Successive Digital

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Display Now, which I started back in 2019.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Technologies?

I built a prototype for a digital signage service because I had a need for it myself. Then, I hit a roadblock in terms of capabilities, so I decided to bring Successive to the mix. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we had a meeting about what I wanted to build over time. I wrote up requirements for the software, and the Successive team took those requirements. They came back with a proposal on the product’s architecture. They also told me how they wanted to accomplish the project and what coding languages they’d use. 

At present, they continue to work on our product, which is .NET-based. We have one code base for multiple platforms. They’ve used an Adobe product for the design tasks. In terms of features, our app can be installed on popular streaming sticks like Fire TV and Android TV. The app also works on Windows and iPhones. Essentially, the app lets users turn something into a sign, and our management system then lets users connect to those signs. They pair the player with our system and control it from anywhere. Meanwhile, Successive also works on testing the product. 

What is the team composition?

We work with two full-time testers, one business analyst, a project manager and engineer, an account manager, and a mobile developer. There’s also a manager for the developers of our management system and core infrastructure. 

How did you come to work with Successive Technologies?

I found Successive online and met with their owner at that time. During our first call, I already realized they knew what they were doing, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent at least $150,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Successive in June 2019, and they delivered a working product by September 2019, though the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customer base has grown. In a nutshell, Successive has helped us turn nothing into something. This tells us that what they’ve built resonates with people and solves their problems. They’ve exceeded my expectations in terms of their work’s overall value. 

We’ve faced some challenges on the usability side, but that’s just how we grow up. It’s a matter of making certain things easier to access and adding bits of information. We’ve fine-tuned the product and received rave reviews over its simplicity and ease of use. I’ve also raised other issues with Successive, and they’ve been quick to step in and take action. 

How did Successive Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The Successive team has been fair in our fix-bid arrangement. They’re also flexible in the sense that they can accommodate us when we need to change course. They’re quick to act when I want to rectify issues. Overall, they’ve worked well and never nickel-and-dimed me. They’re incredible — I couldn’t ask for a better team. 

To communicate, we use Jira, which is great for us because it works well. It helps everyone be in sync across all of our work. Successive has been using Redmine as a communication tool, but they’ve been more than happy to switch to Jira for me. They’ve been supportive of it; no one has pushed back or freaked out. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Successive can become an extension of our team. I don’t feel like they’re contractors; they feel like in-house people that work with me. That’s the best part of the engagement. On top of that, they can turn an idea into a functioning product — it’s truly nice to see all our ideas come alive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would suggest using Jira for everything. The Redmine tool isn’t great, though I understand why they’re using it. Jira can be extremely expensive, but it’s totally worth it. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more time you spend with Successive and the more experience you have in terms of running requirements for a software engagement, the better the outcome will be. If you want to go light with requirements, the team can handle that. You might have to follow up with them for adjustments and tweaks. 

Remember that the team is adaptable and responsive. They take the time to get things done, and they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty. As a result, know that communication is key. Make sure your requirements are clear — try to paint a picture for them. Ask them qualifying questions about what they’re doing. On top of that, know that distance can be challenging if you’re not good at managing remote relationships. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of Argus West Inc, a private investigation company that specializes in investigations about workers’ compensation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Technologies?

We hired Successive for their custom software development services. Our company needed software that would allow us to process cases. The majority of programs in our industry were case management programs aimed at insurance companies and third-party administrators. 

As a result, we tried to adapt those tools to accommodate our needs — we were using a hammer as a screwdriver. After a while, we decided we should build our own case management software that would look into everybody involved in a case from the providers to the legal representatives.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we had meetings where we discussed with them what we wanted them to do. They also explained to me how they would approach the project. Because the COVID-19 pandemic threw everything into a whirl, we had to run the project on an ad hoc basis. To illustrate, since the industry was going up and down, we wouldn’t be buying a plate of sandwiches to eat in 10 minutes; instead, we’d buy sandwiches every time we could afford them. 

Since then, we’ve created a pipeline where they hire resources of their own while our team decides what to build next. Things have gotten truly tight for 3–4 months, and some of us have had to work for free to keep the project afloat. Successive has then reduced the pipeline cost to keep the project moving forward without losing important project knowledge. In terms of technologies, we’ve used Angular, Python, and .NET. We’ve had quite a few conversations about which technologies will be more scalable and better for the project. We’ve also used the Google Cloud platform for security purposes and to be SOC 2 compliant. 

