We Are The Robots Inc

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an education and technology company. We have been developing an educational platform where kids can learn math. The program is based on The Singapore Method.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Are The Robots Inc?

We hired them to remake the platform because the previous developers didn’t do a good job and didn’t understand what we were looking for.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve been working on the frontend design and development, backend development, UI and UX design, product management, and web art direction.

They helped us design the whole platform and programming. We gave them the math exercises that the kids have to do, and they designed all the features that the platform has to have. They uploaded the exercises. We have been working with them to develop a new content platform that matches The Singapore Method, which is concrete, pictorial, and abstract. 

We’re starting to create a new gamification feature in the platform so that kids also have the possibility to play. When the kids do their exercises, they gain points, which they can exchange to play on the platform.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with the co-founder and the chief design officer. We’ve also worked with a designer, someone who helps us upload all the exercises, and a couple of other people who do the QA.

How did you come to work with We Are The Robots Inc?

They were recommended to us by some people who are technology experts. We interviewed them, and the proposal they did for us made a lot of sense, so we started working with them. It has been a fantastic experience.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve met the goals we set, and they did everything we needed very quickly. When we told them we needed a better design, they achieved that. 

We’re now working with them on the gamification, and we’re starting to plan AI features. The new platform is adaptive.

How did We Are The Robots Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a very concrete timetable and specific processes. We use WhatsApp and Slack for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It is very unusual to work with a company that really understands what you need. WATR really understood what we needed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We wanted things quickly, but we’ve learned that it isn’t the speed; it is the accuracy. Other developers might deliver things faster, but they might not deliver them with the quality they need. WATR might take one or two weeks longer, but they deliver high-quality solutions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sit down with them and explain what you need. They have very talented people on their team. We are pleased working with them, and we hope to work with them for a long time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a k-12 educational digital solution is part of Santillana a huge editorial company. I’m digital solutions coordinator in charge of analysing and evaluating tools, products and systems, to enhance and better our educational offering across all lines of Business. My main goal is to choose the best candidate among the existing options and make recommendations for their implementation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire We Are The Robots Inc, and what were your goals?

For web development, for integrations with third services, for manteinance

SOLUTION

How did you select We Are The Robots Inc and what were the deciding factors?

WATR always has a proactive attitude, a innovative solutions, they help us to solve our problems in a efficient way and the most important always are available to us this is the key.

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

In each project we have a daily meetings to know if exist any problem o doubt, to prioritize the requirements, we work with sprints that allow us to obtain in a short time delivery product, we use Atlassian suit for documentation, tickets and status.

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

WATR provide us as general 4 o 5 people: requirement analyst, QA, full stack developer, developer jr, PM and some times a infrastructure consultant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our internal and external clients are very happy with the products because they are useful, intuitive always have a good user experience and good looking that also is important.

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

As a mentioned we have daily meetings, our tools to communications are slack (for immediately talk) , Jira for development task, issues, confluence for documentation, I love work with PM Eduardo Ortiz he is always available, with a quick solutions, he is like a consultant for us, he has a excellent technical knowledge.

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

Were are very satisfied with the quality of the products and the team's timeliness.

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

When I had any problem I talked to Eduardo (PM) and we find the fix and did it, so I now I don’t have any complains I am very happy working with WATR.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital manager at an e-learning company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Are The Robots Inc?

We needed help with custom software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us with development for several projects. One project was for high school students where they were able to create entrepreneurial projects that were were reviewed or revised by their teachers and peers.

The other project we worked with them on was virtual coaching for educators. They connected our platform with Zoom and calendar apps to facilitate scheduling. We created virtual services together. 

The projects were created with Laravel, PHP, and MySQL. All the infrastructure was in AWS. They did the entirety of the development, and they also helped us with different proposals to make the projects better. Everything was built from scratch.

We have them on a month to month retainer. Right now, we’re working on a project where we’re trying to integrate all the data from different systems to create a BI application that gives us insights on how the schools and students are doing.

What is the team composition?

