Indium

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for i-Comm Connect.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We, organizationally, are a small startup organization. We’ve onboarded third-party organizations for development purposes. We were starting to have at the original time two different organizations do development for us simultaneously versus a single business unit. We needed a partner to take over the QA process of our main product prior to the second business unit coming on from a development purpose to remove finger-pointing between the two development organizations. In addition, we wanted to raise the quality of development—reduce the number of unidentified bugs throughout the development process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Indium Software is our QA organization that is a third-party independent entity that tests the various development efforts such as mobile apps to remove finger-pointing from the process. Originally, most of the tests were done manually. Their team captured and maintained tasks in TestLink to develop a comparison report. After we developed positive and negative test cases, we migrated to automated testing. They use an OpenBase tool called Selenium, which Indium Software built in-house primarily. Now, we’re actually moving into loading and overall performance analysis testing.

What is the team composition?

The team as a whole has been scaled up and scaled down over time. When Indium Software was 100% manually oriented, we had roughly nine people working on the project. Once we converted things into an automated testing group, we decreased the size of the team to strictly five members.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

We had gotten pricing from numerous vendors. Indium Software was a mid-tier organization. They were also used to working in telecom testing and understood how to obtain information such as Moz scores from call quality.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between anywhere from $14,000–$25,000 a month with Indium Software.

What is the status of this engagement?

We originally brought Indium Software onboard in July 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From an overall solution impact, Indium reduced the number of bugs getting into production overall. Their team has increased the quality of our end product because we were able to find issues that we weren’t able to previously. Our product’s performance and stability have improved. They helped us to deliver an overall fully tested product faster because we’ve gone from manual testing into automated testing. With them, we were able to identify over 3,000 test scripts across the total application. Our migration to automated testing has enabled us to complete our full test suite in less than four hours rather than a day and a half. The test cycle has been reduced and consolidated. A lot of things have increased from a QA and a performance perspective.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Indium Software has an internal tool that they manage internally, which captures all of the data they’ve built from a suite perspective. Their team provided us analysis in real-time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Indium Software has managed the testing process well. Initially, their team identified and communicated that they had limited capability with certain aspects of the project. Once they understood how our product worked, they were able to do proper call testing at various points across the globe. They actually under promised and over delivered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In any challenge, they’ve been overcome and resolved with proper leadership inside their organization. As is any case when working internationally, we’ve got to make sure we get over communication barriers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of a data management team. We are the leading and largest mobile engagement and communications provider in India.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We had a data aggregation issue and were struggling to deliver our customer reports on time. Also, we had a scalability issue within the database system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Indium Software addressed our data aggregation and scalability issues using Hadoop (HBase, Hive, and Sqoop). Their team implemented Kerberos for security. We went into production on that set up a couple of months ago.

What is the team composition?

We work with a chief architect, a team lead, and two other team members.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

After doing an online search, we did interviews with their point of contact. We started by giving them a proof of concept, and once that was done, we engaged with their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Indium Software began in April 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Indium Software resolved the data aggregation problem, reducing the time it takes by one-third; in turn, we were able to deliver customer reports on time. Since addressing our scalability issue, we are able to do three times the volume without choking the system.  

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The chief architect and team lead meets with us, keeping me regularly updated on what’s happening with the team members. If we do any additional work, apart from using the current resources, they’ll use their internal resources to deliver for us. Their adaptability and technical knowledge are exceptional.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The entire implementation has been great. Their knowledge is also useful. As a result of our relationship, they’ve begun mentoring our team members.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I’d have them improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm a senior producer at Atari Interactive. Our primary focus is mobile game publishing on iOS and Android. We also have a significant back catalog of IP from the last 50 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software? 

