Stepwise

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Lecko is a small company based in Paris. We work in digital information and teach companies how to use new collaboration tools. I lead the development team. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stepwise?

We were trying to retrieve data from an enterprise social network called Yammer. The idea was to build a reliable web solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took the existing software and analyzed the code to see where we can improve processes and other areas. When they finished that analysis, they told us what needed to be modified and did those modifications. They then wrote other code, which is better now than it was previously. It’s a native Java Hub running on a server.

What is the team dynamic?

There are 3 people on the team.

How did you come to work with Stepwise?

They sent us an email about their services. After a short interview, we decided to give them a small task to test their capabilities. It was very good and so we gave them this project.

How much have you invested with them?

5,000 euros [$5,930].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's very functional. We’re currently using the solution in our production environment and it’s perfect. There’s nothing to improve. It’s a small part of a bigger project, but it’s working very well.

How did Stepwise perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a significant collaboration. We spent around 10 days making reviews every day to be sure we were going in a good direction. The project management was very light and was good because it was easy. We used Google Hangouts and Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are adaptable. We are the only ones doing what we’re doing, and so they have had to understand our job and how we work.

Their price is also good. They’re from Poland which means they are very cheap compared to French developers. That’s a very good aspect to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes we had trouble communicating because we use English and neither of our English is perfect. It was nothing that prevented us from working together. It’s not just something for them to improve because my English has to be improved too.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.  

I am the product manager and owner of ClearHub, which is a product of Clearvision. Clearvision is one of the largest Atlassian partners, delivering services and licensing support for all Atlassian products and tool sets. Clearvision is the trading company that we are operating under.

ClearHub works directly with a client, offering a full-service team when required. We're not a recruitment agency, but we do pick up freelancers who are available for contractual work. Our company has an existing process of finding people or getting experts that we have worked with in the past. We concentrate on projects around the globe that last for 3, 6, 9, 12 or even more months.

ClearHub is using the technical expertise of the Clearvision Professional Services. Clearvision’s credible and vast knowledge of Atlassian tools, allows ClearHub to support and upskill their contractors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Stepwise?

We needed a platform for marketing, and we also wanted to automate our services. The end goal was to create a platform similar to others out there in the market, like Upwork and Guru.com. We wanted to get as many Atlassian contractors as we could under the umbrella of ClearHub. The platform would help us deliver our services by upscaling them and training people.

There were a lot of challenges with product development. We wanted to create the simplest possible option. We had to work around some issues, such as the need to define the right programming language. One of our U.S. software architects helped us identify the best tool to use.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Stepwise shared their knowledge and expertise. We already had a proof of concept on Ruby on Rails, but they identified that we wanted a more robust solution for the future. They were not Ruby on Rails experts, so we discussed using Groovy on Grails, which is a Java-based language. While I wanted to avoid using a Java language, Grails itself is based on Java so it was inevitable. Fortunately, it was a great solution. The timelines and roadmap we put together ticked all the boxes we wanted at that point.

We wanted to integrate other parts of the website, specifically Salesforce and Pardot. Connecting with Google Analytics is the simplest option, but our schedule and budget didn’t allow for it. We are still thinking of doing that for the second version of the existing MVP [minimum viable product] platform.

What is the team dynamic?

The key members from Stepwise were Radek and Rafal, who were software engineers. Kamil was the QA tester. Krzysztof, the Scrum master, assisted us as well. Internally, we also worked with Andrew, a software engineer from Clearvision. He had a PHP background, so Stepwise trained him on this specific language. They allowed Andrew to gain experience and knowledge around Grails, and it was a great opportunity to see how Stepwise operated.

How did you come to work with Stepwise?

We learned about Stepwise through one of our colleagues in the Clearvision office. As a business development person, he came across Stepwise through some work we were doing with clients in the territory.

We discussed if they could assist in creating a new web platform for ClearHub itself. We appreciated their technical skills, and their rates were also completely different from what we were looking at in the U.K. and the U.S.

What is the status of this engagement?

