Astec

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a large telecom company that provides equipment and services to multiple operators, enterprises, and individuals that use our line of smartphones and home devices. I’m the project manager for our German offices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Astec?

We have a managed service agreement with a large telecom carrier, and we have an online IT system that supports their operations. We needed to implement several optimizations, so we were looking for an experienced development agency that was familiar with our line of business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Astec provided resources to supplement our internal developers in updating the IT support system. It’s a complex platform with many moving parts. All of our customer data is cloud-based, so we use AWS as our datacenter. Their team also worked with Java, JavaScript, and Python. The finished product is a dashboard that allows us to track the spare parts and consumables used in our managed service agreement.

What is the team composition?

They provided enough resources to handle the parts of the project we outsourced to their team.

How did you come to work with Astec?

We shared our requirements with our procurement department, and they searched for vendors online. We vetted a lot of companies and reviewed their certifications. After a few workshops, we shortlisted several candidates. We landed on Astec for a few reasons. First, they’re located in Poland, which is a member of the EU, so we knew that any data interactions between us would be secure and in line with the new GDPR policy. Second, they had proven software development experience. Lastly, they seemed very eager to work with us, and their price was within our budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially partnered with them in September 2018 and finished the bulk of the work in December 2018. We went through an acceptance testing phase in January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, the results have been good. With their help, we were able to improve the IT system without using our limited amount of internal resources.

How did Astec perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a professional team with great time management and technical skills. We’ve recently asked them to resolve a leftover issue, and they were just as timely as they were during the development process. Additionally, the team is very collaborative. Their English skills are great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a young and flexible team. Large companies tend to have tedious processes, so we aim to work with smaller partners that offer a more dynamic partnership. Astec was perfect in this regard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re happy with the experience. Whenever another project comes up, we’ll look to Astec for assistance.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an IT organization developing and implementing customer-specific software. Our focus is on the automotive industry. I’m the project lead in our project with Astec.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Astec?

We had a developer shortage in our company, and we needed resources and support for a project updating an application for one of our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re starting from scratch to implement an updated version of an application. The updated version will include all of the features of the initial app along with some new features. The frontend was done using Angular 5. I made all the sketches with the customer, detailing what the product should look like. The developers from Astec built it based on those sketches.

The platform is a collaboration tool between different resources in our customer’s ecosystem, and its main goal is to evaluate car concepts. Multiple users can make edits on the same field. A key feature of the app is the ability to export PowerPoint presentations. People fill in their data in our app and then directly download slide presentations, saving time on the company’s end.

What is the team composition?

We started working with two developers, then added two more. The team size was reduced later on. Astec’s primary role was development initially, but we’ve expanded their role to include technical coordination.

How did you come to work with Astec?

We’ve run multiple projects with Astec. We had good experiences with them, so we decided to bring them in again for the current project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Astec in April 2018, and the project is ongoing, although at a lower scale. We hope to continue its development on an indefinite basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Astec has performed exceedingly well. We’ve had no bugs or defects in the app. They’re perfect, and I’m extremely satisfied. They think before developing something, instead of doing it blindly. They think and ask questions about why a feature is important, and they make technical proposals when they identify something that would be better for the customer.

How did Astec perform from a project management standpoint?

Their speed was great, and they were always on time. The team used an agile methodology, dividing the project into sprints. We reviewed all of the Scrum artifacts daily and communicated via Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They quickly provided us with two additional developers when we asked for them. They respond quickly when there’s a need, and they provided highly qualified resources. Their developers think and don’t just implement requirements blindly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the developers had difficulties with English, but that was to be expected and we could cope with it. Astec also provided internal English lessons for this developer, so his English improved gradually. It would be an advantage if the developers knew German.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I can only recommend them. They’re the best developers I’ve had on my project. Clients should trust the team’s recommendations. Get to know each other and respect each other.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior customer support team manager for a global software provider. While our products span various business areas, my team focuses on administering customer support for geographic information system (GIS) spatial solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Astec?

We were looking for experienced mobile consultants to supplement the UK customer support team during periods of caseload surge and backfill. This primarily involved responding to customer support calls and providing problem resolution. The consultants needed to support our team and hit the ground running with minimal support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Astec has assigned mobile consultants to augment our internal customer support team. If a customer has a particular challenge when using our software, they or one of our partners log the case, and Astec’s consultants respond to the call.

In their role, they’re responsible for providing first- and second-level help desk support as outlined in our service level agreement (SLA) with our customers. This includes reproducing the issue, responding to the customers, providing workarounds, and resolving the case while we develope official patches. Currently, they answer calls from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Russia.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Astec’s team lead to onboard candidates based on our needs, starting with three consultants and ramping down as we recruited full-time heads internally. The first Astec positions finished earlier in July 2018, and the remaining two will finish toward the end of January 2019.

How did you come to work with Astec?

I looked at a number of suppliers before ultimately selecting Astec. As an accredited solution provider for our software, they already had demonstrable expertise as well as a relevant product portfolio experience.

Once we engaged them, I provided Astec with a statement of work detailing the necessary skills and key deliverables. They then presented a selection of candidates, and I interviewed them. In the end, I chose their consultants in Poland because of their high-level English communication skills.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work started in July 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Astec’s consultants have allowed us to divide the caseload between more people, which has subsequently increased our internal bandwidth. Our existing team now has more time to focus on other core activities such as onboarding and mentoring new staff.

Moreover, they’ve helped us exceed our SLA targets across the board. Because the consultants have a high degree of technical expertise, they’re able to answer complex software issues independently and often resolve cases with quick turnaround times.

How did Astec perform from a project management standpoint?

It can be challenging to work with a customer support team when they’re in a different country, but we haven’t faced any issues. We communicate through Skype as needed, and it’s convenient to work with a single point of contact who can relay my messages to the company.

