SharpQuest, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a software company that is producing a new type of tool. Basically, it is a software solution that empowers individuals to take an active role in planning for their care and scheduling tasks for themselves and their loved ones, directed at the senior market. I am the CEO and Founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AI Software LLC?

Our goal was to partner with a development house that could actually make our vision come true. We spent a long time on the product requirements, making sure that we knew what we wanted for the application when we met with them for the first time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They delivered the solution from the ground up. I work closely with them on every step of the process, from developing our database to the frontend interface of the application. We are nearing a finished deliverable that I will be able to deliver to the public.

What is the team composition?

I work with about seven people from their organization, depending on their skill set and the stage of the operation. Specifically, I communicate with their project manager and two lead developers on a daily basis.

How did you come to work with AI Software LLC?

We had gone through two different companies so far and were really frustrated with the lack of professionalism when it came to the creative process.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost has been about $20,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in November 2018, and the project is ongoing. I was looking for a long-term partner from the get-go, so I intend to work with AI Software LLC for a long time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Right now, we don’t have any hard metrics, since we haven’t yet launched, but the work has been extremely well received so far. Our company has been established for 10 years, and the service that AI Software LLC has delivered will allow us to really revolutionize the world of caregiving. We’re very excited about the potential for the future that their work is enabling for us.

How did AI Software LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

They really know the agile scrum process, which made things really easy for us. AI Software LLC has the discipline to stick with a process through an iterative process, rather than trying to randomly attack a problem from any side and see what works. It really shows that they know what they’re doing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our system isn’t simple, and they have demonstrated an incredible depth of knowledge when it comes to putting systems together such as payment processing platforms, various Google plugins, and everything else that we needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have been completely blown away with every aspect of their work. They have the ability to listen and incorporate your feedback, and at the same time not be afraid to hold their ground when they feel strongly about something.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would be happy to recommend them to anyone who isn’t sure about working with them on a given project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a mechanical engineer at Keyser Manufacturing. We specialize in designing, producing, and selling race car suspension kits and components for oval track racing, though we also use our manufacturing capabilities in other fields. I focus on product development and manufacturing process control.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AI Software LLC?

We wanted to build an application that could process and display suspension travel data sent from a hardware sensor. We had a beta version from a previous developer, and we needed a partner to come in and update what we had to make a cleaner product.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to develop a simple and accessible platform to provide relevant data to our users, primarily targeting racecar drivers and their teams.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose AI Software for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which was cost. Our team met with approximately eight different developers, all of whom were well outside our budget. We found that AI Software was much more reasonable in their pricing, and their lead times were on par with our expectations. 

Describe the project in detail.

First, we provided the AI Software team with documentation and a beta application from a previous developer. Then we gave their team our goals for the project, including our specific requirements. From there, they designed and developed the application while receiving and implementing feedback from our end. Their developers incorporated Bluetooth wireless protocol in the product to facilitate the transfer of data from the hardware sensor. They added functionalities that allow for the platform to process information and produce readable charts and graphs. They also created the UI and produced artwork that fits with our branding. The app has launched for download on Android devices. 

What was the team composition?

We hired a local hardware developer and worked directly with a project manager and developer from AI Software.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Customer feedback from our product launch has been overwhelmingly positive, and sales have started to increase. We've also been able to avoid major bugs and flaws, which is huge considering the complexity of the project. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a great working relationship with the AI Software team. Initially, we met every week until an alpha version of the app was created, which we tested with our prototype hardware sensors. Once that took place, we held bi-weekly debugging sessions. After a few months of that, we shifted to ad-hoc meetings to address customer feedback on prototypes and discuss feature updates. 

