Evenset Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Research & Advocacy Associate for a small global NGO focused on promoting equality and women's rights.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Evenset Inc., and what were your goals?

We hired Evenset to develop a new Android mobile application, along with an accompanying website.

The project is based around a self-interviewing app designed to allow people living in remote areas - who may have limited familiarity with smartphones, limited literacy, and/or sporadic access to internet and electricity - to anonymously share their experiences of gender-based violence and other sensitive global issues. We are continuing to work with them to refine to the app and website based on feedback gathered from recent pilot projects.

SOLUTION

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

We initially found Evenset through an intensive online search for an app development firm. Deciding factors included the fact that Evenset staff were able and willing to explain complex technical topics to those with no prior experience building an app; that they expressed a solid understanding of, and interest in, the project and its goals; and that staff possessed a wide range of expertise.

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

Evenset used Figma in designing the app and website, and to show us the direction of the project both in terms of its design and functionality. They used Amazon Web Services, and the app is stored on the Google Play store. The app contains some text but is mainly audio-based - it both speaks to the user and records their responses, before uploading the responses to the accompanying website.

Through the website, we can listen to the self-interview recordings, and crop, translate, and transcribe key sections of the self-interview responses. We use the website to upload text and audio to be read/heard by the app user, and changes saved on the website are automatically transferred to the app.

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

We have worked mainly with four people from Evenset:

• Hesam (CEO)
• Andrew (Managing Director)
• Ryan (Designer)
• Satbir (Developer)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a functioning mobile app and website, and have rolled out a pilot project testing the functionality of the app and website. Due to the nature of the initial project, we were only able to give Evenset a few weeks heads-up before implementing the pilot. Evenset was able to work quickly to ensure that the app and website were working in time, and the entire system worked very smoothly.

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

The project management was excellent. For minor or urgent questions, we usually communicated via Slack; for more detailed questions, we used email or had video calls (via Google Meet and Zoom).

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

It has been helpful to be able to communicate with people with a range of expertise - including in project management, app and website development, and design. We especially appreciated their ability to convey technical concepts in straightforward/non-technical terms, as well as their willingness to brainstorm solutions to issues alongside us as they arose.

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

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Software Officer for my company that invented cloth-based nano sensors that can collect biomarkers such as ECG and ICG from the skin, without the need for adhesives or implantables.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Evenset Inc., and what were your goals?

We hired Evenset to help us develop the server and web client pieces of our remote diagnostics platform. Our goals were to build a rock-solid data ingestion pipeline to power our platform, and to provide unique insights and a great user experience to clinicians who were using our software to monitor patients during post-surgical recovery.

SOLUTION

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

I spoke with several vendors, and chose Evenset after conversations with their team left me with confidence that they were clueful not only about the unique requirements specific to medical applications, but also to modern software development practices and consumer-oriented product experiences.

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

Our planning work started from the requirements our customers had for how data would ultimately be displayed, and the design and specifications of the data from our hardware. We worked together to design a scalable data ingestion pipeline to collect our data, process it, and persist it, as well a robust clinician-facing web application for reviewing and managing patient data.

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

I worked with several people from the vendor's team, including a designer, and front-end, back-end, and devops engineers. To a person I was pleased with the quality of the work and enjoyed interacting with the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Using Evenset allowed us to deliver our product to market much faster than we would have been able to do on our own, and we benefited from their insights and experience in building applications in the healthcare space. Our early customers have been happy with the product. We've also been able to generate excitement with potential customers and partners by showing the kind of unique and actionable data that can be unlocked from our core products.

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

We coordinated in a shared Slack channel, and Evenset managed their development in Jira. They were great with estimates, communicated clearly, and were well responsive both with long-term deliverables and inevitable time-sensitive fire drills that we asked for help with.

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

I have been able to depend on Evenset to make wise decisions and recommendations, with both back-end infrastructure and devops development as well as customer-facing front-end application design. It's been a great help to our company to have their help and insights.

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

I have been pleased with both the quality of the work and their talent for anticipating our needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re launching a new pharmaceutical company. I’m a co-founder here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evenset Inc.?

Our goal was to launch a direct-to-consumer (D2C) pharmacy, allowing us to accept and fulfill prescriptions online as well as ship prescriptions directly to the consumer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In developing the platform, they handled everything from initial scoping and wireframes to ultimately building the website. They were responsible for the design and development of the product, devising color palettes, UX design, and branding elements. The site was built with React. They’re now in the process of developing a native iOS and Android mobile app as well.

What is the team composition?

We had two main points of contact, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Evenset Inc.?

