Codetribe

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and managing director of Portier Technologies. We are a new company focusing on the hospitality sector.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codetribe?

We engaged Codetribe to work with us on an MVP [minimum variable product] bullet. It's important to note that my co-founder and I do not have technical experience. We needed someone to come in from the technical side and help us write the specs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were looking to create an MVP bullet for the front side of our system for an Android app. On the back side, we wanted to put together a web portal and a device management system. Codetribe did a comprehensive technical assessment of what we needed to do and the product documentation we needed to create. Basically, they took on the responsibilities of an in-house IT. They handled project management, code testing, and UX design of the product on both the front and back-end. Codetribe was responsible for taking the lead in each of those areas in order to develop a product for us.

How did you come to work with Codetribe?

We looked around the world for great software firms, using Clutch for a number of reviews. We looked at apps that we liked and those that we had heard about. We put together an RFP [request for proposal] and reached out to about 40 companies, mainly in Eastern Europe. We then shortlisted that number and conducted a few calls. Our criteria were the budget, team members, their experience, and reviews. While I am not 100% certain if it was Clutch where we found Codetribe originally, I know we used Clutch extensively to find a number of our partners. It was about a month-long process to find the right partner. In the end, we visited the Codetribe team in Serbia before we made a final selection. Given how important this was to our development as a firm, we were pretty rigorous. After going through that, we're really proud to say that Codetribe is our partner.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our search in late January or February. It took us about a month to find the right firm, so that takes us to the end of March. From there, we spent about 2 or 3 weeks actually writing the product specs and putting that together. From there, we worked through the summer until the end of September 2016. We are just releasing our MVP and we're in the final steps of bug fixing and validation. That scope will end in the next 1 to 2 weeks. We've re-engaged Codetribe to provide new features and new support for our next release. We are looking to establish a long-term agreement with Codetribe as our lead development firm.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

When starting a new project, the most important things are budget and timeline. We are happy to say that we have stuck to the budget that we’ve agreed to. Codetribe has been fantastic in that aspect. Second, we put together a very, very aggressive timeline. The whole project lasted 4 months, from when we first started coding to when we had the MVP. I think we might have to add 2 more weeks, but by and large, they’ve hit every deadline that we’ve had. For us, they hit the nail on the head for every area that we've looked at. Overall, as far as budget and timeline are concerned, they’ve done a terrific job; they’ve been on target. We’re really pleased.

How did Codetribe perform from a project management standpoint?

We were really fortunate to have one of the 2 founders of Codetribe as our project manager. That was something that was critical to our success, given how important this was to our company. We appreciated the way that they guided us and the way they set us up for success. Those are definitely the real reason we are where we are right now.

What did you find most impressive about Codetribe?

I was really impressed with Codetribe and their ability to take ownership and understand what our product was and who we were going after. We were doing something that we considered a new product, a new sector. It wasn’t just repeating something from a project we had done before. I was pleased with the way they were able to solve problems. First, they would take a step back, think about our customers, and think about our business. Then they would come back to us and apply ways to solve the problem. Codetribe also looked at different technology applications and thought about the customer experience. They came up with ideas for new features and new areas to cover. They were a terrific partner that really understood our business.

Are there any areas Codetribe could improve?

I really can't think of anything. It's the reason why we're working with them on future projects and a long-term development agreement. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Cupris Limited is a health technology company. We build software that supports our hardware for smartphone attachments. I am the CTO [Chief Technology Officer].

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codemind?

We needed Codetribe to build applications from the ground-up, not including design and architecture.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company produces smartphone attachments that convert phones into medical devices. You can turn the phones into a stethoscope or otoscope just by attaching the devices onto the case. The device only really works for some models of phones because there are certain challenges involved with each phone model. For example, when you turn the phone into an otoscope, you need to put the attachment into the ear. Obviously, it’s very dark in there, so you have to manipulate the torch and focus. The torch orientation is different in all phones, so that’s something we had to investigate and go over in code with Codetribe.

Codetribe actually went out and bought devices for themselves and started testing them independently. Generally, our software is pretty generic, but Codetribe worked to the specific models that we provided. Before Codetribe came in, we had an MVP [minimum variable product] that was causing a lot of crashes on our servers but we never understood why. These guys came in and discovered exactly what the issue was and fixed it within a matter of hours. They’re all very knowledgeable guys. They all understand what the requirements are and just get on with the project.

How did you come to work with Codetribe?

One of the founders of Codetribe actually used to work for a different company a year and a half ago. We were working with that company before with Epicuri, which is one of my other start-ups. When we were researching outsourcing IT companies for Cupris, we looked at about 40 companies before we came to Codetribe, and they were definitely top of the pack. 

How much have you invested with Codetribe?

