Avenga

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a data engineer and analyst for an insurance tech company. We provide a platform for on-demand insurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Core Value?

Our analytics team needed help in all things data-related, so we contracted with their data science and engineering team. Our company provides everything from software engineering to data science work and extract, transform, load (ETL).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built and maintained analytics databases from scratch. We also added their data science portion, for analysis of those databases. They produced in-depth analysis of our product and how to improve it.

What is the team composition?

We worked with eight people from their team, including the project manager.

How did you come to work with Core Value?

They were brought in before my time at the company. We’d gotten good referrals for them in the past, and decided to bring them on.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend over $50,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in late 2015 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve built several key databases, which store all the important KPIs we need in order to make decisions. Deploying those databases and making sure they’re continually operational is a tremendous success story, given that Core Value has done it in such a small amount of time.

The data is quite accurate and it’s supported multiple products and markets successfully. Our ETLs are running smoothly. Data is coming in and going out with no issues. We’ve been able to leverage that data for reporting to partners and for internal processes.

From a data science perspective, the people from Core Value involved in the work have had tremendous success. They’ve helped us detect and reduce fraud by a large portion, by providing key metrics in that direction.

They’ve been able to improve our product and ad spend significantly, informing our team on our marketing targets, and how to improve efficiency.

How did Core Value perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re in touch with them daily, and they’re very much integrated into everything we do. They’ve taken on a lot of work and consistently delivered on it. We work in an agile setting, with two-week sprints. Our velocity has increased, and the whole company has started working in the same methodology. The analytics velocity is always high, and that’s largely because of Core Value’s effort.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the most impressive things about them is their ability to understand our business, and not just the technical implementation. They understand why and how we’re doing things. Core Value is an offshore team thousands of miles away, but they’re very much integrated with our product line. They always ask key questions and they have a vision of what our company is trying to do, and how they’re contributing to that effort.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They’re worth considering as an offshore partner, and we haven’t run into issues regarding communication nor effectiveness.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of a computer software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solidbrain?

We were in need of experienced developers to expand the capabilities of our team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Solidbrain provides a developer who is experienced with a broad spectrum of technologies, including VR. He assists the team on projects from initial conceptualization to development. He also advises on new technologies and provides QA services as well. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with one developer, but if we need to scale, we have access to more on their team as needed. 

How did you come to work with Solidbrain?

I came across the developer we work with on Slack, and we started discussing the project we were working on and what he recommended. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Solidbrain has provided a lot of valuable guidance and helped create a formal MVP, which has had positive impacts on our customer base. Bugs have been minimal, and the quality of their work and support has been outstanding. 

How did Solidbrain perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been great to work with, guiding us through a new world of technology while managing the process efficiently. They've been very understanding of the fact that we're a startup. We can always reach them through email and Slack. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by both their communications and knowledge in the space we're exploring.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they've been very transparent and responsive to any feedback we've had. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Start a conversation with their team about project needs and be open-minded as they provide advice regarding the best ways to bring the product to fruition. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior project manager of Simplifield.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Core Value Inc.?

We needed to develop a Salesforce integration with our main product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with them to build a team that could deliver our code with a quick turnaround. They started from our existing back end code and the results of an existing code review and built the integration on top of our platform. They used Angular JS and Apex on the Salesforce side and JavaScript for some other things.

Once we had that initial challenge squared away, we started focusing more on future development. We created a more structured workflow that included building our roadmap, logging items that needed work, and managing those logged tasks. Our side handled the logs, and they worked in sprints to make the changes. After about three months, we had completed the first stage of the project and ran a code review. The second stage involved fixing any errors we found during the audit. In the final stage, they worked on new features for us. They also reviewed and repaired our legacy code.

What is the team composition?

We initially worked with three people from their team but ended up with seven, including two Salesforce developers and two NodeJS developers.

How did you come to work with Core Value Inc.?

I’d worked with them at a previous job. I’d been happy with the quality of their deliverables, so when we needed to change contractors on this project, I thought of them. After tasking them with an initial project, we were satisfied that they’d be able to deliver.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team managed the development at a consistent pace and delivered things on schedule. When we planned the features we wanted to be developed, we’d estimated that it should take six or seven months and that’s about how long it took. Within the span of under a year, we managed to deliver three major releases of our product and are working on the fourth. We’ve successfully installed the platform for one live client and done several demos. We’ve also been able to update successfully for our client without running into any errors.

