Integrated Business Operations Management (IBOM) SaaS Platform
1.0
02.09.2024
The purpose of this document is to define the software requirements and specifications for the Integrated Business Operations Management (IBOM) SaaS platform. The platform is designed to provide businesses with a comprehensive tool to manage various aspects of their operations, including project management, CRM, inventory, HR, finance, and analytics. This document will serve as a reference throughout the development lifecycle, ensuring all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the system’s functionality and requirements.
IBOM is a multi-tenant SaaS platform aimed at small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that require a modular, integrated solution for managing their business operations. The platform will include modules for project management, customer relationship management (CRM), inventory management, human resources (HR), finance & accounting, and analytics. Each module will be customizable and scalable to meet the needs of different business sectors.
- SaaS: Software as a Service
- IBOM: Integrated Business Operations Management
- CRM: Customer Relationship Management
- HR: Human Resources
- API: Application Programming Interface
- UI/UX: User Interface/User Experience
- Industry Standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA)
- Best Practices in SaaS Development
- Design Patterns for Scalable Web Applications
This document will cover the following:
- System architecture and components
- Functional requirements
- Non-functional requirements
- User interface design
- Data management
- Security considerations
- Performance and scalability
- Integration and APIs
The IBOM platform will be built using a microservices architecture to ensure scalability, flexibility, and resilience. The core system will be composed of multiple independent services, each responsible for specific business functions such as project management, CRM, inventory, HR, finance, and analytics. These services will communicate via RESTful APIs and will be containerized using Docker, orchestrated by Kubernetes for easy scaling and deployment.
- Project Management Service: Manages projects, tasks, milestones, and resource allocation.
- CRM Service: Handles customer data, sales pipeline, and marketing campaigns.
- Inventory Management Service: Tracks inventory levels, orders, suppliers, and warehouse management.
- HR Management Service: Manages employee data, payroll, attendance, and performance.
- Finance & Accounting Service: Manages budgeting, invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting.
- Analytics Service: Provides real-time analytics, customizable dashboards, and reporting tools.
- Authentication Service: Manages user authentication, role-based access control, and security.
- Integration Hub: Facilitates integration with third-party services (e.g., email, payment gateways, accounting software).
- Task Management: Users can create, assign, and track tasks within projects.
- Milestone Tracking: Define and track project milestones.
- Resource Allocation: Allocate resources (e.g., personnel, equipment) to specific tasks.
- Time Tracking: Track time spent on tasks and projects.
- Collaboration Tools: Real-time chat, file sharing, and team communication.
- Customer Database: Store and manage customer information.
- Sales Pipeline: Track leads, opportunities, and deals through different stages.
- Email Campaigns: Create and manage email marketing campaigns.
- Customer Support: Ticketing system for customer inquiries and issues.
- Lead Scoring: Automatically score leads based on predefined criteria.
- Stock Tracking: Real-time tracking of inventory levels.
- Order Management: Manage purchase and sales orders.
- Supplier Management: Track and manage supplier relationships.
- Automated Reordering: Set thresholds for automatic reordering of stock.
- Warehouse Management: Manage multiple warehouses and their inventories.
- Employee Onboarding: Streamlined process for onboarding new employees.
- Payroll Management: Automated payroll processing and tax calculations.
- Attendance Tracking: Track employee attendance and leave.
- Performance Evaluation: Manage and track employee performance reviews.
- Benefits Administration: Manage employee benefits and compensation packages.
- Budgeting: Create and manage budgets for different departments.
- Invoicing: Generate and manage invoices, track payments.
- Expense Tracking: Track and manage business expenses.
- Tax Management: Automate tax calculations and filings.
- Financial Reporting: Generate financial reports, balance sheets, and income statements.
- Customizable Dashboards: Users can create custom dashboards for various KPIs.
- Real-Time Data Analytics: Provide real-time insights into business operations.
- Predictive Analytics: Use machine learning to forecast trends and outcomes.
- Exportable Reports: Generate reports in various formats (e.g., PDF, Excel).
- Visualization Tools: Graphs, charts, and other data visualization tools.
- User Management: Admins can create, delete, and manage users.
- Role-Based Access: Define roles and permissions for different users.
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Integrate with SSO providers like OAuth2, SAML.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enhance security with MFA options.
- API Gateway: Centralized gateway for all API interactions.
- Third-Party Integrations: Pre-built integrations with popular SaaS tools (e.g., Slack, Stripe, QuickBooks).
- Custom API Support: Allow users to integrate their own applications using RESTful APIs.
- The platform should support up to 10,000 concurrent users with minimal latency.
- Data processing tasks should be completed within acceptable time frames, depending on the complexity.
- The system must be horizontally scalable to handle increasing loads without performance degradation.
- Each module should be independently scalable based on usage patterns.
- All data at rest and in transit must be encrypted using industry-standard protocols (e.g., AES-256, TLS 1.2+).
- Regular security audits and penetration testing must be conducted to identify vulnerabilities.
- Compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and other relevant regulations is mandatory.
