BrainCode

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the managing director of a recruiting and outsourcing company operating in a couple of countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrainCode?

We wanted an application tracking system (ATS) to streamline our business operations.

What were your goals for this project?

We sought more process automation. Recruiting requires a lot of manual labor, so every opportunity to automate can improve our efficiency.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We checked a couple of recommendations from the market, and after meetings with four potential partners, we chose BrainCode. They understood our industry and its specifics very well.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We started with a discovery session and drew out the requirements of the system. Then they created the design, followed by a development phase and a lot of testing.

What was the team composition?

I was in contact with a project manager on a weekly basis discussing the system, and he liaised with the whole project team. We worked with a designer and frontend and backend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team was very engaging and had prior experience in building systems for human resources, so they shared lots of interesting features and possibilities that we could implement.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Everything went according to plan. There were minor delays; however, we were informed of them in advance and they did not significantly impact the whole development process.

Communication was fluent, and we resolved issues quickly. We used Slack for back and forth discussion about the small details and design reviews. They were always available for discussion when we needed them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their understanding of our problem was really impressive. Their experience helped them address the challenges we faced.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re very satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own a design business. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BrainCode?

All of our employees were assigned to projects, so we needed outside help to build our own website. The challenge was to develop a high-quality website quickly.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to develop the website fast and integrate a lot of third-party connections to attract more traffic.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended by Invest in Pomerania. I initially had three potential vendors, but BrainCode was the quickest and the most experienced.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We started with an initial design and a plan for which third-party applications would improve lead generation. They delivered part of the website each week. After delivering all the sections, we ran the final tests and approved the project.

What was the team composition?

The had a project manager, one frontend developer, one backend developer, a designer, and a tester. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website works, and I can clearly see how potential customers navigate it. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had daily standups, so I knew what the team was doing. Our designer understood what I needed. We used Slack and Hangouts for communication, Trello for project management, and Zepplin for transferring designs to development. We had a few delays, but it didn't affect the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their well-documented processes. In small companies, development is generally hectic. They managed everything well and followed a good delivery process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The price was a little high, but we needed the website fast.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a deputy director at a direct investment organization. We act as a frontline for local development agencies, boosting growth in one of Poland’s most prominent regions. My role is largely mixed; I’m part of the management team, but I’m also responsible for improving processes inside the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BrainCode?

We wanted to improve our internal customer query flow and implement a better system for processing foreign direct investment queries and projects. Because we serve the public, we needed to uphold our processes, but, at the same time, make them more efficient.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BrainCode helped us create a digital processing system to manage tenders online, allowing specific departments within our company to address issued invoices in a real-time manner. The software automated internal circulation without disrupting any other operative flows.

What is the team composition?

I mainly interfaced with Anton (Co-Founder, BrainCode).

How did you come to work with BrainCode?

We looked at a multitude of different companies that we received personal referrals for and a few agencies that we’d worked with in the past. I’d met Anton previously, and he was strongly recommended by a mutual connection because he had a mix of business development experience and technical abilities. After speaking with a variety of vendors ranging in size, we ultimately chose BrainCode.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from December 2017–June 2018. We first spoke about two weeks before the start date. Currently, we reach out when we have questions or need to make changes to the system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the new system, we’re able to work more efficiently and with more discipline. We have better control over our processes, saving us time, effort, and money and reducing the possibility of mistakes. Overall, the deliverable isn’t perfect, but we expected that. The system deals with complex legal and social elements, so, with that in mind, the product aligns with what we wanted.

How did BrainCode perform from a project management standpoint?

Initially, I didn’t expect much in terms of project management, having worked with various companies in the past, but they performed well. Because they’re an international team, we only interacted with one resource on a personal level. We communicated with other staff via Slack, allowing for full transparency. Generally, it was an efficient collaboration.

