Chimplie

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CFO and product manager for the MVP of a new venture platform that allows people to sell and buy used cars online.

What challenge were you trying to address with Chimplie?

We didn't have in-house developers and we didn't have a CTO. We had some experience with project management and IT products but didn't have time to hire a CTO or developers as they are quite hard to find in Sweden. We wanted to build the product as soon as possible so we decided to use external developers. 

We were thinking about using offshore developers to keep down the cost. At the same time, we felt we needed a lot of help with setting up all the project management, the routines, the specifications, user flows, and user stories. That’s why we decided to go with Chimplie.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted help with how to find a team, how to transform our ideas into more legitimate technical specs, what we need to do, and what we need to think about when using offshore teams. Apart from that, we wanted to keep the costs down. We wanted a team that could work with us over time and not just for specific time period.

Our worry was to get a team that will do the product and then after that they would tell us they don’t have time to work with us anymore. It was very important that we had a team that could work with us long-term. Another requirement is that we could easily move it. If we decide to hire in-house tech staff, it would be easy to transfer everything and easy for an in-house developer to continue the development if we were to choose to go that route.

We got three suggestions for different teams from Chimplie. Two of the teams used Ruby on Rails and one was using PHP. We decided to go with the PHP team because it would be easier to find PHP developers if we did decide to hire someone in-house.

At first, we didn’t think we needed to build a big admin or ERP system, but then we realized that we should. So our specifications have adjusted quite a bit. We’ve gone over the estimates for the project for the MVP phase, but the amount of stuff that now is included in the MVP is way more as well.

What is the team dynamic?

We used two teams. We got help with all of the UX/UI and design from one team. They had one project manager and two designers. On the development team, there was one project manager, two frontend, two backend, and one QA.

How did you come to work with Chimplie?

We talked to a few intermediaries who worked with finding offshore teams, but they weren’t as involved as we needed them to be. It’s more like they could give us references to development teams abroad, but we needed more help. One of the people working on the project had a business acquaintance who was using Chimplie’s services. He recommended them to us. We had a meeting with Jaros [Founder, Chimplie], the CEO, and we really liked the way he wanted to work and the way they set up their services. We decided to go with them because they could help us with setting up everything and not merely finding a team.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent about $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016. The MVP phase ended June 2017, but we continue to work with Chimplie.

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

When we had issues with developers, Chimplie has been very quick to address them and solve issues for us. When you’re using offshore teams, there are issues sometimes, but they’ve been quick to react and solve problems for us. The website is complete, live, and working. We haven’t started to market it yet but will do that in September. We still have a lot of features we want to add and to replace. Some processes we did in a simple way to make it easier for the clients. We will continue to develop the site going forward as well.

How did Chimplie perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. We went over the first estimate, but it’s not fair to compare that to today because a lot of things have changed in the specifications since we first got those estimates. They’ve been very fast to answer us and we meet quite often at the office in Sweden. They’ve been very reactive and quick to respond when we’ve had issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing that I like about Chimplie is that since we didn’t have an in-house CTO or an in-house technical resource, they offered for us to hire the Chimplie CTO that went through the developers’ code and their processes and helped us with finding issues and improving processes of the development team. It was good that we could hire someone from the Chimplie side that could help us review the Ukrainian development team's work as well since we didn’t have an in-house resource.

They have been very helpful and fast. That’s what we expected. We got a good impression, and we also wanted a smaller company so that we knew that we were going to get the attention that we needed. They’ve been very good. I like the way they set everything up from the beginning with user stories, getting the technical specifications in place, and setting up the follow-up of the costs and hours of the projects. They are proactive in following up and giving suggestions. It’s not us going to them when we want to change things. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

As they’re growing, more teams to choose between would be good. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in product development at Universum Global, a market leader in employer branding. We build brands for different companies around the world for recruitment and have a number of different products in the HR tech department.

What challenge were you trying to address with Chimplie?

We wanted to provide our users with a good experience during the Universum Career Test. That involves our users coming in and taking a 30-minute survey, after which they receive results—almost like a career profile.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

When Chimplie came on board, we had already built the product, and CareerHub, which is a Ruby on Rails app, was already established. We brought in Chimplie because we thought they would provide a better service for the same price than we were receiving from our other provider. 

I wanted as large a team of developers as possible for the budget I had. Chimplie’s answer was to put together an in-house solution from their side, together with a couple of different third parties, and they provided me with a whole package. That involved the technical expertise, all the support units, and designs—essentially everything.

How did you come to work with Chimplie?

Initially, we looked at three or four different companies. The first was the provider that we already had been using for a couple of years, so may have been an easy choice as they knew the product. However, when Chimplie had pitched to us, their plan was very thoroughly worked out. Jaros, the founder of Chimplie, worked at Universum before he started his own business. He went from developing products at Universum to managing Chimplie in Ukraine.

Chimplie had a special way of looking at product development, deeply based in Scrum, which I really like. Plus, they don’t cut corners and won’t make promises they can’t deliver on. They have a really thorough approach to product development.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Chimplie on this project in January 2017, and it is still ongoing.

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

Before Chimplie, we had no measurements for the website. I can now go in and look at the metrics and see statistics that I can then learn from. We are now able to actually track how many users we do have.

How did Chimplie perform from a project management standpoint?

Chimplie has been really good when it comes to day-to-day work, how they portray themselves, and how they keep to their word. Everything is very thought through, with a chart that lays out everything we need to know. We had an hour and a half meeting just to go through the development process right up to production. Day-to-day project management has been very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a product owner, one of the things that makes me very comfortable is their overall knowledge of the production and the product they are building. They give honest feedback when I tell them specifically what I want to do, and let me know if something is or isn’t a good idea, as well as the steps we need to take to get there. 

It’s nice to have a provider that cares about the product and its development. Their honesty about what can be done brings the product forward in a scalable way. The product needs to be cared for in order for it to work in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are still very young, which should be considered. This was Chimplie’s first big project, so there were some hiccups in the early stages, especially as they put the whole team together in just one month. They were a bit quick in taking on the assignment, which caused them stress. Even though it did work out, a company shouldn’t take on something if they don’t know if they can scale it. It takes time to build a solid foundation, and they are on their way there. If you’re not in a position where you can be flexible and roll with the punches like we were, then Chimplie might be a bit scary. That’s the only negative thing I have to say.