CodigoDelSur

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a buy now pay later company that has historically been focused on travel providers. I am a director of engineering that manages merchant success, point of sale, and servicing. Was recently tasked with building out the growth vertical and mobile app as a result.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired CDS to help us in the development of the mobile app which is the flagship product the growth team is launching

SOLUTION

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

I am pretty sure we were recommended CDS just am unsure from whom.

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

Develop mobile app and backend supporting from scratch. Integrate our point of sale SDK in mobile form. Build out shopping, shopping list, and borrower portal functionality. An additional portal was needed to manage all of the merchants displayed in the shopping function. We use kotlin, swift, and python for backend.

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

We got up to around 18 folks 1 pmo 1 qa 1 designer 7 python 4 ios 4 android

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

At this point we've sent 10k existing uplift users the app, only about 210 downloaded the app but we've has over 30 loans generated as a result. We've also developed new feature capabilities that our internal teams will utilize like pre-approval and real time loan management

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

We're 1 week kanban as it stands but will shift into 2 week sprints as we move out of build phase. We use slack, jira, asana, etc. PMO functions have been fantastic up all the way through.

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

Quality of work. This agency is the best development quality I've ever experienced.

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

Nothing I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are developing a mobile social music app that allows user to listen along with each other in real-time cross-platform (Apple Music, Spotify Premium). I am the Executive Assistant to the CEO and the Project Manager. Currently, I am leading the Android development which we outsourced to CodigoDelSur.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Android app to be published in the Google Play Store

SOLUTION

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

I was not involved in selecting this vendor.

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

Large scope of work. Implementing the Android version of our iOS app from the beginning with little documentation provided. The v1 was to get into the Google Play Store in the Open Testing Phase with the MVP. Our goal for this was end of 2020, however, we had to stop production with Codigo for a few months in 2020 due to funding issues during COVID.

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

We initially had 2 developers. After the break, we started with 2 developers then added a 3rd and a PM.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Deliverables have been of great quality. 

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

Great PM. He is very communicative. The entire team is very process-oriented, which has worked great for the project. We use Slack and Jira. 

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

Their ability to work with little initial documentation is commendable. 

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

They are still going strong. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of mobile engineering for a company that provides a platform for fitness instructors and creators. We handle their tech stacks and pricing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodigoDelSur?

We needed to be able to give our customers mobile experiences for them to offer to their students. As a startup, we wanted to hit the ground running and needed more engineers on hand to help us build fast.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As we had technical expertise on our team, we pursued a staff augmentation route with Codigo. We started with one embedded engineer from their team and after two months, we added a second iOS engineer. They helped us build our iOS app from scratch. We recently submitted and released our product in the App Store.

The platform gives fitness instructors and creators a mobile experience to offer to their students. Users can create their brand, colors, and upload all their content to the app.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two engineers from Codigo.

How did you come to work with CodigoDelSur?

I talked with agencies based in New York but most of them were expensive and catered towards full-service models. One of the agencies in New York recommended Codigo based on our budget. I chatted with one of their sales representatives, and their services aligned with our needs. I also thought it would be nice to be in a similar time zone. When interviewing one of their engineers, I asked the same questions I would if I were hiring a full-time candidate. They were knowledgeable.

How much have you invested with them?

They charged us $65 an hour and provided 40 hours of work per week.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in September 2020, and we launched the app in March 2021. We only ended the partnership because we hired internally.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched the platfor in the App Store in six months. It took about three months to build the app and then another three months to test and launch it. I was happy with our timeline. I have an engineering background and during reviews, I was happy with the quality of Codigo's code.

How did CodigoDelSur perform from a project management standpoint?