The work we’ve done with Codetribe at Cupris is in the range of $100,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Codetribe came in about a year and a half ago, and we have an ongoing relationship for all of our development. For Cupris, they started in December last year, and they've done everything.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I can't give you any numbers, but I introduced Codetribe to Cupris when I joined as CTO. It was a big challenge because we were completely redeveloping the app. They started working with us on the 18th of December. April 21st was the date that we had a hard deadline for a clinical trial in the UK. Within three months, we had to get the Codetribe guys to come in, start from scratch, use the use case documents and the requirements analysis we provided to them, and build the app from the outset. They were great; they completed it within three months. I've never seen anyone create an application of this magnitude and size within three months. That's got to be the biggest success story from Codetribe.

How did Codetribe perform from a project management standpoint?

They've got a very good organization going there. You do get one or two developers and perhaps a support guy whose English isn't that great. The way they circumvent this issue is by putting a few of their project managers, whose English is fantastic, as the leads for the entire project. I have a point man for Cupris, and I have a point man for Epicuri. That point man is the guy I communicate with about all things on that project. It's a very well-organized machine.

What did you find most impressive about Codetribe?

I can only really compare Codetribe to other outsourcing companies, although it's probably not fair to compare them to any other American or British companies I've worked with because they're much bigger. Their English is fantastic, and that's hard to find in an outsourced company where the English is to a level where there's no miscommunication. Everything is written down, ticketed, and organized. Nothing ever goes amiss, so I never need to worry. One of the best things to have is communication, and they've definitely got that down to a tee.

Are there any areas Codetribe could improve?

It was a learning process throughout working with Codetribe. Where we're at now and where we were in April of this year was honed over a number of months. At the beginning, there was miscommunication and definitely room for improvement, but the general problems we had with development and project management were very quickly quashed. Codetribe identified the problem, inserted different project managers and fixed it. Any big software development project is going to have these problems, and I didn't expect that not to happen. They did happen, and Codetribe fixed them quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Staff Engineer of SwissBorg

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Wealth management of crypto-assets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Codetribe to accomplish?

• Develop a web app to handle governance voting

SOLUTION

How did you find Codetribe?

Referral

Why did you select Codetribe over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Codetribe were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Design and development, from scratch, of a full web application to support voting from our partners. It included both the front and backend work. In addition to the user-facing pages, an admin panel was also developed to manage the product.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project was delivered in iterations, ensuring we would have a viable first version. At the end, we had a fully working application running in production.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The deliveries were all on time after we agreed together on realistic goals. Our iterative approach allowed to have multiple deliveries up to production. The communication was efficient and transparent, allowing us to keep track of the progress through weekly reports and demos.

What was your primary form of communication with Codetribe?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They adapted very quickly to our demands, and demonstrated they were capable of managing an under-specified project. They were not afraid to ask questions.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Codetribe could have done differently?

Not I can think of now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a crypto wealth management company. My role is Engineering manager, I lead the project involving Codetribe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Codetribe, and what were your goals?

We hire Codetribe to staff up our engineering team on the front-end side to develop an independent platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Got referred by another Engineering manager and they looked suited for the job.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The scope was to collaborate with our back-end and mobile engineers to deliver a front-end allowing our community to invest in our company. The front-end was delivered in React.js / Typescript and they took part in setting up the back-end in Node.js / Typescript. The whole team has evolved in a very agile way, delivering on a weekly basis.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2 full-stack developers and ! project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project has been a success from a delivery point of view, the deadlines have been met in advance, thanks to the strict iterative approach we put in place, allowing us to keep improving the project along the way.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Task management was done in GitHub and collaboration with the PM in an Excel spreadsheet, as they didn't have access to our Jira board. Most of the communication happened on Slack asynchronously, and higher level during our weekly call.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They ramped up quickly and showed a lot of ownership and enthusiasm in a project that was very fast-paced and extremely critical to my company.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They could have lead the project management side slightly more pro-actively but once everything was in place and we had agreed on the form of collaboration the whole experience was very smooth.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Nortal, Information Technology & Services Delivery Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Codetribe?

Quality assurance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Codetribe provided their services in vary short deadline with great quality.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The person who worked with us was responsible for manual testing and partially automation test creation.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with two people from Codetribe.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Invading quality person from Codetribe make our project more stable. Realizing pressure from the team we accomplished on-time delivery.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked remotely, communicating over the MS Teams with no problems.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They provided quality services on such short notice.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

they are no objection on cooperation so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing demand manager for a hearing healthcare company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Codetribe, and what were your goals?

We wanted to hire a mobile app company to build a coaching app that will help end customers learn how to use our hearing device. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had a great referral from another company and Codetribe could complete our project within our timeframe.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had a couple discovery meetings and within a few weeks we were already looking at wireframes. Within three months we had a deliverable app in English.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had an army of people working on this project. A project leader to iOS and Android developers. It was amazing how well everything and everyone worked together to get this done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We haven't launched the app yet. We hope to upload it in the upcoming weeks.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project manager was there for all of my needs, day or night. She was incredible organized and super efficient.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their mobile app development shills blew me away. They knew everything about UK and execution. Since this was our first mobile app, they were also patient and willing to walk me through their process while we learned.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Currently no. I love working with this group and look forward to future projects.