02. Case Study — Annie/CourtStatus
Example WordPress Project 
Serverless API & WordPress Integration
Built as a proof of concept using WordPress for rapid development and role-based workflows, ANNIE evolved into a production-ready serverless API integrated with WordPress. The platform ats it peak processed 100,000+ automated alerts per day through a scalable AWS architecture, enabling officers, dispatchers, and administrative staff to review infractions, approve citations, automate batch printing, and securely collect payments — all with full audit visibility and reporting.
Project Highlights
- Custom AWS Lambda REST endpoint processing 100K+ alerts daily.
- Queue-based filtering system using AWS DynamoDB & Step Functions.
- Webhook integration injecting validated alerts into WordPress.
- Alert → Citation approval workflow with multi-role permissions.
- Automated batch PDF generation and FTP delivery to print servers.
- Custom-developed payment gateway with Certified Payments Processor.
- Role-restricted admin dashboards with export and reporting tools.
- 4+ years of priority support, maintenance, and system optimization.
Scalable AWS Infrastructure Designed for Extreme Traffic Spikes
The task was to record highway license plate camera reads, timestamps, quality scores, and metadata for review by law enforcement. The problem was volume. To overcome this, we engineered a custom AWS REST endpoint. On peak days, the endpoint processes over 100,000 requests — requiring reliable serverless scaling and intelligent filtering.
What Was Engineered
- Custom REST endpoint built with AWS Lambda.
- Request queue and validation workflow using AWS Step Functions.
- Duplicate and low-quality filtering using AWS DynamoDB.
- Automated webhook, pushing valid alerts into WordPress.
- Scalable infrastructure ready for new locations.
A Secure, Role-Based Administrative System Built on WordPress
WordPress was selected to rapidly prototype and evolve the administrative layer. A custom Full Site Editing (FSE) theme was developed from Figma designs, along with custom Gutenberg blocks to power citation search, citation views, and secure payment interfaces.
Custom post types and database tables were engineered to support alerts and citations, while granular roles and capabilities restricted access to sensitive driver information only meant for officers, dispatchers, and staff. ACF Pro and Gravity Forms accelerated structured data handling and workflow submissions without sacrificing architectural control.
What Was Developed
- Custom WordPress FSE theme built from Figma designs.
- Custom post types and database tables for alerts and citations.
- Role-based permissions and restricted PII access.
- Structured workflows powered by ACF Pro and Gravity Forms.
Alert-to-Citation Approval Workflow
A structured, multi-step approval system was engineered to move alerts through verification, mailing validation, and citation approval. Officers review alert accuracy, dispatchers confirm mailing data, and staff convert approved alerts into pending citations before final authorization.
Custom administrative screens were developed to approve, deny, and track alerts at every stage, with conditional validation checks and dashboards displaying alerts by status, pending citations, paid citations, and overdue accounts. Export tools and reporting dashboards provide operational oversight and compliance visibility.
Automated PDF Generation & Print Distribution
Once citations are approved, WordPress “scheduled actions” batched records and dynamically generated PDF templates populated from structured database fields. Approved citations are combined into consolidated batch files and then automatically delivered via FTP to a print server for physical mailing.
Unpaid citations are automatically rebatched as final notices, and daily CSV logs provide administrative tracking. This automation reduced manual processing while maintaining structured documentation and print consistency.
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Secure Payment Processing & Driver Experience
Drivers can search for citations using a unique citation number and last name, view citation details, and submit secure payment through a custom integration with Certified Payments Processor. Payment records are linked directly to citations and alerts, ensuring accurate reconciliation and reporting.
After successful payment, drivers are automatically redirected to the required state driving course, and administrative dashboards reflect updated payment statuses in real time.
Technical Highlights
- Custom integration with Certified Payments Processor.
- Gravity Forms payment entry handling.
- Linked alert, citation, and payment records.
- Automated course redirection upon completion.
Reporting & Administrative Intelligence
Custom dashboards provided administrators with real-time visibility into alerts at each stage, citation approvals, paid records, and final notices. Exportable CSV reports allowed for further analysis in Excel while maintaining secure access controls for sensitive data.
Daily alert logs and structured reporting tools supported operational oversight, compliance auditing, and long-term trend analysis across camera locations and traffic volumes.
Administrative Tools
- Custom dashboards displaying:
- Alerts by stage
- Pending citations
- Paid citations
- Finale-notice citations
- CSV exports for local Excel analysis.
- Daily alert logs for compliance auditing.
Development Standards & Compliance
The project was developed while enforcing coding standards, structured workflows, and enterprise monitoring to ensure maintainability and performance under high-volume conditions. All code was linted using PHPCS (WordPress Standard), ESLint, and Stylelint to maintain consistent, secure, and auditable code across PHP, JavaScript, and CSS.
Because the platform handles sensitive driver information and online payments, PCI considerations, PII protection, and CCPA/GDPR best practices were incorporated during development. Monitoring and performance profiling were performed using CloudWatch and KCachegrind, with monthly usage and performance reporting provided for transparency.
Key Practices & Tools
- PHPCS (WordPress Standard), ESLint, Stylelint.
- Role-based PII access controls.
- PCI-aligned payment integration.
- CCPA/GDPR privacy-aware data handling.
- CloudWatch logging and KCachegrind profiling.
- Monthly usage and performance reporting.
Technical Impact & Long-Term Support
Beyond initial development, we provided ongoing system architecture planning, detailed workflow documentation, and user role mapping to support operational clarity and long-term scalability. Reactive Development coordinated closely with our DevOps partner to manage AWS Windows instances, light pole PCs, and the supporting plate-reading software infrastructure. Over 4+ years, we delivered priority support, advanced debugging, performance optimization, and direct staff assistance to ensure production stability across high-volume traffic events.
To maintain reliability under sustained load, we implemented structured monitoring and profiling practices, including real-time logging with Amazon CloudWatch, application performance monitoring via New Relic, and deep PHP bottleneck analysis using KCachegrind. High-traffic spike procedures, proactive system health checks, and monthly infrastructure and usage reporting provided agencies with alert volume analytics, performance trend visibility, and ongoing optimization recommendations to support long-term operational transparency.
Project Outcome
Production-Ready Serverless API & Custom WordPress Integration at Scale
The Serverless API & Custom WordPress Integration went from a rapid proof of concept into a production-grade, multi-jurisdiction citation management platform. By combining a scalable AWS serverless REST API with a structured WordPress administrative layer, we delivered a high-volume, compliance-aware system capable of managing alert intake, citation approvals, automated print workflows, and secure online payments — all with long-term operational stability and audit visibility.
- 100,000+ alerts processed daily with scalable, queue-based validation.
- Structured alert-to-citation workflow with full audit traceability.
- Automated PDF batching, FTP distribution, and payment reconciliation.
- PCI-aligned payments with role-restricted PII access and ongoing production support.