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About HKFR

Project Overview

HKFR (Hong Kong Financial Reporting) is a modern, collaborative platform developed to transform how Hong Kong listed companies create and manage their financial reports. Built as part of CSC301 (Software Engineering) at the University of Toronto, this project addresses real-world challenges in financial reporting through innovative technology solutions.

The Challenge

Traditional financial reporting processes in Hong Kong are characterized by:

  • Manual workflows with disconnected tools and systems
  • Version control chaos with multiple file versions across stakeholders
  • Compliance complexity requiring strict adherence to regulatory requirements
  • Collaboration bottlenecks between internal teams and external auditors
  • Time-intensive processes that delay critical business decisions

Our Solution

HKFR modernizes financial reporting through:

🎯 Intelligent Automation

  • Automated data consistency checks across report sections
  • Smart template systems for regulatory compliance
  • AI-powered content generation and assistance

👥 Real-time Collaboration

  • Multi-user editing with conflict resolution
  • Role-based access control and permissions
  • In-document commenting and discussion threads

📊 Integrated Data Management

  • Direct Excel integration for financial data
  • Automatic mapping between data sources and report content
  • Version tracking and audit trails

🚀 Modern Technology Stack

  • Cloud-native architecture on Google Cloud Platform
  • Responsive web interface built with Next.js and React
  • Enterprise-grade security and scalability

Technical Innovation

Architecture Highlights

  • Microservices: Scalable, maintainable service architecture
  • GitOps Deployment: Automated deployment with ArgoCD
  • Infrastructure as Code: Terraform-managed cloud infrastructure
  • Comprehensive Testing: 100% test success rate with extensive coverage

Security & Compliance

  • End-to-end encryption for all data transmission
  • JWT-based authentication with secure session management
  • Role-based access control for document security
  • Audit logging for compliance and accountability

Development Team

HKFR is developed by a dedicated team of software engineering students as part of their capstone project:

Team Structure

  • Frontend Development: React/Next.js specialists
  • Backend Development: Node.js and database experts
  • Infrastructure: Cloud architecture and DevOps engineers
  • Quality Assurance: Testing and reliability specialists

Development Philosophy

  • User-centered design based on real stakeholder needs
  • Agile methodology with iterative development cycles
  • Code quality first with comprehensive testing and reviews
  • Security by design with built-in security measures

Academic Context

Course Information

  • Course: CSC301 - Introduction to Software Engineering
  • Institution: University of Toronto
  • Academic Year: 2024-2025
  • Project Duration: Full academic year

Learning Objectives

This project demonstrates proficiency in: - Modern web application development - Cloud-native infrastructure design - Collaborative software development practices - Real-world problem solving with technology

Technology Stack

Frontend Technologies

  • Framework: Next.js 15 with App Router
  • UI Library: React 19 with modern hooks
  • Styling: Tailwind CSS for responsive design
  • State Management: React Context and local state

Backend Technologies

  • Runtime: Node.js with TypeScript support
  • API Framework: Next.js API Routes
  • Authentication: JWT with refresh token rotation
  • File Processing: Pandoc, ExcelJS, PDFKit integration

Infrastructure & DevOps

  • Cloud Platform: Google Cloud Platform
  • Container Orchestration: Google Kubernetes Engine
  • Infrastructure as Code: Terraform + Terragrunt
  • CI/CD: GitHub Actions + ArgoCD GitOps

Data & Storage

  • Primary Database: MongoDB for document storage
  • Relational Database: PostgreSQL for structured data
  • File Storage: Google Cloud Storage with CDN
  • Caching: Strategic application-level caching

Project Metrics

Development Statistics

  • Lines of Code: 15,000+ across frontend and backend
  • Test Coverage: 100% test success rate with comprehensive coverage
  • API Endpoints: 15+ RESTful endpoints
  • Components: 20+ reusable React components

Infrastructure Metrics

  • Uptime: 99.9% availability target
  • Performance: Sub-second API response times
  • Scalability: Auto-scaling Kubernetes deployment
  • Security: Zero known security vulnerabilities

Recognition and Impact

Academic Achievement

  • Demonstrates practical application of software engineering principles
  • Showcases modern development practices and technologies
  • Provides real-world experience with enterprise-grade systems

Industry Relevance

  • Addresses genuine pain points in financial reporting
  • Uses current industry-standard technologies
  • Follows enterprise security and compliance practices

Future Vision

Short-term Goals (6 months)

  • Enhanced AI Integration: More sophisticated content generation
  • Mobile Optimization: Responsive design for mobile devices
  • Advanced Analytics: Usage insights and reporting metrics
  • API Expansion: Additional endpoints for third-party integration

Long-term Vision (1-2 years)

  • Multi-jurisdiction Support: Expand beyond Hong Kong regulations
  • Advanced Collaboration: Real-time collaborative editing
  • Intelligent Automation: ML-powered data validation and insights
  • Enterprise Integration: Direct integration with accounting systems

Open Source Commitment

HKFR is developed with open source principles in mind:

  • Transparent Development: Public GitHub repository
  • Community Driven: Open to contributions and feedback
  • Documentation First: Comprehensive documentation for all components
  • Best Practices: Code follows industry standards and conventions

Getting Involved

For Students

  • Study the codebase to learn modern web development
  • Contribute improvements and bug fixes
  • Use as reference for software engineering projects

For Developers

  • Explore the architecture for insights into modern web applications
  • Contribute to the open source codebase
  • Provide feedback and suggestions for improvement

For Industry

  • Evaluate for potential real-world implementation
  • Provide requirements and feedback for enterprise features
  • Consider collaboration opportunities

Contact and Support

Project Repository

Technical Support

  • Issues: Report bugs and feature requests via GitHub Issues
  • Discussions: Join technical discussions in GitHub Discussions
  • Infrastructure: Contact Zhen Yuan (@zhenyuan1001) for infrastructure queries

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License, promoting open source collaboration while maintaining appropriate copyright protections. See the LICENSE file in the repository for full details.

HKFR represents the intersection of academic excellence and practical innovation, demonstrating how modern technology can solve real-world business challenges. Through this project, we aim to contribute to both the academic understanding of software engineering and the practical advancement of financial technology.