- The system should achieve 99.9% uptime, with redundant systems in place to handle failures.
- Data backups should be taken regularly, with disaster recovery plans in place.
- The UI should be intuitive, with a focus on user experience (UX) principles.
- The system should provide localization and accessibility features for users in different regions and with different needs.
- The codebase should follow best practices in software engineering, including modularity, clear documentation, and version control.
- Automated testing and CI/CD pipelines should be implemented to ensure consistent code quality and facilitate regular updates.
- The platform must adhere to all relevant legal and regulatory requirements, including data protection laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and industry standards.
- Consistency: The UI should be consistent across all modules, with a common design language.
- Responsiveness: The platform should be fully responsive, providing an optimal experience on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
- Accessibility: The UI should be designed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.
- Main Dashboard: Centralized dashboard with access to all modules and a summary of key metrics.
- Sidebar Navigation: Collapsible sidebar with links to different modules and settings.
- Top Bar: Global search, notifications, and user account management.
- Project Management: Gantt charts, task lists, resource allocation panels.
- CRM: Customer profiles, sales pipeline visualization, email campaign editor.
- Inventory Management: Stock levels, order forms, supplier lists.
- HR Management: Employee profiles, attendance calendars, payroll forms.
- Finance & Accounting: Budget charts, invoice generators, expense trackers.
- Analytics: Customizable dashboards, data visualization tools, report generators.
- Relational Database: Core business data (e.g., customer info, inventory) stored in a relational database (e.g., PostgreSQL).
- NoSQL Database: For unstructured data such as logs and large datasets (e.g., MongoDB).
- Data Warehousing: Historical data stored in a data warehouse for analysis (e.g., Amazon Redshift).
- Primary Storage: AWS S3 for storing files, documents, and backups.
- Backup Storage: Regular backups to a separate cloud storage service, with redundancy.
- APIs: RESTful APIs for accessing and manipulating data.
- GraphQL: For flexible querying of data across multiple modules.
- Direct Database Access: Limited to admin users for maintenance and analysis.
- Retention Policies: Data retention policies to comply with regulations, with options for users to manage their data lifecycle.
- Data Deletion: Secure deletion of user data upon request, ensuring no residual data remains.
- OAuth2: For secure authentication with third-party services.
- JWT Tokens: For stateless authentication within the platform.
- RBAC: Role-based access control to restrict access to sensitive data and features.
- Encryption at Rest: All sensitive data must be encrypted using AES-256.
- Encryption in Transit: Use TLS 1.2 or higher for all data transmission.
- Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of the platform for potential security threats.
- Incident Response: Established procedures for responding to security incidents, including data breaches.
- GDPR: Ensure all data processing activities comply with GDPR.
- HIPAA: For healthcare-related data, ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations.
- SOC 2: Implement controls to meet SOC 2 Type II certification requirements.
- Regular load testing to simulate user activity and ensure the platform can handle peak loads.
- Testing scenarios should include simultaneous use of multiple modules and API calls.
- In-Memory Caching: Use Redis for caching frequently accessed data.
- CDN: Utilize a Content Delivery Network for serving static assets globally with low latency.
- Implement auto-scaling for microservices using Kubernetes, based on resource usage and load.
- Database sharding for distributing data across multiple servers.
- Database Indexing: Ensure all frequently queried data fields are indexed.
- Code Optimization: Regular code reviews and profiling to identify and optimize performance bottlenecks.
- Query Optimization: Use optimized SQL queries to reduce response times.
- Centralized API Gateway for managing all API traffic, with built-in rate limiting and authentication.
- Documentation: Auto-generated API documentation using tools like Swagger.
- Pre-built connectors for popular SaaS tools (e.g., Slack, Stripe, QuickBooks).
- Webhook Support: Allow external services to trigger actions within the platform.
- API Builder: GUI tool for users to create custom APIs without writing code.
- GraphQL API: Flexible querying across multiple modules, with built-in authentication and permissions.
- CI/CD Pipeline: Automated testing, build, and deployment pipeline using Jenkins, GitLab CI, or CircleCI.
- Blue-Green Deployment: Minimize downtime by deploying new versions alongside the existing one before switching over.
- Development Environment: Local environment with Docker containers.
- Staging Environment: Mirror of the production environment for final testing before deployment.
- Production Environment: Live environment with robust monitoring and alerting.
- Monitoring Tools: Use Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring system performance and health.
- Logging: Centralized logging using ELK stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) for easy troubleshooting.
- Automated Backups: Regular backups of databases and critical data, stored securely in separate locations.
- Disaster Recovery Plan: Established procedures for recovering from data loss or system failures.
- Integrate AI algorithms to provide predictive analytics and decision support across modules.
- Implement a drag-and-drop interface for users to create automated workflows between modules.
- Create a marketplace where third-party developers can create and sell integrations, themes, and additional features.
- Microservices Architecture: An architectural style that structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled services.
- RBAC: Role-Based Access Control is a method of regulating access to resources based on the roles of individual users.