Our ongoing re-write of Audit Assistant has so far resulted in significant improvements including:
- A new dashboard and client view page
- The ability to annotate PDF documents in Preview mode
- Integration with Sharepoint to allow seamless editing of Excel and Word attachments
- Multi-factor authentication
- Single sign-on with Microsoft or Xero
- Ability to set up teams for different branches or cost centres
- A new streamlined TB importer
Technically, we are transitioning from Ruby on Rails to Laravel. 'Rails' was the preferred option for these kinds of applications when we started building the online version of Audit Assistant in 2009 (version 2), but has now been superseded by better and easier tools, hence our change to Laravel. Our original version 1 was written in Excel using Microsoft .NET for the front end, so we have come a long way.
- We are building our new tools in Laravel and them porting them back into our Rails version with some clever integration, as both use the same database.
- For now what you see at the client level is Rails, but most of the rest is Laravel.
- It is currently optional to display in the old view or the new, while getting used to the new look and features.
- V3 will become the default from July 2025, with the option to switch back available for a month or two after that.
- Our goal is to rewrite everything on Laravel by the end of 2025.
Upcoming features include:
- A sharing portal for all client interaction
- A new risk tool with a library of risks that links to suggested tests
- New tables for testing
- New multi-level trial balance
- A new style of template that is much more responsive to adapting to the job requirements and eliminating excess pages.