I Built This Certificate Tracking App Because Work Was Driving Everyone Crazy 😅

You know that feeling when you see people struggling with something that just screams “this could be automated”? 😬 That’s exactly what hit me when I got this freelance request from a company’s HSE team drowning in certificate paperwork. They had stacks of employee certifications, renewal dates all over the place, and this constant anxiety about missing something critical.

The client was pretty specific about what they needed – they wanted an Excel-based system that could automatically remind people about expiring certificates. But honestly, after looking at their requirements, I knew I could build something way better than just an Excel macro.

The Client’s Original Problem

So this HSE team reached out to me through a freelance platform, and man, their situation was honestly pretty chaotic. They were trying to track hundreds of employee certificates manually – different certifications expiring all over the calendar, people forgetting renewal deadlines, and sometimes certificates would just slip through the cracks completely.

Their original request was for an Excel file with VBA macros that could:

• Track certificate expiry dates
• Change colors automatically (yellow for 30 days warning, red for expired)
• Send automated email reminders
• Handle new employee data easily

They were willing to pay 400k rupiah for this Excel solution, which seemed reasonable for what they were asking 🤔

Why I Went Beyond Excel

After reviewing their data structure and requirements, I realized Excel would work but… why limit ourselves? Their data looked like this:

Simple enough, but I saw potential for something much more robust. So instead of just delivering the Excel macro they asked for, I built them a full Windows desktop application that could do everything they wanted plus way more.

Screenshot: Main Dashboard Overview

Here’s what the main screen looks like – way cleaner than any Excel sheet could ever be

The dashboard gives you the complete picture instantly. You can see how many certificates are active (36), which ones are about to expire in 30 days (4), and how many have already expired (3). It’s like having a traffic light system for your compliance stuff, but actually useful 😊

What This App Actually Does

It Never Stops Watching Once you fire it up, the app checks certificate status every few minutes. When you minimize it, it just chills in your system tray, doing its job without bothering anyone. Set it and forget it, basically.

Screenshot: Certificate Data Management

This is where all the magic happens – clean data view with color coding that actually makes sense

Look at this interface! 😍 You get the same color coding the client wanted (red for expired, orange for “akan expired”, green for active), but presented in a way that’s actually pleasant to look at. The search function at the top lets you find specific certificates instantly, and those action buttons at the bottom make managing data super straightforward.

Smart Email Game 📧 Here’s where it gets actually useful. The system sends out 30-day warning emails to employees automatically, so they have plenty of time to get their renewals sorted. If a certificate actually expires, it immediately alerts both the employee and the administrators. No more “oh crap, I forgot” moments.

Screenshot: Email Configuration Setup

Setting up email is actually simple – no rocket science required

The client wanted flexibility with email management, and this delivers. You can configure any SMTP server (Gmail, Outlook, company email, whatever), set up your credentials, and test everything with one click. The “Test Email” button is honestly a lifesaver – you know immediately if your setup works 👌

Screenshot: Email Activity Log

Complete transparency – you can see every single email the system has sent

This logging feature wasn’t even in the original request, but it’s super valuable. You can see exactly when reminders were sent, who got them, and whether they were delivered successfully. Perfect for those audit moments when someone asks “did you actually notify them?” 📋

How I Built This Thing

Originally, the client just wanted VBA macros in Excel. But I went with .NET for a proper Windows desktop application instead. Why? Because:

1. Better performance – No more waiting for Excel to load and process macros
2. Cleaner interface – Much more user-friendly than Excel forms
3. Reliable email handling – MailKit library vs clunky VBA SMTP
4. Local database – SQLite instead of Excel sheets that can get corrupted
5. Professional feel – Looks like actual software, not a glorified spreadsheet

The whole thing uses:

• Windows Forms for the interface (clean and familiar)
• SQLite for data storage (fast and reliable)
• MailKit for email functionality (works with any provider)
• System tray integration for background monitoring

Going Above and Beyond

The client’s original requirements were pretty basic – they just wanted certificate tracking with email reminders. But I added features that made the whole thing way more valuable:

Excel Import/Export – They can still work with their existing Excel files, but now they get a proper database backend too

Real-time monitoring – Instead of running a macro once a day, this thing continuously watches for expiring certificates

Professional installer – No more dealing with macro security warnings or Excel compatibility issues

Comprehensive logging – Complete audit trail of all email notifications

Search and filtering – Find specific certificates instantly instead of scrolling through Excel rows

The Client’s Reaction

Honestly, they were pretty happy with getting way more than they paid for 😄 The original Excel solution would have solved their immediate problem, but this desktop app gave them a proper business tool they could actually rely on.

The best part? All those features they were worried about in our conversation (adding new employees, changing email addresses, automated scheduling) became non-issues with this approach. Everything just works intuitively.

Why This Approach Worked

Sometimes clients ask for one thing but actually need something else. They wanted Excel automation because that’s what they knew, but what they really needed was a reliable system for managing compliance.

By delivering something beyond their expectations (while staying within the same budget), I solved their actual problem instead of just fulfilling their technical requirements. The desktop app eliminated all their concerns about:

• Adding new employee data (just click “Tambah” and fill in the form)
• Managing email addresses (built-in configuration interface)
• Automated scheduling (runs continuously in background)
• Data corruption (proper database instead of Excel files)

Technical Stuff for Fellow Developers

If you’re thinking about similar projects, here’s what worked well:

Desktop over web – For internal company tools, desktop apps often make more sense. No server maintenance, no internet dependency for core functions, familiar Windows interface.

SQLite over Excel – Even though clients love Excel, a proper database prevents so many headaches. You can still export to Excel for reporting.

System tray integration – Makes the app feel professional and allows truly automated background operation.

Email libraries over manual SMTP – MailKit handles all the annoying edge cases that would take forever to debug with raw SMTP code.

The Client’s Reaction

Honestly, they were pretty happy with getting way more than they paid for 😄 The original Excel solution would have solved their immediate problem, but this desktop app gave them a proper business tool they could actually rely on.

The best part? All those features they were worried about in our conversation (adding new employees, changing email addresses, automated scheduling) became non-issues with this approach. Everything just works intuitively.

Need something similar built for your company? Check out my other automation projects: projects.co.id/public/browse_users/view/496e26/fdciabdul 💼