In this blog series, we highlight the organizations who have chosen to utilize Camunda and explore the challenges those companies are attempting to overcome using process orchestration.
For the latest installment of Why Camunda, we spoke with Heimstaden, a leading European residential real estate investor and manager, operating in 10 markets. Due to the Heimstaden’s multinational operations, consisting of teams spread across multiple countries and working in several different languages, the company needed to maximize their operational efficiencies.
That led them to decide on building a centralized process automation platform. Their goal was to orchestrate the human tasks involved in their tenant support ticketing system. They were especially keen to implement BPMN visualizations into that process.
To accomplish this, Heimstaden chose the Camunda SaaS Professional plan in 2022 to run a proof of concept, orchestrating their tenant support ticketing system, before deciding to upgrade to the Camunda Enterprise edition as they moved towards going live in production in 2023. We spoke with lead architect Aleksander Hakestad to learn more about the company’s decision-making process:
Tell us about your use case. What is the problem you’re hoping to solve with Camunda?
Aleksander Hakestad: In a diverse company where multiple languages are spoken among employees and customers, visual communication methods are essential. By relying on visual tools, we minimize the risk of misunderstandings, ensuring that everyone can contribute their expertise effectively.
This approach not only fosters better collaboration but also prompts the right questions. Moreover, when our platform operates with visual clarity, employees can directly see the outcomes. This direct visual feedback empowers them to make more informed decisions and improvements.
Why is it important to the business to solve this problem?
Aleksander Hakestad: To achieve our company’s objectives, leveraging digital tools, automation, and other resources is essential for enhancing efficiency and reducing miscommunication. Our operations span 10 countries. It’s not only crucial to gather input from everyone but also to identify and establish common processes throughout the company. Each region offers unique expertise, and by pooling our collective knowledge, we can create unified strategies that everyone contributes to, ensuring a cohesive approach to our goals.
Which options did you evaluate to solve your problem?
Aleksander Hakestad: We knew we needed a process component to our architecture. Before Camunda we experimented a lot with state management, either in the back end or in our front end applications.
What were the key decision criteria you had when evaluating options, and why did you decide on Camunda?
Aleksander Hakestad: At its core, our primary focus was to minimize the barrier to entry for our employees. Starting with the Camunda SaaS Professional plan was instrumental in achieving this. We’ve since transitioned to the Enterprise edition, further emphasizing our commitment to optimizing our operations and expanding across different use cases.
What’s your advice for anyone evaluating Camunda? Any helpful lessons you’ve learned and would like to share?
Aleksander Hakestad: When considering options, I suggest evaluating the total alternative cost. The pace of development is paramount during the initial stages of introducing technology to a team. Any measures to expedite this process are invaluable. For us, leveraging built-in deployment features and online interfaces—bypassing the need for setup and maintenance—was undeniably a worthy investment.
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