Ceiba Software

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Software Director of Mercado Libre

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the largest e-commerce firm in LATAM and one of the biggest fintech companies as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ceiba Software to accomplish?

• Extend our hiring capabilities
• Rely on Software development Expertise

SOLUTION

How did you find Ceiba Software?

Referral

Why did you select Ceiba Software over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Ceiba Software were assigned to this project?

30

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

Ceiba has been involved in several initiatives of Mercado Libre and Mercado Pago, including: 

• Key initiatives for our investments platform 
• Several initiatives for our commerce platform, including for our vehicle, real estate, and services division 
• Development and support for our core payments platform
• Reporting, Data analytics, and more.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Ceiba worked together with Mercado Libre’s engineers to provide key features for all the areas they were involved in. Due to the type of engagement and Mercado Libre’s way of working, we worked as one team, together towards delivering value for our users. The quality of the work was also good, and they also demonstrated they can work as one team with us, due to the great cultural fit between the two companies.

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

As a project with shared project management we didn’t have issues regarding delivery timelines or coordination. We worked together identifying blockers and making sure we could work around them.

What was your primary form of communication with Ceiba Software?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

We're impressed with their management style, cultural fit, and transparency and easy it is to reach agreements, provide feedback and share suggestions to one another. It has been a pleasure to work with Ceiba.

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

I can’t think of one.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a project manager for a company in the live entertainment industry. We provide technology solutions for entertainment parks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ceiba Software?

We wanted to scale our business and outsource a software partner instead of contracting a third-party vendor.  We needed someone to bring proficient people on board quickly in order for us to scale.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Up to this point, we have been developing a webstore for entertainment businesses. We have a product department that is responsible for coming up with the vision for how everything should work, and we provide Ceiba Software with documentation for those features.  

When the website is finished it will be a booking engine, a place where customers can fill out waivers online, and they will be able to watch safety videos. The time slot booking engine will have a feature for differentiating ability levels based on the difficulty of the activity.  The system for renting out inventory will be attached to the availability of supplies each venue owns and updated based on booking. 

So far we have built a lot of the architecture for this. Just recently we completed a demo of the full webstore with the booking engine rental and purchasing abilities. At this point in the process, we would consider it an e-commerce webstore, with the capability for guests to create accounts as well. 

The main languages we use are Vue 3 and TypeScript. For UI we are working with Figma and Zeplin, and we have been utilizing AWS Cognito features. 

What is the team composition?

We started off working with a team of six people, and we’ve brought in two more developers since then to work on a separate project to help us expand our capacity.  

We have one project manager, a graphic designer, one UX engineer, three developers, and a tech lead. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $350,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in April 2022, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Looking at our progress so far, 60% of our sprints have ended with more story points than originally committed. This means the progress is going faster than we had originally anticipated. Only 20% of our sprints are below those levels, and we have consistently increased the amount of story points being developed in our sprints by 14%. We are now taking on 14% more story points on average than we were at the beginning of this project. 

How did Ceiba Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well from a project management standpoint. We’re a rapidly growing startup organization, so one of the things that we find very beneficial about them is that they are willing to be an agile partner. When we call on them to do things that they wouldn’t normally do they respond to that and help out in unexpected areas. 

We use Jira and Slack for everyday communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very flexible and agile, and they aren’t married to the process. They contribute in outside-the-box ways that aren’t necessarily expected of them. 

They are responsive to our needs and provide us with good communication and documentation. If we ever need anything, we communicate that to them and they do it for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

One thing that they could be a little better about would be having better knowledge about how all the different pieces of the software fit together and form one thing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you’re voicing any concerns with them clearly. Always talk about what you’re thinking and be clear about it because they will respond to that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and manager at Ubidots. We offer companies IoT-based software services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address Ceiba Software?

We needed them to update our software into an on-premise version.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide development services and update our software through AWS and DevOps.

What is the team composition?

There are four people on the team.

How did you come to work with Ceiba Software?

