Groove Development, LLC

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a B2B service that provides software, handymen, and construction workers for multiple trades. It's basically a dispatch service that allows people to manage their technicians but also provide a customer portal for clients. We make the job collaboration a lot easier. I am the lead developer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Groove Development?

We wanted communication technology in place for when we send technicians out on jobs. We wanted suggestions from Groove Development on what would be the best technology to implement.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a social feed that was compatible with media upload and good for documentation purposes. The work was done across all platforms including Android, iOS, and web. The most valuable thing they did was consult and give user interface and experience suggestions from an industry standpoint.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager and also one person assigned to each individual Android, iOS, and web platform. They also had their own development team with a lead developer in charge.

How did you come to work with Groove Development?

We tried two companies before them and it wasn't too successful. We were trying to create a new product and knew that there was space for it. When we had worked with previous companies, the suggestions were okay. Groove Development was able to deliver creative suggestions and condense a lot of our ideas into a functional product. We were referred to Groove Development by others who’ve previously worked with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested several hundred thousands with Groove Development.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from June 2017–November 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching, the company has processed over a thousand jobs. The job processing has gotten a lot quicker. Before the system, we were processing no more than 40 jobs a month. We now process over 100 jobs a month.  

How did Groove Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, they’ve been responsive and communicative. Even when we were still trying to figure out what product we wanted, they always came up with something for us to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their ability to consult and come up with great solutions.  It was really interesting just to see how they contributed, especially to the IP of a product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not aware of anything at the moment.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have the ability to do things across platforms.  Having a sense of mobile and desktop development is probably the most valuable thing. Also have a general industry sense of what's going on and how that could be applied to your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Text A Lawyer, Inc. We’ve created two mobile apps to connect lawyers and clients. It’s the world’s fastest way to find and hire a lawyer for any case.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Groove Development?

I was looking for a company that could execute on my idea and build the mobile apps from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked collaboratively through project planning, website development, logo design, and everything in between. I came to them with prototypes of the app I was looking to create and they took a lead on the development process. They built versions for both iOS and Android.

We have a pool of lawyers that are available to answer client questions on the app interface. The lawyers are rated on a complex system that we created, and the first questions that come through are paired with the highest-rated lawyers. The apps also process credit card information and include a chat function that fully encrypts messages in both directions.

What is the team composition?

I worked primarily with Rick (Founder, Groove Development), and he liaised with two of his development teams throughout the project.

How did you come to work with Groove Development?

Groove Development was in an article that listed the best app developers in Portland, Ore. We reached out to them and after meeting the team, we felt very comfortable in moving forward with the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2017 and the apps are still in development, but nearing completion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve gone to several legal tech conferences this year and gotten a great deal of positive feedback on the apps. I also met with someone from one of our competitors recently and he was very impressed with the app’s layout.

How did Groove Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They’ve been very communicative and responsive throughout the engagement. We set up milestones at the beginning of the project, but we’ve slowed down due to several additions that I’ve asked for along the way. We communicated primarily via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Rick is very upfront with cost estimates, and does everything he can to be transparent. The team also looks to avoid overcharging at every turn.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had problematic experiences with one staff member, but they’ve since left the company. Rick has been hiring new people and there have been no issues whatsoever.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Make sure to fully communicate your ideas. It’s difficult to adjust the scope after the project starts.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated on April 30, 2019, by the client. The original star ratings were: Overall –5, Quality – 5, Schedule – 4, Cost – 5, NPS – 5. New content is below:

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Text a Lawyer, Inc. We have a duo of mobile applications that enable users to connect with lawyers in real time and obtain advice.  

What challenge were you trying to address with Groove Development, LLC?

We initially engaged Groove Development, LLC to execute a four-month app completion contract.

What is the team composition?

The team grew from six people, which included two full-time resources and two part-time resources.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $92,700.

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

I was already worried about the engagement in April 2018. However, I gave a good rating because I hoped they would figure it out. Yet that is when the work started going downhill.