BrainCode provided designated experts to help explain the technical parts of the project. Sometimes their ideas weren’t very practical, leading to several misunderstandings. Aside from that, their team showed an unwavering commitment to our project. They were very receptive to feedback and proactively fixed any problems at our request. Once they had a firm grasp on our requirements, they presented us with optimal approaches to each task. Their problem-solving skills are very impressive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their UX design strategies. They were very user-oriented. It was clear that they had our best interests in mind, showing a high level of availability and flexibility throughout the engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They worked very hard, but I think the pace could’ve been faster. Additionally, we had several misunderstandings, but none of which caused any major delays. When we told them that we wanted something done differently, they willingly made the changes.

Any advice for potential customers?

Give BrainCode the time to work through problems, but keep an open dialogue throughout the project. Clients should provide the team with all of the information necessary for the project and set their benchmarks high. I also recommend giving real-time feedback because they can quickly adjust to changing needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-owner and CEO of Lingroom, a platform designed to connect potential students of new languages with teachers in Poland. Lingroom was designed for face-to-face courses. Teachers and students can connect, book and manage lessons, change dates, and more. There are options for finding and reviewing teachers and booking lessons. Teachers have the option to create their own profile which is visible for all platform users and add their unique offer of language courses. Unlike other platforms of this nature, we offer teachers two types of cooperation - B2B or employment contract.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BrainCode?

We needed someone to develop our platform. With another company, we unsuccessfully started writing a brief describing the main functionalities but didn’t go beyond that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the work from scratch. We started with a proof of concept (POC) for the web app. We are currently finishing that app and also working on an Android version. We have implemented Google Analytics on the site. A payment functionality is integrated into the app enabling credit cards and other payment methods.

The POC was released, and we are planning to release a commercial version of the product this month. It’s not in its final stages, but it is at a stage at which we would like to stop and see how it fares from a commercial point of view. The platform is almost released.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had 7–8 people on our team. One of them is involved only in specific stages of the project. We have six resources at the moment.

How did you come to work with BrainCode?

We searched the Polish market looking for partners with experience working on similar projects to ours. We made a short list of 5–6 candidates including BrainCode. We had meetings with each one, asking them to present their experience. Initially, we hired another company. After three months, we decided not to continue with them. We had maintained contact with BrainCode for a short consultancy engagement and found them to be good. After we stopped the unsuccessful collaboration, we made sure to go to BrainCode. They provided support and represented themselves honestly.

How much have you invested with them?

We are close to €100,000 ($119,775 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BrainCode in September 2017 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve consulted us regarding the limits of the web. They gave good guidance for balancing site function development and delivering on time and within the budget. This is the greatest impact I’ve seen, apart from the professional job of creating our software. They put a lot of focus on making the platform usable. There are things that we can do first, and then we can add the extras. This is a very good approach.

All the feedback we’ve received so far has been positive. Globally, there are a lot of similar and nicely made platforms, but the Polish market is behind the trend. The teachers who’ve registered on our platform have been impressed by the high level of programming and the ease of working with the platform. It’s a nice product to them, on par with the best examples in the industry.

How did BrainCode perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve handled project management along with the owner of BrainCode. We have a coordination meeting every week. They are always available on chat if something needs to be clarified, even on weekends. We’ve had effective communication using Trello and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been positively impressed with the level of their creativity. We haven’t needed to provide detailed explanations of what we need in terms of buttons and other elements. We discussed things generally and received a nicely executed frontend. It’s stylish and good-looking, and it also has good functionalities behind it. I didn’t expect such a good combination. I have a good feeling about the level of the company.

Secondly, compared to the general market or development company standards, BrainCode is rather sharp. If we discuss doing something, it will be done. Delays are unavoidable, but they never disappeared or failed to reply to us. They execute everything in time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The quality of resources they use is sometimes not at the level we would want. The professional level of their people could be improved through a better preselection process. This is difficult to do remotely.

They are very friendly and supportive, but they also need to be stern and refuse us if the task is too complicated or they don’t have the resources for it. It’s difficult to balance being customer-oriented and pay attention to limits.