We’re a young company and as our platform grew, we had scalability challenges. Our team was in search of experienced developers we could work externally with. So, we started asking around for references of companies based in our city and Ceiba Software came up.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested around $30,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ceiba Software in 2016, but this specific project started in 2018. Currently, they provide updates and customization for some of our clients. Our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had the option to hire a senior software developer to take over this project, however, it would’ve taken eight months to finish the project this way. With Ceiba Software, it was very easy to present the project and have access to developers with the experience we needed. Instead of eight months, the project was completed in 2–3 months.

How did Ceiba Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Our account executive/project manager guides the process from initial contact to project execution with clarity and context. Ceiba Software has a great disposition and willingly runs the extra mile to ensure successful project completion.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve already mentioned everything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like more testing efforts on their part.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Engineering Director at The Digital Factory Scotiabank Colpatria. This is 1 of the Five Digital Factories around the globe in charge of the digital transformation of the bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ceiba Software?

We decided to got to the market looking for a company who was able to help us with the development of additional features to our retail banking application, since the bank acquired the retailing customers of another financial institution. We did not have enough developers to deliver the project within the specified dates.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to migrate all the features from the previous banking application, so by the time we migrated our customers, they could still have the functionalities they had in the previous financial institution.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

With the help of the sourcing area we went to market and evaluated at least 5 other companies, the decision was made based on pricing, time to hire, and other factors.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected this vendor we proceded to invite their developers in order to augment our teams within our agile framework implementation, this made us increase our capacity so we could delivery the product BAU Backlog and the product integration Backlog

What was the team composition?

It was a mix of front end, backend, and test automation developers. we estimated at leas 10 -20 developers and the vendor was able to hire and provide the amount of developers we requested.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to deliver the project with the help of the vendor, and we still have ongoing projects with them as we see the commitment and the involvement the vendor puts in the execution of the projects they work with us, making a strong business partner.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

As it is staff augmentation we held full control over the development process, this enabled us to have one vision for the project. The vendor was really help full to provide assistance to their developers when needed (Ej, specific required training).

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by the dedication and thoughtfulness in order to help us in every step of the business relationship. This showed the passion and knowledge we required for this critical project for the company

Are there any areas for improvement?

As the developer market is very tough it could improve in hiring times, but as mentioned it is at least something we could work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a technology manager at an IT outsourcing firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Ceiba Software?

We’ve had different projects with them, which include a software factory and maintenance on a platform aimed at the payment of social security in the country. We also work with them on other specific short projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They use many different technologies so depending on our needs they provide us with the experts we need, it could be Java, .Net, or several others. 

Most of their work is broken down into standard projects with an assigned monthly number of hours and specified achievable goals, and they also help to provide ongoing maintenance and for our transactional platform.

What is the team composition?

In our long term project, there are 16 people, on other specific projects it depends on the reach of the project but can range from 5 to 20 people.

How did you come to work with Ceiba Software?

Ceiba is one of the biggest, more well-established companies in Medellin, which is where we are located. They have always stood out for how professional they are and for the quality of their work.

In terms of development, it was important to guarantee that the talent won’t be constantly changing, and that was one of the main reasons why we decided to work with them. 

How much have you invested in them?

Our fixed contract with them is around $800,000 per year. Our total investment is that plus a few other side contracts, adding up to close to $6,000,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2014 and are continuing our collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tend to evaluate basically two things: the speed of the implementations and its quality, and our measure is basically the number of post-production errors. In about a year and a half of following these measures up, their team has performed pretty well. They have fulfilled all of our service expectations.

