VEMW is the advocate and knowledge center for companies using energy and water at scale. Members can obtain information through the website, newsletters and seminars, as well as during consultation groups and meetings on the legislation and supervision of company energy and water consumption. VEMW is in close contact with its members. Good communication and making information accessible is important to them. The association has 400 members, representing 50% of business energy consumption and 70% of business water consumption. VEMW has been using the /Members solution for some time now. This is how they’ve experienced collaborating with Procurios.
The transition to the Procurios platform with scrum
“Previously, we enjoyed using a system which was especially made for us. But the ‘shelf life’ of this software expired in 2016, so we started looking for a new one that would be a good fit for us,” says Karin Burghouwt, secretary of association affairs at VEMW. “We picked Procurios because of the flexibility the all-in-one solution /Members offered. The Procurios Platform allows us to choose all the individual products as building blocks, so we were able to create a fitting system for ourselves.”
“After three weeks of sprinting together, our most important wishes were fulfilled. Our office was somewhat surprised, since IT projects usually don’t go so smoothly.”
For VEMW it was important to be able to calculate the membership fees, to invoice and to create and send newsletters. “After three weeks of sprinting together, our most important wishes were fulfilled. Our office was somewhat surprised, since IT projects usually don’t go so smoothly,” Karin explains. “There often is too big a gap between the eventual users and the programmers of the system, which is why technical projects can go a bit awry. The Procurios method prevents such problems. In one of the first conversations Jos Jelier, one of the founders of Procurios, told me about the scrum working method. To be honest, I didn’t like the idea of scrumming at all – to be in another office for three weeks… Eventually, I changed my mind completely. I love this way of working! The collaboration that comes about is incredibly valuable.”
As a methodology, scrum is fully integrated within the Procurios method. Read more about it on this page: scrum method.
“By working so closely with the Procurios team, we learned how to start, where to invest our valuable time in, plus what is really necessary and what is not.”
An intensive collaboration and scrum
The intensity with which you work on a collaborative project like this, is special, according to Karin. “The focus we created together and the insight we gained in the complexity of our requirements, gave us a better insight in our own customer processes as well. At the same time we got an understanding of the lead time of the project.”
Karin: “To estimate how much time it will take to build a functionality, you need knowledge, which we didn’t have. By working so closely with the Procurios team, we learned how to start, where to invest our valuable time in, plus what is really necessary and what is not.”
Creating internal support
“Of course difficulties in a project like this are part of the job. These are not due to the system or the collaborations, but rather due to the colleagues who find it difficult to adopt a new system,” Karin indicates. “At the time we received training which helped a lot. But creating internal support was the biggest challenge of all. I think that as an organization, you really have to make budget and time available for training, creating support and making sure the new system is well integrated in the organization. The fact that the Procurios software makes it possible to create a personalized view for each user, really is an added value for users.”
The collaboration with Procurios
“I have definitely experienced the cooperation as pleasant. The composed team I worked closely with, was nice. Some were businesslike and at the same time ‘crazy’ – you could really laugh with them. Others were critical, serious and super smart. We had a lot of fun and the three weeks flew by. At the end of those weeks, I returned to the office very satisfied.”
Trust in the supplier
Karin indicates that trust in your supplier is of the utmost importance. Just as having confidence in being able to get what you want. “Procurios has anchored this very nicely in its philosophy.” VEMW is happy to continue that trust, because Karin hopes to also create their website with us. “So that we can link the CRM and CMS and we can send our contacts completely customized information and messages.”
