OverviewCountry: SpainIndustry: Public sectorFounded: 1981Website: juntadeandalucia.es

Challenge Centralize and standardize the aid and subsidy management systems for the European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), reducing the large number of current processes and implementing a new, modern way of working that allows rapid, integrated development of new solutions.

SolutionLaunch of a flexible development service based on an adaptation of the Agile methodology, creation of a modular architecture of reusable microservices managed via an integration bus and the use of new technology components and DevOps.

Benefits ■ Use of DevOps for continuous

application development

■ Design of a centralized Aid Management System for European Union (EU) funds to streamline administrative tasks

■ Optimization of development times and costs

■ Permanent availability of a team of Fujitsu experts with up-to-date knowledge of the latest technology tools and trends

Fujitsu improves the management of European aid and subsidies for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Sustainable Development with a modular microservices architecture.

Rafael Ayerbe Head of Information Systems Development for the Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries area of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development

“ With Fujitsu’s support, we’re implementing a modern, fast, integrated and flexible way of working that adapts to our needs and allows the continuous development of projects thanks to the re-use of components.”

CUSTOMER CASE STUDY

Need for standardization The Autonomous Community of Andalusia is one of Spain’s biggest recipients of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds, one of the strategic lines of action of the European Union (EU). Funding is provided in the form of direct aid to farmers and farms, as well as through participation in the different development programs established by the European Commission, such as the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF).

Aid is managed and controlled by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. Each aid program and line has its own management process, which means the activities of the Department are highly complex and require a high level of technical and human resources.

“We’ve counted as many as 200 different information systems, each with its own applications and needs, each related to a specific part of the business. We were unable to take on new projects, since all our free time was dedicated to their maintenance. The only thing we could do was react to any errors or problems,” explains Rafael Ayerbe, Head of Information Systems Development at the department.

In 2017, the department’s IT staff launched a project to standardize the different processes for program management. The goal was to transform the architecture of the information systems that were used from the current vertical structure, which supports the specific needs of each program or line of action, to a more horizontal structure based on microservices, allowing many subsystems to be used in different processes.

Software factory: the key to the transition The department launched a public tender to choose an external supplier to support the transition toward the centralized management system. “The main benefit of the software factory was that it would allow the integrated development of applications and other tools under a single services contract, providing a centralized and coordinated work team with expert, up-to-date knowledge, as well as the evolution of all applications toward the current requirements of the main platforms (e.g. Oracle, Java, Angular),” explains Ayerbe.

When drawing up the tender terms and conditions, a key element for the department’s IT team was the requirement for the use of the Agile methodology. “We wanted to change the way we had been working up to then, highly focused on documentation and closed projects. We wanted to open ourselves up to modern methods focused on the construction of prototypes, which would also ensure a close relationship between us and our supplier,” explains Ayerbe.

The Fujitsu Seville Software Factory is the development site of many projects for clients in Andalusia, Spain and Europe. The Seville factory is a nearshore hub for application development and maintenance and has become an international leader in quality software generation procedures and process automation tools.

Adapting the Agile methodology to the client Fujitsu was awarded the contract, which runs for three and a half years, on the strength of its proposal for development, technology support and consultancy. The solution was based on the creation of a modular architecture of reusable microservices managed via an integration bus, the use of new technology components, such as Java Spring Boot and Angular, the adaptation of the Agile methodology to the quirks and reality of the client and the use of DevOps, extending the use of co-creation and promoting the digital transformation of the department.

Following a joint process between the different technical areas of the Fujitsu IT Service and Fujitsu staff for defining and adapting the working method, the factory began to develop the first components of the centralized Aid Management System, adapting to the plans and needs of the Department of Agriculture. The project, which will be gradually developed over the duration of the contract, will make the administrative procedures that must be followed by farmers and agricultural organizations for supporting aid simpler, easier and faster, through the design and standardization of applications and procedures.

One of the first projects to be developed and launched was the Transport Transit Document, which accredits the origin and destination of agriculture products. This document makes it possible to organize and control transport, improve security and prevent theft and illegal sales during transfers from farms to warehouses or first points of sale.

The Fujitsu Software Factory team is also involved in setting up the Andalusia Register of Agriculture and Forestry Operations, which will cover operations in the autonomous community (currently over 295,000). The register will allow the sharing of information and will help reduce red tape, eliminating duplicates, establishing standard procedures and facilitating coordination with the department’s other information systems and records.

“Fujitsu has supported us in the implementation of a modern methodology, one that is completely different to the one we had in place until now. It’s integrated and flexible and adapts to our needs. Over the duration of the contract, it will allow the continuous development of projects through the re-use of components,” explains Rafael Ayerbe.

CustomerThe Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries area of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia has devolved powers over agriculture, livestock, agrifoods, rural development, fisheries, aquaculture and agriculture research. Its remit also includes the management of EU funds and programs related to the CAP and sustainable rural development.

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