We were assessing and evaluating all our QA needs. It's good to diversify in the industry and identify if there are potential new partners to work with. We thought that this title presented a perfect opportunity to partner with a new QA firm as a test of a potential relationship.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Indium Software uses a variety of systems and resources to collaborate with us. They manage the QA process through Mantis Bug Tracker. All documentation is on Google Drive. When we saw some issues that we thought were network related, they built a dedicated line to assist us in testing that bug. They also provide an evaluation process at no extra cost. Subsequently, we're moving forward with using them on additional projects. 

What is the team composition? 

The relationship is being managed on a per project and monthly basis. I speak to Karthikeyan (VP, Indium Software) and my test lead to define QA needs for the upcoming months, and then we'll align on a work order. A team of six people works on the game as it moves through development. Once the game is out, then I can adjust those resources up or down as needed per my roadmap. 

How did you come to work with Indium Software? 

Karthikeyan reached out to me while looking for new business. He and I established a good relationship through numerous phone calls and in-person meetings at our office, which we were grateful for. He answered my questions and provided information regarding their process. I started my career in the video game industry in QA. Karthikeyan’s answers gave me confidence that they’d be the right fit for this project. Indium Software was exactly what I was looking for, so we decided to move forward. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

Work started around September 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While there aren't any performance statistics, their QA process is so smooth. That's one of the key components that I need as a senior producer on a project. My confidence in Indium Software’s work is growing as they complete more projects. That makes QA one variable in the production process that I don't have to worry about.

My developer is also very happy with Indium Software’s services and support. They’re extremely flexible and understanding about how we work and the systems we prefer to use. They don't hesitate to provide anything we need in terms of resources. 

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint? 

Video game development is incredibly complicated. Indium Software provides excellent support during the QA process. They're always available, even on short notice. They were able to accommodate a last minute request for their team to assist with QA on a build that needed to go out for release. They’re also good at setting up detailed documentation and pass criteria and making sure that it meets my needs and requirements.

I'm in constant communication with several members of their team. I regularly work with a test lead and a QA supervisor assigned to Atari. I took steps at the beginning of the project to ensure clear lines of communication between our development team and their QA team. Everyone is looped in and everyone knows what's going on. There haven't been any problems in terms of resourcing or requests. Indium Software's QA process and methodology gives me confidence that the game is the best quality it can be.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Indium Software’s consistent communication—and attention to our business needs—make them a good partner. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, there’s nothing I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of engineering for eXp Realty, a national real estate brokerage that works virtually on the cloud. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We brought Indium onboard to expand our QA functionality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Indium provides additional QA resources, utilizing our ATS application testing suite as well as their own internal testing tool, which we're now in the process of switching over to completely. 

What is the team composition? 

We started out with a team of four but now work with a team of 10.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

They were recommended by one of my colleagues who had worked with them in the past. We liked their reputation and presentation based on the initial conversations we had with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent a couple hundred thousand dollars with them over the last couple years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around November 2017 and increased the resources on their team around January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Indium improved the rigor of our testing processes and has resolved hundreds of bugs over the years. They recently presented QA statistics that indicated a significant increase in the quality of our QA testing.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very communicative, flexible to our preferences, and responsive via email, chat, and Skype. They also provide detailed daily reports, so we always know what's going on with each project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've invested their time into learning our processes, including using the code tool Mendix despite their lack of familiarity with it. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

In general it can be hard to find QA testers with knowledge of our industry, so that's slowed things down a bit. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder for a technology company that works mainly in the renewable energy industry (e.g., transmission and distribution of wind and solar). We primarily focus on building cloud-driven software to improve our clients’ operational efficiencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We needed a partner that could assist with advanced data analytics and open-source technologies when building our software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Indium Software augments our internal team to expand our skill set and knowledge. They work as an integrated resource, building the same software alongside our in-house developers. We do a lot of work in the machine learning and AI fields, so Indium Software has brought their experience to our company. They mainly work in R, Hadoop, Python, and Kafka.

What is the team composition?

