Codibly

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of products and projects and I’m also in charge of customer delivery. We’re a software company, developing SaaS applications and platforms for the renewable energy industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

Codibly supports us in developing software applications. They help us avoid bottlenecks in our resources by providing front- and backend development support using Google Cloud.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Based in Poland, they provide body leasing services — so we get IT resources from them. Sometimes the team works on-site, but due to COVID-19, they have very little opportunity to travel. In addition, Codibly gets work packages from our site so that they can view their requirements and implement changes in our architectures and deliver the source codes that we need.

Our platform is intended for the residential market and is used to optimize the energy utilized by house owners, especially in combination with huge energy assets — so electromobility as a user of the energy. The energy is then used in the most efficient way. We're developing an iOS and Android version, but we’re leaning a little bit toward iOS. We also have Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP) that can be used on Firefox or Google Chrome.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with 10 people from Codibly including key account managers and a project manager. We’ve also worked with their CEO, especially at the beginning of our partnership. In addition, we’ve collaborated with  2–3 developers.

How did you come to work with Codibly?

We were introduced to Codibly by another partner company in Germany that was also familiar with the energy industry. They had a contract with the team. Once we found that Codibly had a background in the energy sector, we decided they’d be a good fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

Last year, we’ve spent €150,000–€200,000 (approximately $176,000–$235,000 USD). This year, we’ll spend in the range of  €100,000 (approximately $117,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in April 2020. I’m sure we’ll work with them until the end of the year. If our time and budget permits, we’d like to continue working with them even after the end of the year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re based in Germany, but Codibly works pretty closely with our internal development team. We don’t have direct KPIs to measure their work, but we get feedback on a daily basis regarding their progress and performance.

The team’s performance has been good. There have been some ups and downs, but it’s normal for any project. If there is an issue, Codibly implements measures to get everything back on track.

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through email, and we also have weekly meetings. From a project management side, we have a good relationship with them because the team solves our issues pretty quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve quickly adapted to our engineering technologies and tools. Their onboarding process into our organization has also been smooth. Above all, their experience in the energy sector has helped them in developing the specific use cases we’re implementing now.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Codibly can improve their soft skills. Their overall project management has been great, but their communication skills have not been the best. After identifying that roadblock, they’ve improved their communication approach. As a result, they've assigned another project manager to ensure that everything runs smoothly again.

Any advice for potential customers?

Describe your expectations accurately, especially on what software development skills and resources you need to resolve your issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of Heila Technologies. We’re focused on control and optimization technologies for distributed energy resources.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

We were looking to expand our offering to have a cloud component to it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codibly created custom software, building the pipeline from our EDGE devices to the cloud.

What is the team composition?

We had an account manager, a project manager, and 4–6 developers.

How did you come to work with Codibly?

We met them at a tradeshow that took place in the US. We saw that they were very professional. When we interviewed possible vendors, Codibly showed that they had experience with creating software for companies in the energy space. Overall, we thought they’d be a good fit and we ultimately picked them.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent between $100,000– $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement ran from September 2020–May 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Despite working in different time zones, the team was very flexible which allowed us to get good results. What they built was more of an in-between backend piece of the platform that would be used by real external customers in the future. Since we would build actual cloud interfaces, it would be early to say Codibly’s impact on our business. However, we do believe that their work would help us achieve our goals.

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager did a fantastic job; she was very diligent, communicative, and accommodating. We used email, Slack, and Zoom calls to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had fairly strong software developers, and their technical skills were very good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They had a retrospective process, but their communication skills could’ve been improved at the beginning of the project. It did change over time, and they were able to adapt to the project they were working on. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you discuss the type of support you need. That way, they can put together a professional and complete team for your company. Additionally, have counterparts on your side that can make use of their capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO at a Virtual Power Plant software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for staff augmentation to assist our North American software development team to execute against our strategic roadmap.

SOLUTION

How did you select Codibly and what were the deciding factors?

Codibly provided a Team-as-a-Service at competitive market rates while also providing industry experience in the energy / electric-utility sector. We were fortunate to have several North American companies and contacts that provided positive references of their experience working with Codibly.

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

Codibly's team formed an external scrum team to augment our overall software development team. Using an Elixir based tech stack, they developed core features on our strategic roadmap.

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

Codibly's Team-as-a-Service comprised 4 software developers and 1 quality assurance engineer. We augmented this team with a product owner and a technical liason.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, we were pleased with the outcome of the work and we leveraged to the extent possible the timezone differences across teams.