Our company ran the project management in this case. It was easy to communicate with them, so there weren’t barriers between us. Codigo was also flexible rather than assertive about a specific way for the project to unfold. The engineer assigned to our project had a great attitude.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their code and their flexibility were two stand-out qualities of the partnership. There was a two-week trial period, meaning it was low risk. When our needs changed, it was easy to ramp down to one iOS engineer again.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only consideration is price. It was a lot less expensive than hiring an agency based in New York City. However, Codigo was more expensive than companies based in other regions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a digital style company. Our goal is to change our relationship with style and fashion.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodigoDelSur?

We’re building a personal styling application for iOS. Users will be able to use the app to automatically generate outfit recommendations on a daily basis by adding all of the items in their closet to the platform.  We needed to make sure the design and UX are high-caliber because fashion is so visual, so we hired CodigoDelSur.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before this project, we didn’t have anything on the frontend, but we did have a complete UX/UI designs ready to go. We initially tried to develop the app in Flutter, and it wasn’t working. It wasn’t advanced enough for us to develop the UI and features we wanted.

CodigoDelSur assessed the designs and ensured that it would be feasible to develop the app. Now they’re building the app based on our designs.  

What is the team composition?

We started with two people –the developer and her project manager. Then we brought on another developer for two weeks temporarily.

How did you come to work with CodigoDelSur?

They were recommended to me by a friend of mine. I didn’t speak with any other development companies because I knew I could trust his recommendations.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with CodigoDelSu back in January 2020 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My experience has been incredible. I’m super pleased. They’ve over-delivered on every single sprint we’ve had so far.

At this point, we’ve been through 5–6 sprints and I do all of the QA. There has only been one major bug that I notified them about. It was just an oversight too — they needed to add a text field over a keyboard so when users tap on it, they can see what they’re typing. It was impacting the UX. Otherwise, there have been no glaring issues and everything has functioned as expected. Consequentially, we’re always able to move forward onto the next task.

How did CodigoDelSur perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very structured and are good at clarifying what they’re doing and setting expectations. They’re patient and understanding. We actually had some timing issues with backend development and that put some strain on the frontend, but they’ve gone the extra mile to work around that and patch things up.

When our backend developer was unavailable, they scaled and helped us by bringing on a fantastic Python developer. It really helped us move forward.

Everything is meticulously documented. We review priorities and the backlog properly. They’re constantly making sure everything is up to date. We’re all on the same page. They’re so excellent that I’ve implemented some of their tactics in my own team.

Even though they’re an overseas team, there have been no communication issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been impressed by how well they’ve been able to manage the project. They do everything to make sure that we’re organized and on track.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any criticisms.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an e-commerce company in customized photo gifts space. I am in charge of their mobile engineering.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CodigoDelSur?

Build the entire suite of Product Information Management for our mobile organization.

What were your goals for this project?

To be able to manage a catalog of 10+K products, streamline product release cycle (including defining, testing, releasing, disabling products), as well as manage merchandise screens in mobile apps.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I previously worked with them in a different project. I know their culture, technical competence, and the sense of ownership. I didn't look at other companies because they were really good.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Under my direction (product management, product design, and a little bit of data modeling), they completed all the aspects of full-stack software development, including, implementation, refactoring, testing, deployment, and trouble-shooting.

What was the team composition?

Myself, and two developers from this company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their work, we were able to increase our revenue by tens of percents every year, because the software they developed allowed us to streamline physical product release cycle as well as full-control of merchandising products in mobile apps.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They adapted our project management methodology - a lean software development method. They are 2-3x more efficient than teams who use a conventional 2-weeks sprints.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their quality of the code, pride in their craft, and their communication was most impressive. And the highest level of sense of responsibility and ownership you could think of from software consulting companies. Also, they effectively rotate talents not for the sake of their benefit, but for the sake of my company's benefit. Thanks to them, they were able to provide their services for 365 days basis, even when a developer takes a vacation - they always provided a fully qualified developer with the domain knowledge when somebody was away. We didn't have to worry about unavailability throughout the year.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish they could provide more ways for me to thank them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: I’m the CEO of a platform that provides users-permissioned financial data to lenders in emerging markets.