Beyond their core performance, they are able to maintain very consistent employee retention. That, for us, is very important, and we really appreciate the model of loyalty and retention that they have established with their employees,

How did  Ceiba Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We have permanent communications with them, and we actually are very close physically, so we communicate directly and in person. We really don’t have any complaints so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Much more than an average service provider, they work with us as partners. They have always supported us and worked to deliver on our core business goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is something I‘ve talked about with them. As a company, they have a very interesting innovation model, but they don’t always bring this to some of the projects. It could help if they offered the use of some of their new technologies, even if we don’t ask for it, as we might not even know these technologies. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a contracts manager at XM, a company dedicated to the planning and operation of the national interconnected system in Colombia and the management of the wholesale energy market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Ceiba Software 
We hired them for software development for new projects, using an agile methodology. We also hired them to provide us with training on agile methodologies. They have developed 5 products for us plus the training.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?      
The developers used .Net, Phyton, Java, Android, and iOS, among others. They also use design tools. 

What is the team composition?

It changes depending on the project, we’ve had up to 7-8 people for some projects. 

How did you come to work with Ceiba Software?

We had a project that included finding companies that work with agile methodologies to develop innovative products. We did some market research here in Medellin and among the companies, we found there was Ceiba, they had a good portfolio and had worked with other public companies before. We did an RFQ and they were chosen after that. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested around $580,000 so far but with the new project we are working at now, it might go up to around $690,000.

What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in September 2017, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've had a very positive impact. We've been able to include new applications in less time at a lower cost and we’ve had a great cost-benefit balance. We have also learned a lot about how to implement agile methodologies in software development. We are happy with their work and actually this last project was also assigned to them thanks to the good results we’ve had. 

How did Ceiba perform from a project management standpoint?
They are always on time with deadlines, also, we have great customer service and permanent assistance. They are very quick at solving all of our inquiries and are always pending on anything we might need. We have a great relationship with them and that also impacts our users.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It is very important for us that they request us to have clear expectations and to individualize our needs. That has been very beneficial for the result of our projects, especially in a company of our services, we are basically the only company in Colombia doing what we do.  

We have a lot of regulations and rules to follow so the requirements to develop any software product are plentiful, so now as they already know us well and know all of our regulations they work hard to get a clear picture of the project so the requirements are clear and that reflects on the product. 

Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I couldn’t say anything. We have evaluated them and they have done great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at one of the biggest microcredit platforms in Colombia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ceiba Software?

We wanted help with the development of our credits platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We followed a development model in which they provided the technology and resources and we defined the scope.

They developed the platform using Java and created a webpage using Angular. In addition to setting up a MySQL database, the team created an Android mobile app for credit application and payment. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of around 5–6 developers as well as a project manager. 

How did you come to work with Ceiba Software?

I knew them from other projects with other companies so we had a close relationship. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $15,000–$20,000 per month throughout the time we worked with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from July 2015–Jan 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In general, the project went well. However, in the end, we had some mismatches and the work model needed adjustments. This was likely due to the model we were following which wasn’t as efficient as we had expected. So, we decided to change that and opt for in-house development.

How did Ceiba Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They met our expectations and we would recommend them to anyone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ceiba Software was always available and willing to find collaboration models. Whenever we had issues, we managed to reach agreements that worked for both parties. The team was very business-friendly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should find a way to improve the productivity models for the client. Instead of just providing developers, they should find other ways to do things. This isn’t really Ceiba Software’s fault as much as it the model’s.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the technology manager for Colombia at a health company with a presence in Latin America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Ceiba Software 

They helped us develop a mobile app. This app allows doctors to register the clinical history of their patients and access previous records. We used to do this on paper before so it was very complex then.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app was developed using Xamarin. They also created a nontransactional database. 

What is the team composition?

They have changed the team composition throughout time. At first, we started with a team of around 7 or 8 people. In total, we might have worked with around 20 different people. 

How did you come to work with Ceiba Software?

It was very important to find a software development company that would continue with this project. We didn’t want to work with freelancers because we wanted the project to be continuous.

So, we considered different companies from Medellin. Ceiba presented very important metrics surrounding their employee retention and education. That information seemed like a guarantee to us that we could work with a team that wouldn’t change. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2019, and we’re continuing to work with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For us, having an electronic medical history is a success. Thanks to this solution, we have been able to expand to new markets such as Uruguay, Panama, and soon Ecuador and El Salvador. The app has significantly conserved resources, and it provides doctors with important information instantly. Now, our services are more practical and efficient.

