Brocoders

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

It’s been a very extensive, complicated project. Brocoders does a great job with the coding process. I build the project step-by-step as I acquire funding and implement it with my partners in Uganda. These partners have given me positive feedback so far, that I then relay back to the developers.

Brocoders implements new steps, makes a trial, and then I give the feedback. They’re able to implement the changes effectively. Everything functions well for the most part. If it doesn’t, they’re able to deal with and fix it.

How did Brocoders perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything has gone well. It really helps to have an organized project manager. Their project manager keeps up with the work and distributes the payments and financial needs of the project. We communicate via email, texting, and video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication is very good. We even communicate on the weekends and at night. I’m always able to ask for timely feedback, and I have a great relationship with them. Since we acquire funding in tiers, sometimes we’re not able to pay for the bulk of the project. However, Brocoders continues working and invoicing us. They patiently wait until we can pay them once we receive the funding money. I appreciate the flexibility.

Are there any areas they could improve?

So far, I’m very happy with them. They’re very capable of performing and meeting my needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure to have a solid idea of the project and kind of framework you want. Communicate regularly and ask them for advice because they’re specialists in the field. Sometimes, they’ll advise changes that make implementation easier. Try to have group meetings or a summary of information for both sides.

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

They've almost finished the first milestone and have delivered an APK for me to test what they've completed. Everything works as they promised, and they've delivered all the features they said they would.

How did Brocoders perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform very well and are very results-oriented. It's a big, complex project, and they've delivered. They're thorough, and the project is fairly bug-free.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a lot of experience, and we've avoided all the common pitfalls for this kind of project. Their professionalism, experience, and focus on delivery are excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Software development like this is hard, but I can't say their work is anything less than optimal. If they had done things differently, I might not have gotten everything on time. I can't identify anything they should change.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Settle on all the project objectives before you begin. That will keep everyone on the same page, resolve any questions, and make the project run smoothly.

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

I don’t have any metrics since the whole project was built as an MVP, and I’ve run it concurrently with my day-to-day activities. Brocoders excelled in building the technology side, but there are massive gaps in terms of marketing and launching the platform. Those are areas I’m looking to manage.

How did Brocoders perform from a project management standpoint?

There is a big time-zone difference between our teams. I communicated on Skype 2–3 times a week with their project manager, usually during the evening on my time. We reviewed what the team had been building, and any issues I had would go straight into Trello or Slack for further action. The communication has been almost instant, despite the time difference, and they’ve implemented swift updates.

What did you find most impressive about Brocoders?

My project manager has been helpful with suggestions—from wireframing and ideation to letting me know when I needed to stop. If I had my way, I would’ve kept building and adding unnecessary features. Brocoders told me that they could build whatever I wanted, but it didn’t make sense to keep spending money when I hadn’t validated what was already in place. This demonstrated a lot of integrity on their part. They genuinely wanted to help me achieve my goals.

They focus on listening and acting. I had a single point of contact, who was able to act on what I requested and provide constructive input. I spent a few hours chatting with him on Skype about subjects outside of the project itself. It became a friendly relationship as well.

Their team is close-knit. I don’t know how many developers there are on Brocoders’ side, but they seem to be a bit of a brotherhood. There is low staff turnover, which is a big positive when it comes to understanding each other’s way of working.

Are there any areas Brocoders could improve?

They’re very good at backend and frontend development, but there are other areas where I need help, especially for the marketing, branding, and UI/UX of my site. I could make use of these services, but they’re not offered. Brocoders supplies project management and consultation on products, but there are gaps in the offering. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though.