From a capacity challenge to AI-driven innovation

Too many ideas and too little development capacity. That was the challenge Optimum Assessment, a provider of a digital assessment platform, faced in 2024. It proved impossible to execute the ambitious roadmap of AI-driven features. The development team simply did not have the required capacity. The solution came through a strategic collaboration with NetRom. By adding external development capacity without disrupting the internal team dynamics, the in-house development team finally gained the space to focus on AI-driven innovation. The result? A faster time-to-market and a development team that can concentrate fully on strategic tasks rather than operational work.

Optimum Assessment provides organizations with a platform for high-stakes exams, such as Wft certifications or civic integration exams. “These exams carry significant value and societal impact,” explains Adnan Maakoul, Product Manager at Optimum Assessment.

The market for digital assessment is growing rapidly. To remain competitive, innovation is essential. “What will have a major impact in the coming years is generative AI,” says Maakoul. “In the future, you could generate an exam on our platform with the push of a button.”

However, the company encountered a capacity challenge. With twelve in-house developers, there was not enough room to handle both operational work and strategic AI development. Time-to-market came under pressure, while competition from Scandinavia and the United States continued to increase.

The core challenge was clear: how to add additional development capacity without disrupting the internal team dynamics, while also creating room for innovative solutions of strategic importance.

After discussions with several partners, Optimum Assessment chose NetRom because of its proven expertise in complex platforms, an agile way of working, the flexibility to start small, and the advantages of nearshoring.

The collaboration began in May 2024 with a proof of concept: four sprints over two months, fully separated from the internal team. “The PoC was very successful,” says Maakoul. “But it was also exciting for our own developers. Within the internal team, reassurance was needed: we wanted to add capacity, not replace anyone.”

Following the successful PoC, the collaboration scaled up immediately. The NetRom team started working on features for a new client— a project that would otherwise have started months later without the additional capacity. Optimum Assessment now works with three developers and one tester from NetRom, integrated as an extension of the in-house development team.

The collaboration delivered measurable impact.

Quantitative results:

• New functionalities became available months earlier
• Successful proof of concept completed in just two months
• Rapid scaling from PoC to a long-term collaboration

Qualitative results:

• Internal developers gained time to focus on AI-related features and strategic activities
• Additional development capacity without disrupting the existing team dynamics
• Flexibility to scale quickly as demand increases
• Access to broader expertise across the NetRom organization

Strategic value

Through the collaboration with NetRom, Optimum Assessment was able to deploy its internal teams where they deliver the greatest strategic value: on innovative breakthroughs such as AI-driven question generation and advanced proctoring functionalities.

Operational development pressure decreased, allowing the company to respond more effectively to the rapidly growing market for digital assessment. New customers could be served more quickly, while existing customers gained faster access to new features.

The result? A development team no longer constrained by capacity limitations, but able to focus on what truly makes a difference: innovation that distinguishes Optimum Assessment from its competitors.

Key aspects of the collaboration

• Sector: EdTech / digital assessment
• Collaboration since: May 2024
• NetRom team size: 3 developers + 1 tester
• Model: Nearshore team extension and blended teams

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