DICEUS

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a system integration business manager. Our main clients are government and financial industry local business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We have developed GIS related web service that is running by Japanese engorgement. and the service is provided and open for local government, local business and all of citizen.

Our challenge was launch the service in the limited deadline. Develop the contents, install and setup the web server, deployed the big amount of contents with high security infrastructure.

SOLUTION

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

Diceus could react for our tough requirement that we need to buildup huge team in the moment. It's very impossible to do for my own company team. They created the indicated team for us very quickly with experienced engineers. So that we could start the project very smoothly.

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

• Analyze the previous web system.
• Preparing and develop the new web content.
• Design the infrastructure.
• Set up the server on a IaaS service.
• Deploy the web contents including the big amount of GIS data.
• Infrastructure stress test.
• Setup high policy security firewalls.

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

Total 30 people. Salas adviser. Project manager. Web designers. Web developers. Infrastructure engineers. Web engineers. GIS related consultant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we started to cooperate with Diceus, our system integration business sales increased by 50%.

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

We have 6 hours time difference. And we could use the different efficient way. We still can have interactive communication with using Video chat and they still can keep working after our business hours.

In case of we are running out time, they managed their extra working hours. They are very helpful. We use Microsoft-Teams, Zoom, Skype for the meeting. VPN and Windows server remote desktop for working environment.

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

The collaboration with Diceus is not only engineering for system development, but also a mutual work on business, including getting a contract and a quote. Diceus' knowledge of providing services to customers around the world has become a major weapon in our business.

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

If we don't share the scope of work clearly, their deliverable might be over quality sometimes. In order to avoid it, you need to spend enough time to communicate to understanding the project scope each other.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am BI director in a financial institute in the middle east. We develop/manage financial products for retail and corporate customer base. My duty is to provide analytical reports in nearly real time to be a key element is supporting executive decisions by senior management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Diceus?

We hired Diceus to develop/manage the infrastructure and operations of our institute datawarehouse. The scope is to build a "single source of truth" for data in order to build proven dashboards with quality published data points.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project is to build a trusted, nearly real time source of data marts for reports. This goal is directly realized in delivering specific reports/dashboards built on top of data marts from the datawarehouse.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Searching online for vendors/developers was the key selection method. Looking for a vendor that particularly provides developers for the specific scope of work we want to implement.

Describe the project in detail.

The project plan started by delivering an MVP were we asked Diceus to deliver a low hanging fruit BI report/dashboard. the first phase focused on proving data warehouse team function in the institute, and deliver a small credit review model.

Getting on board was quick (around 2 weeks) including hiring and forming the team. By end of 2018 delivery was successfully met. We applied iterative (sprint) approach in 2019 to deliver datawarehouse releases every 2 weeks. The team was fully formed by end of Q1 2019 and started delivery in full gear.

What was the team composition?

Diceus team includes a project manager, project coordinator, business/technical analyst, Oracle developers, BI reports/dashboards developer and Devops (CI) engineer. Each had specific role, with specific assignment types- although Diceus team is agile enough to move to side "Sprints" based on business urgency.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Realization of deliverable list was evident starting Q2 2019, a data model for risk review was built and enriched with business measures (credit scoring, rating, segmentation). Further, retail accounts/customers segmentation came to surface at end of Q2 2019.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication with Diceus team is managed by the master Project manager and a project coordinator. Meetings (status) are scheduled and time boxed nearly perfectly.

Further, since the team is remotely managed, task assignment and follow ups are managed using tools like JIRA and slack which really helps in more accurate and speedy delivery of tasks.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The robust knowledge of Diceus senior developers of our financial core system is really impressive. Their knowledge helps in implementing data warehouse artifacts quickly and accurately.

Also, the availability of the resources in case of emergencies and urgent tasks- especially in weekends, is very much recognized.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Continuous documentation of deliverables needs to happen. Proper LIVE documentation is a bit poor and needs to be fixed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital intelligence director for a regional bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Diceus?

The main issue was our reports had data inconsistencies. In a few reports, we found different data for the same customer, for example. Another issue was the system would fail or shut down, so it was critical to restore the system. I was searching for a vendor who could improve the user experience for business balances reporting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided us with managed IT services for reporting system enhancement and quality improvement. They redid 311 reports from scratch and also helped with the mobility of the reporting system.

What is the team composition?

We started with two people in the first few months during a testing period. Currently, there are 17 people working on the project. Five people are on the support team to maintain and improve the system and the rest are developing reports.

