Scalefocus

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of TerraQuest, a software engineering company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Scalefocus?

We needed to build extra capacity to deliver a planning application submission platform that could be used across England and Wales. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Scalefocus provides us with development resources, including back- and frontend developers, to augment the scrum teams building our web-based platform. Those teammates are tasked with supporting our development sprints and delivering several user stories per sprint. We haven’t provided Scalefocus with any wireframe and didn’t need their design services because we already had a UX/UI team on board. 

What is the team composition?

We work with seven teammates from Scalefocus, including a delivery manager and six full stack developers.

How did you come to work with Scalefocus?

I found Scalefocus on LinkedIn through an intermediary. Scalefocus seemed capable of providing a variety of development resources we needed. Their team was right regarding partnership expectations, company culture, and development approach. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested £200,000–£250,000 (approximately $260,000–$330,000 USD) with Scalefocus. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Scalefocus began in August 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Scalefocus has delivered exactly what we need from them and ensured we went live on time. Since they were working within our team, I don’t have any specific metrics that can be specifically attributed to their work. However, 365 local authorities and 80,000 additional users, including architects, planners, and the general public, are currently utilizing the platform. 

How did Scalefocus perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, the project management was good, although we did have some initial challenges regarding team workflow. We use Azure DevOps to manage work and Miro for project planning. We also use SonarCloud, SonarQube, and an external partner to audit and QA our technology stacks. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Scalefocus is mindful of how they can improve our engagement and the quality of work they’re providing us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had some challenges fitting together culturally, so we’ve been having conversations about bringing in more capable communicators. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to implement a strong onboarding model to ensure they get the best out of the partnership with Scalefocus. We treat each resource as if they’re a new employee, which has been fundamental to our success.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Product Owner in a company which provides maintenance, repair & overhaul solutions in the aviation industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Scalefocus, and what were your goals?

We are developing a reporting and communication platform which enables companies of our industry to streamline and improve the customer interaction. Scalefocus was hired to support us with the development but also to help us to keep the operation upright.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Scalefocus was selected due to good experience with the provided performance within other projects in the company where the supplier has been enganged in.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The Scalefocus team supports our project team within a scrum based development process. The engaged developers provide software increments based on specified and aligned user stories.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2 DEV OPS Engineers

1 Frontend Software Engineers

2 Backend Software Engineers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Since start of the engagement the throughput of user stories increased noticeably.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We have remote refinement meetings, planning meetings and stand-ups with the project team, where an exchange about daily increments but also existing impediments are exchanged. For the documentation and daily communication we use Jira and Slack. Any upcoming issues are reported in time. The interaction with the rest of the team works well.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They have a high degree of flexibility with extending or reducing the size of the project team when necessary.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an engagement manager for one of our retail clients. Our firm provides end-to-end AI solutions that solve complex business challenges and help our clients capture optimal value from AI.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Scalefocus?

We needed to find qualified developers with great attitude and aptitude to provide innovative solutions in java spring boot, PostgreSQL, Jenkins and other open source cloud technologies. The goal was to implement API services with very complex logic and security, also to improve and automate processes to provide an enhanced DevOps experience for the client.

SOLUTION

How did you select this agency and what were the deciding factors?

We have worked with Scalefocus previously and we were aware of the quality of developers.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Scalefocus provided senior resources to augment our two development teams. In one of them, we worked on the architecture and partial design, they were responsible for the complete design and implementation of the API services. On the other team, we worked on the infrastructure and solution strategy while they worked on the implementation, security and automation of the deployment pipelines of technologies including monitoring and notifications.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We provided a full description of the resources skillset required including the timelines. They provided the resumes of the selected developers, after proper reviews they were assigned to our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After development was complete, the business users of the API Services were able to utilize the data in an almost real-time. This allowed our client to provide better services for other internal business areas. The performance was reduced in half even after a complex logic in the solution was put in place. Our client was also able to have visibility for monitoring and notifications alert on the status of all the services in their environment.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Having people working on different timelines is a very difficult task for everyone. However, Scalefocus resources were able to deliver the work with minimum supervision during the 3 week sprints following an agile methodology. Stand up meetings where setup every day at the beginning of the client's day which was the end of the developers' day.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

All their resources have such an attitude, aptitude, and character that shows in the quality of their work.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

There were some communication issues at the beginning probably due to time difference and work style but everyone in the team was able to agree on a better way to work and communicate that provided great results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Managing director of a leading messaging solutions and CPaaS provider in Europe

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Scalefocus, and what were your goals?

