Rebuilding a Software Product
to Deliver Exceptional User Experience

Providing the customer team with approaches enhancing development – the Dojo experience, the lean methodology, XP, pair programming, the Cloud Lab

The application transformation and cloud enablement project was based on the Dojo experience. These so-called Dojo projects are meant to share with the customer all requirements and knowledge needed to build software independently and make the customer’s team self-sufficient. In that case, the Dojo process consisted of three stages, required to re-platform the app and undergo a proper transition to the cloud infrastructure.

The whole transformation started with setting up the right DevOps foundation, continued with creating a Minimum Viable Product to verify market needs, and completed the project with the final shape of an application deployed on a cloud platform. Another important part was leveraging the lean methodology of building the product in the team. By getting a deeper recognition of the customer’s needs, collaboration was expanded from app modernization to providing platform enablement (necessary for the project success) and supporting the client in developing the app.

To get the most out of collaboration during the Dojo project, the company had built an internal, dedicated team, which can be described as an internal startup responsible for both – software delivery and business development. Designing a customer-centric product obligated the software company to include its marketing and sales forces into the team that has been developing an app, and their input has been used to build and enhance the product. By utilizing feedback regarding user experience, the company decided to focus on designing UI that improved the way users interact with the product. Allowing their clients to verify proposed features, the enterprise received feedback needed to tailor their solutions accordingly to the customers’ needs. And it’s a powerful example of how lean methodology and engaging all the stakeholders into a process of building software can lead to reducing the risk of failure in providing new solutions.

Overall, it took numerous specialists on different business and software development levels to team up and move forward quickly. In addition to that, the development phases were conducted with two methodologies – XP and pair programming. Grape Up has also defined a new working environment, the Cloud Lab which contributed to more optimal and efficient work and helped to achieve a wide array of goals through various aspects.

A modern, cloud-native application in a SaaS model after successful transformation

The collaboration between Grape Up and the software provider, meant to rebuild an established software product into a modern application, resulted in the numerous smaller projects that changed the way the enterprise works on building software. The first effect of the transformation was noticed in accelerated software delivery – demo was ready 3-4 months after the Dojo project’s kick-off, and the final version was on the market, ready to purchase in a year from the start of the cooperation. The need for providing customers with a competitive SaaS solution encouraged the company to undergo the entire transformation, including moving to the cloud and adopting agile methodologies.

Along with creating a customer-friendly product, allowing competition on new markets, the company has reshaped the culture by involving team by team in the transition that changed the way they work with clients, build software solutions, and solve issues. After the Dojo project, the enterprise was ready to run things independently, but the company had decided to continue the collaboration through the entire software cycle, as the Grape Up supported the customer’s employees in development.

As a result of the collaboration with Grape Up, the company made a research on customer experience a vital part of the software development process. The company journey to cloud-native architecture is a perfect example for enterprises striving for the transition from the traditional ways of building applications to the modern, agile organizations that utilize DevOps, breaking down silos in an organization, and sustaining lasting relationships with customers.