How did you come to work with Diceus?

I did an online search and chose Diceus from a shortlist of a few vendors.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $400,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been efficient and kept up the service level agreement they promised. Their reports have been rendered on time with improved quality. None of the departments have complained, which means they’re happy with the quality. Overall, their work has been a big improvement over what we had before.

How did Diceus perform from a project management standpoint?

Their technical lead and project manager come to our office frequently to understand what it is I need and what the business needs. Sometimes our business department decides to meet with Diceus to communicate their business needs directly. We communicate through email and Slack and track progress through Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They worked quickly to get us high-quality resources. After my initial request, we had two resources within two weeks. Other vendors that we talked to asked for six weeks to onboard resources.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes I have to wait a little bit longer than I expect to get an answer back from them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be aggressive with them and you’ll benefit more because they’ll start doing things faster.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product manager of Lion Trans, an international transportation company that ships cars to the US and Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Diceus?

With our experience in shipping cars, we decided to build our auction site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first prepared the technical documentation for the auction portal and began developing a few months ago. Diceus advised using .NET language, which would be easier for our company to manage. Their team built the platform using .NET, with PHP elements and a SQL database.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and a business analyst.

How did you come to work with Diceus?

I looked for providers based in Ukraine, which is close to us, and had heard the region had a high number of professional developers. We decided to reach out to a few, and Diceus had an exceptional proposal for our team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Diceus in October 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Some elements of the portal are finished, including registration and specific auction pages. We are confident that we will meet our deadline.

How did Diceus perform a project management standpoint?

Diceus works hard for our company. They’re a professional team with skilled developers. We’ve had open communication with them. I use Jira to track their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Diceus has an excellent sales manager, and I was satisfied with the initial communication. Other companies took longer and didn’t answer all my questions. They have great pricing and fast delivery times, and I enjoy working with their business analyst.

During the selection process, it was essential for me to know how candidates worked with other clients because we’d be working remotely, and the size of the project. Diceus was better at providing transparency than other companies in their industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are none that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director at a trucking and logistics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Diceus?

We wanted to create an application that we could give to our subcontracted transport companies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The application is built for Android. It’s a way for us to help our drivers find gas stations, keep their route correct, and we can also track them.

We have fuel cards that we wanted integrating into the application. It reads the API information from our supplier, then the drivers are able to track their consumption and see the location of the gas stations. We’re also able to send them offers and notifications.

What is the team composition?

There was a project manager. At times, we were in contact with the owner, while in the beginning, we had contact with the developer who showed us some technical things and visuals.

How did you come to work with Diceus?

I was looking for a development company online and contacted a selection. Diceus was the fastest to respond and interact, as well as having good reviews.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent 30,000 euros (approximately $34,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have helped us make our business more attractive to the drivers. It’s more comfortable and we’ve made cost savings.

How did Diceus perform from a project management standpoint?

It was smooth working with them. They’re very dedicated, explaining things and introducing us to a lot of things. We used email because it’s easier for me and reviewed the documents through the cloud, since it gets constantly updated. We used Skype for conference calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If you’re a person with no idea about IT, they will lead the way and form it for you. We told them our idea and they helped us come up with the final look.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were satisfied. They’re really nice people.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can go to them with no knowledge and they’ll lead you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of the IT department for a consulting firm. We specialize in helping organizations improve their business by optimizing their customer experience strategies. My main responsibility is the development of internal applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Diceus?

We had already developed an MVP for HappyTRACK, which is an online application that helps organizations track employee performance. We hired Diceus to continue the development and build additional features.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a final product that aligned with our vision.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We first heard about them from Upwork. We reviewed three other companies and spoke with their staff about our product. Ultimately, we were most confident in Diceus’ ability to deliver.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Based on our roadmap, we collaborated with their team to develop a series of complex ideas and detailed requirements. Diceus prepared mockups and submitted them for our review. Upon our approval, they programmed the functionality. Additionally, they contributed to the ideas to our data visualization initiative and designed several dashboard samples.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with a project manager, but also interacted with a designer and two developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We finished the work on time, which set us up to launch the completed product at an event we were organizing. It was our highest priority, and we’re happy with the results.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our communication flow was excellent. We used Skype for calls and Slack for daily communication with the developers, with regularly scheduled meetings to make sure everyone was up to date on our progress. Lastly, we shared source code through our private Git repository.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Each team member was always available to address my questions or concerns. Because of their ability to understand our vision, it was very easy for us to communicate our ideas.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

No, everything was good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Bittease. I have a rewards product that can be used for restaurants and shops. The goal is to introduce the rewards system idea in the Middle East similar to the way it is used in the U.S.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Diceus?

