Codex Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of R&D for Axiell Group. We are in the library, museum, and archive automation software solutions business. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codex Software?

We hired Codex Software for staff augmentation because we needed developers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We normally go about the process by speaking to a manager and letting them know our needs; Codex Software gets back to us with suggestions for candidates and their information. Their developers augment our team and offer suggestions on our products. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a few managers and about 15 of their developers. 

How did you come to work with Codex Software?

We acquired a company already working with Codex Software, and we kept them on and have continued to work with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $500,000–$2 million. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been happy with their services, and for the most part, the candidates align with our needs. Their developers have grown into our team, and they are very valuable individuals. 

How did Codex Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They meet deadlines and stay on budget; we use Jira for project management and Microsoft Teams for communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The coders are easy to work with and dedicated to the projects. They have initiative, and they take on challenges which we appreciate. Codex Software always delivers on their commitment, and they challenge us to make better products. They have melded into our teams seamlessly, and we have a strong relationship with them. We also appreciate that we can work with them side by side or remotely.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We can’t think of anything at this point. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Speak to them because they are incredibly flexible and can adapt.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a dynamic pricing SaaS startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codex Software?

We needed to build the front- and backend of our application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codex Software implemented the design that a designer did for us and developed what we wanted. The project was quite comprehensive; it was close to two years long, and it was a combination of big data and a regular content stack.

What is the team composition?

We had between 3–5 teammates depending on the project phase. We worked with senior and junior developers, a QA person, and a data science professional.

How did you come to work with Codex Software?

Someone recommended them to me.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April 2016–April 2018. They still do maintenance for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured the success by the user feedback we received and the KPIs associated with performance. In the end, we had users, and the system worked as expected without much lag time.

How did Codex Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Although the deadlines changed because there was a bit of scope creep, Codex Software met the deadlines. We communicated with them through Slack, Google Meet, or Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was great, and the results met our expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The junior developers were less fluent in English than the senior developers, so communication with them was sometimes slower. Aside from that, there wasn’t anything to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any offshore team, you must include them in your daily processes. Make sure they’re always involved in the meetings and included in the communication so they can interact and participate in the conversation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Analytium Ltd. is a UK-based IT consultancy focused on delivering analytical solutions for various businesses across Europe. I’m a director in the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codex Software?

We were looking to bring in Java language experts. We needed someone who would design a Java-based RESTful API for the analytical platform we were installing for a client. We were working with SAS, a US-based analytical software powerhouse whose version at the time did not have a RESTful API. We’re partners and resellers, so we have a license to design complementary plug-ins for their Java-based software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codex Software initially consulted with us on our technology stack, specifically the Java frameworks we could use. We had a very good idea of the functionalities we needed, and Codex Software drew a lot of detail around that idea, of what was possible within Java. We settled on the key architecture components, they gave us a quote based on those constraints, and they did the work.

We broke the work on the RESTful API into multiple phases. The first phase focused on exposing the functionality of the SAS platform through this RESTful API endpoint. This would allow the user to submit HTTP calls using any language, to read from the data sets available on the platform, modify them, and update them.

The following stages we worked with them on were about metadata, security, and user groups. The same principle applied, namely that a developer should be able to use any programming language to submit HTTP calls, modify metadata, read what users are available and configured, what groups and roles they belong to, and what sorts of procedures were already registered.

What is the team composition?

I was in contact with Mikhail (Co-Founder and CTO, Codex Software), who acted as the initial architect of the technology stack. I also worked with one of their developers and with a UX designer who put together early examples of what we could do, which used for marketing. I worked with another developer during the later stages on certain modifications.

How did you come to work with Codex Software?

One of their salespeople contacted me on LinkedIn, offering their range of services. We’d been looking for a firm that could do this piece of work for a while, and I sent them the same RFP we’d sent to a number of other firms.

The difference in Codex Software’s case was the significant amount of time they spent doing background research, to understand whether this was a piece of work they could do. I was genuinely impressed by how well they did their homework, and I thought we had to hire them. They came back saying they could do it, but they would need experts on our side who could provide guidance.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together for about a year, concluding in September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re having a website built for the RESTful API by another firm. It should go live next week. We’ve already managed to sell it in a couple of places as well, so what Codex Software did has worked pretty well. We’re happy.