We were referred by one of their past clients, who recommended them based on their knowledge of the healthcare space. Their experience with integrating electronic medical records and various databases was rare and important to our project. We decided to hire them because they had the technical knowledge and came highly recommended.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since March 2020. However, we completed the first phase of work in July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While they’re a small firm, they had the technical breadth and capabilities to bring a product to life in an all-encompassing way. We’re happy with their work and would recommend them to others.  

How did Evenset Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered according to timelines by organizing several sprints. We used Jira and Excel to track the project. They were efficient with their timeline during the initial scoping of the project. There were weekly standup calls for updates, but they also allowed us to join their daily standups whenever we wanted. I appreciated that level of transparency. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were invested in our business, wanting to understand our problems to serve as true long-term partners. They’re also very technically-oriented. That’s allowed us to take a very technically realistic approach to developing and designing the product.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

It might be too early in our relationship to say. I can’t think of anything for them to improve upon.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have a specific budget in mind, communicate that up front. Then, you’ll be able to work backward to discover what you will be able to achieve on your budget. They’re pragmatic, so you’ll benefit from being transparent and clear with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Caribou. We’re a home care technology company that allows home care agencies to uncover and fill their untapped caregiver availability.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evenset Inc.?

We had a contract with a major home care agency and government funder to do a pilot of our tech solution, but we hadn’t built anything yet. Evenset Inc. came in to quickly turn our vision into a tangible product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We’ve tasked Evenset Inc. with developing our home care solution for iOS, Android, and web. The main function is to connect caregivers with families that require extra services. 

With the solution, caregivers registered to the home care agency can report if they have additional availability outside of their scheduled hours. Families receiving government-funded home care can then use the app to find local caregivers who have extra capacity. Once they book an on-demand visit, the app notifies the caregiver and allows them to respond.

The website serves as a dashboard for the home care agency coordinators to oversee requests. Coordinators might have to make a last-minute booking on behalf of a patient or cover for another caregiver who called out.

Both the app and website have been developed from scratch with React Native, GraphQL, Node.js, and PostgreSQL. It’s all hosted on AWS, and Evenset Inc. has made sure that we’re compliant with healthcare data regulations.

What is the team composition? 

I’ve worked with Hesam and Mashid (Co-Founders) as well as two developers, a project manager, and a QA support specialist.

How did you come to work with Evenset Inc.?

One of our investors had used Evenset Inc. for his own startup, so he recommended them to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent maybe $500,000 CAD (approximately $382,000)

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in February 2019, and is currently ongoing. They’ve transitioned into more of a maintenance mode while we’ve started to hire for our own team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They always deliver high-quality work on time. If they’re having trouble meeting a deadline, they’ll add extra resources for no additional cost to achieve a great end product. That speaks to their standards and shows how honorable and ethical they are.

How did Evenset Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

As a non-technical person, I feel like they provide just the right level of engagement so that I know everything is taken care of. I don’t have to get too deep into the weeds. During our weekly calls, we review what we’ve done up to that point, what’s coming up next, and where we can fine-tune our roadmap. 

Besides that, we use Slack and Google Docs to coordinate. They probably have their own internal project management tools, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by the quality of their work. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to get the task done right and to a high standard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing really stands out. They might consider proactively pushing for higher resourcing when needed. There were times where their whole team was spread a little thin, and we could tell that everyone was working really hard. That’s what happens when you’re doing great work for a lot of clients. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really specific with your needs to ensure that you’re getting the best value for your resources. You’ll get a very high-quality, to-spec product in return for a fair cost.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product management at a technology company in healthcare. We deliver an integrated bedside terminal solution that patients use for a variety of things such as accessing entertainment or aspects of their care.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evenset Inc.?

The company has roots in the TV industry, so for over 50 years, we were delivering TVs to hospitals. When the new ownership and leadership came in 2018, there was a new strategy. 

That strategy involved transforming from a TV or entertainment company to a patient engagement company. We brought on Evenset Inc. to help supplement our team and build our new platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evenset Inc. supplemented our team, bringing in a team of developers who built the platform. They worked on the frontend and our team managed the backend, but both teams worked closely together. 

They also provided architecture design support and helped us to determine how we should actually build and manage the solutions in the future. The app uses web technology on a hospital-grade tablet-like device.

Our operating system uses Linux, so they built it on that. The main platform they built off the web technology was called Electron. 

What is the team composition?

Hesam (Co-Founder) was my main point of contact, and we also worked with about five developers. 

How did you come to work with Evenset Inc.?