Throughout each phase of the project, their project manager coordinated the efforts of the local hardware developer and several offshore team members, ensuring that every task was completed in a timely manner. They also provided us with product insights and feedback regarding new ideas to be implemented. We held many conversations via email, and they very responsive. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their workflow and scheduling made the whole process simple and straightforward. The way they laid out the entire project made for smooth development of the product, and their team was quick to build features and resolve issues. They were very accessible outside of regular meetings, especially when it came to fixing bugs. They were also very transparent with timesheets and billing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It's difficult to think of anything that their team could have done better. They were very organized and efficient. I never needed to hound them for work to be done or for something to be fixed. AI Software met, and more often than not exceeded, all of our expectations. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of CoreSRM, Inc. We’re a supply chain management software company that specializes in direct material management from end-to-end, automating the entire process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AI Software LLC?

I initially engaged with them to assist with several short-term development projects to get my product up and running.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Because of the quality of AI Software LLC’s work on the series of smaller projects that I had originally hired them for, I expanded our three-month engagement to a lasting contract. The team is responsible for a majority of my development needs, working mainly in an ASP.NET environment. Their workload is dependent on my current needs. I provide them with requirements, and they build the software. So far, they’ve helped with multiple elements, ranging from user interfaces to API endpoints.

AI Software LLC was willing to work with my current architecture, but they also pointed out possible advantages of moving to a multilayer architecture. After several more projects, I began to see their point. So, while maintaining a rapid development pace on other elements, we began moving the system to a new architecture. Additionally, they constantly scan both our existing and new code for errors or security holes, keeping the system neat and clean.

What is the team composition?

I work with a project manager, but I typically communicate directly with a technical developer. They’re both looped into every interaction.

How did you come to work with AI Software LLC?

I was searching through Google for both local and offshore resources. I already had a couple of agencies in mind when I came across an intriguing article that mentioned AI Software LLC. I reached out to all of the potential candidates. I started a conversation with a representative from AI Software LLC, and I was impressed with their level of expertise. After finding out that they were recognized as a Microsoft Gold Partner and that they had experience with the technologies I was using, I chose to partner with their team.

How much have you invested with them?

At this point, we’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018, and it’s an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re currently working so quickly that I haven’t been tracking their team’s efficiency, so I can’t provide any true metrics. With that said, I’m very happy with their performance. I haven’t felt the need to analyze their work ethic, and the quality of their deliverables is consistently on point. In terms of scheduling, the team has met every deadline.

How did AI Software LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

From the beginning, I made it clear that I wanted a low-contact partnership. I’m extremely busy, so I don’t have time for constant communication. AI Software LLC performs very well in this environment. They’re aware of my priorities, completing all of their assigned work with minimal guidance from my end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They may not have a fully developed understanding of what my product is intended to do, but their development expertise is so extensive that they can still deliver exactly what I want. Additionally, they draw from their experience and offer valuable input. They aptly balance their judgment with my requirements, so I don’t have to stand over their shoulder while they work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s a bit early to comment on any areas for improvement. I’ve been very happy with the experience.

Any advice for potential customers?

Clients should make an effort to understand the members of the team assigned to their project—know their strengths, weaknesses, and work ethic. From this perspective, they can more efficiently allocate resources to tasks that fall within their specialties.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Full Throttle Technologies has Software as a Service that specializes in working with automotive data. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AI Software?

We didn’t have the in-house resources available at the time and therefore augmented our team by working with AI Software to build a better customer-facing web interface that allowed our customers access to insights based on automotive data. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The biggest obstacle was taking a vast amount of data and presenting it to a user in a reasonable amount of time. We had a series of specifications from our clients, and were updating existing pages. AI distilled the information down into a project plan, which they executed. Once all of the plans were agreed upon they created the necessary resources, and they developed what we needed. 

They used .NET, C#, Azure, and SQL technologies. Some of the user controls were clear, and some were angular.

What is the team composition?

Piyush [President and CEO, AI Software] is my main contact. He works directly with different engineers and members of his team.

How did you come to work with AI Software?

I’ve known Piyush for over ten years.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working on and off together on various projects throughout the time we’ve known each other.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve hit all our major milestones, and came in on budget. We were able to take an existing proof of concept that ran slowly and get it up to sub-second performance time. They were a huge help.

