Tyrannosaurus Tech

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of an app that helps groups of friends choose between restaurant options. Our cross-platform product recommends restaurants based on the group’s selected preferences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We needed a vendor to rebuild the first version of our app in Expo framework using React Native and following design specs.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a fully functional MVP for the App Store and the Google Play store.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I’d been introduced to them at various tech startup events near Atlanta. They expressed interest in working with us, but our product architecture made it a challenging fit. However, they were extraordinarily helpful in thinking through how to redesign and fix our architecture prior to actually engaging with them. After about a year, we hired them because their client team was extremely involved and committed to our product, and the development talent they staffed my project with was unrivaled.

Describe the project in detail.

The mobile app allows an event creator to set basic parameters for a restaurant outing, and then invite friends to help fill in the "when" and "where." Guests receive SMS invitations to complete prompts on their preferences, which are collected in the backend. The app considers all responses and queries third-party APIs to recommend restaurants for the group.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a developer, a project manager who did QA, and two senior managers who provided some oversight and guidance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app is available in the App Store and the Google Play store.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team was transparent and flexible and we communicated easily. My background is non-technical and they educated me as much as possible.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their flexibility ensured the project’s success when I sometimes had trouble communicating technical expectations. I don’t think we could have delivered the product without their help.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CFO of FGE Power, a developer of power generation assets including wind farms and natural power plants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We hired Tyrannosaurus Tech to fix a code injection attack that had occurred on our website. In addition to fixing security issues, they needed to rebuild the site and correct its Google cache.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to get the website back to normal—stop it displaying Japanese language spam ads—and ensure such a breach never happens again.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We hired them based on their reputation.

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

They rebuilt the site by locating and fixing our corrupted files, as well as closing any security holes. The team then ported everything to a new secure server and web host.

What was the team composition?

We worked with their CEO, one lead developer, and a secondary developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the attacks occurred right before a critical press release, their efficient fixes saved our business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team’s performance matched their reputation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their customer service and technical skill sets stood out.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Nothing. The project was perfect.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of the Atlanta Street Food Coalition. We provide a number of services to mobile food vendors, including startup assistance, event management, and lead generation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We needed to update our website to allow us to improve our service offerings. We also wanted to simplify and automate our back-office workload.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to have a functioning site before March 1, 2018. Our project had been seriously delayed before we started working with Tyrannosaurus Tech.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A trusted friend of a business partner recommended Tyrannosaurus Tech. We interviewed them and were extremely impressed with their professional approach.

What was the team composition?

We spoke directly with the CEO on several occasions. Our project manager and a developer were with us every step of the way.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Despite a tight schedule, they launched our website on time. Our clients have been very pleased with the updates.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was extremely effective, so everything moved along at a brisk pace. The team at Tyrannosaurus Tech scheduled weekly conference calls and provided excellent notes via email. We also had extremely reliable points of contact throughout the process. I cannot think of one time when I felt unsure about the direction or progress of the project. They did not miss a single detail.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism was impressive. With previous developers, I had become accustomed to having to chase them for updates, canceled meetings or phone calls, missed deadlines, etc. In contrast, Tyrannosaurus Tech did everything they said they would do in a timely manner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the managing director of The Bridge Community program, which helps a consortium of large corporations source and form partnerships with early-stage technology companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We needed technical due diligence on a group of early-stage startup companies to better inform our program's selection process.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking to better understand the breadth and depth of our candidates' technology, gauge their sophistication, their ability and readiness to support integrations with our corporate members, their ability to quickly scale successful pilots and integrations across a large enterprise, and fact-check the claims they made in their program applications.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Their level of experience allowed them to do the work we needed quite efficiently and quickly. We required a very tight turnaround, and though other vendors promised they could get the deliverables to us on time, Tyrannosaurus Tech were the only ones we actually believed. The questions they asked during our initial calls made us feel like they truly understood us, while the process they outlined for doing the work made it really easy to work with them. Finally, their promptness, brevity, and style of their communication—both on the phone and through email—gave us the impression that we would enjoy working with them.

Describe the project in detail.

After explaining what we needed from the due diligence reports, they identified what information needed to be gathered on each startup, and what the deliverables would look like. They then directly contacted the startups to request the information and gain access to their code and data repositories. 

From there, they reviewed everything they received, conducted phone interviews with CTOs and technical leads, analyzed demo applications, reviewed any other publicly-available code, datasets, and websites they could find, and wrote simple one-page due diligence tear sheets that our non-technical stakeholders could read and understand.

What was the team composition?