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

We used slack and zoom to stay coordinated and operated within a traditional scrum ceremonial framework including daily stand-ups, weekly grooming, bi-weekly planning, demo & retros. Slack was particularly important and helpful asynchronous communication given the timezone differences with our internal teams.

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

Near zero time required for cultural or communication based alignment with the Polish team and our North American team. The cultural alignment was rapid, and we did not have trouble with any language barriers.

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

We would invest next time in even more up-front onboarding efforts from our team as this would have paid dividends during the project duration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior partner at BIOLAP Limited, a boutique data warehouse and consultancy practice. We work with numerous insurance intermediary companies and law firms to create bespoke data warehouse solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

A client asked us to migrate them from an on-premise SQL server environment to a cloud-based Microsoft Azure environment, but we didn’t have the necessary IT capacity to accomplish the task in-house. We began looking for a partner who could do the work under our name.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Because Azure doesn’t really have "out of the box"  data feed facilities that offer the ability to schedule and run a job or series of procedures, Codibly had to integrate programmatic setups and ‘run-tables’ to facilitate the entire load, transformation and processing of the data warehouse to be conducted in Azure. That required repointing the load tables to the source tables in Oracle. Once the data was loaded, we ran through several tests a day, speeding up the process and scaling Azure up and down until we found the optimum price-performance point.

After we created the load process, a scheduled process was created to drop and recreate indices and scheduling the transformation process before publishing the data to users. Once we finished testing and had everything functioning properly, Codibly conducted a handover session where they transferred the intellectual property to our internal team, allowing us to maintain the platform going forward. They also provided documentation that outlined exactly how they built the new environment.

What is the team composition?

We interacted with a program manager and two consultants.

How did you come to work with Codibly?

I met the owner in Kraków when we were both based there.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from March–April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our end client is happy, and we’re already planning another project with Codibly. We’re able to effectively manage the system they built.

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project manager was excellent, adjusting to any scope changes and making sure everyone was on the same page. We used Jira to track the project, and they kept us engaged throughout the entire partnership.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is extremely impressive, consistently willing to take on difficult projects and meet tight deadlines. They run a software developers association in Poland that allows them to quickly locate skilled resources on short notice, which we greatly appreciate. Unlike many other companies, they put in the effort to not just finish a project but to make it as good as possible. They seek clarification if they don’t understand a certain project component, and they push back if they think something could be improved.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t see how they could improve. We'll continue to recommend them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They’re used to working with consultancy firms, so they’ll respect your desire to have rights to the intellectual property. You may lose a bit of control when you bring on a partner, but they’re great at working within your requirements, as long as you clearly outline what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a managing consultant for PA Consulting Group, a UK-based global management consultancy firm. My specific area is healthcare, predominantly in the UK. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

At the time, we were working with a number of organizations in the primary care setting to respond to a challenge posed by the NHS: find more general practitioners (GPs). The organizations were focused on trying to work out alternative ways to meet the same clinical need. They specifically wanted to support patients with the same chronic conditions without requiring additional GPs, which had been the traditional way of tapping things.
 
We had developed a set of Excel-based tools to help these groups think through alternative ways of meeting the same need while maintaining the same level of clinical excellence, safety, and health outcomes. We brought Codibly into it when we realized we wanted to build the tool on a much bigger scale. We’d secured a contract to cover a large region of the UK: the whole of the North of England, or about a quarter of all GP practices. The tool was a combination of Excel and support functionalities. We wanted to convert it to a web-based tool hosted in the cloud, giving it scalability, greater flexibility, and enhanced usability.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codibly was engaged to convert our Excel tool to a cloud-hosted solution. We gave them our existing Excel spreadsheet—which was focused at a practice level—as a starting point. It was well-trodden and well-developed, having matured through the process. Codibly could look at the business rules, workings, and requirements in an existing spreadsheet and convert it into something that did exactly what that Excel tool did, but looked like a software application. We wanted to build something worthy of a license fee, rather than a one-time payment for an Excel tool.
 
In doing so, Codibly had to work out how to transfer that tool. Switching from an Excel system to a database, query-based solution with a frontend presented its own challenges. The team determined how the look and feel should change to respond to the current requirements, and they made it look like a high-quality web tool rather than an online Excel spreadsheet.
 
We also work with several practices which often want to amalgamate their databases together. We would essentially combine 30 sets of spreadsheets to come up with a single total number. We wanted that functionality in the online tool, and it introduced a set of business rules that we lacked experience with. The Codibly team helped us work through the crystallization of our understanding of our business rules. In some cases, they determined how we could still get a degree of flexibility while maintaining some integrity in the proposal. It would work consistently, but it would recognize some of the local variants.
 
