Software Sauna

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO and co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Software Sauna, and what were your goals?

We needed some additional developers to help build our custom ecom platform and its supporting services. Our concept is unique and for many of the core systems there are no off-the-shelf systems we could use so we need to build most of the systems ourselves.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We contacted several vendors and based on good feedback and experiences from before, chose to go with Sauna. They were also very flexible, accommodating to our needs and were always able to offer us solutions.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They built both backend and frontend technologies using Typescript, next.js and AWS with a GraphQL API. We brought all of the developers onboard as full team members. They had full responsibility of both designing and implementing features and also participated in both giving and receiving feedback on code submissions from others in the team.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We've had five developers in total at varying times. They worked as part of the development team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We were able to accelerate our MVP launch schedule by several months and keep on iterating to meet customer needs faster than we could have with just our internal team. Everything that was delivered has been very easy to maintain and we have not needed to go back and redo anything - on the contrary, we're able to rapidly build new features on top of what Sauna implemented.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We communicated through Slack, Google Meet and Linear. Everything was very punctual and professional.

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

It all felt like everyone was part of our internal team. They were also very flexible and accomodating to whenever changes needed to be made.

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

The quality of work was very good and attitudes and approaches very professional. Some areas might have benefited from a little more experience, but they were all very quick to get up to speed and learn while doing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a mental well-being B2B company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Software Sauna, and what were your goals?

We had continuous need for full-stack developers enhancing all our applications. Internal applications, applications for the person in the company who buys our services (usually HR) and end-user applications. The goal was to develop these applications further with our internal developers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

One of our management team members had earlier worked with them and recommended them.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They developed our Java based applications in Kanban style projects. The work included both development of new features and bug fixing. Both on UI level and near MySQL database.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were initially three persons and in the ongoing project one person. They were all experienced software developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We have constantly been able to develop our applications further. The work done by the developer's fro Software Sauna has been good and it has been a pleasure to work with them. They have been a very good "culture fit" for the company.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The work was done completely remotely and to the tools used in the daily work include GitHub, Asana and Nuclino. Essential part of the work has been participation and contributing into the daily meetings.

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

The easiness of communication both with the company representatives and developers.

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

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BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Pisara Learning creates digital solutions for learning. We are focused on K-12 sector. I am CEO of Pisara.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Software Sauna, and what were your goals?

We had a great design and concept for a web-based story which has interactive drawing features. We also needed some custom development tools for future projects.

SOLUTION

How did you select Software Sauna and what were the deciding factors?

Sauna offered us a framework we weren't familiar with and also quite a cost-effective work structure. We were delighted with the possibility to work taking our limited ability for input during work days. Most decisive was the extra tool we had with the contract.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They designed the technical framework for us for the web app. We already had a very clear design with pictures that were used in frontend deliveries. The final product was a demo of the concept we designed.

We started with some planning sessions and created a timetable, a milestone structure and server accounts. We had day-to-day based messaging via Slack and evaluation board to check up on each milestone.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There was 1 full time developer for our project with assistant from senior developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We where happy to get a beautiful and functioning app, although some of the features were missed. All of these missed features were on the nice-to-have list, so we got all the must-haves as planned.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

We didn't have any problems with deadlines, communication was quite swift and easy via Slack. Also video calls kept all of us on the same page when necessary.

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

They took us with the to show us how to use the app and configurate it, which is crucial for us in the future. So it was more than just "Here's the keys" delivery.

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

More structure for communication and some testing stints made available for customer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Gixon App, an automated, two-sided marketplace where music lovers can book artists for private events. Our product is like an Uber for local artists. We did a soft launch for the application in Finland, and our goal is to expand to the US market this year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Sauna?

We outsourced their team members to work on the development of our mobile app. Software Sauna had to continue working on the app created by the previous team that we hired. We were not able to push through with its initial launch because of technical problems.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Software Sauna’s team has proposed solutions on how we can fix our app's technical problems. They’ve redone at least 80% of the product. They’ve built an Android and iOS-friendly app for us. All the UI/UX design work is done through InVision. We’ve been particular with our product’s features since it’s an app that requires distance tracking and Google Maps integration. Apart from those, Software Sauna has also implemented verification and third-party payout functionalities.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six of their members during the initial stage of the project: two backend engineers, two frontend developers for iOS, and another two for Android. Currently, three of their developers are working on our app.

