The Dutch OEM developer is busy. Even though an organisation can have a clear vision and dares to ‘think big’, innovation can be stopped by the daily hustle and bustle that takes place. In other words, daily rush hampers the further development of a technology.

I wrote earlier about the benefits of working together with a system developer such as Post en Dekker. In this article I will elaborate further on such a collaboration between OEM developer and system developer. Without innovation, the increasing competition will win. Therefore, it is important, no matter how busy you are, to stay focused on the further development of your technology(ies). A solution for the continuation of progress and securing of innovation is to start collaborating with a system developer.

We often see that the OEM developer does manage to do thorough research, and also the order engineering part fits into the agenda. ‘Because we have to continue to develop’ is an often-heard argument. Even controlling and software implementation and configuration can sometimes be managed. But after that the process often breaks down. Therefore, it is no big deal to call in outside help such as a flexible, external engineering shell.

What collaboration might look like
To keep developing, collaboration is key. When it comes to innovation and development trajectories we at Post en Dekker look at a collaboration according to a flexible division. That is to say, we take over part of the process and unburden the OEM developer this way. But we can adjust that during the development project according to the content of the sprint the and the availability of both the OEM developer and us. This way, this division can go from 40% - 60% to, for example, 20% - 80%.

During the collaboration, the project is split up in stages and jobs are divided according to a scrum-methodical manner. This happens periodically, preferably once every four to eight weeks. The duration of a period between getting together and guiding depends of course on the type of development trajectory and the duration of the various stages.

A steering group, also called project board, almost always exists. Preferably it consists of the system developer (project leader) and from the client’s side a product manager and a technical manager. This group starts with determining the end goal, the dot on the horizon towards which they will work in sprints of four to eight weeks. Each periodic meeting consists of an evaluation of the sprint and determining the new interim goals. During this meeting we also split up the tasks between the team of engineers. Important here is that the steps that need to be taken are small, so that the sprints stay manageable and controllable.

The project is monitored and guided by means of proprietary project management software, in combination with a digitised scrum trajectory. We also try to work Agile in this as much as possible.

The advantages of working together
To stipulate the strength of working together once again, I have listed several important benefits:

• The system developer works in a structured manner and is busy with system development on a daily basis.
• A good system developer knows how to reduce risks better and faster. This shortens the time-to-market.
• When working together with a system developer, you join forces and shorten the lead time of the development chain. The quality also increases because the OEM developer is constantly challenged to go off the beaten track.
• The system developer brings in new ideas and further develops them. From the idea, the technology or innovation of the client, we get to work to complete the market demand on time and on budget, from an integral and structured approach. It is important here, to get a clear picture of the demands of all the parties concerned.
• The system developer organises the input of all stakeholders at the right moment in the development project.
• The system developer makes the concept market-ready and prepares the organisation operationally. The system developer also helps with the implementation and acceptation.

Want to know more about our vision, or work methods and our way of thinking? Then download the whitepaper below.