These functionalities made the build quite complicated, and we’re still going through the process of articulating our own business rules and encoding them in the software. We felt we understood the system more than we did, and Codibly added value in thinking around it. We gave them simple articulations, and they were quick to bring up new situations and exceptions. The tool evolved purely by converting something that we thought had worked well, into an online tool.

What is the team composition?

The team varies depending on the challenge we were facing. Overall, we’ve worked with 10–15 people. At any one point in time, we’ve been working with 6–8 people. 

A mix of technical architects helped us convert our business rules into the right technical infrastructure. Backend database developers came up with a data model and data structure and did the coding around the logic being applied. 

Codibly assigned a front-end team that handled the look and feel, flow, and usability of the platform, and how those integrated with the backend functions. We had a testing team as well, which varied from 1–4 people.
  
How did you come to work with Codibly?

I believe we first encountered them when we were making a similar tool. We internally discussed options for getting our Excel tool converted into an online tool. A senior colleague in the health world had gone through this software cycle and decided to use the Codibly team. We had conversations about the trade-offs between the reduced cost of outsourcing and retaining quality by doing it internally. 

Our colleague was satisfied with the work done for them, and the combination of value for money, quality, balance, and control made Codibly seem like a good offer. Their team also knew our business requirements particularly well. We had documented them in a mature spreadsheet used by numerous client organizations. Had it been less clear, we might’ve been more reticent to outsource our project at that point. 

With the satisfaction from their first piece of work, it was an easy decision to continue with them into the second phase, where we knew we didn’t have a full understanding of our business requirements. 
 
How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $250,000–$500,000.
 
What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018, and the collaboration is ongoing. Their current projects are shifting to operational support rather than new development work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The solution has launched, and we’ve just enhanced it with a second release, which brought significant additional functionality. Codibly is highly connected to our project and clearly aware of the client needs we’re trying to address. Despite a limited briefing, they’ve developed a good understanding of our task and potentials approaches, and they’ve demonstrated a depth of insight into business and our goals.

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management evolved from the initial period when we didn’t know each other. We were cautious about the amount of money and time we were going to spend converting an existing tool that was working perfectly well, into something that was going to be precisely the same, just online. There was a bit of caution from our side, and it influenced the initial outset.
 
Once we got over that, we recognized the quality of Codibly’s management. They treated us as we would’ve treated our own clients. They checked with us rather than doing what they believed was right, and they gave us extra support beyond the development work. We discussed options and the consequences of going down one route or another. That worked quite well, mainly as we got the more complex work going.
 
What did you find most impressive about them?

Codibly has given us a valuable and fair deal in our arrangement. They gave us a fixed price for the initial phase of work—our preferred way to control risks, but not one they were familiar with. The team remained open, and even when it cost more than anticipated, they honored the commitment. I appreciate their financial flexibility and willingness to demonstrate what they can do. Codibly stands behind the commitments they make.
 
Are there any areas they could improve?

Codibly can get away with charge more for their services. If they’re looking to improve, they could go further in their client communication, and their approach could have been more proactive. Also, we would have appreciated it if they had been bolder in the outset and asked more in the offer; this would have improved client satisfaction overall.
 
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

At the time, they were a small growing company with a good track record of delivering high-quality work. It’s essential to check how that quality is being maintained as Codibly brings more people in. The more rapidly it grows, the riskier it is. Clients need to ensure that they have the appropriate members of the top team working on the project, rather than just who’s available.
 
People looking to run fast-paced projects should check that that pace won’t put the quality at risk. When we started, we would’ve liked for the project to be going a bit quicker. In truth, given how the project progressed, I doubt it could’ve. Codibly had constrained resources at the time for the desired level of quality. We haven’t run into this issue in later phases, from our perspective. People have come and gone from the team, and there’s definitely been flex around resourcing, but I’ve largely left it up to Codibly to manage it.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a wind turbine manufacturer and drive the digitalization of our services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

We engaged Codibly to help us develop an incident management system, which enables live monitoring, while heavily automating our workflows.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codibly provided development services for an IoT platform, consisting of micro-services developed in Java and Angular; the system has interfaces to SAP and Service Now in the backend. They integrated various APIs as needed, allowing users to access real-time data and to be able to seamlessly connect to other backend applications.

They gathered and displayed the data we needed for operations and implemented workflow ticketing functionalities that would allow us to efficiently monitor our assets and select the best workflows. In summary, they provided backend & frontend developments as well as solutions and software architecture guidance. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with 5–7 people, including a project manager, two frontend developers, and 3-4 backend developers.

How did you come to work with Codibly?