How did AI Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They do really well. We get weekly updates and recaps. We use GoToMeeting as our online communication tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with other groups with overseas divisions. I like working with AI, because there is a labor force overseas, but also in the States. It helps having a team in your timezone, and there’s a benefit to having multiple teams working on the same project around the world.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything I would recommend.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared, and have an opinion about different technologies. That will help projects go smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Information Systems Manager at a paint finishing business for automobile companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AI Software?

We needed custom-written database software for the equipment we purchase. We had Microsoft Silverlight software that wasn’t working properly, and its featured lifetime wasn’t good. It was also inefficient and we couldn't make any changes. We needed better functionality and a partner that would help us develop that functionality. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We put together a set of specifications outlining the scope of the project, which was to write application software that would keep track of the equipment that we purchased for our jobs and its cost. 

We need them to write it from scratch, provide assistance, and host our software. We didn't want to host it on our local server, so we went to a cloud-based service with their assistance. They used an SQL server, HTML5 to write the software, and a set of tools that they provide.

They took the time to get to know our business. We had our initial specifications, and then we sat down with them and went over the detail. As things went on, we had more and more discussions to clarify what needed to be programmed. Currently, they’re working on is the functionality of the software and developing new modules for it.

What is the team dynamic? 

We primarily worked with Piyush [President and CEO] and a couple of people in his office. 

How did you come to work with AI Software?

We had a team put together our specifications, and then they evaluated different companies. AI Software competed with three others and they had the most attractive proposal for us, in terms of technology, cost, their location, etc. They were overall a good fit for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around July 2016 and our collaboration continues. We foresee partnering with them for a while as it’s been a very beneficial relationship for us. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From a qualitative standpoint, our accuracy and consistency of data going into the system is better. There’s definitely potential for some very effective reports to come out of the system, but we’re not there yet. Changing a system after 20 or 30 years is always strange, but the feedback on the new software has been very good. 

How did AI Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Outstanding; I’m amazed they can keep everything straight. They have a system to keep track of everything, all the changes, modifications, and issues. It’s a little too slow for us to use because we react to things, so we communicate by email with them, and then they update their system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very smart in the tools they use and they’re very responsive in addressing our requests in a timely manner. One of the challenges of working with us is that things change often, and they’re very good at reacting to those changes and implementing them in a way that's effective for our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’d like it if they could have an office in our office.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We help people with diabetes better manage their insulin. We work primarily with type 2, but also with type 1 diabetes patients who are using insulin and are unable to achieve hypoglycemic control based on their current regimen. The Hygieia d-Nav service is an efficient, effective combination of smart cloud-based technology and a small team of healthcare professionals. D-Nav replaces a patient's blood sugar meter and brings insulin therapy into the digital age by providing personalized adjustments to enhance and simplify it, helping people with the disease to manage it better. Patients enjoy improved health and fewer complications, leading to lower prescription and healthcare costs. 

The company has around 20 full-time employees in the US and UK. I am the CTO of the company. I am in charge of all analytics work, as well as the various pieces of the solution for patients, doctors, and nurses. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AI Software?

AI Software was involved with the internal line of business applications that our staff uses for managing the interaction with patients, and the HCP-facing website that provides information to the referring physician's team about their patients using d-Nav. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AI Software has worked on a website that is used by our staff and the referring physicians who send us patients. We have worked on three phases of this project with AI Software. We have a couple of internal resources involved in the project, myself included. We tended to work on the backend, on the data tier. AI Software's team developed most of the GUI [graphical user interface]. Building functionality that spanned frontend and backend was done collaboratively. The nine-and-a-half-hour gap means that we will find some overlap for meetings, but we've generally worked independently.

How did you come to work with AI Software?

I've worked with AI Software's principal in three other companies, and have known him since before he started the current group. It was a natural continuation to use AI Software at my current company.

How much have you invested with AI Software?

