"The best thing about what Cloud1 does is that they have high quality professionals, and it shows in their work."
Jasper Kaunokoski
ICT Development Manager, Alko Oy
Case Alko Oy: A Large Data Project is Completed Piece by Piece
In the data warehouse modernization project implemented for Alko Oy, a modern data platform adaptable to future needs was built. The platform not only serves as a reporting and analytics base but also gathers all essential data in one place, from where it is easier to distribute further and utilize for various organizational needs. The project is carried out utilizing the principles of agile development.
Agile Development brings Flexibility
The project, lasting almost 1.5 years in total, is divided into agile and easily manageable 2-3 month segments, which are further broken down into two-week sprints. The project progresses one business area at a time, with the project team including not only developers but also strong representation from the business side.
Jasper Kaunokoski, ICT Development Manager at Alko Oy, says that the agile development model has worked well.
Kaunokoski identifies the greatest benefit of agile development as the flexibility it brings to the project. The project model allows for quick response to situational changes without the need to redesign the entire project from scratch in case of modifications. This way, new features or changes can be efficiently resourced as part of the project as it progresses. This is important, as in such a substantial project, changes or unexpected situations are inevitably encountered, and not everything can be anticipated in advance.
The Project Team Combines Diverse Expertise
The project team has included experts from Alko's ICT unit, business units, and Cloud1. Kaunokoski appreciates the fact that there are several experts from the partner involved in the project team. This ensures that expertise is not personified in just one specialist, but team members can substitute for each other when necessary. This also adds agility and flexibility to the work. In a traditional, clearly role-defined project, the same flexibility might not be achieved.
The perspectives of the business units have been taken into account with intensive and efficient participation whenever issues of their specific area have been the focus of development. Product Owner Markus Maijanen from Alko notes that by progressing step by step, one business area at a time, the overall project moves in a controlled manner. The collaboration between business, technology, and partners is then effectively conducted.
Maijanen feels that from a business perspective, the implementation method according to the agile development model has been effective. The experience gained in the project of utilizing agile methods is being carried forward more broadly within the organization.
An integral part of the project's nature has been the continuous development of the best and most functional working models along the way. In the retrospectives following each sprint, the team collectively considers what could still be improved. Continuous development and the implementation of the best practices throughout the entire Alko organization is also an important part of the project.
Agile Development Requires Freedom and Brings Responsibility
For organizations or teams considering the use of agile development principles, Jasper Kaunokoski offers four concrete tips. The most important of these is that an agile project team must be given the mandate to act and make decisions. It's necessary to dare to trust that the project team will produce the best possible outcome without too strict control.
”It is necessary to dare to give an agile development team some slack on the reins,” highlights Kaunokoski.
Relinquishing control also means that steering groups or business sponsors need to be able to clarify the goal towards which development is aimed. For agile development to produce the best possible results, the goal must be clear. When this is achieved, it is easy to give the project the freedom to define the means by which the goal is reached. For this, Kaunokoski gives credit to his own organization: the project team has been given the freedom to pursue the goal in the way they see best.
Kaunokoski calls for a solution-oriented approach from project teams. Agile and rapid development inevitably leads to situations where things do not always go smoothly. Mistakes are unavoidable. What is key is the attitude towards them. It is essential to focus on identifying the part of the process or working method that allowed the mistake to occur.
As a fourth point, Kaunokoski highlights that at the beginning of a project, it is wise for the project team to spend a proportionate amount of time on reporting and communication to the steering group. When trust is earned and results can be demonstrated right at the start of the project, it is likely easier for the project to operate in the future.
Cloud1 as n Agile Development Partner
The most important cornerstone of an agile IT development project is that the provider and the customer actively work together as one team. An open line of communication, mutual trust, and an agile approach have been the foundation for the success of the project. There is a lot of interpersonal collaboration in projects. Therefore, it is important that personal chemistries also meet. Cloud1's project manager Joonas Soukki praises the natural and good cooperation with the customer.
”It has felt like we are genuinely in the same boat. Mutual trust enables open communication, which in turn generates new great ideas,” praises Soukki.
The fact that the parties have been able to challenge each other in a good way, both ways, also says something about the effective collaboration. Soukki emphasizes that achieving a successful outcome requires the team to function and the feedback channel to be open.
Jasper Kaunokoski praises the professionalism of Cloud1. The collaboration is smooth, and the partner possesses flexibility, agility, and top-level expertise
Additionally, a key factor in the successful collaboration has been that Cloud1 is not solely a data and analytics company. Expertise in software development from Devisioona, part of the Cloud1 corporate family, has been utilized as part of the project. For the customer, this has still meant dealing with a single entity.
Kaunokoski emphasizes that it's sometimes necessary to refresh entrenched conventions in supplier selection. Large companies often do business with other large companies, even though a smaller player might be a better choice. Working with an agile operator can make it easier to develop one's own practices as well.
“Choose the best experts, it pays itself back, Kaunokoski defines.
Finding a good partner requires expertise from the buyer. It's essential to understand what is being done, what is important in it, and to reflect these requirements onto the suppliers.
Kaunokoski's recipe for a successful project is ultimately simple: good people, functional personal chemistry, comprehensive expertise, a good working spirit, and the freedom to work towards a common goal in the way they see best. In collaboration with Cloud1, all these pieces were in place.
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