I primarily interacted with one of the owners. He and one of their developers did the work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was simple—the due diligence reports were delivered on time and contained exactly what we required.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were very communicative, letting us know their progress, and sending us drafts. That meant we had plenty of time for small improvements along the way so that the end deliverables were exactly what we needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed, communication style, and the ease of working with them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There were no glaring ways they needed to improve. They delivered and we were very happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CIO for College Admissions Assistance and we provide college planning services to high school students and their families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

The challenge was to build a new business application portal to provide all our services to students and their families. We had some specific design concerns about how the pages would flow and Tyrannosaurus Tech helped us with the business process analysis and UI/UX design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We laid out a plan to work with them and their team over a six-week period. Tyrannosaurus Tech collaborated with my product team to design the UI/UX for 16 different screens on both mobile and web. They have done a great job in designing the pages that there has only been minor enhancements or changes.

What is the team dynamic?

Three people have been assigned to our project, two designers and one project manager. I’ve worked with different designers on several different projects, and Jason, the lead designer, is probably one of the best I have seen.

The project manager facilitated timing, managed roadblocks, and ensured that momentum was maintained.

How did you come to work with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We received a word-of-mouth referral regarding their service. However, we put them through the wringer in terms of deciding between them or a competitor. We started with more than five companies. After shaving it down to three, they were the best of the three.

We did extensive research online and held several meetings and interviews to see their capabilities. In all our interactions with them, we got a sense of their aggressive eagerness to grow and achieve. It was important to us that they be aggressive and take ownership of our six-week deadline.

How much have you invested with them?

The amount is around $30,000 – $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in September 2017 and is still going on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t gone live yet, but I can say that all they completed for us has hit the bullseye.

How did Tyrannosaurus Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication between the design team and my product team has been lackluster. We use Microsoft technology for our development and communication; however, Tyrannosaurus Tech isn’t a Microsoft-based shop. We knew this going in, but we were just impressed by their aggressiveness.

It did not help that my development team is in India and they are 10 hours ahead of us. While they finish their day, Jason is just starting. Even with the small window of time they had to interact, not much communication took place.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Jason’s ability to design is hands down impressive. I noticed in the first couple of meetings that he can assimilate new information quickly and is a great active listener. During a design session, he was perceptive and attentive of the underlying aspects we were looking for, and I think that was a critical factor for the success of his design. Having more than 20 years of experience, I know how difficult it is to find someone with active listening skills in the marketplace.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have been more responsive with my development team. Whether the issue was with timing or the Microsoft systems, more communication between the two teams would have been fantastic.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a software service platform for employee recognition and rewards. We work with companies that range from small to mid-size businesses to Fortune 500 companies. We have a global web platform and we provide consulting services around recognition efforts for employers. I am the co-founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We reached out to Tyrannosaurus Tech to do a revamp of our marketing site. We really needed a partner that could take on the design, a complete rewrite, and the overall structure of our marketing site. We had used an independent designer for our previous single page site on HubSpot. When we moved away from HubSpot, at that time we had a temporary page, and with the help of Tyrannosaurus Tech, we redesigned the entire site.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Our initial meeting was just to talk about overall concepts, and then we got into a cursory design overview of the approach. Once our ideas aligned we felt comfortable moving forward with the proposal that Tyrannosaurus Tech put forward. At that time, we mainly worked with their team on feedback on structural changes and responsiveness on mobile versus the web. At the end, we had a good product that we were happy with.

They gave us tools and plugins that they recommended around SEO, as well as getting us set up with the admin backend to understand StudioPress, as well as the Genesis Framework. They were great with our questions and any follow-up that we had.

We were in touch with one project manager primarily, and then the founder/CEO also worked with us.

How did you come to work with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

I had a personal relationship with the person who founded the company and reached out to him. At that time, we had spoken to a few other firms and independent designers. We chose them because they were local to us in Atlanta. We knew the people behind the firm and felt really comfortable with Tyrannosaurus Tech being able to execute our idea. Even though they were relatively newer at the time, we felt like we could help them with their business by supporting local vendors.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

In the $10,000—$50,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016 and wrapped up our project in January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have received good feedback from our customers about the site and we have had people tell us that they like the site design.

How did Tyrannosaurus Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly used email to communicate. Their team performed great, there weren’t any surprises, and the team delivered on time.

What distinguishes Tyrannosaurus Tech from other providers?

The level of their technical confidence, as well as the fact that they are super responsive, distinguishes them from other providers. The founder himself is very responsive and always on top of the project. Any issues and follow-ups that we had along the way were addressed immediately.

Is there anything Tyrannosaurus Tech could have improved or done differently?

Overall, just managing the bandwidth that they have today by growing their staff where they need to as they take on more clients.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner at Stone, McElroy, & Associates, a psychological risk management consulting firm. We offer psychological pre-employment screenings for police departments and public safety agencies as well as some private corporations and television networks. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

About 11 years ago, we had a developer create a scheduling software program for us to manage our business. That program was on a disk that had to be loaded onto each computer. As technology progressed and our business grew, we needed to move to a web-based system.

