Cheesecake Labs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the R&D and innovation coordinator at AES Tietê. We're an energy solutions corporation located in more than 15 countries around the world. We have assets including hydro, solar, and wind generation around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We needed help with web development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs helped us to develop our platform called Virtual Powerplant (VPT). They were responsible for an algorithm that affects our partner, which is a research institute. Their team also manages a portfolio of our clients and local assets generation behind the mirror.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager and two developers directly. We also worked with another 2–3 people from Cheesecake Labs for different tasks such as frontend development.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We didn’t ask them to develop the platform alone. Rather, we collaborated on this project easily. Their collaborative style, communication, and knowledge led us to achieve our goal of having this platform at the end of the project. The project’s three parts and we intend to work with Cheesecake Labs for the second phase.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We reviewed any features that Cheesecake Labs developed during weekly meetings. We used Microsoft Office Calendar to check their progress and that worked well. Their team was part of every meeting with the research center, which was the key point of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even though it was one of Cheesecake Labs’ first projects with an energy company, their team understood our business quickly. They developed an understanding of the energy sector and applied that to the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could manage the hours and the contract’s a bit better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the leader of Agriness Innovation Factory, an agriculture solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

I wanted to grow my capacity. More specifically, I needed a tool to support technicians, one of whom often supports 40–50 farmers at once. Technicians help farmers organize, process, and address technical questions about health, nutrition, and more.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs developed a tool that helps technicians organize their work with the farmers. It’s a mobile app for iOS and Android. They’re using React Native for development.

What is the team composition?

There’s a project manager, a QA person, a designer, and three developers.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

Cheesecake Labs is a good company. They were recommended by other companies here. We chose them because of the good recommendations we received.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $50,000–$199,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are looking to launch the product in the next quarter.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We have good communication and a good relationship between my team and theirs. We’re very happy with them as a partner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a lot of concern for their customers and the end product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, we need to understand the risk associated with technology decisions before, not after. However, this is a small improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and partner of an online helicopter booking platform. It is a global system that allows users to book a helicopter in three easy steps. Users click a few buttons to find where to fly from and to, then from there, they can choose days in advance of the flight and submit their request.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

I wanted to create a world-class design for the product. I needed Cheesecake Labs to develop an easy-to-use tool that is accessible globally.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As far as my understanding goes, their team used Python to develop the app. In the beginning, we proposed creating a progressive app that could be used on different platforms. There were a couple of speed bumps along the way, so we decided to build the app for iOS, taking out all of the potential mistakes.

What is the team composition?

In total, we’ve worked with six people. There were one or two project managers, a UX/UI designer, two or three developers, and QA testers.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

I found Cheesecake Labs on Clutch, but researched online and made a shortlist of five to six large and mid-sized companies. In terms of design, their team takes a look at projects from a different angle. They also seemed to be a friendly team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $150,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Cheesecake Labs started in September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My goal from the beginning was to have a nice-looking, reliable application that would be easy to use by different nationalities. Their team achieved that goal, and feedback from users has been extremely positive.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m based in Switzerland, so collaborating with someone across the Atlantic Ocean isn’t easy when it comes to development. However, the team at Cheesecake Labs is impressively well-connected on different communication systems like Slack, Jira, and video conferences. There were no issues. I was miles away, but it felt like their friendly team was sitting in the same room.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cheesecake Labs is different than other similar providers out there. Their CEO accepted our invitation to the summit, where we introduced the application. I appreciated how devoted he was by supporting our presentation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I suggest that the assigned project manager be the main person dealing with different assets of the project. When multiple people are fussing over and getting involved in the project, it takes a lot of time. Without the bustling from team to team, there isn’t a loss of time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CTO of Meetor, a platform that compares prices and specifications for medical tools and equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We are launching this platform to make it easier for brokers and hospital representatives to compare items. We needed a development partner to help create the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs developed the entire platform using Java, Python, Django, and AngularJS. They determined the requirements regarding content, design, and development. They also helped us assess our market.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one designer and four developers.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

I learned of Cheesecake Labs through a referral from a friend who had worked with them before. We held a Skype meeting and started working together after that. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–June 2019. They've delivered the project, and we are now planning the next release.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cheesecake Labs has been essential to our project’s success. They are more than a service provider. They are a very special partner for us.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We had no trouble with deadlines or technical issues. They've never worked in the medical sector here, but they did a great job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In addition to managing the project well, the designer did a very good job with the UX.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no recommendations for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm one of the co-founders of Instituto NOW and NOW. Together these two organizations form an small international social business focusing on developing out-of-the-box methodologies for adult and non-formal education as well as tools to foster and measure 21st Century competencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cheesecake Labs?

