Standalone ARM — Gap Analysis¶

1. Executive Summary¶

This document analyzes the gaps between the current ARM implementations (three divergent NetSuite customizations) and the target standalone ARM platform. It identifies what exists, what's missing, and the effort required to close each gap.

Gap Severity Levels¶

Level	Definition
🟢 Exists	Feature is fully implemented in at least one client
🟡 Partial	Feature exists but is incomplete, inconsistent, or requires manual workarounds
🔴 Missing	Feature does not exist in any current implementation
⚪ New	Feature is new for the standalone ARM (not attempted before)

2. Feature Gap Analysis — By Functional Area¶

2.1 Entity Management¶

Feature	Saint Edwards	Al Faisal	Pymble	Standalone Target	Gap
Debtor creation	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢 Unified	🟢
Student creation	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢 Unified	🟢
Student-debtor linking	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢 Unified	🟢
Item master (fees)	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢 Unified	🟢
Item master (discounts)	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟢	🟢 Automated	🟡
Student types/categories	—	—	🟢	🟢 Configurable	🟡
Multi-campus support	—	—	—	🟢	🔴
SIS integration (API)	—	—	—	🟢	🔴
SIS integration (file)	—	🟢 CSV	🟡 Excel	🟢 Both	🟡
Automated wizard import	🟢	—	—	🟢 Template	🟡

2.2 Billing Configurator¶

Feature	Saint Edwards	Al Faisal	Pymble	Standalone Target	Gap
Billing cycle creation	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Item segmentation	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢	🟡
Item selection	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Family selection	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢	🟡
Items-to-years mapping	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢 Matrix UI	🟡
Exception handling	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢 Full	🔴
Payment configuration	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢 Point-and-click	🟡
Review & approval workflow	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Template system	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Wizard mode	🟢 (only client)	🔴	🔴	🟢	🟡
Version history	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Audit trail	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Mid-year enrollment	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟢 Automated	🟡
Mid-year withdrawal	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟢 Automated	🟡
Clone from prior cycle	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Separation of duties	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴

Overall Configurator: ~10% functional (Jerry's assessment confirmed by this analysis)

2.3 Transaction Generation¶

Feature	Saint Edwards	Al Faisal	Pymble	Standalone Target	Gap
Invoice generation	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Billing order generation	—	—	🟢	🟢	🟡
PDF generation	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢 Branded	🟡
Email distribution	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Payment link generation	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Batch generation	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Dry run / preview	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Selective regeneration	🔴	🔴	🟡 Manual	🟢	🔴
Credit note generation	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟢 Automated	🟡
ERP sync on generation	🟢 (in NS)	🟢 (in NS)	🟢 (in NS)	🟢 Via adapter	🟢

2.4 Payment Processing¶

Feature	Saint Edwards	Al Faisal	Pymble	Standalone Target	Gap
Credit card (eway)	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Direct debit (ABA)	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
B Pay	—	—	🟢	🟢	🟡
Edstart	—	—	🟢	🟢	🟡
Annual payment (upfront)	—	—	🟢	🟢	🟡
Annual discount	—	—	🟢 2.5%	🟢 Configurable	🟡
RPS record creation	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Automated eway processing	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
ABA file generation	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Failed payment retry	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟢 Automated	🟡
Payment method change	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual (3 records)	🟢 Automated	🟡
Duplicate prevention ("Paid from Portal")	—	—	🟡	🟢	🟡
Refund processing	🔴	🔴	🟡 Manual	🟢	🔴
Payment reconciliation	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟡 Manual	🟢 Automated	🟡
Multi-gateway support	—	—	—	🟢	⚪

2.5 Parent Payment Portal¶

Feature	Saint Edwards	Al Faisal	Pymble	Standalone Target	Gap
Portal exists	🟢	🟢	🟢 (My Pymble)	🟢 Unified	🟢
OTP authentication	🟢	🟢	—	🟢	🟢
SSO/JWT authentication	—	—	🟢	🟢	🟡
View outstanding balance	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
View line items	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Select payment method	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Select payment frequency	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢
Flexible date selection	🟢	— (fixed)	🟢	🟢 Both modes	🟢
Optional item opt-in	—	—	🟢 (levy)	🟢 Configurable	🟡
Payment history	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢 Full	🟡
PDF download	🔴	🔴	🟡	🟢	🔴
Mobile responsive	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢 Mobile-first	🟡
Multi-language	—	—	—	🟢	⚪
Accessibility (WCAG)	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴

