CEA is a robust internal Windows application developed in C# and SQL Server using Visual Studio at AHMSA to streamline high-value procurement request workflows.
The system digitizes the manual process of preparing, approving, and reviewing purchase cases exceeding 500,000 MXN for weekly director-level meetings.
It replaced Excel files, screenshots, and PowerPoint presentations used for procurement review committees, drastically improving control, transparency, and traceability.
The system automates an error-prone workflow that included:
- Collecting purchase cases via email
- Building weekly PowerPoint slides for director meetings
- Manually tracking who approved each request
- Relying on screenshots and inconsistent documentation
CEA centralizes this in a secure, session-based system with automated approval flows and presentation export.
- 🔐 Login with multi-environment support (DEV/QAS/PRD)
- 🚫 3-failure lockout, screen restrictions, and singleton session per user
- 🆕 Register New Cases with:
- Title, type, value, currency, vendor, contract linkage, cost code
- Screenshots (stored as images in DB), justification, documents
- 🔁 Approval Flows:
- Auto-notifies managers, sub-directors, director of purchasing
- Auto-disables edits after approval
- 🧾 Session Logs:
- Session numbers grouped per week; used for meeting prep
- 📊 Admin Tools:
- Create weekly sessions
- Lock system for updates
- Broadcast urgent messages
- View version and force-close users if needed
- 📤 Crystal Reports generator to create the official PDF of approved cases
- ✅ Post-meeting review: Approve/reject/postpone by committee
| Category | Tools & Frameworks |
|---|---|
| Frontend |  |
| Backend |  |
| Platform |  |
| Framework |  |
| IDE |  |
| Database |  |
| Analytics & Reporting |  |
| Security & Identity |  |
| Other |  |
- RibbonBar interface with embedded screen routing
- Modular design per session, case registration, approvals, and reporting
- Admin tab for emergency controls and infrastructure monitoring
- Screens are embedded via child-form architecture
- Deployment: Internal Windows machines via shared folder
- Startup: Auto-start with singleton check
- Permissions: Role-based: purchasers, managers, admin
Note: All media and logs are saved securely in the database for auditing.
- 💼 Sole developer and architect
- 🧱 Designed schema, reports, approval flows, and logic from scratch
- 🧠 Developed admin tools and usage tracking
- 🔄 Integrated CEA Web and CEA Offline compatibility
- Migrated fully manual Excel/PPT process to an automated app
- Built resilient approval workflows and embedded media management
- Designed fallback session logic and forced logout/update functions
- Handled complex logic for reporting and role-based review screens
- Integrate digital signature support
- Replace Crystal Reports with modern PDF exports
- Migrate UI to web or hybrid for directors' mobile devices
Originally published under MIT; changed to CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 as of April 22, 2025.