Fintech
Case Study: Performance Optimization of Order Processing System in Due Diligence Department
How full-stack performance engineering turned a fintech compliance platform from a daily productivity drain into a measurable operational gain for 500 employees
- Confidential enterprise client
- Web application
- SQL database
- Caching
- 2024
Cases per employee per day: 8 → 9.5
Engagement summary
| Phase | Challenge | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 - Investigation | UX degradation under peak load across 500 daily users | Root causes mapped across frontend, backend, and data layers |
| Phase 2 - Optimization | Slow queries, bloated payloads, and ineffective caching | Targeted full-stack fixes on highest-impact user journeys |
| Phase 3 - Results | Productivity bottleneck despite a functionally stable system | ~19% throughput gain and ~$300K/month operational value |
Phase 1 - Performance Investigation
A Due Diligence department within a fintech company operated an internal order processing and case management system used by approximately 500 active employees. Each employee relied on the platform daily to process financial verification cases and compliance-related orders, handling roughly eight cases per day on average. Over time, employees began experiencing significant performance degradation during peak working hours — high page response times, noticeable UI lag, and delayed navigation between cases. The system was not failing functionally, but it was failing in user experience under load, breaking task continuity and reducing productivity across the department.
What we delivered
- Structured investigation across frontend, backend, and data layers
- Identification of slow UI pages missing from monitoring and unprioritized
- Analysis of frontend payload size and unused JavaScript on critical pages
- Review of database query efficiency and caching strategy effectiveness
- Assessment of uncompressed responses impacting network transfer time
Key outcomes
- Several high-impact slow pages surfaced that monitoring had missed
- Frontend bloat and legacy JavaScript bundles identified as avoidable overhead
- Inefficient queries and suboptimal caching traced to user-perceived lag
- Clear prioritization map aligned to business-critical compliance workflows
Phase 2 - Targeted Full-Stack Optimization
With root causes mapped, the performance engineering team executed a targeted set of improvements across the full stack — focusing first on the slowest user journeys and highest-impact workflow pages rather than spreading effort evenly across the platform.
What we delivered
- Enabled and standardized gzip compression for faster asset delivery
- Removed unused and legacy JavaScript bundles from critical pages
- Reduced total page payload size and improved critical rendering paths
- Optimized slow database queries in core order retrieval flows
- Reduced unnecessary joins and redundant data fetching in high-frequency endpoints
- Tuned caching strategy for frequently accessed case data to improve cache hit ratio
Key outcomes
- Significantly reduced frontend payload on key workflow pages
- Lower latency on core order retrieval and case navigation paths
- Reduced redundant recomputation of identical requests
- Engineering effort aligned with business-critical user paths first
Phase 3 - Measurable Business Impact
After optimization, the department saw improvements that went well beyond technical metrics. Employees completed workflows faster with fewer interruptions, and the smoother system interaction reduced cognitive fatigue during peak working hours.
What we delivered
- Before-and-after measurement tied to cases processed per employee per day
- Validation of user experience improvements during peak working hours
- Documentation of operational value translated into business impact
- Performance prioritization framework reusable for future internal systems
Key outcomes
- Average productivity increased from 8 to 9.5 cases per employee per day
- Estimated productivity gain of approximately $300,000/month in operational value
- Noticeably faster response times and reduced perceived system lag
- Improved employee focus with less task-switching overhead from page waits
Sectors we have supported
- Entertainment & ticketing
- Media & broadcasting
- Theatre & live events
- Finance
- Telecommunications
- Cosmetics & retail
- Mobile apps
- Healthcare
- Banking
- Oil & gas