Custom App to Manage New Software Requests

In an organization where new software must pass through security, budget, and platform governance, we needed a clear and auditable process.

Requirements:

Teams needed a way to request new software tools and ensure each request was reviewed by Security and other decision-makers before purchase. Tracking vendor details, budget alignment, and cross-department approvals had previously been manual and siloed. Communication was often inconsistent or missing key details, leaving the IT department blindsided. This led to unclear software expenditures and teams independently adopting different tools to solve the same problems—resulting in inflated costs.

Solution:

I designed a custom Salesforce app to manage Software Purchase Requests. Key features included:

  • A custom object to track software tools, vendor info, risk level, renewal details, and more

  • Required fields for department, budget source, and platform owner

  • An approval process that routed requests to Security and role-based approvers

  • A custom tab for users to view requests they submitted and requests awaiting their approval

Reflections:

  • 🌿 Building the app from scratch gave us complete flexibility over fields and layout

  • 🌻 The app integrated with Jira to provide a familiar front-end experience, aligning with users’ existing ticket submission habits

  • 🍃 The model was later extended to track renewals and trigger reminder flows ahead of contract end dates

  • 🌼 Approvers appreciated being able to act on requests directly from the app, reducing email clutter

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Written by

Samantha Hawkins
Samantha Hawkins