For design, we’ve had some back and forths to know what visuals to use. However, our teams make changes as we go because new information always comes in from different sources. Right now, we have 60 sources that we map into the backend. They then adapt the front end to them. We also have a usable interface, where we publish changes based on the users’ feedback. 

At present, we’re halfway through the project. Successive is in the process of designing how cases are entered into the system, what the dependencies are, and what processes are there for the users. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve had as many as 11 people in a meeting at one point, but the team composition has fluctuated over time. Currently, Successive has provided us with two backend developers, two frontend designers, a project manager, and an account manager. Another person also helps the front- and backend developers communicate. 

How did you come to work with Successive Technologies?

We were using Upwork and found Successive there. We previously hired somebody to work for us for $15 an hour, and it turned out to be inadequate. Our team had to hunt around and talk to different companies. We then talked to Sid (Founder & CEO), and he was compelling. It was also obvious that he’d go out of his way to accommodate a somewhat unorthodox approach to a project. As a result, we went with him and Successive. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $250,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We use the case management system every day, and I can interact with it because Successive has put it on a live server for us to test. The system isn’t a golden egg; it’s not like we’ve given the team instructions and they’ve come back with something that may or may not entirely match our needs. However, the Successive team has made sure that we’re a contributor in every step of the project — it’s been a collaborative effort. 

Moreover, they make me feel that I’m in control of the project, and no decisions are made out of my view. They don’t run off and do something without my knowledge. In other words, I don’t get horrible surprises, which is fantastic. 

Overall, they’re the right people for this project. They’ve done nothing but accommodate us in every possible way. I’m absolutely satisfied with their work, and I can confidently recommend them to anybody who is doing similar projects. Everything comes down to trust, and I feel that we can trust them with our money and time. 

How did Successive Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Successive’s project management is excellent. To communicate, we use Slack, where we have  3–4 channels dedicated to the different components of the project. We also use emails and have meetings at least twice a week via Zoom. These meetings are recorded and posted to appropriate channels in case somebody isn’t able to attend the meeting. We can refer back to meetings that we’ve had a year ago, which is great because we can get a better sense of what has actually been said. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is extremely agile in their ability to listen to what’s being said and respond to changes of any kind without making a problem. We’ve had to make plenty of changes to the project, and they understand that we need to do that. They do give their feedback, but I never feel that they’re dragging their feet. 

Overall, they’re great people to work with; in fact, I can think of some people in our company that I’ll happily swap out with Successive. Their team has such a good attitude in terms of agility, resilience, and willingness to go above and beyond. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences from them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Successive needs to improve their location-based knowledge in terms of dealing with international companies. The team is quite comfortable with ISO, which is an international standard. However, if they want to work with companies specific to our area, they need to go a step further and improve their location-specific services. That way, instead of us being two companies working together from two different locations, we’ll feel that we’re two companies from the same location following the same rules. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with Successive with a firm understanding of what you want to get. Be open to the intelligence and experience of the people in their team. Two brains beat one brain, and 10 brains beat two brains — there’s a reason you’re hiring a team. Make sure that you have experienced people and ask questions about how much experience they have and how much time they’ve spent on a similar project. Finally, spend more time listening to their ideas than telling them how to do their job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of a logistics technology company based in South Africa. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Technologies?

We hired Successive Technologies for their development services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Successive Technologies provides development resources and supports our AWS software application. They've taken over the web-based application development from our previous development team. The app is an invoicing portal where third-party transporters and companies can see what work is available, accept work, and upload proof of delivery. Successive Technologies also provides some consultative services. 

What is the team composition?

We're currently working with three developers, an AWS developer, and another teammate overseeing the application.

How did you come to work with Successive Technologies?

Successive Technologies was recommended to us by one of our partner companies who previously worked with Successive Technologies.  

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested around $30,000 with Successive Technologies — we spend around $1,500 a month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Successive Technologies began in December 2021, and it's ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, the developers from Successive Technologies have been great. We've made a lot of progress in our various development projects using the first developer they provided. Successive Technologies' team is extremely helpful, and overall our partnership is very positive. 

How did Successive Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Successive Technologies delivers projects on time and budget. Their team is very responsive; we typically communicate with them through WhatsApp and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Successive Technologies' excellent services are great value for money. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything for Successive Technologies to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd advise customers to ensure that any communication barriers with the resources from Successive Technologies aren't too high. Also, customers shouldn't be hesitant to work with Successive Technologies because they're an offshore company. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Leaderspace is a consulting services provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Technologies?

