Software Mind S.A.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of the software engineering department for a financial software company. We create solutions primarily for car finance companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Mind?

We wanted to expand our capabilities to scale quickly by having additional partners. We also wanted to validate that we could work with an external partner that wasn't part of the same company. Additionally, we wanted a bit more than our previous development partner could provide, since we had to do all of the design and specifications while working with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They serve as an augmentation of our full-stack development team for our Java web application using a Spring and Hibernate framework, with JSF. We started with a pilot team, and they came here for a few weeks, where we did some intensive training about the product. Next, we mixed them into teams with some of our employees and gave them real work to complete. As the team grew familiar with the product, we wanted to scale further and created self-sufficient teams comprised of all Software Mind employees.

What is the team composition?

We had 18 members from their team at the peak. We typically fluctuate between 10-17 members of their team and I have one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Software Mind?

We performed an extensive search across Eastern Europe, and we got a cold call from Software Mind at the time when we were looking. We were really impressed right from the start. They were the clear choice out of all the candidates saw.

How much have you invested with them?  

We invest €70,000 per month (approximately $78,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in July 2017, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was obvious from the minute we started working with them that they were really passionate about software development, best practices, and doing things the right way. We had a legacy product that had been built in the last 10-12 years that had a lot of technical debt and had built bad practices around some of our processes. Software Mind was pretty vocal in trying to remedy that and make it right. We were used to partners who do whatever we ask, but they actually helped us improve. In the two and a half years of working with them, they've helped us identify issues and suggest solutions.

Sometimes, we can't always change things and they've been good about accommodating those circumstances. Overall, it's been really good. They're passionate about software development and it rubs off on anyone they work with. They're very hardworking, too and have been a huge help to us.

How did Software Mind perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is really good, and we have a good policy in place of trying to have video calls whenever possible. We visit each other's offices quite regularly, and they feel like part of our team rather than just an outsource team. We use Jira for project management and delegating tasks to them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to share knowledge and passion for their craft is infectious. It certainly helps improve our developers, as well as helping us to improve our product. They share knowledge really well within their company; they have a lot of teams working on different technology stacks, they share all of their experiences and knowledge between teams, and we then benefit because they share with us, too.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It's hard to say, but the only real challenges we've had with them are our limited ability to update technology stacks and address technical debt quickly has proved challenging in keeping their best team members happy and motivated. This is largely due to our constraints rather than a failing of theirs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to involve them as much as possible. If you're looking for someone to just do a quick & cheap enhancement to an existing product, they might not be the best company for that. If you're looking for a company that will come in and help improve all aspects of software development and your product development processes, they're the right choice. I've never seen anything like them and I've worked with several outsourcing partners.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software and digital services supply company in the commercial marine space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Mind?

We have an in-house development team based here in the UK and we are finding it difficult to maintain in a couple of senses. We’re not a very big team, so getting the range of skills and experiences that we need can be difficult because we don’t have the degree of specialism that some of those roles need.

Secondly, we find it difficult to attract and retain full-time employees because we’re competing with the main London market. We looked to Software Mind to help us on both of those fronts, to provide key technical resources and skills, and also to help us build that team in terms of scale.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our main product is a software platform that is installed on ocean-going commercial vessels. Software Mind has helped us with the product development aspects of that software, which is quite broad and complex in its range. They primarily work in C# and WPF, or Postgres on the backend.

There are a number of things happening on-board the vessel, from what they call route planning to voyage planning, environmental regulation compliance, and other regulatory components. The resources provided to us by Software Mind have been involved in the full lifecycle of improving and amending those as well as developing new features. We really use them as an extension of our own team.

What is the team composition?

At the moment, we have seven full-time staff working for us, but we have ranged from a few more to a few less depending on our stage of development. We are planning on launching another team soon and will be adding 4 more team members to that number.

How did you come to work with Software Mind?

I had some experience with them at a previous company, so when we were looking for a partner I recommended them. We went through a formal RFP process and narrowed it down to 3–4 vendors including them, and thought they had the right combination of skills, price, and culture to be a good fit.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably invested in the region of €120,000 (approximately $133,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the deliverable of their work is just our product, which already existed, it is difficult to pinpoint their exact impact. They have, however, facilitated the improvement and development of that product in a way that would have taken much longer for us to complete on our own.

In addition, their team has integrated very well into our own and helped us to manage tasks at a scale that was previously impossible. So they have not only saved us time but have also helped improve our internal processes by freeing up time in everyone’s schedule to be able to focus on that.

How did Software Mind perform from a project management standpoint?

