The General Convention Office of the Episcopal Church: Application improvements that helped run the foundation's largest event

The Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention conducted using Ruby on Rails applications.
Gco hero
Client
The General Convention Office of the Episcopalian Church
Industry
Foundation
Services Provided
Frontend Development Ruby on Rails Development DeepL Integration Data Management DevOps Development On-Site Support

The Challenge

The General Convention of The Episcopal Church (GCO) convenes every three years. During the convention, the church uses a set of Ruby on Rails applications to conduct all levels of legislation business. The platform tracks everything from document change management to the voting process and arranging staff housing.

In 2021, Planet Argon inherited the application suite from the original development team. But improvements still needed to be made to the integration with DeepL, the automatic translation service, such as fixing bugs in data behavior. The biggest challenge was that there was only a year until the next general convention.

The Process

Planet Argon collaborated with the original development team in the handover of all software code, management of 3rd-party service management, and knowledge-sharing.

After an initial discovery phase, we worked with GCO in agile sprints to add new features to their suite of applications.

One of the application's unique characteristics was creating a complete set of automated tests before it was released to the public. Given the importance of these apps during the convention, it was necessary to stress test them through several rounds of quality assurance to ensure everything ran smoothly. For example, we needed to maintain stability regardless of an active internet connection at the venue or not.

The Result

The Episcopal Church held its 80th General Convention in Baltimore in July 2022. Planet Argon team members attended the convention to monitor the systems, provide technical support, and resolve any critical issues.

From the beginning, Planet Argon recognized that the convention would be challenging. Aside from the fact that a large number of people were using the applications, a convention would create its own type of friction between users and technology. Thanks to automated and user testing, there were very few errors to address!!


"I am impressed at their ability to take on our multiple, complicated existing apps and learn them quickly and well, and quite happy with the numerous improvements they have made for us. Also, their attention to maintenance and support tasks in addition to development has been great."

Manager, GCO

5.0 star rating

5.0 - Quality

5.0 - Schedule

4.5 - Cost

5.0 - Willing to Refer

Read More Clutch Reviews »

Project Artifacts

Browse More Case Studies

  • Screaming Circuits

    Technology

    Online Ordering Made Easy

    An application redesign to help this leader in prototype Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly regain a competitive edge with their customers.

    Read Case Study

  • Oregonian/Oregon Live

    Publishing

    Simple Sorting With Recipe Box

    A reimagined, re-engineered responsive directory of over 3,600 recipes that fosters exploration and inspiration.

    Read Case Study

  • Oregon Coast Aquarium

    Education

    A Vastly Educational Oceanscape Network

    A new site to inspire youth to better understand, cherish, and conserve nature by connecting them to a network of educators and peers.

    Read Case Study

Want a Free Action Plan? Schedule a Call