Apex Lab

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Servelec is a UK-based company with several divisions: healthcare software, education, and social care. We’re a digital care organization that creates software solutions to manage care avenues in organizations, mainly healthcare.

We have three products, including an electronic patient record solution that sits in the secondary care space in the UK. We focus on mental health and community health organizations. The software covers the patient administration and clinical care within these organizations.

The next product is Oceano, a patient administration system for hospitals. It covers admissions, referrals, and appointment bookings. It has an emergency department module that also records patient care.

The final product is a patient flow solution for managing the bed estate of a hospital. It controls the patient flow through the organization, in terms of what beds and wards there are.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coding Sans?

Coding Sans assisted with our healthcare software division. We have a large amount of legacy code in our software. We needed to rewrite all of our Microsoft Silverlight in a new frontend framework because it will be going out of support in 2021.

We chose AngularJS through an internal assessment process that looked at several options and organizations that could help us, from automated processes for converting the code to rewriting it ourselves internally. After deciding to use an external partner, we found Coding Sans.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coding Sans provided web-based development through a broad spectrum of functionalities. Our software is mainly intended for managing and tracking the patient journey through a hospital. It administers referrals, admissions, patient demographics, names & addresses, and clinicians & other hospital staff.

The project was focused on creating an AngularJS version of the Silverlight code, consolidating versions into standard components that could be used across the organization. They developed common consoles for similar features to optimize the use of our software in the future.

How did you come to work with Coding Sans?

We went through a number of online resources and referrals that reviewed a number of organizations. We chose Coding Sans because of their expertise in AngularJS and a history of successful writing solutions. They had a strong portfolio of enterprise-scale solutions and other similar systems we’ve worked on. Their team was also open to our way of working and took that into how they would approach the project.

How much have you invested with them?

Overall, we’ve invested €1 million (approximately $1,100,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Coding Sans started in October 2018. Our second project with them began in the summer of 2019, and we’re expected to finish in February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of anecdotal feedback, Coding Sans’ quality of work is exceptionally high. Currently, we have two rewrite projects going on. The one that involved Microsoft Silverlight and the other is a new project that involves rewriting a legacy piece of software within ASP.

Their team is active and well-respected in the software community, using the best practices and modern techniques. They’re flexible when it’s time to find resources for our needs and timescales. Along with being an open and honest organization, the communication and working relationship between us was incredibly strong.

We’ve had their engineers come and work on-site with us, and we’ve visited them as well. Coding Sans is transparent in reporting on their progress. Things do go wrong at times because software development is a challenge, but they work with our team to find solutions.

How did Coding Sans perform from a project management standpoint?

There have been projects that they managed and some that we dealt with ourselves. They’ve performed well, working closely with our project management resources and senior team.

Since we’re all managing, tracking, and planning projects together, we share code repositories and communication platforms like Slack. All the engineers can see all the chats, which has helped us react quickly to any problems. Open communication gives us an incredibly good layer of governance and helps us understand any challenges.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As an organization, Coding Sans is open to feedback, reacting to it positively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not off the top of my head. On the project management front, their resources are focused on the technical side. A formalized project management resource would help in the future. They now have a dedicated QA engineer. Before they didn’t have one available, but after we highlighted the risk, they reacted accordingly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company develops tax technology solutions for a wide array of clients. From SMEs to large corporates we simplify VAT reporting works across EU. I am the CEO of the company responsible for the overall business but mostly for product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Coding Sans?

We hired Coding Sans for the development of some of our Admin features.

What were your goals for this project?

To enable a more efficient way of managing some of the internal processes.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We considered 3 companies out of which Coding Sans proved the best. It was easy and quick to agree on the terms. The recommendation came through a contractor we previously provided high quality work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We worked in two-week sprints with daily stand-ups. The tasks were assigned and managed efficiently. At sprint closing the grooming went really well and they advised on some architectural improvements that will help improve the front-end code in the future.

What was the team composition?

Two people a senior and junior. They did not change.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Great success. The product still hasn't rolled out to production as it requires a few other components that we are developing in house.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicated through slack, used Google docs for the detailed description of the tasks, GitHub as the code repository and azure devops for the task management and deadline following. The delivery was on time and the team was very responsive and reliable.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a professional attitude and deep knowledge.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Would be difficult to say.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a technology company based in Vienna which specializes in providing artificial intelligence and machine learning digital solutions to the industry. Our goal is to create solutions with a maximum impact—helping industrial workers with their daily tasks and providing relief from administrative or repetitive tasks.