We did our testing through Postman, and they fixed bugs pretty quickly. In fact, we’ve asked them for help just recently, about certain functionalities they implemented at the time. They got back to us quickly, and easily explained what was going on, without any extra charge. They’re very good at communication in general and supporting the project.

I enjoyed working with Codex Software. I’ve had a couple of other opportunities for them since then, but they didn’t become full-fledged projects. I will certainly work with them again in the future.

How did Codex Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Google Hangouts was our default communication tool. I believe they used Asana for task and bug tracking with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by the sheer amount of homework they did in the beginning. They were prepared to do a lot of research and learning before taking on the project. That’s still very unique. A lot of other organizations don’t step out of their comfort zone. Codex Software wasn’t afraid of that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. They provided excellent value for our money.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients shouldn’t be shy to discuss the project over a call, which is a very efficient process with Codex Software. This is an important thing to do, rather than sticking to emails.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m overseeing part of the digital transformation of Université Paris-Dauphine, a higher education institution headquartered in Paris. The university has 577 professors, 437 administrative staff, and 8721 students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Codex Software?

We hired them to develop an internal software solution for student group management.

What were your goals for this project?

The purpose was to create an internal software solution for the university.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were able to make a good proposal, and that helped me make a decision as part of public Tender.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Once the project started, they immediately provided us the team. We gave the, the detailed task list, and their engineers were quick to onboard. The developers performed well, helped us to improve the requirements and delivered the code that complied with our standards.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned an account manager, a content manager, and two software developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received the first viable results within the first few months upon project start. The software solution delivered is currently used by the university, and is an important step in normalization of the internal processes.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The account manager was easy to reach and communicate, so were the other specialists, too. The developers communicated directly when necessary and that gave us great flexibility in meeting project aims.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They always delivered what was promised. They not only stuck to their commitments but also quickly allocated additional resources when it was necessary. They're results-oriented and proactive, and I haven’t met many companies with such an approach before.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I’m happy about what they do and how.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a technology company that works mostly with museums and arts and cultural organizations. We offer a software platform that helps these institutions build digital interactive experiences, such as mobile guides and games, in-gallery touch screens, and web experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codex Software?

We needed a partner to help us upgrade and expand our development team in Europe.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have an ongoing relationship with Codex Software—they are like our long-term software partner that works with our core product. Our platform is a cloud-based CMS which is used to publish content to end-user apps (e.g. mobile guides, in-gallery interactives, and web experiences). Codex Software recommends many of the architectural and holistic product improvements, and then they collaborate and iterate with our business team and designers to develop new features and implement project specs.

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of full-stack developers, a QA analyst, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Codex Software?

A friend who’d worked with Codex Software many times before recommended them. They had experience in our field, their pricing met our needs, and they helped make the transition very smooth, so we hired them!

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $100,000–$250,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in March 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Whenever we request a new project, they provide a detailed analysis of our various options and lead a productive conversation about cost, time, and value for each choice. It allows us to make good business decisions based on technical information, leading to the best possible outcome for our product.

How did Codex Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Our team is distributed around the globe, but Codex Software manages to keep things organized and coordinate all of our projects. Their team prepares and leads an hour-long weekly meeting with our entire company, outlining the progress of all our different projects. We use YouTrack to manage the work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because their team is situated within a larger organization, they have resources beyond themselves if we need to grow the team or have questions they can’t answer. They’re highly productive and efficient, working well together to quickly solve problems. They’re knowledgeable and have a lot of experience, which makes me trust them and the quality of their work.

The senior lead developer not only has impressive technical skills, but he’s also great at planning and communicating. He’s provided some great leadership to the team, which has made the partnership so successful. Anton (CEO and Co-Founder, Codex Software) and Mikhail (CTO and Co-Founder, Codex Software) are also always there to support our team if we need it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I believe they are expanding their project and product management staff, which will be a great addition to their technical staff.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They work with a variety of companies across industries and technology stacks. They're flexible and can accommodate different types of work, so engage with them and see for yourself!