10Clouds

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of Software Innovation Labs, Inc. We are located in Chicago, Illinois. We provide information technology services to our clients in the United States and abroad.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 10Clouds?

We hired 10Clouds for the purpose of extending our existing team to provide the best possible solution to our end customers. We had insufficient resources to complete a number of integration projects that we’d set for ourselves.

What were your goals for this project?

The aim of the project was to protect kids, and family and manage their usage of phone apps

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

10Clouds was recommended to us and they put forward a couple of developers from whom we have filled the gaps in our team. We had a chance to interview them both to ensure that they were the right fit both culturally and in terms of the technical skills that were needed.

Describe the project in detail.

The project concerned analysis and control of real-time data on how phones are being used. It enabled the user to limit when and how often a given app or a website can be accessed.

What was the team composition?

We had two python developers and one mobile developer from 10Clouds who were integrated with our internal team. Two of them worked on location in our client's office in the Bay Area, and the other remotely.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developers successfully integrated our software with Telco in the US and Italy. The code was clean and bug-free, with the potential to scale it up.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Developers blended into the team and acted as one.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was particularly pleased with the smooth cooperation with 10Clouds, the fact that operations were easy to scale up and that we could add developers when needed. The technical team exceeded my expectations in terms of the quality of their work and their efficiency.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was absolutely nothing to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of sales at a software house called Ideamotive. We’re based in Poland and provide software development primarily for startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

We were creating a mobile app for a big corporation. In order to get it right, we needed specific development talent and consultation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designated a developer to assist us in building a mobile app for a big telecommunications provider. It was a pretty complex project. In its completion, the app allows users to connect to telecommunications services without needing a physical SIM card. This creates an open avenue of communication between customers and the telecom company. 10Clouds worked in React Native to construct the app for both iOS and Android. 

What is the team composition?

10Clouds assigned one developer to our project. We communicated directly with them throughout.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

We’ve spent years building a local network of complementary solutions in our market. Long before this project began, we were connected with 10Clouds because we operate in the same market space.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000 over the course of this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in August 2018, and we wrapped up in August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The programmer provided clean code without errors and lags. Everything was delivered quickly without sacrificing quality. That made our staff’s job a lot easier. 

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything went very smoothly. I couldn’t ask for better project management. Communicating directly with the programmer was easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They brought exceptional quality and speed to the table. Their developer breezed through tasks at a much faster rate than we expected. It was a huge time and code saver for our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Given the relatively small scope, there isn’t anything they could improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Flesh out your specific needs and communicate them. You’ll be heard, and 10Clouds will get it right.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Inga, a company creating chatbot services. Our customers can create chatbot apps to do inbound marketing for potential candidates, along with a separate chatbot which performs pre-screening of candidates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

We needed an outside vendor for web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping us convert our agency business prototype into a SaaS. We discussed our major and minor goals over the short term at a kickoff workshop. We wanted to make sure our users didn’t find the concepts of chatbots and AI scary. They helped us with the initial design for our website, created a couple of design options, and then we implemented prototypes of the designs with a plan to improve based on customer feedback. We’re developing the site in JavaScript and Python, running everything on Azure functions. Our frontend is in Typescript and Vue.js. Their services included backend and frontend development, UI/UX consulting, and consulting for data science and machine learning solutions.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two frontend engineers and one backend engineer, whom I support as an in-house technical person. At the peak, we had an additional engineer. We had one UI designer and one UX specialist at the start of the project. 

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

I had worked with them before and was impressed. We did contact a couple of other providers, but I already knew what 10Clouds was capable of. They won the bid over more affordable offers we had because I had the ease of mind of knowing what kind of quality I’d get from them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They always hit the key results and goals that we set for them. Following website development, we plan to work on a mobile app.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management proved effective. We try to provide background information and context for everything we want to create, and they can easily anticipate our next priority without being told. We find it very beneficial that we don’t have to micromanage them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re flexible and can adapt to our situation. They discuss our best options in any situation, and they’re very supportive during rough patches.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re completely satisfied.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Consider using them. Their value is unbeatable and they offer a true partnership. Be transparent and they’ll honor that with a lot of support.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a German blockchain company. We help enterprises integrate and use blockchain solutions with our own self-developed framework. My main responsibility is managing all of the teams that work on the development of this platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

To promote the use of blockchain technology among enterprises, we wanted to build a graphical interface for interested companies to create a visual representation of their processes. Then we’d be able to generate code that aligned with their designs. We distributed the development needs among five teams in total. 10Clouds was responsible for building the visual frontend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

All five teams met to establish a backlog of tasks and divided the work into two-week sprints. Internally, we referred to this approach as “scaled agile management”. These initial phases of the project required a lot of inter-team communication to make sure everyone was on the same page.