It was a three-month contract, from February to May 2017. The platform is live right now, and we completed it ahead of schedule. We're now using Stepwise as an outsourcing house in Poland.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of my biggest requirements was to create a robust application, and that's what they've delivered. I can confirm that we’ve never had issues. Until now, the website operates perfectly. I also requested that they deliver the product early so that we could use it in one of the largest events for Atlassian. Stepwise successfully delivered the product half a month ahead of schedule.

In the software development industry, it's never a good idea to go to production on a Friday, especially before a bank holiday weekend. Our relationship with Stepwise gave us the confidence to go to production on a Friday, sure that nothing would break over the weekend. Radic and Raphael are high-level software engineers, so we were crazy enough to do that before returning to the office the following Tuesday.

The most exciting thing part was that we got our first client six hours after the new website was launched. We still don't know how that person found ClearHub and how they landed on the website, but they went through the process, signed up, and requested a contractor. We were surprised about how nicely it all went through.

How did Stepwise perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in constant communication, so we knew that we were going to deliver on time. Time is money in the software development world. I don't want to waste anyone's time, and I don't want people to waste my time as well.

We communicated through Slack using three channels: a channel for next steps, a channel for development, and a channel for day-to-day details discussions as a team. We had sprint demos every Friday as well as weekly meetings. Occasionally, we also had important ad hoc conversations. As the product owner, I talked with them about next steps and defined stories, to see if we were going to move ahead with those.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From the beginning, we were impressed by how well they communicated as well as the transparent and direct relationship that we had. They were very helpful and open. It's always amazing when you put people from different backgrounds and languages together. We had great teamwork, and we were aligned professionally.

Stepwise delivered an end result that was better than what we wanted. The final product included stronger features that we didn't have in the initial scope. They also delivered earlier and with smarter features than we expected. We will definitely work with them again in the near future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They're a startup company, so they don't have a huge capacity or an extreme amount of resources. They definitely need to expand their development team and have some more junior people. It's just a matter of clarifying their vision for their company and what they want to achieve in the near future.   

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project manager of a manufacturing company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Designing and developing embedded systems; manufacturing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Stepwise to accomplish?

• Upskilling in AI

SOLUTION

How did you find Stepwise?

Online Search

Why did you select Stepwise over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Stepwise were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our project was carried out under the support of the Training Lump Sum, pursuant the SUAVE project and was aimed toward Upskilling in AI related to Digital transition of our business lines.

FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION. VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE HOWEVER THOSE OF THE AUTHOR(S) ONLY AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION OR EISMEA. NEITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION NOR THE GRANTING AUTHORITY CAN BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Knowledge acquisition (increased participant's knowledge about AI concepts and applications).

Application of learning (implementation of acquired knowledge in the real-world scenario).

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

Project management part of the team was responsive, they were able to deliver everything needed in a timely manner and of high quality.

What was your primary form of communication with Stepwise?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Fast and efficient communication and customer-oriented approach.

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

We did not identify any major limitations of Stepwise during the duration of our project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CTO of a VR vocational training company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stepwise?

Visualize what a VR specific LMS could look like

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Previously worked with team members before they joined Stepwise

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

Their team listened to the goals and objectives, as well as looked at some reference materials and envisioned an LMS product which they then designed the visual language and usability for. Finally, they provided us with Figma designs and CSS styling. In essence, they went from high-level incomplete requirements to designing the UX and UI in a short and productive period.

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

Mainly worked with one of their resources directly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome was a well-informed starting point for product design. A lot of requirements needed to be compiled into product features and everyone needed a visual representation of what we needed to work on.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was ideal. The responsiveness, organizational skills and thoughtfulness of their team member were top-notch.

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

Highly responsive, well organized, flexible, good listening skills and thoughtfulness of solutions and quality of execution.