We are helping to drive digitalization in creating effective digital tools leveraging technologies like AI and Computer Vision, which are both helpful and easy-to-use for everyone working in the industry. I am working at Humai Technologies as Head of Platform and Application Development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Coding Sans?

We hired CodingSans for developing an AI Platform providing its services over REST API. Actually, after this project we continued to collaborate with CodingSans for several new products and projects.

What were your goals for this project?

At its core, the system has to provide the ability to combine different artificial intelligence capabilities. It has to be cloud-based with the possibility to migrate between the different cloud provider or even on-premise. Furthermore, the solution has to excel in terms of scalability, monitoring, security and maintainability.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We got in contact with CodingSans and another couple of potential partners. From the beginning, the communication was great and the team convinced us about their technical expertises. Furthermore, CodingSans was able to grant the capacity (in size and seniority) that we needed at that time. Thus, we selected CodingSans as our trusted partner.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Together, we tackled the designing phase with the aim of starting the development as soon as possible. In facts, the project was managed following agile practices (Scrum). We worked for several months together in 2 weeks sprints and daily stand-ups. CodingSans have implemented a quite cool Microservices architecture, developed code in node.js and python with 100% unit tests coverage and have helped the internal DevOps team to set-up all necessary.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of cross-skills members such as back-end engineers, software architect, product owner and classical operation engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The project was really strategic for our leadership because it would have supported in acquiring Big customers from the industry. The result was excellent and we met our goals!

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team was working remotely, but we never felt the distance thanks to a deep communication over common collaboration platforms. We were able to count on CodingSans presence each time we required a face-to-face brainstorming such as during kick-off phase or project's reviews.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team owns a solid technical preparation and shows a high degree of patience and availability when managing critical situations because of time or lack of clear requirements.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be awesome to have those guys and girls in the office with us!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of engineering for Emarsys, an independent marketing platform. I’m responsible for the quality and culture of our software development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Coding Sans?

We were developing our Visual Content Editor product, a WYSIWYG editor to help clients create and design their campaigns. We needed development assistance to make the product compatible with multiple channels, including email and push notifications.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to boost our internal development team. We wanted the project to strengthen the marketing campaigns our customers create. Ultimately, we were aiming to provide a seamless user experience.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We followed a recommendation from a colleague, and they completed an in-office probation day.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Coding Sans worked alongside our in-house development team and participated in our agile meetings. They created code extensions and integrated them into our editor system. Their team created the plug-ins and applied our test-driven development (TDD) methodology. They used a range of programming languages, including JavaScript and TypeScript. They used Angular.js and React.js for the frontend and Node.js for the backend.

What was the team composition?

The size of their team fluctuated depending on our needs, but they typically provided over four engineers. They supplied both junior and senior developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We were able to release our WYSIWYG editor successfully, and our customers were satisfied with the results they experienced. We haven’t found any bugs in their coding.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We handled all the project management tools, but their team adapted to our methods smoothly and flexibly. Coding Sans worked in our office with our in-house developers and attended the same meetings and planning sessions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team was talented and passionate about the work.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

It'd be beneficial if they could provide more senior developers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a small startup set to launch in mid-September. This is an EdTech (education technology) project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coding Sans?

I needed a team to develop an MVP version of my product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided Coding Sans with specifications and wireframes. After that, they developed the project from scratch. The product is a responsive web application that will work on both mobile and desktop. Coding Sans used Meteor and Angular to develop the application.

The platform allows developers to educate themselves about new technologies and new technology practices by watching videos created by other developers. My website is a special version of YouTube with only developer content. At this time, it could be fully launched, but I’m still working on the outreaching timeframe. For now, the app is still small. Coding Sans has handled everything on the product side and they created the project themselves.

What is the team dynamic? 

There were 4 junior developers and 3 senior developers on the project. They provided me with a project manager who I had daily contact with.

How did you come to work with Coding Sans?

I used to work with the CEO of Coding Sans in the past. I reached out to him and told him about my idea, and he said he had the resources needed for my project.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $16,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have developed what I asked for. I was involved in the final phase when they finished the product; I found some bugs and some parts I wanted to modify, and they quickly did that. They fixed and modified everything as I asked for. Overall, the product is great.

How did Coding Sans perform from a project management standpoint?

It was really good. I used to work with different teams before this startup. With this project, I felt really involved. I was invited to their development team Slack channel, where I can see all of the conversations about the current issues they’re working on. I was talking to the project manager every day over the course of the project. Overall, it was a good experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were really fast, which was the first thing that I noticed. After the kickoff meeting, it was only about two or three weeks before I saw a working application. For the scope of the project, it was completed very quickly. When we were working on the finalization, they were really fast with fixing and modifying any details I brought up.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It was a really short project, and we didn't have any issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a video-messaging service partner startup founded in Hungary. We first partnered with Facebook and Kik Messenger and later introduced a chat bot. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coding Sans?

