Direction Software LLP

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

‎Bonprix is the fourth or fifth largest mail-order shop in Germany. We sell our goods in approximately 30 countries worldwide. Venus Fashion is one of our US-based subsidiaries. I'm the head of our company's projects and systems department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Direction Software Solutions?

My department is responsible for creating the software needed by our teams to do their jobs, from product information management systems to EDS [enterprise demand sensing] and supply chain management tools, as well as quality assurance software. We take products from initial ideas to development using various manufacturers worldwide. We are responsible for providing data for various printed and digital catalogs in different languages and for different countries. Our process ends (along with the life-cycle of a product) when our department becomes responsible for getting rid of surplus quantities. Direction Software Solutions has been involved in developing the entirety of our software package. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have worked together through a close partnership, and Direction Software Solutions has come to know our company's processes. We've used them not only for taking on requirements and programming them but also for providing ideas on how our processes should be changed and optimized.

Our latest projects have all been based on the Oracle database. Direction Software Solutions has very good knowledge of PL/SQL and provided Java programming for our company. Our older projects were all created using Visual Basic .NET.

The size of our team has varied over time, but we're currently using around 14 resources from Direction Software Solutions. We work through a Scrum methodology, talking to our team directly on a daily basis over Skype conferences. Direction Software Solutions also offers a project manager, so both approaches are possible.

How did you come to work with Direction Software Solutions?

When we initially started working together, Direction Software Solutions was a pretty young company. Their owner is part of the family that owns our merchandise production facilities in Mumbai. Our board members contacted theirs, inquiring about the development of a product. I was involved in the process, but the ultimate decision came to our board members. At the time, we had no programming capabilities, and this presented a chance for us to create our own solutions. Until that time, we had only used students and other inexperienced collaborators, so we were happy to work with a company. We came up with a project for Direction Software Solutions, started working on it, and ended up having a long-lasting partnership.

How much have you invested with Direction Software Solutions?

The cost of Direction Software Solutions' services is between $90,000 and $110,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started working with Direction Software Solutions 15 years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

It was important for us to have trust in Direction Software Solutions without having to focus on every detail. We have an open management process, and Direction Software Solutions has a good understanding of our processes, enabling them to assist us in finding solutions They not only help us with getting requirements from our company but also with new ideas for improving our tools.

How did Direction Software Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Direction Software Solutions has delivered the work on time and within budget. We engage them by booking the team for a period through a flat rate and making sure that we have enough work to keep them engaged. We work on priorities, rather than on whole projects for a single task. We use JIRA, Confluence, and Skype for Business in our collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about Direction Software Solutions?

It's uncommon to find an Indian company able to handle a Scrum process. Direction Software Solutions has very good intercultural capabilities, understanding that European companies have different values than traditional Indian ones regarding hierarchies and giving "yes" or "no" answers. Usually, Indian providers have 15 variances of "yes" but wouldn't say "no" to a customer, unlike Direction Software Solutions. 

Are there any areas Direction Software Solutions could improve?

Any improvements would mostly be based on cultural misunderstandings, but this hasn't happened in our context with Direction Software Solutions. They quickly got up to speed with mastering new technologies and fulfilling our needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a multichannel retailer selling almost everything from TVs to shoes and textiles. I'm the head of the supply chain management for private label textiles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Direction Software Solutions?

We were looking for a quick solution and knew that Direction Software Solutions was able to work fast and deliver on time. It was also a cost decision. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Direction Software Solutions has developed and maintained huge parts of our ERP [enterprise resource planning] system in collaboration with our team in Hamburg.

We've worked on a number of projects with Direction Software Solutions, from simple to more complex solutions involving stakeholders from different countries. The main solution they developed was a complex auction and planning tool for our company.

Our project is a part of the larger scope of work handled by Direction Software Solutions for our company, and it features a team of 5 to 8 developers.

How did you come to work with Direction Software Solutions?

I don't know how we came to work with them.

How much have you invested with Direction Software Solutions?

The cost of Direction Software Solutions' services for our business unit has been between $80,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Direction Software Solutions has been working with our group for more than 20 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The tool developed by Direction Software Solutions allowed us to allocate our products to the worldwide supplier frame more efficiently and track suppliers' capacities. This has had a huge impact, from my point of view. 

How did Direction Software Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Direction Software Solutions' performance has been very good. They kept milestones and answered quickly, and we have weekly calls. We use JIRA for project tracking and communicate through phone calls. We also travel to Direction Software Solutions' headquarters in India and have them visit us locally once or twice a year to discuss more complex matters.

What did you find most impressive about Direction Software Solutions?

Direction Software Solutions' knowledge regarding our business models has been a big advantage for us as a company.

Are there any areas Direction Software Solutions could improve?

Documentation is an issue sometimes, but it's not a big topic for our company.