Nextware Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Square One Prep is an MBA admissions consulting agency that helps it's clients with their applications to the top business schools in the world. My position is the Chief of Staff/Operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Creating customized application plans for individual clients based on the specific requirements of that client is a time-consuming task.

Even more time consuming is the ongoing process of maintaining plans up to date, every day, based on activities or lack of activities during that day. SOP wanted to develop a state-of-the-art system to automate this whole process and as a result:

• Create a truly differentiating offering to their clients that is matched by no other company in their field
• Eliminate the manual work of generating and maintaining customized schedules in order to make the organization efficient and scalable to support business growth objectives

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed 7 different technologies companies before deciding on Nextware. What stood out to us the most was how they really got to know us during the interview process and what our needs were so they could offer us the best product. Their personal touch resonated with us and was what made us choose them over the others.

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

We had weekly sprints which were detailed out by Martin and the team always hit the objectives for that week. It was not an easy system to create as we were looking for a customized solution with a bunch of different situations that could occur and would affect other items.

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

We worked with three key people, Martin - who was managing us logistically and making sure we were staying on schedule, Vlad - who worked with the tech team and fixed any issues we had, and most importantly Shawn.

I spoke with Shawn weekly, sometimes more, and he made sure we were getting the product we wanted and helped us work out features and solutions that would work best for our company. Shawn was a delight to work with and I miss our weekly calls!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients and staff love the portal and we are very happy with it! We have continued to work with Nextware on an annual maintenance plan and have tweaked and added more features since the product launch.

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

We used JIRA as the main software for the product management. They were also an email or phone call aware if we needed something.

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

How much they care about their clients and want to create the best technology solution for their needs.

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

We wished they would have communicated more to us about the timeline. Our solution wasn't ready when we initially thought it would launch and needed another week or two to work out the bugs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the executive vice-president of Lindsey Manufacturing Company, and we create and deliver products for the electric utility industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextware?

We had developed a product that is kind of an IoT device for use by electric utilities. Our goal was to be able to provide a user interface that would collect the data from the communication methodology that we were using and bring that information into a really nice graphical format and control interface for the utilities to use. Electric utility assets are considered critical infrastructure, so we decided to get help with certain aspects of the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nextware was completely in charge of the web interface and database structure that we implemented. They worked directly with our in-house team, who produced the firmware and hardware of the device, to integrate all of the cloud-based development.

We started with a half-day interview process where we described our product and what we needed to them, and then they walked us through a series of questions to develop a basic specification document. After a few iterations back and forth with them, we were satisfied that they had captured everything appropriately, and they turned that into a more extensive documentation that allowed them to work through every step of the development from there.

What is the team composition?

We only interfaced directly with three members of their team, but they had a larger group working on our account behind them. One acted as a primary project manager, another as the primary software developer, and then the third as a UI expert.

How did you come to work with Nextware?

We found them and a few other firms through an internet search, and they immediately stood out to us based on their positive attitude and the responsiveness of their team. Those factors, compared with their location, convinced us to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our total investment was about $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in late October 2018, and the development ran from December 2018–May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The functionality of the product exceeds what we originally anticipated. The user interface is excellent, and we will definitely look to them to implement some additional features based on user feedback that we’ve received. Everyone, both on our team and among our customers, is very happy with how the project turned out.

How did Nextware perform from a project management standpoint?

They were exemplary in terms of project management. They always kept us informed and in the loop, and always had excellent suggestions on how to move things along. They were patient, especially when dealing with senior personnel who didn’t have the same technical experience.

They made use of some very effective software management tools like JIRA and had very organized sprint processes that included two calls a week to review our standing and next steps.  That level of structure helped them to deliver everything exactly on schedule for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to walk us through every step of such a complex process was incredibly helpful. Their level of specification that captured the nuances of how different aspects of the product interacted with one another set us up for success with the whole project and enabled their development team to implement their work quickly and without any surprises.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t come up with anything that is critical in any meaningful. The only glitches in the entire process were our fault, not theirs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be completely upfront and honest with them about your expectations, budget, and timeframe. Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, because they will help you with the entire process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former graphic design and marketing lead for a door and window manufacturer that makes large custom sliding doors. I was responsible for developing the website, marketing materials, and some sales tools for the website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextware Technologies?

