Honeycomb Software

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Technical Officer at CarFluent - an online used car retailer based in the United States. The main goal of the project is the reformation of the auto assurance field in the US, the process of purchase automatization of vehicles, and coverages in the States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Honeycomb Software?

Our team hired Honeycomb Software’s developers to augment our team with experienced developers

SOLUTION

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

While talking to the team, we found the synergies between their experience and our services. Honeycomb Software pleasantly surprised us with its clear communication and expertise in the transportation industry. In addition, their tech stack matched ours perfectly. Meaning this, we didn't have any doubts about choosing a vendor.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The Honeycomb Software team is working on implementing new features and third-party services, improving code style, and fixing bugs. They take part in team collaboration and sprint retrospectives. Full-stack developers were working with the following tech stack:

• Frontend part: React, Mobx, MaterialUI, Typescript Backend part: C#, .Net, Entity Framework, RabbitMQ, MediaTR.
• Third-party services: Persona, industry-related services. Also, for some tasks they were using Azure Portal, Docker, and Microservice architecture.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We discussed collaboration with managers and directly the CEO and CTO of Honeycomb software

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Significantly increased overall team capacity and versatility using Full-Stack Developers
• Code was improved from hard to understand with a lot of bugs code to understandable and readable code
• Improved code debug process and debug speed increased threefold
• Updated design
• mproved content management system.

Carfluent is in a way to production and it's improving all the time. The team has good feedback from potential partners and a project has a lot of advantages compared to competitors. As a main result, the project is in the last development stage and almost ready to release.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Developers were included in our Agile/Scrum-based process as a part of our cross-functional teams 

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

It becomes clear when you talk to them. Did you have such a feeling when you meet the person at first, but it seems that you've known his\her for a hundred years? It was exactly about Honeycomb. Honeycomb Software’s developers are professionals. They know what they are doing, follow market trends, and communicate with you to make your project the best in its area. It's like a sincere devotion to what you're doing.

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

Working with Honeycomb Software is a good experience overall.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an agriculture-focused company that develops tools and software for the industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Honeycomb Software?

We’ve been developing a web app that will eventually become a mobile app for the agriculture industry.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve provided top-notch professionals through the entire process, from quoting to delivery. We came to Honeycomb with an idea of what we wanted to do, and they made it even better.

The platform is going to be a social platform for the agriculture industry, for all sorts of users, including service providers, farmers, ranchers, etc. We provided them with the design, and they worked within our budget to deliver the platform.

They did say I could brainstorm some marketing strategies with their resources even though those services weren't included in the package. 

What is the team composition?

In all, we’ve worked with 10 people, ranging from sales and marketing people to the owner and our project designer. Additionally, they assigned software developers and QA teammates. There is also a project manager. Every single person has contributed equally. They’re an excellent team.They compose each group for a specific project based on the client's needs.

How did you come to work with Honeycomb Software?

They were a referral from someone who’d already done a project with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched the application yet, but their team has been incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and thorough. Working with them is easy and intriguing, as they’re outspoken. Additionally, their management style is organized and dependable. Honeycomb was eager to take on our project, especially as they were new to our industry. They worked to embrace it and become highly knowledgeable.

How did Honeycomb Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They continue to provide excellent customer service, including during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, where they’re based. We weren’t expecting to continue as normal when they were attacked, but they relocated their employees and returned to our regularly scheduled meetings within one week. That says a lot about their integrity and unity, as well as their resilience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are all very detailed and incredibly diligent when it comes to managing the project. Despite all the changes, pivots, and bottlenecks we throw at them, they’ve remained flexible and adaptable, delivering new timelines when needed.

They've prodded us throughout the whole relationship to stay within our timeline and keep us on track, which also means we stay on budget.