I work with Eduardo (CEO), Aftab (Co-Founder), and Nadia (Project Manager). There are several other developers as well.

How did you come to work with We Are The Robots Inc?

We posted the project, and different providers contacted us. When I spoke with them, they had an agile way of doing their work. They were very into the project, understood the project, and were very structured on how the project has to be done. I felt they’d give us better results for our investment.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $200,000–$999,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2015, and our relationship is ongoing. They’ve completed the development of the two platforms I mentioned before, but they’re still providing maintenance and working on new projects. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered on time and within budget. The systems they’ve built are scalable. We Are The Robots Inc. has provided higher quality services for a more affordable price than other developers we’ve worked with. They’re also flexible and able to work with us in phases. 

There are minor bugs sometimes, but they’re fixed in less than an hour. That’s something I liked about them. The way they do the development, testing, QA, and manage delivery, there’s not much room for bugs.

How did We Are The Robots Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

For each project, we define the entire concept with Eduardo to understand the entirety of the project. When the lead developer comes into play, they take a chunk of functionality and make it into different phases. That’s when we start setting up the time frames, the budget, and the hours needed for their team and our team. Eduardo gives us a work breakdown structure (WBS) where we can see all the activities and a timeline on Gantt. Once we have that, Eduardo keeps track of progress using Jira. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They make the project their own. I don’t see them as a solution provider but as an ally or part of my team. They get things done in the best interest of the company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement. They’re excellent on the backend and can do a simple frontend. When we need an application that needs a lot of frontend work, they are lacking. They are more backend intensive than frontend intensive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you work with them and tell them what you want, they will give you many ideas that will make your project better and more feasible. The stakeholders on the client side have to play a very active role to be on time and within budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an IT manager at an e-commerce tools provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with We Are The Robots Inc?

We developed a mobile app that would allow our associates to consult invoices and make payments.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was developed both for Android and iOS. They supported us from the consulting phase to the implementation.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with at least two senior developers, a project manager, and a manager.

How did you come to work with We Are The Robots Inc?

We’d had other projects with them in the past. They developed a website for our marketing department, and we worked with them again a couple of years ago on a consulting project for another mobile app project we were planning to evaluate. We really liked the results back then, so when this project came up, we were sure that we wanted to work on it with them.

How much have you invested in them?

Between 350,000 (approximately $17,400 USD) and 400,000 Mexican pesos (approximately $19,900 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

This project started in May and ended around September 2020, but we expect to continue working with them on more modules for the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has been very well accepted among our associates. Our marketing department is currently working on campaigns to massify it and, so far, we haven't had any issues reported, which speaks to the high standard of quality they have. They also are user-oriented, so the interfaces are very easy to use, and that reflects in the satisfaction of our users.

How did We Are The Robots Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is great. They’ve made clear schedules since the beginning of the project, and they also point out any risks that might come up. They’re constantly updating us.

We had constant meetings, and when any risks come up they assign a special meeting. They also manage agile methodologies perfectly. In that regard, I really have no complaints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical skills are great but what I liked the most was the accompaniment they provided all along the process, from the definition of the reach of the project to the implementation, which makes the process a lot easier and manageable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly couldn’t say anything. We had a great experience working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations for a company that’s dedicated to supporting parents in their decision to sending their children abroad to study in different countries. We have presence in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, and Peru.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Are The Robots Inc?

We had the idea in 2015 to have an in-house system for our sales team, primarily in Mexico. We needed a platform to show all our information to our vendors. It started off as a small project and each year it developed into something larger.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve developed other systems together and ran projects in parallel with them including app development, web pages, landing pages, and more. They continue to further develop our platforms.

They’re also always checking that our security protocols are up to date to protect the sensitive information of our students. This year, we even signed a contract to keep working with them regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the team composition?

On the web side of things, there have between 1–4 people on board, including a project lead and others in supporting and maintenance roles. For each project, we get between 1–3 different resources.

For our in-house system, we have a continuous development and maintenance contract. However, this year, we’ve only had one dedicated resource.

How did you come to work with We Are The Robots Inc?

