Axon

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization was initially established as a financial/management consulting practice, but over the years has evolved into a technology/solution advisory role. Over the last number of years, I have worked on a solution designed for the government sector to help their agencies and caseworkers identify citizens most in need of their services. The solution helps users visualize many forms of data in a single dynamic map-based view and highlights clients that are in urgent need of government services and resources.

The solution is branded Social View and has broad-based applications across many health and human services agencies in government. While it is offered on a single enterprise-level platform, Social View can be configured to meet any agency's specific needs and use case.

I’m one of the principles of the firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Axon Development Group?

The challenge was essentially to replace antiquated systems. For the most part, state and local governments have fairly decent resources available to them, but allocating those resources to specific projects isn’t always the most streamlined process. For a lot of these organizations that have billions of dollars in technology budgets, they are still working with antiquated systems as mundane and fundamental as Excel spreadsheets. The challenge, that we then addressed with Axon Development Group, was to get state and local governments to transition into modern day technologies, systems, and methodologies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The focal point of the project where I saw a significant need in the government sector was the ability to visualize data. We approached Axon to help us to develop a solution in which state and local governments could visualize data on a map-based solution custom to various use cases.

For example, one of the use cases we worked on with Axon was for the government of Colombia. In Colombia, a large sector of their population currently lives in poverty. The government wanted to find a better and more efficient way to deploy services to that segment of the population. Unfortunately, that category of the population makes up almost 80% of the entire country, located in areas with poor service and little infrastructure. This makes it very difficult to not only gather information about the segment of the population, but also to disseminate information back and bring services and resources to those most in need.

What Axon did for us was develop a tool which has been branded The Social View. The tool is a map-based solution that takes data and visualizes it on a map-based view. The application itself has many different use cases. In the case of Colombia, the government is using the tool to determine the different factors that contribute to a person falling into the poverty level. The government uses the tool developed by Axon to geographically identify where the largest segment of their population may be susceptible to those risk factors, and then match that up with resources or infrastructure that can be deployed to that sector.

We've used the application for other use cases, such as for the Tampa Bay housing authority, which is an agency that provides low income housing to its population. Similar to the situation in Colombia, there are a number of risk factors that contribute to a person or family needing resources for shelter or assistance in finding a place to live. The Social View app helps to identify where these people are within the Tampa Bay population and then disseminate the appropriate resources to those people.

How did you come to work with Axon Development Group?

I was introduced to Axon Development Group through a family friend a number of years ago. This individual was someone whose opinion I respected.

I'm sure there are other technology providers in the marketplace other than Axon, but I have yet to see a provider that is quite so nimble, flexible, and enterprise-like. To me, their team offers the best of both worlds. The solution they developed can be modified and applied in a number of different use cases. It was also very cost effective which is another concern when you're dealing with state and local governments.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about a half million dollars.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Axon in May of 2015. The project was completed in December 2015. We are still working with them on future projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sister agencies within some of the state and local governments are seeking similar solutions, which I think speaks to the success we’ve had working with Axon.

Before developing The Social View, case workers were allocating 400 man hours every month, trying to gather data and make sense of it whereas now it’s almost instantaneous based on the system, creating an entirely new level of efficiency that didn’t exist before. Those same case workers now can literally spend more time on their case files and with their clients.

How did Axon Development Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They allocate a fair amount of resources to their projects. In addition to their team of engineers, they also have a dedicated team of business and systems analysts. They bring in one or two people depending on the number of users that will assist. They do a lot of hand-holding in the training of the application to get their user base up the learning curve fairly quickly. Quick and broad-based adoption of technology is one of the primary keys to a successful deployment and Axon dedicates lots of resources on the frontend implementation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed by their ability to understand use cases that they are not familiar with. Each use case we’ve worked on with Axon has its own configuration, its own sensitivities, and its own needs, and Axon has done a really good job of taking the time to understand how the end user would best be able to take advantage of the application. Unlike other technology companies that simply see a challenge and develop a solution around it, Axon has taken a much more personal approach to our projects which I think has also translated into a high level of appreciation from the end user’s perspective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As Axon’s team grows, I think it would be helpful for them to have a more prominent presence locally. What we have appreciated about working with them is the personal approach and the continued dialogue. As their company grows and they are able to allocate more resources, I think it would pay off for them to have more of a local presence.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

HAPI Networks is a small startup in San Jose, California. We connect users looking for places to park with other users who want to rent out their personal parking spaces. I am the VP of marketing and I also assist in development processes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Axon Development Group?

We needed a team of skilled backend software developers to architect and design the core functionalities of our service. We needed people to design the micro services, set up the databases, and run us through all the challenges of our project. Axon did all of the coding work and helped us to learn different software, such as JIRA.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We managed the project using JIRA, which is a tool that teams use to manage deliverables. We would create JIRA tickets that represented various sprints of the project that Axon would then work on. They used Java Spring in creating the backend of our services while our team created the frontend of the applications.

