App Dev for Lighting Company
- Custom Software Development
- $50,000 to $199,999
- Feb. 2016 - Ongoing
- Quality
- 5.0
- Schedule
- 5.0
- Cost
- 4.5
- Willing to Refer
- 5.0
“The team from Techuz is very nimble, very responsive, and very available… and they produce phenomenal code.”
- Energy & natural resources
- Vancouver, Washington
- 201-500 Employees
- Phone Interview
- Verified
Techuz is developing a unique set of ERP software that complies with regulatory standards. Assigned resources are integrating engineering, auditing, and email features into the custom platform.
The engineers from Techuz can quickly digest information, allowing them to produce excellent code that meet highly technical requirements. Other highlights include phenomenal communication and project management. Their ability to adapt is impressive.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I work for a lighting company. I’m the technical product manager and lead engineer for all of our SSL [secure sockets layer] development.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with Techuz?
We needed to upgrade incumbent older facilities to new technology. That meant we had to develop a set of software that’s non-existent within my marketplace. In the last two years, two other players came into the industry with similar products that do not follow our regulatory body standards. We needed to follow our regulatory body standards, so we’ve decided to make a custom solution and deploy that.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
They built me an iOS and Android app and a web portal with an ERP [enterprise resource planning] solution, as well as a full sales solution inside the web portal. The auditing app audits the old building, and then the information goes in per the standards that we’ve developed. The app makes the logical match of what the new replacement products are going to be, produces a report, and emails it to my sales guys. It does all the financial calculations that we need. We’ll also be doing a Windows app by the end of the year. I typically work with three to five different resources from Techuz.
How did you come to work with Techuz?
I came to the company after Techuz was hired.
How much have you invested with Techuz?
We’ve spent around $100,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in February 2016, and the work is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
We just pushed a live update last week. We’re working through all the new changes right now with all my new users in order to start the next iteration. All of the work that they’ve done for me met the IESNA Standard [Illuminating Engineering Society of North America]. We tell them that they’ve gone from being computer programmers to lighting engineers. They have invested countless hours and resources into studying my industry and learning my terminology so that they could apply our standards. Based on my schedule, I can train them to be lighting designers so that they understand what I’m talking about. I tell them what I want, and they’re able to do it for me.
The mobile app was predicated on a power density calculation—what’s known as lumens per watt. This very simplistic matrix is only used to calculate power density. To make it a success story, we’ve actually changed that propagation to where it’s a lumen comparison—the total amount of flux or light being produced by the fixture. We then factor in the different shapes and colors of lights, which have an impact on the performance. Where everything used to be a very static number predicated on consumption, now it’s predicated on output and has a multiple variable matrix. Techuz enabled us to come up with a correct solution and predicate it on IESNA standards.
How did Techuz perform from a project management standpoint?
These guys have really phenomenal project management. They have a web-based reporting and task system, which is used to share all of the different parts of the program. They can take PowerPoint presentations or videos and things that I have, digest that information, and turn it back around into a steady platform.
Their ability to communicate has been phenomenal. We do a lot of Skype phone calls where we share each other’s screens and a lot of still image captures. I’m notorious for building 100-page PowerPoints and sending it to them, and they go through all of those. There’s not a form of communication that we don’t use other than standard phone calls due to international rates.
What did you find most impressive about Techuz?
I was impressed by their ability to adapt. They were building a lighting software with an accountant and an electrical engineer, and nobody in the entire organization knew anything about lighting. We were looking at everything that they’ve ever done in a different way to be able to change and keep up within six months. It speaks volumes. It’s what enabled me to say, “Yes, this custom platform is where we need to go and stay financially committed to.” I could tell my bosses that “This is a way of venturing forward.”
It took me three months to find a limit, where they couldn’t turn in something within two days. It took me a long time to start throwing very heavy, complex matrix calculations, what ifs, and different formulas at them for them to actually need a minute to respond. Most everything that I ask them for was done by the next day. The team from Techuz is very nimble, very responsive, and very available. They do all of these great technical things, and they produce phenomenal code.
Are there any areas Techuz could improve?
The artistic impression of certain things would be the only critique that I can give them. That’s in terms of modernizing the way that things look, a lot of which is left up to the client. Think of it as wrapping it up and putting on a pretty bow—the wrapping is good. The bow? Not so much. They could expand on their graphic diversity and the look of things, but I’m sure that’s pretty much predicated on the client. They need to show something that makes it interesting, adds a “wow” factor. I’m not saying that the stuff is flat. It’s not. It’s very dynamic. It’s very intuitive. It works very well, but it could be more. Every time I’ve asked for something more dramatic, they’ve been able to deliver. It’s just not something they initially offer, and I think that has to do with their business model.
What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Techuz?
I would say reach for the sky. There’s nothing that these guys can’t do. But in reaching for the sky, you have to be a very practical person. You have to be able to give them the relevant information that they need in order to be successful. In any project, set them up for success.
Make sure that you know what it is that you want. If you don’t know what you want, then state that. Coming into something lukewarm and half-knowing is fine if you can own that as a product developer. The minute you can admit and express what your downfalls are as the project coordinator, they can fill that in for you. They’re excellent at doing that. But if you take the approach that you know everything, you’re not really using them to their fullest potential. Just like with any artist, you have to give them the leeway to give you an artistic interpretation of what it is that you want. And if you don’t like the end result, they can always change it. But know what it is that you want going into this kind of business platform and working with someone like that. Make sure that you are well-equipped to go into this kind of endeavor. It’s very detail-oriented. The more details you can provide, the better they will perform for you.
RATINGS
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Quality
5.0Service & Deliverables
"Their ability to perform, to manage resources for you, is second to none. I’ve had guys work on weekends and on international holidays for me to ensure that products are completed."
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Schedule
5.0On time / deadlines
"Every time I’ve set them up to meet a deadline and give them adequate information, they’ve always delivered ahead of schedule."
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Cost
4.5Value / within estimates
"They have a great value proposition. Their invoicing is always fair. It’s always on time and adequate for what’s on par. However, I always feel there’s room for improvement in that area."
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Willing to Refer
5.0NPS
"I’ve already referred them to several people I know within the commercial lighting industry.