We have had no issues with project management. All of their teammates communicate well, are easy to work with, and are very cooperative about managing deadlines and schedules. We do most of the project management over here, but they have a project manager who helps out as well making sure everyone is always on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely flexible and easy to work with. You can have really good conversations with them, and they’re very knowledgeable about what they do. They have been great partners so far.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think generally they have done what we asked of them and delivered good quality.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think it’s good to go into it with the mindset that they are an extension of your team rather than a supplier that you try and work adjacent to. If you provide them the same level of communication, commitment, context, oversight, and management that you provide to your own developers, you are going to get much higher-quality work than you would otherwise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re Germany's second-biggest FinTech, with a valuation of about €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion USD). My job there was the executive director of engineering, running all the software development services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Mind?

I had to scale the department by 300%, which, in Germany, is very difficult to do. Getting decent engineers locally is expensive and time-consuming. We identified what countries we could outsource some software development to, and Software Mind was one of the companies that we contacted.

What we wanted to solve was the scaling of some parts of team while maintaining some type of team cohesion and identity—not just pushing out projects to a company that delivers what they thought we needed several months later. We wanted them to be part of the day-to-day interaction with the internal team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Software Mind came on board quite quickly. The lead time to get the team up and running was very short. We brought all the team over for a week to stay with us in Hamburg and work during the day. I sent them out to get to know each other because I wanted them to be a fully integrated team, and that worked really, really well.

We used Software Mind as an augmented software development team. Rather than outsource our project to them, we integrated them into our software development teams. The department was split into multiple teams, with different focuses per team, and we integrated Software Mind with some of those teams, as actual members. They took part in the planning and daily standups, albeit remotely, and they were completely onboarded into the company infrastructure, with company email addresses and so on.

Everything we use is based on Linux, MySQL, and Java. There are some microservices, but it’s usually just a classical stack. Software Mind was involved in two teams, one of which was in charge of the front- and backend of the publicly-accessible site.

With banking in Europe, there’s a lot of compliance we have to go through daily. They were fixing a lot of compliance issues, as well as taking on new feature developments and planning. They were active members of the team and gave us their feedback on how to design and build new API end points and other elements.

What is the team composition?

There were four or five people from their team assigned to us. We didn’t just want cheap code writing resources to throw specs at; we wanted people to challenge us. We got very experienced people from Software Mind, as well as some junior people. There was a good mix of abilities and experience.

How did you come to work with Software Mind?

I ran three experiments with companies in Poland, and, after six months, I ran an anonymous survey within my company on a number of metrics. We then compared each of the providers. Software Mind was a latecomer to the process. We reached out through our network to find credible people through people who’d worked with them.

There were three companies on the list originally, and I dropped one because I didn’t have confidence in them. One of the investors in Software Mind is also an investor in our company, and he recommended them. There was no pressure from the investor or anything like that; it was just a case of them making an introduction for us. Seeing as how I’d dropped one option already, and I wanted to have candidates for three experiments running in parallel, I reached out to Software Mind and went to visit them.

I spoke to their people and saw how they worked, and I really liked the attitudes and positivity of the team. The quality of their English was excellent, which is a major concern, even in Germany, because we work in an international environment. I’m the only native English speaker in the company, and everyone else is communicating in a second language. That means that the quality of the language everyone's speaking has to be very high.

One of the other benefits with them was related to the European GDPR regulations. They are a massive issue in Europe, and having their team in Europe, as part of the EU, was a massive load off of us. We experimented working with companies outside of the EU, but it was just a nightmare when it came to GDPR. We canned that experiment very quickly.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Software Mind from September or October 2018 until August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I ran an anonymous survey within my company after about six months, and Software Mind came out on top in every metric, and not just a little bit on top. They were miles ahead of the others we were experimenting with. The quality of their work was excellent, they were robust and professional, and they actually implemented solutions, rather than just doing what the product manager thought we needed. Without a doubt, the quality of their work was very, very high. I’m happy to recommend them to my network; I’ve done so, and I will probably use them again in my next project.

How did Software Mind perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked in two-week sprints and used Jira as our tracking system. They were very effective at using it for communication and ticketing, which they had to be, because they were remote. If I can’t go talk to someone, I might have to sit and write everything down. Additionally, their participation in the standups (with big screens and webcams) and the whole agile ritual was very strong. We always had quick, positive communication through Slack, and it was very common to see our engineers in Hamburg on a call with their engineers assigned to us in Poland, working through something together.

They were also able to estimate with reasonable accuracy. If we bring anyone new into a software development project that’s already seven years old, it usually takes more than a couple of months for them to understand the whole system. Quite quickly—after about the first two sprints (four weeks)—they were able to estimate the size of the task with reasonable accuracy.

