Full Metal Software

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the MD of an IT Managed Service Provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Full Metal Software, and what were your goals?

We hired Full Metal Software for a project with one of our clients to transfer the current software from the original development team and to provide ongoing support and maintenance of this business critical system.

SOLUTION

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

We reached out to the market and had a few development teams put forward their strategy for this project. We then held a series of meetings with the teams to decipher the best fit for our client who was also part of the process.

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

The project included the transfer of the software to a new cloud based server environment as well as creating new test and UAT areas.

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

There were 4 people who worked across this project, The Owner, a Director, A senior Dev Ops and a Support team member.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was very sensitive for the client as this is their critical system from generating revenue, Full Metal handled the project brilliantly and continue to deliver great support. We are now looking at driving the system forward together.

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

Project style was relaxed but focussed with high levels of communication. Project was delivered bang on time which was fantastic.

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

The communication and the way they put everyone at ease on what was a nerve wracking project for our client. The project was delivered with relative ease.

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

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director at Studio Travel, a digital creative agency specializing in working in arts and technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Full Metal Software?

We commissioned Full Metal Software for a data migration project for one of our clients. We needed to migrate their data from Umbraco into a new website we were building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our client had their data spread across different online platforms, one of which was Umbraco, a legacy system we were not familiar with. Thus, Full Metal Software got into Umbraco, understood our client’s data, and helped us translate it into a workable format for us to migrate that data into our client’s new website. They delivered the data in a ZIP format.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two members of Full Metal Software: Ben (Director & Process Improvement Specialist), and a Umbraco developer.

How did you come to work with Full Metal Software?

They were recommended to us by one of our suppliers.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around £4,500 (approximately $5,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in February 2021 and completed it in July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client was incredibly happy with Full Metal Software’s work. With their help, we were able to consolidate all of our client’s data into a single system.

How did Full Metal Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Full Metal Software met the deadlines and stayed on budget. They did research before committing to any work, so we knew exactly what the process and delivery methods would be. Additionally, their communication was great. It was typically done via email, and we had a few Google Meet meetings as well. Moreover, their turnaround times were great; whenever we queried something from them, they were more than happy to jump into it and take a look.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our experience working with Full Metal Software was seamless. We didn't have any expectations going into the project, and we were very satisfied with what we received.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to provide a clear brief upfront and have defined specifications to ensure that the project can run smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a law firm with c. 40 staff specialising in intellectual property, sport and litigation. We represent companies ranging from start-ups to blue chips, with everything in between. I am a Partner, head of our litigation practice and head one of our 2 offices, plus sit on the board.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Full Metal Software, and what were your goals?

We hired Full Metal to provide a bespoke software solution when moving our case management system to SharePoint. We wanted to automate a number of our administration process, particularly around file creation and automatically saving incoming emails to SharePoint.

SOLUTION

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

We selected Full Metal Software after a number of recommendations, plus benchmarking the price of their solution against others. They were very competitively priced.

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

Ben and the team took time to understand our requirements, then worked with our IT support to implement the project. The software integrates seamlessly with Outlook and SharePoint, which was exactly the aim.

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

2 lead contacts were visible to us, Ben and a technical lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was delivered within the budget and on time. They fulfilled all of our requirements. It is a valuable tool at the heart of our business and is continually used.

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

Excellent communication from Ben and the team, including phone calls, in person meetings and online as appropriate.

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

Direct access to the team, timely updates, delivered the solution we wanted on time and to budget. Could not ask more!

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

Nothing we can think of

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a research and development scientist at YourGene Health, a molecular diagnostics group. We design, manufacture, and sell in-vitro diagnostics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Full Metal Software?

We did a lot of our work using Excel spreadsheets, and it was getting a bit unwieldy. We were looking for a company to develop baseBot software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Full Metal Software completed the technical aspects of making our baseBot software. We had a really good kickoff meeting, during which we looked at different specifications we wanted. From there, Full Metal Software broke the project down into five phases. 

They implemented a login page, a process number generator, and two complicated product design sheets. We have lots of components in our designs that need to be tweaked slightly to give a bit of a balance within the products. They managed to create a system that takes each previously used component and imports all of that information. The system is interactive, so we can tweak it and then see how the output is.

The software is hosted on Asura. This gives us control over the project in the future.

What is the team composition?

There are 2–3 people. The developer has been really hands-on and engaged with their work. Ben (Software Solutions Development Expert, Full Metal Software) oversees the project very well. He gives the developer space to interact with us. When the developer is on holiday, they make sure there are people there to answer our questions.

How did you come to work with Full Metal Software?

We outsource our IT to another company, and we initially approached them with the idea for this project. We told them that we wanted a more advanced system. They said they had a contact that would be a good fit for us, and that was Full Metal Software. We had a couple of meetings with them to feel out their competencies. We looked at the testimonials of previous customers, and that was the main drive in deciding to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent £30,000 (approximately $39,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in August 2018. We’re currently in the validation phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The validation phase is scheduled to take about six months. Until then, we won’t be able to see the real benefit of the project. The system they built is like what we had on Excel, but one of the major benefits is we only have to validate one piece of software rather than more than 30 Excel spreadsheets. That is a major time-saver.

How did Full Metal Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been very good. Although it’s like speaking two different languages between our computer and scientific backgrounds, they’ve worked really hard to implement our ideas. They’ve also pushed their own ideas that they know will benefit us.

The project has been very well managed. When we need to tweak things, they’ve allowed for that. They’ve also been really clear if they feel the work is going above and beyond what we had agreed on. Everything has been transparent, and they’ve done very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They met with us at the end of the development phase to sign off, and they said that they were happy with the project. The project has gone well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they could have done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have very well-defined user needs and specifications. If you go in with a clear idea, they can help you. Anyone in the bioscience manufacturing space who is considering using them should just meet with them, and they’ll see that they’re very competent guys who get their work done. I don’t think anyone would have any issues working with them.