TERRAFORM

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own an online pharmacy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

We hired them to design a website for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TERRAFORM designed our website from scratch. We went through the wireframing process. I believe they used React Native.

What is the team composition?

In total, we’ve worked with five people.

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

Someone referred us to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with TERRAFORM started in 2018. We work with them still with changes and updates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TERRAFORM delivers a reliable service. The site is functional, but we’re continuing to change things. They’re pretty good with their design expertise. We test quite frequently, but everything works properly. If there’s an issue, we can get them to look at it.

The process was very detailed. During the wireframing phase, they brought me in several times to confirm the offerings and asked what else I wanted to see. They work well with their customers.

How did TERRAFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is pretty thorough. There are very few gaps. I believe they outsource some of their design programming, which can cause some delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re pretty straightforward. Their pricing is a little bit on the higher side, but their team gets the job done. I don’t get charged extra and there are no hidden fees.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes the timelines for fixing small issues take longer than I would like. Since it’s outsourced, it takes a little longer for fixes. It’s also a little harder to find the same person to make the change. As I mentioned, their pricing is also on the higher side.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have enough in your budget. Their processes are pretty good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president and CEO of Goat Generation Food Limited.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

We were looking for a partner that had the technical expertise to develop a mobile application that we didn’t have in-house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the development process of our mobile application with a team in Mexico. It didn’t go well, and I think when around 30% of the programming of the app was done, we stopped with them and began to look for a local company. TERRAFORM came in and they were able to take over where the other team left off.

Their team helped us to build a model application that helps businesses reduce food waste by offering a platform where they can offer their surplus food at a discounted price to buyers.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with a total of four people. We had a project manager who was my direct contact. We also had a developer, there was someone from quality control who would change, and it wasn’t always the same person. We also worked with the owner of the company who was involved at the beginning, but then the other team members managed the project.

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

I searched online for app development companies and did an assessment of the companies that are based in Calgary and met with them. I looked at the reviews that they had. I really liked TERRAFORM’s approach and the team there which is why we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested in them?

The total cost was between $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think the contract began around November 2018, and we just finished a few weeks ago in June 2020. The project was phased, and we had been doing add-ons to the app and just finalized the last phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team that I worked with was very hands-on and very responsible. They were very committed to getting the work done. I think like in any app development, you run into hurdles and things that don't work as we want them to work or we thought they were going to work, but we always found a common ground on where to land. I really appreciated that about them. They took over a project that was one third developed in a language they didn’t use, but they were still able to deliver.

How did TERRAFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

I think it was pretty good. They have a whole process of documentation and approvals that we went through at each step of the way. From the project management side, they were very organized, hands-on, and made sure that we got things done.

My only comment would be about the deadlines. Sometimes we struggled with the deadline. I think sometimes they planned things based on their previous experience but didn’t always consider hurdles or things that may not work so our deadlines sometimes slipped. Other than that, everything else such as the quality, documentation, and development was pretty good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The commitment from their end to make sure that the app was successful impressed us. They always went beyond to promote us and help spread the word about the app. It wasn’t only a relationship about the development, it became a little bit more. They were always giving us advice and tips, as well as connections to other things related to our business. I truly believe that TERRAFORM became a partner for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think like anything in the tech world, there are always issues when you are developing something new, but I think they were always hands-on, ready to help, and proposed solutions to things that we experienced throughout the process which was good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In our case, we didn’t have the technical expertise in-house so we had to rely a lot on their advice. My only advice for anyone developing an app is if you are starting with any development team that is going to be developing an app for you, make sure that you have someone in-house, on your team, that also has the expertise to oversee the development side of things and that speaks the same technical language so it is easier to navigate the process.

They are very technical and they do make an effort to simplify things for us so we can understand, but sometimes it can still be a little bit of a struggle when you don’t have a technical background in application development

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of Powered by Zomongo, a mobile advertising, discount, and deal app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

We needed to develop an interactive app that allowed merchants to post deals, discounts, and PSAs — both health and governmental. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TERRAFORM started with some existing code and built a new platform for our app. It runs on Android and iOS. Our VP of IT worked with their architect to design the wireframes.

