One Beyond

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is a building research establishment in the UK. I’m a startup validation lead at the group’s construction innovation hub.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths)?

We were creating a digital tool to map the current standards in the UK for modern methods of construction, which helps to determine the appropriate standards for specific products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) developed a prototype in the Azure environment, in collaboration with myself and the product validation team. Sprint zero was defining our needs and requirements for the tool, after which they started development.

They provided deliverables at specific stages, covering 4–5 main functionalities of the tool. One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) also designed the layout based on our branding guidelines. The last stage was the importation of the database, which was an Excel file we’d created.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with roughly eight people from One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths). Ben (Solution Architect) was our first contact, and Glen (Operations Manager) was our project manager. There were some changes afterward, and Kirstie (Project Manager) assumed the role of project manager. I worked with her on sprint planning, and I discussed technical aspects with Ben and his team. I met 5–6 of the developers, including Andrii (Technical Architect).

Ben left the company in late-December 2020, and his role was taken over by a new solution architect. I’ve been in close contact with him ever since, especially in the past month and a half.

How did you come to work with One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths)?

We’re a government-funded program, so we had a public tendering process to develop the tool. We got proposals from five companies, which we assessed based on a set of criteria and KPIs. One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) provided the best value based on our evaluation, which was based only on technical aspects.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost was around £130,000 (approximately $183,800 USD). That was the initial proposal, and we stayed under budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) in August 2020, and the handover was in February 2020. Development took 4–5 months, and we finished on time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve achieved what we intended with this project. The tool is practical and user-friendly. One Beyond's (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths') design makes it easy to access information. It’s a good representation of what we wanted as well.

How did One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) perform from a project management standpoint?

We had very good communication throughout the engagement. We had 2–4 meetings per month, during which we went through progress and associated next steps.

Some items were left behind, but that was partly on our side. We didn’t chase them and found out later that we needed to address those topics again, which delayed things a bit. It was a good experience overall, though. They weren’t excellent in terms of project management, but they were okay. There were some changes to the scope and a lot of people involved, each covering a different topic. It came to a point where I didn’t know whom I should respond to, and I would’ve rather had just one point of contact.

We had a standard email approach to communication, and we used Sifter for issue tracking. The information was provided clearly, but there should’ve been a system for tracking of what was being done and what had been developed, instead of going through PDF files and lists. It would’ve made my life easier when searching for what information was still missing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re quite approachable and highly technically-competent. The overall relationship was quite pleasant. Communication was open and frequent. One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) is a down-to-earth team, and it’s easy to interact with them on a professional level.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I talked to Nick (CEO) about having a single point of contact, and about implementing a digital tool like Jira for tracking changes and pending items.

There was a transition from a solution architect, that was deeply involved in our project, to a new one at the very end of the project. The new architect understood everything very quickly, but he wasn’t aware of some topics that had already been addressed. Some things could’ve been done better on our side as well, such as providing information.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d tell them to go for it. One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) is a dynamic, hardworking group, and they have highly-qualified professionals. I have no specific advice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product development for a company that produces standard procurement contracts for the construction industry. We work largely in the public sector, helping construction companies win contracts for projects like Olympic stadiums, roads, railroad stations, and large buildings. In doing so, the procurement process is run more efficiently and collaboratively.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths)?

Before, our users received hard copies of our contracts and a form to help them describe what their project was. However, details were often lost and it wasn’t an efficient system. We wanted to provide a digital tool that would let them fill out the data form that they can share with contractors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through a discovery phase at which point we were able to clearly define what we wanted to achieve. They built a cloud-based web app to help users fill out our contracts.

What is the team composition?

There are 4–5 people working on the project regularly. They each had different skills and were brought on to help us as we needed.

How did you come to work with One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths)?

We looked online for potential partners and created a shortlist of 4–5 different companies. We sent each of them a project scope and they tendered against it. We met with each company to discuss what we wanted and outlined our budget and timeline.

We selected One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) because they had worked on a similar project and understood our background. When they came in to meet with us, we really liked their attitude and how they worked with clients. They were the perfect partner for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began around April 2019 and we launched in October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product has only been live for a few weeks, but the feedback we’ve received has made it clear that it will make a big difference for our users.

