How we do IT consulting? - Interview with Resolute Software's director and engineer

"Boutique IT consulting company"? We have heard about many of these. Typically, they have up to 100 employees and specialize in a specific niche of the digital universe.

Resolute Software has just over 50 employees and offers consulting services in digital business transformation, so we fit the definition. However, after the conversation with Tsvyatko Konov, Software Engineering Director, and Atanas Vasilev, mid-level software engineer, the definition "boutique" takes on a new, unexpected, and attentive dimension.

The way we work with clients

“The company I previously worked for needed a consulting service, and we asked for Resolute Software’s help. They politely turned us down because we didn’t meet their requirements. It was strange to me why you say “no” to a potential client, but I understood the reasons after I became part of the company.”

That is Nasko’s first meeting with Resolute Software. Two years later, he is part of Tsvyatko’s team. They are modernizing a system from a leading US public safety software vendor that police departments, courts, and the FBI use to report incidents, track evidence, and search warrants.

In the defense sector, Resolute Software is developing a solution for visualizing military equipment and real-time positioning of objects (the client is again a large American company).

In healthcare, we created the mobile app with a global imporance and we are building software for a European organization that hospital neonatology departments use for detailed health tracking of babies.

Our team has specific criteria for what projects to take. “All our projects are in important industries, unrelated to popular portfolio websites and e-commerce. We provide specific solutions to serious problems that those before us can’t provide. That’s why customers rely upon us.” Tsvyatko Konov, Software Engineering Director

Tsvyatko says that some clients, medium or large companies, had a sour aftertaste and an unresolved problem from previous contractors. As a result, they are looking for a trusted software development partner. “We are one of the few companies that can offer international quality service.”

Focus, focus, and more focus

Our team has specific criteria for what projects to take. “All our projects are in important industries, unrelated to popular portfolio websites and e-commerce. We provide specific solutions to serious problems that those before us can’t provide. That’s why customers rely upon us.” Tsvyatko Konov, Software Engineering Director

For him, the work environment is extremely important, and in Resolute, he finds an incredible team culture and entrepreneurial spirit.

Nasko is also impressed by the opportunity to choose what project he could work on. He gets to know all the team leaders to understand what challenges they are fighting, and so he chooses the project and team that he feels most comfortable with.

“Feedback is appreciated here. If you don’t like something or think it needs improvement, you can immediately talk to your manager or Veli and Hristo and solve the problem quickly. The opportunity to be among such experienced and capable people as Tsvyatko makes me truly happy”.

Nasko is an academic assistant at Sofia university and shares everything he learned from Resolute with his students. The most important value he tries to convey is to be proactive and look for new opportunities in places where others have already given up.

Experience comes with practice

Atanas follows a personal development plan — where to focus and how to upgrade his knowledge. But that’s not all: “I’m a fan of proactive learning. I don’t wait for someone to come and tell me what to study. I need to develop in the areas I’m interested in”, he adds.

Nasko has a habit of observing how the seniors work and learning from them. He marks how Tsvyatko communicates with clients, and how he leads a team and a project.

Tsvyatko shares a little more about how a programmer’s day at Resolute Software goes. He says that becoming a real expert in the company takes at least three years because senior is not just a title but “a master who uses all the tools correctly”. 

“As a junior, you’re less effective with clients and more effective when learning. You must comprehend a lot, and your time will go in that direction — reading, experimenting, testing, and asking. As a senior, you are actively working on some of our projects with core technologies”.

Find talent, not urgent positions

We have nearly 20 open positions for developers in React, Angular, .NET, and more. “We work with several core technologies to solve specific problems. We are looking for people who want to face interesting cases, learn, and use modern technologies in their advance. We are looking for specialists whose talent is at the highest level not only for Bulgaria but also all over the world”, says Tsvyatko.

Filling the vacant roles is also done with great focus because we are not only engineers but also consultants.

“Anyone who goes through Resolute Software’s school acquires a huge skill set and learns to see the big picture. Here I can get everything I need to be able to one day create my own successful business”, says Nasko.

Tsvyatko explains that everyone in Resolute who works on a project has direct contact with the client. “Our clients know who exactly works on their project. At any moment, they know what is happening, who is doing it, and how.”