VISEO supports Schneider Electric in the development of web and native applications

As a multinational leader in energy management, Schneider Electric offers efficient energy solutions to individuals and professionals. It generated 25 billion euros in revenues in 2014, has more than 140,000 employees worldwide (more than 110 countries) and invests 44% of its turnover in new economies.
 

"One of the challenges is digital transformation, the goal is to move from a product and solution approach to digital services," explains Yohan Bersihand, R&D Manager at Schneider Electric.
 

Schneider Electric turned to VISEO for a first collaboration between the two groups. This project, which lasted 22 months, was strategic internally for Schneider where the right technical choices had to be made to ensure the functioning and sustainability of its energy solutions.
 

"We have created several web and native applications that allow us to carry out energy audits of customer buildings for energy auditors and make recommendations, carry out simulations of building energy behaviour," explains Christophe Creuseveau, Head of the Agile VISEO Service Centre, in charge of the project. These applications also make it possible to monitor the energy performance of buildings over time and to verify compliance with Schneider's commitments on energy management for these buildings.

Create a multidisciplinary team

"As for VISEO, it was an important project, demonstrating our technical capabilities on the achievements, our commitment and our ability to lead a large-scale project in agile mode," says Christophe Creuseveau. On the implementation aspects, we were able to address a very wide range of technologies thanks to this project.
 

VISEO was able to solicit the expertise of its digital teams on long-term issues. "It's interesting because the technical challenge is continuous, unlike usual where interventions are punctual," he continues. There, we put a very good team together that wasn't used to working together normally."
 

"One of the challenges of our project is to have a very rich technological base and therefore a difficulty in having a team with very varied skills," says Yohan Bersihand. VISEO has succeeded in building a multidisciplinary team with a wide variety of expert profiles."
 

"We have always overcome technical difficulties: it is an advantage for us to be able to solicit expertise so that we do not get stuck technically on a project," adds Christophe Creuseveau. The length of this project is interesting because we can really capitalize on the teams. We do not get to know them, to know the customer but also the weak points and strengths of each one. We are able to get both the best from each team member and the best from the team."

Ability to lead a large project in agile mode

VISEO was able to demonstrate its ability to implement all agile good practices: Methodology, Technos, Organization and Continuous Adaptation. All this according to the context, the interlocutors, the reductions in charges, the changes in priority, etc.
 

"VISEO has demonstrated two main qualities: a strong involvement of the teams, a real willingness to understand the business for a real efficiency to be delivered on time and within a constrained budget, concludes Yohan Bersihand. The other quality that VISEO has demonstrated, total transparency and the relationship of trust established between Schneider and VISEO to carry out the project successfully".
 

"Yohan Bersihand, as a highly invested and collaborative Product Owner, with a technical profile at the base, has played a lot," says Christophe Creuseveau. He understood that our teams were good, professional and committed, that he could trust us on transparency, on our collective commitment and that his investment and collaboration would contribute to the success of this project. It is very rare to have POs of such a level. And we have to congratulate him on that."
 

As for the applications themselves, "the functional aspect is very complex but very interesting: we are outside the context of traditional management applications but we are faced with real business problems," explains Christophe Creuseveau. In addition, there was a personal investment from the team because behind it was an application that had a public utility somewhere (management and minimization of energy use) and the first feedback from the customer is good."