In addition to showing discounts and PSAS, the app lets us pin sporting events so that our promotions and marketing division can show up with vehicles and brand ambassadors. It has a heavy communications component as well.

What is the team composition?

Adrian (General Manager) is my main point of contact. I’ve also worked with Kyle (Technical Product Lead) and other team members. The group has changed as their organization has grown. 

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

We worked with another offshore company, and we were looking for a local app with some components we wanted to incorporate. They suggested we talk to TERRAFORM.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $1–2 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in the summer of 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our biggest success is that we’re still in business and have customers. Our primary goal at a large event is to get large amounts of downloads and footprints for our app.

How did TERRAFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very structured and thorough. They sometimes take longer than what we’d like, but that’s because we’re high-octane. We communicate over email, texts, Telegram, and some face-to-face meetings. We do a lot of pre-planning, and TERRAFORM is good at that. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have good people on their team. Everyone I’ve met from TERRAFORM is knowledgeable and proficient with a skill set that speaks to our goals. They’re also good at documentation, architecture, and walking us through their work. When we go back and make tweaks, they have a couple of individuals on the project to fix features or code on the fly if needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. For the size of their company, they’re pretty effective and efficient.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an anonymous safety reporting platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

We have two development teams, one of them is TERRAFORM. They’re focused more on the UI/UX and mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before we even started development, there was an interview process where we came in with wireframes and the vision and the functionality list. Then, they translated that into a document that outlined the front- and backend, updated design, and wireframes. It basically broke it down into a series of steps. once that was approved, we proceeded to the quoting phase, and then we jumped into things.

Finally, during that process, they were very focused on making sure that we didn’t overdevelop. They helped us keep within the scope that we needed for the MPV and didn’t go too far beyond that. They also go regular updates through the technical guy they have assigned to us.

The mobile app is cross-platform, for iOS and Android. Our application needed anonymity. One of the challenges for our project was to integrate a blockchain technology into a Google Map API reporting platform. Even though we had a separate development team create the smart contracts and blockchain side of things, they were good at being able to integrate it because they had experience building in that space. They were able to develop both the Android and Apple mobile platforms simultaneously using React.

What I noticed, as we moved along, was that they were pretty good at making sure their internal testing was able to catch UX issues, and they even fixed some without asking, which was really good as well. We came to them with a lot of the designs, and we had a separate team working on all of the designs, but TERRAFORM implemented everything according to the specifications.

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, during the planning phase, I was working with two individuals. Once we had the final scope of work, I was only working with Kyle. He was our quarterback in terms of communicating and changes or updates or dealing with concerns. On the accounting side, they had an individual who, I believe, was their bookkeeper that was keeping in touch with us. Overall, Klaus (Marketing Coordinator, TERRAFORM) was in charge of gauging issues, high-level stuff.

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

We went through a number of phases, including considering hiring someone internally to build it from scratch. Because we knew we had to put together a few different technologies, we needed a team that had experience in exactly what we were trying to do. We’d actually seen a similar app they’d built, so it wasn’t a far shift.

The intake process was big. It gave us the confidence that we had timelines and wouldn’t be a never-ending development fest of little feature changes here and there. The quotes we’d gotten from alternative companies were random throw out. TERRAFORM broke it down to us in detail. While it cost money to get that plan, it was totally worth it. They were really good on the flexibility part. We’re a startup, and there’s not unlimited cash, but they were flexible in terms of feature changes. It helped us strip away what was unnecessary at the time.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $120,000 CAD ($85,000 USD) with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2019. We’ve completed about 98% of the first contract and we’re moving into our second contract with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re pre-launch, so it’s hard to say exactly how what they’ve built will play out, but I will say that in the initial testing in phase 1, what they built work and was able to communicate to the end-users what we’re doing. That was a successful run in the first hand, but it also allowed us to rapidly iterate on what we need to change.

We need to make sure that what they built can exist in over 10,000 phones at the same time without breaking. One of the main focuses in the beginning phases was that we wanted to build a business, rather than just a piece of software. They’ve been very good at combining the conversation from a technical perspective with the business uses.