We wanted to build a quoting and pricing system because all our doors are completely custom made, and we wanted to streamline the process. It can be a detailed process that involves lengthy forms, and it needed to be simplified.  It was done mainly online or over the phone, and we wanted something like a web app to make it easier.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nextware took our specs for the program and developed the software. We did the design and UX/UI, and Nextware implemented them. They coded for the backend of our WordPress site to customize some of the menu options.

What is the team composition?

I had one main point of contact that I mainly worked with throughout the project.

How did you come to work with Nextware Technologies?

We did a Google search and priced out the project to three different providers. We made our decision based on price, capability, and experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September 2014 to January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web app helped our customers because they could start doing the quoting themselves. They often have their own clients, and the web app allowed them to price out doors better and quicker, so they like it a lot.

How did Nextware Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever I needed changes made, Nextware was always incredibly fast and precise. They’re thorough and follow up on tasks and updates. I didn’t have to constantly check their work because they were doing that for me. We mainly communicated through phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were on top of their project management and available when I needed them. Working with them was smooth and painless, which you can’t get enough of when contracting out work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, they did an amazing job, and I can't think of anything specifically that I would change.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of CostTree, a financial software for government and nonprofits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextware Technologies?

I needed to create a cloud-based web app to transition from the previous local app I’d been using, which was unsophisticated and minimal on Visual Basic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nextware Technologies used C++ and SQL to conduct a complete rewrite of our prior application. The new cloud-based version was scalable to our business. As a national company, this was a critical need, since we have clients across the United States.

Designing the new platform was a collaborative effort. They performed the entirety of UI work, which formulated how it would look when operational. Our team dictated and designed the backend, which had to follow certain financial regulations.

They built the app from the ground up after we provided some calculations and formulas for reference points. Several new features, like Excel import capability, were a departure from the previous app’s functionality.

What is the team composition?

We worked most directly with Shawn [CEO, Nextware Technologies]. When needed, we spoke directly with one specific developer throughout the entire project, instead of having a middleman. He relayed the needed work and changes to his team.

How did you come to work with Nextware Technologies?

I was recommended to Nextware and we conducted an interview that seemed promising. Together, we created a complete scope and wireframe document before starting our work together. We paid for this prep work so we’d have basic materials to use as a starting point, in case we needed to switch vendors. Upon approval of the wireframe’s design, we decided to formally engage.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $150,000 to $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Nextware Technologies in February 2012, and the app formally launched in February 2015, when we completed the project. The app is currently live and being used by several clients. We pay them a monthly fee to continue working as our maintenance provider and to perform occasional new work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients love the web app. It's easy to use and navigate, and makes their workflow simpler and more straightforward. The user interface is excellent. Clients have reported very few errors, which affirms the integrity of our product. We find occasional bugs, but at most, there are a handful per year. That’s rare, considering our numerous users.

How did Nextware Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was conducted mostly through phone and email. As with all development, there were occasional delays in terms of expectations and delivery. When we weren't managing them closely, this wasn't as good as it could be. However, engaging on a more regular basis and having frequent calls, yielded markedly improved results. We were able to understand our status and when the delays would occur, rather than after the fact.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Now that I've gained experience with several development groups, I understand how minimal our delays had been with Nextware Technologies. Despite occasional struggles, they followed through, stayed true to promised deliveries, and developed a sound product that’s being used effectively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It's always better to be upfront and honest than to over-promise and under-deliver. When timing projects for any client, it’s more beneficial to portray a realistic, rather than idealistic, scenario. Business owners need a clear indication of deadlines so they can manage their own business. Being true to estimates, and implementing buffers for deadlines if needed, could help them improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of a healthcare IT startup. We provide both mobile and backend solutions for managing mobile healthcare workers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextware Technologies?

We had serious difficulties with a large client. The original team was two individuals who were taking too much time, not delivering, and costing us a lot. We needed someone to understand the requirements, calm down the client, and deliver a quality product in a reasonable time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After engaging them, they’ve worked on many projects for us, from web server application to data structure to from-scratch app development. They developed .NET web applications from scratch, including (and in contrast to many coders) taking someone else’s code and revamping it.

They developed the native iOS and Android apps with a Ruby on Rails backend, and they’ve done cross-platform work as well. Plus, they host and support one of my apps.