The app is built for both Android and iOS.

How did you come to work with Axon Development Group?

We've worked with a few other development teams in various countries before working with Axon. The other teams didn't work out as we expected. For one reason or the other, we ended up parting ways with them. We then went to Upwork to find and send requests to other firms, which is where we found Axon. Axon responded to our request and we interviewed them on Skype. We were really impressed with their knowledgeability which is the reason we hired them. They ended up worked out a lot better than all of the other teams did.

How much have you invested with Axon Development Group?

We were in the range of about $10,000 to $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Axon in the beginning of June 2017. We're not working with them currently because we ran out of funds. We plan to continue to work with Axon in the near future when we receive funding.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We didn't have any true success stories with our app because we never launched it. We viewed the success with the Axon team in the way they delivered what they said they were going to deliver. They did a really good job in creating reasonable tasks and timelines, and then executing on those timelines.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

The entire project was a collaborative process. We would regularly call them for advice on the system and how we could make it better. They always had a lot of great input. They also helped us learning these new technologies, like JIRA, which is what we used for project management. We didn't know anything about JIRA or how to navigate that service. Axon helped us to be more efficient in creating tasks and executing them.

What did you find most impressive about Axon Development Group?

They went above and beyond with everything. They were really flexible with their hours. They worked according to our schedule, even though we were ten hours behind them. They always did exactly what they said they were going to do. They were a really great team. I have nothing negative to say about Axon.

Are there any areas Axon Development Group could improve?

I don't have any real criticisms for the Axon team. It was a smooth experience from start to finish. They did a really good job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a startup company that is focused on building Telematics software based on vehicle tracking. We have a cloud-based solution that we provide to business clients looking for a vehicle tracking solution. I am the technical manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Axon Development Group?

Being a small company, we don’t have enough space for team members that can address user experience and user design challenges. We usually have to outsource for this capability, so we either hire someone to work with us for a short time or we outsource the whole project to companies, as we did with Axon Development Group.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The biggest project we used Axon for was when we were building our smartphone application. We had some doubts about how to organize the application and the layout, so we worked with Axon to develop a user experience. It was a design project in which we relied on Axon to give us a guideline document that would allow us to build the application correctly. We worked with two designers and user experience professionals along with their project manager. They provided some user experience samples and designs so we could organize the app correctly.

We’ve also been working with Axon on other smaller projects. We talk to them often when we want to get more details, usually on user experience and user design because that is where we don’t have any professionals working with us full-time.

How did you come to work with Axon Development Group?

It was a bit of a coincidence because I had an inside connection with a project manager that works at Axon whom I had previously worked with when she was at another company. She told me that Axon provided the kinds of services that we were looking for, so we approached them. It was a very good experience.

How much have you invested with Axon Development Group?

The cost of our application project was between $2,500 and $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Axon on developing our smartphone application in September 2016 and ended early December.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before working with the professionals at Axon, we had a lot of difficulties figuring out how we would transpose all of the things in our main desktop app into a smartphone app. We had many doubts about presenting our data, creating hierarchies, and the workflow of the whole process. Axon was very helpful in asking a lot of questions, presenting ideas, giving feedback, and providing suggestions. They were very patient with us given that we didn’t have much experience with mobile apps. Without Axon, the app would be chaotic and difficult to use. With Axon, the outcome of the layout and the workflow has now made the app very easy to use.

How did Axon Development Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was their strongest point. They kept us in the loop daily with updates. They are very easy to talk to. They kept asking questions if needed. Sometimes, they ask questions that we haven’t thought about. With Axon, it felt like they were working with us. There is a feeling that the project is theirs. They ask the right questions and go beyond the scope to make sure that the outcome of the project is of quality. I never felt that I was disconnected from the project. When it ended, we got exactly what we were looking for and never felt lost in the process.

What did you most impressive about Axon Development Group?

Their communication is very good and clear. It’s very easy to work with them. In terms of user experience and user interface design, which was our scope, the outcome was very good. The quality of work they did for us was very good. I’ve worked with other companies before and communication is always difficult, particularly in a country where English is not the main language.

Are there any areas Axon Development Group could improve?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Brocolle is a small company. Our main project is to simplify the life of students. I am the Technical Officer and a co-owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Axon Development Group?

Even though we have a Chief Technology Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and business analysts, we decided to outsource a development team to build the Brocolle application for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The idea of the product is to provide solutions to students – mobile applications that can be sold to the students to make things easier around campus. For instance, if a student wants to buy an iPhone, that student can buy a new one or can look to purchase a used one within the campus. There are a lot of similar services out there in the market, but what makes Brocolle unique is that our students know they are secure in that they are only purchasing from other students within their campus. We had the idea, and Axon created the product and delivered it to the market. In terms of technologies, Axon provided support during the product development lifecycle. They created the service side of the application, the management portal, and the mobile iOS application.

