Netgen Custom Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for the Center for International Peace Operations in Berlin. It’s an organization that is linked to the Foreign Affairs Department of Germany. I work with the African Union on their civilian roster for peace support operations. My department does consulting services for other organizations on a global level, particularly dealing with peace deployment and peace support operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netgen Custom Software?

We needed someone to redesign our database for the transition to the African Union.

Prior to the transition, we built the actual personnel roster database with a different company in Germany. The general idea is always to keep the solutions for the African Union on the same continent. We chose Netgen as they were one of our first partners, and they’ve been involved in the African standby capacity database development for the past five years.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the past year, Netgen has been completely reorganizing, redesigning, and reprogramming the database because the old one looked really outdated. We want the database to be more user-friendly, as we’re working with all the regional organizations in the African Union. They also managed the nominations for peace operations and the deployment of personnel. The whole process of selecting a suitable candidate for the peace operations is reflected in the database. 

They modernized the look and feel of the functionalities of how the database works. They spent a chunk of last year working on the list of deliverables the African Union requested, and we’re now in the final stages of adjusting minor details. They work in different phases and deliver products on a regular basis for us to test. We test the functionalities, draw feedback, and send them to Netgen so they can continue working on it, and deliver it to the next phase.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Andrew (Director).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No matter what we ask, Netgen is always willing to go back into the development phase. It’s modern, user-friendly, and it’s self-explanatory. There’s a huge difference to what the database looked like before and from my point of view, it’s been a huge improvement to have those changes developed by Netgen.

Though ultimately, the success of the database will only show when the actual people start working with it.

How did Netgen Custom Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicate through emails, but we would have regular calls for updates. We would do a live screen sharing on Zoom where Andrew would walk us through the system on a regular basis. This is so we can understand the functionalities of the database.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with how they respond to our feedback requests promptly. If I send an email today, I’ll definitely get a response on the same day. A lot of the activities within the project are based on the progress of its development. We always expect to hear the outcome of those activities and for us, it’s super useful because we can continue planning other activities.

Another thing I’m happy about is there are more levels of testing involved now. Even though we were supposed to finish by Christmas, Andrew is still contacting us to let us know they’re willing to help us out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. I understand it’s a very complex project with little nuances that are sometimes difficult to grasp. In that sense, sometimes things are not immediately perfect, but then it’s also on our side — we could’ve walked them through our logic as well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an educational institution offering programmes in the Fitness and Sport Management industry. I am the National ICT Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Netgen Custom Software?

The development of a mobile application to compliment an existing legacy system.

What were your goals for this project?

To provide our user base with a new mobile application.

SOLUTION

How did you select Netgen Custom Software?

Existing supplier.

Describe the project in detail.

The project was initiated owing to the existing application being too slow and not providing value add functionality. NetGen was approached for consultation and they came up with a new design. This application was used for a while and then NetGen was requested to rewrite the system as a whole.

What was the team composition?

The team composition was : CEO, Business Analyst, Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Still in progress.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

As NetGen is an existing supplier the workflow and communication was good.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Attention to detail and friendliness.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None