We had hired a programmer in our office to transition our program to Ruby on Rails, but we soon realized that the project was bigger than we’d anticipated. We had to change the database structure and needed somebody with more expertise to make it functional, so we reached out to Tyrannosaurus Tech.

We also considered the possibility of marketing the software to other police and public safety psychologists as well as other businesses to recoup some of the development cost. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unfortunately, my business manager was in charge of this, and she’s not here anymore. I know that we asked them to review the existing code and revamp the system.

At the start, Tyrannosaurus Tech met with us for a few hours, asking detailed questions about what we do to get an understanding of our company. They did a market analysis for us to determine the marketability of the software program that we’d created, including interviews with other police psychologists. They lumped their process into groups of milestones and updated us regularly on their progress. They really understand what we’re trying to accomplish.

How many members of their team did you work with?

We have worked with 4 people at Tyrannosaurus Tech. Our main contact is Carlos [Co-Founder, Tyrannosaurus Tech].

How did you come to work with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

Our old programmer was running into problems with some of the code. He researched other companies online to find a consultant that could get us past these roadblocks. We chose Tyrannosaurus Tech because they communicated clearly. A lot of programmers don’t understand our business concept or struggle to talk to outside of programming topics. Tyrannosaurus Tech explained everything in a way that we could understand, taking our concerns and issues into account and figuring out technical ways to fix those issues.

How much have you invested with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We’ve spent at least $50,000–$75,000, maybe more.

What is the status of this engagement?

In November 2016, they did the major software overhaul for us. Before that, I think we did work with them but not as closely. They’re currently getting some test clients on board to use our software, so we’re troubleshooting that together. We want to get our second test client up and running.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

We just lined up our first external software user, so we wanted to market it quickly. We talked to Tyrannosaurus Tech about doing that in November, and our first person is up and running already. We’ve seen improvements internally in our efficiency and productivity since the overhaul of the software. Although I don’t know how to quantify the results, the systems in our office are now accessible from any location with an internet connection. We’re also conducting video interviews now from all over the country, and those have worked seamlessly with the software. I can go anywhere I want and still work like I’m in my office. That’s really attributable to their advances and ability to revamp the software.

How did Tyrannosaurus Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been fantastic. They have a good perspective of the project and break it down into smaller parts that they present, complete, and then explain to us.

We’ve met in person a few times. We communicate via screen sharing calls and sometimes email, but we mostly meet through video conferencing.

What did you find most impressive about Tyrannosaurus Tech?

I appreciate their professionalism, ability to understand the big picture, and helpful suggestions.

Are there any areas Tyrannosaurus Tech could improve?

I’ve had no complaints about them. They’ve been amazing. We’ve worked with many different developers to try to accomplish this goal, and they are the only vendor that’s been able to understand our needs. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a freelance graphic designer, and I’m contracted with a company called Public Health Innovations. They are an ideation, consulting, and product development company for food safety and general public health. It’s about 90% consulting, but we’re moving into product design and development, which is where Tyrannosaurus Tech first joined. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We had designed a mobile application for restaurant owners and managers. We needed a small firm to guide us and develop the actual code for the application. We weren’t looking for a huge enterprise business; we wanted a small team with whom we could work closely. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to develop a hybrid app for iOS and Android. We started off with a face-to-face meeting. I outlined the needs of the application. We got to know each other over lunch. Their involvement was basically programming a hybrid application that lives on the web and works on any device. They programmed the actual visual application, and then they programmed the backend for a CMS [content management system] website, allowing us to edit the application online. Most of their involvement was coding both the frontend and backend.

We designed the whole application, and they developed it exactly as we asked. We’re really impressed with the way they took the prototype and developed it into the application we wanted. Some features include phone dialing from within the app, links to external websites, etc. We had a team of 4 developers and a project manager assigned to us. They were more than happy to answer the questions we had, and they guided us through the process of selling the app.

How did you come to work with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

Someone we’d worked for in the past introduced us to a large firm. We contacted them, even though we were looking for someone small, and they referred us to Tyrannosaurus Tech. I emailed their co-founder, and we started from there.

How much have you invested with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

We’ve invested around $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in April of this year, and our relationship is ongoing. We’re a couple weeks out from the end of the project. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

They developed our app from the prototype we gave them. They started from scratch, and it meets all the requirements in the prototype. They’re a small team, so we worked with them intimately. When we asked a question, we’d get an answer within 10 minutes. It’s incredible. They were always on time, and they actually delivered early about 99% of the time. We are currently under budget.