One of our colleagues had a lot of experience with Polish vendors, and he recommended them to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between €250,000–€500,000 (about $282,000–$565,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April 2018–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Together we created an application which will be used productively in the years to come. Their developments are in use, as we speak. The quality of their work is the foundation for future improvements of this product.

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided monthly reports and worked in sprints. They adapted to our reporting requirements as needed and were willing to work around a lot of uncertainties while providing valuable input and guidance. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical abilities set them apart. They went the extra mile for us, taking the time to understand our business and the purpose of our product, so they could come up with the best technical solutions. We have had a lot of engaging discussions with them on how to best realize some of our ideas. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

From a reporting and project management standpoint, it would've been helpful if they had implemented more standards more quickly. After the initial break-in period, we were very happy with the setup. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take part in some intensive workshops in the beginning to provide better specifications and ideas to their development team. It's also important to be openminded to any feedback or suggestions their team may have to improve your product. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Realytics, a TV analytics company. We measure the impact of TV advertising spots on audience engagement with digital channels like websites and mobile apps. I lead our frontend technical team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

We needed resources with expertise in particular technologies to help develop a web portal for our customers. The engineers we recruited didn’t fit our profile, so we engaged with Codibly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were using advanced frameworks like React.js, TypeScript, and Redux, and resources with those skillsets aren’t easily available in France. Codibly found people who were competent in these technologies and could work within an agile methodology. Because we’re a startup, we needed reactive people who could implement changes quickly and interact with our product team on a daily basis.

What is the team composition?

We originally recruited two people from Codibly and then hired a third when we had the necessary funds. One of the team members left in 2017, so Codibly found someone to replace them.

How did you come to work with Codibly?

Our CEOs have a mutual friend who recommended that we contact them. After looking at domestic and international competitors, we decided that Codibly fit our needs best. They balanced language skills, an international profile, technology skills, and an affordable price.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent at least $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from 2016 until 2018, when we finished the web portal.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They achieved almost every task we set them. Anecdotally, they made a fix in our TypeScript code, an open-source, publically visible framework. The framework reviewer included this fix in the next release of TypeScript, which means that the community recognized the value of their work.

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

We had video conferences every 10 days to discuss and set up their next tasks and we communicated all day long on Slack. Despite their team being in Poland, they have strong English skills and were easy to communicate with. Their commitment to finishing the project to our satisfaction made them feel like part of our official team. Turnover was almost non-existent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their strongest attributes are their tech-savviness and ability to work autonomously. Additionally, they adapt quickly to both new environments and remote work systems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve arranged for some people to visit us in France, although one of their members did come to our office for a presentation. Otherwise, Codibly is good. My recommendation for them is to stay like they are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an insurance services firm. I manage projects and portal development for our online system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

We had a product under development with another supplier. The day before we were due to go live, that supplier emailed and told us that they couldn’t deliver the portal for another month. We had to find a team who could finish the project faster than that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We sent them the wireframes we already had. They did a marvelous job working through what already existed and finding solutions in a short time frame. This was our first portal product where individuals can go directly to the website and buy an insurance policy. It’s geared toward a specific market of students who will study in Ireland and need a medical cover as one of their visa requirements. There is a lot of nuance involved, and students can be refunded their course fees in certain scenarios.

What is the team composition?

We have two main contacts that acted as project managers. There was a team of developers that attended our videoconference sessions, but I’m not sure of the exact size of the team.

How did you come to work with Codibly?

An advisor on contract with us knew of them from his time in Poland and recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about 18,000 € (approximately $20,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We contacted them at the end of September 2018. The project was completed in two weeks and they gave us exactly what we needed. We’re planning a second phase to fine tune everything in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been held up with compliance issues in Ireland, but that's outside of our control.

The quality is extremely high and the turnaround was very fast. If we had any issues, Codibly provided a solution. They’re exactly the kind of project team I needed, and the functionality and reliability of the portal is solid.

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication and responsiveness are excellent. We used email and phone, including some project calls. Although they could all speak English, there was a little bit of a language barrier on the phone. That may have been due to the call quality, since email was always good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They responded much faster than the other company that started the portal. I’m looking into working with them on other projects, and I assume we’ll have a more structured approach without the panic of the last project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

On conference calls, we had a little difficulty understanding what was being said, especially when there were so many of us in the room. In hindsight, it would have been helpful to have face to face meetings. We plan to do that in phase two.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go through the project from beginning to end to let them know your needs. What they did for us was very good, especially under the circumstances.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of WorkBuzz. We help companies get regular insights about their employees by using algorithms that pinpoint where companies should leverage their best talent.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

We outgrew our original software agency and wanted a partner to build an improved platform. We wanted to build surveys with more flexibility to offer clients real-time feedback.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The solution is web-based and does surveys through mobile and tablet devices. Codibly reviewed and optimized our code, and then moved the platform to Amazon Web Services (AWS) to optimize scalability and reliability.