2.6 Reporting & Monitoring¶

Feature	Saint Edwards	Al Faisal	Pymble	Standalone Target	Gap
Outstanding payments report	🟡 NS reports	🟡 NS reports	🟡 NS reports	🟢 Built-in	🟡
Collection rates	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
RPS processing report	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢 Automated	🟡
Payment method breakdown	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Revenue by segment	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Debtor aging	🟡 NS Aging	🟡 NS Aging	🟡 NS Aging	🟢 Built-in	🟡
Email delivery tracking	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Real-time dashboard	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Export to Excel/CSV	🟡	🟡	🟡	🟢	🟡
Scheduled report delivery	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴

2.7 Integration & Architecture¶

Feature	Saint Edwards	Al Faisal	Pymble	Standalone Target	Gap
ERP-agnostic design	🔴 NS only	🔴 NS only	🔴 NS only	🟢	🔴
NetSuite adapter	🟢 (native)	🟢 (native)	🟢 (native)	🟢 API adapter	🟢
Microsoft Dynamics adapter	—	—	—	🟢	⚪
REST API	🟡 RESTlets	🟡 RESTlets	🟡 RESTlets	🟢 Full API	🟡
Webhook support	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Multi-tenant architecture	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
CI/CD pipeline	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Automated testing	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Version-controlled config	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴

2.8 Security & Compliance¶

Feature	Saint Edwards	Al Faisal	Pymble	Standalone Target	Gap
Role-based access	🟡 NS roles	🟡 NS roles	🟡 NS roles	🟢 Granular RBAC	🟡
Audit trail	🟡 NS system	🟡 NS system	🟡 NS system	🟢 Comprehensive	🟡
Payment data encryption	🟢 eway tokens	🟢 eway tokens	🟢 eway tokens	🟢 + at-rest	🟢
PCI compliance	🟢 via eway	🟢 via eway	🟢 via eway	🟢 SAQ-A	🟢
Data retention policies	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢 Configurable	🔴
PII handling / GDPR	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢	🔴
Penetration testing	🔴	🔴	🔴	🟢 Annual	🔴

3. Gap Summary Statistics¶

By Severity¶

Severity	Count	%
🟢 Exists (ready or low effort)	28	26%
🟡 Partial (moderate effort)	38	35%
🔴 Missing (high effort)	38	35%
⚪ New (new capability)	4	4%
Total features assessed	108	100%

By Functional Area¶

Area	Total	🟢	🟡	🔴	⚪	Effort
Entity Management	10	4	4	2	0	Medium
Billing Configurator	16	2	6	8	0	Very High
Transaction Generation	10	5	3	2	0	Medium
Payment Processing	14	6	6	1	1	High
Parent Portal	13	6	4	2	1	High
Reporting	10	0	5	5	0	High
Integration & Architecture	9	2	2	4	1	Very High
Security & Compliance	7	3	2	2	0	High

4. Client Feature Parity Analysis¶

Features that exist in one client but NOT in others — all must be unified in standalone ARM:

Feature	Only in	Impact if missing
Automated wizard import	Saint Edwards	Admins lose guided setup experience
CSV bulk import	Al Faisal	Cannot onboard via spreadsheet
Billing orders (vs invoices)	Pymble	Cannot separate billing intent from accounting
B Pay support	Pymble	Australian parents lose preferred payment method
Edstart support	Pymble	Parents lose third-party financing option
Annual payment discount	Pymble	No incentive for upfront payment
Building levy (opt-in)	Pymble	Cannot offer optional charges via portal
SSO/JWT authentication	Pymble	Cannot integrate with existing parent portals
"Paid from Portal" flag	Pymble	Risk of duplicate billing
Opening balance inclusion	Pymble	Prior balance not in payment plan
Fixed payment dates	Al Faisal	Cannot enforce institution-set dates
Flexible payment dates	Saint Edwards, Pymble	Parents cannot choose their own dates
AED currency	Al Faisal	Cannot serve UAE clients

All 13 features must be present in the standalone ARM and configurable per tenant.