I graduated as a software engineer, but the system is large. I needed the help of their developers and designers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, I only asked for their assistance with design. I liked what they made so I asked them to assist with the development as well. Now, they’re doing the back and frontend for the application and the platform, the admin system. For the backend, they used .NET and an Azure product. For the frontend, we’re going to use Xamarin. They’re doing a cross-platform for Android and iOS. The project is almost done. We’re doing the minimum viable product right now.

The customer uses the app by finding the restaurant they want to go to. Then, the restaurant scans the code to give the customer points for every purchase or discounts. After they accumulate enough points, they can get items for free. The shops and restaurants can fully customize their offerings. I’m targeting the local shops here in the Middle East.

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, there was a designer and a manager for the design. For the development, they had one person for the backend, one for the frontend, and one project manager.

How did you come to work with Diceus?

I used Google which led me to Clutch. I did my research and chose multiple companies. I felt most secure and confident with Diceus.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent between $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything is going amazingly well. Once it’s tested and I see the user feedback, I’m sure I’ll continue working with them. They provided me a prototype and I presented that to multiple companies who like it and are highly interested in being a part of it. They like the design and how the app works.

How did Diceus perform from a project management standpoint?

I wanted to be involved as much as possible because I have development and project management skills. We overcame all the obstacles that showed up from the beginning.

They’re amazing with communication and hitting deadlines. I never had a problem with them with timing or communication. We’re using Jira for the task management. We’re also using Azure and GitHub. We have a daily meeting and follow the Scrum methodology.

What did you find most impressive about them?

With Diceus, due to the daily communication with them, they wanted everything to be clear from the beginning, which is why everything is going as it’s supposed to.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I documented the idea with user stories, use cases, and sketches before deciding to work with them. Providing this kind of information will help your development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of software development at a small software development and consulting company in northern Virginia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Diceus?

We needed to move from a 15-year-old technology stack that was mainly Java-based with C# and C++ libraries. We offer several products including a desktop product and an enterprise server product which we want Diceus to help develop. Our current business model requires that we separate the frontend and backend of the site and complete an overhaul of the old data that accumulated over the years and we did not have the internal staff needed to take on this development process. We wanted someone who we could partner within a time zone that is similar to ours.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Diceus helps generate some dynamic pages display and create a new tech stack that runs quicker than the previous version. They helped implement API and other backend development processes. On the frontend, they help create a reactive application that runs on a single-server database. They are adding features that improve the functionality of the software by rewriting the system. Diceus is essentially assisting with the streamlining process of the next major version of our core products. We plan on continually evolving the project and making descensions on improving the user interface as we go on.

What is the team composition?

The team is composed of a lead developer who also serves as the project manager. Two backend developers and one frontend developer round out the current team. In the next few weeks, another frontend developer will join the team. We also employed a temporary UX/UI designer who is contracted with us through September.

How did you come to work with Diceus?

We went through an exhaustive process to find a service provider. Our search was primarily online, we also had a few recommendations we looked into. Outsourcing the project for us was guaranteed and we had a preference in the Eastern European region because there were several advantages for us. We ended up selecting Diceus because of their prompt response time, availability of resources, and price. Their team was technically astute, and their CEO was involved in the development process. They were a happy medium between a large firm and a small firm which fit what we wanted for the project.

How much have you invested with them?

Up until this point, we invested $30,000 and we have budgeted about $250,000 through December.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are still in the pretty early phases of the product project. We started in April with one lead developer, and the team has grown since then. We expect this project to last at least a year, if not more. Right now, we are in the designing stages and starting the building of the software architecture with the UX/UI designer. It will be a continually evolving process, because of the growing nature of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our project so far is going great. Even though we are in the really early in the project we haven’t hit any roadblocks yet, which is admirable. I imagine that if any come up in the future they will handle issues promptly.

How did Diceus perform from a project management standpoint?