We've developed our own methodology to foster and measure 21st Century Competencies in any learning setting. Our challenge was that the assessment includes a lot of separated data and makes the job of the person assessing quite heavy. That's why we decided to look into a mobile integrated solution.

What were your goals for this project?

As said above, the solution aims at improving the experience of the coaches that accompany, support, and assess learners in their development of competencies. It's mainly about functionality, simplicity, and UX. With this tool at hand, we'll be able to scale our work much faster.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We considered two companies, both of which were recommended to us. We choose Cheesecake Lab because we felt they fully understood our needs and were able to proactively help us get from idea to implementation. As a company with no technical staff, we were looking for someone who was able to translate the processes into our understanding.

Describe the project in detail.

Cheesecake Lab has developed a mobile solution (MVP at this point) for us to test if it can actually improve the experience of coaches and support the learner's personalized journey.

What was the team composition?

We were in touch with four people: an initial contact person, a project lead (our go-to person), a UX designer, and front- and backend programmers. Roles were very clear too, which was tremendously helpful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're going to start testing in depth next month. However, our initial test shows that we are on the right track. We have received outstanding feedback on the look and feel and have not come across any flaws. Also, due to the agile workflow, we've been going through all details at each step.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication happened through Slack and weekly calls and was super effective. Feedback was extremely well received and we always found a good solution together.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I have already recommended the company to one of our partners since I really enjoyed their agile workflow and their open and positive communication. I think what most distinguishes Cheesecake Lab though is that they have clear values and strive for creating positive impact beyond just technical solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a product manager for a SaaS platform owned by a higher education organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

Cheesecake Labs serves as our development team for our main product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We rely on Cheesecake Labs to provide ongoing custom PHP development. The platform is designed to help users make decisions centering around innovation management. If a user is considering launching a project internally or acquiring a future technology, our platform can assist with those decisions.

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of 3–4 developers and a project manager. They work in collaboration with our lead engineer and scrum master.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

We used a U.S.-based developer for the first two years of product development, and they were talented but ultimately more expensive than we liked. Cheesecake Labs was already working with our organization on other projects, so we had developed a great relationship with them. As we looked to find a more cost-effective development team outside of the U.S., Cheesecake Labs seemed like the logical transition because they had already proven themselves to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in October 2018 and remains ongoing. They worked in tandem with my other developer for about four months. That arrangement allowed us to phase out the first team and allow Cheesecake Labs to build their knowledge of the product and take over as the lead developer. We made that switch for good at the end of January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product itself is just coming out of its beta phase and into the market. Cheesecake Labs is already proving to be a valuable partner. They’ve assumed the role of process owners as opposed to order-takers. In my experience, we can hire two types of developers: ones that intake an issue ticket and process that feature or bug, or others that take the time to understand the product or the user profile and try to become thought partners in the development. I would classify Cheesecake Labs in the latter category.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Cheesecake Labs is a collaborative partner in our daily Zoom stand-ups and the management of our Jira development board. They’ve helped to improve our efficiency as a development team by providing thoughtful estimates for our sprints and then delivering on those expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They never fail to find quality talent when we need to add a developer or adjust our development needs. They have proven to be skilled recruiters and managers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their communication using English could use some improvement, but we recognized that as a possible hurdle when deciding to hire an offshore firm.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a solutions architect at Cresol. We are a credit cooperative and we’re focused on providing credit to family farming.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cheesecake Labs?

We needed new UI/UX design for our mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the new design to support a new experience for our customers. We also wanted to develop a hybrid app, because the previous version of our mobile banking app was responsible for internet banking inside the app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched for local companies with strong UI/UX design capabilities for mobile. We visited and spoke with three companies before choosing Cheesecake Labs.

Describe the project in detail.

