Technical Project Management for iOS and Android Applications Across 6 European Markets
From 2013 to 2017, I led the technical project management and backend development for dm-drogeriemarkt’s mobile application initiative—a sophisticated multi-country platform serving customers across Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Slovakia. This project combined mobile app development, enterprise backend services, and cutting-edge customer engagement technologies.
The Challenge
dm-drogeriemarkt needed to extend their digital presence to mobile devices, creating a seamless omnichannel experience that would:
- Serve customers across 6 countries with localized content and features
- Integrate with existing loyalty programs and backend systems
- Deliver personalized push notifications and marketing campaigns
- Support barcode scanning for products and loyalty cards
- Scale to handle millions of users with enterprise-grade reliability
- Manage rich media content efficiently across platforms
The Solution: Enterprise Mobile Architecture
I led the technical strategy and implementation, combining native mobile development with robust backend infrastructure and third-party integrations.
Platform & Infrastructure
Native Mobile Applications Managed iOS (Objective-C, Swift) and Android development cycles using Agile methodologies with Jira/Confluence Kanban boards, ensuring coordinated releases across multiple countries.
Enterprise Content Management Deployed and managed a 6-node OpenCms cluster for professional content management, enabling marketing teams to deliver localized content to each country’s user base without engineering involvement.
Rich Media Management Negotiated and integrated Adobe Scene 7 (now Adobe Dynamic Media) for sophisticated rich media management, publishing, and serving—delivering high-quality product images and promotional content efficiently.
Push Notification Platform Implemented Urban Airship (now Airship) Customer Engagement Platform for targeted push notifications, enabling sophisticated segmentation and personalized messaging campaigns.
Email Marketing at Scale Integrated Listserv Maestro for A/B testing and campaign management, supporting up to 10 million emails monthly with advanced personalization and analytics.
Testing & Quality Assurance Utilized HockeyApp for beta distribution, crash reporting, and user feedback collection, maintaining high quality standards across iOS and Android platforms.
Technical Leadership & Development
Backend Services Architecture Designed and developed Hibernate-based middleware and RESTful backend services, creating a robust API layer that powered both mobile apps and web platforms.
Mobile Testing & Debugging Hands-on involvement in iOS and Android testing, debugging, and performance optimization, ensuring smooth user experiences across devices and OS versions.
Performance Engineering Conducted Apache JMeter stress testing to validate backend performance under mobile app load, ensuring the infrastructure could handle peak traffic during promotions and campaigns.
Analytics Implementation Deployed Piwik (Matomo) web analytics for comprehensive tracking of user behavior, campaign effectiveness, and conversion metrics across the mobile platform.
Barcode Technology Implemented barcode scanning and generation capabilities for product lookups and loyalty card integration, creating a seamless in-store experience.
Enterprise Negotiations & Procurement
Took ownership of strategic vendor relationships:
- Adobe Scene 7: Negotiated dynamic media platform contracts
- PaloAlto Firewall: Managed security infrastructure procurement and contract negotiations
- Hardware Procurement: Responsible for NetApp storage and server infrastructure configuration
Technology Stack
The platform leveraged modern mobile and enterprise technologies:
Mobile
- iOS: Objective-C, Swift
- Android: Java
Backend
- Java: REST Web Services, JSON APIs
- Middleware: Hibernate ORM
- Application Server: Apache Tomcat
- Web Server: Apache HTTP Server
Third-Party Platforms
- Mobile Engagement: Urban Airship
- Testing: HockeyApp
- Email Marketing: Listserv Maestro
- CMS: OpenCms (6-node cluster)
- Rich Media: Adobe Scene 7
- Analytics: Piwik (Matomo)
Infrastructure
- Database: Oracle Database
- Storage: NetApp Enterprise Storage
- Security: PaloAlto Firewall
- Platform: Linux
- Project Management: Jira, Confluence
Testing
- Performance: Apache JMeter
- Mobile: HockeyApp
Project Management Approach
Led development using modern Agile methodologies:
- Kanban boards in Jira for sprint planning and tracking
- Confluence for documentation and knowledge sharing
- Regular sprint cycles with coordinated iOS and Android releases
- A/B testing frameworks for feature validation
- Continuous integration and deployment practices
Impact & Outcomes
Over four years, successfully delivered and managed a sophisticated mobile platform that:
- Enabled dm-drogeriemarkt to engage millions of customers through mobile channels
- Provided seamless integration with loyalty programs and in-store experiences
- Delivered personalized marketing campaigns with measurable results
- Maintained high app store ratings through rigorous quality assurance
- Scaled reliably across 6 countries with localized experiences
- Integrated cutting-edge technologies (push notifications, rich media, barcode scanning)
This project demonstrated the ability to lead complex mobile initiatives that bridge native app development, enterprise backend systems, third-party platform integrations, and strategic vendor management—all while maintaining technical excellence and delivering business value across multiple markets.
Duration: 2013 – 2017 (4 years) Role: Technical Project Management, System Architecture Location: Austria Client: dm-drogeriemarkt / Cards & Systems Markets: 6 countries (AT, CZ, HR, HU, SI, SK)
