It's time to update: ORCA is moving to the cloud

Background & Scope:

The rapid pace of digitalization renders the current ORCA setup inefficient in comparison to what is possible. Currently, deploying system updates is resource-intensive and requires significant manual labor; the technical infrastructure is simply outdated.

For over 13 years, ORCA Stowage has been an essential component of the ORCA suite, providing useful features and streamlining various processes. Migrating the application to the cloud is crucial for two reasons:

First, this move aligns with our long-term strategy of moving all ORCA tools to the cloud, which will provide us with greater flexibility, scalability, and the ability to deliver faster updates. Historically, updates have been slow and require manual installation, especially onboard vessels. With the move to the cloud, we will be able to release new features and improvements much more frequently, allowing us to be far more responsive to our users' needs.

Second, a major goal of this project has been to improve how users interact with the product. Early on, we engaged a User Experience (UX) designer to enhance the core Stowage features to ensure they are modern, intuitive, and easy to use. This represents a clear shift toward prioritizing the user experience, making the platform more seamless and efficient.

By digitalizing the process, we can:

• simplify updates and maintenance tasks
• reduce the overall architecture complexity / technical dept
• prepare for future features and enhancements.
• streamline workflows
• standardize processes
• increase accessibility
• enhance the data quality and efficiency

Rebuilding the stowage module marks the completion of the digital migration for all three ORCA modules: Port Log, AoL and Stowage.

The scope of the project is to:

• Migrate ORCA Stowage to the cloud, incorporated into ORCA Web
• The application shall be moved “as is”: Core features will be moved as is, but the transition will include updating the end user interface and enhancing the user experience to align with modern web application standards.

The product owner is Khalil Najia, Senior Advisor Business Processes.

“As product owner, I’m excited about the direction we’re heading. I view this project as a critical and timely initiative that represents a major milestone in both our product's evolution and our organization's broader digital transformation efforts,” he says. “The progress made so far is encouraging, and the upcoming phases will ensure that the platform is equipped for future growth and innovation.”

Overall, this project represents a pivotal step in ORCA’s digital transformation. It positions ORCA to continue delivering long-term value as a modern, scalable platform.

Milestones

The project began in February and has focused on creating user stories, interacting with superusers, development, and testing.

The project is progressing well overall, and early testing results have been promising.

Test Manager Danijel Habijancic underlines the importance of a thorough process: 

“A collaborative and structured approach is key to delivering a high-quality solution. As an external consultant, my experience with Odfjell has been extremely positive. The organization promotes a solution-oriented mindset and fosters a cooperative atmosphere that encourages cross-departmental collaboration.”

The testing process is highly systematic and structured, ensuring thorough quality control. The first step involved a detailed review of user stories, during which the test manager, product owner, and development team collaborated closely to ensure a clear understanding of business needs. In parallel, the stories were reviewed, and test cases were created in preparation for sprint testing.

One of the project’s strengths is the consistent communication between the various stakeholders. Regular feedback loops are proven effective in quickly identifying and resolving challenges, ensuring that progress stays on course.

The aim is that the structured approach and early involvement of key stakeholders (see project team members to the left) for feedback and testing will help uncover challenges underway and ensure a successful project outcome.

“The migration of ORCA to the cloud has been an exciting journey to be part of so far. It has been important to try and keep the same interface, which we all know so well, and at the same time, optimize the functions by making them more user-friendly, says operator and member of the superuser team, Ole Magnus Aasheim.

“By moving it to the cloud, we will be able to continuously improve the functions that ORCA consists of based on user feedback and tailor it to our needs. This is a big step in the right direction.”

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