SharpSoft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the former product manager at an automotive industry customer relations management company for eight years. I was responsible for the products SharpSoft was supporting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SharpSoft?

We didn’t have deep SharePoint expertise, so we hired them for that knowledge. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We collaborated with them on several SharePoint initiatives. They’re responsible for setting up backend directories, handling permissions, and managing internal SharePoint apps. After they set up the foundation for our infrastructure and passed their work along to us. It was important that their finished work could be utilized internally without a developer.

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with SharpSoft?

I inherited this relationship, so I’m not sure how they were selected. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from June 2010–March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engagement was fantastic, and SharpSoft has an excellent work ethic. Their team was always available. We released our software based on regions, and they gave us deployment instructions. They handled all of our unforeseen problems and were extremely responsive to any issues we faced.

My main contact was very smart and he understood SharePoint well. It was a pleasure to work with him, and I was a bit sad when I left the company. He’s very reliable, dependable, and went the extra mile to give more effort. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend SharpSoft.

How did SharpSoft perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicated through Skype for Business but also used emails and telephone calls. They were very responsive on whichever channel was used. I always heard back quickly from them, and they were always available to us whenever we needed it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with a lot of developers in my lifetime but SharpSoft stands out because of their extra effort. My primary contact always tried to improve his skills and was always a little ahead of us. He’s a total expert in SharePoint now.

Overall, their team is hardworking, reliable, and good at what they do. They never had to implement or redo something because everything was done correctly the first time. They took the initiative to always ensure we handled anything we needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. It was a great relationship. In fact, I wished they were located here and could’ve come to our office more frequently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My contact was easy-going and open. If you don’t know exactly what you want, SharpSoft can still help you. They offer a lot of skills even if there’s not a lot of clarity. You can go into the engagement at any stage, and they’ll deliver.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of Synchromind. We provide consultancy services, and we also create games and offer gamification services, security, compliance, and therapy work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SharpSoft?

We needed development support for a parking enforcement solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of our clients was offering parking enforcement solutions, and we very quickly needed Microsoft technology development and system administration in order to create the solution.

There were several different phases to the project, which included things like image recognition and migration to the cloud.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five people from their team.

How did you come to work with SharpSoft?

I worked with Marcin (Founder) in a prior role for about five years, so I already knew the team. I knew how reliable they were, so the decision to partner with them wasn’t difficult. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spent between €80,000–€100,000 (approximately $86,000–$108,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in October of 2018. The project finished in August 2019, but we are still in contact with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Throughout the project, the team was impressive and reliable, delivering on time and without bottlenecks. SharpSoft was technically skilled, so we didn’t have to micromanage them—we could assign a task and feel confident they would be able to execute. Overall, it was a great partnership.

How did SharpSoft perform from a project management standpoint?

I really can’t fault the relationship. We mostly used Slack, Skype for Business, as well as Microsoft Teams. They worked remotely from Poland, and we’re in Amsterdam, so, in theory, the relationship should’ve been more challenging, but they were very organized. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their delivery speed was exceptional. There were many moving parts and things to repair, and the implementation had to be done very quickly—it was nearly impossible. It’s something that probably would’ve taken a normal company 12 months, but SharpSoft was able to complete it in three. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are quite developer-driven so they lack in DevOps part which is more towards infrastructure architecture. They only had one architect, so I would say maybe they can develop that side of things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework and know what you want. Regardless of what it is, have a structure in place for distance collaboration. Make your expectations clear when it comes to communication, goals, and other measurable outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of a data consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SharpSoft?

We needed help with our infrastructure and with data migration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SharpSoft supported us through the development of our infrastructure. They also helped with the migration of our team foundation server (TFS) to Azure DevOps. We have another project we’d like to partner with them on, though it’s on hold due to COVID-19. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with about 3-5 people from the team, SharePoint developers and SharePoint administrators. For the migration project, there were two team members.

How did you come to work with SharpSoft?

They were already working at the company when I came on board.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in February 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SharePoint’s developers are extremely capable. They’re very good at what they do, not only SharePoint but also C# development. They helped us to move forward with the way we’re doing things, and to make adjustments to perform at a higher standard. They know what they’re doing. We know we can trust them.  

How did SharpSoft perform from a project management standpoint?

Since I’m Polish, the communication was easy and efficient between us. We have a regular online meeting with the main developers about what we need and where we are with timelines. If we ever have any problems, SharePoint is very responsive. 

Marcin (Founder) in particular was very communicative and helpful. He explained how to use the software to my developers, answering all questions from our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very professional, efficient, and flexible. Their level of knowledge and ability to deliver solutions is impressive. There’s such a level of comfort to working with them. We know we’re in capable hands. Marcin has a lot of experience and you can feel that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for them to improve at this point.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the accounting manager at Euroconsult, a consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SharpSoft?

We had a construction agency with very specific requirements for a project. To meet these requirements, we couldn’t use any of our ready-made systems. We needed to adapt our current ready-made system or develop a new one.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We briefed them and they developed a tailor-made solution for us. It’s a complex archiving and document sharing system. It allows us to share information internally and with our clients. They made sure the accessibility of the documents was secure. 

SharpSoft designed the product following the client’s expectations. They implemented it, and then supervised it as it was handed out to the client. They run the server with a local email system. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was the owner. 

How did you come to work with SharpSoft?

They are based in the same city our project was based in. I’m not sure how we initially found them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2016, and we still work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re using the same system for three other contracts in Poland. We have confidence that the processes of archiving, storing, and sharing data is safe and effective. Previously, we had to store documents as hard copies and transport the physical copies to our clients. Now, we can share the documents online. My life changed. 

How did SharpSoft perform from a project management standpoint?

Their level of service is excellent. They’re always available. They keep us informed on when they come up with a solution. I’m very happy with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m able to communicate my needs. Without SharpSoft, we wouldn’t have been able to design a system that meets our formal, legal, and contractual needs. They’re able to not only listen to my needs, but follow all regulations and adapt them to the system.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with them.