Onetree

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of engineering at Scale Media, a direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Onetree?

We needed highly qualified software developers on the team as quickly as possible with the ability to scale up and down as needed. We already had a fairly large in-house team, but I wanted them to focus on key projects while an outside team did some of the day-to-day cleanup tasks around our tech stack.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Onetree provided us with software development staff augmentation. The team handled day-to-day tasks, which enabled them to get familiar with our tech stack. Eventually, we used them for key projects as well. Our products consist of a custom e-commerce suite, and Onetree worked mainly in PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Our company is 100% remote. 

What is the team composition? 

At the project’s peak, we had about four engineers from Onetree working with us. 

How did you come to work with Onetree?

I found them online when looking for nearshore solutions. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2021–June 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Onetree always delivered excellent code, and I was very happy with the team’s performance. The nice thing about using a nearshore development team is that we could really integrate them into our team. Onetree developers were part of our daily stand-up meetings, and we looped them into all decisions around our product — they operated as part of our internal team.

Moreover, bringing on Onetree was instrumental in allowing our projects to reach a point of predictability around timelines. The team was very good at accurately estimating how long tasks would take, which we appreciated. 

How did Onetree perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job of tracking the developers’ time spent on tasks, and the budget was pretty much set. Onetree was timely in sending us invoices and time reports to validate our expectations in terms of the projected work time each month. 

We communicated with Onetree via Slack, Google Meet, and email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Onetree provided an excellent balance between value and service provided. Although they weren’t the cheapest option, they weren’t the most expensive. Moreover, the team was easy to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

When sending candidates to US-based tech companies, they should ensure the resumes reflect those companies’ expectations. I already shared this feedback with Onetree, and they improved. Ultimately, there are cultural differences in what people expect from resumes in different countries. Having cultural sensitivity will help Onetree succeed in bringing on other companies in the future. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Maintain open lines of communication, and don’t be shy about sharing what you need and what isn’t working. Onetree is always open to feedback and trying to get the right answers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of engineering for a beverage delivery platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Onetree?

We had an e-commerce platform that only worked on the web and needed to develop a mobile platform for it. We didn’t have enough technical personnel to do it. So we approached Onetree to help us with staff augmentation services for this project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Onetree provided a development team that worked on an Android and iOS mobile app based on React Native and Python.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, two scrum masters, and 20 developers from Onetree’s team.

How did you come to work with the Onetree?

We evaluated three companies and chose Onetree because they had experience developing applications based on the language we were looking for. In addition, they had enough engineering resources and seemed like a trustworthy team. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $1.8 million with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

For this project, we worked from January–June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Onetree finished the whole development in about five months, which was a major success because that allowed us to launch the app and its complements in Mexico and five other countries. Moreover, we were able to merge our branding through all of the countries in which we operate. 

How did Onetree perform from a project management standpoint?

We managed the project ourselves, and Onetree’s team was able to stick to our planning very well. Their management showed great flexibility, and whenever we had any urgent matter, we knew we could count on them. Regarding tools, we used Jira, Slack, and phone calls.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I sometimes didn’t feel completely conformable with the team leaders they assigned, so I think they could improve that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is important. We established weekly or biweekly meetings to measure the team’s engagement properly. In addition, it’s a good idea to share the developers’ performance so they can take your feedback into consideration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m the digital marketing manager at an industrial automation company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Onetree?

We needed someone to create an e-commerce website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Onetree developed our e-commerce site using Magento and Salesforce. They specifically built the site to make it easy for us to update it on our own. Since our sector doesn’t use the typical POS system, it functioned as a catalog that displayed our services.

What was the team composition?

It varied each time, but in total, we worked with 7–10 people.

How did you come to work with Onetree?

When I started working for the company, Onetree was already our partner, so I honestly don’t know how we chose them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September 2019–September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Onetree developed a site that allowed us to independently manage and update the site in a straightforward and efficient way. Furthermore, the catalog was a great lead generation tool.

How did Onetree perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Jira as a project management tool. They had strong organization and communication skills. Their project manager also did a great job. Overall, they did an excellent job, and we were very pleased.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their approach was very client-oriented; Onetree was really committed to our success. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

For this particular project, their time estimates ended up falling short. They could improve on establishing deadlines.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief product officer. Our company aims to teach public schools in the US to make better, informed education technology (EdTech) purchase decisions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Onetree?

We needed help with development. We saw that some public schools had problems with wasteful spending of tax dollars on EdTech products that weren’t used efficiently.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Onetree developed a platform using a Microsoft technology stack and hosted it on Azure. It allows us to collect contextual information from school district members to create profiles for each of them. It also gathers implementation reports on how these districts went about implementing certain technologies. Once we have that data in the system, we make it available for other people looking to make technology purchases. They only need to fill out their contextual survey to match them to experts in our system based on their district personality and then see how the implementation of certain products went within districts that are very similar to theirs. 

