Photo: Google Gemini · AI-generated
The Challenge
A construction company with up to 500 employees in Germany was managing a web of subcontractors, documentation obligations, and real-time coordination demands that no standard project management tool handles well. Project managers were managing subcontractor communication through email and phone. Subcontractors on site had no reliable access to current drawings, instructions, or task status — and connectivity on site could not be assumed. The business needed a system that worked for project managers in the office and for subcontractors in the field — on whatever device they had, with or without a live internet connection.
What We Built
A multi-platform Subcontractor Portal running on private cloud infrastructure, with a full-featured web application for project managers and office teams, and native iOS, Android, and Windows apps for field use. The portal connects project managers with their subcontractor network through structured task assignment, document sharing, progress updates, and a shared knowledge base covering project-specific information. Subcontractors receive, acknowledge, and update tasks directly in the app. The offline capability is a first-class feature, not an afterthought. The mobile and desktop apps are designed to work fully without connectivity — syncing automatically when a connection is available. Release delivery runs through an Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline, with dev, QA, test, and live branches mapped to their own server environments. The iOS and Android builds — including multiple parallel app instances for different project sites — are distributed to field devices through Firebase, keeping test and pilot builds separate from what ships to production.
What It Delivers
- Project managers and subcontractors working from a shared, structured view of tasks, documents, and progress
- Knowledge base integrated into the workflow — relevant project information available at the point of need
- Native apps on iOS, Android, and Windows — built with Xamarin/MAUI for consistent performance across platforms
- Stable offline mode — full functionality without connectivity, automatic sync when back online
- Private cloud hosting — data stays within a controlled, secure environment
- Reduced coordination overhead for project managers; subcontractors always know what is expected of them
- Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline with dedicated dev, QA, test, and live environments; iOS and Android builds distributed via Firebase across multiple parallel app instances
Facing a similar challenge?
The problems above are specific — but the patterns are common. We would be glad to talk through your situation.