SourcePad

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Simpli Apts is a real estate technology that connects renter to agent for an immediate showing. I am the Founder & CEO of Simpli Apts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired SourcePad to develop the MVP version of our technology. Our goal was to get a basic version of the product out to the public for testing to make sure the full mobile app would be a success. We plan to build the mobile app in the coming months once we have a little more data from the web based app.

SOLUTION

How did you select SourcePad and what were the deciding factors?

We chose SourcePad because we were impressed with the team after meeting with them virtually, the timeline was what we were looking for and they were affordable compared to others.

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

I first met with SourcePad back in 2018 to begin full development. We started with our initial meeting to go over the app and vision. They worked with me to design the wireframes for the mobile app on the renters side and the agents side. We ended up taking a break on the project.

Fast forward to August 2020: We were ready to get started on the project but had a different approach. We wanted to build the MVP version first. They were already familiar with the project and the functionality of it so it was pretty seamless.

I drew up the user experience as I saw it, we reviewed, they asked a lot of questions to make sure they fully understand what I was going for, sent a detailed project estimate, and started working.

We met 4 days a week for anywhere from 5 - 30 minutes until the project was completed. They were great at getting back to me with any questions and were great if I had any last-minute changes/additions to make.

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

We had a project manager who was the main point of contact and 2 developers working full time on the project. Towards the end, they brought in an additional person to do all the testing but she was behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our very first lead came in the day after launch and they turned into a closed deal. The agents are loving the product, apartment complexes are signing up to get it on their websites, renters are pleased with the functionality and most importantly, being able to schedule a showing at a time that works for them!

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

We had a daily (4 days per week) scrum where they would go over updates and ask any questions. We used Next24 and Jira to track the progress. They used google sheets for price adjustments and initial project scope cost.

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

The team was great to work with! They jump right in and are ready to get to work which I appreciate.

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

Nothing that wasn't equally my fault (or mostly my fault). Just making sure everyone was on the same page and fully understood the end goal of a feature.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an app that's an internal talent marketplace. It allows employees to browse for opportunities to add to their job, or to hand off tasks that they’ve already mastered.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SourcePad?

I hired them to create our MVP for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did both the front- and backend development of our web application. The app is built on the PostgreSQL database, and its frontend leverages React.js.

What is the team composition?

I work with four teammates. During the core of the project, we had a project manager, two dedicated engineers, and a QA teammate.

How did you come to work with SourcePad?

Their salesperson reached out to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent somewhere under $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off development in April 2020. The core development work is completed, but they’re still providing production support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They allowed us to deliver the product in our estimated timeframe, which was excellent. Although we exceeded our budget, their estimate was significantly lower than the quotes I received from other vendors, so I had anticipated this as a possibility.

Despite some scope creep, they put in the extra hours to get the work done on time. I remember their teammates working 10+ hour days to ensure a timely delivery.

Their team asked clarifying questions and helped us in our decision-making process. All throughout development, they suggested ideas that I hadn’t considered. I appreciated their business insights, which were ancillary to their tech expertise.

How did perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re extremely reliable and very responsive. Communication was excellent, despite the fact that we used multiple channels for it. They had good tools and frameworks in place to ensure transparency. I could be confident that I would receive an immediate response upon making any request.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They differentiated themselves from the other vendors from the very start by being willing to understand our business model and what we’re trying to achieve. Their team looked at our project from not only its technical aspects but for its business potential.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only downside is how much we went over our budget. It would’ve been better to have a more accurate estimate up front, but I’m not sure how much I can fault them for this. Seeking greater clarification during the sizing process may have helped.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They were a great choice for us, so any client can approach them with confidence.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company is a design consultancy. We help startups and corporate innovation teams define market opportunities, design and deliver products, and develop go-to-market strategies.

My role is both strategic and tactical as I am often working with my team and our clients on product management, design, and managing the delivery process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired SourcePad to lead the development process. Our goals were to build an MVP with the flexibility to pivot as we learn.

SOLUTION

How did you select SourcePad and what were the deciding factors?

I had worked with SourcePad before so it was an easy decision. They have a great process, do outstanding work, and excellent communication channels. They certainly excel at development but they are so easy to work with and that makes all of the difference.