We use JIRA Confluence Bitbucket for code repository in addition to Slack and Skype as our primary communication methods. We prefer not to use email in favor of more direct communication because of our limited overlap in the workday due to the time difference. This method works well for us since we can focus on summarizing the progress of the project in Slack and address any issues as soon as possible. There were some problems communicating due to the language barrier, but my daily Skype session with the project manager helps alleviate any miscommunication when I’m offline. Their team typically is offline after 11:00 a.m., but they will occasionally be available past that point. I also prepare thorough documentation to track and prioritize the work needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This type of project is new for me since the original system was constructed before my time at the company. Based on my personal research, I saw the necessity for constant and daily communication and to ensure that we can work as a unit even though we are in separate locations. That is the standard I’ve set from the start. It's been working well, but I don't have anything to compare it to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It is a little too early to tell, but so far the only suggestion I have is clearer communication in terms of the language barrier to eliminate added efforts transcribing.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would suggest communicating frequently with their team. We take advantage of the overlap in the work day and found that communicating via direct messaging tools like Slack work better than delayed communication like email.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are developing a crypto-trading website that will provide wallets for customers. Our main activity will be to exchange USD to crypto like Bitcoin and Litecoin. We provide wallet support and we facilitate transactions for our users. I am the CTO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Diceus?

Our priority was to address the security of our application. The entire crypto market is known for poorly designed solutions, and security is our main concern. We required a lot of manpower in the development phase in order to build the website infrastructure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Diceus has helped us with developing the crypto-exchange system. We have developers for ASP.NET, C#, and SQL Server. The security testing is done in-house, but Diceus is helping our development team with certain items. Diceus is writing server-side code for the main web platform. We’ve kept the trading engine in-house because we wanted to have full control of it, but the server-side part of the interface is mostly being done by Diceus.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager and a team of developers. We also receive sales support and other similar services.

How did you come to work with Diceus?

We hired them after a series of collaborations with other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

I estimate that the cost of their services has been more than $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2017. We had our live release a few days ago, and we’re continuing the collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are pleased with their work, and I anticipate that it’ll contribute to our success in terms of scalability and monetization.

How did Diceus perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira to track progress, and we use Hubstaff to monitor worktime. Diceus’ team has always been very resourceful. They are able to find a solution quickly, while other companies we’ve worked with usually required one or two weeks to achieve the same thing. Diceus has the internal resources to provide us with what we need. They have delivered good quality.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their code has been the most important part for us. It was the determining factor in the decision to continue the collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be worthwhile to see them make an investment in more English training for their developers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m Senior Clinical Consultant at ReStart Consulting, which focuses on consulting integration and interoperability across health and social care systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Diceus?

Our business challenge was to build a different, more modern user interface for a product that is set inside various organizations’ servers as well as web-based. Our old user interface was a tired and unsophisticated frontend. We wanted it to be much more open and engaging, where we could display and present data to a range of clinicians across the health economy.

We had internal arguments about it so decided it was better to go outside the company for an independent view of what was possible. We wanted to use a React type software like that used by Facebook and other social media services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Diceus developed our new user interface iteratively over about six weeks. They based the design on conversations with me as a clinical lead and our technical interface colleagues. We gave them an idea of what we wanted and they responded with ideas that would ensure more interaction with our users. They provided wireframes for review and feedback. We worked through a couple of iterations of the design and ended up with a clean, crisp display based on a table format.

What is the team composition?

We initially communicated with their sales people and a project manager. Then they handed it over to the designers and software engineers.

How did you come to work with Diceus?

Our managing director’s son-in-law had worked with Diceus previously on a project of financial changes and outlining for the financial markets. We knew Diceus through him. They seemed to be in a good position to be able to do the work that we wanted.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about £5,000 ($6,600 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together for 6 weeks from March to April 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve presented it to two existing clients and four prospective clients so far. Everyone has remarked that it’s great that the refresh screen is uncluttered. They were able to build an interface that allows each of the individuals across the care spectrum to see what they need at the point of care rather than showing everybody everything. It’s a well-tailored screen that meets the needs of both existing and prospective clients.

How did Diceus perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via Skype and they would share their desktop with me. Given that the project was only six weeks, there was no need for too much project management and external control. Our focus was on the technical and design sides. We had the right level of project management and oversight without me being burdened by multiple emails or phone calls from a project manager. It was very well handled.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to try to understand what we needed rather than set off to deliver what they thought we should have. I’ve worked in the industry for a long time and have found that a lot of companies try to shoehorn your needs into what they have to offer. Diceus didn’t do that. They tried to be very clear about our needs before getting started.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Almost immediately after we had finalized the project, they started to press me for further sales. I think you need to allow some time after a project ends before you start chasing additional sales.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use Skype rather than emails. We had conversations rather than bouncing emails back and forth. I think a lot of clarity comes from a conversation rather than multiple emails that don't really clarify anything.