The team has around 12 people.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

We were scouting for a partner, and I knew the CEO of Indium Software. They treated their employees well, worked quickly, and understood what we wanted, so we hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since August 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve helped us build one of the largest platforms in our space; we’re about to launch with roughly 3,000 customers in over 30 countries. Indium Software has been integral to that success.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re flexible and willing to work on complex concerns that aren’t necessarily in our original scope. We talk periodically to discuss progress, and they’ve come to our office a few times to meet in person. Overall, their processes are efficient and effective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work well with our internal team and are dedicated to our success. We appreciate that they aren’t afraid to speak up if they think something will work better than what we have planned.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’d always appreciate our partners being more flexible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of product and technology for IMPLAN. We’re the leading provider of economic impact analysis and our core market is the academic government research and consulting base. It’s essentially impact analysis based on an input-output model.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We have a data product in addition to a software product and needed QA services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do independent QA for us while we re-platform our flagship product. We’re rewriting our software and are hosting everything on the Amazon cloud. Indium takes our use cases and user stories and builds out their own test scenarios to validate them. They’ll run a regression analysis for every sprint release that we deploy to a beta QA environment.

Indium is currently testing our product using tools primarily comprised of the Microsoft Office Suite, in addition to some SQL querying languages for our Amazon Redshift and Microsoft SQL Server. We will probably engage with Indium in the future for some cross-platform compatibility testing, WCAG 2.0 web accessibility testing, as well as Section 508 testing.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with three people. We initially had two full-time engineers and just added a third as we’re getting close to launch.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

I started working with them in 2012 while at a previous company where they helped with automation testing using Selenium. I believe my president at the time was at a tradeshow which they had also attended. We followed up with them and did an initial engagement where they offered to lay out a testing roadmap for us.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested between $70,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in May 2017, and we have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provide an added value, in addition to the peace of mind that an independent kind of auditing mechanism offers. By having Indium on board, I’m able to ask my developers to do the baseline testing, focusing on the positive, and rely on the regression that Indium does to handle any negative testing. It speeds up our development process significantly.

Previous to hiring them, our company didn’t have any kind of formalized QA plan. We’d essentially pull in staffing resources that were focused on other areas to try to do some QA, which would often slow everyone else down. Also, in the past, we would launch a product and find issues in production, but now we find the problems before. Working with Indium has freed up our staff from having to do any of that, plus it has improved the overall quality of the product.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re an Atlassian house and use Jira and Confluence. We worked with Indium to find something that would work for both of us. Since we had our own system in-house, they were willing to adapt to that which is something I really liked.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their desire to try and learn new things and willingness to adapt to deadlines are impressive. Generally, QA teams are seen as somewhat rigid, but Indium is very flexible, which I really appreciate since our market is a rapidly changing environment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they make the best of difficult situations. They make themselves available even though they are half a world away.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of software quality assurance for a firm in Washington DC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We wanted to increase our quality assurance team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We use Microsoft Visual Studio and they’re plugged into that. They have access to all the technologies that our team uses within the Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) product, where we manage all the testing. All the information is captured there for reporting.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of three for the past several months and they recently added a fourth member.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

We initially considered vendors who were used to working with US-based software companies on the east coast. We had a small budget to work with and they offered a good price. We were impressed by how quickly they began testing and building up our regression suite.

What is the status of this engagement?

We formalized our contract in August 2017 and started working with them the following month. It’s an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve significantly increased our test coverage in this partnership. They can run tests while we’re asleep, which increases our productivity cycle.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re basically embedded in our team. They share the same toolsets and communication channels that we do. They operate as if they were on a different floor in our building and are very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are constantly available, easy to work with, and extremely communicative. Their email response times are quick and information exchanges are seamless.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our product is very complicated and the software isn’t easy to learn. There is a steep learning curve, which did slow down the beginning of the process. That’s not really a negative on them; they were certainly willing to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have your software environment prepared to get tests moving faster. We weren’t set up properly at the beginning, which slowed us down. They will come in ready to work and will have their end covered.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of business development for a medical devices company. I also am the head of legal as general counsel, head of compliance, and head of finance, and do a little bit of everything.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We were looking for help with documentation that would be suitable for FDA 510(k) submission.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were working with qTest and Squish.