In 2020 in the middle of covid crisis and uncertain strategy execution we needed a fast and professional support from developers and solution architects helping us going forward with our plans to develop our own messaging platform in .NET. We selected Scalefocus as our partner to help us with the solution architecture and build 2 development teams for the execution of complex goals both in backend and frontend.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We approached them by reputation on Bulgarian IT industry and considered them along with 4 other vendors. The most important for us was the demonstration of technical expertise and resource potential, their solution orientated approach, smooth communication and flexibility. During the negotiation process they demonstrated experience, understanding of our necessities and flexible approach. They offered a well-thought solution.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Scalefocus has built several dedicated software development teams, delivering end-to-end solutions on various projects for us. These include providing high value-added services and feature implementation in the areas of business logic, telecom messaging services and standards, banking and third-party system integrations, API gateway solutions and others.

Scalefocus’ engineering teams are involved across the entire lifecycle of feature and functionality implementation – from discovery and analysis, through planning, delivery, support on production, ensuing microservice and multitenancy architectures and high-throughput. The majority of the team are engaged with .Net based technologies, SQL databases, non-relational Data Bases like Mondo DB and Redis DB, Azure DevOps, Git repositories, cloud agnostic technologies like Kubernetes, Docker, Logical Aps, Webjobs, Azure SQL, Network security, implementing CI/CD pipelines for deployment.

In addition, Scalefocus have several teams engaged with implementing PHP and JAVA based solutions with Java EE, PHP, Linux, CentOS, Puppet, Elasticsearch/Kibana, Jenkins, Bitbucket, Scripting, Icinga and DockerSwarm.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Scalefocus’ dedicated teams consist of 12+ software engineers and consultants, delivering solutions for several divisions in different countries. The teams are led by 2 system architects, being responsible for discovery and research phases, proof of concepts, documentation preparation, company-wide guidelines for monitoring and logs implementation, security and system integrations. The remaining consultants are implementing end-to-end features and functionalities across the technological stack described above.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Because of our partnership with Scalefocus we were able to staff new operational teams 2 times faster than our plan. Those teams delivered 10 epics from 4 initiatives from our roadmap within numerous releases in 6 months.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The management from their side has been always very flexible, customer-oriented and tailored to our needs. They always found solutions for us and communicated over the channels of our convenience. They always delivered to their commitments or found compensation methods in unexpected situations.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

During our continuing partnership, we received an excellent service tailored to meet our challenges and specifics. Scalefocus always responds to our requests in a timely manner. The consultants provided are of high quality – the needed level of specific technical knowledge and experience in a variety of software development areas that allows them to rapidly grasp the project requirements, offer and build solutions. In addition, they are also very flexible and motivated to join or form an effective team and quickly start to deliver on commitments.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Can't think of such.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Alemba develops Alemba Service Manager, a highly functional, 100% ITIL-compliant IT Service Management (ITSM) tool with a specific focus on request fulfilment. Backed by 25 years of heritage, Alemba Service Manager enables users to respond quickly to business demands by dramatically reducing time to request fulfilment through automated workflowed integration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Scalefocus, and what were your goals?