I was looking for a local company, so I started searching and talked to a lot of people. I also looked at Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $200,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Generally, the customers had a positive view of the product. It’s user-friendly.

How did Evenset Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We met our timeline, even though it was quite close. We used JIRA to manage the work, and we also communicated using Slack and chatted at least weekly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very positive and great to work with. Evenset Inc. would always try to find a way to make things work rather than bringing up all of the reasons something wouldn’t work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had a very tight timeline, which meant that there was some misalignment. They made some decisions on their own that our team disagreed with. Additionally, they didn’t have some of the skill sets that would’ve helped them. For example, they weren’t knowledgeable about Linux because they’re more of a web app company. 

We knew this before the engagement because that was something our team was going to focus on, but it would’ve helped if they had had more knowledge because they had to integrate their work into our platform.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try and take the opportunity to meet with some of the people who will actually work on the project beyond their leadership team. Additionally, know what Evenset Inc. is good at and where they have gaps before working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the COO of StoryBolt. We provide engagement solutions for companies around topics like diversity and inclusion, mental health, and entertaining materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evenset Inc.?

At the time that we started working with Evenset Inc., the very first request was to have a decent website, but they actually helped us to realize how important it was to have a scenario for the website. They had me look at it from the user experience point of view before having a beautiful website.

It was fair, and because of that, we changed the project to first define the personas and define what we needed to have from the website before working on the design and the graphics of the website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we had brainstorming sessions to figure out the needs and to design the solution that we needed. Evenset Inc. helped us with web design and development. They helped us understand the role and importance of the website for a B2B business.

They built the website from scratch. All of the features on the website are essential features. The most important part of the website is raising awareness and then getting the requests from potential viewers of the website.

This helps visitors understand who we are. Evenset Inc. used WordPress. We also worked with a copywriter and at some point, they connected with the copywriter and worked together. Additionally, two teammates helped with the color scheme, the environment, and the features that our personas preferred to have.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people in total, including Mahshid (Co-Founder) and Hesam (Co-Founder). We also worked with two teammates who helped us develop the personas. Those two people were also in charge of designing the website.

How did you come to work with Evenset Inc.?

We talked with three or four suppliers. I know Hesam personally, but we didn’t make a decision based on that. We got a proposal from Evenset Inc. and other companies. 

When we compared the way we worked with the company and the way they put themselves in our shoes and considered everything from our perspective, we very much liked their approach. Although the price wasn’t the best, we felt their service was better than the other two proposals we received.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them last summer, around August 2019, and it’s an ongoing relationship. We ask them to add features or make improvements from time to time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We communicated the results of the project with a group of our early adopters. Because our early adopters were happy with the new design and with the logic of the website, we consider it a successful project.

How did Evenset Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack for managing all communication. We’ve also had video calls and a lot of in-person meetings to communicate about the personas and the process. There are a lot of improvements we can make to the website because things are changing almost every day in our business as we are a startup. 

After realizing all the new needs and requirements, we went back to them and we decided to change things every milestone, which was every couple of months or to improve things in some ways based on our observation and their recommendations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are smart when it comes to developing websites. They don’t see a website as just a beautiful landing page on the net; they consider it a tool for marketing and sales, and it’s great for B2B business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. One of the best things about them is that during COVID-19, they’ve been super flexible with the payments, which we appreciate.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to them and listen to their advice and experience because it’s good, especially if you’re a startup. Evenset Inc. has solid experience working with startups and they’ve observed different startups at different stages. Because of that, I strongly recommend other clients to listen to them before jumping to a conclusion.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of development at Equibit Group. We’re a peer-to-peer equity and debt marketplace powered by decentralized blockchain technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evenset Inc.?

We were expanding fast and needed help developing and project managing one of our web applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The web app is made up of a user interface connected to our core system. In their browsers, users can create accounts and make queries, which are filled from our core infrastructure via our backend engine.

Evenset Inc. works on the front- and backend and assisted our development team in building the knowledge base we wanted. They're helping us polish off features and working mostly with JavaScript, Cannon.js, and Node.js. They also contribute to project management efforts and support us in setting up test cases.

What is the team composition?

Though we’re only working with one developer and a project manager, now, we’ve worked with up to three full-time developers.

How did you come to work with Evenset Inc.?

Their CTO and I were colleagues at a previous company, so I knew that she was reasonable and understood the depth of her expertise. 

At the time, we were working with a couple of other companies, but we gradually phased them out. We wanted to work alongside Evenset Inc. because they were local, highly responsive, and had good-quality developers.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Though the app hasn’t launched yet, we’re happy with their great developers and high-level code. They’ve helped us identify and fix bugs created by old developers that we didn’t even know existed, which continually improves our quality.