They made our website, from creative design to technology implementation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Successive was responsible for the ideation, in terms of user personas, workflows, and designs. I wanted a simple, clean website that would explain my concept. There’s a bit of storytelling involved as well.

They set up the navigation flow from one page to another, calls to action, and contact forms. The team also did some custom work on how we can categorize our contacts.

Successive translated that into visual designs using a standard WordPress theme as the basis. They translated those designs into HTMLs and did the WordPress implementation.

What is the team composition?

I worked with four people from Successive: a UI/UX designer, a WordPress developer, someone responsible for hosting and deployment, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Successive Technologies?

I’d known about them for a while, and I had an informal conversation with their CEO when I had a project. He proposed WordPress and a number of solutions that would fit the budget I was comfortable with and would make the site easy to maintain. It was an existing relationship that turned into a business relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was between $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from July–September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s quite early to define the impact in terms of metrics, but I’ve had more than 100 visitors per month. Getting that kind of foot traffic is great for me, and the site is useful for starting conversations with potential clients.

I’m happy with the overall look and feel of the site. It needs to evolve in the long term, but it’s exactly what I need at this point in time.

I showed the site to friends and family, and everyone told me that it’s nice and clean and simple to navigate.

How did Successive Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the great things about Successive is that they assign a project manager for each implementation, large or small. Even though I had a small project, I was able to interact with the project manager assigned to me. Another thing I liked about Successive was the fast turnaround time. They implemented the solution end to end in not more than two months.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with their technology know-how. There were instances where I wasn’t satisfied with any of the options Successive provided, and they adapted to the feedback and made the changes as per my needs, while also making sure that they weren’t deviating from the budget.

Certain features I wanted were hard to implement from a technology perspective, but Successive provided the right workarounds. They went to the WordPress community, did some research, and provided the right solutions.

No solution is perfect given the limitations of the platform, but I’m happy with the final outcome.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need a bigger client base in order to do larger implementations than they currently are. They should increase their brand awareness and market messaging on what types of services they do.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Successive is a great partner for clients looking to build custom technologies. They’re able to come up with multiple solutions, so long as the client is clear on what the problem is. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of ATP Images, a photography company. We’re a B2B company that allows photographers to sell their photos to various publications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Technologies?

We needed someone to develop the website for our new company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a website where we can sell photos. We are using AWS technology. They have a cloud as well.

What is the team composition?

There are four or so developers and a project manager, but my main point of contact was Ritu (Project Consultation Manager) who arranged everything for me. 

How did you come to work with Successive Technologies?

I found them on Glassdoor. I also saw them on LinkedIn. I also read their reviews on Clutch and decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $15,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is working very well. I have a team testing my website and they told me it’s working well. We had a meeting with them about the search engine, and I told them it wasn’t working well. My technical team tested it after, and they told me it’s now working well.

How did Successive Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is good. They were on time. We had a lot of challenges with the project manager but they fixed everything for me. They’re honest and professional. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were honest. When I spoke with them, they told understood me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I told them they should implement a structure at the start. We had a small challenge with them, but we have spoken, and they fixed it. I’m satisfied. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My suggestion is to put everything line by line in the first contract.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Dentsu World Services, previously Isobar, which is primarily a digital marketing and e-commerce company. We mainly work on creative content for our parent company, Dentsu Global. Our firm uses web technologies like Node.js, Magento, PHP, AngularJS, Adobe Experience Manager, and Sitecore.

I head the program management team at the company, working with different project managers and partners. Moreover, I also take care of the financials and resourcing needs of multiple projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Technologies?

They’ve helped us fulfill our resourcing needs in areas where we lacked competencies through staff augmentation services. Successive Technology is the primary partner we go to when we get projects on urgent priority from different markets and clients. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Currently, we’re building three regional Magento websites for clients in the Americas, Canada, and Europe.

We reach out to Successive Technologies primarily for Node.js, Magento, PHP, and AngularJS development. Additionally, we also rely on them with CMS implementation, including Sitecore and Adobe Experience Manager.

What is the team composition?

At present, we are running a huge project with 40 people involved for which we’ve onboarded three people from Successive Technologies.

We also have 8–10 people from Successive Technologies working with Dentsu World Services and there are 60–80 people from their team working with our parent company, as far as I know. 

How did you come to work with Successive Technologies?

