Jerzy Biernacki

DUBAI, UAE, 8 December 2019: There are no silver bullets in software development, and no single solution that works everywhere, said Jerzy Biernacki, Head of Research and Development, Miquido, while discussing what end users, including building owners, utilities and operators, should take into consideration when looking for a solution provider that will help in digitalising business processes and models to enhance efficiencies. “Something that worked in one case might be overkill in another, or it might not work at all,” he said. “The key is to really understand the customer’s business goals and choose the most appropriate solutions to meet them.” Above everything else, all clients across the value chain need to seek reliable partners, he added.

Biernacki emphasised that clients should look for an open-minded team that tries to understand their needs and enhance the project with their expertise at all stages from conceptualisation, through business workshops, prototyping and design sprints, to design, development and all the way up to the release. “They do not stop there,” he said. “The team should also help to iterate on your product and make it even better with each update. Therefore, clients should ask about the company’s approach to software development and to the offered services to verify whether the company can deliver a full package.”

Biernacki said that even the biggest projects need to be broken down into manageable phases. “Even when a client has a plan in mind, it is very important to establish and take into account all technical dependencies, and the software provider’s support in this aspect is crucial,” he said, adding that given the scope, the company should be able to help clients break down the project, taking into account the issues of scalability and expandability, all of which should be taken into consideration when choosing a provider. “It is also worth asking about the company’s development process to verify if the team is really agile,” he said. “Clients can do this by providing some hypothetical situations regarding changes in the requirements and asking what the impact on the project would be – both cost- and time-wise.” Last but not the least, Biernacki said, clients can recognise the best partners by their proactiveness. “They show it right from the start, asking the right questions on the first contact and exploring possible solutions right from the first call or meeting,” he said.

Jarosław Bodnar

Weighing in, Jarosław Bodnar, Head of Operations, Miquido, pointed out that the experience of having big brands in the portfolio is not a guarantee of good quality. “If the company hasn’t focused on the introduction on projects instead of on brands, that’s the first red light,” he said. “The second is when the portfolio presented at the first meeting doesn’t correspond to the client’s domain. It means someone didn’t even do their homework. So, how can they provide the solution you need and be a reliable partner?” Bodnar said that when assessing a solution provider, clients should ask the following: ‘Have you done similar projects before?’ and ‘Could you tell us about the risks?’ “Hopefully, the company will name all the risks you had in mind,” he said, “plus a couple you didn’t think about but make perfect sense for you.”