Honeycomb is incredibly proactive when it came to voicing their opinion on improving our project and certain aspects of it that we may have overlooked. They’re incredibly knowledgeable, even though they’ve never worked in our industry before. They have the ability to work with a large number of programs — Zoom, Slack, and Teams, included.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t. In fact, we learn from them about teamwork, professionalism, and a willingness to go the extra mile. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just work with them. Their entire team truly wants the best for your project; whatever they say, it is said in your best interest. They will take the time to educate you and be honest and forthright with your timeline, budget, and final project. They’re not afraid to do and say what’s necessary to ensure successful delivery.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a lead project manager with start-up custom software development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had recently signed a new client that want to replace their current SaaS system with web/mobile based application that was specifically tailored to facilitate their operations. Due to the complexity and timeline of the project we decided to contract HoneyComb as we needed a knowledgeable development team that was able to execute at an accelerated pace.

SOLUTION

How did you select HoneyComb Software and what were the deciding factors?

HoneyComb was selected due to prior positive interactions that were further supported by a recommendation from a colleague.

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

They designed and developed an ERP web application which included an API for mobile app connectivity. The web-based application aimed to serve field engineers' business day providing custom relationship details, works order's management, time management, some element of service tracking, and a variety of reports for multiple services.

Project was managed through weekly meetings with HoneyComb to review deliverables and discuss new requirements provided by the client. Technologies leveraged include .net (Entity Framework, Hangfire, Twilio, SendGrid) + ReactJS (React Redux, Redux Thunk, React Hooks) and deployment on Azure Web Services.

How many people from the HoneyComb Software team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The core team was 3 individuals comprised of a Team Lead (full stack), Backend, and Frontend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application was well received by the client. In particular, they were elated with the reliability of the application as their previous SaaS solution would often be down for weeks at time. The application also transitioned the company away from a paper entry system to a completely virtual environment which increased overall efficiency and reduced lag time between processes.

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

Overall, the project management team was great. I was able to access them at any time if I needed an impromptu update or an unexpected issue arose. Communication was typically conducted through 2 weekly meetings in which we would review the previous sprints deliverables and discuss requirements for the upcoming sprint.

Deadlines were always met or exceeded. If a deadline was not met it was due to requirements changing mid-sprint and even in most of these cases the team was able to meet the original deadline. Meetings were facilitated by Zoom while individual communications were through Skype. Project Team was amenable to alternatives if I preferred.

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

They conducted themselves as if our client was their client. Often, they would offer recommendations or solutions that would improve overall usability of the system. They were willing to accommodate any changes requested by the client, even if it was on a once accepted deliverable. It should also be noted that HoneyComb is a Ukraine based company, and were able to complete the project with few delays despite the on-going conflict in their country.

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

If there are any areas for improvement, the improvement would be minor enough that it's not worth mentioning. The development team executed the requirements as presented and met my expectations of them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am COO/CTO for a startup focused on LoRaWAN edge hardware for industrial applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We engaged Honeycomb to assist in development of firmware using C/C++ with Mbed OS and tools. The goals were to continue to add functionality and otherwise improve the offering.

SOLUTION

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

I met Oleg at an IoT Meetup in Houston shortly after returning from a trip to Ukraine. I had worked previously with various developers from Ukraine and thought highly of them. Based on that experience I was always interested in bringing Ukrainian talent into our operations.

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

There was no real definitive plan as the technology is very new and rapidly changing. Fortunately, Katya was a total rockstar and seemed to grasp what we were doing from the moment she started working with us.

She banged out deliverables super quickly without any significant handholding or even really guidance from us. In a very short time, she had a much a better handle on the code than we did.

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

Just Katya who is a Jr. Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No, nothing measurable. They showed crazy overall progress consistently, though, over the 2 years.

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

Most everything was handled over Slack and Github with an occasional email. Basically, we'd write up a task on Github, assign it to Katya, and she'd come back with results. Occasionally she had a question or two about something that was unclear although more often than not that was our fault.

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

Katya. Again, she just crushed it for us.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Honeycomb Software?

