Improving Community Request Management for a Local Councillor
While working on a local councillor’s public website, I observed that community requests were being submitted through basic contact forms that sent messages directly to email. This made it difficult to track issues, manage follow-ups, and maintain structured records over time.
To address this, I proposed and built Community Voice, a custom WordPress plugin that replaces email-based submissions with a structured, trackable workflow inside WordPress.
Problem I Observed
Before Community Voice:
- Community requests were sent directly to email
- No way to track request status or history
- Follow-ups were manual and inconsistent
- Submissions were scattered across inboxes
- No structured data storage
This resulted in missed follow-ups and limited visibility into community concerns.
What I Built
I developed a custom WordPress plugin with the following functionality:
- Public-facing submission form for community requests
- Option to submit requests anonymously or with contact details
- Admin interface to view, manage, and track requests
- Request status management (pending, in progress, resolved, closed)
- File upload support for attachments
- Server-side validation and basic security checks
- Custom database tables for clean, structured data storage
Tech Stack
- Backend: PHP
- CMS: WordPress Plugin APIs
- Database: MySQL
Architecture & Design
The plugin follows standard WordPress plugin architecture using hooks and actions.
Custom database tables were used instead of default WordPress post types to provide better control over data structure and performance.
The admin interface was intentionally kept simple so non-technical staff could manage requests easily.
Challenges & Solutions
- Email-based workflow limitations → replaced with structured form submissions
- Managing data outside WP post types → implemented custom database tables
- Admin usability → designed a minimal and intuitive admin interface
- Data validation & security → added server-side validation and checks
Results
After implementing Community Voice:
- Community requests became easier to track and manage
- Follow-ups were more consistent
- All submissions were stored centrally inside WordPress
- Admin workload related to email handling was reduced
What I Learned
This project helped me improve my skills in:
- WordPress plugin architecture
- Backend development with PHP
- Database design and integration
- Building admin tools for non-technical users
- Translating real-world problems into practical software solutions
Links
- Live Website: https://sreenipillamarri.com.au/