How did you come to work with Software Sauna?

We heard good things about the IT outsourcing companies in Croatia. Upon searching, we contacted Software Sauna and traveled to Croatia to meet their team in person. 

Once we met in their office and connected well with them, it was very easy to make the decision of hiring their team. They understood what we were looking for and assured us that they could execute the work we wanted within a short period of time.

How much have you invested with them?

Our company has spent €200,000 (approximately $235,000 USD) on the development so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2020, and the development stage is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The best metrics that we have right now are their development estimations. Software Sauna accurately provides project estimates and executes those, allowing us to plan accordingly. This is a very important aspect of our business since we want our outsourcing efforts to pay off well.

We haven’t been able to do a lot of product promotions because of COVID-19, but we’ve already acquired 600 user downloads in the Helsinki area. Software Sauna’s efforts convinced 70 artists that Gixon is a great marketplace for them to promote their craft. Despite the limitations brought about by the pandemic, we are seeing a lot of progress and potential in our business services.

How did Software Sauna perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via Slack, while we work and create tickets via Miro. Software Sauna proposes feasible solutions and delivers high-quality tasks on time. I don’t see them as a team that we outsourced, but rather our own developers that are part of our project. It’s exciting to have a good working relationship with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Software Sauna really focuses on quality. They don’t have a lot of members, but they’re a team of really good engineers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a responsible and prompt team, and I’m happy to be working with them. In the future, maybe they can consider hiring a project manager who can monitor their progress more.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of STP Medical Ltd. We are a healthcare startup, moving biometric data like ECG and sleep data from hospitals and health centers. From that data, our doctors decide on a patient’s diagnosis.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Sauna?

Our business is about connecting specialist doctors with primary healthcare centers. Software Sauna was in charge of our company’s full architecture. They decided what technology to use, what design to implement, and they also spearheaded our product development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Software Sauna offered a complete package for our business from scratch. The team developed a cloud software that enables moving data efficiently and making the analysis time faster for the doctor. 

In that software, we made a UI for hospitals and nurses to plot data from their sleep study or ECG devices. After that, they can easily upload the information to our cloud where we will push it forward to the doctor’s UI, which is connected with different software. 

What is the team composition?

At first, I communicated with Software Sauna’s CEO, and then when the project started, I also kept in touch with their two developers that started full-time in January. 

How did you come to work with Software Sauna?

We engaged with them since were knowledgeable about the Finnish marketplace, useful technologies, and security measures. I found four different companies online although I don’t know if I found them on Clutch or another service. They responded and we started within 3–4 weeks after we contacted them.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent around $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January–September 2020. We did half of the project with Software Sauna before COVID-19 happened. Our operations were halted when the pandemic came but we were able to start again after that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Software Sauna has been so reliable and has looked after our interests, successfully completing the MVP phase. They have made a great system. The team did all the maintenance and we have further plans for future development as well. 

We haven’t found any bugs in Software Sauna’s development. Despite being given the freedom to decide what to do with technology, they provided transparent reporting. We were very happy with everything. We will have another phase with them in the spring.

How did Software Sauna perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack and they kept things within the timeline and the budget. The development was based around the features. I came up with a lot of new features, so we faced some delays because of that.

The connection and real-time communication were also really good. On that note, we believe they held things up on their end quite well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The developers of Software Sauna were very bright. I liked that they always questioned my opinions, which was good because I would've made a lot of mistakes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, I am really satisfied with Software Sauna.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just ask them how they would solve the problem. I was surprised by how much my opinions changed when they made their recommendations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of Ander Innovation, which is a software development company. We handle software projects for a wide variety of customers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Sauna?

They provided us with a developer with skills that we didn’t have available when this project started out. We needed an extra pair of hands.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They assigned a full-stack developer to our team for our client’s project. The software engineer was skilled in Python and React. 

What is the team composition?

We were given one of their developers to allocate to our projects. Our team collaborates with him every day.  

How much have you invested with them?

Over the course of our relationship, we’ve spent between €150,000–€200,000 (approximately $166,000–$221,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

I started at this company a year ago. At that time, the developer was already integrated into the team. From my understanding, he had just started working with us at that point. So, the engagement started around September 2018 and is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We and the end customer have been happy with the developer’s performance. Overall, it’s been a very successful collaboration. However, he is one of the most expensive developers we have working for the company. He’s a contractor, though, so that often comes with the territory. Since we are happy with the results, we’ve never considered swapping the developer out for a cheaper resource.  

