How we built Sijjil Travels' operations system in three months
Sijjil Travels' custom operations system took three months to build. It was one project with five connected parts: bookings and packages, invoicing, payments, accounting and a reporting dashboard. The scope and the three-month timeline were agreed with Sijjil before the build started. Season close now takes hours instead of about two weeks.
What did Sijjil Travels need?
Sijjil Travels is a Hajj and Umrah operator in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Before the build, its work was spread across tools that didn't connect:
- Bookings ran across WhatsApp, Word templates and Excel.
- Every staff member invoiced differently.
- Payments were recorded in notebooks.
- Closing the season took about two weeks.
No single fix would have solved that. A booking, its invoice, the payments against it and the accounts all had to agree, so they had to live in one system.
What was in scope?
Five parts, built as one custom system:
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bookings and packages | Every booking and package in one place, instead of WhatsApp, Word and Excel |
| Invoicing | One invoice format with controlled invoice IDs, whoever on the team issues it |
| Payments | Payments recorded in the system instead of in a notebook |
| Accounting | The books, kept in the same system as the bookings and payments behind them |
| Reporting dashboard | The season at a glance, so closing it takes hours |
All five are finished and in use. The system went live in early 2026.
Why did it take three months?
Because it was a whole system, not one workflow. The five parts depend on each other. Invoices, payments, accounts and the season report all describe the same bookings, so they have to agree. Building them as one project meant they were designed to agree from the start.
It was a custom job. The scope, and the three-month timeline that came with it, were agreed with Sijjil before the build started.
How does that compare with a 30-day build?
| Sijjil's system | A 30-Day Build | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Five connected parts | One workflow |
| Time to go live | Three months | 30 days |
| How the scope is set | Agreed with Sijjil before the build | The Admin Audit decides which workflow comes first |
Both have a scope agreed before any work starts. The difference is how much gets built in one go.
What changed for Sijjil?
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Season close | About two weeks | Hours |
| Invoices | Every staff member invoiced differently | Controlled invoice IDs |
| Records | Spread across WhatsApp, Word, Excel and notebooks | One system |
Season close used to take two weeks. Now it takes hours.
Neaz Mahmud, Co-Founder, Sijjil Travels
Does Sijjil run on Saela?
No. Sijjil runs on its own custom system, built by Bizonix. Saela, our Hajj and Umrah agency software, is a separate product and still in development.
Where would my agency start?
Most agencies start with the Admin Audit: a week finding where your team's hours go, and a plain plan for what to fix first. Then one workflow goes live in 30 days, at a fixed price quoted after the audit. If you need a whole system at once, as Sijjil did, we agree the scope and timeline with you before we start.
See custom operations systems for Hajj and Umrah operators, or read custom ERP, Odoo or ERPNext: which fits if you are still deciding whether to build at all.
Questions
How long does a custom operations system for a Hajj and Umrah agency take?
It depends on the scope. Sijjil Travels' system, with five connected parts, took three months. A single workflow, such as invoicing or instalment payments, goes live in 30 days.
Why did Sijjil's build take three months and not 30 days?
Because it was a whole system, not one workflow. Bookings, invoicing, payments, accounting and reporting were built as one project, with the scope and timeline agreed with Sijjil before the build started.
Does Sijjil Travels run on Saela?
No. Sijjil runs on its own custom system, built by Bizonix. Saela, our Hajj and Umrah agency software, is a separate product and is still in development.
Do I have to build the whole system at once?
No. Most agencies start with the Admin Audit and one workflow live in 30 days, then add more. A larger scope, like Sijjil's, is agreed up front with its own timeline.