How did Evenset Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

I coordinated with a single person on their side. They delivered on time and budget, and we communicated every other day. We used a scrum methodology with two-week sprints and had five standups every two weeks. They integrated well with our development team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Bringing them on and starting the work was incredibly easy. Their quality is on par with that of our in-house developers, so we’re quite happy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If we’d wanted to expand to 10 developers (which we didn’t need), I don’t believe they’d have been able to accomplish that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you show them everything you have and need, they’ll take it on and run with it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of a dental practice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evenset?

We were looking for a company to help us design and develop a tooth shading app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a mobile application for iOS and Android. After a period of research, we came up with a plan on how to develop the app and then, they got down to work.

The app uses a smartphone camera and the algorithm that we designed to calculate the shade of a tooth. We found a way to calibrate it to everyone's lighting, so it takes about 30 seconds for the app to produce the results, and they're quite accurate.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with three developers.

How did you come to work with them?

I found them online when I was searching for app developers in the Toronto area. I wanted to find a company that was small enough to pay special attention to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000 - $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2017 and the app launched in June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered a top-notch product. The app turned out better than I thought it would be and it looks very professional. They listened to everything I told them and did exactly what I was asking, enhancing the app with their own ideas. 

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated every week. They responded to my emails right away and explained everything when things got too technical for me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're punctual and have a great attention to detail. We haven't experienced any delays.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They did a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're trustworthy. I'd definitely recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a mobile startup called MedEssist, which provides products and services that help users manage their healthcare.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Evenset Inc.?

We had a design in mind but needed outside assistance for Android software development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build our MVP and stay within our budget.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Evenset demonstrated a background in building healthcare products. Their knowledge regarding privacy and security requirements when working with health records (i.e. HIPPA) was a valuable asset.

Describe the project in detail.

Evenset took our initial design and refined and polished the look of the project, including the design of a new logo.

What was the team composition?

The CEO was our main contact point. He provided regular updates on all aspects of the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The final product is showing well and is receiving generous feedback. Evenset completed the project on time and at the level of quality we expected.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our communication with the CEO occurred mainly through email and Google documents. All of our feedback was heard and addressed throughout the project. We look forward to working with them again soon.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Evenset implemented a feature into our app that we had not previously considered. They put great effort into ensuring it worked flawlessly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was one instance of miscommunication regarding a specific feature, but that was largely due to how much time had passed since the planning stages. Evenset rectified the situation and still delivered on time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Raly. We are a financial technology company in the payments industry. We allow people to send money from one another, or to collect money from friends or family. Hopefully in the near future, it will allow people to pay business as well through the same type of app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Evenset Inc?

We had too many projects in the pipeline, and not enough resources to allocate, especially when it came to finding time to hire the right people to work on these projects which are ideal to be outsourced to the nearest facility around us. We needed someone that would be able to take over the project, understand where we are coming from, what we need, and be able to deliver it in a very timely matter as we have time constraints. We wanted to avoid the process of going through recruiting, hiring, and everything else that goes into it. It is a very competitive market, and we have to experiment a lot to get the right results.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Evenset is a development partner of ours. They are one of the only companies we work with when it comes to developing for micro projects. We wanted to do backend administration for the system, which would give our call center and administrators within the company access to the flow of data to be able to provide proper customer service, as well as for our other departments to be able to create queries and dashboards of the analytics part. Unfortunately, it was taking up too much of our time, and the limited resources that we had meant that we either had to spend time on the administrative dashboard development, or spend time on the actual engineering challenges. Ultimately, we decided to outsource the administrative dashboard to accompany.

When we started working with Evenset, we knew exactly what we wanted for this web application, and provided them with clear definitions of what we were trying to do, the areas we were lacking in and needed help in, and what the end result was that we expected at the end of the day. They completed the development using React in JavaScript, and the database model is a PostgreSQL database. It is a Node.js server, and everything was built in that framework. Every once in a while, we would get updates as to what had been done. We would then be able to review and provide feedback.

The technology is still relatively new. Even finding the right people that are familiar with the framework and are able to create the web application and have a successful project, is one of the reasons we wanted to work with a development shop. For us, to spend time trying to find the experts is very time consuming, especially when it comes to specialized frameworks like React, or Reactive Native; which are newer framework and newer technology. There is not a whole lot of expert talent out there yet.  

