Collaboration between Municipality Rotterdam and Qualogy: a deep dive into Mendix

The role of the developers

Within the busy environment of Municipality Rotterdam, Mendix developers Joost Ahrens, Sharvano Mangalie and Arween Ganeshie have effectively deployed their expertise. Joost, with his in-depth experience as a senior Mendix consultant, is skilled at translating complex business requirements into functional user stories, while also maintaining an overview in a rapidly changing project environment. Sharvano has grown from junior to a versatile, independent force within the cluster team Urban Development of Municipality Rotterdam. Here he is responsible for the management and further development of multiple applications. His role encompasses both developing new functionalities and solving problems in existing applications. Arween, like Sharvano started as a junior developer through the Qualogy Mendix traineeship, is growing increasingly in his developer role within the municipality's projects, partly thanks to the guidance of senior Joost. Their combined expertise and adaptability when working on various projects at Municipality Rotterdam demonstrate their in-depth knowledge of the Mendix platform. And they are keen to deploy that expertise to create technological solutions that truly have an impact.

"Deploying expertise to create technological solutions that truly have an impact."

Applications that make the difference

The trio has already contributed to an impressive range of applications. These projects range from making policy formation transparent to ensuring quality standards in new projects. Every project underlines the municipality's goal of improving and innovating services. With Mendix as the platform and the expertise of Mendix professionals, including our Qualogy developers, applications are being developed that make a difference. From the cluster team Urban Development, Sharvano Mangalie works on multiple projects. One of the most notable projects is the 'Beleidsatlas', an internal search engine for Rotterdam's spatial policy. This application makes the policy within Municipality Rotterdam transparent and accessible to policy officers of Municipality Rotterdam. The Beleidsatlas contributes to transparency and ensures coherence and alignment between policies. In addition, Sharvano contributed to the 'Rotterdam Standard for Project-Based Working'. This tool implements a standardised quality check for new municipal projects. Sharvano indicates that this instrument is essential for ensuring the quality of these projects, a crucial step in improving services. He also played an important role in developing the 'Monuments Register'. This application registers all Rotterdam monuments and aims to give users insight into protected Rotterdam heritage. Finally, there is the 'Thomas Project', focused on sustainable outflow and participation, an initiative in which both Joost Ahrens and Arween Ganeshie are involved. This project aims to help citizens who are struggling, particularly those on benefits, by guiding them and providing appropriate help. The system creates profiles of citizens to help them more effectively find work. This shows how the municipality actively contributes to improving the lives of its residents. Arween states: "It sounds very cliché of course, but it is fun to build something that is actually used to help someone. That gives satisfaction."

Personal development and challenges

All three developers emphasise the importance of continuous personal development, overcoming challenges and finding satisfaction in their work. The developments of Mendix as a platform and the integration of new technologies play an important role in their work. Joost, Sharvano and Arween emphasise the importance of continuous self-development by actively participating in mentoring conversations and following specialised training, focused on both technical aspects and soft skills. They keep their knowledge up to date by participating in Mendix community meetups, attending presentations on the latest developments and sharing insights within Qualogy's internal knowledge sessions.

Working in the various teams at Municipality Rotterdam also involves challenging situations, such as balancing the requirements of various stakeholders, navigating complex project structures and continuously adapting to changing requirements.

"These challenges require not only technical competence, but also flexibility and strong communication skills."

All three experience great satisfaction in their work. Seeing that their applications are actually being used by municipal officials and citizens, thereby making a positive impact on the community, provides an extra boost.

Want to know more?

The experiences of these three consultants are an example of the practical applications of Mendix within a complex organisation, such as Municipality Rotterdam. It shows how technological innovation can contribute to more effective and efficient urban administration and services. Would you like to know more about what Mendix and Qualogy can mean for your organisation or project? Contact Leon de Werker for more information.