Claritus Management Consulting

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a software development company focusing on voice-interaction software. We take client projects in an agency format and execute them within the software development realm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Claritus Management Consulting?

I wanted to build a specific product for our company, consisting of an Android app and a backend system which would provide internet-connection monitoring capabilities to our team. I had a high-level idea in mind, which I executed with the help of Claritus.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to build an Android application, along with a Python-Django based backend admin interface.

When in a remote location, someone may not know whether they’re currently connected to the internet or not. They can use our product on an Android device, in order to monitor internet connectivity and perform speed tests, showing users how much bandwidth they’re getting. If, after an hour or two, they’re no longer online or don’t have sufficient bandwidth for receiving emails or other tasks, the product will send a notification or a text message, letting the user know about the issue.

Claritus executed my idea in its entirety, using 3 different code stacks. We have a marketing interface, as well as a promotional video, all of which were done by their team.

What is the team dynamic?

I had a good sense of what I wanted and was able to talk directly with their designer over a couple of calls. This was a high-level concept and not an easy product for someone to understand, so it took me some time to explain it to them, in order for Claritus to come up with the right approach.

I don’t know how many developers were involved, but I estimate around 6. I also interacted with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Claritus Management Consulting?

Given the nature of my product, it was challenging for developers to come up with the right code stacks and technical approach. I spoke to a few companies, explaining what I wanted to get done, and the response I received from Claritus was the clearest. They were able to provide a high-level description of how they would attempt to solve my problem.

How much have you invested with them?

Confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Claritus in June 2017 and finished in July. I started talking to their team a bit earlier.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We built a proof-of-concept on Android, and, after launch, we realized that there were competing products in the marketplace, which delivered far more than our version. We haven’t taken it any further, and are sitting on it for the moment.

How did Claritus Management Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

My project manager acted as the point of contact. I’ve never found this to be sufficient, so, even though they were initially skeptical about having the rest of the team on a direct communication link with me, I made sure it would happen. This way, we could avoid some of the confusion. They had an initial resistance to this, but I explained that some things could fall through because of communication lapses, and they got the point.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s important for people in the developing world to ask good questions, so that the person with the idea is able to clarify what they’re trying to do, with the help of those prompts. If the company simply looks at requirements and does exactly what it’s told, without asking questions, it can lead to a bad product.

Throughout the process with Claritus, they didn’t do this. They asked smart questions which helped me pivot when I was trying to figure out how I would solve my challenge. I initially planned even building custom hardware, but they were able to convince me that we could launch with an Android app, thus not be making additional investments. The app could serve as a beacon for identifying the status of a network. It was a positive collaboration overall, and I found the design aspect to be impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Claritus could improve the quality of communication when interfacing with clients.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Any potential company should try to understand the developer’s thought process on a high level, even before signing up. Even if there is a need to pay them for an initial consultation, it’s worth it to do, before signing a contract. It will ensure that the company can build something matching the client’s expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a senior director of product at IAB Tech Labs, a nonprofit trade organization for the advertising industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Claritus?

We had tools we wanted to offer the industry to help them adopt technical standards, and we were looking for a vendor of choice to develop them. We had plans to roll out a mobile SDK [software development kit] and a mobile app for testing these standards, among other tools.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a mobile app for both iOS and Android. It integrates SDKs that advertisers provide to their publishers and allows users to test different types of advertising via the app. They were able to quickly integrate those SDKs, test them out, and maintain them for us over time. They didn’t provide any digital marketing or UX work for us.

We developed an iterative process every two weeks, which helped manage the project according to our expectations.

They provide all the testing and submit testing reports, which we then review and give a go-ahead.

What is the team dynamic?

There was a project manager, two key developers, and two more developers working under them.

How did you come to work with Claritus?

I found them through a site, and someone also recommended them.

A lot of companies told us about their process and project management. Claritus also shared their process with us, but they immediately jumped into the development concept to demonstrate that they could deliver on our project. That was key in attracting us to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in 2016, and we're still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product is in the App Store, and we’ve had analytics tracking it for months. I haven’t received any crash reports.

We haven’t had any issues with the quality of their work. They've been pretty good at responding to bug reports and fixing them. Testing is ongoing.

How did Claritus perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re responsive. We have weekly meetings with them, and the project manager sends us a daily progress report. We can log in to their system and see who’s working on what and what the status is on various tasks.

The relationship has gone very well, and their system has really facilitated that.

Apart from the project manager, their senior management keeps in regular touch with us on how the project is going. They keep track of major changes that we need and communicate well about issues such as resource turnover. They keep us in the loop.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness and initiative were most impressive. They didn’t wait on having a contract before demonstrating concepts. That’s made us feel that they're as into the project as we are. They're really willing to go out of their way to work with us for the project’s success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

On outsourced projects, tracking tasks is a big concern. We’ve had ups and downs on the project, especially when we had a lot of work coming in, but the system they have in place makes things simple.

Advice for potential customers?

While I’ve given great feedback on them, I still recommend doing basic checks on any potential hires. We interviewed candidates to make sure they had the right technical skills for the specific project. That's something that everybody should do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

CQT is Compliance, Quality, and Technology. We allocate our resources to pharmaceutical/medical devices and any other industry regulated by the FDA or European Commission. This is a highly regulated industry, and we use these three approaches to serve the needs of the industry and ensure compliance with regulation, quality management systems, and technology. Technology enables the other two factors. I’m the owner and founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Claritus Management Consulting?

The technology aspect of our company involves assisting our clients with specific needs for technology implementation. We needed a supplier who was also familiar with Salesforce, the platform most of my clients use.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Claritus is now our main supplier for technology. They have a full range of tools that service our products.

What is the team dynamic?

I have two teams for two different types of projects. There are three to four developers, as well as a quality assurance person.

How did you come to work with Claritus?

I was contacted via email by a previous employee of Claritus who used to be their architect manager or director. I started the process of looking to offshore the opportunities we have for technology.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in September 2016, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provide great support and clear collaboration. They have the right people in place, and we've worked together to get a good team. The technology we deal with is complex, new, and cutting-edge, and from a security perspective, the implementation of these kinds of solutions is difficult to align future clients on because an understanding of safety and security is required.

How did Claritus perform from a project management standpoint?

We do the project management ourselves and communicate weekly through phone calls. Services are requested through email directly from my clients to certain managers. The projects have been delivered on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their turnaround time is impressive. They're professional and well-educated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need a better structure in their team for accountability. They don't always meet the expectations of my clients in terms of timing, though it’s understandable because of the 12-hour time difference.

Do you have any advice for potential clients?

Moving forward with Claritus, we plan to have a more structured team and more technology aligned with it.