Caramel Point

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and the COO at a software factory called PlumLabs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Caramel Point?

We hired them for their custom software development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Caramel Point is currently working on an integration project for us. Key technologies involved in the project are: JavaScript, Node.js, and React.

What was the team composition? 

We work with four people from their side: a project manager, a pitch lead, a frontend developer, and a backend developer.

How did you come to work with Caramel Point?

We had worked with Caramel Point on other projects in the past. Based on those previous experiences, we found them to be a very good team — they delivered great results and worked well with us. We developed a sense of mutual trust.  Also, one of the owners of their company is from the same city we’re based in, so we already knew each other from before.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent between $30,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Caramel Point in October 2022, and it’s an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, everything is going very well, and our client is happy. We’ve received good feedback and are about to have the first release soon.

How did Caramel Point perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done a good job from a project management standpoint — they deliver everything within the agreed-upon budget. For communication, we use Slack for day-to-day interactions and send emails for invoices and administrative matters.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and professionalism have been impressive. Their ability to solve issues quickly stands out, too.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we are satisfied with Caramel Point’s work so far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior program manager for a blockchain and Web3 company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Caramel Point?

We needed help with custom application development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Caramel Point develops features and provides DevOps services so that we can promote code. The team uses React, JavaScript, and AWS to build pipelines that allow us to deploy on demand. They’ve also created a loyalty program application based on code done on the network blockchain.

They’ve helped a bit with the design, but the team has mainly focused on development, testing, and deployment.

What is the team composition?

We have between 5–7 team members working on the project. Esteban (Co-Founder) is the technical lead and our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Caramel Point?

They were a subcontractor for the main contractor we were working with. Our service provider went with them due to their technical expertise and ability to ramp up the team immediately. Caramel Point could get resources quickly and pull the team together.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent under $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2022, and our relationship is ongoing. It’ll be a six-month engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Caramel Point has met every acceptance criterion and provided the documentation we needed. They have initiative; the team knows what needs to be done, and they do it without being told. Moreover, they hit the ground running. The code is bug-free, and it meets our coding standards. Ultimately, Caramel Point has delivered product demos showcasing working features with technical documentation. 

How did Caramel Point perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent. They underpromise and overdeliver. The team hits the deadlines and communicates risks and issues all throughout the process so we can know what’s happening.

We have a daily standup meeting and various dedicated Slack channels for communication. We also share files on Google Drive and use Jira, Confluence, and Miro as project management tools to stay connected.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re results-oriented, dedicated, and customer-centric. They show initiative and have a human approach. Overall, Caramel Point understands us and everything that needs to happen. They’re a solid crew with good leadership; the team is professional and good at their job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t know what they could do differently. We have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should have a good understanding of your gaps, risks, and issues. If you have a better handle on that, it’s easier to ensure that the service provider doesn’t get caught up creating rework or miss the mark. The more you can plan, the better you’ll be when you’re outsourcing work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at an automotive dealership company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Caramel Point?

We developed a mobile wallet for a financial company that provides credits to purchase mobile vehicles. We hired Caramel Point to develop the backend and UI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Caramelo Point worked directly with our client’s team on the requirements. As for the features of the app, it included an onboarding process, loan refinement, user management, and a purchasing dashboard. In terms of technologies, they used React for the frontend, Node.js for the backend, and AWS for our database.

What was the team composition? 

We worked with several people from their side, including functional analysts, DevOps, front- and backend developers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Caramel Point?

I worked with them on previous projects.                                                                                                           

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from May–August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, they did a very good job. The final product is a private app that’s being used by our client’s inner network, so we don’t have any specific metrics to share.

How did Caramel Point perform from a project management standpoint? 

They met our expectations from a project management standpoint. They adhered to all deadlines and always updated us regarding the project’s progress. For managing tasks, we used Trello. For communication, we used Slack and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their quick problem-solving skills and strong project management capabilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We worked very well together, so I can’t think of anything that they could’ve improved on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I believe it is important to clearly show them the flow of the modules you need to develop. They have a great command of key technologies, and they can move forward very quickly if you provide them with the right information.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Way Too Digital, a blue chip Web3 Development Agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

WTD was launching a lot of custom NFT projects for clients so we decided to create an internal set of tools for improving the service. Caramel Point provided the engineering team that helped us manage and execute a robust and scalable codebase.

SOLUTION

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

For over a year we've been working on projects together, where Caramel Point's strong game in software engineering increase the quality of WTD client services, product design (branding, UX, UI), blockchain consultation, devops and QA services. So when we needed to incubate our own scalable long-term software product, we didn't hesitate about involving with Caramel Point engineers to the team composition.

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

Based on the UX/UI documents of WTD white-label NFT solution we provided, Caramel Point raised a lot of valid points for improvements and lead the team. The teck stack used was

• Next.js
• web3.js
• web3-onboard
• NodeJS
• Express
• Passport
• Swagger
• MongoDB
• AWS
• Sendgrid SDK
• EVM compatible blockchains (ETH, MATIC, AVAX)

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

The team composition was changing during the lifecycle but around 7 people worked on the project:

• x1 project manager
• x2 tech lead
• x4 full stack

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Robust is the word that summarizes better both the outcome and deliverables.

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

Their project management is impeccable, always on top of everything and when a new challenge presents itself, they show no fear and the next sprint they will come up with the issue solved. Caramel Point estimation are accurate for delivering a product you'll be proud of.

At first, everybody thinks "oh, this could have been done in less time" and that's why they are not considering all of the elements that Caramel Point knows that need to be taken into account. So when they tell you "it's xxx amount of effort", you know it's going to be precisely that. Wanna cut corners? Sure, give it a shot... but you'll be shooting your own foot. Belkieve me... we've done this many times for like 20 years. If you want software that it's not disposable, hire Caramel Point.

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

Their ability to move forward steadily in the present while they simultaneously work on getting ahead solving the challenges that are going to become roadbloacks if they are not tackled in time.

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

Caramel Point are team players and they play along great with their peers, even if they have to compensate when they are not up to the task, so since at first it takes some time to create a quick communication channel, I'd focus on pushing them to raise their hand quickly if they stumble upon with something that might not be beneficial for the project, even if it means throwing someone under the bus. But hey, that's me!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder & CEO of Neurocann

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide software that helps licensed cannabis businesses maintain compliance and manage operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Caramel Point to accomplish?

• Software Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Caramel Point?

Referral

Why did you select Caramel Point over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Caramel Point were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Take existing application and fix bugs, add additional features. Fixed our API integration with Metrc. Helped us embed Amazon QuickSight dashboards in our application. Added summary screen to Harvest feature.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Working API integration in Colorado, embedded QuickSight Dashboards, data pipelines from DynamoDB to QuickSight.

What was your primary form of communication with Caramel Point?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They have stayed on schedule. They are responsive to our needs.

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

The level of communication is very impressive. Their ability to fit the right engineers to each project is impressive.

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

I can't think of anything they could have done better.