We started with a discovery meeting. After that, we traveled to our agencies to speak with customers and develop an understanding of the real necessities of UX. We then started creating the styles and new screens. All these screens were approved by my team. Each screen was created in a sprint cycle using agile methodology.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and two designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re preparing to release a beta version. All of our test users have been excited about the design and UX.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our product and dev teams communicated with their design team through Slack. We approved the screen in each sprint cycle.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their empathy and flexibility during development. They accepted and accommodated any changes we needed. They also offered impressive knowledge of UI/UX.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re very satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Garatéa. We co-create solutions with local Brazilian governments to decrease their emergency response time. We connect a network of first responders through an app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We are expanding to the south of Brazil and needed to integrate our systems. We hired Cheesecake Labs to implement and combine the two platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The websites were working, so we needed Cheesecake Labs to integrate the backend of both platforms. They also provided business consulting services when I visited their office in the south of Brazil. We discussed how the local municipality operates and how it should be integrated within the workflow.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with two developers. They may have had a bigger team working in their office, but I’m not sure.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

I think Cheesecake Labs is the best in the business in the south of Brazil. Garatéa tries to find partnerships with experienced companies because of our work with local governments. We needed a responsible team that provides an excellent service.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $1,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started work with Cheesecake Labs on the integration between November 2018–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Implementation is finished, but we are still working with Cheesecake Labs. Our contract with them runs until November 2019, in case we have any bug issues or want improvements and additional features.  We’ve launched in Southern Brazil, and everything is working well.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Our partnership with Cheesecake Labs is based on clear communication. Once a week, we checked in on the project through Slack. Their team sent weekly emails that provide status updates and reiterate plans and goals.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cheesecake Labs has a similar mindset as our company. We focus on innovation and are a less hierarchical company. A lot of Brazilian companies have larger teams and different processes. Cheesecake Labs works similarly to our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

So far, we’ve had no complaints about Cheesecake Labs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of mobile engineering at Tapcart.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We wanted to build an Android version of our application. We had fairly aggressive deadlines and not enough developers in-house, so we were looking to outsource a vendor.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We supplied all the designs, and they built an MVP version of our Android application. It's a B2B SaaS platform specifically for Shopify merchants who are shopping within an existing webpage via our online dashboard. Customers can use drag and drop components to style a layout of their app. They can also use different questions and products that are available in the store to fully customize the look and feel of the app.

What is the team composition?

We've mostly worked with a project manager, a developer, and a senior architect.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

I worked with Cheesecake Labs previously, and I had a great experience. When I needed help with this project, they were the first company that came to my mind.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Providing an Android app to our Shopify merchants was the most requested feature from our customers, so we had a very aggressive timeline. Cheesecake Labs delivered a high-quality code on time and built an automation server for us. They continue to help us improve the features that need to be rolled out. We now have an app for both iOS and Android devices, which is a very good value proposition to us because we have a large user base around the world.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

We're very pleased with communication. One of their developers even flew here from Brazil and stayed with us for a week. We have a suite of tools that we use for project management, and Cheesecake Labs was open to using our tools. They always stay on top of things and push us to stay on track as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very proactive and solutions-oriented. If they see something that can be improved in our iOS app, they'll let us know (even though they're not working on the iOS app directly). They're always suggesting better ways to implement the architecture rather than just doing what they're told. This is exactly what we're looking for in our partners, and we haven't seen that in many outsourced companies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They're very knowledgeable about both iOS and Android, so they can provide value on both ends. We have a very positive relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a product analyst at Intelbras. We deliver products in the areas of security, telecommunications, and networks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cheesecake Labs?

We needed to develop management software for cloud-enabled devices.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a scalable product with a responsive design that could securely transfer data between a management system and other devices.  

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We solicited community contracts.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Cheesecake Labs developed an IoT communication architecture that utilizes an MQTT protocol to create a two-way messaging channel between a management system and our devices. All of their documentation is contained in a repository.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project management resource, a frontend developer, a backend developer, and an interface designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered the final product, but we haven’t implemented it yet.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They followed an agile methodology linked to a Kanban scheduling system. Because they used GitHub to develop and manage the interface, we were able to follow their daily code reviews. Every delivery met our deadline and requirements.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their organizational culture is excellent. Employees are free to define the best way to work, and the company is focused on maintaining a diverse team and being inclusive to minorities.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would have been helpful if they had handled integrating the software with our device firmware.