What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
A lot of what we’re doing is in the pre-production stage, but customers have been happy in their feedback about our new features and functions. If our customers are happy, then we’re happy. Our projects have been relatively thin slices, but we’ve been able to deliver them on time and within scope. The quality of their code has been very good and we haven't had any particular issues.
How did COAX Software perform from a project management standpoint?
We typically work with two-week cycles and monthly budgets. Any problems or questions that arise come directly from their project manager, through our Slack channel. We also have regular video conference meetings to discuss schedules, what’s been put in place, and where we stand on that. I’m well informed and I’m not second guessing what’s happening.
It took some work to understand both side’s motivations and the best way for us to communicate, because of the language barrier. But that was addressed with our project manager who speaks great English.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Flexibility was important to us, especially flexibility in being able to work with our budget, and delivering new features and functionalities on a two-week basis. They've also remained flexible with personnel - we always have at least one member of the team fully assigned, but then we can build on that as required.
They’ve had to work in a difficult environment – with other people’s code on an existing platform – but they’re doing quite well. They’ve been investigating and building on existing code with great quality.
Are there any areas they could improve?
When you're dealing with some of the developers directly, language can become a specific barrier, but that’s been mitigated by the project manager. It hasn’t been a big issue for us. We've been able to share documentation well and we've been able to share processes well, so there’s nothing huge that stands out.
Any advice for potential customers?
Communication is one of the biggest things here, in terms of it working in both directions, but, also, being able to build from there. We found that starting small and building from there to be a huge advantage.
Although it’s too early for statistics, customers have reacted positively to what has been completed to date. COAX was willing to modify their work style, adopting two-week segments, with smaller, corresponding scopes. They pick up on existing code and platforms quickly and provide documentation.