Cleveroad

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the founders of my company. We’re building a mobile and web app for hiring construction workers in the US and managing the entire process of getting hired within a construction company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

There’s a major problem finding qualified, skilled labor in the construction industry, as there’s no real platform. Cleveroad has built an iOS and Android app, as well as a web portal.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The solution allows customers to log in and post jobs and review applications. We’re using geo-based location services, and the website is built on an API that allows employers to access a database of thousands of construction workers.

We’re in the middle of Android development right now, but the iOS version is live in the App Store. They’ve developed everything from scratch. In the next few months, we’re going to launch a marketing campaign and push out our services.

We used them to do the coding of our idea. They put in as much effort to the design and processes and flow of the app as we did. Not only were they writing the code for us, but they helped us along with the ideas.

What is the team composition?

We initially worked with two people, but that’s expanded to five at the moment.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

We budgeted the assets to be built in the United States knowing the going hourly rate, but after researching developers in Ukraine, we found them to be much more cost-effective.

I came across several large blogs that mentioned Cleveroad as a well-known firm in Ukraine for mobile app development. They’d worked with a couple of large clients, and that made us feel more comfortable.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2020. My partners and I have come up with other ideas to improve our ecosystem, so what started with a targeted app and no website or Android app turned into an effort that’s ten times its original size.

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

The feedback has been excellent so far, both internally and with our test customers as far as the design, usability, and functionality.

The design team and the UI team is phenomenal. We seem to work very well together. I’ve been a developer myself for many years, and I know good quality work and great design when I see it.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly meetings, and sometimes twice weekly, including different forms of communication: Zoom, Slack, WhatsApp, etc.

They’ve never missed a single deadline, not even with the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. They’re using InVision for the prototype, as well as a third-party website that we go to to approve the design layout.

We don’t have one set collaboration tool, but email has worked best for us recently.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is very smart and intuitive. They’re able to ask the right questions of us to make the app and the other products that they’re developing better. Additionally, the way they're managing the situation now just blows my mind. They haven’t missed a single meeting or deadline. I’ve recommended them to several people. The product hasn’t suffered.

The best thing that they do is keep us on track, following up to make sure we answer their emails and not letting anything slip through the cracks.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve dealt with a lot of mobile app development teams over the years, and I can’t say anything bad about Cleveroad. The only thing may be getting more of an internal collaboration system, as, right now, we’re spread across a number of tools for communication. It doesn’t bother us, and it’s not a dealbreaker.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If I was recommending them to someone, I would say that they needed to have a full-time resource dedicated to whatever Cleveroad is doing. Their team is fast, and they ask a lot of questions so don’t make them wait for responses. Stay in constant communication.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of Crossfader, an online DJ education platform. We provide online courses and lessons for students worldwide.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cleveroad, and what were your goals?

Our previous website was held together via many third-party plug-ins on WordPress. It had become too complex to add anything new and scale our product suite.

We wanted to add a membership and subscriptions alongside our current offering of one-time payment courses. We also wanted to create an app for our users to learn on the go. We decided to get our own platform developed with a whole new learning area and app that work side by side.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online and interviewed many companies who were rated highly on Clutch. We spoke to companies based in the UK, India, US and Europe.

We found that Cleveroad were the perfect balance for us as we could tell from the start they had a strong work ethic and communicated well, whilst being priced reasonably across the global market of developers.

We needed a team that was quick to respond, suggest improvements, and were in it for the long term as this was going to be an ongoing project eventually.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The scope of work for this project was huge. Because we already had a large user base and website that offered various services we needed a lot of development to just match what we currently offered.

This included a content management system, a payments system, video players, multicurrency, various user roles plus a huge database migration from our current Wordpress site.

We basically needed to build our own version of Wordpress/Woocommerce/LMS system. On top of that, we needed the new feature set to be developed too. This included a subscription model with new user roles and the ability to upload regular video content.

