R&D team for an HR tech time & attendance product
Rebbix became part of the client’s team, which transitioned from a startup to an established enterprise-level time tracking and timesheet platform. The R&D team's objective was to develop and launch two mobile apps for time and attendance aimed at small businesses in Brazil. A key challenge during this phase was to accurately verify that an individual was present at a specific location at a certain time. The decision to launch the minimum viable product (MVP) in Brazil was strategic, as employee time theft is prevalent there, and the country's labor laws heavily favor employees, leading to significant financial burdens for both local and international firms. The focus on micro and small businesses (those with fewer than 10 employees) was also deliberate, given that they represent 98.5% of all Brazilian businesses and contribute to 41% of total payroll. Since the MVP stage, we have achieved numerous significant milestones with our partners, and our collaboration continues.
Key outcomes included a three-month timeline to conduct R&D and create the MVP. As part of our R&D process, we explored three methods for verifying an employee's location: Bluetooth beacons (a secure but costly option requiring companies to buy beacons), WiFi network metadata (a reliable, commonly available option needing some initial setup), and GPS (a backup that is easily manipulated and unreliable on low-cost phones). We developed a comprehensive system featuring iOS and Android apps for employees, an admin panel for company management, functionalities for sign-ups and team management, and basic payroll report generation. Additionally, we created an advanced data synchronization mechanism that allowed the mobile apps to function offline, which is vital given the often unstable internet connectivity in Brazil. The team consisted of one Engineering Manager, one iOS Engineer, one Android Engineer, and one Back-End Engineer.