A globally recognized pharmaceutical company was struggling with a legacy system, over 20 years old, for managing clinical trial ethics approvals (Institutional Review Board process). This critical system included both a client-facing portal for submissions and internal applications for review workflows, all of which were built on outdated Visual Basic (VB.NET) technology. The legacy platform had become a bottleneck, as it was challenging to maintain and offered a poor user experience for both researchers and internal staff.

Industry Pain Points

The situation was not unique; even in 2025, 92% of organisations still rely on outdated technologies like Visual Basic, PowerBuilder, and classic ASP, as stated in a recent industry report. Even more concerning is the fact that legacy platforms come with hidden costs, as 68% of companies have experienced security breaches tied to legacy software, according to industry analysis published by Growth Acceleration Partners.

The need

The client recognised that modernising this system was essential to improve usability and efficiency. However, any changes had to be handled carefully: the IRB approval process is fundamental to ongoing clinical trials, so zero downtime and no disruption were absolute requirements during the transformation.

Our partner’s Pain Point

The ageing IRB system suffered from poor usability and technological obsolescence. Users found the interface unintuitive and slow, leading to frequent errors and frustration, while the IT department faced increasing maintenance challenges and security vulnerabilities on the legacy stack.

The client had already attempted a revamp by hiring an external contractor, but that project failed to deliver a viable modern solution. After the false start, the client had an urgent need to modernise the IRB system quickly and successfully. The key pain point was to achieve a smooth technology transformation without disrupting ongoing ethics approvals – any system downtime or major user confusion could delay critical clinical trials, an unacceptable scenario for a pharmaceutical business.

Solution and Execution

AROBS deployed a team of senior software engineers who were adept in both legacy and modern technologies to tackle the problem. The team formulated a two-phase modernisation strategy.

In Phase 1, the client-facing module (the external portal used by researchers and partners) was prioritised for a complete redesign, since it had the most significant impact on user satisfaction. It was the most outdated in terms of user interface. AROBS re-architected this module as a modern web application with a workflow-driven UI, guiding users step-by-step through submission and approval sections. This user-centric design improved usability, resulting in a streamlined experience. The engineers ensured that the new front-end could still communicate with the legacy back-end during the interim.

Phase 2 would later address the internal application, but by first transforming the external portal, AROBS delivered immediate value to end-users and created momentum for change. Our teams updated the technology stack to a contemporary, supportable framework and implemented best practices (like responsive design and enhanced data validation) to future-proof the solution. Throughout the redevelopment, AROBS’s team continuously cross-validated the new system with end-users (including clinical coordinators and IRB administrators) to ensure it met their needs and addressed pain points from the old interface.

Team Profile

AROBS’s ability to turn around a previously failed project stemmed from assembling the right multidisciplinary team. The project team comprised senior software engineers with experience in both legacy technology (to understand the old VB.NET codebase and data structures) and modern web development (to implement the new solution using current frameworks). Our UX/UI specialists focused on designing a clean, intuitive interface tailored to the workflow of IRB approvals. Additionally, AROBS assigned technical architects and integration experts to ensure the new modules could interface with the remaining legacy components and databases during the phased rollout.

Managers provided project leadership with a deep understanding of pharmaceutical regulatory processes and prior experience in modernizing compliance-related systems. This mix of skills enabled the team to identify the reasons why the previous attempt had failed quickly and to execute a revised plan that addressed both the technical and human factors of the transformation.

Result

The modernisation initiative was a success, achieving in months what a previous contractor could not. The client-facing IRB application was converted into a user-friendly and efficient system, resulting in rapid user adoption across the board. In fact, the old interface was fully phased out in a short timeframe once users experienced the benefits of the new system – a strong endorsement of the new solution’s usability.

By keeping the legacy system live as a fallback initially, AROBS ensured there was zero disruption to the IRB process; crucially, no clinical trial approvals were delayed or lost during the transition.

Beyond usability gains, the modern tech stack eliminated many of the maintenance headaches and security risks ingrained in the old system.

AROBS’s flexible and strategic approach helped create a modern IRB management platform that can scale with future needs. This case underscores that even with extremely outdated systems, the right approach (phased rollout, user-centric design, and skilled cross-functional teams) can overcome the odds.

AROBS’s work not only rescued a critical system from obsolescence but also positioned the client at the forefront of digital transformation in clinical trial operations, all while safeguarding the essential continuity of their business processes.