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

I can't honestly think of anything that could have been done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Head of Engineering in German Telecommunication Company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Stepwise to develop tools for testing purposes. Goal was to have it fast and done on professional way

SOLUTION

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

We did interviews with many companies and selected Stepwise as most professional and best organized

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

Widget - Javascript, Docker, Webpack, GCP, Backend - Java, Spring Boot, Swagger, Database, GCP

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

A project manager for the single point of contact and 2-3 front, backed developers and designers, depending on the phase of project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Delivered products met 100% of our expectation and they are already in production environment used by our customers

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

Professional project management with clear escalation path. Slack and Jira were used for communication and project organization

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

Their expertise, professionalism, and on-time delivery were impressive.

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

Nothing having in mind

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the co-founder of a data science start-up based in Rotterdam. We build data solutions that matter for public clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Further development with Reactjs web application used by road safety experts. Also help with getting to know how to code in React myself.

SOLUTION

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

Recommended by another company

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

Implement improvements and bugs for the Road Safety app. Also implement a CI/CD pipeline.

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

1 senior front-end developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Positive feedback from clients regarding our new app.

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

A Kanban board and weekly meetings to discuss progress. Also incidental meetings if necessary. Contact via Slack.

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

They were flexible, highly-skilled, easy-going, and technically competent. A good fit.

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

Perhaps estimating the amount of work regarding specific todo's, but that is always difficult especially with an app developed by someone else.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a startup company that will focus on technological capabilities for the market research industry, improving the management and deployment of questionnaires, survey data and data integration projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stepwise?

The core of our technical platform is a online/cloud based system to manage the flow of information wiith respect to market research. Stepwise was selected to develop the front-end and server for this platform.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to get to a prove of concept and a system that we can demonstrate to the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended by another supplier. An important reason to select Stepwise was their clear willingness and ability to learn about our business during the selection stage. We first did a brief consultancy project to select important components to be used and their approach to this consultancy project proved this.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed a front-end system and server for a web based solution. Most of the front-end was designed before we started with Stepwise but for some parts they also provided the UI/UX design services.

What was the team composition?

We worked with mainly two developers from Stepwise, two other developers from another company and collaborated with a commercial person and a product owner from my company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This is yet to be determined. The project has seen some problems on developments for which Stepwise was not responsible. We are still working on those developments before we have reached our initial goal to show this as a prove of concept to the market. An immediate positive result is that we, as the startup company, are very comfortable and excited that the UI will get very positive feedback in the market.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had an agile approach focusing on short term goals instead of more longer term project management. Stepwise always delivered on the short term goals set for them and were very clear in their communication (weekly) about achievements and new goals.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their understanding of our business leading to a more cooperative approach where they brought ideas and technical solutions to the table that wouldn't be possible if they "only" worked towards a brief.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We had difficulties with another vendor and, with hindsight, my only recommendation for Stepwise would be to be a bit more focused on the overall success of the whole project also beyond their scope. They did a terrific job within their scope but earlier signs and mutual actions on challenges in other areas would have been helpful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

product owner at ZINL

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stepwise?

We needed a graphical interface via web for our datamart

What were your goals for this project?

we wanted to make our datamart available to different stakeholders interested in the analysis of the data

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

the software company we work with recommended Stepwise

Describe the project in detail.

working iteratively and via skype we had about 10 weekly meetings and we communicated via Slack.

What was the team composition?

product owner ux designer ui programmer back end programmer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

we have about 20 users over 8 different partners

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

good ui design clear and proactive communication

Are there any areas for improvement?

nothing I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO and founder of Q°emotion, the worldwide leader in detecting the emotions in customer reviews, comments, and emails, and transforming them into actionable insights. We quantify and qualify emotions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stepwise?

We needed to build an email management platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to add some JavaScript expertise to our internal team and take the product to market faster.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We met them at Big Data Paris 2018, where we were presenting our solutions.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They handled the full development of our platform based on the provided mockups and APIs. They built some pages on the frontend using the latest JavaScript technologies.

What was the team composition?

Depending on the project needs, they assigned up to three people to the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The initial pilot project has been successful.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Both our teams share project management responsibilities.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their level of expertise, autonomy, and efficient weekly communication are noteworthy.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They could take less time on integration and improve their functional understanding of things.