How did Ceiba perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. Even the most complex parts of the project always followed the original plans. They used an agile methodology along with a traditional project management methodology, so everything happened as we expected. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The company’s organization prioritizes the quality of their products. From the project manager to the technical employees, they all guarantee that the results will be according to the expectations. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Whenever we had any issue, we talked to them about it, and they promptly took care of any incidents. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a financial analyst and project manager at Kendal Floral. We import flowers from Colombia to the United States and distribute them wholesale to retail clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ceiba Software?

We wanted to develop an application that could keep track of our inventory in as close to real-time as possible.

Previously, we would have to communicate our inventory with our teams over the phone. It wasn’t as accurate because there was a delay as the information traveled through multiple people before an order got filled. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at Ceiba Software developed the mobile application for both iOS and Android. The application includes several features such as a barcode scanner and location services so that it automatically knows what store the order is coming from. 

How did you come to work with Ceiba Software? 

We searched for developers in the US and Colombia because that is where we do business. We narrowed it down to 10 vendors who we asked for project proposals.

Ceiba Software put far more effort into their proposal than the others. They put together a presentation, made recommendations, and were very transparent about their process and pricing. 

What is the team composition? 

We probably worked with around 8-10 people. Initially, we met with a couple of members of the sales team. Once our project started, we worked with a team of 5-6 developers and a project manager. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000-$150,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Ceiba Software in July 2019, though the project didn’t get going until August. We’ve finalized the first version of the application, but we will be performing some additional updates in the coming months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app that they created is user-friendly which was important to us because there are around 350 people using it on a daily basis. Their work has been a huge cost-saving measure. I’d estimate that our company saves about $3,000/day. Looking toward the future, the data we collect from users in the app will help us implement more cost-saving initiatives.

How did Ceiba Software perform from a project management standpoint?

In the initial stages of the project, we had some setbacks because one of the developers working on our account was injured and had to take time off work. Another developer stepped up, but we had to take some time to onboard him. 

We primarily used WhatsApp to communicate. They also had a project management software that I would check for updates. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their approach to the project and their dedication is impressive. We were able to meet directly with the CEO of the company when we were in Colombia. Ceiba Software also flew a few developers to the United States to see our offices so they could get a better understanding of our needs. It was nice to have that personal touch. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I mentioned this to them already, but I would’ve liked if a project manager had been included in our first meeting with them. Initially, we only met with a salesperson and a technical person.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of sales and marketing for RockBar Construction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ceiba Software?

We’d invented and patented a plumbing infrastructure technology, and we needed a partner to help us bring the concept into the prototype stage.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the first stage of the process, Ceiba Software helped connect us to a hardware manufacturer who designed the first functional prototype of our product, which predicts flooding in sewer pipes.

Now the team is helping us to develop the software components of the solution. They’ll be responsible for the backend technology, specifically the implementation of data management capabilities. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with two team members from Ceiba Software.

How did you come to work with Ceiba Software?

We were introduced to some members of the Ceiba Software team at a business event we both attended. We were impressed with their capabilities, especially in comparison to the cost.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $25,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Ceiba Software in 2018, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product hasn’t been launched yet, so we haven’t yielded any real results. However, we’ve been very impressed with their work so far in delivering the prototype. Ceiba Software’s work has given us a seat at the table in our market.

How did Ceiba Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Ceiba Software has done an excellent job managing the project, especially with two other companies involved. 

Most of our meetings take place via video conferences, which are generally effective but sometimes result in lags as their Internet connection is quite slow. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed by their tendency to communicate often. The team provides constant feedback and updates on their progress

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that comes to mind, other than getting a faster Internet connection.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ideas and directions often pass through multiple people and are occasionally lost in translation. However, we’ve had success in overcoming that challenge by writing documents and requirements down clearly, so there’s less room for error.