How did One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They worked really well with our technical business analyst. They gave us all the information we needed in sprint meetings. We always knew what was happening, what issues they faced, and how they planned to resolve them. They also let us know if we might face a problem, which helped us manage challenges that came up. Finally, they were transparent about cost and when they would deliver.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were committed to finishing the project. They had a great attitude and worked with us very collaboratively. Whenever there was a problem, they helped us come up with a solution.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend new clients invest in an initial sprint zero. We did that and it helped everyone understand our business requirements. As a result, our costs and timeline were very clear and it was easy for us to prioritize.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a structural steel company. We wanted to build a platform so that customers could purchase steel online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths)?

One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) built out our online platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a framework, overlooking views of how the software would look and work. From there, One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) moved on to actually starting the project, a process that included about five stages. We’ve worked through each phase, building up the software to where it is now. One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) is currently still working on software.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about 10 members of their team, with about two or three consistent people.

How did you come to work with One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths)?

I was referred to One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) through a friend of mine who’s also having software built by them. We spoke about the requirements, and we found their approach to be quite professional. They were the right people for the job: they’re knowledgeable, experienced, and confident.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £130,000 (approximately $168,000 USD) to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in November 2019, and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s still too early to be able to provide metrics, but generally, the people we’ve directed to use the platform really like the way it works. The site is simple to use, and we’re confident that we’ll see great results down the line. 

How did One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good. Our project manager oversees two or three developers on the project. We have weekly calls with updates on how things are going, as well as constant releases so we could test the system and how it was performing. We were informed all the way through.

We used emails and phone calls to stay in touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From start to finish, One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) delivers a tailored solution. Throughout the project, they’ve made sure to make us feel involved and comfortable. They’re a team of really experienced developers. They’re local to us as well, which is nice, because we can stop by and talk to them if we have any issues.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we were very happy with everything. In my experience, everything was fine. They’ve done a top job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There are a lot of software companies out there, but One Beyond (formerly DCSL GuideSmiths) is a team of reliable people who will do what they say and produce a good quality product. Give them a try.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of FloorplansUsketch, an outsourcing provider for floor plan drawing and photo editing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DCSL Software?

We have an online portal where clients can register and upload their sketches and photos. Their content then goes out to our office in Sri Lanka, where we process the photos and return them to the customer. All of this is done via the portal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

With DCSL Software’s help, we moved the platform into Microsoft Azure and the transition has gone very smoothly.

Since the new system went live, we’ve been working through enhancements and minor bugs that have lingered from the previous provider.

What is the team composition?

We work with Nick (Managing Director) and Jake (Business Development Manager) who was very helpful. My main point of contact is Alexis (Technical Director). Alexis manages the day to day things with his team.

How did you come to work with DCSL Software?

I did a Google search for a local developer. The previous company was a bit further away and that was a bit of a pain sometimes when we had to go and see them. We also shortlisted another company but we picked DCSL Software because they were quite big and had a fair number of developers.

We didn’t want to be with a firm where we were always waiting for development to be done. We’ve had struggles in the past where it takes months and months to get anything done purely because they’re disorganized and don’t have enough developers.

DCSL Software clearly has a lot of resources and they’re organized. We also wanted to retain control of the Azure account ourselves, but other providers insisted on taking that over. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £15,600 (approximately $20,000 USD) for the initial phase of getting over to Azure and into the new platform. Since then we've spent £11,500 (approximately $15,000 USD) on monthly support and additional development. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019 and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Comparing them to the previous provider we used, I’ve been extremely impressed in various ways. DCSL Software has a quicker and more cost-effective way of doing things. Their hourly rate is similar to the previous company I worked with, but DCSL Software is faster.  

They're very open-minded and they look at different ways of doing things. That benefits our customers who then see the improvements in the platform – as does my team who can set things up more quickly. We’re able to automate the creation of preferences and all sorts of different things because their costs aren’t restrictive.

Moving our platform was a big decision, and we were quite nervous about it, but they handled it very well. 

How did DCSL Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been good. Development can take longer than expected, but that isn't their fault. They’d present us with things to test and we’d test them when we had time. We could always get a hold of Alexis or one of the developers. The communication was good and it worked well. The fact they’re local, we went to see them on a number of occasions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their proactiveness and technical knowledge stand out. I was impressed that they proactively suggested things they can do that would benefit the business and the system. Several of their ideas were things I wouldn’t have thought of. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing stands out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Generally, it’s always important to give a clear specification of what you want. If you don’t, then developers often misunderstand and develop something incorrectly. Provide lots of information of what you intend to do. The more visuals, the better.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a company that analyses huge amounts of log data in order to highlight the suppliers in online advertising supply chains

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

At the point where Guidesmiths were hired, we had a functional blockchain based infrastructure with a light data management UI built over the top. We wanted to change this to be a fully fledged self-service analytics platform that allowed end users to interrogate their supply chains and surface anything unusual.