The cost of AI Software's work has been over $160,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

AI Software first engaged on the project in phase 1 in July, 2014. They have worked with us for more than half of the time since then, having worked on all three phases. The collaboration is ongoing, and the completion of the current phase is planned for April 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

AI Software has a couple of tiers of resources. I've primarily interacted with their senior resources, but the junior ones have played a big role in the project as well. I've always found AI Software's team to be fully-talented with a full understanding of the domain. They're always bringing insight into how we can solve a problem or debug a glitch.

How did AI Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We integrate the two sides of the ocean through TFS [Team Foundation Server], tracking assigned work and the progress. We also interact with the senior lead via phone calls, who manages the communication with the rest of the team. We also send them specifications in the form of Excel and Word documents. We try to use TFS as a single communication source so that we have a unified place for questions and answers. We do have quite a few back-and-forth email exchanges, and I would say that AI Software's responsiveness is fantastic. They're always quick to respond and collaborative in their approach.

We've only struggled when there wasn't good clarity on what we wanted and couldn't give AI Software exact requirements. They're not sitting in our office and can't ask us questions when it's necessary. We've come to use AI Software in scenarios where there's a clear understanding of what needs to be done.

We have meetings every Monday and Wednesday, as well as on Fridays when needed. They take place early morning on our time normally, though I have sometimes had calls late in the evening.

What did you find most impressive about AI Software?

AI Software has a high-touch service. They're collaborative and do everything possible to support our project, both on the brainstorming side of things and the implementation one. I've worked with 600-people companies which had a different feel. AI Software is a bit easier to work with since they have more focus and investment in our project.

Are there any areas AI Software could improve?

The time zone difference is a reality of offshoring, but it's also an advantage since the work is getting done while we're sleeping. AI Software struggles a bit with GUI layouts; we've had to be very specific about how we wanted things to look since their interface style is a bit different to ours. We've never asked a partner company to act as the designer for our GUI, though.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Plastic Ominium is a Tier I automotive supplier. My role was product design manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AI Software?

We wanted to create an app to assist us with the automation of the 2D drawing document approval process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wrote a statement of work with what our general expectations were. We did some workshops internally to identify the functionality that we were looking for. We provided that technical specification to AI Software and asked for a quote. Previously we would use an ink signature process where we would have a technical drawing that was created with some sort of CAD software. That document would be printed out and hand-signed with an ink signature by an engineer and stamped as a control document and released through a paper document control system. Then we mailed the documents out to the suppliers as controlled copies. AI Software was focused on eliminating the paper process and the ink signature part of the process and to automate it with a digital signature where the drawing could be viewed electronically. They developed a pilot site for us to do demos on the interface. We had feedback on workflows, functionality, and the layout and they were receptive to those ideas. We also identified some additional things that could be treated as follow-up work or maintenance that they continue to support us with. They work to ensure we’re happy with the product.

How did you come to work with AI Software?

We had a manager in-house that had worked with them before. He had positive feedback about them and their price was very reasonable compared to other suppliers we looked at.

How much have you invested with AI Software?

We spent between $10,000 and $50,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2015 and the work was completed in March 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the launch of the application in one location, we identified approximately 1500 hrs of annual labor savings by automating the process and a reduction of $1000 in paper consumption annually. We are exploring how to roll out this application in other regions and offices to increase the productivity benefit. The feedback on the project has been very positive. People like the fact that they were able to submit the drawing transfers themselves and the suppliers were able to get them the same day as opposed to waiting for the postal mail. They like the fact that it's electronic and no longer have to work with paper copies. We also have the database which tracks all the information so that people are able to go back and see what was approved for a specific project. We have not experienced any major downtime. 

How did AI Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in a time crunch and needed the project completed quickly. They were able to meet the deadlines. We communicated using phone calls and had face to face meetings every three weeks. They used a Microsoft application web interface where they would track bugs and open issues.

What did you find most impressive about AI Software?