How did Tyrannosaurus Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic. They have internal project management, so I don’t have to oversee anything because they already know what they’re doing. We can chat via Slack anytime. We have weekly update calls, which we rarely use because we’re in communication every day. From a project management standpoint, I’m definitely satisfied.

What did you find most impressive about Tyrannosaurus Tech?

They go out of their way to ensure they’re doing what you want. At the same time, for free, they offer guidance and advice around their areas of expertise to correct anything that may seem a little skewed. That really surprised me.  

Are there any areas Tyrannosaurus Tech could improve?

I don’t believe so. I’m 100% satisfied with the work they’ve done. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

kusoftware provides software to a segment of the health insurance industry related to medical stop-loss insurance. I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

I had a desktop application that I've developed over 25 years that I needed to convert into a web app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I contracted Tyrannosaurus Tech for all of the implementation work on the project. I’m helping them do the design work and providing all the business knowledge. They’re providing a frontend designer, UI person, and a couple of backend developers. I’m contributing a little bit to the code, but they’re doing most of the coding for the frontend and backend. The project is a conversion from one format to another and adding features in the process. We’re at the very beginning of the project, so I’m not sure what the end result will be. They’re helping me imagine things that I can do with it that it doesn’t currently do. They can also hold me back on some of my ideas if necessary.

The software package is a line of business app for medical stop-loss insurance carriers and managing underwriters. For this type of insurance carrier, it runs their whole business. For the backend, we’re using an API Rails app, and the frontend will be done in React. There’s going to be some other supporting services that we’re going to create in JavaScript, and everything will be hosted on AWS.

How did you come to work with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

I found them while searching for a provider for another project. For that project, we interviewed several firms. I tried working with a different firm on that project and it didn’t go so well. I had liked the Tyrannosaurus team when I had interviewed them the first time, so when I was ready to do this project, I went back to them. The size of their firm was a good fit for what I wanted to do. The main problem that I’ve had with other projects is getting capacity from the provider when needed. They seemed to be able to provide that and they still are.

How much have you invested with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

When the project is completed, we will spend $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started negotiating in April 2017, and the work started in June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I’ve been happy with their work and the progress they’re making.

How did Tyrannosaurus Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

We are using project tracking tools to keep track of everything they’re doing. They’re delivering what they promised on time. We use Slack, GitHub and Pivotal Tracker. The backend developer is dedicated to me full-time, so he’s available anytime on Slack. I’m happy with the costs so far.

What did you find most impressive about Tyrannosaurus Tech?

They do what they say they’re going to do and do it on time. I find that pretty unusual with the other providers I’ve worked with. They seem to be willing to be flexible as to how much capacity they’re going to give me in the burn rate in developing the project.

Are there any areas Tyrannosaurus Tech could improve?

We made the decision to use React but they don’t have expertise in it yet. They’re learning as they go. I don’t get the impression that they’re charging me for their learning.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Marketing and Special Projects of Nexcor Food Safety Technologies

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Nexcor Food Safety Technologies is the industry leader in food safety, sanitation, and maintenance management software solutions for food and beverage manufacturers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tyrannosaurus Tech to accomplish?

• Update the UXUI design of our app offering.
• Understand the complexity of the manufacturing environment and design the app to accommodate it.
• Ensure that the app can be multi-lingual.
• Ensure the app can run using a mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen.

SOLUTION

How did you find Tyrannosaurus Tech?

Online Search

Why did you select Tyrannosaurus Tech over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tyrannosaurus Tech were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees
Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The Tyrannosaurus Tech team worked with our industry experts to redesign the front-end of a mobile application that integrates with other product offerings. The app is primarily used for data gathering in a manufacturing setting and needed to accommodate real-time user change, information keying via touchscreen, status indicators, and manager oversight.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was completed in a timely manner. Our in-house technical team was able to validate that the design was well executed and easily transitioned to development. The final design was approved by clients and experts solidifying that it was suitable for the unique nature of food and beverage manufacturing. The design adhered to modern aesthetics and standards making the overall app feel premium.

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

The Tyrannosaurus Tech methodology and project "road mapping" is extremely detailed and proven. Their team makes a conscious effort set expectations early and ensure the whole team adheres to these goals throughout the project. The project management is very efficient and based on experience rather than estimates and guesswork. As a business owner I appreciated this immensely.

What was your primary form of communication with Tyrannosaurus Tech?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They have clearly used their experience to develop a best practice methodology for taking a project from start to finish. This was invaluable because we could trust that the project management was taken care of and our team didn't need to micromanage. Also, their design team truly listened to our ideas and acknowledged that we're the experts in our product and industry. It was a breath of fresh air.

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

Honestly, they are the best design team we've worked with. I wouldn't want them to change.