What is the team dynamic?

We’ve always had 1–2 people, and at one point, we had 4–5 people working on the project. There is always someone available for support.

How did you come to work with Nextware Technologies?

I knew the founder and CEO, and there was already an established relationship with a lot of trust, which paid off in the end.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2011, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our users have been very satisfied. I keep a close tab on my clients, and as soon as there is an issue, it gets fixed. It has been my experience that the Nextware team has been able to deliver fast resolution of issues.

How did Nextware Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re experienced enough to give accurate estimates. We communicate by phone, GoToMeeting desktop sharing, and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They give you what they say they will, which is high-quality work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company provides a business process management platform that allows companies to create web applications for solving different business problems like project management, expense management, or any kind of workflow they want to automate and digitize.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextware Technologies?

We needed someone to help us with setting up and managing our Amazon Web Services environment. Also, we needed help in developing an Android mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built our own app on iOS, but we didn’t have experience with Android. We wanted someone who wouldn’t expect detailed requirements, but rather use the iOS app as their framework and reverse engineer it. We guided them on how to create everything on Android, which was an effective and successful approach.

The platform allows companies to do their business process management in a drag and drop environment that is geared towards non-programmers like analysts, citizen developers, and people who don’t understand programming but have a business problem. We wanted the user to be able to build the app in the browser and with minimal effort be able to configure what the mobile app should do.

The mobile app is a container app that works like a platform. The content gets generated automatically based on what the user does on the server by using drag and drop forms, workflows, screens, etc. Then, when they launch the app, it can read the database and determine what to display for the user. All of that is dynamic, and it’s not for a specific application; it could be any application that the user builds.

Nextware worked with our CTO and I’m sure they used the standard Android technologies. They had to interface with our SQL server, XML, and HTTP as connections. They also had to build an offline functionality which we added later on so that even if the user has no internet connection, they can still enter data. They also maintain and manage our data center which is an ongoing cost for us as well.

What is the team dynamic?

There are three people that are managing and supporting the project. If there’s development work, there are two more people included. Shawn, the CEO, is our main point of contact but he also has someone who helps us out when he’s not available.

How did you come to work with Nextware Technologies?

We wanted someone reliable and cost-effective, who had experience with Android and a good reputation. Nextware was referred to us by one of our close company contacts who had previously worked with them. So, we interviewed them and compared them with other companies.

Shawn is local to us and we met a few times. He started with some small projects for us to be able to get a sense of their capabilities, and we expanded from there. The key was their knowledge, reliability, and professionalism. Shawn is also willing to learn and understand the business need and suggest solutions while taking responsibility for any issues that come up. He’s reasonable to work with and we have a good relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $75,000–$100,000 over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2014 and they are still the main developer. Any enhancements, support issues, and bug fixes are taken care of by them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, their reliability has been good in terms of support issues, bug fixes, and turnaround time. I mostly get feedback from our internal team— they’ve had a good experience. Our CTO can reach out to Shawn anytime; he's very consistent and if he’s unavailable, he has somebody else to be available in his place for critical issues. 

How did Nextware Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management has been great. They're on top of things, resolve any issues that come up, and have done well in estimating time, effort, and delivery. The only issues we’ve had were related to managing the data center and training their team. Once we bring a problem to their attention, they make sure there are processes in place so that it doesn’t happen again. They take responsibility and want to keep getting better.

We communicate by phone and meet for lunch a few times a year. Shawn also comes to our customer conference which helps him learn more about our customers and the use of the app. Our CTO talks to him on the phone weekly. In addition to that, we use Google Phone for any issues that have to do with the team because they’re overseas. We also have a ticketing system on JIRA that is being used for tracking issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Shawn’s personality is one of the best assets of the company. He sincerely cares about projects, is very knowledgeable, and has a hands-on and business-oriented approach. If someone doesn’t know technical concepts, he can help simplify them and always tries to understand the problem and not just simply push a solution. He wants to make sure that he can add value, and if he doesn’t think he can do something, then he’s very clear about it, which makes him a trusted adviser.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The biggest challenges we’ve had have been with managing the data center overseas—they should have more processes in place for that. I think there are things they could implement in advance as well; they could anticipate issues and resolve those with training and processes. Especially when you’re having data center operations and you’re hosting clients 24/7, spending more time and ensuring that those processes are in place would help quite a bit.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of PSC Analytics. We work with brick-and-mortar retailers to give them visibility on consumer in-store behavior all the way down to the product level.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nextware?