Once we established a schedule, our designers and UX specialists provided the 10Clouds team with some basic sketches for the solution’s visuals. We actively asked for their input and incorporated it into the final design. After we completed the frontend, 10Clouds connected it with the backend system that another team had built. They then collaborated with the other development teams to do some integration testing to make sure everything was performing correctly. We’re still working with 10Clouds to complete the solution.

What is the team composition?

10Clouds initially provided a team of five developers who worked with us consistently for two months. Since then, the staff members rotate according to each task.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

From December 2017–May 2018, we attended a variety of global conferences in the blockchain space. We met someone from their staff at a conference in London. After that, their team reached out because they were looking for blockchain companies that needed help with frontend design. We had two or three follow-up calls to get a bit more details about their company, service, and portfolio. 10Clouds agreed to try an agile approach for the project, so we gave them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent close to $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially started working with them in April 2018, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We don’t have any official metrics, but the 10Clouds team’s design work aligns with our vision. The frontend looks and functions exactly how we want it to, and we’re really pleased with that. There’s a lot of giving and receiving feedback across all of the development teams, so we’re generally happy with the results. 10Clouds has provided the right resources to get the job done.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Their lead developer is very knowledgeable, and he efficiently manages their team. We use Jira boards and Confluence to track our progress and Slack for inter-team communication. For daily meetings and sprint-planning sessions, we use a video-conferencing tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed by their willingness to deep dive into the blockchain space. We’re not just building another website or application; the project was a lot more complex. Their team showed real dedication. They were like a part of our internal team rather than an outside resource. We felt like their priority.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should focus on bringing all of their developers up to the same level in terms of technical performance, communication skills, and project management. Other than that, we have no complaints.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend clients spend a good amount of time picking the right developer for their project. Although we work in the technology sector and have experience with various methods and frameworks, the quality of the final product comes down to the people doing the work. Based on my experience, I think 10Clouds is a great choice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the product owner at a recruitment company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

We were creating a product within the recruitment market and we needed a vendor to help us develop a recruitment website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided all the wireframes and the design, while 10Clouds managed the development of our website. The website enables our users to search for jobs, create an account, and send applications. They mostly used JavaScript and React for development.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 1–3 members of their team, including developers and a product manager.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

Our company had a relationship with them before this project started.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in October and it was completed in December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They delivered everything we agreed on and our internal team is happy with the website. 10Clouds was not only engaged in the development part, but they also wanted to understand our business perspective, adjusting their solutions based on our business needs.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Their whole team was responsive and easy to work with. There were some delays on our part, but they were understanding and flexible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very invested in the project and became part of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the project manager of a social gaming startup called Royals App. Our company is located in Poland, and we currently have eight employees. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 10Clouds?

We decided to cooperate with 10Clouds company in order to develop our minimum viable product (MVP). 10Clouds handled both the design and the development of the app. We’re still working with an iOS developer and a backend developer from 10Clouds to maintain the app and develop new features.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to translate our idea into an iOS app that could validate our business model in the Polish market. We also wanted to reach 5,000 downloads of our app within three months after the launch. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

First, we researched the best Polish software houses. We contacted five companies and narrowed our options to two companies after receiving their offers. We also looked at each team’s portfolio and valuation, and we contacted the CEOs of businesses who’d cooperated with each software house. In the end, selecting 10Clouds was a hard but good decision.

Describe the project in detail.

