Getting to know the client
Suunnistusliitto (The Finnish Orienteering Federation) manages orienteering in Finland, where approximately 45,000 adults and 15,000 children and youth regularly participate in the sport. The Federation oversees around 340 member clubs and a range of orienteering disciplines, including traditional orienteering, ski orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, and trail orienteering. IRMA, the competition management system used by the Federation, plays a critical role in organizing and managing events.
The challenge
The first version of the IRMA system was developed more than a decade ago, and no major updates have been made since. The technologies used were outdated, technical debt had accumulated, and performance issues were causing challenges. The Orienteering Federation’s goal was to find an agile development partner who could take over the maintenance of IRMA and, as a first step, resolve the performance issues. In addition, the goals were to modernize the system, both in terms of usability and technology.
Riimu’s role
We began by identifying and optimizing database queries to address performance bottlenecks. The system was then migrated to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform, and a new version maintained by Riimu was deployed in production in December 2023.
During the spring, we undertook a comprehensive modernization project, focusing on technology upgrades and a redesigned user interface. IRMA received a completely new brand identity, and usability was enhanced with features like mobile support for critical functionalities such as race registration. The modernized version was released in June 2024.
We are currently gathering feedback on the new user interface and will continue to develop the system based on user needs together with the Orienteering Federation.
The benefits of working with Riimu
- Strong technical expertise in system performance optimization and modernization
- A user-centric approach with a focus on better usability
- Continuous collaboration with the client to support evolving user needs and further system enhancements
- Effective and budget-conscious collaboration approach
