itemis and DPCom develop attractive consumer project “PLUSBRIEF INDIVIDUELL”
Abstract
itemis AG, a technology leader in the field of model-driven software development (MDSD) has successfully launched the “PLUSBRIEF INDIVIDUELL” project in conjunction with Deutsche Post’s subsidiary Deutsche Post Com GmbH (DPCom). “PLUSBRIEF INDIVIDUELL” is a new service from Deutsche Post AG where customers can custom-design envelopes and stamps for letters on the Internet and then have them delivered directly to their homes. Users thus have the option, when custom-designing envelopes, to design both the stamp and the envelope using their own pictures or pre-defined motifs.
Since it began in May 2007, itemis has been in charge of implementing all technological aspects of the project. As part of the applied agile software development process SCRUM, review meetings were held every fortnight at itemis’s headquarters in Lünen. At these meetings, the itemis developer team demonstrated to the project partners from DPCom the functions that had been implemented since the previous meeting using live, on-system demonstrations. “Transparency when it came to mapping the project’s progress was as important as receiving frank feedback,” says Jens Trompeter, Project Manager at itemis AG, explaining the aim of the meetings. The feedback obtained, as well as the newly-defined requirements, were documented and classified based on their priority so that they could be processed in the next fourteen-day development phase. This approach meant that key questions and any problems could be flagged up early on and resolved as part of an ongoing, partnership-style exchange.
“The collaboration with itemis went extremely well. The staff’s commitment and the excellent team spirit are what helped the project run so successfully,” says Katrin Ludwig, DPCom General Project Manager, describing the cooperation project with itemis.
“The team comprising itemis and DPCom staff frequently faced new challenges over the course of the project,” adds Jens Trompeter. “The technical challenges mainly involved the combination of various technologies and frameworks within the application, which was implemented based on Java Enterprise Edition. The Apache Struts framework, for example, along with various AJAX frameworks, a Flash application for image design, the “ImageMagick” image editing program and the Apache FOP framework for PDF generation were all used in a coherent and coordinated way,” says Jens Trompeter. In order to be able to cope with the dynamic project environment, tremendous store was set by effective and efficient communication during the project. To ensure adequate professional exchange across the sites and in order to steer the project effectively, a Wiki platform and the task tracking system “Bugzilla” were used.
The result is the “PLUSBRIEF INDIVIDUELL” service, currently being advertised throughout Germany. In just a few steps, customers can custom-design envelopes and stamps. Envelopes containing birthday party invitations, for example, can be enhanced with a photo of the sender, or a simple letter of greetings made even nicer with a fitting image. Just as with the design of the envelope, customers can also choose the motif for the stamp themselves – either by uploading their own image or by selecting one from a range of standard and seasonal motifs. Thanks to a price calculator, customers are able to check at any time how much the number of envelopes they have chosen will cost them. The minimum order quantity is 20 pre-franked envelopes, making the service feasible for private customers. The envelopes reach the customer in six working days and can be sent within the German domestic postal system.
“We are very satisfied with the positive feedback from our customers. We have had a lot of very positive feedback about the “PLUSBRIEF INDIVIDUELL” – both from business and private customers. It’s exciting for us to see how people still deal with the medium of letters,” says Jens Raderschadt, team leader for “Innovative Products” at Deutsche Post AG, delightedly.