• Novulo focuses on community-driven development where partners and customers build industry-specific components together.
• Ownership, quality and continuity are centrally regulated through clear rules and shared responsibilities.
• The ecosystem accelerates development thanks to a strong basic architecture, weekly collaborations and a shared component store.

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The audience at the panel session mainly came to explore how Novulo works in practice to make composable software a success. The reason for this is Novulo's explicit invitation to partners and customers to develop industry-specific components themselves. In doing so, Novulo offers the tools, a structure with a rock-solid reference architecture and support in the form of weekly collaborations.

How did that model of community driven development come about?

“At Novulo, we found in 2023 that we no longer necessarily want to do the development alone. We wanted to involve the market and pool the knowledge,” says Remy Rotting, Product Owner Insurance at Novulo. “This is how the insurance ecosystem was born. Every Wednesday, all customers and partners from this ecosystem meet at our office in Zeist to work together.”

Who actually decides what happens on a day like that?

Remy: “We are working on a jointly agreed roadmap. In there, everyone has their own projects.” In doing so, the experts at Novulo always look at whether a specific problem with a customer can be converted into a generic solution. “On a day like that, you have many moments where you can exchange information with the others. That can take you just one step further in the implementation or give you a different insight.”

What impact has the ecosystem had on IG&H as a Novulo partner?

“For us, being part of the ecosystem has meant that we have a very short time-to-market,” says Gert-Jan de Vrij, Tech Lead at IG&H. “You always start from a basis that is already there. Then you will analyse the missing functionality and develop it. That's a lot faster than if you start blank.”

Can every Novulo customer participate in these sessions?

Remy: “We have no hard requirements and everything is possible in consultation. However, we do have a number of expectations, for example that you are working on a project and bringing knowledge with you. For example, we assume that you have taken the two-day Novulo Fundamentals course as a basis.”

When you develop together, questions about ownership arise. What are the rules of the game?

“It's a puzzle we're solving with our content partners and platform licensees,” says Wim Minnen, CTO at Novulo. “We have come a long way in formulating those conditions. For example, you can put a component in the store, but if you have done that, you guarantee that someone else can also continue to use the component. Once a component is in an essential application for your business, you don't want to take risks. So you don't have to install updates and you can always continue developing yourself.”

Who owns a component that has been modified by someone else?

Wim: “Great question. Basically, the person who develops a component is also the owner. The fee model is set up in such a way that the creator receives part of the license proceeds. If you make a variant, it is for your own use. You shouldn't just put such a variant in the store. Of course, you can make agreements with the creator of the original. For example, it could also transfer ownership.”

If you put together an application with components from different providers, do you have to sit down with everyone to arrange that legally?

“No, I'd rather not, of course,” says Esther van Genuchten, Kennedy vd Laan's lawyer who helps Novulo draw up the conditions. “You want the system to be simple and keep it open to work quickly. So we looked at how we can safeguard all interests while maintaining uniformity. This way, you ensure that users have to delve into the terms of use once.”

How does Maia's David Wesdijk look at ownership as a member of the community from the start?

“I've been involved in software development for a long time and this open source principle is very common,” David explains. “It has grown into my character. I love sharing so that we all benefit. If everyone does it that way, we all grow faster, become faster and more agile. If you make software that uses someone else, you must maintain the code. That's just part of it.”

What are the conditions for such a community to continue to grow successfully?

Wim: “With the current size of the group, the collaborative work day is easy to maintain. If it gets bigger, it's a somewhat complicated concept. Then we'll have to split up. We will then have to automate more. If something doesn't work now, sit down together and easily ask for access so you can watch. We need to arrange that better. There should also be opportunities to exchange information about components more easily, without sitting together. I think we also need more insight into how often a component is used and an ability to provide feedback on a component. We're going to facilitate that.”