From VBA Macros to a Resilient Windows Platform
Legacy Rescue, Architecture & Workflow Automation
Integrity Sampling Australia runs drug and alcohol testing programs for workplaces across Australia — from head offices to remote construction and mining sites. Their decade-old dispatch system, built on a series of VBA Word macros, was experiencing data loss and could no longer keep pace with the business. SoftLogic stabilised the existing system, designed an offline-resilient Windows application platform for technicians and supervisors, optimised the workflows end-to-end, migrated the legacy data, and took the new system live.
C# .NETWindows ApplicationsOffline-FirstWorkflow AutomationData Migration
0
data loss after stabilisation
100%
offline capable — works in remote & no-signal sites
10 yrs
of legacy data successfully migrated
↑
operational efficiency — workflows redesigned, not just replaced
The challenge
ISA's job dispatch and result reporting system had been running on interlocking VBA Word macros for over ten years. The system was experiencing active data loss and becoming increasingly fragile. Remote sites — construction zones, mines, and regional locations — meant any replacement architecture had to function without a reliable internet connection. An online-only solution wasn't viable. ISA needed a complete replacement that could be trusted in the field, without disrupting ongoing testing operations during the transition.
Our approach
- Immediate stabilisation of the existing VBA system using OneDrive to halt the active data loss and keep operations running while the new platform was architected.
- Designed an offline-first Windows application architecture for field technicians and supervisors — ensuring full functionality in remote locations with intermittent or no internet connectivity, with reliable sync when connections were restored.
- Worked through ISA's end-to-end dispatch and reporting workflows with the team, identifying inefficiencies and optimising the process before encoding it into the new system — not just replacing like-for-like.
- Built the replacement Windows applications for technicians and supervisors, covering job scheduling, technician dispatch, test result collection, client reporting, and accounts — all integrated and replacing the fragile macro chain.
- Migrated all legacy data from the old VBA-based system into the new platform, ensuring continuity of historical records with zero data loss on cutover.
- Managed a structured go-live with acceptance testing, training, and a supervised transition — moving from the old system to the new one with the team confident in what they were taking on.
The system had to work where the signal doesn't
Technicians test on construction sites, in mines and at regional depots. An online-only replacement was never viable, so the architecture was offline-first from the first sketch: every screen works with no connection and syncs when one returns.
- Windows applications for technicians and supervisors
- Local-first data with conflict handling on sync
- Ten years of legacy records migrated with reconciliation
Workflows redesigned, not just replaced
Rebuilding the macros as-is would have carried ten years of workarounds into the new system. We walked the process with the people who run it, cut the steps that only existed because the old tool demanded them, and built what was left.
The engagement in pictures
Customer review
“Over the years we had tried a number of solutions for coordinating jobs for our technicians. Our technology had become 10 years old and consisted of a series of VBA word macros that had to work together to dispatch jobs to the right technician and to collect all the information on the test results and report on them for each client. George and team stabilised the system using OneDrive to stop the data loss that we were experiencing and architected a new system of Windows Applications for Technicians and Supervisors. The architecture that was chosen had to be resilient and support operations when internet was not available. Some of the remote locations we operate in presented challenges that precluded an online only solution. George's team not only implemented a replacement system but also thought through the workflows and optimised them. They migrated the old data and presented the team a new system that operated far more efficiently and reliably. Once tested and accepted we went live and have been reaping the benefits. I highly recommend SoftLogic for their expertise and careful process.”
Before you rewrite, make the right call.
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Working through this decision right now? Book a free Strategy Session — a clear, honest assessment of what you have, what it will take to fix, and what the alternatives cost.
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