by Paul Carling
Before I joined ATTMA, I was already involved in evolving the ATTMA lodgement portal from the ground up. While still working as a tester, I participated in early meetings with the system’s developer to define what data fields were needed and the format they should take. I also explained the fundamentals of the air tightness test and how the data would be used in practice. At that time, the lodgement system was basic but functional – it allowed tests to be lodged and certificates to be downloaded, which was all that was needed.
When I officially joined ATTMA, one of my responsibilities became managing updates to the lodgement system. This included briefing developers and testing their updates before release. With a background in amateur web development, I took the opportunity to redesign the system’s appearance, transforming it from its original minimal form into the more intuitive and user-friendly version we use today.
As our needs grew, we decided to bring development in-house to increase capacity and reduce reliance on external contractors. That’s when Simon joined the team. Between the two of us – myself handling the design and process, and Simon managing the database and server-side development – we’ve delivered a wide range of improvements and new features.
Some of the key enhancements include:
- New certificate types
- Audit request and evidence submission functionality
- Integration with the ATTMA App, including project and plot setup for pre-test data entry
- Equipment section upgrades to support year-on-year calibration tracking and fan calibration variables
The ATTMA App itself was a major collaborative project. I led the design and calculation logic, while Simon developed the software to run seamlessly on both tablets and PCs. As always, testing was a joint effort.
This journey reflects ATTMA’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation, ensuring our systems evolve to meet the needs of our members and the wider industry.