Alemba wanted to leverage the new Microsoft Logic App capability for designing low code/no code integrations and workflows. Whilst Alemba already had a comprehensive API, we wanted to make this even easier to consume inside a Logic App by creating a connector.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had previously worked with Scalefocus. Originally we were given a recommendation by an Alemba employee. We went to see their operation in Sofia and came away very impressed by our visit.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The key deliverable was an Alemba ITSM Logic App connector that had been certified by Microsoft and made available through the standard Azure platform. Subtasks involved business analysis to agree the functionality of the connector, development resource to architect and build it, quality assurance resource to test it and project management to keep everything on-track.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Business Analyst x1; Integration Software Engineer x1; Automation Engineer x1; Project Manager x1.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Alemba ITSM connector was certified by Microsoft and is now available globally as part of the standard Azure platform.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Effective project management and delivery management using different meetings to suit different audiences within our organisation. Powerpoints, Word docs. Don't recall seeing a project management tool but then I wasn't close to day-to-day activities.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Very high emphasis on Product Quality. Their QA processes are excellent. They have deep software architecture skills and the ability to understand complex issues right across the team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nothing immediately comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Arqino is a UK based creative technology studio which provides a wide range of digital products, combining creative design and quality software. We offer a variety of solutions for different digital needs such as, Experience and Interface Design, Digital Product Development and Digital Marketing services. My name is Peter van't Hoogerhuys and I am the Projects and Operations Manager for Arqino.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ScaleFocus?

As most of our attention and focus is targeted at developing front-end solutions for our clients, we needed a reliable vendor with extensive experience in the domain of digital transformation and system integration. We wanted to build a long-term partnership with a professional services provider, as to support us in various customer engagements under a Managed IT Services model, meaning ad-hoc and long-term support in a broad variety of domains – eCommerce, quality assurance, DevOps, security, system integration, back-end solution development, etc. ScaleFocus was the perfect candidate to assist us in this endeavor.

What were your goals for this project?

It was crucial for us to have an experienced partner which would guarantee the successful delivery and implementation of almost all our customer projects as an external supplier. ScaleFocus was trusted to deliver different services and solutions, usually in small volumes, in the aim of completing our internal team.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Initially, we began with a research for the most qualified IT vendors, which would best fit our needs. We short-listed a few potential companies, however we quickly set our sights on ScaleFocus, due to their extensive experience in system integration, eCommerce, security, data management, etc. Additionally, a fellow IT peer, referred us to ScaleFocus and our decision was easily made.

Describe the project in detail.

As already shared, we have been engaging ScaleFocus in a number of our projects, including a number of presales initiatives. To give a few examples: - Security consultancy around penetration testing. - DevOps support. - Software development with .NET and Java. - System integration and support. - Cloud assessments and migrations. ScaleFocus’ teams and our own team has always been working closely in each and every engagement or opportunity. What we have achieved working under such a synergy model is – great efficiency, high quality, extended footprint in terms of technology domains, scaling-up and down fast, without having to recruit specialists ourselves. For a small permanent team as ours, this is the way to leverage on bigger or niche opportunities in a professional and agile way.

What was the team composition?

ScaleFocus have been providing consultants ad-hoc or long-term. For the time of our partnership we have engaged between 1 to 5 consultants, working on different projects and initiatives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having ScaleFocus as an official long-term partner has helped us to be significantly faster and more agile. In the technology and digitalization world speed of implementation and quality are paramount. Thus, we have been able to take on more work with less investment risks. As a result of this we also experience higher customer satisfaction rates.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication and collaboration between both teams has been extremely successful from the very beginning. The workflow was characterized by a straightforward and professional environment, in which allocated obstacles were resolved quickly and efficiently. The effective workflow between both teams, was one of the key drivers to expand our collaboration and increase the trust between the companies.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I would have to say that, what impressed me most was how well ScaleFocus were able to identify our and our customers’ exact needs and adapt their approach according to them. Their brilliant support and attention to detail are an excellent ad-on to Arqino’s services. Our expectations were exceeded, by their determination to go the extra-mile in terms of delivery and customer engagement. We are happy to say that, they fully met our exact business requirements and facilitated our increased internal process efficiency.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I am glad to say that all our requirements so far have been addressed in a professional way – with quality, transparency and care. I’d just expect for ScaleFocus to keep up with the great work and excellent customer focus.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Serafim Cholakov and I am IT Manager at Servier Bulgaria. The company is the Bulgarian subsidiary of an international pharmaceutical company. Servier is presented in 140 countries with more than 20,000 employees worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ScaleFocus?

ScaleFocus was selected as a reliable vendor which would help us create and implement business processes optimization system. They had the mission to enable us to complete our tasks in a simpler, faster and more convenient manner.

What were your goals for this project?