How did Core Value Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

I handled the project management overall and coordinated with the project manager/scrum master from their team. He coordinated things on their side and was highly involved in the project. He ensured that the processes from our side were executed correctly and always provided proper metrics for product follow-up. We were always alerted if there were delays or if project components wrapped up ahead of schedule. They did a great job of communicating so we could adjust our priorities, plans, and potential executions as needed.

In terms of communication, we held a sprint planning call at the beginning of each week and a review call at the end of the week. We’d also connect by phone as needed if there were crucial issues that required more detailed discussion. We also used a project management tool to exchange technical details and information that the development team needed. If necessary, we’d also touch base over Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The first version of our platform was built by a legacy team, and when we went to install it for a live client, we realized it hadn’t been properly tested for large volumes of data. We couldn’t proceed until the errors were fixed and the Core Value Inc. team addressed most of those bugs and gaps in the code within one week.

In another instance, we had a partner who installed Salesforce for a client and was supposed to build out some processes on top of our platform. These weren’t built correctly, and we couldn’t connect back to them to get the errors fixed. Our client needed the repairs quickly, so we asked Core Value Inc.’s team to investigate the system. They located the issue, fixed it, and retroactively applied the patches to catch up on all of the data updates that hadn’t happened while the processes weren’t working.

In both of these cases, they took ownership of code they hadn’t built, deciphered the problems, and resolved them promptly. Their reaction time was great, and their technical competency was impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. We repeatedly adjusted the process throughout our collaboration and the team was always flexible. They were quick to adopt new ways of doing things or handle changes in scope. Some of the team members had weaker English skills, but it wasn’t an issue because they collaborated with those who were stronger. Most of the communication was in writing, so language didn’t impact the project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We worked in close collaboration with the account manager, who did a great job, and that worked well for us. If there are any prevalent issues or bottlenecks, they can help find a solution. Core Value Inc. was always very flexible and proactive in offering assistance.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm part of the product team at a data marketplace. We're building a platform that will allow businesses and ultimately individuals to work with, share, sell, and buy data. Our marketplace is open to virtually anyone. Users who publish data have fine-grain control over who can see it, who is involved within the platform itself, and who cannot access it. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perfectial?

We hired Perfectial to help us start building our platform from scratch and develop the prioritized features on our roadmap.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Perfectial focused on frontend development because we had strong backend capabilities in-house. They programmed the code in JavaScript. Our platform contains four main components. For the initial marketplace, the team helped us develop core features like the registration, login, profile creation. They also built out the capability to ingest data onto the platform. From there, we developed MVP versions of various other pieces. 

What is the team composition? 

The number of people we worked with from Perfectial waxed and waned over time depending on our budget and development needs. They allocated 10 resources at one stage. Towards the end, we worked with a team of five. A project manager served as our main point of contact throughout the process. 

How did you come to work with Perfectial?

One of our co-founder's contacts recommended Perfectial. They described the team as a particularly reliable and responsive outsourced development option. Our engagement worked out quite well, so we continued working together for quite some time. 

How much have you invested with them?

The cost varied over time depending on the team size. On average, we spent about €20,000 (approximately $23,000 USD) per month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Perfectial from August 2017–September 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Week upon week, Perfectial produced the promised deliverables we needed to achieve as we built certain features. We could roll back into the seventh-month view and see all the work we accomplished on a monthly basis. The team’s success lay in the impressive number of features we managed to build together successfully. They resolved all the issues we experienced and met our deadlines on time. 

How did Perfectial perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was great. They maintained good communication at all times both towards us and within their internal team. Since we're based in different countries, corresponding could be difficult at times. Overall project management was well-coordinated. The team thoroughly understood our priorities and what needed to be done. We were well-matched. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Perfectial's method of working was quite reliable. They were responsive, available, committed to our project, and always willing to go the extra mile. Rather than treating us like just another client, we felt that their team fully contributed to our project. They considered aspects beyond our exact requirements. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Perhaps they could form a better approach to working with startups. They used generic pricing and packaging that could be stretched across the average stencil of a company. I think it would benefit them to take on a more case-by-case mentality. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, not particularly. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of AMMI Systems. We build AI chatbots and conversational AI, and we have our own product called UMA. We have been in business for two years and just launched UMA last week.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Core Value Inc.?

