SysGears

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Carveco™ software range is the trusted CAD modelling and CNC machining solution to a multitude of industries worldwide.

The easy-to-use, yet immensely powerful, tools included in Carveco software give sign-makers, woodworkers, engravers, jewellers (and countless other creatives) the freedom to design and manufacture high-quality 2D or 3D products from their artwork, faster than they’d ever thought possible.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SysGears?

Carveco wanted a portal platform as a unifying application, connecting a variety of business specific software services, enabling the delivery of digital services world-wide.

The aim of creating a singular portal was to enabling sales partners, machine tool vendors and customers to be able to transact with Carveco and communicate on technical matters. It would also allow them to administer and manage their users and software licences.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sysgears have been involved since the inception of the project, and have provided business analyst services, as well as development and QA services.

What is the team composition?

There are two teams doing concurrent development work, led by a business analyst providing connection and management between the two teams.

How did you come to work with SysGears?

Initial connection was via an online marketplace.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project has delivered 2 of (at least) 5 stages, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We would not want to demonstrate anything publicly as this service does give us a commercial advantage.

How did SysGears perform from a project management standpoint?

Absolutely wonderfully.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team has eveovled to understand our business workflows, meaning that they are able to provide business solutions and the move to coding them, with minimal additional input from our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I feel the team has worked wonderfully and communicated flawlessly throughout the entire project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a solution architect at Sestra Systems, which is an IoT company that develops smart dispensing solutions for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Software development is the main part of our business and we serve stadiums, concert halls, restaurants, bars, and the like. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SysGears?

We looked to SysGears to act as an extension of our QA team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SysGears provides us only one type of service at the moment, and it is QA engineering. They support our internal portal that allows our customers to perform basic functions and view analytics as well as enables our staff to remotely monitor and control our devices. 

What is the team composition?

We’re working with one QA engineer from SysGears. 

How did you come to work with SysGears?

We interviewed quite a few people but the person provided by SysGears was the one we liked best. We’ve never regretted the choice of working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in January 2021 and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t impart any sort of numeric metrics, but overall, we’ve been satisfied with the quality of their work. When one of our engineers in the US was temporarily unavailable, the person SysGears provided stepped in and took over the workload. We appreciate their flexibility. 

How did SysGears perform from a project management standpoint?

We typically communicate through Slack and Google Meet. We have stand-up meetings three times a week and an all-hands meeting twice a week. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

What we like about SysGears is their ability to provide really good engineers. When we were considering expanding the team, we sought their recommendations for a second engineer, and they were able to provide that within a day or two. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we don’t have a problem with their work. It’s a dynamic relationship and they’re receptive to our guidance and mentoring.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

There are two types of engagements. The first type is when you give a clear spectrum of work to an agency and they come back to you with a finished product. The second type, however, involves treating the agency as your own team. SysGears is perfect for the second type. You can communicate, monitor, and guide them on a daily basis to get the most benefits out of their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Interoperability and Integration for Crisis Logic. We are a technology company developing cutting edge technologies that help with interoperability and cross platform data sharing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our flagship product KS-DSE had been built out as a proof of concept. We needed an experienced team to help push our front end interface to a new level. SysGears helped us do just that.

SOLUTION

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

We reviewed several candidate companies and after a few video conferences and discussions, we selected SysGears. Their knowledge of the technology platform we were developing towards was the key factor in our decision to higher them.

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

The developer I worked closely with was very knowledgeable with the technology we were deploying and was able to get up to speed quickly.

We worked daily to fine tune the interface and on many occasions he was able to read ahead into what I was specifically asking for. I had very little changes that I needed to be done since he listened closely to what I was asking for and executed flawlessly.

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

1 front end developer and constant feedback from the business manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to make our deadline of minimal viable product with their help.

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

We had daily standups with their developers as well as weekly briefings with their management team

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

Their knowledge of the technology was the most impressive. They were able to offer suggestions and implementations that we were not aware of due to their experience.

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

I can honestly say I do not feel I can offer any suggestions. They provided the exact services we were looking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a software dev company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SysGears?