We also have them linked to our collective help desk number. That way, they can receive customer calls on their computers, and we’re able to fully utilize them as part of our internal team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m confident in the caliber of their candidates; each one has an appropriate level of expertise and suitability.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep up with communication and make sure you’re clear about your expectations and instructions. Once they know what they’re doing, they’re on the job and handle things well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a team lead for product development at a software firm. We develop geospacial products for big utilities, mostly transmission system operators (TSOs) for gas pipelines and power utilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Astec?

We were developing a new product with process integration and wanted to integrate a workflow engine in our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We develop websites and portals for our end-clients. When customers send us a request, we translate that into a task and give it to Astec. The team has helped us with a business process modeling workflow engine. That solution runs on Java Enterprise.

What is the team composition?

Currently, we work with one developer, but the team had two developers at an earlier point. We have one developer on our side who’s responsible for communicating with Astec.

How did you come to work with Astec?

My company worked with Astec before I did. They work with the same businesses and products we do in Germany, but they do it in Poland. We buy resources from them because they have what we need.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $100,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The solution is dependable and reliable. We’ve already positive feedback after shipping some functionality from Astec to our customers. The feedback was good.

How did Astec perform from a project management standpoint?

The developer understands the programming requirements and completes those functionalities via the Jira ticket system. He has good English skills as well. The team holds bi-weekly sprint meets. We then have a refuel meeting to check the source code and a subsequent review with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We enjoy working with them. They’re very flexible with their resources and can scale them when we necessary.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The best thing would be to speak Polish if possible. We communicate in English to accommodate the German-Polish language barrier. Some miscommunications occur with the developer, but that’s normal under such circumstances.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My department is a mid-term IT firm that manages the purchasing processes of our customers. We primarily perform SAP and Java services for large automotive companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Astec?

We needed to outsource various IT development projects, due to the fact that we do not have the internal resources available to deliver every product ourselves. We wanted to optimize costs in our projects by installing nearshore suppliers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They led the development of an internal management system for an international company. The software provides the client with a secure system that stores information. They provide clients with ongoing maintenance and support.

Astec's work is mostly Java-based. They implement applications either without our functional support or sometimes collaborate with our team. In the second case, we have a functional coordinator who does the design for the applications while Astec provides the supporting programming. 

Currently, they're working on three different projects simultaneously. They provide operational maintenance and software optimizing.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with the owner of Astec. The operational handling of the project is done by an installed project manager who is in contact with Astec's lead developer. In total, they’ve allocated around 12 developers to work on our projects.

How did you come to work with Astec?

One of our managers knew the managing director of Astec.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend more than €1 million (approximately $1.1 million USD) for their services per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2013 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re more than satisfied with Astec. We receive positive feedback from our customers in regards to the quality of deliverables. Their efforts generate repeat business and new orders.

How did Astec perform from a project management standpoint?

We utilize a scrum methodology. Unlike other companies we’ve worked with, they’re capable of managing the project without much oversight. Jira and Confluence are our main communication and organization tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their code quality is excellent. Astec is capable of organizing documents, translating communication, and interfacing with clients. Other outsourcing companies aren’t usually able to provide such accommodations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Despite ongoing efforts, their language skills could be improved as German is sometimes a must for our end customers. For the future, we probably would like them to build up second level operational tasks as well as provide developments. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Openly communicate with them from the beginning. Visit their office and meet the team. You’ll learn to trust them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a software development provider working with customers in the automotive industry. We produce administration, logistics, and production tools for factories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Astec?

We were getting too many orders from customers and didn’t have enough people on our internal team with the required skills. We sought the support of partner companies for a couple of customer projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Astec has served as an external delivery center for dedicated projects.

They developed an internal collaboration tool used by a customer. It’s a client server application with a mobile interface. It was built using Java and JavaScript, and it uses Oracle Database. Astec proposed a couple of mobile frameworks, out of which the customer chose one.

One of the tool’s features is related to the management of meeting topics. Astec developed a streamlining process for escalation management within the customer’s meeting templates.

They maintained contact with the customer in order to determine which requirements could be delivered within the shortest timeframes and at the lowest cost.

What is the team composition?

We started by using three developers from their team. We used as many as 10 during peak times. I had a main contact from their side.

How did you come to work with Astec?

I knew two of their team members from previous projects. We first engaged them for a 30-day trial project. Its success determined the continuation of the collaboration.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Astec in 2014. We have retained them until the end of 2018 for the current project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the reasons we have used them is that they deliver very high quality results. We needed a partner that we could trust and Astec was that partner. Our main goal was to deliver requirements, and their team delivered to the full satisfaction of our customer, who was satisfied with the code quality and frontend of the solution.

We send yearly satisfaction surveys to our customers. We saw a very high approval rating for 2017, which was a pleasant surprise for us.

How did Astec perform from a project management standpoint?

They maintain close interactions with our customer, sending regular reports about the next steps and the development results. This is one of the reasons our customer was very satisfied in the end. We have good communication during stand-up meetings using Skype. We also visit the customer onsite for 10 days a year.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Astec stood out in terms of quality of code and timeline management. I am satisfied with the results of their work, and I would use them again in the future in favor of other developers. They were able to handle everything without too much support from our side. This means that we didn’t encounter additional costs for escalation management between their team and the customer.

Astec was brought in for team augmentation, and we didn’t expect them to handle every part of the development. They delivered everything with no need for us to escalate any part of the work. This was my first engagement as project leader in 15 years where I didn’t experience any big issues. I have more time to focus on internal IT without worrying about issues on Astec’s side.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

My recommendation for customers looking to work with any provider is to start with small projects. This will allow them to determine the collaboration roles. It’s the only reasonable way of managing the collaboration with a developer.