the project started the WorkPAL system has been developed to such a standard that it meets the needs of current clients and is ready to adapt for future requirements:

• Clients have provided positive feedback about the more modern system
• Changes have been well received because they are a result of direct client input and therefore relevant to their needs
• Engagement and usage rates are high
• Standard of product now is fundamental to business growth

WorkPAL has been recognised in five awards, alongside national and international brands. It was named in the top three for “Digital SME of the Year” at the Digital Leaders 100 awards and was shortlisted in the HSJ Awards, SME News Northern Enterprise Awards and the Engage Awards, where it was up against household names including Natwest and L'Oréal, and also featured in the LCR TechClimbers 2023 list.

Previous work whilst trading as Mashbo