We had a basic prototype of our product and needed a partner to help make it production ready.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first worked with SysGears’ designer to take our wireframes and improve upon them. We iterated for a couple of weeks, using Figma and InVision to create high-quality mockups (including a logo). After creating those detailed mockups, we started with an initial feature set for coding; we used JavaScript and React for the frontend, Scala for the backend, and Amazon Docker for hosting. The platform is an on-demand service for software dev that allows freelancers to swarm build coding projects. We’re currently in beta testing.

What is the team composition?

We had four full-time developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with SysGears?

We found them on Upwork. We appreciated that they were a whole team instead of just one individual, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m satisfied with their productivity and have run some stats that show their code is excellent.

How did SysGears perform from a project management standpoint?

They weren’t just passive facilitators; they proactively fixed problems and understood our product. I communicated regularly with the project manager, who was great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took our objectives and translated them into a production-ready product. They’re knowledgeable and have a standardized process that helps them understand and meet my project goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could do better at syncing the design and dev processes.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have clear objectives that you communicate well to their team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Head of Platform of a travel company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the world’s leading, members-only travel and experiences company. Using innovative technology, we inspire the world to escape by bringing hand-picked offers at unbeatable prices to millions of members worldwide across our Secret Escapes, Travelist, Slevomat, TravelBird and Pigsback brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Grails Performance Optimization
• React Frontend Development
• DevOps Services

SOLUTION

How did you find SysGears?

Online Search

Why did you select SysGears over others?

Technology specialization

How many teammates from SysGears were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

We have worked with SysGears, originally on a project to deliver stability and performance improvements for one of our key applications. We have worked with SysGears to deliver React components and provide DevOps engineering resources.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Core web vitals

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

Sysgears didn't provide project managment services

What was your primary form of communication with SysGears?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

none

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Coordinator of Sombra

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sombra is a software development company that works with US, Canadian, and European clients. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• To close the need for a high performing developer fast

SOLUTION

How did you find SysGears?

• Online Search
• Other

Why did you select SysGears over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Speed and high quality

How many teammates from SysGears were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Senior Full Stack Developer worked in our client`s team. He demonstrated a high level of performance. Worked on integration of our client`s product with Jira.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Great feedback from our client (since it was a staff augmentation project)

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

The developer consistently met the deadlines for the tasks he committed to.

What was your primary form of communication with SysGears?

Virtual Meeting

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

The SysGears team is very polite and reliable. They're able to fulfill all their commitments.

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

Nothing to mention here

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of an elections hardware and software firm.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide innovations in the public engagement space to allow citizens to contribute to their local and state government.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• MVP
• Public Facing Site
• Production system

SOLUTION

How did you find SysGears?

Referral

Why did you select SysGears over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from SysGears were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

SysGears enabled a basic idea to be deliverd to MVP status. The pilot was proven in the field and additional work was completed to establish the system in a production setting. Additional developments took place to deliver an  Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant system that could benefit from Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards to ensure complete inclusiveness to the service. SysGears did all the development, UI/Design/ Agile project management/ Value chain engagement and corrective remediation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is live and providing service to many individuals from an idea to a fully compliant solution.

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

SysGears delivered on time but more crucially worked with our product owner to understand the business requirements in an Agile fashion to establish highest value features and capabilities first. Although the systems is SaaS with a mobile element the system requires all features to be available before it could be used in the public sphere and SysGears delivered and continue to deliver for our team. 

What was your primary form of communication with SysGears?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

SysGears are both knowledgeable and interested in the project requirements we presented to them including some innovations that required lateral thinking and the adoption of best practices that allowed the systems to pass rigorous certification before they could be used. They've been flexible, reliable, diligent, and accurate and have provided excellent communication during our long relationship with them.

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

I am an experienced project and program manager. During our long relationship with SysGears like most companies, we have evolved processes and best practices into a highly scalable, reliable approach to software and project delivery. SysGears' current deliverables to projects are excellent and I am sure if your project needs additional flexibility, knowledge, or approach SysGears will accommodate.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Former IT Lead of Innovista Management GmbH

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Innovations Management solutions for SMEs

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Implement Complete Project Specification
• Deploy to Firebase

SOLUTION

How did you find SysGears?

