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A series of discovery workshops to determine the key business functions, identify goals, and outcomes sought
Case study
M&S: A digital supplier platform for complex food safety operations
Pivale help M&S turn complex food safety and audit workflows into a robust, scalable digital platform used across internal teams, auditors and suppliers.
A growing relationship
Having worked with M&S on previous projects, it was our pleasure to accept the major undertaking of developing a brand new, critical piece of software to supersede their older system.
M&S Food Technical Centre required a system to support their operations and interactions with suppliers and auditors.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Claire HughesHead of Central TechnologyM&SConnect has been a great success. It is software that is intuitive with clear codes of practice... and it affords us better management of our contact lists with clarity on when updates take place as emails go directly to suppliers.
The requirements
The web software needed to encompass multiple applications including:
- A document library, personalised by supplier requirements
- A complex database of organisations, users, roles and permissions
- Form submissions and task follow-up workflows
- Highly custom audit control processes generated per supplier
- Nutritional benchmarking to measure M&S product against competitors
- Bespoke dashboards, on screen reporting, and Excel exports
The Solutions
The solutions Pivale provided for M&S include:
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Presented various functional and visual design prototypes to arrive at a consensus for the site templates allowing for ease of navigation and intuitive user journeys
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Created a content strategy to define what new data structures should exist to allow for rich linking of content
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We took the previous system's raw data and created several algorithms to transform the data into the new data structures
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The client partnered with us as we built the system functionality, testing the various components as they were delivered in order to validate their effectiveness in addressing each of the business cases
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We proposed a phased delivery of the website application based on priorities
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We presented critical functionality early, and continually so we could make amendments as we progressed
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The initial application was launched and continues to be extended as M&S's requirements evolve
Analysis
The application needed to support a wide range of user journeys without becoming difficult to navigate or costly to extend.
A deliberately stripped-back interface created a clear foundation, keeping the experience simple for users while leaving room for new functionality as requirements evolved.
A bespoke icon set gave each area a distinct visual identity, helping users understand where they were, what they could do next and how different parts of the application related to one another.
Design
A clear design system established consistent patterns for forms, controls and content from the outset. As the application expanded, new functionality could be introduced without creating visual drift or unnecessary design and development overhead.
That same discipline carried through to the responsive front end, ensuring the application remained clear, usable and consistent across desktop, tablet and mobile.
Launch
M&S Connect launched successfully and has continued to evolve as new operational requirements emerge.
Adoption across internal and external auditors, food technologists and supply partners validated the strength of the original approach, while also creating a platform for further ideas and complementary functionality.
Rather than becoming a finished piece of software, it became a dependable foundation that could grow with the needs of the organisation.
