Digitizing the processes of the French National Gendarmerie
Four years designing and evolving applications used daily by the teams, from 100 to 3,000 users depending on the project, up to a national application.
- Period : 2022 – 2026
- My role : Full-stack developer, then owner of several regional applications
Concrete example · Reservist recruitment
- 01Each department enters its own applications.
- 02Candidates are booked into recruitment sessions.
- 03Session full: a single button, at regional level.
- 04Every candidate automatically receives an email telling them where to go.
One example among my projects, illustrated with no real data: the applications are confidential.
- 4 years
- within the French National Gendarmerie
- 6
- projects, from regional to national scale
- 100 to 3,000
- users depending on the application
The problem
Processes tracked on paper, in spreadsheets or in ageing software: too incomplete for real-time management, error-prone and time-consuming for the teams.
Results
- Considerable time saved, reported by the departments concerned
- Fewer errors, thanks to automated processes
- Applications from 100 to 3,000 users depending on the project, plus a national application
- A shared foundation reused for new projects
Under the hood for technical profiles
- Next.js
- NestJS
- PostgreSQL
- Tailwind CSS
- Docker
- GitLab CI
- Linux
- Migration of Symfony monoliths to a frontend / REST API architecture.
- Reusable application boilerplate serving as a foundation for new regional projects.
- JWT authentication, Linux environment with strict security constraints.
- Containerized deployment, continuous integration on GitLab.
- Agile/Scrum team on the national project, unit tests and code quality.
- Technical training of two apprentices until they were autonomous.
The context
I was an employee of the French National Gendarmerie, in a department whose mission was precisely to digitize the teams’ processes. I worked there on six projects: equipment, case and file management, planning and booking. Most were at regional scale, one at national scale, shared with the National Police and the Ministry of the Interior.
Depending on the case, we had to replace an entirely paper-based process, a spreadsheet-based tracking, or existing software that had become too old and no longer met technical requirements. A spreadsheet offers neither real-time management nor map visualization, which a dedicated application provides.
My approach
The work didn’t start with code, but with the users:
- Gather the need directly from the teams concerned, bringing all stakeholders together.
- Prototype quickly to validate our understanding before developing.
- Deliver, collect feedback, evolve: the applications live in production for years.
Over my last two years, I was fully responsible for several regional applications, from talking with users to going into production.
Modernizing without breaking everything
An important part of the work was evolving applications 5 to 10 years old without interrupting service: reducing technical debt, then migrating gradually to a modern architecture.
Passing on knowledge
I trained two apprentices, about three months each, until they were operational in the team. Having been the first to join the team, I kept answering questions about older projects until I left.
What I bring to your project
Our collaboration can draw on four years in the field: starting from the users, evolving an application without interrupting the service, and handing over so your teams stay autonomous.
A similar need?
Are your teams still juggling paper and spreadsheets?
Let’s talk: a first conversation is free and without commitment. Code and documentation handed over, regular check-ins at every delivery.