Better data, faster rollouts: How we replaced spreadsheets for global pricing decisions
A leading luxury automotive manufacturer needed a better way to manage pricing and labeling for its highly configurable car models. Their spreadsheet-based system relied on manual version control, making the process inefficient and prone to errors.
Over three years, acrontum designed, developed, and implemented a web application to handle these complexities. The result was an inheritance-based system that reduced errors, minimized manual effort, and gave key stakeholders real-time insights into pricing and labeling across all markets.
Client need
The client needed a centralized web app for vehicle pricing and labeling, ensuring structured data from global settings to local markets. They required an inheritance-based system for cascading changes with minimal effort and a clear versioning and approval process for quality and compliance. Replacing spreadsheets was key to enabling cross-functional teams to work from a single, reliable source.
Highlight
This project delivered the smoothest and fastest system rollout in the client’s entire application landscape. The new application replaced the slow and error-prone spreadsheet process with a structured inheritance model and built-in version control, ensuring greater reliability and efficiency.
Solution built
Acrontum built a custom web app with multi-level inheritance, versioning, and approvals. The Angular frontend followed the client’s Design System, while a Node.js/PostgreSQL backend ensured stability. OpenAPI streamlined API development, and Kafka with Lambda-based automation enabled real-time, manual-free data exports.
Services Used
Requirements elicitation & conceptualization, Full implementation, Quality assurance, deployment and handover
Client Situation
The client, managing customizable car models worldwide, used a spreadsheet-based system for pricing, labeling, and versioning to ensure the right customization options were available in each market. However, they faced inconsistent data, version control issues, and inefficiencies as their operations grew. They needed a single application to manage these processes reliably while being easy to maintain and audit.
The Approach
To develop the solution, acrontum collaborated with the client through design workshops, using wireframing sessions and Lucidchart to capture the client’s vision in real time. Instead of defining all requirements upfront, acrontum took an iterative approach, refining the product based on continuous feedback. User story mapping ensured each feature aligned with the client’s goals, while Scrum, Jira, and Confluence structured development. Weekly status alignments helped identify risks early, and continuous QA ensured thorough testing from development to production. The new application was integrated with existing systems to keep data flowing reliably across their workflow.
Outcome
The centralized application reduced repetitive data entry and mislabeling across global markets, leading to fewer errors and faster updates. Real-time dashboards provided key stakeholders with instant visibility into pricing structures and pending changes, improving transparency. Automated workflows and more efficient processes allowed the client to roll out pricing updates faster, strengthening their competitive edge. Compared to other systems in their application stack, this solution achieved one of the smoothest and most timely deployments.
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