TL;DR
- We built SoloPontaj as a focused SaaS for Romanian SME attendance, leave management, and payroll exports.
- The product targets one of the most painful admin bottlenecks: month-end timesheet and compliance preparation.
- The platform combines self-service UX for employees with operational controls for managers and admins.
- The technical architecture was designed for auditability, predictable month-end jobs, and low operational overhead.
- You can see the live product here -> solopontaj.ro.
Product Context
Romanian SMEs often handle attendance and leave processes with fragmented tools: spreadsheets, chat approvals, and manual accountant handoffs. SoloPontaj was designed as a focused workflow layer to centralize:
- attendance tracking,
- leave requests and approvals,
- project-level timesheet data,
- payroll-ready exports (including PDF and SAGA-compatible outputs).
The goal was simple: reduce repetitive admin work without adding complexity for employees.
Stack We Chose and Why
Application Layer
- React-based web application for fast interaction in employee and manager dashboards.
- Component-driven UI for repeated workflows (timesheet inputs, leave flows, approvals, reports).
Why this mattered:
- Predictable UI patterns
- Fast onboarding for non-technical users
- Easier iteration for product updates
Backend and Data
- Node.js API layer for business logic and workflow orchestration.
- PostgreSQL as the transactional source of truth for attendance, leave, users, and projects.
Why this mattered:
- Strict data consistency for month-end exports
- Flexible relational model for role-based access and reporting
- Clear audit trails for approvals and corrections
Document and Notification Pipeline
- Server-side PDF generation for timesheet documents.
- Scheduled email delivery for monthly reports and manager notifications.
Why this mattered:
- Reduced manual file handling
- Repeatable and reliable month-end operations
Technical Challenges We Solved
1. Attendance Rules and Validation
Challenge: Different teams log time differently. We needed one model that could support regular attendance tracking, project-based entries, and leave integration without conflicting totals.
Approach:
- Normalized daily entry model
- Server-side validation for overlapping/invalid entries
- Deterministic month aggregation rules
2. Leave Requests Without Workflow Friction
Challenge: If approval flows are too rigid, users bypass the system. If they are too loose, operations loses traceability.
Approach:
- Lightweight employee request flow
- Role-based approval states
- Explicit status history for each leave request
3. Accountant-Ready Outputs
Challenge: Exports must be both correct and practical for downstream payroll/accounting operations.
Approach:
- Standardized report generation routines
- Export-specific formatting pipelines
- Versioned output templates to keep changes controlled
4. Predictable Month-End Load
Challenge: Most usage pressure appears at month-end. Report generation and notifications must stay predictable.
Approach:
- Background processing for heavy operations
- Idempotent scheduled jobs for report emails
- Clear separation between interactive API traffic and batch workloads
Architecture in Practice
At a high level, the system was designed as:
- Web app for employees, managers, and admins
- REST API for domain logic and access control
- Relational database for consistent operational data
- Background jobs for report generation and email dispatch
- Export layer for PDF/SAGA-compatible outputs
This gave us a practical balance between speed of delivery and operational reliability.
Metrics and Product Outcomes
From the current product positioning and live adoption indicators:
- 100+ active teams using the platform
- 10,000+ timesheet records generated
- up to 98% attendance visibility for teams
- up to 70% reduction in month-end admin workload (for typical payroll prep workflows)
Operationally, the biggest win was not one feature. It was the combination of automation + consistency:
- fewer manual corrections,
- faster approvals,
- cleaner handoff to accounting.
Lessons Learned
1. SME products need operational clarity, not feature overload
Every screen and workflow must answer one question fast. Anything else increases abandonment.
2. Compliance workflows should be built into the core model
Trying to bolt compliance and export logic on top of generic task tracking usually creates fragile edge cases.
3. Month-end is the real reliability test
The system can feel fast during the month and still fail operationally if batch/reporting paths are weak.
4. UX simplicity is a technical decision
Good UX required strict backend constraints and predictable states, not only interface polish.
Final Note
SoloPontaj was built as an execution-first SaaS product: clear workflows, predictable outputs, and practical automation for Romanian teams.
You can see the live product here -> solopontaj.ro.
If you want a similar product built for your operational workflows, contact us.