We needed some help with software development on our iOS platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Core Value has helped us to build certain components of our product, UMA. We engaged with them quite early on to oversee iOS development. UMA is a bespoke application for iPad, which includes a room booking panel that sits outside a meeting room. They developed the booking functionality to build off of an existing mobile app that syncs to the booking panel.

The entire process, from initial call to completion, took about six weeks. Once we went over the scope, they assigned all the right people and got the project started.

What is the team composition?

We had four people on our team, including a project manager and a number of QA analysts.

How did you come to work with Core Value Inc.?

A mutual contact from our community of software developers recommended them. They were a good cultural fit for us, so we called them. After those initial calls, we decided to work together.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The contract started in October 2018. We’re looking to secure a 12-month arrangement to bring them on as a more permanent contractor.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched our product last week and already have multiple deployment requests from customers. In a week, our pipeline increased by 50%, and we’ve seen some platform growth. They were in charge of about 15% of the total product, but their work on the frontend of the iPad application made our work much easier. The design is great, and people really like the visual display. Core Value also did a great job with the backend.

How did Core Value Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They are outstanding and deserve high praise. Nothing was too complicated for them, and everything about their process is straightforward and free of any trouble. My CTO communicated with them in daily huddles, and I spoke with them once a week at our regular check-ins. Every time they pushed a release, they gave us a demonstration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The process was simple and straightforward, and the whole experience was really seamless. They were a pleasure to work with, and our entire team had a very comfortable rapport with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I genuinely can’t think of anything they should improve. They’re a great company.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them show you the way. They have a lot of experience and a solid knowledge base. If you have any issues or doubts, let them help you. They are creative and will work best if you let them be a part of your team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a360inc, a technology and outsourcing company that provides services to law firms in the mortgage default marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CoreValue Services?

Our software requires frequent updates to keep up with the ever-evolving legal industry. We needed more resources to manage the changing dynamics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As an extension of our in-house R&D team, CoreValue Services assists with prototype and software development. We typically work with the project managers to identify the business need, and their developers use the problem statement to create a solution. Their team also provides ongoing support and maintenance after the products are released.

One of the most recent business intelligence (BI) solutions that they’ve developed is a dashboard platform that aggregates data from disparate systems. They’re currently helping us renovate the UI of an archaic platform that we acquired.

What is the team composition?

Depending on the size of the project, the development team can range from 4–10 programmers.

How did you come to work with CoreValue Services?

They had an existing relationship with an ownership group that we acquired, so we decided to continue business with them. After experiencing their collaborative and innovative philosophy, we decided to make them our exclusive development partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend a little more than $500,000 with them annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

The prior ownership group had a decade-long partnership with them before we came onboard in 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Without CoreValue Services, most of our product concepts would be stagnant and ineffective. The quality and accuracy are consistently high; the few defects that occur are immediately remedied.

How did CoreValue Services perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a powerful team of project managers and business analysts who fully-committed to our success. We have an eight-hour time difference, but they use it as an advantage to deliver work for us ahead of schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Although they have full-suite capabilities across the development ecosystem and a solid background in .NET and Salesforce, CoreValue Services’ affinity for collaboration and innovation is their greatest strength. Most vendors need detailed instructions to build a satisfactory product, but CoreValue Services only require a problem statement to develop a viable solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re wonderful in every respect, but our partnership would greatly benefit from more in-office meetings.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Developing strong relationships with their senior leaders has helped us tremendously. To get the most out of the engagement, avoid being overly prescriptive and allow them to take the lead in the conceptual stages.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO at QPharma.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CoreValue Services?

We do a lot of software development and we couldn’t find enough people with the right skill set, particularly engineers who knew React Native. Hiring costs in the States were also prohibitive, so we wanted to outsource.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For their initial project, we asked them to build an app for Android and iOS using React Native. We use their developers to create the apps and our in-house team handles maintenance and support after the apps are completed.