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

The scope was pretty straight forward. We worked together to define early user stories and establish the general scope and cadence of product development. The product itself is a multi-sided platform with three primary users.

In its current form, it is a web application built on Ruby on Rails with an Angular front end and a PostgreSQL, plus a number of API integrations.

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

We worked with five people from SourcePad over the course of product development. The team consisted of a project manager, a QA engineer and four developers. Of those four developers, three were dedicated to the project and one provided extra capacity as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have recently wrapped up the scope and are now in market. So far things are going along great and SourcePad has been excellent at responding to small post-launch requests.

It is important to note that mid-way through the project, the company's CEO uncovered critical information regarding the business model which necessitated a pretty significant product pivot.

SourcePad seamlessly jumped in that new direction and efficiently built a new payment engine to meet the business model shift.

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

SourcePad is amazing at communication. We had daily standups which were very efficient and practical and utilized a product they had built called Next24 to effectively communicate what had been worked on the previous day and what would be worked on tomorrow. We also used a combination of Pivitol, G Suite, and Slack to manage documents, user stories, and daily communications.

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

SourcePad is so easy to work with. There are a lot of product development firms out there who write great code but I don't think there are many out there who effectively manage the process and communications quite like SourcePad.

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

I don't think so. I am pretty sure they ironed out all of the kinks prior to me working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a financial advice startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SourcePad?

We needed help building a website. I don’t have any development skills, and after trying Squarespace, I started looking to outsource it to a third-party provider.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I took care of all the design elements. Any decisions about the design, function, or content were up to me. SourcePad did all the coding, implementation, and launch on AWS. It was a custom-built site. 

What is the team composition?

We work with four people: a project manager, two developers, and a QA person.

How did you come to work with SourcePad?

It was a referral. Someone had interviewed with them to be a developer with them. They got turned down, but they still had a lot of respect for the company and knew the founders. I had no idea where to look. I found some people to give me random quotes for the project, but I didn’t know where to look. Once SourcePad came up, I researched them a bit, and they seemed like a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $130,000 CAD ($93,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in July 2019. The project’s complete, but we’re fixing little things. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It hasn’t yet achieved its goal of bringing customers in. Our traffic is mostly paid traffic from Facebook and Google, but it’s achieved the intended functionality.

How did SourcePad perform from a project management standpoint?

Of the team I got, 3 out of 4 were good. We had a lot of problems with one of the developers. They had the hardest part of development, which was integrating the payment systems and getting the chat function up and running. However, it might have been out of their league. As a result, their work took so much longer than expected, blew out the budget substantially. overall I’d give a positive review to the company itself. their project management was good as well, and I feel like this was a problem with that particular person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I couldn’t have asked for better professionalism. The quality is very good overall, despite costing three times what I wanted. We’ve had no language barrier: the team has flawless English speakers. SourcePad has great, friendly people. They’re very patient with me; I have an eye for detail and can be nitpicky. I felt well-supported.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The initial quote I received $10,000. They did a good job trying to know exactly what I wanted so that they could give the most accurate quote. However, the estimate still only hit $50,000, so $130,000 was a big jump. I think that was because of the developer taking three times as long. SourcePad has refunded part of it, though, and I liked that they were proactive at taking some responsibility. I have no ill will after that.

Any advice for potential customers?

Go in with realistic expectations. It won’t be a fixed-cost project, so leave a lot of room for error.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of commutyble.com. We’re a transportation service application. We developed a suite of applications tailored to specific users including consumers, group pairs, and service providers. We automated the back-office functions of commercial parking operators and standardized the parking process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SourcePad?

We wanted to get our platform to market as quickly as possible. We needed support to build an MVP. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SourcePad built the mobile components that tie into the web platform’s backend. Most of the IoT activities that are used in the garage, such as the custom reader codes or other small devices, we create in-house. Their team works on the backend of our web platform, which is a sizable part of what we do. My intent is to continue working with SourcePad to augment our organization in perpetuity.

What is the team composition?

We’re still bootstrapped, so we still have a skeleton crew from SourcePad. The team includes an engineer, a project manager, and a QA tester. As we have more funding, my intention is to grow the number of engineers from SourcePad who work on the product.