We needed a live video edit from archived and YouTube footage as well. If somebody typed a text message and wanted to transport it to a video format, we have several ways to meet this need. Coding Sans helped us select and apply the right technology to make our vision possible.   

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We partnered with Coding Sans after our launch. We had some difficulties with expanding the business because we had much more volume than expected after partnering with Facebook. When they launched the new Facebook messenger, we were their first video partner. Coding Sans helped us find the right balance on the server side using Amazon Web Services.

Additionally, the backend of Node.js was a new format for our developers, and Coding Sans had experience using this platform for Android development. We have a few Android developers on our side, but they couldn’t solve issues related to live editing and synchronizing audio with the video.

How many resources have been assigned to your project? 

There are at least 6 people involved in our project. I mainly keep in touch with Coding Sans’ CEO. We used a Scrum methodology and Slack for communication.

How did you come to work with Coding Sans?

They were recommended to us. We were desperate to find the right team, but in Hungary, it’s often hard to find the right talent for an IT job. After we came to the conclusion that we needed to hire a firm that can guarantee the level of quality that we expected, our CTO found Coding Sans. Ironically, they're located a mile away from our office, even though we searched for a provider for 2 years.

How much have you invested with Coding Sans?

We’ve spent $50,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December of 2015, and we are currently working on another project with them. I plan to use them in the future as well. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I really like working with them because of their guaranteed quality and respect for deadlines. If we find bugs, they take care of them quickly. They’ve never let us down, and I expect they’ll continue to meet our expectations in the future.

We measure how well our services are performed, but I’m not sure how to separate those statistics from all the other features that we developed ourselves. Our business depends on both the technology and the content. I think the technology was more important at the beginning but not anymore. Right now, the technology that we provide is the standard for our users, and the content is rather important for them.

How did Coding Sans perform from a project management standpoint?

Most importantly, they respected our deadlines. We trusted Coding Sans because they’re really keen on scheduling. Their project management was great. We had some communication issues at the beginning, but they were solved. At the beginning, they didn’t have project managers, which created some confusion, but that was resolved.

What did you find most impressive about Coding Sans?

They know what they’re talking about. They estimate accurately at the beginning and when we signed the contract. They also deliver 100%. If we ran into any deadline or development issues, they never overcharged us. They are really dependable.

Are there any areas Coding Sans could improve?

They still have some communication issues and could improve their project management. They’re working on doing better. They try to find the right project managers, but the lack of communication can create confusion. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide a Software-as-a-service product for getting publishers real-time analytics on product performance. I am the managing director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coding Sans?

We had a platform rebuild carried out by an agency in the UK. It did not result in a fully completed product, so the Coding Sans team was brought in to finish the job.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coding Sans worked on our web-based app, which has a Python backend and a JavaScript React frontend. We have primarily worked with two people from Coding Sans’ team, including their CTO and a frontend developer. They built discrete features that were missing from our initial build. It was very much us directing Coding Sans in terms of the features that needed to be built, and what the specifications for them were. We worked on a time-and-materials basis. They performed some DevOps work as well. We were bringing clients onto the platform and had Coding Sans monitor our capacity usage and other factors.

The platform provides real-time analytics for article publishers. It’s a sort of web-scraper technology which pulls in a number of metrics from different sources, displays them in a ReactJS frontend, and serves email updates. Coding Sans built our email update functionality, providing a regularly scheduled service for each user. They did quite a lot of scalability and stability testing, helping us bring more clients on. The architecture up until that point hadn’t been particularly scalable.

Aside from these main functionalities, Coding Sans provided two or three hours of work at a time on small features that had been missing. They also corrected how certain metrics were being displayed. It was a range of data-gathering, email service, and scaling functionalities.

How did you come to work with Coding Sans?

They came through a personal recommendation from someone who had used the team at a previous company and knew some of the Coding Sans people individually. They were recommended as a cost-effective solution. We didn’t have the time for a proper procurement process, so we had an initial conversation, found out they had the skills we needed, and went ahead with Coding Sans.

How much have you invested with Coding Sans?