The video content would also be available for offline viewing in the newly developed iOS app.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had various project managers throughout as our main point of contact as the project has been going on for so long. There was a full team of developers working on this project which changed size throughout. Included were backend, front end, QA, business analyst, PM & iOS developers.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We're still in development and updating various parts of the project but overall we have had a fantastic response to the new platform. It's much easier for our users to engage with the content we create. This development now allows our offering to grow with ease. The new admin panel is easy enough for our whole team to use and we're excited to see where it takes the company.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Because we had various project managers throughout there were different styles, however, each project manager had a weekly video call with us to provide updates and work through the next scope of work.

Communication was clear during the main development. We're now establishing a new way of working together as our main project has come to an end and we're looking at maintenance support and future smaller scopes for feature updates.

We recently set up a group Whatsapp to help with ongoing communication which has been great for those times we need a quick answer.

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

They always find great solutions to the problems we encounter.

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

The timing of new project managers joining the team was unfortunate. Because it was such a huge project that lasted so long there was a lot to communicate during handovers. One of the changes in PM happened a few weeks before launch which was unfortunate timing.

It would have also been great to get more feedback on some of the features we wanted to implement. Nobody in our team has a development background so there were times I feel future updates could have been avoided if the initial scope was questioned a bit more by the development team.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Technical Lead for a start up Prop Tech services company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cleveroad, and what were your goals?

We engaged Cleveroad to help us develop a new Web based Cloud application platform end to end. Also being impacted due to the Covid pandemic for internal & external face to face workshops whilst also not having an inhouse development team, a limitation of full time resources & a very very tight budget.

The objectives were to run a planning phase to capture Technical requirements then a development phase to MVP; then handover for User/functional testing.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The main differentiating factors in selecting Cleveroad at the time was based primarily their previous experiences for our type of application (use cases on their website); their competitive pricing & resource rate card, their friendly personal touch & rapport they built with the team during our Vendor presales research period.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The planning phase was a period off approximately 3 months, consisting of workshops with the Cleveroad team (business & solutions architects) to gather & understand our Business & technical requirements.

Deliverables consisted of meeting minutes, Lean Canvas, Features Breakdown lists, Technologies to be used, Dashboard examples, Workflow diagrams, Activity diagrams, Concept design, Infrastructure drawings, 3rd party Integrations, API research, competitor research, wireframes, Design screens, Specifications design, project sprint planning & costing forecasts for development.

The development phase was approximately 10 to 12 (2 week) sprints consisting of the solution/specifications design & ongoing Development, detailed User stories, Testing of the user stories and Quality Assurance.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The core team consisted of a project manager, a business analyst, a solutions architect, the Technical lead and an Account/ customer services manager. Other backend members of the team consistent of back end & front end developers, UX/UI engineers, testers & even the CTO providing consultancy services himself.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We received the platform as per the deadline to allow us to commence functional testing. There had been many changes of scope, new requirements along the way due to changes of the business direction & the platform that we wished to develop which resulted in some rework.

The Cleveroad team was also able to scale up the team & resource hours to meet some of these changes within the sprint to maintain the original milestone dates. The documention & diagram deliverables agreed were of a good & high quality.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Project management was a combination of waterfall & Agile framworks for managing the overall plan on a page for the Planning & devops phases. The Project management lead himeself was quite efficient with great communication skills, capturing & chasing actions & also assisting our own team manage their own pm tasks.

Added value from the project management arm was the PMO & admin support but also having technical capabilities especially when performing the technical user story tests & walkthrough Demos for us at the end of every sprint. Lateral thinking & delivery manipulation to the project plan & traditional sprint delivery to hit the same deadlines after changes was an added bonus & capability.

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

We appreciated their dedication and commitment to adapt to our needs and the constant changes in the scope; & patience in getting a steer back from us which was sometimes delayed due to internal resource being part time.

