Secret Mission Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical lead of partner integrations at a cloud accounting software business primarily focused on service-based businesses in North America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Secret Mission Software?

I reached out to build our apps, integrations, and strategy, and increase our marketplace offering. We partnered with them to build out a Squarespace integration for us as well as a software development kit (SDK).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Secret Mission Software developed a Squarespace integration app that’s hosted by us. They added functionality that allows the web-based application to synchronize order and transaction data from Squarespace and put it into our accounting platform as invoices, items, and payments. 

Additionally, they were responsible for a large portion of the architecture. The team handled the design, did the testing, and built out the SDK.

What is the team composition?

We work with their two co-founders, a designer, and two other developers.

How did you come to work with Secret Mission Software?

We were introduced to them through an internal connection who was aware of the work that Secret Mission Software was doing. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We were introduced to them in September 2019, and the project itself began in October or November 2019. The project was completed in March 2020, but we still have some ongoing work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had both anecdotal and quantitative metrics. Secret Mission Software exceeded all of the expectations, both from how many downloads we were expecting from the app as well as their benchmark goals.

How did Secret Mission Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The team’s project management was very effective. We aligned on a few agile tools such as Pivotal Tracker, which Secret Mission Software suggested. We used it to define our weekly sprints and what we were going to talk about.

They were responsible for keeping that updated, and we were responsible for approving every ticket that they marked as completed. I’ve been really impressed with the process.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are two things that stand out about Secret Mission Software. The first element that stands out is their ability to communicate effectively. Every time there were at-risk timelines, the team was very open about them and made sure that they dedicated to what they said they were going to do. 

Secondly, they were willing to be available to us at any time of the day. We had some tough weekends where we had asked for their help and they jumped on calls with us very quickly to help us solve our issues, which was a big positive for us. 

Additionally, sinking accounting information is a tedious project, and Secret Mission Software has had the foresight to outline some of the problems that we as an accounting company hadn’t thought about when it comes it integrating systems. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

As they grow, they’ll have the capacity to do more jobs and delegate some of the lower-level work to junior developers. The benefit that we got from them was that we got to deal with a lot of their senior developers, which wasn’t always necessary. So, it was their loss, but our benefit.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with Secret Mission Software from an architecture standpoint and understand how they work. One of the most important strategies that we went in with was allowing the team to work the way they wanted to.

What we got from that was an incredibly competent, well-articulated outline of what they were planning to do. We also got proper updates and effective communication because of their ability and understanding of how they worked.

The team was open to working how we wanted. However, in giving them the freedom to set up their workflows the way they wanted to, everything worked out well for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Findspace, Inc. is a Canadian technology company based in Toronto. I’m the president and CEO of the company. We provide a cloud-based leasing and marketing platform for commercial real estate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Secret Mission Software?

We were transitioning from a codebase that was 7–10 years old, looking for a more agile platform with a new codebase and architecture. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve provided both web and mobile development. For background, we run portfolio and leasing pages on customers’ corporate websites. Customers have access to the CoRE application to manage those property pages.

First, they built a lead tracking iOS and Android mobile app for us. It’s live on both app stores, with ongoing enhancements. At the same time, Secret Mission worked on our backend CoRE application, which is Django Python-based. They’re still providing these services.

They’re also working on a frontend portal to search for properties. That frontend is powered by the CoRE application.  The web portal was built on React and it talks to the Python backend. I believe the mobile app was made with React as well.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Krishna and Bhaskar (CTO’s, Secret Mission). There are usually six people working for us, and the team has fluctuated between 4–8.

How did you come to work with Secret Mission Software?

I found them through a referral. We worked with a software architect and CTO from another provider to define what we wanted. Krishna (Founder & CEO, Secret Mission Software) came in a few months later.

They were initially added to the team we outsourced to take care of the mobile aspect of the platform. After that, Krishna basically spun off from that team. I think that’s when Secret Mission was founded.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Secret Mission around 18 months ago, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Secret Mission is part of our development team, and they’re integral to the success of the company. We outsourced some aspects of the development of the platform. We see them as technical partners.

In general, the product has been functional and reliable. We transitioned from an old platform to a new one with pretty much no hiccups. That was like open-heart surgery, and the clients didn’t feel anything.

Users are engaged and actively requesting more enhancements. The new versions have only been released for a short while, so I can’t really yet measure stats on it. The app is intended exclusively for the users of our platform.

How did Secret Mission Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve delivered on time and within budget. The complications we’ve experienced aren’t necessarily attached to their performance. It’s part of the nature of developing products.

They’re very efficient, serious, on time, and professional. Also, the team is knowledgeable and accessible. They communicate well. We have a process in place with digital tools for recording progress and sprints. We’ve used a few tools, including Jira, but the main one now is Pivotal Tracker.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We are impressed by their professionalism, transparency, and commitment. If they say yes to something, they’re going to do it. All of that comes at a cost, but we get what we pay for.