Respondent 2: I’m the co-founder and COO of the platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodigoDelSur?

R1: We wanted to build an MVP cost-effectively and flexibly. As an early-stage startup, we didn’t want to hire engineers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

R1: CodigoDelSur provided low-cost resources that built a high-quality MVP with clean code. They used React Native for mobile development and ReactJS for web development. Their team built the app's web backend using typescript and a variety of AWS frameworks. As their services can be turned on or off, we have a flexible arrangement.

What is the team composition?

R1: We work with a product manager and two engineers. It's a cost-effective and flexible solution for us to develop high-quality products. We just increased the number of resources this week.

How did you come to work with CodigoDelSur?

R1: While at a previous company, our head of product and myself worked with CodigoDelSur. The engagement went so well that we decided to engage them on this project.

How much have you invested with them?

R2: We spent between $100,000–$150,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

R2: We started our collaboration in 2018 and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

R1: They’re able to lay-down code quickly. That code takes two forms including a scrappy MVP that effectively provides core functionality at low cost, meaning time in development hours. The second form that their code can take is a product that was built meticulously. For us as an early-stage company, success metrics include shifting to users, testing, and iterating rapidly. We’ve measured success by the output of code and the number of features built in a short period of time.

How did CodigoDelSur perform from a project management standpoint?

R1: Their team was happy to use all of our tools. For the development, we used JIRA and GitHub. For prototyping, we used Zeppelin. They participate in retrospectives with our team, which provides a good feedback loop. With us leaning into the team, they lean back and that creates a collaborative engagement. They’re essentially team members.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R2: Our PM was on top of the engagement, providing write-ups for all of the code delivered during each sprint. That was helpful for our fundraising efforts. From a technical standpoint, the frontend developers are machines. The quality of the code that they produce, in the time that they produce it, is amazing. The service level is high too.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: There’s an occasional margin of error with communication. They’ll agree to a task without understanding the connotations. We address these challenges with them.

R2: If we didn’t have a product manager who’s fluent in Spanish, we would’ve had delays to the implementation of code.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a NYC based tech company, I'm the co-founder and COO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire CodigoDelSur?

APP development in Android and iOS. Website design and development

What were your goals for this project?

To develop a MVP based on our design concept of the APP

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Referral

Describe the project in detail.

The project took about 7 months, building the APP in Android & iOS & website from scratch, including UX/UI design, backend, website design.

What was the team composition?

A team 7 was working on the project.

1. Business development manager
2. Project manager
3. UX/UI designer
4. Website designer
5. Backend developer
6. Android developer
7. iOS developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team is very professional and efficient, very open communication and quick response. They offer daily catch up meetings, weekly summary reports, and end of sprint demo review meetings. Any bugs or crashes identified, they can fix them quickly within a few hours once notified.

We had a good experience working with each team member. The project manager is very open to share his valuable best practice experience as guidance for us. We fully trusted and respected each team member as they demonstrated top talent quality and delivered good results along the way. We also very much liked to hear their thoughts and ideas during the development process to find the best approach to resolve issues.

At the end of the project, it's simply very easy to get everyone on the same page and think likely toward the same goal. As a client, it's a great learning experience for us to work with professionals and experts during the process. We'd keep close partnership and continue working with the company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We didn't experience any workflow hurdle or difficulty in communication, everything was smooth and transparent. Thanks to the project manager, he really helped a lot and made the whole experience great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They're good at what they do as it says. They provide good quality work at a good price.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Taste Labs. We’re a recommendation tech company We have web and mobile app that helps users find recommendations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodigoDelSur?

We needed a platform to increase user activity and help us collect data to improve our recommendation algorithm.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CodigoDelSur specifically helps us with the frontend of our mobile app, though they’ve also worked briefly on a few aspects of the platform’s backend. They use our tech stack, so the frontend was built with React Native and the backend bit was NodeJS and JavaScript. Specifically, they’re improving our UX while our internal team develops product functionality.

