Developing a Multi-Level User Friendly Logistics Solution
Author: Andrei Leontiev
A few years ago, a European startup specializing in IT services in the transport and logistics industries approached us to develop a multi-level logistics system for one of their large clients. The new system was to consist of many components, including support for logistics operations, control over their execution, and background data.
The startup’s main task was to upgrade the existing user part, which was inconvenient to use, making it more flexible when changes would emerge.
Challenges
The first challenge was the lack of staff to satisfactorily complete the task for the end client. Assembling the team alone would take too much time, considering it could be better spent on performance. It was agreed that forfeiting time could put the project at risk and lead to the loss of a promising customer.
The second challenge was the lack of precise initial requirements and the absence of a detailed solution description. Without the project’s final architecture, it wasn’t clear what the final solution would be for the end client.
Key Objectives
The main goal was to develop a new logistics system, which would cover about twenty different processes, depending on the particular business procedure. This entailed the need to optimize and unify business processes.
The complexity of the task for our team was that the system had to be developed almost from scratch, relying only on a general description of the end customer’s business processes. What the system would look like and how it should work became our task.
IBA Group Assistance Service’s Contribution to the Startup’s Performance
The deadlines were tight, which is why the startup made a great choice in hiring us as their ready-made team. Valuable time was saved as there was no need to conduct interviews with individual candidates; the main issues were discussed with the delivery manager from our side, who, in turn, selected the right team for the startup needs.
Our team consisted of a Scrum Master/Business Analyst, backend and frontend developers, and QA engineers. We developed the design jointly with the customer and used our own ICDC cloud throughout the process.
We carried out a complete development cycle — from business analysis to DevOps and testing. Currently, IBA Group continues to cooperate with this startup on other projects.
Solution Highlights
First, we defined the scope, that is what the system modules should include and how to approach the problem of business unification. There was also a simultaneous implementation and formalization of requirements directly to the software.
We used Scrum processes to be flexible to constant change, given the uncertainty about what the final solution would look like.
The interaction of the IBA team with the client was based on the following two components:
- Sprint planning, so that the client would understand what to expect in two weeks
- Feedback from each sprint. If necessary, we corrected our actions. During the sprint, the Scrum Master handled the interaction with the client.
The progress of the tasks and the uniformity of their implementation displayed in the burndown chart indicated team’s constant improvement from sprint to sprint. Regularly, once a week, the team worked on their backlog and held retrospectives at the end of each sprint.
Key Results
- A newly-developed system, which our client successfully implemented for its customer. A startup couldn’t have completed such a large-scale task on their own
- Optimization of the end customer’s logistics business processes
- Smooth and effective interaction with the client thanks to Scrum
About IBA Group’s Startup Assistance Service
IBA Group’s Startup Assistance Service was created to assist you in growing your own startup as quickly and easily as possible with a great pool of experienced professionals. With the help of the IBA Group Startup Assistance Service, you’ll get:
- Comfortable collaboration between the outsourcer and the internal team
- Fast communication and decision-making
- Synergy in the team when the outsourcer participates in the same way as internal employees in your work
- The proactivity of outsourcing teams within a startup – so that they participate in discussions and recommend what needs to be done, and not just execute
- Long-term relationships with an outsourcing company (starting small and growing and expanding)
- Your project implemented exactly on time and within the agreed budget
We’ll also assist you in developing your business idea, writing a business plan, identifying a profitable market, and determining a clear path to success. IBA Group is a one-stop resource for all of your business assistance needs. Business development managers (BDMs) are assigned and act as the point of contact for your startup, coordinating all state services to ensure your success, leading to higher revenue.