How did TERRAFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, communication was really good. Things got a little tight on their end with their staff and just falling behind, so things got a little thin in terms of regular updates. I understood that that was part of their growing pains in terms, which was fine. But, overall, they’ve been very good at communicating and providing updates.

They’re very responsive to the changes that we need to make and have a good process on a different app so we can report issues and bugs that they can resolve. Right now, we’re using Pivotal Tracker and back and forth emails. Our testers take screenshots of the issues and upload them to Pivotal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Number one is their attention to planning. The technical documents they provide before doing any planning are the best I’ve seen so far. It’s been a huge, huge help in getting started and communicating to our investors what we’re doing.

Number two is that they have broad experience in mobile app development and were able to put together multiple pieces: blockchain, natural language processing. They have a broad skillset.

Lastly, it’s their execution. They’re doing a good job executing the actual plans that we have and sticking to it. They don’t go too far outside it and, again, they stay focused on the business purpose behind it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Without being too critical, they could provide more communication in terms of where they’re at with development. Some sort of timeline that updates along the way as things get done. it would be nice to see the progress happening in real-time. Trello might help with that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It really comes down to your preparation. There isn’t a development team on earth that can guess what’s in your head so you have to come prepared. You have to come with at least some legwork done on your end, even if you’ve just patched together some design. Also, be prepared to spend money on planning. It will help you develop something worth spending money on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a platform that allows people to build their own vigils. I'm the president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

We wanted to build an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They're building our app on iOS. We gave them a basic concept, and they did the wireframe and the technical things. The app allows you to log in, register as a user, and create a profile at different levels.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Klaus (Marketing Coordinator) , and we work with 3-4 of their members of their team.

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

We found TERRAFORM in the handful of local companies available to us. They seemed really susceptible to the idea, and offered options that other teams weren’t.

How much have you invested with them?  

We've invested $79,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Right off the bat, they seemed welcoming and understanding. They took a realistic look at our idea, and instead of firing a quote back at us like a lot of other development shops did. Their suggestions possibly doubled the income of the app. They really breathed life into our idea.

How did TERRAFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

They're really good. I can expect on a weekday that Klaus will get back to me within 15 minutes, tops. We communicate via email and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We're not very tech savvy people, but they make things easy to understand and the options they give all seem like good ones. They always wait for our feedback and their willingness to listen and come up with ideas is always great to see.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't think so. The only hurdle we faced was having our main point of contact changed 2-3 months into the project because that person found a new job. That's when we started communicating with Klaus, which proved not to be a hurdle after all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to present your idea to them and expect them to do their best in understanding it. Expect a friendly environment.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a private contractor that works in oilfields as a pipeline inspector for oil companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

It’s just an app I wanted to build because I thought there was a need for one like it. I work in oilfields, and it helps people find locations of wells or a new lease or an integrity dig. It can be hard to find these places when it’s snowing or foggy outside.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I told them what I needed, and they built it. First, we built it for Android because that’s what I use. We also made it accessible on iPhone, but that was later. The app works by typing in a lease number and it produces directions. We’re always trying to add new features as well.

What is the team composition?

I talked to 2–3 people.

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

I knew Adrian (General Manager, TERRAFORM) prior.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $100,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together throughout 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Now, over 30,000 people are using the app. It’s become very useful. I run into a lot of people in the oilfield who are using it. It’s just spread as people have learned about it.

How did TERRAFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

They got the app up and running and keep it running now. They were very useful. We got together in-person a few times to start with to figure out how the app would work. We communicated by email and phone calls after that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They got the app together. There are a lot of projects that get started and are never completed, but they finished it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand what your endpoint is and go in and deal with it. Listen more than you talk.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a global platform for iOS and Android that allows customers to find and hire qualified service providers. The platform manages the interaction between the client and service provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

We needed a firm to develop our application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TERRAFORM was supposed to manage our entire project, from wireframe to development. However, we ended up doing most of the work. We had a clearly defined scope and were told their team worked in-house in Calgary, but their developers were all abroad.

