Csharptek

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a program manager for an insurance business that works directly with Csharptek.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Csharptek?

We hired Csharptek to build a software solution that could simplify storm claims for the insurance industry adjusters field.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have anywhere from 50,000–60,000 claims a year in the US for wind, rain, storms, and flooding. All homeowners in America are insured in some way by the major insurance companies so when a claim happens, insurance companies dispatch claims adjusters.

However, many of those claim adjusters are not well-trained leading to a high turnover within the industry. The training becomes our Achilles, so Csharptek is developing a software solution that will simplify the training timeline. The solution will also simplify the experience of submitting claims for all homeowners in North America.

We run short and long sprints with Csharptek, and we sign anywhere from a 2–6 months contract, depending on what we’re trying to accomplish.

What is the team composition?

I’m working with Bhanu (Cloud Consultant & CEO) and Chandan (Senior QA Lead). Chandan works as our project manager and he monitors our progress. We’re also working with a program support analyst whose work is focused on running tests and finding software bugs. We also collaborate with a program coding manager and a couple of software engineers.

How did you come to work with Csharptek?

The business began with two leaders who were part of a nationally recognized entrepreneurial program at a university. That process worked for about two years before I was brought in by the company. They hired me to manage and begin the program a year ago because I had a background in marketing, sales, and program management from a large corporation. 

We found Csharptek through the university because they did projects for them, and we chose them because we wanted to work with a team that was adaptive and responsive. We also wanted to collaborate with a motivated partner, not just a third-party company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the contract in May 2020, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They're highly capable of telling us what we need for a project. That includes telling us whether we need an API for a certain part of the project or if we need an SSL license while developing a site with interactive aspects.

Csharptek is an expert when it comes to servers; they’ve guided us as to what size we’ve needed to purchase as well as the server’s ability to support our system. We now ensure that we have an eight-core capability based on their guidance.

How did Csharptek perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate at least two times a week with our project manager using Zoom and WhatsApp. We’re always in contact on WhatsApp since I have to travel for my other job. Then, we communicate 6–8 times a week on email regarding our project's operations and the progress that we’re making. We also discuss future hurdles with them.

They’re excellent communicators, and they’re great listeners. Above all, they challenge our vision of making our platform user-friendly; they don’t simply follow what we say, but they think hard about how to deliver what we want in the best manner possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re experienced even though they’re still a new business. Csharptek has people that have 10 years of practical experience in their fields which allows them to rapidly deliver solutions. We don’t have a lot of debate regarding the project, and we feel that the hours we invest are not being wasted. Most of all, the team makes use of every hour that we pay them — we have no regrets about our current collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a small business, billing solutions when working with a global company is not as simple as going to a bank and wiring money. The other gentleman that I partner with has a day job and his work as an adjuster requires him to be traveling on the road. He cleans up storms throughout the course of a given year, so he can’t walk into a local bank all the time to pay the bills.

Additionally, we can’t utilize apps like Wise and Chime because they’re not recognized banks. Usually, the government blocks huge money transfers because of money laundering risks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk with Bhanu because he’s a well-spoken man. He’s also easygoing, understanding, and has enough experience. Above all, he has people that like working for him.

Currently, we don’t have any turnover within our team. When we go from sprint to sprint, we may add ahead or not need somebody for a period of time. Despite that, Bhanu’s team has been consistent which makes it very easy to move within the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Technology Partner for ipCapital Group, as well as the Managing Partner for Inter Alia Consulting. ipCG is one of the leading Intellectual Property companies in the world. Inter Alia is a Managed Service Provider of IT services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We have extensive need for custom software development ranging from databases that handle patent data, to smartphone apps that allow for charitable donations. We needed to develop full scale software at reasonable prices and quick turn around

SOLUTION

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

We originally found Csharptek through an job posting portal where received numerous responses to a RFP that we submitted. Among the numerous responses we received Csharptek was the quickest, the most specific and expanse answer to each question and well within budget.

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

While we have done numerous projects with Csharptek, our first and one of the most complex, was a project that allowed a patent reviewer to parse patent data from the USPTO, categorize patents within that data-set and then using numerous features within the tool rank patents across numerous criteria. The project was delivered across multiple "check-ins" with the programming team. Where a group of beta testers would evaluate new working features and give feedback. This project required MS Azure and .NET technologies, but we have done other projects using AWS and Python. The are full-stack developers so there's many options.

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

There were 4 people we interacted with, but there were also Jr programmers behind the scenes that we new were doing work that we didn't directly interact with. There was a Sr. Programmer, a QA and Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Once we instituted this program within ipCG we dropped the amount of time it took to do a patent review from weeks to days.