Groove Development, LLC used our internal resources for QA, which wasn’t in our contract. The team then delivered four different builds, but none of them was stable. They kept asking for more money above the contract price without delivering on their promises. We made milestone payments during this time partially due to the owner’s claim they were necessary to maintain payroll. However, Groove Development, LLC has refused any refund since the partnership ended.

Ultimately, our team hired a new vendor that completed development in approximately two months—a task Groove Development, LLC never finished in about 18 months.  

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

We have incurred $700,000 in damages and been unable to launch. That has demolished our reputation in the legal tech industry, which is very difficult to build in the first place.

How was project management handled?

The founder was personable, but that didn’t make up for the lack of skills on his team. Contrary to the promises on Groove Development, LLC’s website, they didn’t meet every deadline.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Basic coding competency stood out in this regard. Communication between teams then compounded the issue. I was unable to interact directly with their development team. Groove Development, LLC’s management did not relay our requests with full accurate detail. Furthermore, the team did not conduct quality checks or simulations before merging code. That was one example of how they didn’t comply with industry best practices.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

Customers should pick an hourly vendor that enables direct communication with each resource. The hourly contract would enable clients to stop work at any time. What’s more, clients should foster a close rapport with the project manager—better still if that resource is local. Finally, I recommend that founders without technical backgrounds get a CTO early in the process.

Company Responses

The vendor replied on May 6, 2019.

We have been in business for nine years and have earned dozens of positive reviews. This is the first negative review our company has received. While complaints can be a blessing in disguise for businesses, that is not the case for this project.

Unfortunately, the client canceled the project before picking up the phone and discussing the partnership with us. We had gone out of our way for them. But our company decided to no longer dedicate the majority of our resources to the client’s everchanging requirements.

Contrary to claims otherwise, we have not asked for additional money beyond the contracted price—other than the additional projects the client requested. Furthermore, the scope called for two milestone payments and we provided the full source code within hours of the project’s termination. This information helped the new vendor complete the final few components.

The client cited bad communication, but that is a baseless claim as we do not give clients access to our internal developers' channel. That would be too disruptive.

The client did not appreciate the number of projects for which we are responsible. We pride ourselves on the apps we have created, the businesses we helped start, and the quality of our service. I wish the client the best of luck, but I will defend us from negative remarks.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization and what you do there.

I am Project Coordinator of a hardware manufacturing company that is moving into the software field.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Groove Development?

We needed to create two mobile applications for Android and iOS. The purpose of was because we partner with Motorola and due to the way the business is moving with our company. We manufacture and support internet gateways, and it’s only natural to move into a mobile app to be able to control those gateways from your phone rather than going into your computer and going into the local GUI to make any changes. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They were there from the beginning. We used them every day. The app was to control your internet router. It’s for soccer moms and dads, that they could have this app on their phone. So little Johnny is on the computer playing Xbox or whatever and they want to block out time to shut down the internet or if they want to make guest networks if they’re having a party. They could check their internet speed on it. They can see if anybody is on their network that’s not supposed to be and boot them off. It’s basically an app that allows you to control your internet, your usage, who’s on it, and you can time out certain users. Groove Development was solely responsible for design and development. The concept of the app was solely from our company. Rick [Founder, Groove Development] had a team that worked on the Android side. We had a full QA team for our side that resides in India, and a Project Manager that was with our company, but he has been laid off now. I was his Project Coordinator under him. There were a couple of other developers in house. It was a full collaboration.

How did you come to work with Groove Development?

I have no idea because I came into the project a little bit later.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

About $50,000 to $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them June 2016 and the project was completed in April 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Everything that we did has been documented in a JIRA system, but I’ve been locked out of all of that information. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s been five-star rated, and it’s getting very well received within the Motorola community. 

How did Groove Development perform from a project management standpoint?

I think they did fairly well. They communicated well. I have no complaints. Rick [Founder , Groove Development] was always honest and straight up and he attended all of our SCRUM meetings. He was assigned tasks and did them. Sometimes he was behind and sometimes he did it on time, but all in all, the project got done. Software developers are like bankers. They’re introverts, but I think he and his team did a good job.

Is there anything Groove Development could have improved or done differently?