In addition to mobile app development, they also do a fair amount of web development and a lot of Oracle development and support, including integration with other applications. One of the biggest projects that they’ve worked on recently involved migrating our data to Amazon Web Services (AWS). Not only were we moving the data, we also needed to implement a disaster recovery setup that would allow us to keep our data in two regions simultaneously in the event of server failure.

What is the team composition?

Our in-house tech lead oversees their developers and QA testers as if they’re part of our team. The number varies depending on the project, but it’s gone as high as 35 people before.

How did you come to work with CoreValue Services?

I knew of them through a colleague at a previous job. Some of their representatives had also approached our CEO about doing work for us. One of the major reasons we decided to hire them, aside from their expertise, was that they had a deep bench in terms of how many developers they could dedicate to a project.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost varies month to month, but the total is probably close to $2 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2016 and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their assistance with our data migration and database replication helped us meet client disaster recovery requirements. Without it, we would have lost business.

How did CoreValue Services perform from a project management standpoint?

Since we integrate their staff with ours, they’re part of our daily status meetings and we touch base with them throughout the day. We’ve also given them access to Jira so they can track tickets directly, much like our regular employees.

It’s fortunate that the time difference in Ukraine is reasonable and we can incorporate their staff into our workday smoothly. The workers are reliable and pretty flexible with scheduling.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve never been able to find so many developers of this caliber so quickly in the States.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While they’re very good working from Ukraine, it would be good if they had local employees available that we could bring in. I’d rather work with their developers for everything, but we sometimes have to use local consultants for things CoreValue can’t do remotely.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you find the right balance between in-house staff and the remote team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Olo is a software as a service (SaaS) company that offers a digital-ordering technology product line for the North American restaurant industry. More than 50% percent of public restaurant brands in the U.S. use our platform. We enable digital ordering capabilities for their guests. I am senior VP of engineering, responsible for product development.

SOLUTION

What challenge were you trying to address with Corevalue Services?

We engaged them when we were still a small engineering team. At the time, we wanted to tap the outsourced market as a source of skilled developers to help us accelerate the development of new product features and third-party integrations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What was the scope of their involvement?

We assign their developers to a diverse array of projects. Their team supports us from a development or QA capacity using .NET, C#, F#, and our Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform.

Specifically, their developers are instrumental in helping us build out point of sales integrations for client’s third-party systems. They work with our US-based managers and developers to scope out the specific requirements for any given integration.

What is the team composition?

We work with 10 developers and 6 to 7 testers.

How did you come to work with Corevalue Services?

Our COO had a prior relationship with this vendor. I met with them to get a sense of what they could bring to the table. We brought a couple of developers on board and a good initial experience led us to grow the team.

How much have you invested with them?

Over time we've increased our investment, and have spent over $2 million over the course of our engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2014 and the work is ongoing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for an international company that develops robotics, electrical equipment, and automation processes. I specifically work in the department that delivers mobile solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Solidbrain?

We needed to improve the company’s user experience for booking rooms and all our offices around the world. The system needed to display room attributes such as Skype and video call compatibility, or flip chart and whiteboard access. Our current Outlook system didn’t have an inbuilt solution. Our business team approached us to build a solution to this problem and make our internal booking system better, which was a challenge for us because it wouldn't be a mobile system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our main goal was to develop a web and desktop Outlook application for a new room booking system. First, we introduced our business requirements and challenges during the project’s discovery phase. We had concept meetings with the stakeholders, who were introduced to them from the initial phase of the project. In addition to programming, they helped bring the concept to life. Our user interface designers cooperated with their team, and they helped us with development capabilities. They helped us design, develop, and implement the software as a plug-in for Outlook.

They helped us develop specific features for the system as well. We wanted a search feature that would allow any user to search for a room based on its attributes, name, and description. We also wanted users to be able to see the room’s characteristics such as its video conferencing capabilities, size, and space. We wanted a feature that allowed users to easily forward a meeting to another attendee and allow them to propose a room invitation. They integrated everything with Microsoft Exchange to store meeting and room details. They also added images to the system, so users could see a room before booking. They helped us speed up the system through a caching solution, making communication, UX, and results display faster on screen.  