How did you come to work with SourcePad?

I met one of SourcePad's founders at a meet-up for a lean startup group. I reached out to him to learn more about his company. My intention was to use resources form SourcePad for a short period of time. Now, we’ve worked together for 4–5 years.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent at least $500,000 on their services over the course of our collaboration.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in the fall of 2015, and the engagement’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They hire teammates with impressive skillsets. SourcePad communicates well and delivers on time. Their team has a fabulous customer service culture.

How did SourcePad perform from a project management standpoint?

SourcePad’s oriented towards an Agile methodology, so we have daily scrums. Their team introduced us to industry-standard systems such as Asana, which we use now. Their project management’s terrific. The project manager’s a delight and directs our daily scrums. When we move into a new direction, he’s always on top of preliminary discussions with the team to determine the appropriate architecture. They’re structured and great to work with. We have a terrific relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What stands out about SourcePad is their team’s skillset. Their communication is outstanding. They don’t offer the cheapest services, but they’re reasonably priced. For the value that their team creates, SourcePad’s reasonably priced. They’re the complete package. While I could find cheaper resources, they wouldn’t be the whole package

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re responsive to all of my requests, so there’s nothing for them to do better right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For folks that are starting a company or looking for development support, I often encourage them to consider SourcePad. I coach people on what they need to do to work in such a structured environment. To any new player who hasn't done software development, it's important to hone your own skills before diving into the engagement. Once you have a skillset, working with a company like SourcePad becomes seamless.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a technology company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SourcePad?

We hired SourcePad for software development services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed a software solution for a challenge we were encountering in the compliance space. They intergrated the specific features we requested such as risk models, dashboards, and other business intelligence.

How did you come to work with SourcePad?

I met the founder at a startup event in New York City. I had been looking for a company to help me build this solution and after talking to SourcePad, I felt confident in their skills. They were the most transparent about their cost estimate and went into detail about the services they could provide. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in August 2016, and our relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product hasn’t launched yet, but we are getting good input from potential customers. It’s a unique solution that solves a problem. 

How did SourcePad perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Slack and Skype primarily to facilitate communication. We also used Pivotal Tracker. Even though they worked remotely, the communication was seamless. We have daily phone calls that are typically 30 minutes.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They feel like they’re part of our team. Their ability to grasp complex concepts and translate that into the solution they developed is impressive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing jumps out in my mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The clearer your objectives for the project are, the more effective the process will be. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

School Insider is an online marketplace platform for vocational schools and students. I was the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SourcePad?

We hired SourcePad for developing a web platform.

What were your goals for this project?

To build a comprehensive platform that users can easily use without issues.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

SourcePad came to me highly recommended by an UX consultant I worked with.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

SourcePad developed my web platform. The dev team was outstanding in communicating. Daily scrum in my time is also very helpful. They were able to provide insights for me who did not come from the tech background.

What was the team composition?

2 dev. 1 project manager. 1 QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This was the one of the most important aspect of my business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was managed using many different software platforms. They track dev and project manager hours. They also use a software to divide each tasks which is easy to manage.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The dedication of the team members. The industry-experienced founders were willing to support their clients.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N.A.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of a platform that helps individuals navigate the divorce process by using predictive technology to match people going through divorce with divorce professionals and resources.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SourcePad?

We approached SourcePad to build our web-based app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SourcePad was a pleasure to work with. They built our robust web-based app - implementing complex algorithms on the back end using a Rails framework and a user-friendly front end with Angular.  

What is the team composition?

We worked consistently with 3 developers, and a QA engineer.  We scaled the team up during tight deadlines.  SourcePad was incredibly accommodating.

How did you come to work with SourcePad?

We found SourcePad through another startup founder that had worked with them previously.

We chose them because of their best practices in creating transparency and easy communication throughout the development process, and based on their technical chops given other similarly complex projects they had worked on in the past.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with SourcePad in 2017 and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team was transparent and easy to communicate with.  They addressed challenges head-on and in real-time to keep the project moving.  When we did hit roadblocks, they worked tirelessly to overcome the hurdles and worked creatively to problem solve.  Great enthusiasm, personalities and technical skill.  The SourcePad founders were always available to meet at any time.

