BeetSoft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a firm that specializes in commercial real estate analytics, specifically site selection tools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BeetSoft Development?

We had an existing application that had previously been natively developed for iOS and Swift. We were interested in transitioning to a different technology stack that would allow simultaneous development between multiple platforms, specifically being able to support iOS devices such as iPads and iPhones. We brought in BeetSoft to help us with this challenge.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially introduced BeetSoft to our previous application, walking them through what the business use case was and what the tools intended to facilitate. Their team assisted in doing an application review and made sure that we all understood what functions were actually utilized within the app and which ones were less used or not fully developed. Out of that, we formed a game plan for developing a new version of the app from scratch.

BeetSoft provided the business analytics service and looked into what competitive tool sets we could utilize to differentiate our product from other applications in the market. This allowed them to come up with recommendations for UI/UX and technology service improvement. They outlined different API connections for third-party services that we had not previously used and consolidated the ones that we were already using. The team then built a new UI/UX for us and proceeded to do the actual development of the application.

BeetSoft rebuilt the app using React Native, which is a cross-platform technology stack. Some of the app’s functionalities include mapping, exhaustive analysis between locations, and consolidation of data. Through these, users could choose a single point or location, pull data from multiple service providers, and share the information in a presentable manner.

What is the team composition?

We work with three developers, one manager, and one QA tester.

How did you come to work with BeetSoft Development?

Initially, we were looking for freelance developers to support our previous development project. The Native developers that we were working with ended up leaving the company that we had outsourced. Rather than letting them replace the resources, we looked at what other options were present.

We utilized a freelance platform to identify potential candidates who could work on that project with us, and we ended up selecting BeetSoft. After 60–90 days of them assisting and supporting the original application, we engaged them again for the rebuild.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little over $200,000 last year and are running at $100,000–$120,000 at this point. In total, we’ve invested around $350,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started around February 2020 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had fantastic success with the current development. BeetSoft is very responsive to what we had requested. One thing that I really appreciate about their team is their investment in the actual project itself. With previous teams, I’ve had to essentially dictate what needed to occur, whereas BeetSoft takes the initiative to actually understand what the business case is. With that, we’ve seen rapid succession in terms of them making recommendations that I could consider, rather than having me dictate what I wanted to implement. It’s very refreshing.

How did BeetSoft Development perform from a project management standpoint?

We did run into some organization issues in the beginning; there was a difficulty in terms of reconciling the 12-hour difference between us. We identified this issue 60 days into the rebuild project, at which point BeetSoft had done some self-evaluation and recommended how we could address the problem. Once their solution was implemented, we’ve become very comfortable with their project management. They’ve been able to provide reliable milestones and timelines. 

We utilize Jira and have weekly stand-up meetings via Google Meet. Daily communication is done via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

BeetSoft has a willingness to become familiar with the project on a business level. I appreciate that their technical team takes interest and ownership of the role that is usually left to a business analyst. We’ve outsourced teams that have over a thousand developers and have a dedicated business analyst, but this is the first time I’ve seen the engineers themselves being involved at that level. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have no issues at the moment. We had some hiccups in the project management and communication front in the beginning, but I feel like BeetSoft had adequately addressed those. 

However, they could still benefit from being able to streamline their resource allocation. I sometimes have to be more involved when it comes to resource management, making recommendations on how to break things out. This is perfectly reasonable for a small team, though, and I don’t think it counts as a significant mark against them. I just feel like I’m more personally involved than most stakeholders.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared for time differences, particularly if you’re based within North America. Set expectations early on regarding communication windows. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Marketing consultant and internal project manager at a American multinational promotional advertising company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BeetSoft Development?

Our company has kept a good profesional relationship with Beetsoft for some years now, recently in 2018 we rebuilt our new website and have been using their services to add special features and internal IT solutions.

SOLUTION

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

Good relationship.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project has been divided in different stages according to our needs for the past 2 years.

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

We had our own Project manager at all times who was always patient and cared to understand our solutions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been generating clients through their solutions already and keep on making updates on the website

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great so far, we always managed to catch up when we seemed lost.

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

The ability to program almost any request. We always have their help to understand the best solution for our needs from their perspectives.

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

Not for now.