We weren’t asking them to be creative, the challenge of this particular project, was that we had kickstarted the project on our own, and our team had been working on the tech stack of the web application for the administrative dashboard. Once we knew we wanted to hand over the project, we had a conversation about whether we should start from scratch, or continue building on top of what we had already built, which was 20%—30% done at the time. When we had a conversation with Evenset, they had reviewed everything and said that for the sake of time, it would be best to develop on top of the existing tech stack. This was a great decision for us as it meant that we did not waste too much of our developer resources building something that ultimately gets thrown away.

What is the team dynamic?

We mainly worked with the project manager; however, I am unsure how many people in total worked on the project. We had a point of contact who kept up with our demands, documented everything and managed the project and milestones.

How did you come to work with Evenset Inc?

Evenset were referred to us by another company who had commissioned them for a project. At that time, we had interviewed a whole bunch of people; from freelancers to another dev shop. One of things we liked about Evenset was the fact that they had delivered finished projects in the time they promised to do it, and the quality was great. Evenset checked off on the list of criteria we were looking for. This was the most important part, as you want to work with a company that is able to meet the deadlines, as well as deliver the project.

Some dev shops either go by hourly fee, or try to lowball the deadline to make the offer very attractive. At the end of the day, you think it will be completed in 2 months, but it ends up taking 6 months. That would really hurt our type of business; we need everything to be more predictable.

A lot of our concerns were wiped out with Evenset, and the part that we cared about the most was whether they understood what we were trying to accomplish with this project, and if they would understand what we had already built. The most challenging thing in finding the right provider for us was the technology stack because it was React, as it was still relatively new last year. Out of 100 developers that work on different technologies, there were maybe 2 or 3 that had enough experience with React to be able to do the project we wanted to do. The fact they had already done projects in that framework provided us with a sense of relief.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent just under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Evenset in October 2016, and this project took about 6 weeks. We have a lot more projects ongoing with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The basics of this project are still running in the production, and we haven’t had much of an issue. We have gone back and forth, and bugs have come up here and there, but they have been addressed pretty quickly. We are building a much bigger system now that will sit behind, and it is going to play an even more significant role. The great thing about the tech stack is that it is evolutionary. As the new version that comes out, the platform and the framework itself improves. We can easily update and get the benefits from the latest features.

We have projects that are ongoing with Evenset, such as mobile app development, and another web application. By the time these other projects finish, we will have to revisit the initial administrative project to try to expand it to match the new features and functionalities that we are adding to the system.

How did Evenset Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

At the beginning, we spoke with our main point of contact daily because they had a lot of questions. Towards the end of the project, we met at the final milestone. There was enough trust built that the communication was minimal, maybe 2 or 3 times a week. We used Jira, but everything was milestone sprint based on a bi-weekly basis. Within that, we organized the project tasks, all the deliverables, as well as the testing and quality assurance and security assurances in the payment business; everything gets checked out.

Their project management is actually one of the reasons we continue to work with them. For us, interacting with the end developers is extremely challenging, even if those developers are great in both task and time management. You always need a technical project manager that not only understands their own team, but also understands the client’s needs as well. One of the reasons we want to work with Evenset continuously on these other projects was exactly for that reason. Their project management is actually helping us coordinate our own internal team with their team, which is unusual.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about them is their attention to detail. They sometimes challenge us to make sure everything we are doing is on a high-quality level. The project management services that they offer, and the fact we don’t have to worry about oversight; there is no micromanaging involved, are also impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It is a tough business, so for what they are doing with the resources they have, it is impressive on its own.

Do you have any advice for potential clients of Evenset?

My advice to someone potentially working with Evenset, is that you can try them out with a small project to get a feel for it. They are a good development shop to partner up with. I know there are several Silicon Valley companies with minimal funding that come to Canada to hire developers, because the pricing is far better than they can find in San Francisco. Evenset is working with those start-ups to create prototypes that end up raising millions of dollars. The end products they produce as well as the quality they put in helps start-ups. Even established businesses, instead of spending time and resources trying to figure out who to hire, and make sure those hires do the best job they can. They should actually work with these dev shops until they know they can fully transition to internal departments. I am personally not in a rush to hire anyone internally because I have a good partner that does everything I want to do without inducing any risk on me. Once I hire, I am committed to hiring, and have to fulfil a certain responsibility. Whereas with these dev shops, they are a great partner to have. They are capable, the people there are experts in their domain, they are constantly getting exposed to new technologies and new ideas, and you can’t get that when you hire.

Before even trying to put together a technical department, I recommend hiring dev shops like Evenset. The most important thing is how they organize the project, keep track of progressions, and how they push to deliver a deadline. If their track record is always late, they are not a company to work with.