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

We had discussed the possibility of moving towards fixed price engagements to help us with budgetary controls & forecasting on the platform development & releases going forwards. Other areas we requested during the monthly customer experience meetings was to be provide some more consultaitive & advisory input into our thoughts & development. Which the company started doing as the relationship grew.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Project Manager at a consulting organizations for medical device businesses.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cleveroad, and what were your goals?

We are developing a software system to aid our clients in managing quality and regulatory documentation. We initially developed our own solution using a low-code platform, but we quickly realized that solution was not scalable.

We sought the help of Cleveroad to help us upgrade, modernize and make the system more user friendly.

How did you select Cleveroad and what were the deciding factors?

We requested quotes from several software development companies. These companies ranged in size from 1-2 people to hundreds of people. One of the deciding factors was the depth of expertise with the Cleveroad team.

There are many aspects to software development and we realized it's very difficult for one person to be excellent in all aspects. Cleveroad's team size, timeline for delivery, and cost were all key deciding factors.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We are just finishing with the planning phase for our MVP and are moving into the design phase. The planning phase has laid out the details of the project in specifications/user stories. We've also approved preliminary screen designs at this point.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

• 1 - Business Development Manager
• 1 - Project Manager
• 1 - Business Analyst
• 1 - .Net Tech Lead
• 1- CEO/Founder

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We are still in the beginning stages of development so measurable outcomes are limited now.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Our experience with Cleveroad has been with a team diverse in experience. Our Business Development Manager regularly contacts us to make sure the project is running smoothly and to our satisfaction.

We have at least weekly meetings on deliverables, which are met in a timely fashion. Typically, we communicate via email and Google Meets. Cleveroad is very flexible with timing. Being located in very different time zones, they accommodate the best times for us, which is much appreciated.

Cleveroad has also been very clear about timing, stages of development, and upcoming items that are required.

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

We have really enjoyed getting to know the team. Cleveroad is fantastic at what they do. They are continually providing ideas and tools to make our software function better and improve our user interface.

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

The quality of the work has been great at this point. We are just entering the design stage of development, so we'll begin to see more tangibles and may have comments at a later date. To date, working with Cleveroad has been a pleasure.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a restaurant marketplace company. My company is under the process of development of a mobile application for our marketplace.

For what projects/services did your company hire Cleveroad?

We hired Cleveroad to develop the wireframes, specifications document (user stories) and detailed estimation.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals was to quickly develop such deliverables in order to have a better understanding of how our product would look like and start as soon as possible the development, which required wireframes and user stories. With the estimation we would also know the investment necessary for such project.

How did you select Cleveroad?

We selected Cleveroad after speaking to many different companies. We received numerous proposals and Cleveroad’s pitch was the one which impressed us with cost benefit we were presented with. We have a couple of calls and decided then to begin the development phase.

Describe the project in detail.

The project was very simple. Our product has a mobile application for uses to interact with the vendors and a web application for the vendors to manage their content and orders. The project was simply to describe it more technically through a specifications document, provide wireframes to show logically the user flow and where each feature is located in, as well as a detailed estimation document for the whole project bearing in mind all the features.

What was the team composition?

2 part time requirement analysts, unknown number of part time designers and 1 part time business developer

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

The project was successfully translated into a detailed specifications document which helped considerably to understand the product and to consult with other companies and future partners.

Cleveroad was also flexible with the services provided and we were able to trade part of the wireframes development hours for the creation of a design concept. We were very appreciative of this and it certainly helped us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

That point was where we started to have problems. Previous to starting the project, I was told that there would be around 3 weekly meetings to discuss the progress and any other detail.

However, when the project began, very few meetings took place and some weeks had no meetings at all. When the business developer was inquired about having more meetings, I was told that it was being done that way in order not to waste time.

