Meet Consultant Kasper
“Building something beautiful only makes sense if the user also understands how it works”
At the beginning of 2024, we welcomed Kasper Reijnders to our team. With his background in front-end development, application development, and system integration, he brought a wealth of experience as a consultant. Notably, he has a deep understanding of the low-code platform having previously worked with Thinkwise, among others. And here's an interesting tidbit: Kasper has broken the record for completing the Grexx Academy in the shortest amount of time. No one has ever achieved this level of proficiency on the platform so quickly before.
“As a consultant, I talk to customers and work on the applications they need. I am involved from A to Z: from the first inventory to the delivery of a working application. It's nice to be involved throughout the process as it provides flexibility. Small adjustments in scope or procedures can be easily incorporated along the way.
For me, the combination of customer interaction and technology is important. While I thoroughly enjoy the technical aspects of my job, I appreciate the variety and challenges that come with working directly with clients.”
Teaching people to build applications
“I think it's great to teach our customers how to work with the Grexx platform. That is, of course, the idea that we strive for at Grexx anyway, that people can be self-sufficient in building applications. As a consultant, I like to take people along in the process and teach them how to build an application themselves or further develop an existing model.
This approach goes against the traditional consulting mindset, which often claims that consultants know best when it comes to a client's business. However, I disagree with this notion. The client is the expert on their own processes and should strive to understand them fully. It is my responsibility as a consultant to impart technical knowledge and teach clients how to use the platform to support their business processes. My goal at Grexx is not to gain extensive knowledge of each client's company, but to share knowledge about the Grexx Platform and promote a different perspective.
This has proven successful in practice, such as with LochemEnergy where students from the University of Twente are using the Grexx Platform to automate various processes and even build a CRM application. It's exciting to see our technology being used in such innovative, cool ways.”
Flat organizational structure
“Within the team, we consult with each other frequently about the projects we are working on and I find that a valuable process. I work a lot with other consultants such as Maarten and Rense and I also frequently communicate with Team DevOps, for technical coordination. One aspect I appreciate about Grexx is its flat organizational structure - there is little hierarchy and I believe this facilitates smooth communication between colleagues and teams. We try to see each other regularly at the office and most people are present on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm there myself two or three days a week. The other days I work from home.”
Attention to the user
“I find the human side of information systems very interesting. That was actually the focus of my master's degree in Information Science: Human Centered Multimedia. My experience has shown me that you can develop the very best technical solutions, but in the end what matters is whether that solution is actually used. User Experience (UX) and ease of use are key. It doesn't matter how well-built something is, if the user can't make sense of it, then you may as well not have built it at all.
I believe our goal should always be to create easily understandable systems so that end users can use them efficiently. This philosophy also applies to the Grexx Platform itself, where I sometimes come across aspects that could be more intuitive. In those cases, I find the best thing is to address things immediately.”
Private Life
Kasper (36) lives in Heemskerk with his wife and two small children, aged two and four, plus their two cats. With two little ones keeping him busy, Kasper has less time for hobbies now. In the past, he was involved in scouting as a leader, but currently, he spends his free time as a practical supervisor guiding other staff members in obtaining their leadership qualifications.