The X factor of Polish software development companies
By: Jarosław Ściślak
Tags: Software Development, Design Thinking, Mobile, Software

Software fuel economies transform companies, deliver business value. There are many firms creating products but only a few of them understand the craft. They go beyond code, delivering business consulting services. They take advantage of the dynamic Polish economy, employing the best talents in the world. The X factor of Polish software development companies lies in the people and business processes. That’s real value for your business.

Many software business partners merely write the code. They don’t do much beyond that. The position of Poland and its developers comes from higher standards. Software developers, product owners, and business managers want to understand where the business value comes from. The software requirements specification document (SRS) is not enough. Teams in Poland want to understand the client’s business. This is the foundation. When the knowledge is there, they can move on to specifications, documents, preparations, and finally development.

Big emphasis on understanding the company and its business goals lets the team care about functionalities. That’s another differentiating factor. In Poland developers not only create and implement functionalities of the software, they actively advise on them. This multitasking approach pays off for the customer, especially the long-term. Half-baked software doesn’t do any good for anyone. That’s why Polish software developers add functionalities, clean the legacy code, guide a client through the development roadmap. Developers understand that the client can’t be left on his own at any stage of development. Constant contact with the team, ability to reach them and consult, options to throw a part of the project half-way to meet new requirements — all of that is possible.

The idea behind Polish software development

There is no such thing as the “Polish school of coding” but software development companies (internally we call them “software houses”) understand the value of a unique approach to delivering products. They employ a wide range of professionals. Mostly seniors, and that also applies to testers. Automatic testing is highly valued, hence the quality of software and short periods of bug fixing at every stage of the project.

Polish professionals are also very versatile — many of them can do frontend and backend. Technology mature and age very fast, so professionals have to keep up, every step of the way. That’s why many junior and mid-level developers graduate in the course of a project. By learning and expanding their abilities, developers prove their dedication to code quality, state of software, and above all — wellbeing of the client’s business.

The idea behind it all is self-sufficiency. Developers are working in teams but are trusted to know everything about the project and be reliable. A teammate gets sick? Anyone can pick up the work and continue. The code is clean, the knowledge is there, the flow is uninterrupted. That’s the power of Agile, which is a common thing in Poland. Agile counts on two things: communication and performance. That’s where local developers shine. Up to three core technologies with up to five additional ones are nothing special for an average professional. Professional courtesy requires the constant development of new skills and enhancing old ones. That’s why Polish developers are skilled and competitive on an international level. The TopCoder ranking features Poland at the 4th place in the world in terms of skills.

I have been observing the software development industry for over 10 years. Polish software houses look beyond technology and pay very close attention to existing and emerging software industry trends. While other countries have been generally slower in the adoption of trends such as Design Thinking or user experience, we quickly gained expertise in these areas. Many companies have also specialized in specific industries and technologies. We have a great pool of IT talents and our rates remain competitive (in comparison to Western countries). Industry’s maturity is shown by SoDA — we exchange experiences and bring people together.

Kamil Rzeźnicki, CEO of Herodot

We adopt quickly

Poland is the perfect technology hub

With the annual growth reaching 20%, the number of talents employed in software outsourcing tripled between 2009 and 2014. That’s because the country chose the fast-growing track before the famous crisis of 2008. It was also the fastest-growing economy in post-crisis Europe. The stability of the banking sector, a large number of small and medium-sized high-tech companies, and a large pool of talents attracted global investors. Companies with the need for custom software development quickly follow, further stabilizing the economy. You can read about it in the report by McKinsey & Company.

With the upcoming recession and possible crisis of 2020 and 2021, nothing changes for Poland. Ceoworld Magazine ranked Poland the third-best country in the world to invest in this year.

In a post-pandemic world, few factors will become crucial:

· Ability to handle a virus if the second wave comes

· Stability of the country’s IT infrastructure

· Developers that can work stationary and remotely, no matter external circumstances

That plus 11 factors featured in Ceoworld’s report, will make the difference. Corruption, investor protection, quality of life, taxes, red tape, workforce, and others got an equal weighting, placing Poland just one point behind Great Britain.

That corresponds with the May 2020 report made by the European Union. According to these forecasts, the Polish economy will get into a 4% recession but will quickly recover in just a few months, ending 2021 on a high note. the EU predicts that Poland will be the least-affected European economy. Coronavirus hit us like everyone else but we are resilient.

So much, in fact, that in the last decade many emerged reports placed us at the forefront of the global digital revolution. Poland and its software development companies put the country on a list of the most digital nations. The Tholons globalization index of 2018 gives us 11th place in the world.

All of this wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t for natural advantages:

· Proximity to financial and economic centers of the world (Great Britain, Switzerland, Brussels, Berlin, Paris)

· Highly skilled workforce with a deep understanding of business processes

· Very high proficiency in English (11th place in the world)

· Small-time difference and culture gap between Poland and other Western countries

· US and EU standards of IP protection and data security

· A deep pool of IT graduates (estimated 80,000 a year, from at least 5 major academic centers such as Warsaw, Wroclaw, Cracow, Katowice, and Rzeszow)

Poland attracts the biggest in the industry. Recently Microsoft; the company will invest 1 billion dollars. By investing in a data center region and cloud services, the giant will significantly boost digital transformation.

Poland is Europe’s Grand Central for tech

Software development? Only in Poland!

Over the years, Poland has become a global tech hub with experience, tools, talent pool, and know-how for attracting investors and clients. Software development companies were a part of this revolution, hiring massive amounts of talents across the last three decades.

Now it’s time for the next phase — the birth of the Polish Digital Valley. The goal is to transform key elements of an already digital society — healthcare, education, manufacturing, retail, energy, finance, and insurance. Local companies, benefiting from the proximity of Microsoft and the power of its cloud, will spearhead the innovation.

Innovation can’t magically appear — it’s driven by people. That’s the true X factor in Poland.

About the author:

Jarosław Ściślak is an independent branding, marketing, company culture, business scaling, and content specialist. Working with technology companies, he helps to drive revenue and build an image. More on https://www.scislak.com.