|
Internationalization of QuickBooks for the European market
|
Overview
The QuickBooks™ accounting package is customized and marketed locally in many countries by local companies, under license from the original publisher in the USA. In Germany, QuickBooks is customized by Lexware GmBH. To assist Lexware with the customization and enhancement of the German version of QuickBooks, Nagarro created a flexible, dedicated team with relevant expertise to work alongside Lexware engineers.
Problem Description
Software product companies that deal with regulatory subjects often find it difficult to enter foreign markets where local competition is entrenched and well versed with the local laws. These products are often licensed to local companies who manage localizations and specific features required to succeed in their respective countries. Through such a licensing agreement, Lexware was granted rights to customize and sell the QuickBooks accounting software in Germany. Lexware understood the business and logistical challenges facing their venture. The number of developers needed to handle the customization was unknown and because tax software releases are done on an annual basis, development was expected to vary in a cyclic manner, making it difficult to accurately gage the costs and team sizes required. Lexware also needed to master 95% of the original code base for a quick release, but very little knowledge of the code was internally available. Any mistakes made during the initial release would be severely detrimental to the future of the localized product. The company needed a reliable partner with expertise able to meet tight schedules while working closely with their own developers.
Solution
Nagarro built a flexible team for the client, deploying only a few engineers at first to work alongside engineers at Lexware to learn the technical and functional details of the product, getting help as required from experts in the parent company. Along the course of the project, as knowledge about the product and features was better defined, Nagarro added on more people to the QuickBooks team and took ownership of development processes.
The Nagarro team worked like an extension of the client’s team in Germany, learning German so they could be better equipped to communicate and understand the product. After the first product release, Nagarro’s engineers continued work seamlessly with the client’s team to maintain the product, add features and produce subsequent versions. Over the years, the Nagarro team has continued to be a key factor in the success of the product, and has helped the client add key localization features that included
- Euro Enabling
- Delivery Notes
- New VAT Forms
- Multiple Estimates
- Reminder Functionality
- Implementation of Reports
- Automation of Online Reconciliation
Since the success of the German implementation of QuickBooks, Nagarro is also aiding Reckon, Australia in the customization of QuickBooks for Australia.
Benefits
- A strategic product engineering partner, providing key engineering expertise required to launch the product
- Expandable team able to meet needs of unpredictable development cycle
- Lowered development costs and increased ROI as a result of shared workload handled by Nagarro
- Successful and timely release of multiple QuickBooks releases in Germany
- Superior knowledge management practices allowed for fast maintenance and updates
|
|
|
| |
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
| * Mandatory
fields |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|