It was of uttermost importance to have a successful project delivery which would bring an optimization of our business processes. We were firm in our expectation that the chosen vendor would have to act according to our strict criteria.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We initiated a search process where several potential delivery enterprises were discovered. Gradually, applying firm corporate criteria, we shortlisted the possible vendors.

ScaleFocus appeared as the best option for our needs and mission. Last, but not least, they were very responsive in the preliminary discussions, presenting very high level professionalism and client oriented approach.

Describe the project in detail.

There were several stages of the project. Initially, ScaleFocus began structuring the world around analyzing what is working optimally and what is not. They conducted a business analysis which acted as the cornerstone of their task.

Next, our team joined them in enhancing the planning and execution of the procedures that needed augmentation. Ultimately, they facilitated a data-based approach to implementation and delivery. I was fascinated by their in-depth approach to problem-solving. ScaleFocus enabled us to significantly improve the visibility and transparency related to main and corner business objectives.

What was the team composition?

We worked with 2 business professionals.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are solid numerical indicators that ScaleFocus’s services empowered our business: 1) 33% simplification of the preparation of financial documentation 2) 33% faster processes of attendee submission 3) 67% easier management of events.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Throughout all stages of our cooperation ScaleFocus proved to be both responsive and responsible. They were constantly open for explanations and discussion that we faced no disturbances.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were amazed by the high level of delivery that ScaleFocus provided. We were well aware that they are a leading IT company in the region, but the professionalism they put into their work exceeded our boldest expectations. Not only did they assist us in improving our systems, but they also helped us implement many useful practices into our workflow.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I could only express my gratitude of working with ScaleFocus.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Alexander Halachev – Security Operations Centre Manager at Caretower. We at Caretower, are a cyber-security company, with over 20 years of experience, providing comprehensive solutions to our customers’ security needs. Our persistent business growth has led us to becoming market leaders in network security and protection. Throughout our years in the business, we have established long-lasting relationships with all major security vendors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ScaleFocus?

ScaleFocus designed, developed, tested, deployed and currently maintains a multi-tenant Advanced Analytics Solution for our customers.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to develop a fully functional Analytics Application, which would allow us to provide next level service to our customers. Additionally, it would further streamline our operational efficiency in terms of internal processes. We wanted to provide our customers with the functionality of monitoring various KPIs for their systems. Furthermore, the customers can perform ad-hoc analytics by themselves, leveraging the self-service capabilities of the Platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

ScaleFocus was chosen for this project, because of their extensive large-enterprise background in the field of Business and Operational Analytics. We needed a skilled partner, who would design and develop a professional and highly-secured analytics solution.

Describe the project in detail.

The project began with a business analysis, which allowed the ScaleFocus team to get to know all the details of our project and define the business, technical and non-functional requirements accordingly. ScaleFocus’ approach to building a DWH solution included a dynamic configuration, which integrates large sets of data sources with different structures, locations and types. This dynamic configuration allowed the solution to easily be extended and to reflect changes in the data and structures. The ScaleFocus team developed the DWH and Business Intelligence Platform in full compliance to our requirements.

What was the team composition?

The team was led by a ScaleFocus Project Manager with extensive experience in managing the successful delivery of BI and DWH Platforms. ScaleFocus’ engineering team consisted of a Lead DWH/ETL/BI Consultant with huge expertise in OLTP and DWH/OLAP solutions and several very experienced DWH/ETL/BI Developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the new solution implemented, we are now able to focus the work during the business analysis phase and consequently streamline our operational efficiency. Furthermore, we are now able to provide a new service to our clients. Thanks to which, they can now perform ad-hoc analytics by themselves and measure a variety of KPIs relevant to their individual case.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project workflow was characterized by excellent teamwork and cooperation. There were frequent meetings focused on the project details. They took place in a professional friendly environment, which facilitated the timely and meticulous definition of our requirements.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed by the exceptional expertise and delivery approach which the ScaleFocus team brought to the table. They were able to quickly grasp our needs and promptly adapt to the specifications. ScaleFocus’ professionalism lead to an efficient and agile workflow, which resulted in the project being delivered timely and with supreme quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would have to say that the entire process went smoothly, without any complications whatsoever. All requirements and agreements were met accordingly by the ScaleFocus team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Evtim Arsov and as Head of IT. I have lead operations and the digital transformation of the UPS InTime in Bulgaria for the past 19 years. I have always been passionate about streamlining business processes into simple and efficient IT solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ScaleFocus?