The original project manager did decent work, but once he was fired, the code stopped meeting our specifications. Even though we’d already paid for the final code, they didn’t give it to us until we signed off saying that we’d accept whatever they gave us, which wasn’t functional.

We also paid them to do graphic design work, but their designs were subpar. We eventually ended up making our own, and then TERRAFORM said they’d charge us extra to implement them in the app.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with the project managers. Adrian (Owner, TERRAFORM) fired the first one and then became our project manager.

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

We found them online and saw they had a few good reviews. We met with Adrian in person, who told us everything was done in-house in Calgary. That was an important factor because we wanted someone local who we could easily communicate with and who would understand the market.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with TERRAFORM from 2016–2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

The final code they deliverable wasn’t operational. The app isn’t in the App Store or Google Play, and the admin panel isn’t secure at all. Anyone could access the database and request or change information. It was also extremely buggy and lacked numerous features that were in the project scope.

We’ve missed around eight months of business activities because we haven’t launched yet, and we ended up having to hire a different firm and pay them an extra $60,000 to build our app. TERRAFORM’s code was so bad that our new partner had to overhaul everything.

How was project management handled?

Our original project manager did good work, but things became terrible when Adrian took over. Communicating with him was incredibly difficult, with months of dead time where no work was done until we agreed to whatever contract he gave us. Our money was stuck with them, and they created a toxic and stressful environment for our team.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

Nothing about our partnership was good. They never delivered on time, didn’t double check their work, and failed to create a good working relationship. We paid them for services that they never completed.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Even though Adrian said the developers were local, we found out he was hiring them from overseas. The new firm we’re working with said the code TERRAFORM created was patched up and low quality.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

They don’t develop the code in-house, and the quality is extremely poor. Don’t work with them; other firms can probably do a much better job.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on 02/19/19. The reply is written by Klaus C. (IT Operations Lead, TERRAFORM)

While this project was very challenging on a personal and professional level, this negative experience brought many positives in new processes and communication methods that are being used internally.

The client was initially very flexible with everything we presented and rarely had any additional feedback or changes. We provided them with numerous documents outlining and detailing the plan and features. The client signed the Scope of Work and agreed with all the details clarified in all the planning documents.

Within the first month of development, the client called and put the project on HOLD. Over the next 4 months, additional changes, new features, and revised requirements were requested. While we tried to accommodate these items, most were not in original scope and he was advised there would be additional costs. This was met with strong opposition. We included many of his new changes at our cost to help the project to move along.

After many months of scope slide, the client was notified that new extra changes that were out of scope would be billed as we could not keep adding features without compromising the tight budget that he had. They immediately halted development.

The whole project was nearly 95% operational, except for a few of the final items that were out of scope. Apple Testflight and Google Play were used throughout the development process. Everything was ready to be published but the client wished to take the project in their current state. He was notified that the project was incomplete and not public in the stores.

It was a challenge for our team to work on the tight budget, to make compromises, to fit in the additional features that were not on the Scope of Work. We compromised and added extra features, but still the client never seemed to be satisfied and always requested more, without any compromise to his budget. While new changes were signed off by the client time and time again, they would still return and request additional changes after it was complete. Unfortunately, there was only a limited amount of compromise we could fit in.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an oilfield service company. I’m the president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

We’re always looking for new ideas to improve our day-to-day work. We wanted to build a web-based platform that reduces redundancy within the business. The end goal was to run the entire management side from one central hub.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The whole platform is built on JavaScript and PHP. We also use an AWS server. They are working on functionality that will let us follow the entire lifecycle of each job. Most of it will be for internal use, but there is a small customer-facing portion.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Adrian (General Manager, TERRAFORM), Klaus (Project Liaison, TERRAFORM), their sales lead, and two developers. I can contact them through email if ever I have issues.

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

We did a web search and interviewed a couple of companies. We ultimately settled on them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We stated working together around August 2016. The platform hasn’t launched yet and work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve done a lot of tests and I use the platform myself. We haven’t revealed it to our customers yet and are still waiting on a third-party before we transition fully. I use it for daily operations and can see the areas that need further development or have bugs to resolve.