We had completed a round of external funding, which enabled us to design a platform that aligned with the experience we wanted to launch. Codibly then collaborated on wireframing and documenting user stories.

In three stages, Codibly developed the platform with Python and a React backend. First, they built a new, flexible survey tool that enabled us to choose questions for specific user types and provide automated response levels in a white label form. Next, they joined the app to our new dashboard through an API. Clients can get instant feedback and visualized results. Currently, the team is working on a self-service module. Clients can deploy services and make changes 365 days a year. We expect them to complete development by Christmas 2018.

What is the team composition?

As of last August, the project includes a project manager, a QA resource, and a team of at least four full-time developers.

How did you come to work with Codibly?

I spoke to my mentor about challenges with a previous vendor and he helped me conduct a new search. We shortlisted about a dozen agencies and met with three of them. Codibly’s competencies and culture made them a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $400,000. Our monthly spend is between £15,000–£20,000 ($20,000–$26,000). We expect to have spent $450,000 by the end of this year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began work in 2016 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The move to AWS created instant improvements. We wanted the ability to handle clients with 100,000 employees and give personalized dashboards to 4,000 managers. We have now met our capacity and load time goals. Features load within half a second and PowerPoint reports generate within a few seconds.

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

Codibly uses Jira to get through 140-150 story points for each bi-weekly sprint. The initial story points had considerable variance, but as the team gained experience with the platform, their estimations increased in accuracy. We have a release every month or so. We have sprint reviews and conference calls in order to go through the progress. If there’s an issue, we’ll have a call regarding it. They’re pretty on top of it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Codibly is the ideal size for us, as we didn’t want to be their biggest client, but also didn’t want to work with an agency that required spending tens of millions of dollars each year. They’ve been invested in expanding their team since we started working together. We’re the right size for each other, and they have a strong team in place—from project management to QA and development. Codibly knows what they’re doing and mostly deliver on time. We haven’t had any big surprises.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been minor issues. They had turnover with teammates and project managers, but we also experienced that as well. But overall, we’re pretty pleased with how the relationship is going. They’ve solved problems quickly and learned from them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

No, we’ve had a positive experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a partner at a global management consulting and innovation firm. We work in Europe, the US, and Asia. I specifically focused on the healthcare sector. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codibly?

We've worked with Codibly on multiple projects. Primarily, they provide services in the development area. I also engage them for a maintenance and support arrangement for a digital platform we maintain for our clients. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codibly supported a simulation development project using avatars. It involved some animation using WebGL. They now provide maintenance and support for a Microsoft Azure-based platform with a .NET framework in C#. It includes a CMS and a Tableau component. The team helps us manage the Microsoft part of the stack. 

What is the team composition? 

Over the last year, we've probably worked with a total of ten people from Codibly. We rotate resources in and out during phases in the project life cycle depending on need. On the high side, some individual projects used up to 3–4 teammates. We also have an engagement that involves just one person from their team. 

How did you come to work with Codibly?

We found Codibly through a prior relationship. One of my colleagues has acted as a mentor to their CEO and made the initial introduction. The primary reason we keep engaging them for subsequent projects is their high quality of work. They are very responsive, tend to take feedback very easily, and have a fairly flexible attitude around work and change. As an offshore firm, they are also quite competitive from an economic point of view. The time difference is not as significant as it's been with other vendors.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between 50,000–$75,000 across multiple projects. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together about a year ago in August 2017. Our engagement is ongoing. We're still actively developing with Codibly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All our projects with Codibly have been successful. Overall, they've delivered very well. Regarding results, we've received solid client feedback about the work they've done. They complete projects on time, on schedule, and on budget. From a KPI and metrics perspective, they've been successful at meeting all our targets. 

How did Codibly perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve been pleased with our communication throughout the engagement. They meet deadlines and keep us up to date on status. For larger projects, we typically use Jira to track issues. We've also used Slack to work in a more agile way. Creating lists of tasks for them to complete worked very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Codibly's main strength is incorporating our feedback. If we request a course correction or tell them something wasn't quite as expected, they react positively and quickly address our concerns.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. In general, they're doing quite good work for us. When I met with their CEO just a month ago, I suggested things to do differently. They’ve addressed them all since then. There's nothing new on that front in my opinion.