Case Study: Brack

Existing Solutions and the Everyday Kept us at Bay

"If you are like us, you are continuously growing and new requirements are constantly pushing your IT department to raise the bar: individual software applications that initially worked are being pushed to their limits and must be replaced. That's how it was with our growing online shop," Malte Polzin, CEO of Brack Electronics, recalls.

"Of course we were under a large amount of pressure because we didn't have time to experiment and search for various options. We then decided to keep an eye out for a standard replacement. It was implemented by the software manufacturer's integration partner because we wanted the fastest possible performance boost so we could continue running a successful business."

However, during the launch it was determined that the standard solution was not able to map the business processes properly. It also would have required too much additional hardware to acquire the needed performance. We lost precious time. "All in all, even with all that extra effort it would not have worked. It was a path to nowhere and our needs could not have been met this way."

Pragmatics Help Preserve (PHP)

Brack Electronics clearly saw the need to act. That's why they contacted thePHP.cc. They made use of our comprehensive coaching service in order to support their newly assembled IT team. "The team had to find a solution fast; one that would bridge the gap between the overextended old system and the standard one. I coached the team during this difficult phase and stood by them until the result materialized. The saving grace for the company was the realization that this could only be a temporary solution," explained Stefan Priebsch, who introduced this one-process solution that lead the customer to gradually rethink everything. "We proposed a new alternative architecture for a high-performing shop to our client."

Brack Electronics was initially a bit skeptical because of their past experiences. A proof of concept (PoC) was the deciding factor: Brack Electronics identified the critical functions and gave thePHP.cc the go-ahead to create a test version that was ready after two days. "All doubt disappeared as soon as we saw this proof of concept shop test run with actual items and prices on my laptop," said Arne Blankerts. In the next three weeks we worked as a team and developed further PoCs for this functionality-critical project.

My Own Shop: Tweaked and Polished!

"It's now clear to us that we can only be as efficient, sustainable and high-performing with our own software solutions when our goal is just as high," commented Malte Polzin. "With the support of thePHP.cc we were able to make a calculated decision for our in-house development. Coaching and consulting are equally important for us. That's why thePHP.cc still accompanies us in the process in which our new shop architecture was developed. Their experience is our guarantee that we develop sustainable solutions that are truly state-of-the-art." The current internal tests confirm this assessment.