The cost of Coding Sans’ work has been £15,000. [$20,000]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Coding Sans in February or March 2017. Everything has been completed, but I occasionally ask Coding Sans to help out with small tasks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The way in which our platform had been architected by the initial agency required that, whenever we brought in a new client, a new plug-in had to be written. The Coding Sans team wrote a generic plug-in that worked across 80% of new clients’ websites and required much less bespoke coding. This reduced the time for onboarding new clients from one to two days of coding to 30 minutes on average. This was a significant improvement, and, to be honest, Coding Sans didn’t have to do this. They could have simply offered to build a new plugin for every client and charge us each time. This is the main relevant metric.

How did Coding Sans perform from a project management standpoint?

Coding Sans’ CTO acted as our project manager. We used Slack for communication, with a dedicated channel for him, our developer, and their CEO. They were very responsive, letting us know when someone would be unavailable. It was clear whom we were dealing with.

What did you find most impressive about Coding Sans?

I haven’t dealt with many other agencies, but, compared to the ones I have used, Coding Sans is a pragmatic and outcome-focused group, rather than ideologically wedded to academically interesting ways of doing things. For an early-stage startup in particular, this was a good way of getting what we wanted. They have a can-do attitude, putting in long hours and charging us by the day, not by the hour. What Coding Sans did was pragmatic and focused on getting us the outcome we wanted.

Are there any areas Coding Sans could improve?

The prioritization of what they did could have been a bit better. On one instance, Coding Sans spent a bit of time on DevOps tasks that did need to be done in the long-term, but perhaps not immediately. I’m no DevOps expert, but I do have a reasonable technical understanding. My impression was that there were a couple of days spent on things that weren’t entirely necessary. But, in the grand scheme of things, this was minor compared to the good things done by Coding Sans.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

DogGo is a social app for dogs and their owners. Dog owners can make new friends, chat with each other, share walks, and build a community. The dogGo opens a whole new dimension of walking with dogs, not only for dogs but also for their owners. I am the Founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I knew what I wanted to build, but I didn’t know how to. I already had a detailed specification and a landing page in place; I just needed someone to help me with the technical side of the project. I hired Apex Lab to build the product’s first version and help with the maintenance.

SOLUTION

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

My business partner previously worked with Apex Lab, and he was very satisfied with their service. So after his recommendation, it was a clear choice to work with Apex Lab.

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

The partnership with Apex Lab started with the review of the specification document. I had a lot of ideas and features in mind, but it was hard to prioritize and select the most important ones (business and tech-wise). Apex Lab helped me define the MVP’s scope, thus simplifying the specification. The development process was quick and smooth.

Apex Lab built a cross-platform React Native app with Expo (using Typescript, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Ably). For the chat functionality, they added Streamchat integration. Once the app was ready to test by users, we organized an onsite user test. We used Expo and Testflight for the testing. We received tons of feedback from the users - and realized that we had to modify the core concept of the product to satisfy their needs.

So together with Apex Lab, we added new feature ideas to our backlog and reprioritized them completely. After almost a year of development altogether, we launched the app on Google Play and Apple Store. DogGo generated users instantly as dog owners started to download and use the app right after the launch. Since the launch, Apex Lab has managed the bug fixing and other technical issues and upgrades needed to run the app smoothly.

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

I started to work with two full-stack developers and one technical lead. Later on, a project manager joined the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app generated 600 users in one month after the launch.

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

I really liked their style. The communication was easy with Apex Lab. They quickly responded to all of my questions, and they were always reachable. They set up an Asana board to collect the feature ideas, bugs, and any other tasks. We also had daily standups where they gave a quick update about their progress.

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

They were passionate about the work, and they were full of ideas. They were not just following orders, but they always went beyond.

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

After launching the product, they replaced the developers, which resulted in slower progress.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Blueopes is an automated wealth and personal financial management service for asset managers. It uses AI to customize portfolios to user investment goals and value preferences while focusing on socially responsible investments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Coding Sans?

We hired them for end-to-end development. 

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to create a fast, streamlined, and easy-to-use cloud base interface that connects to our quantitative analysis and processes an anonymous data feed from our clients.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our quantitative developers recommended them. 

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

In addition to developing the frontend and backend of the services using Angular and Node.js, they contributed greatly to the database, quantitative connection, and design implementation processes. 

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of three primary members: a frontend developer, a backend and lead developer, and a dedicated project manager. Additional resources and team members were temporarily added during specific phases. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The stable, reliable system we created together was instrumental in landing our first big customer and has led to many new opportunities. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project manager was extremely helpful in translating information from us to the developers. Their use of our productivity and development tracking tools allowed the project to progress smoothly. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are professional and flexible with a strong desire for extensive product knowledge. 

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There are no significant areas for improvement.