Scale Focus was selected to create a variety of technological solutions especially tailored for the needs of our company. We were experiencing severe problems with our legacy systems. They were operating at increasing costs while KPIs were not met. As a company which deals with transportation of items of various shapes, sizes and level of fragility, it was important for us to have a system which helps us take care of all aspects simultaneously. Hence, Scale Focus became our partner and stepped into this exciting project.

What were your goals for this project?

Ultimately, we were aiming at increasing our market share by extending our presence in the B2B and B2C segments. We wanted to enhance all our processes and interactions with key business customers. We targeted an improvement of the quality of courier services and customer satisfaction and loyalty. We realized that we would need a custom-made solution as we wanted to keep our designated business processes. We were also focused on automating our largest part of the shipment management process.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’ve had previous experience with software partners, who were not able to properly complete their assignments and did not understand our needs. Our team was looking for a solid partner which incorporates dedication and precision into their work. We researched various options, but eventually Scale Focus stood out as our premium choice. Despite being then recently established, Scale Focus demonstrated very effectively their aim for meticulousness.

While working with Scale Focus on the implementation of our core logistics ERP – Focus Courier, we witnessed the diligence, reliability and congruence of their team. Still we were also considering and vetting other vendors to make sure we make the most feasible decision for our business. As our research and vetting process was progressing and we came to choose between two options, Scale Focus was the definite leader in all fields.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Focus Courier is a system which integrates all front-office, back-office and logistics operations. It automates our core processes. The platform is web-based and automates the processing of bills, lading, tracking, invoicing and reporting of orders. Additionally, Focus Courier provides a generic web-services module and easily integrates with 3rd party software systems to streamline the overall business process within the organization. It supports interfacing portable devices like handhelds, smartphones and tablets for facilitating the mobile workforce.

“My InTime” is an interactive, flexible, b2b self-care portal which provides InTime’s services to end customers. It enables customers to book a courier, track packages, manage invoices and payments, generate bills of lading and also import orders from files generated by 3rd party systems. Scale Focus developed a custom solution to fit our needs. It is an end-to-end solution with audit and testing of the information security and IT infrastructure we are using for it including validation of procedures and control mechanisms related to data access, load testing, auditing of network security, penetration and vulnerability testing, procedures for change management, physical access and accident recovery.

Scale Focus also had the opportunity to supply In Time Ltd with high-tech professional and consulting services – including business analysis, technical analysis, documenting requirements, delivery, installation, putting hardware and system software into operation, project creation, modelling, development, integration and software testing, creation of project documentation, training and warranty and post-warranty support. When it came to the development of functionalities and their implementation, Scale Focus made sure that there are code reviews, status report preparation and test cases.

What was the team composition?

Through different stages of development the size varied, but always had a business analysts who were transforming our business needs to technical requirements and specifications. There was a team leader, software engineers and quality assurance team from Scale Focus. As we are into maintenance mode we have a team, focused on new functionality as well as a software support team. Scale Focus is also assisting us with the required software infrastructure in terms of monitoring, configurations and optimization.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We were very pleased with the result. As we deal exclusively with transportation, we value optimization and improved quantitative estimation as these affect directly us and our clients. After the introduction of Focus Courier, our yearly revenue increased by 14%. Moreover, both our employees and clients benefit from the new system which is user-friendly and ensures a pleasant experience.

Additionally, the deployment of MyInTime drastically increased customer satisfaction by introducing a number new features, improving existing ones and reducing the time and effort needed to book a courier. Internally it reduces the time needed to process orders which in term leads to reduced costs and better performance.

Furthermore, MyInTime was integrated with Focus Courier, which streamlines customer information and provides better overview and opportunity to analyze client behavior patterns in order to improve current services. Eventually, we were able to use a set of various solutions, integrated by Scale Focus with our core and b2b self-care platforms to drive our business forward. We optimized our human capacity as orders were automated. This allowed us to focus our employees on more high value added tasks.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Scale Focus displayed high level of professionalism and effective style of work in management, delivery, integration and support of complex information systems. Scale Focus proved that the company has highly qualified professionals and a very competent managerial team, which took part in all phases of the project. Executive management attention was always there when needed in key milestones of the project, including consultancy for external than our relationship services.

