Manager Tools Mobile App
Philip has been the primary programmer of the Manager Tools Mobile App since 2015. The mobile app has 20k active manager users on the Android and iOS platform.
The app is foremost the premier source for consuming the massive library of management podcasts which span more than a decade. In recent years the app has been transformed to include the member-only product called “Roadmap,” a highly integrated checklist that empowers managers to improve their relationship with their direct reports.
*Manager Tools is also a client of Project Ricochet where the project originated in 2015. Manager Tools began working directly with Bikeshop Agency in 2019.
App screenshots (iOS)
The technical details
The Manager Tools Mobile App is available in the Android and iOS App stores but it is built upon a single code base. This is made possible through the free and open source Apache Cordova project, a hybrid-app development platform. The app is written in JavaScript/HTML/CSS, as if it was a website, but there are several “plug-ins” that make it possible for the JavaScript code to interact with the mobile devices native functionality, which makes it much more powerful than a website.
Native Interactions
One example of using the native functionality is the ability to download podcasts to be listened to when offline. The user is able to download a podcast file and it is stored within the app so that the user can listen to a podcast on a plane or where there is little or no internet connection.
Another example of native functionality is the ability to receive notifications. We use notifications to remind managers when it is time to begin or complete a task or when tasks are overdue. We also send notifications as reminders to track interactions with their directs.
Progressive Web App (PWA)
A progressive web app is an iOS or Android app that is developed and deployed the same way as a website, it has the same or slightly greater capability of a website, but it looks and behaves just like a mobile app. It’s an app for your mobile device without the need for an app store.
When the codebase for Manager Tools Mobile App was updated to Angular in 2018, we also improved the codebase so that it could be run in any browser — except for any native functionality that could not be achieved by a website. Because the JavaScript/HTML/CSS of the app is the same for iOS, Android or the Web, the code must be able to detect which type of platform it is on and in the case of the Web, gracefully disable native app features that would not work, such as downloading podcasts for offline playback.
The app can be installed from the browser by clicking the share icon and selecting “Add to Home Screen”.