Deadlines were really loose and were not met. I think in the future, we would look to have someone else because of the timeline.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company is Pioneer Pump. We manufacture large standard centrifugal pumps (1,000 gallons per minute to 44,000 gallons per minute). We sell to rental, industrial, and municipal markets. We have offices in the U.S., Australia, South Africa, and the U.K.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the marketing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Groove Development?

We had two goals for working with Groove Development. First, we needed a mobile app that allowed our sales channel around the world to pull the data they needed. In the pump industry, performance is the most important factor when evaluating the product. Pump performance is described in a curve, and we needed salespeople to be able to get to curves, specification sheets, and drawings of the products to assist in the sales process. 

The other goal that we had for this project was to give the sales channel and potential customers lots of application pictures and short descriptions of where the pumps are used so that we could get conversations going. It was really sales targets that we were trying to address.

Please describe the scope of their work.

Groove Development built an iOS app for us. They were involved in the whole development process, from design and development to testing. I knew what features I wanted on the app. We had wireframed the functionality that I knew we needed for it. But, Groove Development gave us feedback on how to best present the brand and how to lay out the app.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Groove Development with which to work?

We engaged Groove Development after interviewing six different companies in the Portland area because we wanted a local vendor. The nature of the app required the developers to have a fairly technical understanding of pump selection. When we first engaged with them, we spent some time helping the Groove Development team understand the technical aspects of our machinery. We needed them to understand our product in order to create a successful app. One of the things I really appreciated about their approach, and their capacity was that they came in and spent three hours with our engineering team and established a strong technical understanding of the challenge so they could take formulas and integrate that into a calculator within the app. It’s not your average ROI [return on investment]-type calculator. It’s calculating friction throughout a pumping system.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

The size of the project was in the $30,000 to $35,000 range.

When was the work completed?

We engaged with them in February of 2014, and we had the app posted to the app store in July 2014. That’s very fast. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

Since launching the app, we realized that we got a lot more international engagement than we had anticipated. We managed to reach a target that we didn’t think we would get. I can tell how people are using the app. We’re happy with the number of people that have downloaded it.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

It was a very dedicated response from their team. They did a good job.

Is there anything unique or special about Groove Development that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

There are things that most people don’t understand about this business if they’re not in the business. I really appreciated their ability to come in with an open mind and not assume that they knew what I needed. They were very purposeful in selecting the requirements and understanding what I needed from them. They met their deadlines. They did a good job of communicating in terms of the project management. They were always responsive.

What advice would you give to future clients of theirs?

I would recommend Groove Development to anyone that was looking for app development.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I really don’t think so. There were minor miscommunications, but they were not because of someone not paying attention. Information isn’t always communicated correctly. If I would have the funds, I would have him do an Android version as well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company. What is your role and responsibilities, please?

I am the founder and CEO of Hammerweb Holdings, a Web development company. We create desktop and mobile apps. We do more back-end work than front-end work, but we do front-end work as well because it’s part of the process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Groove Development?

We had a tremendous amount of work and needed to contract some of it out. We had about three or four mobile apps that needed to get done and weren’t getting done, so we hired Groove Development to do them.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

The Groove Development team took on the entire project. Our client gave us requirements, and Groove Development took it from there. They did everything from design, development, alpha and beta testing, and launching – everything.

What was your process for selecting Groove Development with which to work?

I’ve known Rick [Richard, the founder of Groove Development] for a long time. We used to work together at a company, and we both left there to start our own companies. Having worked with him before, I know the quality of work that he is capable of, so it was a no-brainer for me.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

All of our projects were less than $10,000. Overall, it was in the $10,000 to $50,000 range.

What is the status of the projects?

Three out of the four projects are completed. One of them is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback from the project?

