Modular product development speeds up product development and increases customer focus

During 2020, Arter’s product development has been working to prepare for the modularization of our software. Our vision is to gradually break down the main products in our product family – IMS and ARC – into modules that can be merged into flexible entities. This allows our customers to freely choose compatible modules from either of our main products or new modules.

The benefits of modular software production are clear to both customers and product development

• The customers get flexibility, they can choose an entityfrom the modules that works for them and do not pay for partitions that are not used in the organization.
• In product development, smaller entities are put to work, which speeds up development and increases customer focus.
• The further development and renewal of current and future modules as stand-alone entities is agile compared to a situation where comprehensive updates are made to the entire software.

The construction of the modules has started with access control and drawing modules

We have started with the IAM module that controls identity and access control, as well as the Draw drawing module built on top of the DrawIO editor.

IAM is an identity and access control module. In its first version, the module unifies the login method to both ARC and IMS and replaces the existing functionalities. In the future, the intention is to develop a common login portal and deepen the management of site-specific rights, especially on the ARC side. The module will also handle access control for other modules that arise.

Draw is a drawing module built on top of the DrawIO editor, which initially comes along our own Blueprint editor. We’ve received a lot of feedback on the Blueprint editor’s drawing features and performance and in the new editor they have undergone improvements (e.g. editing arrows is more convenient and notations are richer). The module also comes with a few other desired features, such as Visio import and image layering. The draw module will be introduced step by step, it will already be available to pilot customers during 2021.

Closer cooperation with customer-centric methods – we invite customers to participate in development work

Starting from the end of this year, we will invite our customers to closer product development cooperation. We are building a modular roadmap with software users to complement our product portfolio. This way, we involve our customers in the design and implementation of the modules. During the autumn of 2020, we will introduce different customer development methods.

Customer-centric development with the help of SIG, or Special Interest Group

One of the methods is the Special Interest Group or SIG. Based on customer feedback, we will create a prototype module, which we will develop with the SIG group. Once we have the features that meet the customers’ needs and add value, and a customer group committed to buying, we implement the module. In addition to the design work, the SIG team monitors the implementation of the module, tests it and provides valuable feedback to support the development work.

We start by developing a risk management tool

Over the fall, we are looking for SIG customers to develop a risk management tool. The module can be combined with both IMS and ARC software, which makes the risks visible in a larger overall picture.

We will invest in the usability of risk monitoring, risk grouping and filtering, and the visuality of monitoring. In order for the module to become the best possible, a diverse and realistic picture of the risk management of today’s organizations is of primary importance to us.

ARC integrations at the design table during the fall of 2020

During the autumn, integration needs with ARC will also be discussed with our customers. This project will start with a more detailed documentation of APIs and proceed according to customer needs to the most common integration needs.

We look forward to working more closely with our customers, as we firmly believe that with the help of software users, we will find the challenges most in need of solution.