building software
that actually works

Good software feels effortless, yet behind that simplicity lies a world of choices, risks and iterations. At Spartner we fuse long-standing practical experience with proven methods to convert ideas into scalable, secure solutions at breakneck speed—without ignoring the human factor. This article walks you through our vision on software development, from first spark to ongoing maintenance, and shows why a pragmatic, security-by-design approach makes all the difference.

code as a competitive weapon

why speed up now

the market keeps moving, legacy won’t wait — software development is no luxury but pure survival strategy

Automate

Free teams from manual labour by smartly codifying processes. Fewer errors, more focus on value creation.

Integrate

Connect APIs, ERPs and external services seamlessly. This creates a single source of truth everyone can rely on.

Innovate

Create room for experiments—proofs of concept, A/B tests, new business models—without disrupting your core.

Secure

Apply Secure Software Development guidelines from day one. Prevent data loss and reputational damage early on.

from idea to impact.

the journey is cyclic, not linear

A Swiss Army knife is only useful when every blade is sharp and within reach

A Swiss Army knife is only useful when every blade is sharp and within reach.

That is exactly how we view software development: broadly applicable, yet perfected down to the last detail.

what strikes me is that many organisations struggle in the design phase

They want to lock down everything before the first line of code appears. A fine intention, but it slows the feedback loop. We prefer to start small: a wireframe, one crucial user flow, immediate validation.

in practice security often comes too late

The NCSC’s warnings are clear: vulnerabilities mainly creep in early code. By embedding SSD measures—such as scheduled reviews and codified policy requirements—on time, you save piles of money and headaches later.

maintenance is not an after-calculation

Browsers update, frameworks evolve, users want something different tomorrow. Maintenance therefore demands the same discipline as development: test automation, CI/CD pipelines and a dedicated ownership model.

agile delivers fast iterations but requires strict priorities
waterfall can still work, best used for highly predictable tracks
hybrid models are gaining ground—especially in complex enterprise landscapes

How do you navigate this new B2B reality?.

Theory is fascinating, but the value lies in its translation to practice. Here is a step-by-step approach to implement our way of working without choking on complexity.

Step 1 – explore

Step 1 – explore.

We start with a Discovery session, not only with the client but also with end-users. Their frustrations, goals and the why behind each feature come to the table. We then translate this into a concise Product Vision Board and a risk matrix.

Step 2 – shape

Step 2 – shape.

During the Design phase, UX flows and architecture sketches constantly challenge each other. A brilliant screen without a robust backend? That’s a façade. We use interactive Figma prototypes so stakeholders can click, feel, grumble and cheer early on.

Step 3 – build

Step 3 – build.

Now it gets fun. Cross-functional squads code in two-week sprints. Clean code principles, pair programming and automated tests are standard. Security checks (OWASP ZAP, SAST) run in the same pipeline—so issues surface within minutes, not weeks.

Step 4 – improve

Step 4 – improve.

After each release we hold a mini-retro. What worked, what didn’t, what will we fix immediately? We also monitor performance and usage with tools like Grafana and Datadog. That data feeds the backlog. Circle complete, yet never closed.

sitting on an idea that keeps nagging you?

sitting on an idea that keeps nagging you?

Let us have a look. No buzzword-filled slide decks, just an honest talk about feasibility, risks and the fastest route to value. Drop us a message—we’ll put the kettle on.

a philosophical view on code

a philosophical view on code.

software as a living organism

Rather than static building blocks we see software as an ecosystem. Every component influences the whole—just as a new species can balance or disrupt a biotope.

evolution over revolution

Full refactors sound heroic, yet gradual mutation tends to have greater staying power. Microservices, feature toggles and canary releases allow adaptation without a big-bang migration.

ethics and responsibility

Code shapes behaviour. Therefore it is our duty to keep biases, dark patterns or unnecessary addictive elements at bay. Because, let’s be honest, technology is never neutral.

pure practice—concrete tips

pure practice—concrete tips.

apply immediately to your project

start every backlog item with a clear Definition of Done, including security acceptance criteria
document API contracts in OpenAPI/Swagger; prevents debates between teams
keep feature branches short-lived; merge daily to avoid integration hell
write tests before production code—even if it feels odd at first
enable dependency scanning (npm audit, Composer Audit) in your pipeline
configure automatic rollbacks on failed deployments: peace of mind
host a monthly bug bash with non-developers: surprisingly insightful
monitor user-flow heatmaps; sometimes a single unclear button causes 30% drop-off

a critical look at trends

a critical look at trends.

hype or here to stay?

low-code platforms

Great for internal tools, but when it comes to distinctive core processes you soon hit limitations—vendor lock-in lurks.

generative AI in development

Copilot speeds up boilerplate, nice. Yet human code review remains crucial; AI also repeats old security mistakes.

serverless architecture

Cost-effective for unpredictable workloads, but traceability and cold starts need extra attention.

For every trend the rule applies: start small, measure, scale. Not the other way round.

Hans Lugtenberg

"A deal is a deal"

Yield.inc is a new asset manager in the Netherlands that focuses on excellent customer experience, sustainability and technology. When faced with the question of whether to develop our platform in-house or with a partner, we got in touch with Spartner. We are still 100% behind the choice for Spartner because we own the source code and with Spartner, a deal really is a deal, whether it concerns the delivery date or the agreed budget!