How did SourcePad perform from a project management standpoint?

The SourcePad team was excellent at managing the project. I worked with them in daily standups and consistently over slack. They were constantly thinking about the specs they were implementing and adjusting, suggesting and advising as necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is enthusiastic, and a great group of people that are really enjoyable to work with.  They care deeply about the work they do, they worked very hard to deliver results that fit our needs and they were consistently transparent. Rather than simply delivering code specs, they’re thinking of the bigger picture, anticipating issues that may arise, and addressing them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more organized and prepared you are, the smoother the process. SourcePad will give you the technical team to implement. If you want to keep a tight budget and timeline - know your features, break down your build into detailed specs, deliver UX designs to the team for implementation.  But, if one of those things don't go as planned, or you encounter an unforeseen challenge, the team is there to help adjust and address - they are constantly thinking out of the box.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are creating a marketplace for creative rights holders to better manage and monetize their rights

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SourcePad?

To develop the initial MVP for museums to ease the IP licensing workflow process and being ingesting valuable data

What were your goals for this project?

To gain partner adoption and interest in further developing enterprise software for their institution

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Competitive review

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed the software that we then demoed with over 35 institutions. They managed the entire technology build process.

What was the team composition?

on the developer side, 2-3 engineers and a project manager. On the company side, a strategy lead, source expert and a UX/UI developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got trial adoption from 18 partners and very good learning for the next stage of product development.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Daily scrums, weekly status check-ins. Very efficient and effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their flexibility and their positive attitude set them apart. Along with excellent technical skills.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of FabForeDev, a mobile app development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SourcePad?

They’re my technical team. We already developed one app—a game based on the book Liar’s Poker —and we’re working on another that’s for golf scoring.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

While the first app was just for iOS, the second—which we’re going to continue working on together after I finish fundraising—is for both iOS and Android and includes an administrative web portal and cloud-based backend.

It’s truly a collaboration with us. I went to them with certain things in mind and some stuff left out, and we both took the lead at different times. For the game, they quickly transformed a prototype into a finished product. The golf app was built from the ground up with fairly complex mathematical algorithms implemented into an advanced GUI. They also assisted with data population, scraping information from certain websites, all integrated into a robust cloud-based backend.

What is the team composition?

For the first app, I used a single developer and a part-time QA. I came to them with a prototype a few ex-colleagues had put together so I needed a dedicated full-time person to get it done. The developer worked in a project management and coding role, and the app was on the market within six months.

A month later I engaged them to build the golf app. We started with a part-time project manager, a frontend developer for iOS, a backend developer, and a part-time QA person. Later, we were working with two backend developers, an Android frontend developer, and another QA resource.

How did you come to work with SourcePad?

They’d helped an ex-colleague launch his business. I approached them thinking their model would help me accomplish certain goals without the added risk of hiring my own team. It allows me to add or subtract from the team more easily than I could with my own people.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February 2017 until July 2019. Currently, I’m trying to build the capital I need to finish development; there’s 4–6 months of work left. The app is currently being beta tested.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The functionality they’ve built is top-notch across all phases – GUI, backend, web portal, project management, QA, problem resolution. I’m super proud of what we’ve developed so far. They transformed a vision into a product that’s reliable and often took the lead in suggesting improvements. They’re my de facto technical team and I’m really happy with the work to date.

How did SourcePad perform from a project management standpoint?

We had scrum sessions four times a week, all through Skype. I never thought I’d be able to develop as much as I did with people I’ve never met. And most of them were located halfway around the world. It was very eye-opening and validated the consulting, pay-as-you-go model. They were super communicative, all hours day or night.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The two partners at SourcePad have been awesome in terms of providing resources and helping me create a pitch deck. Beyond development, they’ve contributed to all aspects of entrepreneurship. I come from a banking and corporate business background, so this relationship has been useful for many reasons.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They do have a lot of holidays out in the Philippines but we’ve worked around that. I can’t think of anything else. They do a fantastic job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I may be an outlier in the sense of having them as my full-on development team as opposed to simply building a prototype but potential customers should feel confident that SourcePad will get the job done quickly and efficiently.