As part of Nextcon and Visma Consulting Oyand Visma, Nextcon was given the opportunity to deliver services to the Visma Financial Solutions Oy. Visma Financial Solutions Oy selected a Nextcon expert as project manager for their system development project. The aim of the project is to develop the Visma Financial Solutions core system and at the same time introduce a continuous improvement model (DevOps).
Visma Financial Solutions Oy takes care of the management of its customers’ receivables. The company was born out of several companies in the sector. Currently, there is a need to merge several different systems and at the same time develop them. The main areas of development are to increase the automation of functions and to facilitate the addition of new features to the systems. The aim is to better serve Visma Financial Solutions Oy’s customer base. For them, the development work means faster cash flow and a reduction in bad debts. Systems often have to be adapted to customers’ processes, so flexibility and the development of new models are key.
Nextcon’s consultant acted as project manager in a coaching capacity. Nextcon brings solid expertise to the project, especially in project management and the development of new approaches. The Visma Financial Solutions Oy experts have been enthusiastically received. Project management tools have been effectively implemented and communication has improved.
– A knowledgeable approach and involvement are key to the success of projects. These are business-critical systems and their successful development is key to improving our customer service and our business. The operating models of several different companies, large development needs and customer requirements must all be managed in the overall development process,” says Saku Vina, IT Director at Visma Financial Solutions Oy.
Towards more agile development
Visma Financial Solutions Oy is part of the Visma Group but operates very independently. This means that there are no ready-made development models, but the company is able to develop its own operations in the desired direction. At Visma Financial Solutions Oy, this means introducing more systematic project management and implementing a Lean management style. As part of the development work, the solutions will be moved to the public Google cloud and at the same time a DevOps development model will be introduced, which means a faster development cycle for the transition to production.
Development work with Nextcon has progressed rapidly
Visma Financial Solutions Oy needed to move forward with the development work quickly and at the time it was found that the recruitment process was too slow to find a suitable specialist. Therefore, the decision was made to use a Nextcon specialist.
– The development work has got off to a flying start and the action has quickly moved in the direction we wanted. Project management and scheduling have been streamlined and transparency has been introduced,” says Saku Vina.
– It was clear from the early stages of cooperation that the objectives of clarifying the overall project picture would be achieved. In the case of the development of smaller sub-sets, the requirements for more precise specifications will bring predictability, which is of paramount importance for the project steering group. I have also heard positive feedback regarding the passionate culture of making things happen, which is always needed!
Says Petrus Hoikkala, CEO of Visma Financial Solutions Oy.