I personally wrote the backend code and implemented the database design, while I hired friends and Upworkers to complete the frontend. After I funded my pre-seed round, I knew it was time to find an agency to populate a team. Given the demand for outsourced talent during the pandemic, I knew it would be a challenge.

I reached out to agencies I had worked with before and asked for three bids. Honeycomb has a manager based here in Houston and is very active in the startup scene. They knew exactly what stage of company I was in and the challenges I was facing in a way the others did not. They had the best price and some top talent with skills that matched my project.

SOLUTION

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

I have outsourced primarily in Eastern Europe over the last ten years, but also have experience with Mexico, India and China. When I look for a vendor, I always check online reviews, such as Clutch, as well as ask for a live testimonial from a current client. As a technical product manager, I am looking for a mix of technical chops, trust and leadership. Honeycomb demonstrated all three.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

This project required ongoing support from a technical team to develop both frontend and backend capabilities in React and Python.

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

I originally started with a team of three developers and a tester. After eight months, I added an extra developer as well as a designer. They were very good at asking questions about the problems we were solving and right sizing the team with the relevant experience levels required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall I am very pleased with Honeycomb's management as well as the performance of the team. Given the state of the current war, I was immediately worried about the safety of the team, but also concerned about business continuity.

The CEO, CTO and my account manager have communicated with me regularly about current events and contingency plans. Honeycomb has done an excellent job supporting their employees during this time as well as adapting under extraordinary circumstances so that they can continue to operate and meet business objectives.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been a fairly standard implementation of Agile via sprints and using Azure DevOps. Personally I am a fan of Jira, but agree that Azure offers some great free tools for a startup at my stage. I meet with the team about three times a week in the early morning my time and regularly communicate via Slack. Overall, written and verbal communication is satisfactory with little language interference.

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

This is the first agency I have worked with that truly understood what I was trying to achieve as a business as well as the stage of the company. They have been generous in making introductions within the Houston startup scene and helped bring in an early client. They have gone above and beyond.

The designer they recommended also has been one of the best UI/UX collaborations I have ever had. Again, the designer truly understood what I was trying to do very quickly and was able to turn around good designs within a couple days.

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

Overall, Honeycomb has met or exceeded my expectations. The only thing I wish we had done differently is spent some time doing DevOps with Jira rather than Azure. I recognize they have a lot of Azure experience, but as a product manager it is much easier for me to manage tickets and roadmaps in Jira rather than Azure. That said, I agreed to make the tradeoff and it's worked just fine.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of IT services for Light IT, a software development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Honeycomb Software?

We had a client from the oil and energy industry that needed to develop a platform. Our client had an initial draft describing the functionalities and very basic mockups. We conducted a discovery phase, helped our client develop this idea, and created designs based on these mockups. 

During the discovery phase, we realized we didn’t have the necessary resources for development. We needed full stack developers for .NET and React, which wasn’t our tech stack. Although we did have a few .NET developers, we needed to ramp up quickly with additional developers to work on this project. Hiring in-house didn’t fit our goals because it would take time, so we decided to find a partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Honeycomb Software served as our augmented development team. Their developers helped us build a platform for our client using .NET and React. The project was a marketplace that connects clients and vendors. Our client’s main requirement involved the digitalization of some working processes.

The platform’s main features the Honeycomb Software team helped us develop included user login, the onboarding process for new users, and tutorials on using the platform. Honeycomb Software helped us create a gamification onboarding process. They also assisted in creating different types of profiles for users to choose from, including personal and company profiles to upload their information and different administrator options. 

Another feature the team worked on allows buyers to filter information by parameters like location. The program has a communication system through messaging that we can track. Honeycomb Software also implemented a payment functionality. We completed the MVP, and it was recently launched.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two full stack developers and a tech lead from Honeycomb Software.

How did you come to work with Honeycomb Software?