The system had to be fast, user-friendly and adaptable so we could rapidly release new reports and analyses as our dataset grew in size and granularity.

SOLUTION

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

They were referred to us from a friend. We did a quick due dilligence check on their preferred technologies and described our issue and based on their feedback and pricing, signed them up straight away.

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

GuideSmiths had to find a suitable database technology to power the analytics platform, build a Node.js REST API to interface with it and layer on a Vue.js front end UI for interaction with the platform.

This required both end user and admin access with different privileges to enable the constant creation of new reports and analyses by an internal team at Fenestra. A key requirement was making the system scalable and extensible through the use of containerisation. Primary technologies used were:

• Node.js - Vue.js
• MS SQL Server
• MS PowerBI
• Hyperledger Fabric
• Docker
• Amazon Web Services

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

Over the year we had between 1 and 4 people working for us from GuideSmiths, ranging from junior, intermediate and senior developers (architects), who build the web application, as well as DevOps Production Engineers, who built the infratructure and managed containerisation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before GuideSmiths' involvement, we had no platform to sell. After only 2 months of collaboration, we not only had something to sell, but were also able to rapidly adapt it to changing market need and company direction.

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

As GuideSmiths are a remote team, we managed all interactions via Slack and Google Meet. Daily standups and general conversations around features and bugs were all handled via Slack with weekly sprint and product backlog reviews undertaken using Google Meet.

We used a weekly sprint cycle to keep things on track and where GuideSmiths couldn't meet that week's deadline, we just pushed features from one week to the next to ensure our continued rapid release cycle.

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

GuideSmiths were very happy to learn new tech, picking up Hyperledgder Fabric with aplomb and suggesting containerisation to us as a way of keeping our platform nimble and scalable. Nothing was too difficult for them and they had a vast array of resource to draw upon if we posed a question that our immediate contacts could not answer.

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

Not really. I would have liked more involvement from senior developers but that would have come at a cost that the business would have been unwilling to bear, so is more of a problem from our side, rather than GuideSmiths'

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Bitneutro is company focused in consultancy services to other companies. We are focused in organization eficiency, leading projects from scratch and leadership transformations. We also develop and launch our products to the market for generating different revenue streams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GuideSmiths?

We ask GuideSmiths to develop Gratitude, one of our products we wanted to launch to the market. Gratitude is a platform integrated with Slack through a bot which gather information of the interactions of the team members to create knowledge of the health of the working environment. This knowledge is shown through some dashboards and allows management roles to intervene in case there could be conflicts in the team.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goals was to develop and deliver a minimum viable product to validate hypothesis of the product and to connect with investors that could be interested in the product.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We met some of the employees in a client we were working for. I liked their professionalism and their high level software development skills. But the key for selecting them was their lean software development mindset really focused in what provide the highest value for the user. They use technology to automatise everything that can be automatised so we all can focus in more creative tasks.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We collaborated as a whole team. We at Bitneutro played as Product Owners of Gratitude and they played as the develpoment team. We established two weeks timebox where we together decided what was the best delivery we could have in order to put it in the market and test with the end-user. We felt really integrated being possible to talk directly to the development team which lead us to a better understanding of the business idea (for them) and the technical issues (for us).

What was the team composition?

There were two developers, one UX designer and the support of the Managing Director of the office in Spain, Felipe Polo. We and Felipe worked with the UX designer so we can define the flows of the digital product connected with the business goals. I worked in writting the user stories so we can talk about them directly with the developers who decided the best amount of them to be delivered within two weeks. And all of them taking care of the business goals of Bitneutro.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In fact, the product is online (www.gratitudethnx.com) and it is being used for several companies around the world.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The best point about project management was transparent for us, we were focus on creating the product and reaching the business goals with it.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their implication on our business idea was impressive. Not only Felip, but also the development team who felt empowered to challenge the ideas presented to them in order to make the product easy to develop without loosing software quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The next time we work with them we will include the development team in the kickoff of the product discovery because they demonstrated they will provide great perspective in order to not over-engineering at the very beginning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a consulting engineering practice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DCSL Software?

We needed to develop some software. They brought about the database construction and UI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It’s a database and project management tool for a construction environment. It’s  a SQL database with an HTML5 frontend. It records progress of construction work through a procedure for certification.

