CROSS

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of one of the leading utility companies in Poland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CROSS sp. z.o.o.?

We needed someone to develop a complex system to enable us to run our business more efficiently.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CROSS sp. z o.o. built a custom system for our employees and connected it with external and internal tools. The system allows us to sell our products, make reports, record consumption, generate invoices, and do debt collection. They continue to develop new features for the system.  

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 10 or more engineers and five analysts. We work with an additional 30–40 people from CROSS sp. z o.o. whenever we need to test new functionalities.

How did you come to work with CROSS sp. z.o.o.?

My colleagues had done smaller projects with CROSS sp. z o.o., and they were fully satisfied with their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 billion on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2007, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

CROSS sp. z o.o. created the most important software that’s being used in our company. We can’t operate without this system.

How did CROSS sp. z.o.o. perform from a project management standpoint?

The CROSS sp. z o.o. team is always available on the telephone, even during weekends and in the middle of the night. They are always willing to help us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the best qualifications.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I only have good memories connected with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager at EWE Polska, an energy and electric company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CROSS sp. z o.o.?

We needed someone to develop invoicing software for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CROSS sp. z o.o developed invoicing software to help us keep customer records from the initial agreement across the whole spectrum of our contact. They also created a version of the software adopted specifically for an electricity product.

Two years ago, we developed a website to increase our partners’ potential to sell our product to business customers. Through the website, they can input data about client agreements.

CROSS sp. z o.o has a very strong understanding of our type of business. Due to the extensive rules about selling gas in Poland, the invoicing system is very complicated. There are few similar companies like ours on the Polish market. 

CROSS sp. z o.o evaluated the project to improve our system was very well organized. They prepare everything according to the law. A disadvantage of the product is that it had been prepared a long time ago, so the technology isn’t the best current option on the market.  The next project they will deliver uses top-tier technology, though.

The law frequently changes, so CROSS sp. z o.o adapts the software accordingly. Our business has grown in the electricity and gas sales areas of the free market, so they prepared new tools per the new requirements.

Since 2012, they have implemented new products that use web-based technology. They also have kept existing ones are up to date. We’ve discussed implementing blockchain technology as a next step.

What is the team composition? 

The team includes two software developers and three hardware experts. The invoicing people also work very closely with CROSS sp. z o.o and mainly lead the project together with them.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on the first project from March 2012–March 2013. We have ongoing development efforts to build new features and functionality for the market.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We changed the software from the original German systems, applications, and products (SAP) version we had at the beginning. The main reason we modified it was it is difficult to adapt to changing business rules. 

CROSS sp. z o.o satisfied our goals by changing the business approach directly within the system directly to comply with new regulations. They accomplished our objectives according to the budget and schedule we set. All of their work was very well done. Our holdings company in Germany was also involved in the project.

Based on a keen knowledge of our business, CROSS sp. z o.o came with their own ideas to improve our business. We don’t want our cooperation to change at all over the coming years.

How did CROSS sp. z o.o. perform from a project management standpoint?

CROSS sp. z o.o was very skilled at preparing for our project, which was a big advantage. Even though we were slightly irritated we had to spend time planning, it yielded the best results possible.

They spent many hours on careful planning and organization. The team used thorough documentation to ensure both sides understood each other accurately.

In the end, both of our teams knew exactly what needed to be done. They always informed us about approximately how much time the project would take. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

CROSS sp. z o.o is truly passionate about their work and committed to securing success for their customers. They are very goal- and business-focused and professional. Whenever we ask them to do something, they share other ideas as well to make sure we never go in the wrong direction.

They invested time and effort in analyzing their team’s performance and procedures as they strived to meet best practices and benchmark assessments. I never found our collaboration to be problematic or inadequate.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

At times, we would have liked to have better tools for project management. The team’s biggest challenge was a lack of resources, which posed obstacles when we asked them to get things done earlier than originally planned. 

Even though migrating to the new platform and switching to the latest technology was difficult, they made everything work perfectly.