TERRAFORM is really responsible and solves bugs and other issues. Because of the third-party provider, we had a bit of a rough start. The project has improved a lot thanks to TERRAFORM’s efforts.

How did TERRAFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

They do well with development. A lot happens in the background that doesn’t always show. It was difficult to gauge exactly how much time was going into the project but they deliver good work at reasonable rates.

They set me up with a project management tool where we can make requests and do status checks. We meet every week or every other week and we communicate via phone and email between meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This is the first project like this that I’ve done but they’re very good at staying involved. If I ever have a problem, I can call them and they fix it right away.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I had a lot to learn. At first, it was tough to communicate what we wanted and trust that someone could interpret our needs without knowing our business intimately. I can’t fault them for that; most of our difficulties were just a part of building a relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared for a long process, especially if your project is as complex as ours.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the business operations manager for a joint venture construction company. I cover the day-to-day operations including IT, marketing, and administration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TERRAFORM?

There's a lot of paperwork for our projects, firstly the most current construction documentation, and secondly, the daily forms such as safety forms, environment forms, and quality forms. We wanted help to streamline the processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted a tablet app built. We opted to go with iOS because everyone is more familiar with iPads.

The app had to have the ability to work offline as sometimes we work in remote areas where coverage might not be available. Once back within range, it needed to automatically sync up with the servers and push out the information. We were also looking at having a document repository within the app to cover documentation for the team, whether it is drawings, policies, procedures, or forms and alerts.

We met with them quite a few times to go through everything and they created the wireframes for us based off of our discussions. We did provide sample documentation of forms, but mainly we sat with them and let them know what challenges we faced and what we were looking for. They took that and ran with it.

What is the team composition?

We had four of five members of their team who typically attended our meetings. This included our account rep and the owner. We went through brainstorming, then when it came time to start the development, they brought in the developer in for our meetings as well as their project managers.

How did you come to work with TERRAFORM?

We found them through a Google search. We called a number of different people and asked some interview questions as well as for samples of previous work. When it came down to it, we felt comfortable with TERRAFORM's proposal, their development steps, software development cycle, and lifecycle. They are also from Calgary, and the owner had previously worked in our sector, so he understood the challenges we face.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in April 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're going to be rolling out the app very soon to test it out in the field—that will be our ultimate test.

How did TERRAFORM perform from a project management standpoint?

It's been fairly good. We mostly communicated through email or face-to-face meetings. They're able to provide us with development dashboards with dates for tasks. We did request an additional Gantt chart, just because we're a construction-based company and it makes it easier for our people to follow. Overall, they've addressed any questions that have come up. Change orders were done in a timely manner, which was also good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their personality stands out. They're outgoing, easy to talk to, and easy to follow up with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They've changed account managers during our time and the new account manager is more responsive, which has been better. They're on the right track.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them as often as you can as the dialogue is what gets you started. The more they understand the project, the needs, and the requirements, the easier it is to develop. It will reduce your iterations and help streamline the work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder/Executive director for dance nonprofit organization. We catered to the dance community in Calgary and surrounding areas (Airdrie, Okotoks, Black DIamons, Banff, etc).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TERRAFORM?

App development

What were your goals for this project?

Creating a tool for the dance community that fills the gaps created by over-saturated social media websites.

SOLUTION

How did you select TERRAFORM?

Reached out to several companies, they were the only ones to respond and displayed professional tendencies

Describe the project in detail.

After the first meeting had a better idea of the financial requirements and started applying for grants. once we received the digital strategic fund from canada council for the arts, we reconnected and began the project.

What was the team composition?

Working directly with Operations Manager - Klaus and Business Development - Rik

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project is ongoing - those outside the project that have seen some of the specs and details thus far have expressed excitement and praised the clarity of the app's flow

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are very effective. They provide clear communication between the teams.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

1. Organization
2. Professionalism
3. Understanding

Are there any areas for improvement?

None come to mind at this point in the project.