The expert that provides eye-openers
Software Due Diligence and Health Checks are two services that provide unique insights into code status and quality. While based on automatisation and state-of-the-art technology, these services also need a human touch. Preferably from an expert. That’s where Marcus Lundström comes in.
Marcus works as a Sales Engineer/Customer Success for the Quality Monitoring team here at System Verification.
“To summarise, my task is to work together with the sales organisation to develop and evolve services like Software Due Diligence and Health Check. I function as technical support in, for example, customer demos. As a part of our presentations I typically demonstrate three or four features, and I’m there to answer any technical questions the customer might have,” says Marcus.
But let’s start from the beginning. Or at least about 15 years back, as that was when Marcus got his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Lund University, Faculty of Engineering. Before joining System Verification in 2018, he mainly worked within the telecom industry. And albeit humble – “I’m perhaps no super expert in any particular programming language, but I’m decent at a handful,” as he puts it – he is a man of many talents.
“I’ve had several different positions – I’ve worked hands-on with software development and test automation. I’ve also been a team leader and a section manager. All in all, I think that my broad experience makes me a good fit for my current role.”
The Software Due Diligence report
Software Due Diligence is a service typically targeted to venture capitalists and private equity firms. As a part of an appraisal process, Software Due Diligence is basically about understanding the code and software status of a company the customer is considering to acquire or invest in.
“The work we do results in insights, presented in a report,” says Marcus. “One of the benefits is that we are able to move fast. Within a couple of days, we can provide a quick indication on technical debt and code health. Where are time and money spent? Planned or unplanned work? The team-level analyses we do can also be real eye-openers. Which are the key persons, and what happens if their competence is moved to another project? We provide answers to all those questions. And give recommendations on where to focus – how can you prioritise to get the best bang for your buck? But it is important to remember that we’re not pointing fingers. It’s not about finding scapegoats for things that could have been done better. We’re there to give an independent review, and both sellers and buyers can benefit from that.”
The report comes in an easy-to-read format.
“Yes, that’s another eye-opening aspect – that the report visualises things. Maybe the customer had a hunch that there was a substantial technical debt in a certain area. And here it is, we show the status in black and white. We help prioritise what’s most critical and highlight areas where future investments are necessary. It all becomes very tangible,” Marcus explains.
To continuously refine the reports is one of Marcus’ tasks. In addition to Software Due Diligence, he is also working with Health Checks. This is a service based on the same tool and ideas as Software Due Diligence. It provides the similar insights into code base and health, but the report isn’t specifically targeted to investors.
“We’ve had people tell us that the data is great, and that they can’t get that from anywhere else. But nothing’s so good it can’t get better. We’re constantly discussing technical levels and how to present the data as clearly as possible.”
These services may appear as off-the-shelf products. It’s easy to get started, the process is streamlined and quick, the deliverable is a report. So what’s the tie-in to establishing long-term relationships, and creating long-term value for the customer? Marcus explains:
“The reports often point to areas that can be improved. And when the customer wants to look into that, we can help. With our ecosystem, we can offer quality assurance consultants, developers, subscription-based services … and much more. So a Software Due Diligence, or a Health Check, can be the perfect start to a long and fruitful partnership.”