What is the team composition?

We have ramped up and ramped down. On average, we have approximately eight people at a time, depending on the month and what we are doing.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

We googled and found a number of firms that seemed to focus on the documentation in 510(k) submission and had some experience in it. Indium was rated by an independent agency which gave us some confidence. We met them in person and they seemed to be easy to communicate with and really focused on achieving client deliverables, as well as keeping everyone in the loop along the way. They seemed to be a QA/documentation solution whose work was good enough to be submitted to the FDA and have confidence in it. They were and have been as advertised.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in June of 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first and foremost impact the engagement has had on our company was that it gave our own QA people a model to work with in terms of documentation and analysis. Until then, everyone had a general idea about how to document and report progress, but nobody had settled on a perfect way to do it. Working with Indium gave them a model to strive for that would keep everyone in the loop including developers or managers or non-tech people. Everyone could look at that progress report and see what they have achieved. That kind of documentation was absent in what we had been doing before and has been very much appreciated. The QA team has taken a different approach to recording progress and identifying bugs and presenting all of that work to everybody else, which has been very helpful.

In addition to that, Indium has been focused on exactly what kind of documentation we would need for a 510(k) submission and for our CE mark (European Conformity) in Europe. That focus has kept us on the right track. We have stopped worrying about examining each document for how it could be reformed because they know this work and they’ve given us a really good template to work with.

We were so happy with them that we kept giving them more work to do, and we have long-term and short-term projects with them. We have kept that association going because their work is very good.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They are proactive about communicating. It isn’t just an email that they send out; they send emails with charts and real data so we can follow along. We have weekly check-in calls, and they are very organized. They have been a pleasure to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When we told them we wanted to use qTest and Squish, they made it happen, and not many people use those. They didn’t have the license to use them and weren’t prepared for it, but they did it. They have never told us they can’t do something or that they prefer not to. We tell them what we want and they make it happen, and that has been really impressive. It is great that they have been so adaptive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I asked them to better separate their statement of work (SoW) and detail what is going into one SoW versus what is going into another SoW so that it is easy to plot out what is being done on a particular day without having to call and check in. At one point, they weren’t detailed enough for me to look at the document and know what everyone was doing on that particular day. That has since changed, and that is the only issue we have ever had.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an insurance risk solutions and services company that’s been in business for 30 years. I’m responsible for running our largest and fastest growing product, as well as operations and technology. We’re based in Southern California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We were looking to outsource product QA and testing for our insurance firm.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re an insurance company founded on a technology differentiator. Our in-house proprietary technology allows us to administer insurance policies, but also allows customers to make changes to and manage their insurance profile or assets portfolio. We were managing our QA internally, but it was neither one of our core competencies nor something we felt was very strategic or efficient in terms of management.

Our onshore developers were checking things into the QA environment, but then we had to wait until the next day to start testing. We wanted to leverage an outsourced partner to take advantage of that timing, so we looked into bringing on a different partner. We used one prior to Indium, but it didn’t work out.

Indium came on board to take on our QA for our in-house proprietary operation development. Since then, they’ve really come up to speed and put good talent in place. They’ve quickly and adequately grasped our technology, business processes, and business acumen. They’re a culturally good fit for us and have proven themselves to be very responsive in meeting our demands around scalability.

They’re now working with us on automation for our regression testing. We have a Java application for which they’ve primarily used Jira, Zephyr, and Confluence for testing. They’re also working on Selenium to do the testing automation.

What is the team composition?