Two of the apps that Groove Development built for us are very membership oriented and are open for reviews in different stores. They are getting very good reviews. Members of the organization seem to be very happy now that they no longer have to go to the organization’s website. They can do anything from their phones and iPads. The other app that Groove Development did for us doesn’t have a lot of metrics, partly because of the type of app it is. The client built it for a small number of people. There’s probably a couple hundred people that use it. So, I don’t have metrics, but I haven’t heard anything negative about it.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

I think the Groove Development team is very diligent, thorough, and open minded. They present ideas and offer custom ways to do things that add benefit and value to the final product. Most of the time when we contract out work, you give requirements, and they follow them. There are very few suggestions for improvements.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I think we got Groove Development at a very busy time. The first project was a little bit late. They were very communicative as to where they were, and why it was not going to be done in the timetable that was stated. When you contract out work with a company that has their own clients, they’re going to take care of those clients first, and I get that. That’s not blaming them, we popped in when they had a lot of projects on their plate. They still agreed to take them on, got them done, and it didn’t really have any impact on the client.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

I would definitely engage Groove Development’s ideas because they have really good ideas.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company. What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the CTO of a software as a service company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Groove Development?

We had developed some new software and needed an iOS mobile app demonstration of our new technology.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Groove Development built the iOS app from start to finish for us. It’s not a consumer application, it’s a business application. We sent Rick [Richard, the founder at Groove Development] a brief email overview of what we were trying to accomplish. Then, the Groove Development team created some mockups on what the application would look like, did the app design, and delivered the project to us. Rick also used some of our APIs [application programming interfaces] on the back-end. Rick was very helpful in the testing process and helping our team get the demo app installed on their devices.

What was your process for selecting Groove Development with which to work?

We got a lot of recommendations from our local contacts. Groove Development was one of them. We spoke to Rick and, Groove Development seemed like the right fit for us. Rick really understood what we were trying to get done. I would say it’s their technical skills, good reference, good price, and availability that really sold it for us.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The price of the project was slightly less than $10,000.

Is the project completed, or is it still ongoing?

The original project is completed. Groove Development is working on a second project for us and will likely continue to do more work for us. We are very happy with our relationship with Groove Development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback from the project?

I’m highly satisfied with the work that Groove Development has provided for us. Rick supported us through multiple iterations. As we improved the design, he implemented it. We got a broader audience, and Groove Development had some suggestions for changes. Rick happily took those and produced probably six or seven versions of the app. He was always very responsive on making those changes. I didn’t feel like I was getting nickel and dimed for every little change. He was very accommodating.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

One thing that really stood out to us was Rick’s responsiveness. He would take a late change and deliver it right away. He was knowledgeable in terms of what the platform could do. He guided the design of the application to fit what was available. He did some research before even taking the job, and let us know how it might work. He delivered a solid application in a short period of time and was accommodating to changes. Sometimes, the testing is problematic, and Rick was very knowledgeable and helpful getting through it.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I think Groove Development hit it out of the park.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company. What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the owner of TapitWallet, a mobile wallet app. The app allows users to store information like credit cards and business cards. Users can also use this app to buy and send e-gift cards to and from people. We also provide an e-coupon service within the app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Groove Development?

We actually started this project about five years ago and, at that time, the concept of storing payment information and e-coupons in an app wasn’t as common as it is today. So, the challenge, technically speaking, was how to do it, how to use the API [application programming interface] to connect and be able to provide virtual e-gift cards. Now, there are a lot of those services out there but, at the time, there wasn’t. We needed to figure out how you could store your credit card and yet have a reader on another device to scan that card, how to use APIs to connect to all of the different types of e-coupons out there and also be able to provide our own e-coupon service to these vendors. We partnered with Groove Development to help us solve that problem and develop the app for us.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

The Groove Development team was mainly in charge of app development, app testing, app consulting, and general business advice that would be useful going into the app market. Rick Richard, the founder of Groove Development, had some say in the design. He made some recommendations as to how the screens should work and how they should look. The focus of the project for Groove Development was in the development and testing phases of the app. 

What was your process for selecting Groove Development with which to work?

Groove Development is actually the third mobile app development company that I worked with for this project. There was a lot of trial and error on my part when choosing the right developer for the project. The first developer I talked to had a great concept and plan for the app, but they couldn’t bring it to where it needed to be. The second developer had a similar problem. Then, I found Rick at Groove Development, and he brought it to where we needed it to be.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

The size of the project was in the $50,000 to $200,000 price range.

What is the status of the project?