Although the platform is finished, the Onetree team continues to do specific development tasks for us. We’ve had them rebrand and recreate our entire website at some point.

What is the team composition?

The core team consists of about six people. At the height of development, we worked with 8–10 people. 

How did you come to work with Onetree?

We decided to outsource because we’re not a technology company, and we didn’t want to build an in-house team of software engineers. Hence, we looked both domestically and abroad. Our decision to work with Onetree was based primarily on their reputation — we spoke with 3–4 of their customers, and they all had positive experiences with the Onetree team. Additionally, our time zones were relatively similar, they were fluent in English, and they were familiar with the technologies that we wanted to use.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in October 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They produced high-quality software, and everything has gone exceptionally well. In terms of gathering requirements and designing the platform, the team was very thorough and detailed. The software engineering itself was excellent, and there were very few issues concerning bugs. Anything that may not have worked at some point was fixed quickly and correctly.

How did Onetree perform from a project management standpoint?

The Onetree team definitely puts importance on communication. We interact with them constantly during the workday via Slack, phone calls, Google Meet, or Zoom. It’s like we have our own remote engineering team. We also use Jira and Confluence.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with the value we’ve received for the money we’ve paid. Everything has gone exceptionally well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they could do better — they’re very good at their job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m an IT manager at a retail lighting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Onetree?

We needed help with the creation of an e-commerce website for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Onetree developed the website and e-commerce site of the company using Magento. The website is our primary contact method. It shows our clients all the information related to our branches, products catalog, and contact information and allows them to buy our products online.

What was the team composition?

We currently work with three people from Onetree in maintenance and update services.

How did you come to work with Onetree?

We were looking for a local agency to work with because we needed to work closely with someone for continuous support. In addition, they were one of the local leaders working with Magento technologies, so they were the best choice.

How much have you invested in them?

We spend $15,000–$20,000 per year with them on maintenance and support services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2014, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their service is excellent; they provide great support services and are available right away.

How did Onetree perform from a project management standpoint?

Their working methodology is efficient; they analyze the requirements, have meetings, estimate the capabilities and needs of the project, make a QA, validate everything, and then pass it into production — the process is always very smooth. 

In terms of communication, we primarily use email and phone calls. As for deadlines, they always meet them even earlier than we sometimes expect — their project management is excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their support and customer service are great; they always solve any request immediately. They are also sincere and trustworthy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there

I’m a general manager at a meat exports company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Onetree?

We hired them to develop our e-commerce store. We wanted to start selling our products in the US, so we needed this platform for that. We also wanted to create a good experience for our customers and provide more information about grass-fed meat, which is the main product we were looking to export.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Onetree developed an e-commerce platform for us using Magento, and they’re currently providing support and maintenance to it.

What was the team composition?

We’ve been working with 4–5 people throughout the project.

How did you come to work with Onetree?

The owners of the company found Onetree; they made good contact right away and started working on the project.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$100,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2014, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results have been very good; we’ve been able to solve setbacks quickly. On the technical side, they’re also great — the overall experience has been excellent.

How did One tree perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. We communicate using Zoom, Google Meets, and all the tools to work remotely. They’re agile and always available to any requests we might have — everything has been very fluid and quick in that regard.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We don’t have tech experience, and they’ve been able to translate complex processes into a language that we can understand easily.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an assistant professor at the University of Michigan in the College of Pharmacy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Onetree?

I needed someone to customize the functional assessments within a smartphone app that I was developing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Onetree to develop a first-generation app. The app was made to monitor for treatment side effects in patients with cancer. We needed physical assessments customized in certain ways through the code.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager that managed their team.

How did you come to work with Onetree?

They were recommended by the company that created the original version of the app. They worked with Onetree in the past on numerous projects that required customization.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Onetree from March–June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went into the project with a clear idea about what we wanted created, and Onetree delivered that within the timeline and budget. Everything worked great, and we received the ideal results.

How did Onetree perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager was responsible for all of the communication. They made sure the right people were doing what they needed to do. At any given time, I had a very clear timeline from the beginning. We stuck to that.

Most of our meetings were through video calls. We also spoke through email. If anything changed on my end or there’s, it was quickly reflected in an updated timeline or a discussion.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project management and communication were some of their strengths.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not that knowledgeable on the technical side. I think it was a struggle for me to try and work with them when I needed to convey what I needed. I had such little knowledge, and I don’t think they were used to working with clients like that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a medical tech app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OneTree?

Their team built a patient-driven portal for the organization of healthcare records.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Being a physician, we wanted someone experienced to translate the vision into a user-friendly interface that could be used by tech-savvy people and younger adults. Their team built a user-friendly interface for the app. They also worked on design. They used InVision to show us the wireframes.

What is the team composition?

There were five team members. There was a person who set up the contract and negotiated the initial deal. There was also a project manager.

How did you come to work with OneTree?

