The foundation and logic of simplicity
An interview with Sha Sohi, CEO of Realworks, on the growth of Realworks CRM
Over the past few years, Realworks has grown significantly in use. With that growth came a logical question: can our organisation continue to support this growth in a sustainable way?
For many estate agents, Realworks is more than software. It is where files take shape, where they work with clients and other parties on digital transactions, and where much of the daily operation is directed. As Realworks grows, so does the responsibility to keep the system strong and ready for the future.
Realworks is now entering a new phase. In this interview, Sha Sohi, CEO of Realworks, explains why the foundations of the CRM are being refined while the system is live and widely used. About simplifying without oversimplifying. And about what a well-structured system really means for an estate agency.
You are changing the foundations while the system is live and widely used. Why now?
Because this is the moment when there is still a choice. As long as everything works, it feels safe to keep building. But growth exposes limits. Realworks has grown as an organisation: in teams, in users and in the way the platform is used.
For a long time, the CRM was technically a single, unified whole. Everything was connected. That was clear in one sense, but once multiple teams started developing at the same time, unexpected dependencies emerged. Those dependencies slow development down.
Growth exposes limits. That is why the foundation has to be adjusted before complexity starts to determine the pace.
At that point, the question becomes strategic: keep building around those dependencies, or adjust the foundation in time so the platform remains scalable and flexible. Realworks chose the latter.
What does that mean in concrete terms? What is changing behind the curtain?
The technical structure of the CRM is being separated gradually. Teams are being given clearly defined domains within the code. That allows them to work more independently, and it means that a change in one part of the system has less impact on another.
That may sound technical, but the principle is simple: the system is being made less vulnerable to its own complexity. In the long run, this will also help increase the speed of development.
We are making the system less vulnerable to its own complexity.
This is not just about technology. The design is also being modernised.
That is just as important. Realworks is redesigning the design system around components: fixed building blocks that return in the same way across modules. Filters that work consistently. Overview pages that follow the same logic, wherever you are in the system.
That sounds obvious, but over time, differences naturally creep into a system. Those differences cost energy. For users, and for the people who maintain and develop the platform.
Why is that predictability so important?
Because the CRM is used every day. Users do not want to spend time thinking about where something is. The system needs to feel logical, so estate agents can focus on their clients.
Predictability reduces cognitive load. You notice its value most when you no longer have to think about the system at all.
Consistency is not about making everything look the same. It is about reducing unnecessary thinking in the daily workflow.
You say: we build for the wider group. What does that mean in design decisions?
It starts with structure, not with visual design. By redesigning the technical architecture of the system, Realworks and Move.nl can communicate more effectively with each other. That creates room to structure processes more logically.