Our relationship with Groove Development is ongoing. The project is completed, but we are constantly revising it and making sure that it is up to date with the newest payment options and technology.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback from the project?

Right now, to be very honest, it’s not a very active app. We have about 300 active users. I know it’s not very big, but there are people using it every day in one scope or another. The main reason for that is that we have not launched our marketing campaign yet, and people find out about our app mainly through word of mouth. We are researching the mobile industry right now and seeing how it changes. Nowadays, many retailers have their own payment system, so we’re trying to see how we should make this work for everybody.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Rick has a lot of knowledge on how things should work on the back-end and, because of that, he has the ability to give advice on how the user experience should look and work, and how Apple and Android require that user experience to work. Sometimes, the way you have it laid out, he knows that Apple is not going to approve it because it’s not intuitive enough for their users. So, he gives a lot of advice on that side of the development. His knowledge of the mobile app industry and app store requirements for apps is incredible.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. I was very happy to find Rick and Groove Development. At this time, I think they’ve been 100 percent perfect for me.

What advice would you give to a future client of theirs?

The main thing that I would recommend is to listen to Rick. A lot of people come in and think they know everything, but Rick has an extensive background in how the financial side of technology works. I would advise people to listen to him. Even if they think they know everything, just listen to him. He’s always right.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the founder and president of a nonprofit organization. I was also running the marketing department at the time of the project. I was in charge of the requirements and need for the application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Groove Development?

We partnered with Groove Development to build a mobile app for the organization.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Groove Development got involved very early in the process. Groove Development helped flush out the content, the requirements, the schedule, and the user experience. We had a general sense of what we wanted the app to do and how we wanted it to work, but Groove Development brought a lot of experience in terms of what’s possible on the iOS and Android platform and what the functionality should be like to give the best user experience. The Groove Development team was involved from the beginning to the end of the project.

What was your process for selecting Groove Development with which to work?

We received a lot old referrals from some friends. Then, we narrowed it down to a few companies, and I went through some extensive meetings with all of them. The insight that Groove Development had in the market and the expertise on the platform really came across. I selected them.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

The size of the project was slightly more than $100,000 overall.

When was the work completed?

The work was completed about two years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We’re pleased with the work that Groove Development did for us. The user feedback was great in terms of feedback we got from our customers. The responsiveness from Groove Development and Rick [Richard, the founder] was fantastic. The quality was high quality. There were very few glitches. I can’t think of a way to make the app any better.

Is there anything unique or special about Groove Development that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

When developing an app, there’s a creative side and a technical side. For the app to be pleasing and have good user experience, it has to have an aesthetic quality, and a certain look and feel. There’s a creative quality to it. I was impressed by Groove Development because they were able to bring both of those to the table. I didn’t expect that from an app development company. Groove Development has very deep expertise in this space.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I can’t think of anything. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the chief technology officer and a board member at Tixie. We are a startup in the entertainment industry. We work with event promoters and plan giveaways of promotional inventory to people who are interested in going to see concerts and other music events. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Groove Development?

We had an iOS app that our internal team had created, but there were a lot of requests for new features for our app that we had to start creating. The code of our app wasn’t in good enough shape for us to be able to include all the features that we wanted to. We needed to do a complete revamp of our app, and we were getting really frustrated trying to get it done. We realized that it was too big and too complicated of a project for us to do it, so we decided to partner with Groove Development to help us out.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Groove Development did the whole app for us. We had one employee from our team devoting about half his time on the app, but we really needed more help given the short timeline that we had. The app needed to be almost completely refactored, and a lot of new features had to be added. The Groove Development team was involved from the white board stage to the published stage. Groove Development was involved with the concept, design, development, testing, and launch of the iOS app. We are also currently working with Groove Development on developing an Android version of our app.

What was your process for selecting Groove Development with which to work?

Groove Development was referred to us by a friend of mine.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

The size of the project was around $40,000.

When was the work completed?