The platform records issues, actions, operational risks. It has field observation facilities, automatic reporting, dashboard functionality. Now we can have a suite of notes that includes every piece used in a building, which is useful for ongoing maintenance and operational efficiencies.

At the beginning of the project, I sat down with the architect and we developed the prototype.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five people in total. We had an architect, two developers, a UI expert, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with DCSL Software?

A colleague of mine recommended them. Then, I interviewed them and asked them to go through a tender project, and they won it.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £180,000 (approximately $225,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2019 and it wrapped up in April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far it has been very well-received. We have a few people using it in the UK and colleagues in the US that want to develop it further. Their developers are excellent.

How did DCSL Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been okay. The project manager reports where we are in the process and are in an administrator type role. Their added value is elsewhere. We had bi-weekly sprints. They gave a link to what we’ve done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I found them to be very cooperative. Their techs know more about the technology than I do. They come up with how to achieve my ideas, and in doing so, they challenge my logic. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Cost management. It’s not a fixed price, and I don’t want to pay for them to fix a bug. I already paid them to test it, so when I ask them to fix it, I shouldn’t have to pay for them to go back in. They should tighten up what is and isn’t chargeable.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can’t put too much detail in the spec. And sit on top of the financial reporting.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a digital procurement platform that uses data, social listing, and other techniques to weed out stories and information on suppliers, trends, and other companies. We then package up and feed it in the form of dashboards to our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DCSL Software?

The main challenge was in controlling the data ourselves. We were really dependent on third-party systems to provide our services. We needed a fully functioning real-time system that would give us a lot more power in being able to design our own dashboards and make it more user friendly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went straight into a proof of concept with one of their solution architects. We did a standard MVP of the minimum set of specifications that the platform could have before we go live. They’re using Zero for the platform. They’re also using Vue.js, Cosmos DB, and MySQL database. The caching is on the server at the moment. The platform is live now, and we’re doing a little bit of infrastructure work in the background now.

What is the team composition?

We have a consistent solution architect, developer, scrum master, and dedicated UI person. There’s also testers and QA as needed. The solution architect, two developers, and the scrum master control all our stuff on a daily scrum. UI support is probably 1–2 days per week. There’s also a project manager.

How did you come to work with DCSL Software?

We were working with another company that wasn’t meeting our needs, so we needed to find another company to work with. I found DCSL Software through Clutch. We didn’t go with them the first time but then decided to take a chance with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000-$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although the platform was launched, we still have another 12-week phase ahead of us. We’ve got quite a lot of traction so far with some of the biggest companies in the world.

Most things get turned around quite quickly without any issues. The first MVP work was a little delayed because of our fault. Any issues we do find, are small. Most of the time we go beyond what we thought was going to be in a sprint. Our biggest success is driven in how we collaborate to make the product as user friendly as possible.

How did DCSL Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was really good. One of the scrum masters left and we were waiting for a new one to come on, but they’ve always done their job well. The overall project management is good. We have conversations way ahead of anything if we’re going to have budget issues. They use DevOps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with too many companies that go off in their own world and I had no idea what they were doing and who is working on the project. The best thing about DCSL Software is that they always have a proper discussion from a technical level around how to best do things. They’re always honest and are willing to work collaboratively. We get along well. No one steps on each other’s toes. This kind of collaboration can be very hard to find.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The main thing is having a balance of genders. We’ve been lucky the scrum masters have been women which makes an enormous difference. Having women on a team can be really important—without them, it’s easy to forget 50% of the market. Having equal representation across teams can provide a different perspective on how things work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Embrace agile. Don’t take it too seriously in terms of what that means in terms of contractual liabilities and the statements of work. Allow them flexibility so you can get the true value of the people you’re paying for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

LCH is a luxury hired vehicle company based in the UK. We supply vehicles to customers who have contracts with Mercedes Benz, BMW, Rolls Royce, Audi, and a few other manufacturers. 

Over the past two years, we’ve extended into different areas of the automotive industry. We’re now the sole providers of the BMW iPerformance vehicle breakdown, covering all their plug-in electric vehicles. We also deal with Mercedes Benz Mini electric vehicles.

I’m the marketing manager of the company, and I sit on the senior management board within the company. I also deal with internal software development. I used to be the operations manager of the company, and I’m still involved with that department as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DCSL Software?

We had about 50 cars when I started working with the company, and only about 12 people were working for us. Back then, we had one software, and it worked quite well for the scope of work and demand we had. As we got more contracts from manufacturers, our company grew very quickly. We have over 60 people on staff now.