What is the team composition?

We had 2–3 developers working with us consistently, though they could scale the team to as many as six people when needed.

How did you come to work with CodigoDelSur?

I found them on Clutch. All of our local development companies were very expensive, so we decided to use an offshore firm. We were looking for a team with a very specific skillset and a lot of experience in React Native. We whittled down a list of thirty companies to four finalists. They then completed a few weeks of sample code or a sample project. We selected CodigoDelSur based on their performance—they delivered the best product.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration began in March 2018 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re the last step between product development and the consumer, so they’re a pretty important part of our process. Without building their part, we wouldn’t have any metrics on B2C. They’re well-versed in all tech libraries and are very resourceful because they have extensive experience. Knowledgeable, they saved us money because they’re able to address problems quickly and efficiently.

How did CodigoDelSur perform from a project management standpoint?

All of their projects are assigned a manager, and our project manager is completely fluent in English. We’ve had a great experience and we haven’t had any miscommunications. They’re also very communicative, which is really important for our team. We want to know if there are any red flags. They’ve become an extension of our team.

We’re also really happy that they’ve been able to scale up or down based on our needs. We’re often waiting for feedback from our clients before we can make any updates to the frontend. In the interim, they scale down to remain cost-efficient.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They know their market and who they are best suited for. They’re honest and will only take projects that they know they can deliver well on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a company that provides English and Western horseback riding lessons.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodigoDelSur?

We hired them to develop an MVP for our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided approximately 200 user stories, which CodigoDelSur used to build the MVP. They completed 15 two-week sprints.

What is the team composition?

The four-person team included a project manager, a UX/UI designer, and frontend and backend developers.

How did you come to work with CodigoDelSur?

We researched local companies before receiving a recommendation for CodigoDelSur. After contacting several US-based companies nationwide, we decided to reach out to the team.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$199,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from May–October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

CodigoDelSur completed the MVP on time for our October 2018 launch date. They had remained on schedule throughout the process. The team continued to make improvements and changes through the end of the year. At that point, we decided to pause development and focus on building the user base and inventory. They subsequently provided support as needed.

How did CodigoDelSur perform from a project management standpoint?

Although it was an offshore partnership, CodigoDelSur remained accessible and available via Skype, email, and instant message. They provided regular feedback and were particularly responsive during the testing and user story stages. What’s more, the team had very strong English skills. The project manager went above and beyond, taking charge and making the engagement a seamless experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

CodigoDelSur’s great attitude made the entire team a pleasure to work with. They allocated resources exceptionally, especially when our developers went on vacation. The transition from the regular to replacement teammates—and back again—was seamless.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, because the team has gone above and beyond with enhancing our marketing. The team provided good QA testing, and remained available and focused throughout the engagement. They stayed on top of the sprints, ensuring that our side didn’t experience any interruptions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of engineering for a software service company in the enterprise drone space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CodigoDelSur?

We hired CodigDelSur to help develop our native mobile apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CodigoDelSur helped our team build mobile apps for iOS and Android that were used by drone pilots in the field to capture, analyze, and send data. They worked on a variety of different technologies, including DJI drones, JavaScript, Objective-C, and Apache Cordova.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about six to eight people at any given time, which included software engineers and QA resources.

How did you come to work with CodigoDelSur?

Our company was already working with them when I came onboard.

How much have you invested with them?

They generally charge $50 per hour for services.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them from January 2017 to July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

CodigoDelSur's team of engineers consists of highly skilled, competent coders. They did a good job of providing development support for our apps and we were very pleased with their work overall.

How did CodigoDelSur perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was very hardworking when it came to engineering projects. We handled project management on our end, and they adapted well to our preference of using Jira to track tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very easy and pleasant to work with. They were also flexible when we needed to make changes and responsive whenever we had any questions. As far as the quality of their work, they delivered to specifications, so we're pleased with the way things turned out.