I found them on LinkedIn and went to their website to review their testimonials. My leadership team and I had a call with them and we gave them a small test project. The engagement went well so we gave them more work.  

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work overall is $8,000–$10,000 per month but it may increase in the coming months. Usually, we negotiate the price at the start of each partnership and it stays the same even if there’s a resource change or a similar issue – they’re flexible in this respect.

What is the status of this engagement?

The large project started around December 2019 and we expect it to go live in February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successive Technologies has performed excellently on both fronts, even working on weekends.  Their commitment and knowledge levels are excellent. We have numerous partners and Successive Technologies is a very good one.

The large project we’re running is very stringent in terms of timelines and cost and we couldn’t make any compromises. If someone became unavailable, they are immediately replaced with a resource of a similar capacity. Aside from that, we’ve just spoken to Successive Technologies about a new engagement.

How did Successive Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a fortnightly connect with all our partners, including Successive Technologies, and we closely monitor their performance. We take close feedback from the project managers and I talk to the resources as well. The feedback that’s come around Successive Technologies has been great. We let them know of any improvement points and they’ll take care of those by the next time we meet.

Second, I can call them at any point in time, including after office hours. Even if they’re busy, they’ll line up someone to take my requirements and guide me to the right person. We often get urgent requirements which need to be started the next day. The team generally deliver results within 24 hours without us having to remind them. They’re quite proactive and vigilant with demands.

Their resources can work as individual contributors and they don’t require micromanagement. Our project managers feel comfortable working with Successive Technologies’ resources because they’re self-managed. We use Jira across the organization, seconded by Microsoft Project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m very impressed by the nature of the responses we get from them. Their agility and responsiveness are excellent, as is the subject matter expertise. Further, they have cost-effective solutions and they are a hardworking team. We’ve never been disappointed by any engagement with Successive Technologies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Successive Technologies could increase their resource count. They’re in high demand, mainly from our parent company and I’ve sometimes felt challenged getting resources. Despite that, they always try to help, either by finding a new timeline or reassigning a developer. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would recommend them for Node.js and Magento work. I don’t know what other competencies they have because we’ve never gotten the chance to explore them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I help in Marketing and expansion of a family-owned clothing business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Project: Cross-Platform Mobile App Development and e-commerce website

Goals: We were looking to do the transition from the traditional to e-commerce solutions and this Pandemic gave that opportunity and a strong purpose too.

SOLUTION

How did you select Successive Technologies and what were the deciding factors?

I was hunting for the companies which can help me build this project and while searching on Linkedin I found this company which promised me to deliver for a better price, timely delivery, and post-delivery support for the application

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

The company started to wireframe the application, I sat with the project team and brainstormed ideas about my business, website, mobile apps, payment gateway, woocommerce, and other features. Later, we discussed the design, user experience, and development of the project for the next quarter. The application is still in the development phase.

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

The team consists of a Project Manager, Developers, QA team and UI, and UX team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have shown the Beta Version 1.6 of the IOS and Android application, and the UI and UX part pretty decent.

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

Project Management Style: Collaborative and Transparent Communication Tool: Slack and Redmine are the 2 main tools

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

1. The constant support from the development team was very impressive
2. The Project Manager was very supportive and helpful
3. One-touch support and timely iteration

Are there any areas for improvement?

In the first phase of the project went smoothly and discussing for the next phase and plan of action with the Team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director for an international association of civil defense lawyers. We provide continuing legal education and are an advocate of the defense bar.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Software?

We wanted to develop a cost-effective interactive app that would allow our members to better network with one another.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the beginning, we worked together to refine the scope of the project in order to have it completed on time and on cost. We documented the scope and kept it highly detailed. Successive provided the wireframes, which we reviewed and edited together.

The members-only app is for Android and iPhone and allows users to communicate in a safe and secure way. Members can refer and track business from one another. They can also create personal circles in which to network. The app provides access to registration lists for our seminars, allowing users to establish on-site meetings to further business.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with the president of Successive and our project manager.

How did you come to work with Successive Software?

A local company here in Chicago referred Successive, and we vetted them thoroughly. Based on their expertise, fee structure, quick project turnaround, and work product, we selected them.

How much have you invested with them?

This project started in March 2017 and has already finished. We’re currently working on another project, though.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did a soft rollout at the beginning of the year, so it’s too early to provide specifics. It's been well-received by members, and I anticipate the app will be used greatly. Any code issues that came up through the testing were handled quickly and successfully.

