How to build a simple SaaS app that solves difficult problems?

Various companies from all around the world face a similar challenge - they see the potential to do something easier and faster with a web application, but such a solution is not yet available on the market.

So, they decide to take a risk and create it themselves - they outsource a web app development team and present their ideas for a product. That means countless hours of close cooperation with a team of programmers, brainstorming sessions, and looking for a way to effectively communicate with each other despite very different fields of expertise.

We had a similar experience that we decided to share with you. Due to our cooperation - Enerace with Order Group, in just a few months we managed to create a revolutionary web application in its field.

How did we do it? Here is a brief history of our web application.

Automated reports for quick decision making

The founders of Enerace, Wojciech Nowotnik, and Bartosz Palusiński, have specialized in the energy procurement processes for large consumers of electricity or gas for over a decade. They observe the market, analyze data and offer support in decision-making processes for international corporations that spend over € 100,000 on energy alone per year.

After many years of consultancy, they decided to improve the very complex and time-consuming processes necessary in energy procurement. They came up with the idea of a web application that revolutionizes decision-making processes by making accurate calculations and forecasts based on the latest data from the energy industry.

According to the founders of Enerace, three aspects of the application were crucial from the very beginning:

1. Data safety,
2. Data transparency,
3. Application scalability.

The app itself is a SaaS (Software as a service) that provides energy procurement experts with daily, weekly and monthly reports that make risk management easier and enable them to save significant amounts of money.

The web application is built using high-tech solutions such as Django, which is an advanced Python web framework that enables fast creation and modern design. Choosing the right technology solution for your web application is critical as it must meet the specific needs of your product. It should guarantee error-free operation, data security and a user-friendly interface.

While the Enerace web app runs smoothly and helps many customers every day, the development process was challenging.

Web app development process and its challenges

Once Wojciech and Bartosz decided to build this innovative product, they asked themselves one important question - what are the most common problems our customers face and how can we help them?

They made a list of all the expectations that arose in cooperation with clients, what problems they are struggling with, and on this basis, they created a specification of the features they need in the application. Then they found a company that could make their idea come true - Order Group.

Both teams from Enerace and Order Group came together to understand each other's needs and agree on the course of cooperation. As Maciej Sułek, tech leader said, "the project was extremely difficult, especially due to the huge amount of data and complex calculations that had to be presented in a simple, user-friendly form while maintaining 100% accuracy".

The energy industry itself is also complicated and demanding. The development team at Order Group needed to understand how it works in order to implement the automation of calculations and reporting.

The list of features Enerace founders want to add to the app is long and continues to evolve as the market changes. Therefore, the application is still in progress and is constantly adding new features to offer customers a top-quality product.

How to speed up the development process?

As you can see, creating a simple app that solves complex problems isn't easy, but there are a few things that can help you accelerate your progress.

• Work on communication between teams. As a Product Owner, make sure you are available for any questions that arise so that the development team gets answers quickly and continues the process.
• Describe your ideas about features in the app as clearly as possible. Do not leave room for misunderstanding or open interpretation.
• Focus on results, not deadlines. When two companies that specialize in very different fields start working together, it is often difficult to establish realistic schedules for each other.
• Trust your partners in their expertise. As a product owner, you may often want to control every aspect of your application. This is not a good idea. In custom application development, each team focused on its strengths, leaving, for example, making decisions about the application architecture fully to the Order Group.

Creating your own product is a great challenge and a long journey. But it's worth it! Enerace is proud to offer web applications to international customers and serve them every day, making their job easier.

Benefits of Saas solution

Our project did not end there, we are still working on new features on a daily basis so that Enerace’s clients can enjoy the user-friendly system and make the best business decisions.

Building a web application that solves complex problems is challenging, time-taking, and often nerve-wracking. But the world needs brave entrepreneurs with a vision that will make other people's lives easier with their hard work.

We hope you have found our experiences helpful. Now it's your time to make a difference!