Hans Lugtenberg Partner at Yield Inc.

"A professional software partner since 2010"

Spartner is involved and contributes in our search for innovations and always delivers top-notch work. After the first Huurda.nl version got out-dated, we collaboratively launched a completely new version in 2020.

Norbert Wegter Owner of 123wonen and Expat Homes Holland

"Doijer & Kalff"

After transferring our D&K portal to Spartner, we have elevated the further development and continuity to a higher level. Although the D&K platform was originally developed internally, our technical expert can now focus on other innovations within Doijer & Kalff. Spartner provides the quality we need without excessive costs. They have seamlessly taken over the care of our portal, allowing us to benefit from a flexible capacity that perfectly aligns with our future plans and innovation goals.

Reinier van Bergen Managing Director at Doijer & Kalff

Jurjen Terpstra

"Pragmatic and flexible collaboration"

Spartner has created a customized portal for us for the accountability of large-scale collaborative projects. This enables us and our partners to execute and account for their plans in a shared environment that is secure, transparent, and manageable. The pragmatic and flexible collaboration with Spartner has ensured that we have quickly achieved a functional and user-friendly environment.

Jurjen Terpstra Managing Partner at Wecreate Consulting

"AI and machine learning as legal tools"

In 2020, we transferred the development of Lynn to Spartner. As a result of their fast development process, the Lynn platform achieves an increasingly central role in the legal world.

Marco Caspers Software Development Manager at Lynn Legal

"As a business you must dare to move forward"

Innovation and change are not always welcomed with equal enthusiasm by our employees, man is a creature of habit but as a company you have to dare to move forward and the need for a contemporary drawing program for the realization of various constructions with our Masterbloc bricks was high. For us but also for Spartner, this challenge was a bit of pioneering and together we had to overcome some hurdles to arrive at a beautiful and efficient business tool. A development and learning process for both parties, in which the feedback of questions and desired adjustments by our employees to Spartner was always in good consultation and we could count on quick feedback and targeted solutions. We continue to exchange experiences with Spartner and look back and forward to a successful collaboration.

Bjorn Gubbels Owner of Masterbloc

"Spartner extends our capabilities and development capacity"

With weekly calls, using our Azure DevOps sprint system, Spartner actively works together with our innovation, communication and software development departments.

Marco Leenders Head of Automation

Gemeente Groningen

"Flexible collaboration with yearly updates"

The projectteam of the city of Groningen is very enthusiastic about the "Roomfinder" platform.

Gemeente Groningen Projectteam

"Have been using Laravel Excel for years"

We requested custom help to a performance challenge we had in our implementation of Laravel Excel. I was amazed how quickly these Laravel artisans achieved significant performance gains, which saved us a lot of development time.

Josh Mountain Co-Founder at IncentivePilot.com

"Higher occupancy rate thanks to our user-friendly platform"

Throughout the great years that we cooperate with Spartner (previously Maatwebsite, Ed.), our software has been developed continuously. Students and landlords actively work with features like allocation, payments, chat, contract generation and more.

Maurice Evers Head of Student Housing Department

"Innovating in the digital identification network of The Netherlands and Europe"

The pro-active approach of Spartner was crucial in understanding the complexity of the eHerkenning network.

Maarten Bremer CTO / Founder Ensured

"Innovation in legal technology"

As jurists with knowledge of IT, we highly value quality; within code, but also in process. The high work-level and trustworthiness of Spartner gives us the capacity to continuously create innovative features.

Niels Winters Managing Director JuriBlox

Frequently asked questions

Practical answers to the questions we hear most often.

Schedule a call

😕 Why does software always take longer than expected?

Estimating unknown complexity is tough. By slicing work into small, clearly defined stories and replanning every sprint, you minimise surprises—though they never fully disappear.

🤔 Isn’t agile just a buzzword?

Agile is a mindset, not a magic wand. Teams that truly embrace iterative learning and customer feedback deliver visibly faster results. Without those principles, agile indeed degrades into sticky-note theatre.

🔒 How do I embed security without slowing down?

Automation is the answer. Integrate static code analysis, dependency checks and container scans into your CI/CD. This catches 80% of issues before the merge.

💸 Can I save costs by developing offshore?

Often yes on hourly rates. But watch communication, time zones and above all knowledge retention. Mixing near- and offshore with a local core team proves most robust in practice.

🚀 When should I choose microservices?

Not because Netflix does. Only when a monolith blocks teams from deploying independently or causes scaling issues is splitting sensible.

📊 Which KPIs really matter for development?

Lead time, deployment frequency, change fail rate and mean time to restore—the four Dora metrics—offer a reliable view of both speed and quality.

🧰 Which programming language is the most future-proof?

There is no silver bullet. Choose a language that fits your domain, has community support and integrates well with your existing stack.

😁 How do I keep my team motivated?

Give autonomy, celebrate small wins and allow innovation days. Developers thrive when they can experiment and see direct customer impact.

Schedule a call

Feel like a cup of coffee?

Whether you have a new idea or an existing system that needs attention?

We are happy to have a conversation with you.

Call, email, or message us on WhatsApp.

Bart Schreurs

Business Development Manager

06 54671577 bart@spartner.nl

Bart Schreurs

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