Our partnership with Groove Development is very much ongoing. Our development team uses Groove Development as support. Whenever we are about to get more work than our team can handle, we bring the Groove Development team in to supplement our whole team. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

The main quantifiable result is that user ratings for our app are very good. We’re very satisfied with the work Groove Development did for us. That’s why we keep going back to them.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

The Groove Development team is awesome. Groove Development did exactly what we wanted and more. They’re good at helping us change our mind when it was a good idea to do that. They make a lot of suggestions to ensure that we create a successful app. They’re not just developers. They take their time to evaluate our plans and ideas to ensure the best result possible.

Is there anything unique or special about Groove Development that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

The most special thing about the Groove Development team is that they actually don’t mind if our engineers learn from working with them. We’ve worked with other developers who don’t want out team to learn new things because then maybe the contracted developers would no longer be needed. The Groove Development team is always more than happy to teach out engineers new things. It’s refreshing to work with a group that doesn’t mind if you get smarter. The Groove Development team is in it for a long-term relationship, not just to get paid. They know that we can never hire people to meet all of the peaks that we’re always going to have. The Groove Development team keeps abreast of all the code we’re writing even when we’re not really using them and then when we do need them they’re ready to go. I couldn’t be happier with our partnership with Groove Development.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

I wish that I hadn’t been so hard headed in doing things a certain way. I wish I would have taken some of Groove Development’s advice from the get-go. I could have saved our company some money that way. As far as the app itself, it worked out better than we could have ever anticipated. We are all very happy with the results that we got from working with Groove Development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization. What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the founder of a staffing and recruitment services company. We have an iOS app that facilitates the crucial connection between job-bearing employer and opportunity-seeking candidate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Groove Development?

We partnered with Groove Development when we were first starting our company. Groove Development created our back-end service for us as well as our native iOS app. They’re currently working on structuring our Android app.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Groove Development was involved in the whole engineering of the app. Groove Development was incredibly helpful on the technical side of the project. My co-founder and I didn’t really know what to expect when developing an app. We knew what we wanted to do as a business, and the Groove Development team was pretty good at helping us grow and develop our ideas. Groove Development really helped us narrow things down. They’re helping us get our website up. They did the back-end cloud service and the native apps. They really helped us build our business from the ground up.

What was your process for selecting Groove Development with which to work?

I came across Groove Development through LinkedIn, as I did many other companies. I contacted them to see if they were a good fit for us. I called Groove Development and talked to the founder [Rick Richard]. We had a good connection right up front. He really knew what he was talking about. I had another company I was looking at. They were a little bigger, and I was clearly not going to be a priority. Groove Development was enthusiastic, and they made me feel like I was important. I knew then that partnering with Groove Development was the right choice for us. 

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

The project was in the $50,000 to $100,000 price range.

When was the work completed?

We are going to launch our app soon [in 2015], but this is an ongoing relationship. They are still involved in the development of our android app, and we are considering extending the project into other platforms as well. We are very happy with the work that Groove Development has provided for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

We have an administrator dashboard to run our apps. The iOS is finished and the Android is started. So far, the project is very successful. We couldn’t have done this well without Groove Development’s help.

Is there anything unique or special about Groove Development that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

I really appreciated the fact that Groove Development didn’t try to be a Web company and hybrid app company. They were very honest and upfront with us. They said very clearly that they’re a native app development company, and they build the back-end cloud systems to support it. That’s all Groove Development were really focused on. When they present your business model back to you in terms of what they’re going to do, it’s pretty clear. They know what they’re doing, and they’re really happy just doing that. They don’t try to sell you more than is necessary. Groove Development emphasized getting the requirements down so when I compared quotes, I get quotes back that are equal. That was really helpful throughout the whole process. It’s a major reason for picking Groove Development as our partner.

What advice would you give to future clients of theirs?

I would listen to them when they say they can start your project if you want, but the best thing to do is create a detailed requirements document along with the wireframe, and you have a clear sense of what you’re going to do. We think we know what we want but once you lay it out on paper, and you see it flowing and you understand how someone’s going to use your app, it becomes clear what things are important and what things can wait. 

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

When first starting to look for a mobile app developer, I got quotes from a lot of companies. I would have approached those same companies with a requirements document, similar to the one that Groove Development provided for us before I had detailed discussions. Then again, their requirement document, their train of thought about the development process, and their honesty made me choose them to partner with.