Our CTO is from Latin America and he had worked with them previously. We loved their work—it was clean and incredibly professional.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in March 2020 and is wrapping up in June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work is phenomenal. We were thrilled—the app is very easy to use in regard to our branding. The iconography was incredibly clean. They put lots of time and investment into the research and really understood the project. It’s still in beta testing, but so far, it’s been amazing.

How did OneTree perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been professional and they work at a great pace. The timeline was something we were comfortable with. There was more to the project than we anticipated, so we added two weeks. There were some complications with COVID-19 and moving offices as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They put so much time and effort into understanding our culture and mission statement. They took the time to learn minute differences and technical specifications.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I’d ask them to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a direct consumer shoe brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OneTree?

We hired them for software development and website maintenance of our e-commerce platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, we’ve worked with OneTree on specific projects and maintenance support. The team used PHP and Magento.

What is the team composition?

Throughout our engagement, we’ve probably worked with eight or ten developers.

How did you come to work with OneTree?

I met them at Magento Imagine, a conference for those who are interested in Magento.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested more than $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first engagement with OneTree started in 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with OneTree, our business continues to grow. The team keeps improving our tech stack. Our site is performing better and faster. The code is clean, and the site speed is quick. They also helped us develop some custom functionality to create a more tailored customer experience for our visitors.

How did OneTree perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re currently using JIRA. When there’s a critical item, they’ll work overtime or after hours to help get the project done. When they do make a mistake or fall short, their team owns up to it. They’ll share with me their insights and learnings, discussing how they can improve or do things differently.

OneTree takes accountability and ownership of their role. When they’re successful, they take it. When they’re not successful, they take it. They regularly ask for feedback, which I find is rare with other outsourcing companies. They’re very sincere.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They align with our time zone, which makes it easier to collaborate on projects. With offshore work, a lot of it requires working late at night or early in the morning. When it’s the middle of the day, and something goes wrong with the website, it’s tough from a time zone standpoint. It’s nice that OneTree works with that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could provide a more strategic eye when there are technological opportunities that could matter to our business. Ultimately, it’s our responsibility, but they’ve improved in that area to make it a great partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Novugens. We provide biometric solutions on mobile devices including face recognition, voice recognition, fingerprint touch ID, and face ID. We work with banks and international institutions to provide them with authentication within their existing apps. We can also develop apps for them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with OneTree?

The biggest challenge was with one of our use cases: pensions. Many pension funds have a yearly requirement to make sure the recipients of the pension are still alive. Oftentimes what happens is the recipient is located in a different country, which makes it harder to check.

We were developing an application that would include the biometric piece and a liveliness piece (our name for it) that would enable a retiree who lives in, say Singapore, to download the application, do a two-minute enrollment, and confirm with a motion like blinking or shaking their head to ensure that they’re alive. We needed a mobile app design to cater to that older user base including larger icons, smooth screen transitions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We heavily rely on Sketch for the design of the different screens, and also on InVision for mockups. It helps us visualize the design and mimic what it will look like in the end.

One of the added-on features we offer is an analytics portal that captures details related to the transactions. It helps pension funds with millions of retirees when they’re being audited. One Tree helped developed a new design for the analytics portal to make it more user-friendly for pension administration officers.

Right now, we’re making some minor changes but my goal is to keep working with 1–2 designers for the next few months. Then, as new clients come in, they’re going to want to change the look and feel and the colors, which we can quickly do but we need someone to design it.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people in total. They’re all design related. I’ve had multiple meetings with their CEO and their founder, and having that connection where they ask me what my goals are has been great. It’s made it a very good experience. I mainly deal with developers and designers.

How did you come to work with OneTree?

I’ve worked for the Inter-American Development Bank for many years, as well as The World Bank, so I’ve developed many contacts in international organizations and vendors. When I left The World Bank I wanted to find a company to partner with that would allow me to scale quickly. If I end up with 15–2- customers I can’t hire a whole team here in Washington. If I needed two developers for two months or five developers for six months two one year I could do it with OneTree without dealing with all the payroll work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000–$30,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There have been no problems with delivery, even with the pandemic. Our solutions have to work all the time, any time. It’s our motto. As long as you have a cellphone connection, you can do the authentication within seconds.

How did OneTree perform from a project management standpoint?

I didn’t use them for project management, but there’s no red tape with this company. I can speak with them via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their cost was great compared to the rates for developers here in Washington D.C. Their designers are great, too; they have a feel for what’s needed. They understand the industry and the trends that are coming up so I’m not stuck with a design from the 1980s. There are times when we go back and forth over the best approach, and I like that interaction. They’re not telling me what to do and they listen to why I think something needs to be done differently.

I’ve worked with several people in different capacities. Some are better than others, but they also interact with my team members; the coordination has been good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have some rework to do here and there because a design didn’t work too well, but that’s expected. Additionally, I want to move like the speed of light; my customers are waiting for me to deploy certain things. I don’t have time to explain all the details and review all the little things. In some cases, they’ve asked me very specific questions where I wish they would run with it. That’s a personal issue though; it’s not a fault of theirs.