Unfortunately, the software we had wasn’t scalable for the work we received, and we tried to adapt it by adding loads of different software, like Google Sheets, PDF tools, and calendars. At the time, we were working with a customer service agency for booking, and we’d have to use about eight different systems and duplicate a lot of work across them. With that manual duplication came plenty of human error, in addition to many lengthy processes.

We needed to combine all of this into one system that would serve multiple parts of the business, including sales, logistics, customer services, and finance. We wanted a single system that everyone could use.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DCSL developed a web-based system for us that’s hosted on Azure. It has integrations with Google Maps and DVLA, which is a vehicle registration system in the UK that pulls the entire specs of a vehicle from the national record. The system has a postcode search and address integration features as well.

What is the team composition?

We had five people from DCSL working for us. Alfredo (Technical Architect, DCSL Software) was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with DCSL Software?

We were working with another company initially, but the scope of the project was too big for them. After 6–8 months, they turned around and said they couldn’t deliver the project to us and refunded our money. It was a bit of a setback for us. 

 We started searching the market for a new provider and shortlisted three companies, including DCSL. Nick (Managing Director, DCSL Software) grasped what we wanted from our first meeting with him. He immediately had a solid grasp of what we did as a company and the kind of software that we needed. He also connected with our team on a personal level pretty quickly.

Nick also provided case studies of what they’d done, and we spoke with a few companies that had hired DCSL for software development. We did our own research outside of these conversations, and DCSL seemed to be the right fit. We were happy with the quotation and signed a contract from there.

How much have you invested with them?

The budget was for £200,000 (approximately $250,000 USD) but I think we paid £230,000 (approximately $300,000 USD) in total. The budget did increase, but that came about because of changes that we requested throughout the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with DCSL around May or June 2018, and we just finished the project last month. Now that we have an MVP, we’re planning to use them for more development. We’re hoping that this partnership will carry on for a few years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The impact’s been massive. As I said before, we used to have multiple systems in place, and maintaining that process while we grew as a company just wasn’t financially viable.

With DCSL’s software, what used to be three people’s jobs can now be done by one person. It’s done wonders for our efficiency, even from the financing and invoicing side. Those tasks were taking a lengthy amount of time, and now they’re being done automatically by the system. It has fundamentally changed the way we work.

The platform is also very reliable. We encountered a few bugs, and it took some time for the staff to get used to the new system, but once it was implemented and everyone got used to it, it worked fine. DCSL provides excellent support, as well. If there’s an issue that comes up, they’re quick to jump on it and get it fixed.

How did DCSL Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was outstanding. We had two-week sprints, and, during those sprints, we spent a lot of time collaborating with the DCSL team. They provided us a rundown and brief of what they’d done at the end of each sprint, covering where we stood price-wise and what they were planning to do for the next sprint. 

We also had a web portal with them where we could test our system. We used this user acceptance testing (UAT) website throughout the development process and posted any bugs we came across. They would see the bugs we found and add them to their list of things to address. This workflow made it so that we didn’t need to keep having meetings and calls.

We kept all five members of our team in the loop with every communication. They’d always get back to us within an hour. It was also quite easy to get a hold of someone if we needed to speak on the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They brought innovation to our system, whereas the previous companies we’d worked with operated strictly based on our directions. If we went to Alfredo with something, he’d also suggest things that would work better. He gave us ideas for how to streamline what we thought was already quite a streamlined platform. DCSL was great about narrowing that down for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been a brilliant company all around, and we’ve been really impressed by them. Alfredo, in particular, has been great all the way through. We’re happy to be using them, and we plan to stick with them for the next phases of development.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should make sure from day one that the developer understands what their company does. When Nick did the original quote, he came to us for a day or two and spent time with each department, watching what they did. I think that’s really beneficial because it helps you prepare for changes. 

We have to make sure that DCSL is aware of the changes that are happening at our company and that they have a full understanding of what we do as a company. For example, we might assume that they know how each feature will affect our work, but they’re not experts in our field and wouldn’t necessarily know to make those assumptions. We have to ensure that they fully understand what we do, including all of our internal processes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior scientist working for the Orthopedics Research Technology and Innovation team at Smith & Nephew, a global medical device company that operates in multiple countries worldwide. I am the project leader for this UK grant-funded project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DCSL Software?