They always knew what they were working on, and they were robust, and not just in software development skills, but also in how mature their approach to the work was. That comes from their hiring. When we were building the team, they sent me a list of CVs, obviously with personal details removed. I was able to look through the experiences of the people they were putting in as candidates. We went through an almost classic interview procedure, which meant that we got people who fit exactly right.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Companies in Software Mind’s area and industry experience a lot of turnover, so, when I went to speak with them I addressed the stickiness of their employees. I wanted to know whether I needed to worry if they’d lose an employee to another company in three months, and I’d have to onboard someone else. In reality, the retention of their employees was very strong, actually stronger than our own employees. They have a good culture there. People enjoy working there, and they identify with the projects they’re working on.

Some of their resources are quite young, but they’re professional, thorough, and not just the “Let’s tackle it and see what happens” sort. I’ve worked with outsourcing companies from across the world, and seeing this level of professionalism with people who stay a long time is quite rare.

Working in finance, people get really upset if you lose their money. Making sure that what we deliver is well-tested and robust was key, and my team leader quickly got a degree of confidence that, when they said it was done, we wouldn’t have to wonder if it really was, and check it in depth. There was a trust in Software Mind’s definition of “done” and of meeting requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Their communication was very good, including at the management or engagement management level, and they quickly proposed, after 3–4 weeks, that we have a review to make sure everything was on track and that we were happy. It’s not just that the developers themselves were good, but that the commercial engagement was very strong.

If there was something that went wrong during the onboarding, it was that I got sick and couldn’t finish the negotiations. That made things a bit chaotic, but, from their perspective, I think it was really good.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should be honest with them and not be scared of using a remote team; Software Mind genuinely wants to solve a problem. I don’t think they’re the most affordable option, but, if the client wants good quality, Software Mind offers the best I’ve seen.

Trust them and really use their skills. If someone is looking for a provider that’s just going to slap together some code to do this and that, Software Mind probably isn’t for them. If the client wants to have access to people who are really engaged in the product and want to actively support them, Software Mind is the right team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Escali Financial Systems. We’re a vendor of portfolio and treasury management systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Mind?

Our ultimate product development goal is to build portfolio and treasury systems that answer to an autonomous car.  Our systems will perform all administrative routines automatically, during the night, so that everything is handled when our users get to work in the morning.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re working with them to build the next generation of our software and move to more modern technology with more automation. We’re redesigning the front- and backend of our existing system, so it’s crucial that the new platform work together with the old one. We have a web-based frontend with a service layer based on the Microsoft Azure platform.

What is the team composition? 

We have a development team of three people. I mostly interact with them through the project manager, but I’ve collaborated with the developers as well.

How did you come to work with Software Mind?

We conducted extensive research and contacted companies throughout Europe. Software Mind fit our strategy and organization best.

How much have you invested with them?

The total project estimate is $500,000–$1 million. The cost so far has been €250,000 (approximately $281,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Software Mind in January 2018. We estimate that the collaboration will continue over the next two years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re extremely satisfied with the team we have at Software Mind. Their developers have excellent knowledge about technology, and they understand what we’re doing. It’s easy to collaborate with them.

How did Software Mind perform from a project management standpoint?

They work closely with our internal development team, which consists of five developers and five system consultants. They work in a lean, agile method and communicate every day. We use Microsoft Team Foundation Server as a project tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand the business and user cases easily, and they’ve come up with good ideas at every step. They collaborate well with our team. Their developers are engaged in the project. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re doing a great job.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Software Mind has outstanding expertise. It’s important that clients work closely with the development team and maintain a continuous dialog to develop specifications.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Product of Renor

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software and services for sustainability and real estate

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Software Mind S.A. to accomplish?

• Software development

SOLUTION

How did you find Software Mind S.A.?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Software Mind S.A. over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Software Mind S.A. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Took over software development after an audit. Improved and redeveloped big parts of our SaaS.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Reduced amount of bugs, inceases in speed and better workflow and organisation.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They delivered on time for was far that was possible. They are reacting very well to challenges and help solve them.

What was your primary form of communication with Software Mind S.A.?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

Great communication also from developers.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Software Mind S.A. could have done differently?

Not really

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Engineering Manager of a financial services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provides tools for ECM professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Software Mind to accomplish?

• Increase bandwidth of existing teams

SOLUTION

How did you find Software Mind?

Referral

Why did you select Software Mind over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Software Mind were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Embed additional engineers into existing teams to increase bandwidth
• Own feature build outs using .NET and React
• Accompany feature build outs with automated testing
• Diagnose customer issues and provide fixes

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Developers delivered on planned work meeting deadlines
• Developers responded to customer feedback and implemented enhancements
• Developers kept bugs to a minimum and fixed as they arrived

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Developers attended scrum ceremonies
• Developers worked async, proactively providing updates and input to the project

The devs we've continued on with have been great, but we hit a few bad performers along the way, which we swiftly were able to replace with more highly qualified individuals.