We gave 10Clouds an initial brief, which included a short description of our social gaming app, user stories, and a summary of our work on personas. We started with a scoping meeting in which the whole team took part, including the backend developer, designer, iOS developer, and project manager. In the meeting, we created the scope of the MVP and scheduled four sprints. During each sprint, we held daily meetings to make sure we were staying within our timeline.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, a designer, a senior iOS developer, and a backend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We achieved both of our primary goals. Three months after the app launched, we reached 5,000 downloads. Users shared great feedback, and we successfully validated our business model and earned our first $1,000 from in-app purchases.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communicating with their team is easy. Even when some bugs appeared, we knew we could fully rely on their support. All in all, we’ve set up a great workflow together.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

10Clouds has an experienced team that engages fully in each project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Having more experienced developers would help expedite the work in certain cases.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide cloud-based software for natural language processing and speech recognition.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 10Clouds?

Initially, we hired 10Clouds for two different projects: one on speech recognition and one on natural language processing.

What were your goals for this project?

All of the solutions have to be hosted on Amazon Web Services. They have to be scalable, reliable, intuitive, and easy to maintain.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended by friends.

Describe the project in detail.

Together, we’ve completed two small projects and continue working on two bigger ones. Initially, we would write the core artificial intelligence algorithms and leave the rest to 10Clouds. They’ve helped us with UX/UI design, code development, continuous integration and deployment, launching, and maintenance. We’ve also determined the best developers and stack, wrote user stories, ran sprints, and measured productivity.

What was the team composition?

For each project, we had one UX designer, one UI designer, one frontend developer, 1–2 backend developers, two or more full-stack developers, one DevOps, and one QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

We successfully launched the speech project on time. Since then, it has become one of the best solutions on the market, with more than 30,000 users to date. Developers just love our product.

How effective was the project management?

We have weekly meetings to measure project progress, do demos, and plan future sprints. They speak excellent English, so we’ve never had problems with communication. We use Slack and Jira to discuss goals and issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

10Clouds can always find the best developer for a project. I'm often impressed by the quality of work they deliver. I appreciate their knowledge, discipline, code of conduct, and creativity. So far, 10Clouds has been the best engineering development company I have used. I've learned so much from them.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

I would recommend them to everyone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Nordskar Kommunikasjon AS, a marketing consultancy firm in Norway, run solely by me.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

I use freelancers for implementations and work that I do for my clients.
My idea was to develop a mobile application which makes it easier for the user to pitch in for a friend who is having a difficult time. It would create a circle around that person of their common friends that will follow up on them in that hard period.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

10Clouds took care of everything that connected with the design, wireframing, cost, evaluations, and then the development of the application.

They started off with workshops to analyze the idea I had. They then went through the design process. Once that was finished, we went into wireframing and more workshops to dive deeper into how things work. The application was developed as an MVP [minimum viable product] for iOS to begin with. That was to test it in Norwegian and English, and see how it works. If successful, we’ll continue on with Android development as well.

What is the team composition?

We had a key account manager who took care of everything. Whenever there was a larger supervisory issue, I would call him. We also had a day to day project manager and people from different departments, such as two designers and four or five people from the development side.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

I needed to find a partner who understood my business idea and my product. I also wanted a company that I could discuss things with and would follow through with the development data. I searched for several places in Poland and other European countries, as well as back home in Norway.

I surveyed four companies that I found on Clutch and 10Clouds won the contest with a clear margin. One of the reasons was our chemistry and the good atmosphere in their company. Some of the other companies were distributors with no physical building, and wouldn’t be able to do the work that 10Clouds could provide with 70 or 80 people on their team. The size of their team felt safe for me, as they weren’t just a small setup with three or four people.

How much have you invested in them?

I spent around $75,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The MVP is basically finished. We are now only dealing with release materials for the App Store and some discussions on what text to use.

We had a test period in the local market in Oslo, using some friends and family as well as some professionals. During that time, there were a couple features that we had to change dramatically in the middle of the development period, and they did that.

I have a lot of experience in design and advertising, and in my opinion, the team is top quality in its field. I couldn’t be happier with their way of communicating as well as their designs, and how they handled my comments when I disagreed with them. It was a very comfortable and professional process.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

There were no bumps that needed to be fixed or problems along the way. We followed the schedule they set up and the project manager ran things just fine. There were no issues with tracking time and making sure that everything was completed.

They invited me to Jira, but most of the time we communicated through Slack and email, in addition to Hangouts on Google, where we had messages going back and forth.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about them is that they are always very precise. They are very exact about things. When the meeting starts at 10 o’clock in the morning, it always starts on time. They’re very accurate in the way they treated the process and the way that they treated me. We made several agreements that we followed and everything always happened in the correct manner.