How did Software Sauna perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re managing the developer within our team. In general, collaboration and cooperation with him have been very good. When our customer had issues with the product that required his flexibility, he was happy to offer that to them. I was very pleased with how he handled that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When there’s a need for flexibility, I can rely on the skills of their developer. There are never any issues in that area, which I appreciate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could do better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of Analyste. We are a Finnish software company, focusing on bank software. We transfer money between the ERP system and various accounting systems, to and from banks, creating various accounting reports and distribution of payments to various banks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Sauna?

We wanted to expand our team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an internal team that needed more bandwidth. We had a few people from Software Sauna experienced in Angular to help us develop the product and train our own team internally. We had a product which was implemented with old technology. We completely rewrote the UI and used the Angular framework along with JavaScript and .NET.

What is the team composition?

We work with two members of their team. 

How did you come to work with Software Sauna?

We had looked at 4–6 companies. The main things we were looking at were talent and cost. Software Sauna's pricing was reasonable, but their skillset was the main driver.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent more than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in August 2017 and is ongoing until the end of the year, when we will hopefully close the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Software Sauna has been an excellent addition to our internal staff. They can guide some of our junior employees and even our staff on the senior side. They have great technical expertise and bring ideas and ways to improve to the table. It’s been a good match for us.

How did Software Sauna perform from a project management standpoint?

We consider Software Sauna a part of our internal team. They are fully integrated and use our tools. The two developers we work with have extremely good knowledge about the technology itself. They are some of the best developers we’ve seen in the market.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of the code is excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Software Sauna has been a bit reluctant to take some feedback we’ve given them—that might be an area where they could improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a secret society for experienced programmers and designers. We’re building a community and a membership program. We help the people that enroll find jobs and projects to work on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Sauna?

We needed help with our software development and design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Software Sauna provided software consultancy and created our code using JavaScript and Ruby on Rails. They’re experienced in all the programming languages, so switching a language for them is easy.

What is the team composition?

There have been one to two people at a time working on our project.

How did you come to work with Software Sauna?

We are one of Software Sauna’s investors and they started the initial discussions with us. We had intensive discussions with them, and although we knew their skill set and experience, the selling point was the trust we have in them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the projects they build for us are tools for our employees, so we don’t have any KPIs in terms of what typical B2C and B2B companies collect. All systems are green and everything is working. There haven’t been any problems or hiccups.

How did Software Sauna perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything went smoothly. Their communication was spot-on. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s really fun to visit them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Wunderdog, a software consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Software Sauna?

We hired Software Sauna to customize a CMS for a B2C client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Software Sauna customized our client’s WordPress-based CMS for a global marketing campaign. The team did full-stack development using React and updated the UI by incorporating visuals the had client provided.  

What is the team composition?

Software Sauna created a hybrid team and allocated separate full-stack developers for the frontend and backend.

How did you come to work with Software Sauna?

I knew the founder from when we collaborated on past projects. Their team had a good reputation as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The campaign achieved tens of thousands of downloads as well as zero down time. Overall, the project was very successful.

How did Software Sauna perform from a project management standpoint?

The team had a positive attitude, but also thought critically to maximize results. Software Sauna ensured a smooth process with agile methodology and one-week sprints. The team was flexible and patient. We didn’t experience any communication skills; they spoke English well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was transparent and capable, but also willing to acknowledge where they needed our help.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There could always be more frequent communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of Treet, we are creating a new software service for pharmacies and consumers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Software Sauna, and what were your goals?

We hired Sauna to provide a developer for our project. Originally it was intended for the developer to be a temporary addition to our team but we've been so happy with her that she's been with us for a couple of years now.

SOLUTION

How did you select Software Sauna and what were the deciding factors?

Got a recommendation from a friend.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Our project is uses Python, Django, React (with TypeScript), React Native and PostGre. The develope from Software Sauna has been a full member of our development team (a full-stack developer) for a couple of years now.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1 person, full-stack developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

I cannot go into details but we set out a goal for very high code quality and also a high test coverage and we've managed to deliver and maintain such a codebase with the help of Software Sauna.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

I cannot comment on this as we've only had the one developer from them as part of our team full-time and she's been part of our project and it's management.

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

They've been in constant contact with the internal team checking that everything is OK  and that we are happy with the developer.