What was your primary form of communication with Software Mind?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The developers fit in great with the existing team. It has become difficult to tell who is a FTE vs who is a SoftwareMind contractor, thats a good thing!

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Product Owner of First Advantage

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

First Advantage is a global screening solutions provider that helps employers and housing providers make confident decisions by delivering information that reduces risk, ensures compliance, and supports hiring the best talent.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Software Mind to accomplish?

• Create secure, external facing platform with proprietary capabilities

SOLUTION

How did you find Software Mind?

Referral

Why did you select Software Mind over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Software Mind were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

This is proprietary

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Samples were generated and iterated, MVP was produced, development on local machine and various environments. Quality of work remined high and project management was excellent.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They did an excellent job.  Items were delivered on time.  As unexpected internal changes came up they quickly adjusted and accomodated our needs.  They regularly communicated and clarified to ensure everyone was on the same page.

What was your primary form of communication with Software Mind?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their Project Management team understood our needs, built to meet our specifications and adjusted when needed throughout the project.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Consultant of a consulting company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are consulting a company that operates online gaming platforms in South East Asia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Software Mind to accomplish?

• Build and technically operate a Sports betting platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Software Mind?

Referral

Why did you select Software Mind over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Software Mind were assigned to this project?

50 - 80

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of work included the development and hosting of a comprehensive Sportsbook platform, along with the necessary backend services. 
Key deliverables include:

• Integration of Sports Betting Data: Incorporating data from third-party providers to ensure accurate and real-time betting information.
• Backoffice Development: Creating a dedicated platform for the Sports Operations team to facilitate real-time risk management and reporting.
• Customer-Facing Sports Betting Application: Developing a responsive sports betting application for both desktop and mobile, ensuring a seamless user experience across devices.
• This project encompasses both backend and frontend development, along with ongoing hosting and support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project was launched in December 2022 and the soltuion is operated since 2+ years now. Various add on projects have been done and are in progress to expand the product functionally and for further geographic regions.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management was highly efficient and well-structured, ensuring smooth execution from start to finish. They followed a clear development roadmap, maintained regular communication, and demonstrated strong project governance.

Key deliverables were consistently met on time, with a proactive approach to deadlines and milestones. The team was highly responsive to our needs, quickly addressing any requests, changes, or challenges that arose. Their flexibility and commitment to delivering a high-quality online betting system made the collaboration seamless and successful.

What was your primary form of communication with Software Mind?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What stood out most about this company was their deep industry expertise and commitment to innovation. Their ability to seamlessly integrate complex betting functionalities while maintaining a user-friendly experience was truly impressive.

Additionally, their proactive problem-solving approach and responsiveness made the entire development process smooth and efficient. They didn’t just deliver what was asked—they provided valuable insights and suggestions that enhanced the final product beyond our expectations. Their combination of technical excellence and customer focus set them apart.

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

Overall, the project was executed exceptionally well, and the collaboration was highly effective.
However, one area for potential improvement could be to have more frequent progress demos for even greater visibility into the development process, allowing for earlier feedback on certain features. That said, their adaptability and professionalism ensured that any challenges were addressed efficiently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Engineering Manager of a financial services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

specialist insurance products are trusted by over 130,000 businesses around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Software Mind to accomplish?
Support our needs to develop capabilities in the mobile application space

SOLUTION

How did you find Software Mind?

Other

Why did you select Software Mind over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Software Mind were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Ongoing development and support of our mobile application capabilities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Releasing bug free software in small increments that benefit our end users.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They communicate effectively, in a timely manner and deliver the work they commit to complete within a sprint on time.  If there will be a delay it is communicated at the earliest possible opportunity and there is typically an alternative solution offered for us to consider.

What was your primary form of communication with Software Mind?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They take the time to understand our customers and ask questions to explore opportunities to add extra value to the work they are delivering.

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

None come to mind at this point in time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CTO of a software company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We standardise your customers financial data enabling streamlines processes and less manual work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Software Mind to accomplish?

• Be our core development partner

SOLUTION

How did you find Software Mind?

Referral

Why did you select Software Mind over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Software Mind were assigned to this project?

20+

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Delivery of a platform to standardise accounting data across ten(s) of accounting packages into the Validis' standarised format along with a suite of API's for partners and customers to directly integrate into their platforms. Along side this, delivery of a web portal for customers to manage their engagements, view the data and extract reports as required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Integration with a large number of accounting packages enabling our customers to use the our platform (including Tier 1 Auditors and Banks).

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Delivery was well managed. If requirements changed they were flexible and worked to ensure they delivered to the needs of the company.

What was your primary form of communication with Software Mind?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their dedication to their work is impressive.

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

No