This was the first time I’d worked with a software company in developing something from scratch so I don’t have a direct comparison. They were good to work with and were responsive. They were open to feedback and flexible in accommodating requests that we identified after the requirements had already been written. They understood that the end goal was to have something that met our needs.

Are there any areas AI Software could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

IPC The Hospitalist Company supplies physician services to hospitals and nursing homes. It also provides services for assisted living, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, and pediatrics. I’m the director of operations for post-acute care in the central region, which includes Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AI Software?

We wanted to track our patients using a custom software. There wasn’t any software that could be accessed by multiple care coordinators in multiple locations besides using an Excel sheet and sharing it. In 2003, we had another company that initiated building this software for us and they built a very basic version. They created a web-based software called Eagle.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In 2008, we started working with AI Software to update the software because the original company was no longer in business. They came into our office for about six months and watched what our care coordinators did and updated the system the way we needed it. There were no reporting or appointment-making functions in the first version, and AI was able to make those changes. Since 2008, we’ve made several changes to the software. The main crux is to be able to capture our patient and their history of their medical care. We can now run a multitude of reports from this system, giving us tracking dating back to 2003. It’s been great to be able to pull up the history on a specific patient.

How did you come to work with AI Software?

I believe our CEO found them.

How much have you invested with AI Software?

We spend between $10,000 and $50,000 per year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in November 2008 and the work is ongoing because the software needs constant improvement. There are some things we can change ourselves but if we can’t, we call them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We can access the software from anywhere. We’ve never had any major issues with the software. If we have minor issues, the problems are fixed quickly. The amount of data that we can pull from the software, we can’t put a price on it. We are able to market and track our patients for the new bundled payment program by CMS [content management system]. The value we get from the product is huge. There is no other product like it on the market.

How did AI Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I give them an A+. Anything we request from them they get back to us right away. They’re always willing to do the work as fast as we want it done. They’re phenomenal to work with. We used mostly email to communicate. They’re local so we’ve also met with them in person. We had two points of contact in 2008 and since then, we’ve had one resource.

What did you find most impressive about AI Software?

The main thing is they don’t try to turn it into something they think will work better. They give suggestions but they know that we know what we’re talking about. If there’s something we don’t like about how something comes out after development, we let them know and they change it.

Are there any areas AI Software could improve?

No. They’re great to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of L3 Legal Solutions. We provide custom development and IT support for law firms in the legal service space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AI Software?

I needed to augment my team with someone who had expertise in Telerik Kendo UI [user interface].

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were building a custom application and looking to increase our use of Telerik’s grid control. AI Software provided expertise in usage and helped me finish the project. We already had a custom developed application for one of my clients, and this was phase two where we modernized it using Telerik’s toolsets. Since this project, AI Software has helped me with a few smaller projects of upgrading some applications we’ve written.

How did you come to work with AI Software?

I reached out to a few of Telerik’s platinum partners including AI Software. I talked to each of them about their project expertise, their bandwidth, and pricing. After talking to AI Software, I thought they were the best fit regarding price, expertise, and availability.

How much have you invested with AI Software?

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in August 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve appreciated working with AI Software. AI Software provided good guidance and good expertise on the exact things I needed. AI Software was able to turn the project around quickly based on the timeline we had. We are currently in the testing phase, and the team has given positive feedback.

How did AI Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I took care of the project management myself. AI Software's team is responsive and gave feedback on the project. I mainly work with one onshore resource unless we need to scale up. We communicate via email, Skype, and GoToMeeting. We’ve had touchpoints twice a week during the entire project which helps us stay on track and takes care of any issues that come up.

What did you find most impressive about AI Software?

AI Software was the first team I’ve used as a subcontractor. The experience was very positive. AI Software was very professional and did what I needed them to do.

Are there any areas AI Software could improve?

The first resource was not available to me all the time, so AI Software added a second developer to cover sometimes, and he wasn’t as good as the first one. I did know ahead of time that I wouldn’t always be able to use the same developer.