Coding, Cooking, and Collaboration: our Recipe for Client Delight

Each recipe carries a story, whether rooted in childhood memories, inspired by flavors discovered during travels, or born from culinary experiments during business trips.

But here’s a question — how does a cutting-edge IT company connect with cooking?

It all began in 2018, when a shared love for cooking brought Sigma Software colleagues together, leading to the creation of the #SigmaCooking community. From day one, this community wasn’t just about cooking but about connection. We organized cooking gatherings and shared recipes together with culinary adventures on social media. We even used our passion to give back, preparing meals for the military and supporting humanitarian missions in liberated territories. The shared passion for cooking was continuous, so we thought, why not create something lasting? So, Sigma Cook Book was born after three years of cooking, photographing, drafting, editing, and designing.

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While working on the book, we proved something we’ve always known: Our knack for cooking comes from the same qualities and processes that make us exceptional coders.

“Cooking closely resembles coding. You follow instructions and best practices (your recipes) to transform a mix of ingredients into some dish; let’s call it the application. Before any real work begins, you prepare everything you need, put it in the best possible container (data type, structure, or class), put it in a sensible place (considering scope and adjacency to related variables), and finally label it clearly when needed (so we all know what is going on there). And, much like in cooking, you should clean everything up”, says Julia Nilga, Chief Infrastructure Officer at Sigma Software and an engineer by education.

As we continued our experiments with cooking, we picked up more and more such parallels.

Cooking and Coding both have Frontend and Backend

Let’s imagine a web application as a restaurant. The front end is like the dining area—a welcoming space where users interact with everything visually appealing and functional: menus, interior (UI), and service (UX). The back end is actually a kitchen where the dishes are cooked. The front and back end are all about creating a smooth, enjoyable client experience. The same goes for IT solutions.

At Sigma Software Group, all our processes reflect a well-tuned kitchen where everything is optimized for creating tech solutions that make a difference. This is thanks to a settled and experienced team, streamlined workflows, and visionary chefs — from PMs and Tech Leads to C-level managers — who ensure the Customer`s needs are always the focus. We know this works because the clients keep giving us better and better reviews. In 2024, Sigma Software set a new benchmark in customer satisfaction, achieving an NPS of 70 and a 98% overall satisfaction rate — the highest in our history.

Cooking and Coding are about Blending Ingredients, Expertise, Knowledge

Food is deeply tied to culture. A chef focusing on just one cuisine may excel in their specialty, but they miss the chance to create extraordinary dishes by combining techniques and ingredients from diverse culinary traditions.

The same goes for the tech world, as every industry is like its own “cuisine,” demanding specific knowledge and a deep understanding of its unique challenges. We make sure we speak the client’s business language fluently to deliver impactful solutions. Deep expertise and knowledge of domain specifics enable us to offer clients products and services that solve their most pressing problems. But not only that. We can generate bright ideas and produce outstanding results through knowledge sharing and synergies of people with experience in different industries.

Recipes and Products Evolve. Just like People Creating Them

Food recipes and software programs share a common trait: they evolve. The constant adjustments throughout the process may diverge from the original perfect idea but bring the result closer to real-world needs. That’s why not every recipe made it into Sigma’s Cooking Book.

Similarly, in software development, we don’t just stop at meeting client requirements. We first explore the market, new technologies, and domains through continuous education provided by Sigma Software University, our corporate educational platform.

Just imagine that in 2024 alone, we conducted over 600 internal educational events, engaged with 4,908 participants, and fostered professional growth. Second, through R&D and mastering advanced technologies such as AI and ML, computer vision, AR/VR, blockchain, and embedded development. Among the innovative projects from our R&D are Black Snow, an augmented reality mobile game enabling seamless AR experience, an NFT & IP rights licensing technology for V-Art, and others.

Control the Process Rather than Micromanage the Material

Imagine building enterprise applications and websites as preparing a signature dish in a busy kitchen. It’s unnecessary to micromanage or test every detail (like measuring every grain of salt or drop of oil), but the system and process behind the work are critical.

Rather than trying to predict and design for every possible scenario, we focus on high-quality results through rigorous testing and well-built processes recognized by world-class certifications. And we are eager to share this knowledge with our clients.

Check out what we do in Regulatory Compliance Consulting – Sigma Software

Tools Make a Difference

The more you cook or code, the more confident and innovative you become, experimenting with creative solutions and approaches. However, success in both cooking and coding requires the right resources to fuel growth.

For cooks, the right tools, like a sharp knife or sturdy cutting board, can transform the cooking process, making it more efficient. The same is true for developers: better tools lead to better results.At Sigma Software Group, we use the tools that enhance our work. We also invest in creating products like PM Tool or Sima AI Assistant and develop partnerships with innovative solutions that help our customers around the globe to successfully go through digital transformation, streamline their processes, and speed up the time-to-market for their products.

See our Partners & Products – Sigma Software

Customers Seek Added Value

Suppose we think of cooking as a business. It can be a cafe, restaurant, or relatively diversified ecosystem that provides people with different services to meet their diverse needs: food delivery, coffee and pastries to go, catering, workshops for cooking fans, and so on.

At Sigma Software Group, we’ve built a comprehensive ecosystem to provide our clients with any help they need. Sigma Software Labs identifies and supports innovative startups (including the ones born inside Sigma Software, like the Dovkolo Club application, which assists Ukrainians in finding home-like services abroad). Sigma Software University fosters education and training, equipping professionals with advanced skills. Companies within the Group, such as Eventyr and IdeaSoft, bring unique expertise, enriching engineers with cross-domain knowledge.

More about our industry development efforts on Sigma Software Group Ecosystem – Sigma Software

Last but not least, cooking can be an art or simply a skill, just like creating IT solutions. Success is ensured by a combination of expertise, constant improvement, and love for what you do.

At Sigma Software Group, we are a team of 2000+ excellent IT professionals, cooks, and tasters. For over 20 years on the market, we’ve cooked up hundreds of successful projects for clients from 30+ countries. Whether cooking a dish or an innovative application, we approach the process with the same dedication, focus on quality, and passion.

Bon appétit and smooth coding!

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• #Establishing Quality Process
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