Upwork

Why did you select SysGears over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Good cover letter on upwork (straight to the point and seemed to understand what they were doing)

How many teammates from SysGears were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

We had an internal prototype for a grant review platform. Using our specifications, they have written a complete webapplication in React and deployed it to Google Firebase. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Have a working web application (which we have now) :)

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

They were always on time, and the exchange was very friendly and professional. We mainly communicated asynchronously over slack and then if larger things needed to be discussed via Zoom. 

What was your primary form of communication with SysGears?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Dmytro is awesome - great problem solver and gets things done!

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

nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of Rentweet.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an Accessible Housing Search Platform

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Reviewing the existing application code base for our MVP.
• Implementing the project vision and Scope of the MVP Product
• Competitor Research Analysis

SOLUTION

How did you find SysGears?

• Online Search
• Upwork

Why did you select SysGears over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost

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

SysGears was brought in at a very critical stage of our MVP launch as I was looking for a competent Product Manager to help drive the project to its success. We had hit a brick wall in the ideation stage and this is when the product discovery phase engagement with the team kicked off. The first objective was to Analyze and review the current codebase just to make sure it followed best practices and was well-written code that meets production standards. 

I received a very thorough analysis of the code base that was superbly well-written and was of very high quality. The next task we embarked on defining the impact and user story maps where we delved into features both existing features for the MVP  and features to expect post-MVP. We had a look at the user flow on the application and defined functional and non-functional requirements relevant to the MVP. 

The next step was defining a Lean canvas where we described the problem area we are trying to solve with our product,, Value propositions,, customer segments, and the works. We finalized this Discovery phase with one Vision and Scope document where we defined the company vision and goals while also encompassing all the above  deliverables  in a very organized and graphically inclined approach. 

Just to sum up everything, here are the main goals and  deliverables that we had achieved by the end of the Discovery phase:

1. Impact map with goals and rough features: 
2. User story map with epics and stories
3. Lean canvas 
4. Vision and scope 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overcoming Project Stagnation with Structured Deliverables
In just one month, we overcame a significant roadblock in the project by systematically addressing key areas. We started with a meticulous codebase review, ensuring compliance with best practices and production standards. The project then moved swiftly into defining an impact map and user story map, which provided clear direction and structure to the MVP development. 

By the end of the month, we had produced a Lean canvas and a Vision and Scope document that encapsulated the entire project’s strategy and objectives. These structured deliverables allowed us to regain momentum and move forward with confidence.

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

SysGears managed the project with agility and efficiency. They adhered strictly to the timeline, ensuring that every deliverable was completed on or ahead of schedule. Their project management approach was highly adaptive; they were quick to respond to any changes in the requirements and made sure to incorporate our feedback promptly. SysGears' responsiveness and flexibility were key factors to keep the project on track and meet our expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with SysGears?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They had a clear and effective communication channel and we managed to exclusively work together remotely 100% .

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

None at the moment they honestly have done a great job  with their company and team structure and how they do things over there.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO - Founder of Active Link Software

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Providing the energy sector with a customizable solution to manage their internal and external document storage and delivery needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Provide project management oversight
• Quality assurance from start to finish
• Design and creation of landing page

SOLUTION

How did you find SysGears?

Online Search

Why did you select SysGears over others?

• High ratings
• Personable during interview

How many teammates from SysGears were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Provide a resource that will become the project/product manager and be the single point of contact between our teams. Software development is being handled by another group and SysGears was asked to provide the resources needed to fulfill the Quality Assurance requirements of the project. Creation and execution of test plans, bug tracking and monitoring, regression testing for the preparation of our MVP release.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With each development sprint we held many planning sessions, would review the work as a team and ensure all the requirements were captured. Upon successful testing and release it was very easy to see our progress on a regular basis.

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

Everything I sent or discussed with my project manager was handled in a timely fashion. Questions were researched and answered diligently, suggestions how to overcome any road blocks along the way were provided. We have very fluid and open communication, if there's an issue it's discussed immediately and we move on.

What was your primary form of communication with SysGears?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their adaptability to my needs. I am a start up company with a lot of moving pieces and SysGears has been able to assist me repeatedly in tasks outside our original scope of work.

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

My experience with them over the past 12 months has been exceptional.