I have never worked with any company that has been so precise and accurate in the way they follow up. There are no delays and they have been absolutely magnificent. I was very impressed, and it was surprising — I was not prepared for that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know enough about their skills when it comes to business evaluation, business management, or the process of going deep into my business idea to see how it works and how to monetize it. However, I can’t say anything negative about that either because that little piece of the puzzle was so small in my particular project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As a client, respond quickly and give the developers clear and precise briefs. Also communicate clearly. One of the reasons I am so happy with them is because I do my best to be a clear and understandable client. Using that as a tool to keep them motivated to do their best is a good strategy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our startup sells a WiFi enabled chip and accompanying app for smartphones. It allows users to open their door from their phone. I act as marketing manager and project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Clouds?

We wanted to redesign the site. Before we launched, people could pre-order the product, but we wanted our own shop that we could host using our servers. We wanted to use Shopify for the checkout.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The main task was creating the shop. We now offer partner products and bundles, so it was important to integrate all of that into the site. We wanted to focus on branding to make it clear what you’re buying from us, even though we sell other company’s products for keyless entry. We had some brand guidelines but this project meant coming up with a whole new design. The focus was on our customers, who are mainly tech lovers.

We use Node.js and React for our website. We wanted to be sure 10Clouds could work with those and enable a pleasant customer experience. They also needed to work in Shopify and make sure Google integrations were successful. The site is bilingual (German and English), which complicated geolocation services.

What is the team composition?

We had two project managers, a design lead, and a development lead who coordinated the rest of the dev team.

How did you come to work with 10Clouds?

My colleague worked with them before and was quite happy with them. I then did a smaller project with one of their developers and we were happy with what they produced. Since we worked with them already for development, we decided to bring them on for the design as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about €25,000 ($30,992.75) on the website build.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in the Fall of 2016. We still work with them regularly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

People could pre-order the hardware before we launched, but it’s difficult to quantify the difference in sales now that we have the product. In general, we’re happy with the design and renderings 10Clouds provided. We also like the UX.

How did 10Clouds perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was quite good and implementation was seamless. They’re very easy to communicate with and their response times are good. If we had any issues with the website, they do their best to fix them.

We worked together on the site on retainer, so it was easy to reach them. We communicated by email, phone, Slack, and Jira. If they had any questions, they would ask. While we were in development, we had a crucial deadline. We scheduled daily check-ins so they could report to me and stay on top of issues. These check-ins let us pull engineers from our side if there were any questions about our servers or anything else in our control.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great in development. They know how to provide good estimates and they focus on QA more than other companies we’ve worked with. Everything they provided was good-quality. If we found any issues, they fixed them immediately.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had some small issues with timing in the design phase when creativity took longer than we expected. They respond to feedback and are always trying to improve. There isn’t anything specific that I would point out as a problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It helps to be really specific from the beginning. If you prepare all the assignments up front and agree to requirements ahead of time, you won’t have to schedule additional briefings afterward.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We offer digital healthcare for people with chronic diseases, providing people direct access to their own doctor and a personalized healthcare program.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 10Clouds?

We needed a web application for our doctors so that they could get a good overview of their patients, interact with patients individually, and provide them with drug prescriptions, referrals, and coaching. We wanted to launch with this first version of our service.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to establish an extremely efficient and streamlined workflow for our doctors. The challenge was to reach the market in a timely fashion.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

10Clouds came recommended through my network.

Describe the project in detail.

We did the design ourselves and handed it over to them so that they could develop a Node.js application. Integration with our backend was part of the project; we provided 10Clouds with an API to interact with.

What was the team composition?

We had one main developer, a project manager, and a key account manager. The team was consistent throughout the project, which was very helpful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

My goal was to have a working web app for our doctors and we definitely reached it.

How effective was the project management?

We did weekly sprints and it worked well overall. Initially, they overestimated some things and we missed some sprint reviews, but in general, things worked out quite nicely. We used a combination of Jira, Slack, Google Hangouts and Git, so from a tools perspective, everything worked just fine.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had frequent and very transparent communication with all members of the team, from project managers to developers, and also with the DevOps specialists that appeared on an as-needed basis. This is actually one of the key things that makes this vendor stand out.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

Sprint estimations could be improved a bit as there was a tendency to take on a little too much work.