Feedback System

A lightweight feedback system for internal feedback sharing between managers and team members at a company. The system enables structured, ongoing feedback in a simple, secure, and friendly interface.

🚀 Features

Core Features (MVP)

• Authentication & Roles: Two user roles (Manager and Employee) with basic login system
• Team Management: Managers can only see their team members
• Feedback Submission: Managers can submit structured feedback with:
  • Strengths
  • Areas to improve
  • Overall sentiment (positive/neutral/negative)
  • Multiple feedback entries per employee
• Feedback Visibility:
  • Employees can see feedback they've received
  • Managers can view and edit their past feedback
  • Employees can acknowledge feedback they have read
• Dashboard:
  • Manager: Team overview with feedback count and sentiment trends
  • Employee: Timeline of feedback received

Additional Features

• Responsive Design: Clean, modern UI that works on all devices
• Real-time Updates: Instant feedback on actions
• Data Visualization: Charts and graphs for better insights
• Secure Authentication: JWT-based authentication system

🛠 Tech Stack

Backend

• Python: FastAPI framework
• Database: PostgreSQL with SQLAlchemy ORM
• Authentication: JWT tokens with bcrypt password hashing
• API Documentation: Automatic OpenAPI/Swagger documentation
• Docker: Containerized backend application

Frontend

• React: TypeScript-based React application
• Styling: Tailwind CSS for modern, responsive design
• Routing: React Router for navigation
• State Management: Context API for authentication
• HTTP Client: Axios for API communication
• Icons: Lucide React for consistent iconography
• Date Handling: date-fns for date formatting

📦 Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• Node.js 16+
• PostgreSQL 12+
• Docker (optional, for containerized deployment)

Backend Setup

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd feedback-system

2. Set up Python environment

   cd backend
   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set up environment variables

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your database credentials and secret key

4. Set up database

   # Create PostgreSQL database
   createdb feedback_db
   
   # Run the application (this will create tables automatically)
   uvicorn app.main:app --reload

5. Access API documentation

   • Open http://localhost:8000/docs for Swagger UI
   • Open http://localhost:8000/redoc for ReDoc

Frontend Setup

1. Install dependencies

   cd frontend
   npm install

2. Set up environment variables

   # Create .env file (optional)
   echo "REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:8000/api" > .env

3. Start development server

   npm start

4. Access application

   • Open http://localhost:3000

Docker Setup (Backend only)

cd backend
docker build -t feedback-system-backend .
docker run -p 8000:8000 \
  -e DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@host:5432/feedback_db" \
  -e SECRET_KEY="your-secret-key" \
  feedback-system-backend

🎯 Usage

Initial Setup

1. Start the backend server
2. Start the frontend development server
3. Navigate to http://localhost:3000
4. Register as a manager first (no manager_id required)
5. Register employees and assign them to the manager

Manager Workflow

1. Dashboard: View team statistics and feedback overview
2. Manage Feedback: Create, edit, and delete feedback for team members
3. Track Acknowledgments: See which feedback has been read by employees

Employee Workflow

1. Dashboard: View personal feedback timeline
2. Acknowledge Feedback: Mark feedback as read
3. Track Progress: Monitor feedback trends over time

🏗 Architecture & Design Decisions

Database Schema

• Users Table: Stores user information with role-based access
• Feedback Table: Stores feedback with foreign key relationships
• Hierarchical Structure: Manager-employee relationships through manager_id

API Design

• RESTful API: Clear, consistent endpoints
• Authentication: JWT-based stateless authentication
• Role-based Access: Middleware for role-specific endpoints
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error responses with proper HTTP status codes

Frontend Architecture

• Component-based: Reusable React components
• Context API: Global state management for authentication
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with Tailwind CSS
• Type Safety: TypeScript for better development experience

Security Considerations

• Password Hashing: bcrypt for secure password storage
• JWT Tokens: Short-lived access tokens
• CORS Configuration: Proper cross-origin resource sharing setup
• Input Validation: Server-side validation for all inputs
• SQL Injection Prevention: SQLAlchemy ORM with parameterized queries

🔒 Authentication & Authorization

User Roles

• Manager: Can create, read, update, and delete feedback for their team
• Employee: Can read their own feedback and acknowledge it

Access Control

• Managers can only see their direct reports
• Employees can only see their own feedback
• JWT tokens expire after 30 minutes (configurable)

📊 Database Schema

-- Users table
CREATE TABLE users (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    email VARCHAR UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    hashed_password VARCHAR NOT NULL,
    full_name VARCHAR NOT NULL,
    role VARCHAR NOT NULL, -- 'manager' or 'employee'
    manager_id INTEGER REFERENCES users(id),
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Feedback table
CREATE TABLE feedback (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    manager_id INTEGER REFERENCES users(id) NOT NULL,
    employee_id INTEGER REFERENCES users(id) NOT NULL,
    strengths TEXT NOT NULL,
    areas_to_improve TEXT NOT NULL,
    overall_sentiment VARCHAR NOT NULL, -- 'positive', 'neutral', 'negative'
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(),
    updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(),
    is_acknowledged BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE
);

🚀 Deployment

Backend Deployment

The backend is containerized and can be deployed to any container platform:

# Build Docker image
docker build -t feedback-system-backend ./backend

# Run with environment variables
docker run -p 8000:8000 \
  -e DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@host:5432/feedback_db" \
  -e SECRET_KEY="your-production-secret-key" \
  feedback-system-backend

Frontend Deployment

The frontend can be built and deployed to any static hosting service:

cd frontend
npm run build
# Deploy the build folder to your hosting service

🧪 Testing

Backend Testing

cd backend
pytest

Frontend Testing

cd frontend
npm test

🔧 Environment Variables

Backend (.env)

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/feedback_db
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-change-this-in-production
ALGORITHM=HS256
ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_MINUTES=30

Frontend (.env)

REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:8000/api

📝 API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Register new user
• POST /api/auth/login - Login user
• GET /api/auth/me - Get current user info

Users

• GET /api/users/team - Get team members (managers only)
• GET /api/users/managers - Get all managers
• GET /api/users/dashboard - Get dashboard stats (managers only)

Feedback

• GET /api/feedback/ - Get feedback (role-based)
• POST /api/feedback/ - Create feedback (managers only)
• PUT /api/feedback/{id} - Update feedback (managers only)
• PATCH /api/feedback/{id}/acknowledge - Acknowledge feedback (employees only)
• DELETE /api/feedback/{id} - Delete feedback (managers only)

🎨 UI/UX Features

• Clean, Modern Design: Tailwind CSS for consistent styling
• Responsive Layout: Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile
• Intuitive Navigation: Clear menu structure and breadcrumbs
• Visual Feedback: Loading states, success/error messages
• Accessibility: Proper ARIA labels and keyboard navigation
• Color-coded Sentiments: Visual indicators for feedback types

🔮 Future Enhancements

• Email Notifications: Notify employees of new feedback
• Feedback Templates: Pre-defined feedback templates
• Goal Tracking: Set and track performance goals
• Peer Reviews: Employee-to-employee feedback
• Analytics Dashboard: Advanced reporting and analytics
• Export Functionality: PDF/CSV export of feedback data
• Mobile App: Native mobile application
• Integration: Slack/Teams integration for notifications

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests for new functionality
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

👥 Team

Built with ❤️ for improving workplace feedback culture.

---

For questions or support, please contact the development team.