Case Study

Tuco Energie: Structuring R&D for Scale

Stratos audited Tucoenergie’s digital ecosystem. By decoupling the R&D strategy from legacy support tasks and defining a hybrid "Build vs. Buy" architecture, Stratos paved the way for a 25% productivity gains.

Industry Energy Renovation

Tech Stack

Microsoft Dynamics Hybrid Architecture R&D Structuring Build vs Buy

Key Services

Digital Audit Technical Roadmap Innovation Strategy

At a glance

Stratos partnered with Tucoenergie to audit a limiting legacy portal, defining a hybrid roadmap and R&D structure that unlocked 25% productivity gains and secured €100k in innovation subsidies.

Context

Tucoenergie acts as a prime contractor in the energy renovation sector. Their primary activity is to set-up solar panels for B2C customers using a network of suppliers and as well as their own internal team. While their operational teams were mature and process-driven using Microsoft Dynamics, the technical side faced growing pains.

"We were very happy with Stratos' recommendations and the long-term vision on our IT. It provided the clarity we needed to structure our growth."

Nathaniel Corcos CEO

The Challenge

The company relied on a portal built on Microsoft technology that had reached its limits. It was functional but difficult to evolve, forcing the CTO to spend 15 hours a week on support rather than innovation.

Shadow IT: Teams relied on unsecured WhatsApp loops for field communication.
Operational Friction: Project managers were "tinkering" with free tools to manage complex files (DP, FDT), hitting a productivity ceiling.
Legacy Tech: The existing portal could not support a modern customer journey or advanced features like "calepinage" (layout simulation).

Approach

Stratos executed a deep-dive audit involving stakeholder interviews, process mining, and competitive benchmarking (Hello Watt, In Sun We Trust).

Architecture Assessment: Analyzed the limitations of the "Full Microsoft" approach versus a custom development strategy.
Product Roadmap Definition: Identified four critical product pillars: a new Client Space, an Admin Space for external sales and a Mobile App for installers.
Financial & Org Modeling: Compared "Internal vs. External" hiring scenarios to build a sustainable R&D team, estimating budget for a complete overhaul.

Results

Stratos delivered a transformation plan focused on separating standard operations from high-value innovation:

Hybrid Architecture

Recommended keeping Microsoft Dynamics for back-office CRM but building the Client and Admin interfaces on flexible technologies (NodeJS/React) to own the user experience.

R&D Structuring

Defined a hiring plan (Product Owner, QA, Devs) to free the CTO from support tasks, allowing focus on high-value features like the "Calepinage" tool.

Mobile Efficiency

Proposed a dedicated mobile app for installers to upload "Fin de Travaux" (End of Works) documents immediately, aiming to drastically shorten payment delays.

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