I honestly don’t remember how we found them. I think a collaborator presented them to someone who worked here back in 2015. I’ve had contact with other companies and we were working with another agency, but they weren’t delivering what we were looking for in terms of quality and requirements for the system. 

When I met We Are The Robots Inc, they were a small company, and the service, as well as the product they were producing for us, was very bespoke to our needs. They were able to deliver on all our requirements so we continued collaborating with them on other projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re in the range of $25,000–$50,000. We’ve spent more on them at times but I’m not entirely sure.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2015, and we’ve continued to work with them on further developing our platforms and systems. 

We renovate our contracts every year and at times have had two contracts in parallel. We just renovated our last contract which is for our most important system. We generally maintain open development contracts with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has been great. I don’t have any complaints, and I let them know it every chance I get. Changing vendors is not an option for us at this point because we know each other perfectly. They know how I work and I know how they manage timelines and deliverables.

How did We Are The Robots Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They, as a company, have grown a lot over the years. They started off small and are now a larger company that collaborates internationally with other clients. They’ve definitely improved by having a lead assigned to every project to verify processes and such. 

Every company has areas where they can improve, but We Are The Robots Inc has continually worked on it. They are up to date on the latest tech trends, including Django, Python, AWS, and more.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their owner’s flexibility has been remarkable. We can always reach mutual agreements in order to accommodate external circumstances like the current pandemic and exchange certain services for others when we’re not in agreement or if something doesn’t work for us. 

Also, one of the systems they created for us is one of our biggest strengths and is the main reason why we love working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are always things to improve but I wouldn’t say it’s something major in their case. There’s so much trust built between us, and occasional mistakes are nothing compared to the time we’ve worked together. 

However, I have noticed that at times, their internal communication doesn’t flow as seamlessly. I can agree with my contact person on something and those details don’t reach everyone else on the project or vice versa. It has only happened a few times, though, so it’s not a big deal to me.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager of a company that provides online coaching and training.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Are The Robots Inc?

We’re building digital tools to provide our clients with competency analysis and job performance planning. We needed a partner to develop a prototype.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a web and mobile app.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people.

How did you come to work with We Are The Robots Inc?

I found them through networking. We chose them because they understood our requirements, which helps us generate suitable development strategies. They clearly knew how to empathize with their clients to deliver results.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $10,000–$15,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project around March 2020 and we continue to work with We Are The Robots Inc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their work on the prototype, we have been able to define what it would take from us to fully develop what we’re looking for. They’ve also proposed viable alternatives that we’re open to.

How did We Are The Robots Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They were reasonably good at sticking to deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their graphic design skills are noteworthy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Everything has been good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a personal training fitness facility.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Are The Robots Inc?

We had a huge database of different pricing options based on various selections, so we wanted an online calculator that showcased those offerings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team developed the online pricing calculator. It’s web-based for internal use.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three members of their team.

How did you come to work with We Are The Robots Inc?

I’d worked with them previously on other projects for different companies. They were the most logical choice for me to approach because I knew they would be a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $700 CAD (approximately $550 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work made it easier for us to access accurate pricing information for our prospective clients.

How did We Are The Robots Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great to communicate with. Responses always came in quickly. It was challenging and frustrating to get the project within a finished state because of a few issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication style is very good. Their meetings were effective, so they understood the general design and ideas of what we needed to be done. They did a good job of setting the scope of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their attention to detail is a bit lacking. There were several times where I had to go back and correct their mistakes. We also had a lot back and forth that involved me asking them to redo things that they had undone in legacy versions. I had to review if the live version was working correctly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a cardiologists association and we focus on academics. We host symposiums as well as national congresses for cardiologists. I’m the membership coordinator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Are The Robots Inc?

We hired them to create our web page and a magazine site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They first did our website for displaying all our institutional information, including our chapters and events. We later had them work on our magazine. As an association, we have a cardiology-focused magazine and they’ve helped create a site where our members can see it online, though they can also opt for a printed version.