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

Communication is excellent, through both email and video conferences. Emails are answered almost around the clock and never much more than an hour or so before a response happened.

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

The owner Bhanu is very involved in overseeing the projects and is imminently available for consultation with any questions or insights in to the project you might have.

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

Only item I'd say Csharptek could improve on is in some area of UI design. While the programs are always functional, sometimes it has been necessary to point out small things like button placement or text highlighting.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

ActionMap Inc. provides subscriptions, training and workshops based on the ActionMap Toolkit method and SaaS application for conducting online process workshops. The ActionMap Toolkit has been proven in hundreds of uses including with HP, Intel, Target, ConAgra and Chevron for a wide range of process-related purposes. ActionMap delivers high quality collaboration results in hours and days instead of weeks and months, resulting in better faster process change.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Take over and continue development and maintenance of an ASP.NET / BootStrap / MS SQL Server SaaS application hosted on MS Azure.

SOLUTION

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

I found CSharpTek through a search for Azure security resources, and CSharpTek delivered on that need. After primary development of the application with another offshore company, and some false starts with other less-managed offshore resources, I spoke to Bhanu Gupta, CSharpTek's CEO, about providing ongoing development, maintenance and operations support for the application. I found that Bhanu and I could communicate clearly, easily and effectively, and I felt confident that Bhanu understood my needs. We negotiated an economical, flexible and effective staffing plan. Cost, flexibility, level of staff expertise and most of all the clarity of communication with Bhanu were the deciding factors.

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

In preceding development phases, I had created a set of detailed formats procedures for issue reporting, task prioritization and application management, using a combination of Google Docs, DropBox and Jira. The initial CSharpTek team consisted of a senior programmer/analyst and a senior Q/A analyst. The initial phase of the project was for the CSharpTek team to learn the software and the procedures. The remainder of the project has been development and deployment of new features and maintenance changes.

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

The initial CSharpTek team consisted of a senior programmer/analyst and a senior Q/A analyst. We later migrated to a junior programmer/analyst and a junior Q/A analyst supported by the two seniors, with the senior Q/A analyst serving as a project coordinator. Over the course of the project the two juniors have become intermediates, the senior P/A was no longer required, and the senior Q/A continues to serve as project coordinator. More recently development has been reduced, and the intermediate Q/A analyst has become a part time role.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The working relationship with the team, through a 12.5 hour time difference, has been excellent. We successfully developed clear understandings about communication protocols that allowed me to feel highly confident and in control of the team's activity. Since the project started, the team has added several major features and performed many minor updates, through approximately a dozen production releases. Over time we have continued to formalize our procedures and formats. The general outcome is that I have been able to use the application in online process workshops with complete confidence, and to market the software aggressively knowing that it is secure, robust and highly functional.

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

I had previously developed a set of project reporting formats and procedures using Google Docs and Jira. This included all aspects of application management, including timesheets and billing paperwork. The CSharpTek team adapted to those procedures. The project work has consisted of working on "Issues" (including tasks and the development of whole sub-systems) that we captured and that I prioritized on the basis of perceived need; there has been no formal project management beyond that. The senior Q/A analyst on the team provides oversight and daily status reporting on a part-time basis. We have weekly team meetings, with specific agendas. This arrangement has allowed me to maintain a high level of control over how team time is spent. I am effectively the CTO and software architect, and I continue to write code where appropriate. As such, very high quality and timely communication with the team is required. The team has adapted to those communication requirements in a very satisfactory way. This provides me with strong confidence in the quality and efficiency of the work.

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

They are talented, flexible in staffing and time management, and adapt easily to procedures and style of work. While maintaining the appropriate role of client and application manager, I feel that my work with CSharpTek staff has resulted in professional development all around, and that we are indeed a team. I attribute these qualities of the company and its staff to the vision, values and efforts of the CSharpTek CEO, Bhanu Gupta, who I consider one of my most valued business partners.

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

There are always details, however, I'm very satisfied overall, and anything that could have been done differently has been quickly implemented. That's the beauty of the relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Jones Software Corporation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Development of a Cloud-Based SaaS LMS

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Csharptek to accomplish?

• DevOps
• Consulting
• Partnership

SOLUTION

How did you find Csharptek?

Referral

Why did you select Csharptek over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Csharptek were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Software development and technical support. 
• Full stack developer. 
• QA Developer. 
• Microsoft Teams Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They're outstanding and have quick turnaround, quality process, and end product.

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

Ditto, see last question.

What was your primary form of communication with Csharptek?

Virtual Meeting

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

Depth of experience and communication.

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

Great business and personal relationship.