What is the team composition?

We primarily interfaced with the team leader, who served as our point of contact and represented their team. However, we also worked with a user interface designer, a developer, and a QA specialist.

How did you come to work with Solidbrain?

Before I joined the company two years ago, the company already had a history of collaborations with them. They were one of the teams selected for this project because they are our preferred vendor. They provided the estimates, and we decided working with them was a good choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started collaborating on concept designs for this project in July 2017, and we finished the system in January 2018. However, we have worked with them on a number of past projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s still early to gauge the impact of the new system. It has been launched for a limited group of users in our Polish office, and if it proves to be a success, we will use it globally. Currently, I don't have any results from the initial pilot release. Throughout development, we encountered some bugs, but they were always discussed and tracked during our weekly check-ups. The final product was bug-free, and they were extremely efficient in tracking and eliminating system issues.

How did Solidbrain perform from a project management standpoint?

I had a communication rule; we had a meeting each Friday to review what was accomplished that week, and we also planned the work for the next week. I had one or two short calls weekly with their team leader to ensure they were on track and see if they needed anything from us. We didn't need to micromanage them or communicate with them all the time because they were organized.

I really enjoyed working with them because they had a lot of initiative. In the past, I have worked with developers that waited for tasks and specific commands. In contrast, Solidbrain provided those weekly demos and presented their results before I asked. We simply moved on to other iterations, so I really appreciated their energy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They didn’t treat this as simply another project. They were truly engaged in the work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything progressed smoothly, so I don't have any specific areas that could be improved. If I could start the project from the beginning, I would pretty much do it the same way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a startup software as a service [SaaS] company for prescription management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Perfectial?

I needed a firm that could bring my software idea to life. They needed to be familiar with developing SaaS that's secure, cloud-based, and able to be used by numerous stakeholders. Also, a lot of healthcare platforms are boring, and I wanted a company that could design a consumerism feel that was user-friendly for patients, healthcare professionals, pharmacy fulfillment companies, etc.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before hiring Perfectial, I had wireframes build for the various pages and components of the software. I shared those with Perfectial to clearly explain the functionality of our software and how it will modernize and update prescription management in the U.S. Four stakeholders will have their own portal into the software, so we had to build out the components for each one of them and figure out how to interlink them all together.

Everyone will be able to log in and have access to manage a prescription, all the way to delivery. Patients and physicians will have profiles that are interoperable with an electronic health record and they’ll be able to communicate and process the entire prescription through our software system.

Besides the software, Perfectial also built our website. Perfectial was also instrumental in helping me develop the appropriate documents and diagrams for my patent.

What is the team composition?

We had a consistent team of seven people: a project manager, two backend and two frontend engineers, a UX/UI designer, and a quality assurance engineer.

How did you come to work with Perfectial?

I did a lot of research into SaaS development and found five different firms, but Perfectial rose to the top. I actually switched to a different company, and they met my needs, but I eventually returned to Perfectial because they were proactive and kept me informed on what stage the project was in.

The process we went through before even signing a contract was what really convinced me they’d be a great partner. They brought all the right people to our interviews, so they were able to clearly articulate what they could do for me and back it up with examples of their past work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $40,000–$70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in January and built the prototype by August. We’re still in the early stages of development, and now we’re testing the product with customers to get their feedback. We’ll continue to work with Perfectial to make iterative changes before we go live.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone who’s tested the software loves it. We still need to change some of the functions, but Perfectial has done a great job. The prescription process is highly fragmented and complex, and Perfectial has been instrumental in making sure we have a product that streamlines the process and is developed for specific stakeholders in mind.

How did Perfectial perform from a project management standpoint?

I worked with them on a weekly basis for about five months to get the product to where it is today.

We use JIRA and a couple of other software systems to manage communication, but we mainly use email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m not very knowledgeable in the technology field, and Perfectial was great at helping me understand some of the more intricate aspects of this work. They can help someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience in software to understand the process and how things will be developed and accomplished.

I also appreciate that I’ve had the same team throughout this entire process. They’ve all helped me translate my ideas and feedback into meaningful output as it relates to the software. Perfectial has a comprehensive and effective workflow, which makes them a great partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any issues with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?