I scanned many possible software development partners before entering into a cooperation with Panenco. My number 1 criterion was to find a multidisciplinary team of experts that could handle the various needs of such a project, which Panenco has provided. Next, as a cherry on the cake, what stood out to me was the entrepreneurial vibe you get as soon as you set foot into their doors in the Leuven office.
Building an enterprise SaaS platform to manage hybrid workspace arrangements
Our client -Xwork- is a SaaS platform that helps corporates to set up hybrid workspace arrangements for their staff. The vision behind Xwork is that corporates will be stepping away from the traditional office paradigm and define new office policies based on the 3 H's: Home, Hub, and Headquarter. We have been involved in the development of Xwork from the very beginning, jointly defining the product strategy and taking ownership over the product development operations. In this case study, we highlight the road we’ve travelled and our approach along the way.
Challenge
Xwork brings together many business functions who are engaged in defining and implementing workplace policies. Our challenge was to bring all points of view together in a unified workflow, providing a suitable user experience for companies, employees and coworking locations.
Solution
We designed and built an end-to-end SaaS platform from the ground up in under 6 months. We made API connections to existing HR and ERP systems and deeply integrated with the workspace management systems of (co)working locations.
Approach
We defined a true co-creation model together with the Xwork team: they handled the business side of the activities and we took ownership over the product development process, with regular touchpoints. We set up a small but highly effective product team to build and release new features continuously.
Defining the functional and architectural specifications for a smooth user experience connecting to WMS
We assisted the Xwork team to refine their value proposition into a product definition with clear functional requirements and an attractive user experience. We looked at the core problem statement from the point of view of various personas to eventually lay out an ambitious game plan for a minimum lovable product.
Design track:
We mapped the entire functional wishlist into clickable user flows and tested them thoroughly with the prospective user audience.
Architectural track:
Xwork is connected to various Workspace Management Systems (WMS) and to companies’ ERP systems as well. We worked out an open architecture to connect all the dots.
Organising a highly effective product development process
When we were defining the architecture of Xwork, it was clear that we needed to build an open system that could integrate with various existing workplace management systems.
The Xwork system should have significant uptime guarantees since employees from large corporates count on it on a daily basis to book their desired workplaces. Given the strong dependencies we have on the workspace management systems from the co-working places, we implemented farfetched monitoring instruments to detect anomalies and act quickly on any booking issues that might arise.
Giving the platform the operational foundations to grow
Upon initial launch of the platform, a 6-week trial was done with 10 Belgian companies where we actively gathered feedback from users and performed technical fine-tuning. There was a clear validation of the concept and the platform functionality, which gave the necessary confidence to start preparing a broader commercial rollout.
Xwork is currently onboarding large corporate clients, as they are fully committed to driving significant change in this industry! We keep assisting the Xwork team with setting up the proper tooling, documentation and security guarantees to mature the platform and support customers in the best way possible.
Xwork is a paradigm shift in the orchestration of hybrid work. We gladly embarked on this mission together with the Xwork team to shape and build this product.
We wish the whole Xwork team the very best of luck as they further expand across Europe. We’ll be happy to keep supporting you in every way possible.
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