We also have a new portal, so they’ve basically been involved in three projects with us. It’s a portal for our members in which they can add their information, make their annual payments, add their photos, and more. It’s like a directory for our members. In this last project, we had more contact with We Are The Robots.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been in touch with five people, though they do mention other people who I don’t really know.

How did you come to work with We Are The Robots Inc?

I’ve been at this company for a year, so I don’t really know how we found them. We used to work with a vendor from Spain, but the contract ended and we decided to find someone else.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $50,000 MXN, plus maintenance fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’re still working together. They handle the maintenance of our websites and take care of anything else we may need.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results are very good. All members are surprised and delighted with the new portal, mostly because it’s easy to use. Since they’re all cardiologists, they really don’t’ have the time to figure out how to use these portals, but this one is very simple.

How did We Are The Robots Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

For now, we’re doing everything virtually. Whenever we need something, we prep it and they give us a time estimate of when it will be completed. We communicate through WhatsApp, email, and phone calls. They’re always there for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attentiveness is great. Being a cardiology association, our president is very busy and doesn’t have much time. Their team knows we’re busy and knows how to approach our projects accordingly. They’re great problem solvers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Everything is going really well with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is called Censys and we’re a Cisco Gold partner. We provide everything related to tech support, including installation, support, maintenance, and more. I’m the portfolio management for Centro Médico ABC which is part of Censys.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with We Are The Robots Inc?

We needed software development to support an infrastructure project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We Are The Robots Inc was hired to develop an app that connects to the web. For this, we needed someone experienced with Ethernet because our solution had to coexist with the system we had for identifying users. We’re trying to facilitate additional patient accessibility and provide unauthorized access. The system also connects to a patient network, which reduces overall connectivity. So our intention was to support those clients trying to connect digitally and give them a better and more accessible user experience on our platform.

What is the team composition?

About five people collaborated with us.

How did you come to work with We Are The Robots Inc?

I had worked with them before at another company. When I joined Censys, I provided the contact and Cenys decided to evaluate them. My company liked We Are The Robots’ proposal and decided to bring them on.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $1 million MEX (approximately $50,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Right now we’re at the end of our collaboration. We started off in March 2020 and the final deliverable is due at the end of December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I think the collaboration has been great. We’ve had significant advancements according to our plans and they’ve been flexible with their solutions. They deliver on schedule, and their graphic design skills are very good.

How did We Are The Robots Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was a little loaded but overall very good and everything has been clear. I’m a very visual person and as a client, I depend on visuals to see the progress of their work. A team has to be very clear in order to give clients the confidence that the project is on track. When it comes to software development, it’s easy for it to feel like the work is falling behind because you can’t really see what’s being done until you get the final results.

However, they always completed tasks on time. Any delays have been on my side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team has carried the project forward despite facing issues that weren’t very easy to handle. They’ve worked together as a team to push out deliverables.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve already corrected this, but at the beginning of a project, I would’ve liked them to send more visual reports. At the start, all conversations are very analytical and can become very vague. I spoke to them about it and told them that we needed something more tangible, which worked out well in the end.

Additionally, we don’t have much training documentation for learning how to use the system. They should connect their work in a way that allows clients to analyze and approve a proof of concept so that they can determine how far they can go with the application and make a good investment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Support and Maintenance of Coloürs

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Advertising & Talent Agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire We Are The Robots Inc to accomplish?

• Content Maintenance
• Adjustments in copy or writing
• Modification or adjustment in images
• Adjustment of new copy for SEO
• Update of images 
• Update of slider
• Optimization of Site Performance

SOLUTION

How did you find We Are The Robots Inc?

Referral

Why did you select We Are The Robots Inc over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from We Are The Robots Inc were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Web maintenance 
• Web page programming
• Troubleshooting of our websites

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

web proposals and problem resolution in the agreed times

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

He is agile, attentive, proactive and with good communication

What was your primary form of communication with We Are The Robots Inc?

Virtual Meeting

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

We Are The Robots Inc most impressive thing has been their values, knowledge, and experience.

Are there any areas for improvement or something We Are The Robots Inc could have done differently?

Everything good at the moment