Wigo4it Transformed Into a Full-Focus SAAS Company

Gaining Knowledge   

At the start of the journey, Wigo4it struggled with a knowledge gap.  

Geert van der Cruijsen, Consultant at Xebia, “Besides temporarily taking on the CTO role, our main task was to share our cloud and DevOps skills.” Sabine van Rooijen, Tribe Lead at Wigo4it, adds: “Azure training gave everyone a solid theoretical foundation. But our main focus was on learning on the job. We encouraged people to take the time to explore Azure together. That formed the foundation of the amazing knowledge-sharing culture we have today.”   

Today, Wigo4it’s teams regularly engage in collaborative practices such as pair programming, joint refinement sessions, Azure meetups, and knowledge chapters. They also prioritize innovation through quarterly ‘Funovation Days,’ during which backlogs make way for time to experiment and explore new concepts. This mindset of continuous learning and experimentation is crucial for personal and professional growth, according to Van Rooijen. 

In addition to in-house knowledge sharing, Wigo4it (the first Dutch government institution to move to the public cloud) is also committed to sharing knowledge with peers. “Our mission is to make a social impact. In this context, we want to pass on the knowledge and experience we have acquired with public resources to the community,” says Hermans. ” A lot of public institutions are afraid of the cloud. They stress about where to store data and how to protect it properly. We want to show them that this fear is unfounded. Microsoft Azure offers endless possibilities, and things like security are well taken care of.”     

An Epic Workplace  

Today, Wigo4it is a one-of-a-kind employer within the public sector. Van Rooijen, “Here, people can experiment, learn from their mistakes, and use innovative technology to work on a high-quality product. Combined with the sense of purpose that this domain offers, working at Wigo4it now appeals to many people.” Van der Vorm, “Talented people want to work for an organization at the forefront, simply because that is where they’ll find the most challenging, enjoyable, and satisfying experiences. Being a technical pioneer makes you less vulnerable because it helps you attract the best IT professionals, keep them on board, and ensure your services are up to date.”  

Besides attracting new talent, Wigo4it can now offer its current employees a new and improved employment experience. Van der Ham, “We’ve established a can-do culture: less asking for permission, more doing, confidence, courage, problem-solving, great results, a good vibe, extremely low turnover, and happy people.” Van Rooijen adds: “A prime example of this is our ‘architecture without architects.’ Wigo4it used to be jampacked with architects. Today, the squads do that work themselves, boosting awareness and responsibility. Is the quality as amazing? Not always, but it’s definitely as good as we need it to be.”   

Partnering With Xebia   

Over the past two or three years, Xebia has been instrumental in guiding Wigo4it through its organizational transformation. Of course, its technical know-how and execution power have been of enormous value, but what may have been of even greater significance to the software company is the partner they have found in Xebia.   

"Having a vision is great, but having the guts to turn that vision into a reality is another story. And that’s where Xebia really proved their worth. They repeatedly reassured us that the transition makes sense and is feasible, even for a government organization like ours."– Teun Van der Vorm

What Xebia did for (and with) Wigo4it:

• Take a top-down approach to ensure that change permeates all layers of the organization, and everyone is involved 
• A new organizational design based on value streams, with squads, product owners, and minimal middle management 
• Address the eight pillars of engineering culture, for instance, create a clear digital vision, activate in-house knowledge sharing, shape the release process, and maximize team responsibility (‘you build it, you run it’)
• Clear technical debt to ensure a smooth transition to the cloud  
• Establish a BIO-compliant Azure platform
• An intensive knowledge transfer track with the managers, after which they can now operate independently as executives of a cloud company 

Currently, a small team of Xebia’s experts is still at Wigo4it to refine practices and help people move (further) beyond their comfort zone. “Old habits die hard. Xebia is still helping us break old patterns here and there and challenging us to explore the unknown. For instance, refactoring code is new to us. So, by showing us how it’s done and then teaching us to do it ourselves, they’re helping us stand on our own two feet more and more,” says van der Ham.

"Our mantra is to show you how it’s done, do it together, and then let you do it yourself." – Rene van Osnabrugge

A Unique Product   

By the end of 2023, Wigo4it aims to have its web application running in the cloud. Then, the data center will close soon after. But that doesn’t mean its journey has come to an end!   

Van der Vorm, “We were overly customer-driven. To turn that around, we still have lots of optimizing to do.” Van der Cruijsen adds: “The four municipalities essentially had their own unique products. That makes getting back to one solid offering quite challenging — one change requires four different approaches.” Van der Vorm continues: “We’ve started to remove any customization and are working towards a universal, standard solution with a fantastic user experience. After that, we want to further clarify our proposition and expand our market.”  

Hermans, “In this stage, we wanted to change as little as possible for the user. We wanted to fully focus on meeting our technical and financial goals first.” Van der Vorm concludes: “And we are happy to say we have achieved these goals! Now, after we’ve switched off our data center, we’re excited to start refining and adding new features.”