Sparkybit

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Head of Development at a pensions data company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed to update our legacy software to meet the new regulatory requirements. These requirements meant we had to update the existing approach to data orchestration and develop a new approach.

Our goals were modernisation and compliance with new regulations. However, when we started, we realised this was also an excellent opportunity for improving data management, operations, and customer service.

SOLUTION

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

Our CTO had a positive experience with Sparkybit previously, so we knew their developers had the relevant expertise and level of seniority. However, we were also happy with their approach to the work and the effort they made to understand the business in detail and to ask why.

Sparkybit have been as committed to delivering our goals as we are.

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

When we first started working with Sparkybit they were helping us to modernise our legacy software which was becoming harder to support and scale. We started working on the new, now cloud-based, platform from scratch.

This included data migration and transformation. The core technologies are .NET and AWS Cloud. We are continuing to develop the system, we have met key milestones and our clients have started using the product.

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

We started with 3 .NET developers. Over the years the team size has varied from 13 to 19 including front end and back end developers, QA, designer, solution architect and a delivery manager. Their CTO and CEO meet regularly to discuss strategy related to business processes and the technology roadmap.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sparkybit have now worked with us on a number of modules in our new cloud-based platform and the most recent module has passed the beta and MVP milestones and we are engaging with real users.

We are continuing to work with Sparkybit on new features as part of version 1 which will build on the work already done to improve our operations and customer service.

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

Sparkybit adopted our tools of choice for communication and project management: Microsoft Teams and Azure DevOps. We have regular rituals to aid communication, such as stand ups and sprint planning sessions, which work well remotely.

The team are proactive in sharing statuses, updates, problems and ideas and pull together as a team to meet deadlines and ensure we’re delivering to our commitments.

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

Sparkybit work really closely with the Product Owner to understand the problem from the business perspective. They come up with solutions focused on delivering the best value for the end user. They are willing to challenge approaches, which ultimately results in a better solution for the end user.

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

Nothing to note

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO at ShowCode. Our platform and professional network allows tech communities to share, learn and compete so they can get hired. I own the technical direction and product function for our vision - our community application platform and technical testing suite. We have 11 employees in the UK. Historically I have worked with remote and outsourced teams all over the world building highly scalable SaaS platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Sparkybit to deliver on a number of goals. We needed help taking ownership of a complex legacy web application, its support and integration into a new platform, as well as the construction of a completely new greenfield web application platform, to tight timescales and budget. We needed a team with skills across front end, API and back end, architecture and devops to take complete ownership of day to day technical delivery.

SOLUTION

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

We were referred to Sparkbit as one of our employees had worked with them in a prior engagement and was exceptionally impressed with them. With a personal referral, it was a no-brainer.

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

We hired Sparkybit to deliver on a number of goals. We needed help taking ownership of a complex legacy web application, its support and integration into a new platform: This involved getting to grips with a legacy .NET application and Angular front end, backed by document based databases and a cloud architecture with limited modern DevOps principles. This application was live, delivering client revenue and it was critical that it's stability was ensured.

We needed Sparkybit to understand it, own the support of it, increase its stability, modernise it's architecture for cost control and cloud best practices, and to integrate it into a new platform that they would also develop. Along side the legacy support and integration, we engaged Sparkybit to construct a new community application platform for us, with a React based, responsive UI, modern .NET APIs and document based databases, deployed using a cloud native approach.

Containerisation, strong DevOps principles and monitoring and observability were also a key requirement for us. The scope of the above work required a team that comprises Front end, Back end, QA, DevOps, architecture and project management. Agile methodologies were to be used to work together, alongside JIRA, Confluence, Slack, Google Hangouts for collaboration. All product features would be specified by the UK team and documented to a high level of detail. All sprint ceremonies were to be undertaken by the Sparkbit team.

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

There are 10 people in the core team: 3 Front end, 2 Back end, 1 Architect, 2 QA, 1 DevOps and 1 Delivery manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Over the course of the last year and a half, they have taken complete control of our legacy application services, allowing us to support and retain clients more easily and to spend less time on technical issues. Along side this, they have constructed and continue to work on, our flagship community platform. This has lead us to be able to attract new clients and grow both our user base and brand. Time critical features have all been delivered on time and the quality of the solution architecture wise and engineering wise is of a very high standard.

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

Communication with Sparkybit has been excellent, using JIRA, Github, Confluence, Slack and Google Hangouts. Planning and deadlines have been clearly communicated and delivered against. Timeliness is spot on. Their management style is incredibly efficient, leaving us, remotely in the UK, with no doubt as to team and development status, upcoming releases, any problems and outstanding tasks we need to assist them with.

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

They do feel part of our own company. They are bright, talented, engaged, take pride in their work and are well supported by a company that takes their wellbeing and progression seriously.

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

Not currently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director, Connected Mobility at an R&D Consulting firm focusing on the Automotive and Transportation markets. We support OEMs and Tier 1 companies with custom solutions for over 20 years and now help with Software-Defined Vehicle concept adoption globally

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sparkybit?