We found them on Clutch. We searched for companies that could supply us with the developers we needed and found the list of top .NET development companies. We had interview calls with some providers and chose Honeycomb because we liked them the most.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $95,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2021–January 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Honeycomb Software provided us with really good and capable resources. We didn’t have any trouble from the technical perspective, and our project manager had no issue communicating with them and explaining the requirements. The fact that they provided a tech lead was great support because the project involved complex technical tasks.

Although the system just launched recently and I can’t provide any statistics, Honeycomb Software achieved the project’s goal. Overall, we were really satisfied with their work and will probably be collaborating with them again in the future when the opportunity arises.

How did Honeycomb Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Honeycomb Software always met their deadlines and never let us down — they were perfect. Although there were delays, they weren’t related to them. Any timeline changes had to do with the whole team, including us and the client, who was in a hurry and sometimes changed their requirements.

For project management, we used a standard set of tools that we utilize widely in all our projects, including Jira and Confluence. As for communication, we mainly messaged through Slack, and we had a daily meeting via Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed by Honeycomb Software’s high technical skill level, which was noted by our technical team. They also had good communication skills. 

Additionally, the Honeycomb Software team was very proactive. If they saw an opportunity for improvement, they always let us know about it. In some cases, we cut development time and achieved our result faster thanks to their recommendations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there was anything that needed improvement; everything was fine.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just talk to Honeycomb Software; you’ll see their competence and professionalism when you approach them, and they’ll help you with your request.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am President and co-owner of The Alesco Group. We own and operate privacy platform, MyDataPrivacy.com is a centralized platform for businesses, list owners and marketers to maintain and comply with the CCPA data compliance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our Privacy platform had been developed by a Honeycomb competitor. The frameworks the previous team used were very unstable, didn't allow much customization and was very difficult to support. We tasked the Honeycomb team with a ground-up rebuild. Our goals were to increase platform stability and scalability while allowing for on-the-fly customization.

SOLUTION

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

I was impressed with how they handled our initial discussions. They seemed eager to earn our business and were willing to put the time in to understand our challenges and our goals. After numerous in-depth, exploratory conversations along with several scope of work iterations, we arrived at a solution and budget that met our needs.

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

Together with Honeycomb’s team, we started by planning our architecture and designing a professional user interface. After that, they working on wireframes, building MVPs, and finally testing for production.

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

We worked closely with the CTO and our team was made up of several other members including including business analyst, developers, QA tester, project manager, and UI/UX resources.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are able to easily manage new feature releases, do updates, and fix bugs in individual components without redeploying the entire application. The team's Microsoft Gold partnership and skills and expertise in Azure microservices highly benefit our business. 

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

We used Microsoft teams, email and also had face to face meeting in Houston with their bad-ass local representative, Oleg. He paid me to make this statement. But seriously, the guy buys great beers. We had weekly stand ups. They always me the dead lines.

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

There was an extensive level of communication from Honeycomb and their team was able to operate at a pace that got our project completed more quickly than I thought was possible. If anything, the team on our side at Alesco was the hold-up for moving on to next steps in the development process.

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

I can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a software development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Ongoing development work on a video editing web app.

SOLUTION

How did you select Honeycomb Software and what were the deciding factors?

They offered experienced services using our technologies at a great price for value.

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

We had a meeting with technical leads and a developer from Honeycomb Software to discuss the project. After that the developer has joined the project to work on it in a full time capacity adding features and improvements to the web app. We have daily stand ups that are also attended by the architect who provides technical advice from an experienced background.

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

At the start a project manager helped coordinate and facilitate the initial meetings. The CTO helped flesh out the broad technical requirements. Then a developer was assigned to the project to work in a full time capacity on development. An architect also provided supplemental oversight of the development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far Honeycomb soft has delivered several impactful new features and also contributed to a cleaner more efficient code base. These features include:

• Adding social sharing 
• Adding a new page for managing video exports
• Adding better video thumbnails - Integrating with a stock photo AP
• And more

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

After initial meetings to introduce the project. A developer from Honeycomb Software joined my team and we worked closely together to work on the web app. We have daily stand ups.