We have three testers at the moment, as well as a project manager, a main point of contact, and a fantastic lead tester. We have our own in-house QA leads. The lead tester manages the departments and process flow of task assignment. We also work with a business relationship manager who ensures the right resources are in place.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

Our QA did a search and sent out an RFP to five or six leading industry providers. We found Indium to be the best in our reviews, interviews, and analysis that we put together to strategically evaluate each provider.

We have a scoring mechanism to evaluate each provider’s talent pool depth, relevancy, technology, best practices, sustainability, references, support, and infrastructure. Indium ranked the highest across all categories out of all the different competitors. When we met with them, they asked the best questions in terms of the intent of what we were looking for, as well as our planned approach. They were really interested in plugging into our model and making us more successful, rather than just telling us what to do.

We’re a small company that was trying to move rapidly at that time, but we also wanted to be able to learn from someone to leverage their experiences and best practices. It felt like a good fit across the board and we believed we would get more than what we were capable of internally. We also felt that we could stay true to ourselves while simultaneously receiving personalized service.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent at least $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2016 and the relationship is ongoing. It’s an in-production application that requires constant advancements. We just recently built them into our core DNA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We flew the lead tester to our site to spend two or three weeks engaging in our culture and doing a deep dive for knowledge transfer purposes. We felt like she was a great person and a good fit for us culturally. She was also easy to work with and very diligent in taking notes. She did very well in training the rest of the team when she returned home, so it didn’t feel like we wasted any time. There were no redundant knowledge transfers or repeated questions.

There was also a ramp-up period to bring on talent to the team, which they managed to do very quickly. This gave me confidence that they didn’t sell us a false expectation regarding being able to tap into a talent pool on demand. They started testing less complicated modules and quickly creating more accurate test scripts as time passed. We haven’t have any issues post-production and we’ve felt really good about their quality. They ask really good questions and they’re engaged with our objectives, which is what we’ve always looked for in a tester. They’ve been able to convert our requirements into test plans and understand what we’re trying to do in order to add value.

They’ve questioned some things and given us feedback on how we can make our products better, which is always important and exciting. They’re not just conducting what they’re supposed to, but instead expanding on the scope proactively, which is great.

They’ve also provided expertise on best practices and agile methodology. They’ve been flexible as we’ve gone in different directions. They’ve accommodated all of this without any resistance. It’s been nice for us to have this kind of ease in doing business with someone.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked with them on the budget, a cost-benefit analysis, and our overall methodology. I can’t speak too much on the project management other than that they’ve always met our deadlines and that the communication is significantly better than the previous provider’s. There’s no miscommunication as they’re able to interface in a timely and professional manner. They’ve always received our feedback in that same light.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is very clear and proactive. They’re very professional and take feedback well. They’re engaged and accommodating and even work during our business hours. There’s a bit of overlap in the morning with our developers so that they can ask questions and reach each other.

They always do their best to accommodate unscheduled meetings or product sessions, which we appreciate. In looking at our requirements for the app to build test cases, they often question and make suggestions that are at the business level. They are understanding and scanning it for intent in order to provide input, which is refreshing and also appreciated.

They’re always willing to jump into new modules, take on more challenges, and make themselves available.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s not so much about what they could do better, but I’m always looking for efficiency gains and a better ability to evaluate risks. As a vendor, it’s hard to tell someone that does QA for a living to allow risks to come through the door, but we’re partnering with them to evaluate which ones are detrimental and which are acceptable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior director of product development for a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We needed testing services for multiple applications across different iOS and Android devices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Indium Software has provided manual testing across multiple devices, using a 3-person team.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

They were hired by the previous director, before I took over the position. I’m not sure how we found Indium Software.

How much have you invested with Indium Software?

[Confidential]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Indium Software in 2013. The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Indium has been good at executing our test plans in a timely manner, and reporting detailed information around what they found in their work.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They weren’t in charge of project management.

What did you find most impressive about Indium Software?

They were very good at checking in and ensuring that the project was moving forward as we expected.

Are there any areas Indium Software could improve?

No. We’ve been quite happy with their work.