They also provide strategic input based on their knowledge of best practices. If we come to them with a business idea, they’ll help us tweak it from a technology and engineering point of view. It’s a collaborative effort, and the relationship is still young (we’re just 18 months into it), but it has been a good one.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing really comes to mind. Overall, Secret Mission is a company that likes very clear directions on where we want to go. If we know where that is, they’re going to take us there. If we hesitate, things take longer because they’re a development shop.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should come with a clear idea and objectives. They should make sure they give Secret Mission time to assess the project. Once the objectives are in place, things are going to work. If they can’t do it, they’re going to tell that to the client.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

As VP Engineering, I was accountable for delivering new product, features and support for several hugely popular mobile apps including Bitstrips and Bitmoji (millions of daily users).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Secret Mission Software?

Prototyping a mobile experience for Bitstrips called Bitmoji. We needed to upgrade the underlying technology for the Bitstrips app to something more modern (it was an Adobe Air application). Krishna of Secret Mission Software was our secret weapon to get this project on the right track.

What were your goals for this project?

Develop a new platform on which to launch a streamlined Bitstrips experience centered around "stickers".

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Previous working experience from ClearFit.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Technical planning, prototyping, and execution.

What was the team composition?

Onsite co-development. Krishna of Secret Mission Software worked closely with the CTO and the rest of the development team to quickly ship some working prototypes of the application core.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The core technology choices held up very well thanks to Secret Mission Software's support and decision criteria. We launched and quickly grew the user base to many millions.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Progress was reported regularly through daily agile delivery ceremonies.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Experience and effectiveness at getting up to speed on an incredibly complex project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that comes to mind. This was one of our more successful development partners.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering and logistics at Shopify. We're an e-commerce platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Secret Mission Software?

I needed help with the development of a direct to buyer product—an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Secret Mission Software reviewed the architecture of the app, which our team had already built. They provided recommendations, leading to our continued collaboration. Their team worked with our in-house developers to build a large portion of the mobile platform using React Native. Compatible with iOS and Android, the app allows users to track purchases online.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Bhaskar (CTO, Secret Mission Software). We also worked with Krishna (Founder & CEO, Secret Mission Software) and a developer.

How did you come to work with Secret Mission Software?

Our team was experimenting with React Native but was unsure if we were going to move forward with it. I’d met Bhaskar previously. I knew he was a strong developer and offered consulting services. We asked Secret Mission Software to help us decide if React Native was the right technology for us and to adapt it.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between January–March 2019. Although we wanted to keep working with them, Secret Mission Software decided to focus on other initiatives that provided their team with more control over products. From their perspective it’s understandable but I wasn’t excited about their decision.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Secret Mission Software helped to deliver a working app, which has improved our operation. The product has gained a lot of traction. We have over a million downloads now. Their team helped us achieve our goals with the project, removing some high-risk aspects of the platform.

A common fear of working with React Native is the quality of the app. At the beginning of the project, we thought that using the framework was a terrible idea; our team advocated for moving forward with the app we’d built without the framework. We had fewer crashes with the React Native version than the original build.

Our team has decided to have everyone working on the React Native codebase. We had a frontend developer join the team. In about two weeks, the new teammate was indistinguishable from the mobile developer and able to be productive.

How did Secret Mission Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via Basecamp and GitHub. They delivered on-time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Within less than a week after completing their review of our code, they provided us with a document. Secret Mission Software made sound architectural recommendations quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they need to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have clear priorities. Decide whether the engagement will be short- or long-term.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and principal at North Forward Inc., a product management consultancy firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Secret Mission?

We reached out to Secret Mission to develop an MVP web and mobile app for one of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Secret Mission built a prototype of an app for one of our clients, allowing them to showcase their vision to a major mining company. The app essentially acts as risk mitigation software for the mining industry, helping miners identify potential risks to present at a management level. 

Secret Mission's team built a mobile-friendly, web-based app, followed by a native mobile app, incorporating APIs like GPS. We provided their team with a set of user stories, and they designed and developed the app on React from there. 

What is the team composition? 

Our primary point of contact was Krishna (Founder and CEO, Secret Mission).

How did you come to work with Secret Mission?

They were recommended by a friend. Once I spoke with Krishna, it was clear that he was very skilled; I appreciated the way he thought through software development and creating new products. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $100,000 CAD (about $75,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2016–January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We anticipated the project would've taken 3–6 months, so the fact that Secret Mission was able to build an app in just six weeks is incredible. Our client was very happy with the final product–it helped their business tremendously. 

How did Secret Mission perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very communicative and consistent, delivering ahead of schedule and within budget. Since they're locally based, we were able to meet with them in person regularly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

When I've worked with other developers on early stage products, I expect that there will be a lot of changes we'll have to make later on, but I haven't found that to be the case with Secret Mission. They're not only fast, but also thorough in building architecture. Krishna is a tremendously talented developer; he thinks through various scenarios to ensure the end product is robust and as bug-free as possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their services aren't cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd recommend working with Secret Mission if the project requires more than just pure development horsepower. In addition to their expertise in software development, they're also very good at thinking through the details and user experience when building new products.