For one of the clients, we developed an aftermarket on-board V2X unit to increase road safety via better navigation, infrastructure insights, and road status info for corporate drivers. The customer decided to use Salesforce as a platform for back-office operations. It was out-of-scope of our competence and we contacted Sparkybit to design and architect onboarding of new drivers and vehicles

SOLUTION

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

We started short-listing based on our network, and after an initial check and expertise review we decided to proceed with Sparkybit for this project

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After NDA we shared with the Sparkybit team available documentation and made a kick-off call with our POs. They checked materials, put Q&A, and suggested a few design workshops to design workflows and map them to Salesforce capabilities. When they gathered all inputs they came up with a report and suggestions on the target implementation and architecture

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

We got a team of 3 Salesforce experts, one of them was from the CTO office, which brought a lot of expertise from previous projects. For us, Salesforce was a black box, and it was great to have someone with proper expertise and background to give us all caveats

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After the workshops and suggestions from Sparkybit, we were able to adjust the roadmap and include this Salesroce scope in a device release plan for 2023 with clear steps on the back-office implementation to support first units batch testing and launch on the market

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Sparkybit has great niche expertise, and we received all the required support to enable the delivery and reduce risks. Onboarding is one of the very first customer-facing flows, and it was a prerequisite for other parts' success. We found a workshop model and consultative approach great, and they were ready to answer all our questions, even obvious ones for the experts

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

They were experts in their niche, and they're great at Digital Transformation consulting with power Salesforce. It would take us months, if not years to get to their level even with our scale and deep software expertise.

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

A lot of questionnaires were custom tailored for our use case or designed from scratch. It would be great if the Sparkybit team could come up with some base framework or playbook for the Salesforce project implementation

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a Delivery Manager in an Outsource IT company. We are the main technology partner for a healthcare provider in the US and are responsible for all technical decisions in their Digital Transformation journey.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired them as an extension of our existing development team. The main goal is efficiently to introduce Salesforce into the existing infrastructure and implement a simplified Lead generation process with best practices. The solution should help marketers assess leads, measure success rates and implement new KPIs that will help improve engagement processes.

SOLUTION

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

We got positive references from their existing clients and appreciated their solid expertise in custom software development, Salesforce implementation and configuration. They were experts in their area and were cost-effective. Also, they can efficiently work in an uncertain environment.

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

The project consisted of two general chapters: consulting and engineering. 

The first chapter was about creating a technology strategy for how we would achieve our goals. Sparkybit consulted us on Salesforce products and features, so we could define the actual functionality we expect to implement. 

The engineering phase classically included the whole development process that implemented the product vision. It all resulted in Customized Salesforce Health Cloud Solution with Digital Engagement functionality.

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

There were 2 people, including Salesforce Architect and Salesforce Engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While the project is still in development, it is hard to measure outcomes, but the Sparkybit team is great in terms of work quality and communication.

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

All management was on our side, but if we talk about developers, their architect and engineer are definitely professionals – they know how to work in a team, and strengthen our group with niche expertise.

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

There was direct contact with a team, and they were very flexible to work in a new environment. Brave and truly dedicated.

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

Nothing specific to add at this point. So far, they’re doing very well!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager at an IT company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sparkybit?

We needed a company that could provide IT consulting services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sparkybit provides IT consulting, development, and leadership support for our projects. They lead our technical plans and provide senior-level developers to help us create technical infrastructure and solutions for our projects.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with a total of 10 people from Sparkybit.

How did you come to work with Sparkybit?

Sparkybit was found by our manager.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sparkybit’s support has been integral to the success of our projects. They’ve created the majority of our technical solutions and helped us determine the functionalities that we should develop. Overall, I’m very satisfied with their work.

How did Sparkybit perform from a project management standpoint?

Sparkybit has performed well in terms of project management. They communicate well and are responsible, creative, and collaborative. They’re good team players, and we feel like they are genuinely part of our internal team.

We use Jira for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with Sparkybit’s leadership skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to clearly communicate what you want to achieve on your project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

VP Technology at a leading UK based, fintech asset management company focused on providing access to property finance for both investors and borrowers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our property loan origination process is based on Salesforce Experience and Sales Clouds. Sparkybit provide talented Salesforce engineers, admin & QA people who have built and launched our Broker Portal and the core CRM workflows needed to assess the mortgage applications and reach a borrowing decision. The initial goal was to rebuild our entire Salesforce org and then to launch the broker portal.

SOLUTION

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

We prefer to work with offshore companies who want to partner with us, rather than look for outsource solutions. We work in a team augmentation model across our core engineering teams. We also wanted to get good service from our partner and Sparkybit worked hard on the engagement to ensure mutual trust was built, which has been essential to achieving high levels of productivity and delivery.

