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Project Overview
I designed and built a custom Operations Portal for Plow Foods, creating a business platform that sits on top of their existing MYOB AccountRight system and helps streamline day-to-day operational processes.
The goal was to give the business a more practical and efficient way to manage workflows that were previously manual, disconnected, or difficult to coordinate through MYOB alone.
Rather than replacing MYOB, the portal acts as an operational layer around it — giving users a better interface for the tasks they need to perform while keeping MYOB as the source of truth for accounting, customers, products, orders, and invoices.
The Problem
Plow Foods had a growing need to manage business processes more efficiently across ordering, customers, inventory, production planning, delivery routing, and account workflows.
MYOB AccountRight handled the accounting and core business records, but the business needed a more tailored way to work with that data day to day.
The challenge was to build something that could:
- Improve operational visibility
- Reduce manual data entry
- Connect directly with MYOB
- Support real business workflows
- Make ordering and administration easier
- Create a foundation for future automation
The portal needed to be practical, reliable, and aligned with how the business actually operates.
What I Built
I built a custom web-based portal that integrates with MYOB AccountRight and supports a range of operational workflows for the business.
The portal includes functionality across areas such as:
- Customer management
- Order management
- Sales order and invoice workflows
- Inventory visibility
- Stocktake support
- Production planning
- Delivery routing
- AI-assisted order review
- Account and invoice reconciliation support
- Behind-the-scenes business process automation
The focus was on creating a system that helped the business work more efficiently, while still fitting around their existing systems and processes.
MYOB as the Source of Truth
A key part of the project was making sure the portal worked with MYOB rather than against it.
MYOB remains the core system of record, while the portal provides a more flexible operational interface for staff.
This allows the business to keep using the accounting system they already rely on, while adding custom workflows that are better suited to their day-to-day operations.
The result is a smoother experience for users without forcing a complete system replacement.
Operational Efficiency
One of the biggest benefits of the portal is reducing manual work.
Instead of staff needing to move between spreadsheets, emails, manual checks, and MYOB screens, the portal brings important workflows into one place.
This helps with:
- Faster order review
- Easier customer lookups
- More consistent order handling
- Better visibility over inventory and stock needs
- Improved planning for production and deliveries
- Reduced duplication of data entry
- Fewer manual process gaps
The portal was designed to support the way the business actually works, not just expose raw data from MYOB.
AI-Assisted Ordering Workflow
The portal also supports an AI-assisted ordering process.
Customer order information can be captured, reviewed, and then approved or rejected by staff before being pushed into MYOB.
This creates a controlled workflow where automation can speed up the process, but users still retain oversight before anything becomes final.
That balance was important: the system improves efficiency without removing human review from key business decisions.
Production and Delivery Planning
Beyond order entry, the portal also helps support operational planning.
This includes functionality around stock visibility, production scheduling, and optimised delivery routing.
For a food manufacturing and distribution business, this is where a custom portal can provide a lot of value. The system does not just record orders — it helps the business understand what needs to happen next.
That makes it more useful as an operational tool rather than simply another admin interface.
Built for Growth
The project was designed with future automation in mind.
Because the portal sits between the business users and MYOB, it creates a platform where additional workflows can continue to be added over time.
This gives Plow Foods a foundation for ongoing improvements, such as:
- More advanced stocktake workflows
- Automated production planning
- Low stock notifications
- Supplier ordering support
- Additional reporting
- More customer self-service options
- Expanded AI-assisted business processes
The portal can continue to evolve as the business grows and as new opportunities for automation are identified.
Outcome
The final result was a custom operations platform that helps Plow Foods work more efficiently across ordering, inventory, production, deliveries, and administration.
The project delivered:
- A tailored operational layer on top of MYOB AccountRight
- A more efficient way to manage orders and customers
- Real-time integration with core business data
- Reduced manual administration
- Better visibility across operational workflows
- AI-assisted order review and approval
- Support for production and delivery planning
- A scalable foundation for future automation
This project was a strong example of turning an existing accounting system into the centre of a broader operational platform.
It was not just about building a web portal. It was about creating a practical business system that helps staff work faster, reduces manual effort, and gives the business more control over its day-to-day operations.