Once we presented our idea and objectives to ScaleFocus, they started planning and executing immediately. They were constantly communicating how the project was developing throughout the different stages. We were able to coordinate our actions, and the final products have been working impeccably since day one.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our partnership with ScaleFocus dates back to the period when they were freshly founded. In spite of the being new in the field, their professionalism and attention to detail were on a premium level. They managed to see all potential hurdles along the line of the development process and act accordingly so that we overcome them efficiently. They also finalized their tasks in a timely, concise and competent manner.

After the successful completion of this project, Scale Focus became a preferred and long-term partner in the field of development, delivery and support of software systems and customized IT solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The project was executed using a conservative plan-driven (waterfall) methodology. Although this gave us ease in overall budget planning and expenditure control we had to sacrifice agility in the overall scope. Especially during the first phases of execution it would have been better for both sides to test a more iterative development approach.

Thankfully our team and the project team of Scale Focus were able to transition from a plan driven to a full agile delivery process in the after the release of the first version of the system. Thanks to this we are now able to enhance the system and implement new features and functionality much faster than before.

Additionally, I would have given more stress on mutually defining KPIs to meet together. KPIs, which are crucial to our business and which can be correlated to changes in our systems. This, however, comes with trust, which we have now built, but as a new relationship could not afford based on previous engagements we’ve had with others.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a director of the project management office at Belmond Ltd, which was acquired by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2018. 

We are a leisure company operating luxury hotels, train services, and river cruises around the world. In my role, I’m responsible for the global management of projects from all functional divisions, and I also provide strategic support to the COO. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ScaleFocus?

We brought on ScaleFocus to implement a Data Warehouse (DWH) to facilitate our global reporting with a focus on customer analytics. In preparation for integration to the DWH, we wanted to restructure our existing systems. Before delivering the solution, the team would execute a Technical and Business Analysis (TBA) to shape the scope of the DWH.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to establish a robust DWH platform that would enable global reporting. The accurate output analysis would aid efficiency in our customer and operational processes. We also had a goal of modernizing our approaches to meet industry trends, preparing our company for future challenges of understanding customers through data.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

An IT industry peer recommended Belmond to one of our IT managers. After evaluating them and other vendors, we had the most confidence in ScaleFocus’ expertise, cultural alignment, case studies, and overall approach.

Describe the project in detail.

ScaleFocus’ consultants implemented a comprehensive TBA to understand what needed to be built into the DWH and which resources would be required. They helped turn our goals and strategy into a coherent set of requirements. Then, they worked closely with our team to implement the DWH.

Before integrating the DWH with customer-related systems, they prepared the data models and the extract, transform, and load system for customer-related information (e.g. account, product, and booking data). Within the initial four sprints, they implemented the integration. ScaleFocus also delivered a web portal for the manual import of other required data.

Currently, we maintain a monthly subscription to a package of services from ScaleFocus related to the DWH.

What was the team composition?

Depending on the phase, the team number ranges between 2–6 specialists. Their positions are business analyst, DevOps engineer, DWH engineer, project manager, and technical consultant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The ScaleFocus team bridged our professional and technological goals by developing a comprehensive understanding of our needs. They delivered a high-quality solution while conforming to the schedule and budget. 

Using an agile methodology for project management, they lowered our business risk to a minimum. The plan called for deliverables within a fixed timeline and budget. They maintained a fixed-agile scope, where the scope is fixed for each sprint but can vary depending on discussions between parties.

The team has maintained timely, transparent communication. We’ve stayed in touch on a daily or weekly basis, clarifying requirements as needed. They always provide early feedback on any topic we discuss.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Working with the team members has been a fun, energizing experience. I was really impressed by their determination to deliver tangible results while adhering to our specific needs. They dedicated time and effort into understanding our business vision. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are happy with their services, and we may collaborate with them again in the future.