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

The attention and concern with delivering well designed code on top of high value features. The folks from Honecombsoft care about the project and are great to work with.

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

Not yet.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We produce electrical design drawings. Backing this service up with online drawing management and additional support software. The company commenced in the 1999. I am the operations manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Honeycomb Software?

We have aging software which was originally developed some 10 years ago. The original software also relied on many third-party applications which were no longer supported and falling over. We needed direction on the best solutions out there as we really were out of touch on the options available to us.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a solution that was built from the ground up for us and did not rely on third party applications. This was in the hope that the system could be more easily maintained over its lifetime. So, we first needed to be educated on the options to weigh up the pros and cons. With so much new tech around the corner we wanted to be in a position to capture this. From there we wanted to enhance the user experience with more tools and functionality.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

This was a bit of a process for us. We explored local solutions here in Australia but due to the cost it seemed the project was likely going to need to be reduced in size. We explored hiring developers in Singapore directly but with development not being our core competence we opted to find a development company with the full stack of skills required. From there we spoke to companies in Singapore, India, and Ukraine. The Ukraine time zone starting as our workday finished was an advantage to us as work could be done while we continued our day to day operations. Ultimately our discussions with Honeycomb Software (HCS) gave us confidence they could meet our needs.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

HCS helped us with the whole process. From design, development and rollouts to existing and new client environments. We first started with reviewing the existing system and brain storming where this system is going to need to go in the future. From there we reviewed the potential solutions and then began development. The project has been easy to manage using DevOps and an Agile project management methodology. Sprints ran 3 weeks with many rollouts to test environments between this for testing and reviewing changes.

What was the team composition?

Commencing with a senior developer to give us the depth of knowledge required to find the best solutions. As the development commenced, a middle developer to assist with code and a junior developer to assist with testing. As the build progressed an additional middle and junior developer were introduced to meet the workload.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had two deadlines which needed to be met by separate clients. They required functionality that our existing software did not contain. We me this deadline and ultimately maintained our strong relationship with the aforementioned clients. The software also moved from a windows XP look to Windows 10 which has meant all our clients have made the right investment.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was managed through close communication. Emailing and skyping almost daily and having a weekly update meeting with the whole team to ensure all were informed on who was doing what. All issues were managed within DevOps which made for a transparent experience.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to work in with us. We have had some hard deadlines and financial barriers. Each time HCS has been able to give us the solution required.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The area for improvement is probably more for us. If you do not quiet know what you want. Either because you do not know what is possible or how a change might affect other parts of the system then be prepared to have to rework sections until you have it right or spend more time scoping.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a Software Development company in Israel. We're doing work for several start-up companies in Israel in multiple fields including algorithm development and data analytics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Honeycomb Software?

Analyzing texts and extracting key features from it.

What were your goals for this project?

Build the first part of our text analyzing algorithm.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I got a recommendation from one of my colleagues.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project included defining and implementing tools that text free text, analyze it and extract key features we're interested in.

Honeycomb helped us define the implementation, find the relevant open source and other tools available today and to implement the whole solution.

What was the team composition?

2 developers, 1 Project manager, 1 QA

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

everything they delivered. We’ve tested it with our clients and everything worked perfectly. They exceeded expectations by showing a lot of personal interest in the success of our project.

Their suggestions were unique, and we hadn’t thought of them before. Unlike other software companies, they really contributed to our vision to ensure that the final result was successful.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was one of the factors that impressed us the most about Honeycomb Software.

Despite the cultural differences between our teams, we didn't experience any communication issues like timing or a language barrier. They have always been extremely responsive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Not only did they have excellent leadership, their staff genuinely cared about our project. It always felt like they wanted to help us reach our desired outcomes.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing I can think of now...