How did you come to work with Axon Development Group?

When we began looking for a development group, we started with Axon because I have a personal contact with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Axon Development Group in approximately August 2015. We just finished developing the product after one year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is available in the marketplace, but we just started in September and we are working on popularizing the application amongst the students. We will have to spend some additional finance for that. So far, we have some users and they are quite satisfied. There are some features that should be developed further, but the general impression is very good.

How did Axon Development Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very flexible and had good communication. The project management team was good in being flexible to our changing requirements.

What did you find most impressive about Axon Development Group?

There are quite a lot of vendors on the market and they all work differently. What’s interesting about Axon is that they have a deep knowledge of the architecture. They provided the architecture and explained how things should be developed in some ways over others. There are a lot of people on the Axon team, so we weren’t working with just one single person.

Are there any areas Axon Development Group could improve?

To be honest, I cannot tell right now what should be improved. At this time, all the requirements that we requested to be implemented from their side have been completed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the tech COO of the company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed an external team to develop a new software

SOLUTION

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

Axon has been recommended to us by one of our partner

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

Desktop software built in Electron JS to trigger document scans and listen to a barcode scanner

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

We worked with a team of 4 people: 

• 1 JS developer 
• 1 QA analyst 
• 1 Product Manager
• 1 Business Analyst

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything worked really well, though the team worked remotely

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

Communication and planning were great We worked with Slack which is pretty convenient. Most of the time, the team was immediately available to make a call or reply to questions.

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

I liked the expertise of the whole team and the relevance of the answers and suggestions

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

Time spent reports could be shared at the end of each week

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Team Leader

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Tier2 support

SOLUTION

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

Previously worked with Axon

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

Alert solving and Production monitoring

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

4

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Usually, it was very good.

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

It is very comfortable.

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

Nothing to say regarding that.

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

Better monitoring of the employees

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an edtech company with multiple systems and platforms for our users, customers and internal admins and content creators.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Axon for a critical project to upgrade our admin licensing system.

SOLUTION

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

Through interviews and referral.

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

We run the project in sprints, and took on various epics related to licensing.

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

1-4 at different times of the project.

• BE development
• analyst
• P.m.
• QA

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

System upgrade on time ahead of a tight deadline.

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

Very structured and clean.

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

Their flexibility in working hours and good quality deliveries are outstanding.

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

If staff spoke even better English, it could be even easier to work together.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Smart Wearable company based in Toronto, Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To develop a Mobile app. Our goal was to develop an iOS application from scratch.

SOLUTION

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

They matched our requirements perfectly as we were looking for an IT provider with a solid reputation in mobile apps development.

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

The main purpose of the app is focused on smart apparel management which is based on BLE technology.

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

iOS developer, QA, business analyst, project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Work has been completed on the project, and an app is currently released on the AppStore. Overall, the quality of their services was phenomenal.

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

They took the project in very fast, perfectly understood it and created the formal specifications documentations, and got to work. Deliveries were perfect despite the complexity of the project and their communication was quite impressive. They even went out of their way to give recommendations that improved the app's performance and user experience drastically.

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

Their great management of the team workflow and their on-time development delivery. Communication was also very professional and enjoyable.

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

None at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a software company developing a ticketing app

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Axon to develop a Flutter mobile application. Our goals was to create a sport mobile app

SOLUTION

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

We found out about this company through LinkedIn and they made us a reasonable offer.

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

We were planning to develop an app that offers sports event professionals an online ticketing solution as well as a catalog of services ranging from club communication management to the development of personalized IT tools.

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

PM, Flutter developer, Business Analyst, QA

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Axon team delivered a solution on-time as previously agreed.

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

We maintained daily communication with team members. The workflow was managed efficiently and effectively.

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

Axon is a team of professionals. I’d readily recommend them.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Product Owner at Splento - visual services, photography, and videography products for B2B.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Axon?

We hired Axon for mobile app development services.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create an Android application for Splento.

SOLUTION

How did you select Axon?

We were interested in their cases and expertise specifically in the mobile development niche. Axon drew our greatest interest from among the other candidates.

Describe the project in detail.

Splento is a food photo application enhanced by AI technology. The app serves as an on-screen assistant, giving end-users directions for distance, lighting, focus, layout among other features. Our goal for this project was to cover more end-users for devices using the Android platform.

What was the team composition?

2 Android developers, QA engineer, business analyst and project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The development phase was performed on schedule and we have also launched an application on Google Play recently.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Aside from the whole development stage which had to be organized as quickly as possible, Axon created a high-quality app from scratch for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their proactive approach and the ability to find unconventional solutions and apply them to our challenges was great.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No