Coruscate Solutions Pvt Ltd

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We work in the food manufacturing business, producing sauces and curry for export to the U.K. I am the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coruscate Solutions?

We were building an ERP [enterprise resource planning] solution which could simplify our data-gathering and reporting activities, as well as allow us to see the inventory of raw materials, the finished-product stock, the supply chain processes, and so on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coruscate Solutions developed our solution. Their team followed up with us at a granular level for requirements analysis. They gained knowledge around the food industry and the ecosystem as a whole, and evaluated the need behind our software, as well as general end-user needs. I was not expecting them to learn our industry so fast.

I’m not a technical person, so I can’t mention the technologies used. The solution is meant to inventory our raw materials, including perishables, as well as the overall lifecycle of our products. We received alerts when an item needs to be used immediately or disposed of.

I don’t know how many developers were involved, but I believe that the overall team on Coruscate’s end includes 50+ resources.

How did you come to work with Coruscate Solutions?

They were a startup at the beginning of our project, and they were close to my office. Their principal was very confident about being able to handle our project. We also contacted other software developers, but Coruscate offered a more customized approach. We looked at ready-made products which could have been cheaper, but, being U.K. or U.S.-based solutions, they wouldn’t have been a good fit for the Indian market. Some of those features wouldn’t have been necessary here.

How much have you invested with Coruscate Solutions?

The cost of their work was around $25,000 for the initial project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Coruscate Solutions in October 2016. The project had a 1 ½-year duration. It has been completed, but I have also given Coruscate a 2-3-year maintenance contract for addressing any changes we need, or fixing issues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I am quite satisfied with the work they’ve supplied. We’ve just started using the software, so it will take 1-2 years to determine what advantages we’ve gained from it. Receiving alerts on the materials which will soon expire has been an immediate advantage. The production management has also been streamlined, in terms of resource organization.

How did Coruscate Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management and communication have been good. We haven’t used any specialized management tools, and instead had manual follow-ups. I’m sure that Coruscate has a tool in place internally, limited to the development team.

What did you find most impressive about Coruscate Solutions?

The dynamic of the team. They were available to us when we needed something, and have been good at responding.

Are there any areas Coruscate Solutions could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I manage all the operations of the Mumbai chapter of a nonprofit organization. We’re a business networking agency based out of the U.S. with various chapters around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coruscate Solutions?

We used to work with the website globally but decided we needed an independent website for our Mumbai chapter. We approached Coruscate with our requirements, and they built our site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted an interactive website where members of the organization could log in and look at or update their profile. We offer points for various events that they attend, so the site allows them to track their attendance. For admin, we need the ability to change content and upload new items. We let Coruscate know what we needed as far as updating photographs and personal data, and they built those functionalities for us. We used the technologies they recommended. As long as it served what we needed, we didn’t question what they offered us.

They did the backend development and frontend design. They also added a payment portal to support our fee structure and integrated email features. The team offered my colleagues and me access to the backend in order to make changes and conducted 3 or 4 days of training for us.

How many resources were assigned to your project?

We have 15 resources working on the project because our timeline was 2 or 3 months. We’re now working on constant changes and a few bugs that needed to be addressed.

How did you come to work with Coruscate Solutions?

They were referred to us by a former client of theirs. We had multiple meetings with other companies, but Coruscate was the most convincing and knowledgeable in terms of what we needed. They were also willing to do what we asked.

How much have you invested with Coruscate Solutions?

We have spent approximately $15,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2016. The project is complete, but they’re doing maintenance for us. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

Our target audience is small because we are a nonprofit for a business network organization. The site was built for our organization itself and our members. My organization has 250 members, and we’ve reached 100% usage for all members. Everyone migrated to the product within 3 months. The site is user-friendly and simple, which is what we wanted. It has all the functionalities that I needed.

How did Coruscate Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The Coruscate team is very approachable, and their response time is great. One person is assigned to us, and we communicate via email or phone. If I need to explain something in detail, I put it in an email and get a response by the end of the day. For smaller items, I give them a call, and they take care of the task while I’m still on the phone.

They understand what we need and are happy to make adjustments. They met the deadlines that we gave them.

What did you find most impressive about Coruscate Solutions?

They make every effort to keep us happy. They did everything they could to give us what we wanted and never refused a request. If something wasn’t possible, they gave us an alternate solution.

Are there any areas Coruscate Solutions could improve?

Their aesthetic could be better. After looking at some of their more recent website designs, I think they’ve taken that feedback into account because I noticed an improvement.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Abki Solutions is a creative design company. We do a lot of design work, like PowerPoint design and logos, brochures, etc. I’m the director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coruscate Solutions?

There are a lot of big companies that send us notes and ask us to make presentations with them. A lot of these professionals are in upper management positions and the notes were taken in a meeting. They would send emails and explain what they wanted to put into the PowerPoint. We wanted to develop an app where we could automate the process. With the app, they can take pictures of the notes and record voice notes and send them to us. We would then process them and send back what we produced.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went to Coruscate with the idea of the app, and they were very helpful. They had a very structured approach to the project. They divided the project into various stages, like requirement processing, UI development, coding, execution, testing, iterations, bug fixing, go-live, etc. They not only discussed our requirements, but also proposed best practices and how we could make it more efficient. We had some blind spots and they gave suggestions on how to make things better. They had really good insights and helped us understand and formalize the exact requirement for the app.

They started building the screens before doing the actual coding. That helped us visualize how our app would look and what the UI is. It helped us make more decisions on what to change and what to keep. They worked on the coding and then we did bug testing. We had a few more additions that we hadn’t discussed in the beginning, but they handled it really professionally. They put those additions into the cycle and were able to deliver a product that we were happy with. They app is for both iOS and Android.

How many resources were assigned to your project?

We had two people as points of contact for the requirement gathering. Then we had another point of contact for the UI development. The project was led by the project manager that would update us and listen to our feedback and report that to the team. We also had access to experts if there were issues with a specific part of the project. I don’t know how many developers were working on the project.

How did you come to work with Coruscate Solutions?

I had a friend who provided me the reference. Coruscate had done an e-commerce site for him, and he was happy with them. I spoke to them, and I liked their initial presentation and what they said they could deliver. In hindsight, it was a good decision because we were happy with what they delivered.

How much have you invested with Coruscate Solutions?

We spent $12,000 on the project. We paid on a fixed cost basis, not per developer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2017, and the project was completed in April 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

In terms of productivity, we found the app useful. It was more important that our clients found it useful. Before, the client had to do a lot of explaining about what they wanted us to do. With this app, it became simpler. This app allowed clients to give us more requests, so our business increased. We are now able to manage the process better and we can always reference the pictures. In the earlier process, the understanding wasn’t always clear. Now, with the pictures and voice notes, the understanding is clearer, and we don’t have as many iterations with the client. In terms of client usability, our clients are happy that we have something like this.

How did Coruscate Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good. The project was completed on time. There were a couple of things where they were one or two days delayed but the whole of the project was not hampered. We had weekly calls to update us on the progress and for us to give feedback. The project was well-mapped-out and we had good interaction. We felt like we were in control and could see how things were progressing.

What did you find most impressive about Coruscate Solutions?

The way they managed the expectations of the project. In the requirement gathering, you know what’s going on even though you’re not the one developing it. You know how the process is going, what people have understood, and what they’re implementing. It’s not like a black box where you give a set of requirements and at the end of three months, you still don’t have what you want. They handled the project well and met our expectations. The effort they put toward overachieving the expectations was something that stood out about them.

Are there any areas Coruscate Solutions could improve?

I can’t think of anything.