We wanted to develop a dashboard tool that could access, organize, and log case data associated with our NAVIO robotics system. This is a surgical system, endowed by robotics technology, which is used to implant orthopedic devices with increased precision and accuracy.

The procedural data accumulated by the NAVIO system during surgery (in CSV format) is difficult to interpret in its current format, and it usually resides in the laptop of a service engineer or field representative. Currently, there’s no centralized system on the internet that allows us to broker procedural data into the cloud. We retained the services of DCSL Software to design and build a data-brokering tool for both web and mobile users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the first 3–6 months, DCSL Software worked to gain a fundamental understanding of the database structure and content associated with the NAVIO 7.0 case log file, which is the current version of the software that includes a new intuitive interface, expanded surgical preferences, and a streamlined workflow. It runs on JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)—a file structure that stores simple data structures and objects unique to the NAVIO robotic workflow. It arranges information in a series of schema, or tables, which is specific to a procedure, such as knee replacement surgery. Once they understood the fundamentals of the case log file (specifications, database tables, attributes, and relationships with the targeted user groups), they created storyboards to demonstrate how the web browser and mobile version of the CUMULUS app would interact with these targeted end-user groups.

We shared their web-browser version of the prototype dashboard with targeted orthopedic surgeons to conduct user analysis where we balanced customer satisfaction with the functionality of a given feature through paired questioning. Once we collected their feedback and supplied it to DCSL Software, they upgraded the dashboard with the suggested changes and then transitioned it to our product development team in Pittsburgh.  

We proceeded with the functional development of the mobile version of the dashboard, which was followed by UX/UI, taking into account our unique branding. They designed the CUMULUS so that it could be sold as an adjunct to our existing products.

It’s been two years since the project start, and we’re currently thinking about how the product can be deployed in the right type of cloud environment. We considered AWS, but we’ve finalized our decision to go with Azure as our service provider. We’re also looking at data visualization software, as well to help us create a more immersive experience for our users.

What is the team composition?

We had access to a diverse team of software architects and software developers to implement the UX/UI design work.

How did you come to work with DCSL Software?

We found utility in their background and expertise in Microsoft products. They’re a Microsoft-approved company.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost model is slightly complex because we don’t pay 100% for their services; they are part-funded by the UK government, with the remainder subsidized by Smith & Nephew. We are projected to spend roughly $317,000 by the end of the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2017, and the work is still ongoing. It is a three-year project that is due to end in November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the software allows us quick and easy access to procedural data that has been parsed from our robot to the cloud, we can better understand its impact on our patients. That, in turn, empowers us to access vast amounts of data in the future to help us continuously improve our products for our customers.  

Without the dashboard, we’re not able to generate timely clinical evidence reports, which are essential in keeping the robot on the market. DCSL Software's work will help us ensure that our products remain viable.

An increased understanding of the procedural data also means an increased likelihood of selling a premium-service package to our customers. The actual sales for the NAVIO system have increased over the last 2–3 years, which we hope to maintain with the future launch of the new software. The development of CUMULUS has also had a positive influence on research and development spending in the robotics team, a great side effect of the collaboration with DCSL Software. Both of these have secured the future success of the robotic platform technology.

How did perform from a project management standpoint?

I would give them a 9/10. We both agreed that the agile methodology was the right way to move forward. We used Microsoft tools for project management—Microsoft Project, Microsoft Teams, and Skype. Skype was an invaluable tool for sprint meetings and the site for our meetings.

We adopted an agile management methodology with DCSL Software that allowed us to use sprints to continuously focus on the development of the functional and UX/UI aspects of the product. We had frequent online meetings. We also utilized a software called Microsoft Sifter, which allowed our IT teams to log and review bugs in the software.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a varied team of very intelligent people who fundamentally grasped the structure of our technology at an early stage. Their familiarity, know-how, and expertise on the JSON index file structure has become an invaluable asset for us. It allows us to dial them into other NAVIO project opportunities in the future. They were able to absorb and understand the information at an early stage of our relationship.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

With the app that we’ve created, we’d like to take one step further to utilize AI/machine learning to develop an intelligent dashboard powered by machine learning algorithms. We want to explore the opportunity of using pattern and object recognition capabilities in the app, but this may put them on a steep learning curve. 

This is something we’re looking to include in the last year of the project. Machine learning is a capacity they’d have to adopt quite quickly if they want to compete and differentiate themselves in the software space.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

First, get everyone on board as quickly as possible to explain what the overall project goals and objectives are and ensure that there is a communication and project plan that everyone is comfortable working with.