We wanted to create a very sleek technology solution for our clients. We wanted to build an IoT solution that allows us to track individual items throughout our client’s stores. We work specifically with retailers selling purses and shoes or other things of that nature. We wanted to be able to stick chips onto each of those products, inside of their stores, so that we can actually see every time that product was picked up, how long it was being picked up for, and also conversion rates, which is a metric that retailers actually track on the store level. We wanted to bring them all the way down to the product level. We wanted something that was mobile where we can actually put that chip inside of one product one day and the next day, take that exact same chip and put it into a different product and reassign which product it would actually show up as in the database.

We didn’t know if we wanted to go through Bluetooth or RFID [Radio Frequency Identification]. We ended up selecting Bluetooth because we could actually utilize iPads instead of having to use RFID readers, which can be a little bit bulkier and tight here. We went to Nextware to get them to build a solution for us that was very sleek and mobile.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nextware built the solution for us. We went to their office and sat down with Shawn [CEO, Nextware Technologies]. He’s a fantastic guy. He listened to our ideas of what we wanted, our general overview. He started to bounce his own ideas and brainstorm on how to make the project better. He’s the expert, but he supported us in not being experts and not being too oblivious with things that we didn’t necessarily understand. He walked us through the process of how it would look. He was very supportive at every step. 

Once we got past that aspect, they sat us down and painted a picture of the different aspects of what they could actually apply and the various levels of what it might entail. It’s a level 1 solution, a level 2 solution, and a level 3 solution based on what our budget and needs actually were. We worked on that together to scratch off what we thought we could use in version 2.0 and what we needed in version 1.0. This is the point where we were actually trying to execute.

We have both a web and mobile application. They do maintenance on both. They keep it up and running with all of the iOS updates that we work with. They still do development for us as well, which can be a little bit sporadic. 

What is the team dynamic? 

There were 5 to 6 team members on my project.

How did you come to work with Nextware?

I found them online. They’re in Malibu and I’m also in greater Los Angeles County. It was a local search that led me to their website. I’m really glad we stumbled upon them because there are a couple of different solution providers that we were looking at locally that we weren’t completely committed to.

Initially, when I contacted Nextware, they gave me a quote; I wasn’t sure if we could work within that. They were so supportive that they came back and said they could chip away some pieces that we didn’t necessarily need. We had given them the entire solution that we wanted. They came back to us and said they understand that this was the final solution we wanted, but they said they could also chip away at little pieces that we can always build upon in the future as we get traction with the product. They were great. Nobody else did that for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $65,000-$70,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2015 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The solutions they built for us were designed to be run remotely. We’ve done multiple installations throughout Florida, a lot of locations in Miami, Las Vegas, and we’ve actually been able monitor what’s happening in real time at the store level. The metrics, which are specific to how our system, are actually helping the stores, but it doesn’t necessarily have to do with what Nextware built for us. As far as what they were able to do and as far as quality of services is concerned, we’ve been able to manage those systems from Los Angeles as a startup remotely in places like Miami and Las Vegas. It’s huge to us because, in order to actually monitor and keep up the systems, we don’t have to actually fly out to those places and blow our entire budget.

How did Nextware perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent, Shawn was always there and he never missed a deadline. He was very clear with what the deadlines were going to be and specific milestones we should accomplish during certain periods of time. Anytime we had a question, he was there for us within 30 minutes on a phone call or one-on-one with us, reaching back out to set up time with one of his specialists to support us in what we needed. We communicated mostly over the phone as a lot of our stuff didn’t require an in-person meeting. He was always accessible via email, too. He catered to the fact that I am a phone guy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were fantastic as far as the solution they provided. They were supportive in getting us to the end solution and helping us understand that we needed variable versions. As a startup, we had an end picture of what we were looking for. They supported us in achieving what we had envisaged. They were also supportive in helping us understand what IT that we needed in the early version in order for us to get the traction that we needed and to build upon it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t think so. They’ve been excellent with us. We’re happy with them.