Interview with Mrs. Dagmar Poláchová, the CEO and founder of DEV PACK

28. 6. 2022

DEV PACK

DEV PACK is celebrating a significant anniversary this year – 5 years since its foundation.

On this occasion, we managed to interview the very busy founder and director of the company, Dagmar Poláchová.

In this interview, we present how the idea of ​​founding and establishing the DEV PACK company came about, what s its owner most proud of, and what she wishes for DEV PACK in the future.

Q: DEV PACK is celebrating its fifth year. How did the idea of ​​DEV PACK come about?

Yes, that’s right, the company was founded in June 2017 and this year we are already celebrating 5 years since we gave our idea and business plans a name and our own business identity.

Probably like in the most startups, everything went relatively quickly. We did our work the best we could, and gained portfolio of loyal clientele. Nowadays, our hands are full. Since the beginning, we were people-oriented, and thank to that, we are a team of like-mind oriented enthusiasts who love their work.

Q: When you talk about projects, we are talking about the very first ones that DEV PACK sponsored, is that right? Would you remember what the projects were?

In the very beginning, it was just about project management, i.e. ensuring professional project management, recovery of projects that would otherwise not have turned out well, consulting, setting project management methodologies, or process analyses, proposals for optimizing and automating processes. Then, because our clients saw the quality of our work, they started to ask for more, and we listened. That’s how the expansion of portfolio came by.

“We enter new dimensions of business with each new initiative…”

Q: What have been the company’s historical milestones and greatest achievements?

The first milestone was the project of the complete development of the ERP system. Here, we managed not only to assemble a functional and high-quality team of developers, but also directly contribute to the development of a key system for a corporation operating in the field of transport and logistics.

Another key milestone was the expansion of the service portfolio to include a variety of soft skills training and workshops, in which we could effectively offer and capitalize on years of managerial, HR, process and project experience, and above all effectively respond to the requirements of our clients in terms of employee education and development.

Another key milestone was to establish cooperation with a renowned insurance company, where we could help with the complete implementation of the PMO, including the setting of methodology, processes, documentation, etc. All this including the integration of our PMs who manage the entire company’s project portfolio.

The latest milestone in the direction of the company is this year’s launch of a separate DEV Course division focused on a wide portfolio of services related to HR, Recruitment, Outsourcing, employment mediation up to offboarding, psychological counseling, and so on. We see this as the next natural step in expanding our services and listening to our clients’ needs.

Q: What are you personally most proud of? How has the company changed over the past 5 years?

Probably because of everything that went through our hands during that time. A number of interesting projects in which we could and can be involved. Lots of interesting people. What means the most to me is the team around DEV PACK, although it changes slightly over time, but the core, which is crucial for the company, remains and forms what the company is today.

“DEV PACK is above all about people and values… I consider that to be our biggest asset…”

Q: What makes DEV PACK different from other companies on the market?

I am convinced that DEV PACK is above all about people and values. With each client, regardless of the scope of cooperation, we look for the most optimal way to realize their request. We try to reflect its possibilities, priorities, company values, abilities of its people, to whom we then pass the solution into everyday practice, etc. in the way of the solution. We do not deliver one out of ten identical assignments in the same way according to some template, but always individually to a specific client. I don’t think it’s a common standard and I consider it our currency.

Q: What motivates you and enjoys the most about what you do?

The biggest motivation for me is that with each new initiative we enter the new dimensions and grow, not only as a business, but also as people. We meet new people, expand our knowledge base, gain new experiences. Closing new business deals teaches us new things, opens up new fields and possibilities. This is what I enjoy and really motivates me to continue working. DEV PACK does not stick strictly follow the one path, on the contrary, as a startup we still model our next direction partly according to what our clients need and react to.

Q: The company’s portfolio of services is quite extensive. What is the company’s core activity?

The core activity is a Project and Process management – this has been the case since the company was founded. Project and Process Management, is the overall portfolio of services connected to projects and the processes around them. In general, in DEV PACK, we always evaluate every new order as a project that needs to be captured in a proper procedural, methodical, communication, coordination and documentation manner. We then categorize the project based on its main elements, and see whether it fits to the portfolio services within SW Development, QA/Testing, or others.

Q: Recently, the company announced the creation of a new brand – DEV Course. Can you tell us more about this activity?

DEV Course is an extension of our services to include a portfolio related to employment mediation and consulting in the field of HR and recruitment. It is a natural development of our growth. By establishing this brand, we were responding to the needs of our clients. Today, under this brand, we can offer a wide range of services, from recruitment, mediation, consulting, and training to outplacement services.

Q: As a female CEO running a fairly tech-oriented company, you come into contact with a lot of men. Do you feel a certain advantage in it, or vice versa?

To be honest, I don’t think about it this way. First of all, we are not that much of a technological company, we still work with such technologies that are understandable and graspable by ordinary people today, secondly, I think that today, especially in the IT field, the differences between men and women basically do not exist. For me, the advantage is not so much gender, but skills, knowledge, overall outlook and the ability to respond to the changing market. Which, especially in IT, requires being very alert.

“We want to focus on the people in DEV PACK. This is the most important thing that shapes society and moves it forward…”

Q: What is your vision for DEV PACK/DEV Course? Where do you want to go in the future? Any goals?

I would like the next two years to be about stabilizing the existing portfolio of services, so that each of them has its own client and we can move forward together. Next, we want to focus on the people in DEV PACK. Every society is made up of people. This is the most important thing that shapes and moves society forward. We have the ambition to expand our ranks with other colleagues, especially able to take care of some of our key clients, both existing and new ones. Plus, we plan to further support our DEV PACK INnOVATIOn program, which is aimed at supporting interesting projects and ideas and has proven itself very well for us.

You may also like…