It certainly did not contribute to less time being spent since it was harder to understand the progress and give feedback with the poor communication that was taking place.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Honestly, the services were average and they did not stand out for any specific part of the project. The only part which I deeply appreciated was the possibility to exchange some of the wireframe hours with design concept creation, this demonstrated flexibility.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Many. I decided to write this review is in order for Cleveroad to acknowledge that the Planning phase needs to have immediate improvements. Communication was very poor, deadlines were not met at all and upon the end of the project, I received an email that said that the services were fully provided but it lacked one essential deliverable: the detailed estimation.

Many of the feedbacks given were not taken into account and were not altered, many spelling mistakes in the wireframes. I believe that the greatest areas for improvement are: being more detailed oriented and providing everything exactly the way explained and promised in the contract and when the pitch was first given.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-creative director and co-owner of Weill Media LLC.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

I hired Cleveroad to help me re-create a basic MVP for an Android app that I made. The previous proof-of-concept was riddled with problems, multiple inefficiencies that made it slow. I’d worked with three other groups to fix it and realized that I needed to start again from scratch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cleveroad designed and executed the app from scratch. They delivered a user interface and code to get it to the point where we could launch it on the Google Play Store. We plan to also create a premium version and an iOS version as well.

What is the team composition?

I provided a liaison who serves as my point person. I rarely interact directly with developers or designers outside of meetings.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I found Cleveroad through a Google search, but then verified them using Clutch. I was considering about four or five other development teams, but Cleveroad seem professional and met the financial requirements of the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in December 2018, and the project is ongoing.

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

The quality is high, mainly because of their process. They press me to define what I need and then confirm that with me before they execute. When you're trying to develop software, it can get very muddy, and you can't see the forest for the trees. Cleveroad has this process that makes everything clear. 

As a result, they’ve created an app that functions well and doesn't crash very often. It's very stable and intuitive. They simplified what I was trying to accomplish.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the aspects of their team that I’m very impressed with is their responsiveness. They hustle, they get tasks done quickly, and they keep me focused. 

I’m happy with the tools that we use. InVision has been particularly helpful. We also communicate via email and shared Google docs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I got the sense that they were very dedicated to the success of the project, and their actions bore that out. I feel like I have a team of knowledgeable folks in my corner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep up with their process and focus on communication. If you do, they’ll be able to resolve issues quickly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Oppcar, a car inspection service.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

We hired Cleveroad to develop our mobile application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we started with specifications and planning before tackling the design and development phases. When we began working with Cleveroad, we already had the MVP.

Their team developed our mobile app that allows customers to inspect used cars. The app gives a report for each vehicle, along with a set of questions and answers. Users can also buy a warranty for the car.

Because they had to adapt a lot of French government processes, the inspection process of the app was a bit technical — the complex information needed to be precise since it was being sent to the government API.

The team at Cleveroad completed the development, design, and analysis. The app was built for iOS and Android. Swift was used for the iOS version. The backend is in C#, and I believe the frontend is in JavaScript. They also created a CRM. Their team provided support after development, as well.

What is the team composition?

We started with a team of four. At the end of the engagement, about eight people were working on our project.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I was trying to find a company based in France, but a lot of them were outside of my budget. I looked around and found Cleveroad on Clutch. We paid them one month for specifications while asking them to give a precise estimate of the project. The engagement could stop at any stage we wanted, but development began in April.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Cleveroad started in October 2018, and the work ended in August 2019.

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

The team at Cleveroad provides quality work, making changes as necessary. After one month, we had over 10,000 users. The impact has been excellent. We’ve put a pause on marketing while we raise more funding.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they were perfect. We had excellent communications with them. Their team works fast, makes propositions, and delivers on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cleveroad does their job well, delivering on what their clients need. Communication with them is great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I enjoyed working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should know what they want. Cleveroad’s team is great, but they work on ideas. They understand the project but aren’t familiar with the market. We had to provide them with some insights into our country. They can give some input, but it’s still the client’s job to know what they want.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a team lead for the sales department at a travel company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

We reached out to Cleveroad to build our CRM to help us manage our customers and improve our interaction with them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cleveroad developed a custom CRM platform for our internal use from scratch, providing wireframes and full design of the tool in the process. They continue to maintain the platform and update features as needed. 