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

As we have been partnering with Sparkybit for over 3 years now, with their people embedded within our core engineering teams, they have been involved in every piece of work we have done on the Salesforce platform. They have provided architecture solutions, built Aura and Lightning Web Components, flows, custom code, CI/CD pipelines, etc. as well as support for Salesforce admin and QA tasks.

Core technologies used include:

• Salesforce Experience & Sales Clouds
• Conga
• Gearset

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

We started with Senior Salesforce Engineers and grew the team to 5 Seniors in the first couple of years. Subsequently we have continued to expand and now have 5 Senior Engineers, 1 Mid, 1 Junior, 1 Admin and 1 QA: 9 in total as of August 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team are led by an exceptional Senior Engineer, whose delivery velocity and quality of work is easily equivalent to the best permanent Engineers we have. As the work is varied and spread across many key strategic projects, it is difficult to single out specific examples - however, the launch of the Broker Portal in Oct 2021 was a fantastic success that drove considerable engagement with our brokers looking for bridging and development finance, and provided the foundations for a customer facing, digital first experience.

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

All of our work is defined and managed in Jira, and the Sparkybit team are very comfortable working with our engineering processes. We measure their performance in the same way as we do all our engineers and teams. All communications are handled efficiently through Slack.

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

The commitment from all the people to continue to work hard for our success despite the onset of the war in Ukraine. Their loyalty and dedication to our business are exceptional, and one we reflect on and repay.

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

There are always areas of improvement and we discuss these regularly in team retros, so that the team can agree and take appropriate action. Due to this focus on continuous improvement there isn't anything significant as the open and honest feedback helps to prevent anything growing unchecked.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a senior director. We are experts in AI & ML development for professional sports like racing, motorsports, games, and many others. We are the service provider for legacy sports teams. Our passion is bringing sports teams' performance to a new level with the help of video analytics, speech recognition, and movement prediction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Sparkybit engineers to strengthen our ML development teams. We needed strong developers to reinforce the teams working on various products, both internal and external ones.

SOLUTION

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

We got positive feedback and references from their existing clients and conducted brief research on their portfolio. It was important for us to have a provider with both solid hard skills and a matching work approach. Before signing the contract, they demonstrated their approach, expertise and performance. Since we saw them in field conditions, we got solid arguments for starting cooperation.

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

We cooperate in the team augmentation model. So Sparkybit people are engaged in several projects such as: image and video analysis, brand exposure analysis and speech recognition. All these products are AI tools for companies in professional sports. Sparkybit ML engineers develop and train algorithms for image, speech, object and motion recognition. These solutions are used for video analytics, which helps customers’ teams make data-driven decisions while either preparing for sports events or understanding areas for growth and improvement afterward.

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

There are 6 people working on the projects from Sparkybit`s side:

• Machine Learning Tech Lead
• 3 Machine Learning Engineers
• Frontend developer
• Transcriber.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sparkybit developers helped us to deliver more than 10 ML models in time for racing and football

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

They definitely know how to fit in and work in teams, they form a bond.. We don’t feel any barriers in communication, as their work approach is very similar to ours. We also value their straightforwardness, which, I guess, may look too punchy for someone else. But as we have time-sensitive projects and highly demanding clients, being assertive and result-oriented is the key.

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

They do more than they promise, and their skills are solid. They always raise their hand if they see an opportunity for improvement or risk. They don’t focus on their work only but keep the whole picture in sight, thus, they provide relevant advice and are true advocates of the products they work for.

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

Nothing special top of mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Project Manager at Viseven company working with pharma company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

In terms of project growth we need to extend and strength our team with highly qualified Salesforce developers. We had already mostly good experience with devs from Sparkybit, so it was obvious decision where we can get highly-qualified specialist in short terms and deliver project in time with needed quality.

SOLUTION

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

The main factor of hiring specialist from Sparkibit was previous good experience with such developer as Vitaliy. We needed to have new dev of the same level in order to receive good results in short terms, good thinking and proactive person.

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

Implementation of new functionalities within existing tool based on Salesforce, rollout the tool for new countries and stabilization of its work on production envs. Refactoring of existing code as a part of preparing the tool for its geographical extension. Participation as a team lead in discussion and solving project process issues, ideas. Mentoring developers team and improving their hard skills.

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

There were 4 people for the last year. Now they are 2 - SFDC Team Lead and SFDC developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch the project and new functionalities within it in time and of good quality, to overcome or prevent difficulties without impact on delivery. We improved and established new process on project which help us to increase level of people performance and health of project.

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

The deadlines are met in most cases. If not or there were some risks we always received strong arguments and action plans how to prevent each issue. Informing was always constructive and received beforehand. Always informed about possible risks and solutions for them.

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

Company provides not only skilled specialists but it I am sure that company constantly works on improving this skills, reacts on changes withtin project. And what I appreciate the best that we are glad to work with people with high soft skills as well. And you know I and team does not feel that these devs are from another company)

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

Sometimes there minor things that mostly are about adjusting to each other, processes etc. No critical thing so far. For both Lead and dev position just keep improving knowledge about project and more active position in its discussion.