5. Technical Debt Carried from Current Implementations¶

Debt	Description	Resolution in Standalone
Divergent codebases	3-4 versions of configurator	Single unified codebase
No version control	SuiteScript edited live in NetSuite	Git-based version control
Hardcoded values	Client-specific values baked into scripts	Configuration-driven
No automated tests	Manual testing only	Automated test suite
No CI/CD	Deploy via NetSuite script editor	CI/CD pipeline
Manual workarounds	Many operations require admin database edits	Self-service UI
No monitoring	Issues found by users	Proactive monitoring + alerts
Inconsistent naming	Different field names across implementations	Canonical data model
Payment method change = 3 manual updates	Must update recurrence + RPS + transaction	Single automated action
No rollback	Cannot undo incorrect billing run	Snapshot-based rollback

6. Priority Recommendations¶

Phase 1 (MVP — Must Have for First Client Migration)¶

Priority	Feature Area	Items
P0	Data Model	All core entities (debtor, student, item, transaction, payment, RPS)
P0	NetSuite Adapter	Full bi-directional sync
P0	Configurator	Tabs 1-5, 7-9 (minimum viable configurator)
P0	Transaction Generation	Invoice generation, PDF, email distribution
P0	Payment - eway	Credit card processing via eway
P0	Payment - ABA	Direct debit file generation
P0	Portal	OTP auth, balance view, payment setup
P0	RPS Scheduling	Daily automated credit card processing

Phase 2 (Feature Parity)¶

Priority	Feature Area	Items
P1	Configurator	Exception handling (Tab 6), template system, wizard mode
P1	Billing Orders	Full billing order workflow (Pymble pattern)
P1	Portal	SSO/JWT, optional items, PDF download
P1	Payment	B Pay, Edstart, annual discount
P1	Portal	"Paid from Portal" logic
P1	Mid-year	Automated enrollment/withdrawal handling

Phase 3 (Enhanced Capabilities)¶

Priority	Feature Area	Items
P2	Reporting	Real-time dashboard, scheduled reports
P2	Configurator	Version history, cycle snapshots, clone
P2	Security	Granular RBAC, data retention, PII handling
P2	Architecture	Webhook support, multi-gateway
P2	Portal	Mobile-first redesign, accessibility (WCAG)

Phase 4 (New Capabilities)¶

Priority	Feature Area	Items
P3	Microsoft Dynamics adapter	Full integration
P3	SIS integration (API)	Real-time student sync
P3	Multi-language	i18n support
P3	Multi-campus	Campus-level segmentation
P3	Collection automation	Automated reminder workflows

7. Effort Estimates (High-Level)¶

Work Package	Estimated Effort	Dependencies
Core platform (DB, API, auth)	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	None
Data model implementation	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Core platform
NetSuite adapter	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Core platform
Billing configurator MVP	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Data model
Transaction generation	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Data model, configurator
eway integration	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Core platform
ABA file generation	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Core platform
Parent portal MVP	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Core platform, eway
RPS scheduler	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	eway, ABA
Reporting MVP	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Data model
Microsoft Dynamics adapter	[PLACEHOLDER: X weeks]	Core platform (adapter interface)
Total MVP (Phase 1)	[PLACEHOLDER]
Total with Phase 2	[PLACEHOLDER]

⚠️ Effort estimates to be refined during sprint planning based on team capacity, technology stack decisions, and detailed technical design.

8. Open Questions¶

#	Question	Impact	Status
1	What technology stack for the standalone ARM? (Node.js? Python? .NET?)	Architecture, hiring, timeline	[PLACEHOLDER]
2	Cloud provider choice? (AWS, Azure, GCP)	Deployment, cost, integrations	[PLACEHOLDER]
3	Database choice? (PostgreSQL, SQL Server, other)	Data model implementation	[PLACEHOLDER]
4	Frontend framework? (React, Angular, Vue)	Portal and admin UI	[PLACEHOLDER]
5	Hosting model? (SaaS multi-tenant, dedicated per client)	Architecture, cost, security	[PLACEHOLDER]
6	Who handles ABA bank submission? (admin manual or API integration)	ABA process automation level	[PLACEHOLDER]
7	Edstart API availability? (real-time or file-based)	Edstart integration design	[PLACEHOLDER]
8	Additional payment gateways beyond eway? (Stripe, etc.)	Payment gateway abstraction	[PLACEHOLDER]
9	SIS vendors to support? (specific products)	SIS adapter scope	[PLACEHOLDER]
10	Existing code reusable? (any SuiteScript logic worth porting)	Migration effort	[PLACEHOLDER]