What is the team composition? 

I mostly work with a project and account manager, but I've also worked with two developers, two designers, and a quality assurance lead on their team. 

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I found them through an online search and decided to work with them based on their prompt response to my request, their overall professionalism, and the valuable suggestions they were able to offer. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $60,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since around August 2018.

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

The project manager provides regular performance tracking and demos of each milestone they complete. They consistently meet our goals on time. 

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager has been great about staying in touch, tracking milestones, and responding quickly. They're very efficient with their time and provided a detailed project plan from the start, so I always know what to expect at each stage. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism, proactive project management, and customer-centric attitude set them apart. They're also very good at coming up with creative solutions to best meet customer needs. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Even though they delivered before our deadline, I still would've liked the CRM platform to have been completed faster. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to their advice and flexible in developing a solution to best meet the company's needs. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a medical startup for hospitals and clinics that operates nationally in Denmark.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

I needed a company to develop my web application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start of the project, Cleveroad gave us a detailed description of how our web application should look along with wireframes to show us their idea for the design visually. During our initial discussions, they explained which technology options were available to use. 

Once they selected Angular for the frontend and Magento for backend, Cleveroad started the build. At this time, our project is still under development.

Our web application helps people find the right doctor for their needs. It includes special search filters for location and types of specialists. The sorting functionality also highlights specific positions and levels of experience. 

What is the team composition? 

The team includes three web developers, two frontend developers, one backend developer, a project manager, and a QA engineer.

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I found Cleveroad through an online search and received a lot of positive feedback about their company. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2018, and our project is ongoing.

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

Cleveroad delivered a web application for our company that performs well.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

Cleveroad divided the work into sprints. We haven’t had any issues with communication. They are very responsive. The project manager communicates fluently in English, our preferred language. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cleveroad always meets our deadlines. Communication with the team is very high-level.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish I could be in closer contact with the developers. Being able to explain our needs to the developers directly could potentially accelerate the process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Haste makes waste. I would advise future clients to plan before you start building your project.
 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Unified Potential, Inc., a company that's developing a cooperative transportation app.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cleveroad?

We engaged Cleveroad to develop our mobile app from scratch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cleveroad helped me establish mockups based on my requirements and design ideas, and built an MVP app for iOS from scratch. They incorporated Stripe as a payment gateway, as well as GPS technology and other features that allow different types of users to connect with a variety of transportation options. They've also helped us source a local website developer to complement the app.

What is the team composition?

I work with a few people directly, including a sales/client representative, a lead developer, and a project manager. 

How did you come to work with Cleveroad?

I initially found them through an article they published about their experience developing an Uber-style app. Since they had the expertise in building apps within the transportation industry, I knew they had the proven capabilities to work on this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $100,000 on development for both iOS and Android. After realizing our budget limitations, we decided to just build an MVP for iOS for now.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

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

The feedback we've received from about 25 beta evaluators has been very positive. Cleveroad helped us build an app that's one of its kind–and they did it well. The features and functionality they built out are very impressive, and they've turned around deliverables remarkably fast.

How did Cleveroad perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been very accommodating throughout the engagement. Despite their offshore location, we haven't had any issues with communiciating or language barriers. As someone with little experience in app development, they've done an excellent guiding me through the process.

They thoroughly captured the scope of the work in a 120-page document, and have done an excellent job of meeting all requirements.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're genuinely interested in our project, which makes the relationship a lot more enjoyable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They've been a step ahead of me throughout the process, and I'm very pleased with their work overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The biggest challenge in a project like this is knowing exactly what you want, but if you can find a way to communicate the details to their team, they'll be able to deliver it.