How did Successive Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Successive was responsive throughout the entire development. The company’s president has visited Chicago numerous times, so we were able to sit down with him and talk face-to-face. The team is always available via phone, and they cater to our schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were detail-oriented, focused on quality, and easy to work with. They adjusted their work hours based on our Chicago time zone, which was incredibly helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

We worked with more than just Successive on this project, so if you do that, then you need to be aware of communication. Take into account that multiple agencies are working on the code and keep everything organized.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of an IT consulting firm. We primarily help clients with apps and websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Software?

We hired them to build a web and mobile platform for a client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our main challenge was to build a platform with both a web component and an app. The website allows users to create multimedia content (e.g. text, images, collages, videos, Q&A posts) using an intuitive interface. Content is then consumed on the app, which needed some special features, including geolocation and QR code-generation. We also wanted to ensure seamless performance between content creation and consumption.

We provided the wireframing for the app and they fleshed it out from there. They also helped us with UX, since that was a critical element of the platform. We built the app using Xamarin, so we spent most of the time developing the app for Android first and then released an iOS version about a month later.

What is the team composition?

I worked with their main project manager, but we occasionally chatted with five other team members, including testers, developers, and a graphic designer.

How did you come to work with Successive Software?

Our technical requirements were uncommon, so we approached several companies we'd identified online and talked with them to see who might be a good fit for our work. We're ex-developers ourselves, so we had a specific idea of what we were looking for. We were impressed by Successive Software because their owner is also a technical architect, and he's extremely fluent in Xamarin. He wasn't directly involved in our project, but I'm sure he contributed in the background as we worked with their development team.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They worked on the app from May–December 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They built this app for a client, so we don't have direct access to the metrics for how well it's doing now that it's launched. That said, Successive did a great job with the coding. Bugs were inevitable because of the project's complexity, but they undertook the work seriously and cleaned up any errors very quickly.

How did Successive Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We had calls twice a week through Skype, and we used Jira for project management. They were extremely responsive. If I could do this process over, I would've given them the requirements and let them build the app from scratch. I tried to be highly involved since it was our first collaboration, and I think I actually slowed them down.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In my previous experience with Indian developers, they're reluctant to tell you if something comes up that might slow down the project, but Successive was refreshingly upfront about any possible delays. We gave them some extremely demanding work and they provided excellent service in return.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they'd assigned a bigger team to speed up the process more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Explain clearly, and not just your requirements. You have to share the bigger picture of why you're undertaking the project so they can better anticipate and understand your needs. We found this helpful, as Successive’s team would evaluate different scenarios and come back to us with alternatives if they saw any flaws in our idea.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the managing director of App Developer Studio. We develop applications for clients, primarily in South Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Successive Software?

I had an idea for a wildlife sighting app for people on safari in Southern Africa, but didn't have the technical skills to build it myself.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We do the sales, client and project management and design work. They do the coding and most of the testing for iOS and Android apps, mostly back-end work.

Since the initial wildlife app, they've worked on a number of additional projects. They primarily build native apps, but are increasingly doing more cross-platform, as well as some web development.

Most of the apps are not off-the-shelf, and have very specific requirements. For example, they built a panic button app that contacts a security company when you shake or drop your phone. It can tell them exactly where you are and track your movements in real-time.

How did you come to work with Successive Software?

I found them through a freelancing platform, oDesk.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began about five years ago, and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've built about 50 customized native apps.

How did Successive Software perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, things occasionally fell through the cracks on the more complicated projects. Now we understand how we work and they work, it's almost like we're one big team and it doesn't feel like they're really outsourced. Depending on the size of the project, we allocate resources to project management and when we do that it is managed well. 

We use Slack as a project management tool, and it’s working quite well. The team is very responsive and quick to address any issues that arise.

There are some challenges working with a remote development team whose first language is not English. We end up doing a lot of design and prototyping in-house, to help them understand the requirements and be able to provide an accurate quote.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very skilled at what they do, especially native, iOS, and Android development. They can do some of the more unusual and custom development that a lot of other developers can't do.

The team is very focused, hardworking, and honest.

Are there any areas they could improve?

A year ago I'd have said yes, but now I'm happy with the team. They’ve assigned us the team members with the right skill sets for our projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Because of the language barrier, it’s often helpful to describe things with pictures instead of words. Also, get to know the individuals on the team and their abilities in order to find the best fit for each project.