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A creative product development agency.

5.0
3 reviews

Cuttlesoft is a creative product development agency. We craft beautifully designed and highly scalable solutions for web, mobile, IoT, and the cloud.

 
Undisclosed
 
$100 - $149 / hr
 
2 - 9
 Founded
2009
Show all +
Denver, CO
headquarters
  • 3301 Lawrence Street, Ste. 1
    Denver, CO 80205
    United States
    (888) 534-1844
other locations
  • 245 N Highland Ave Suite 230
    Atlanta, GA 30307
    United States
    (888) 534-1844
  • 914 Railroad Ave.
    Tallahassee, FL 32310
    United States
    (888) 534-1844

Reviews

5.0
3 reviews
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Frontend Web Dev for IT Services Firm

"Their engineering is exceptional."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
June 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Cuttlesoft manages remote staff augmentation for web and mobile development tasks, migrating a web-based SDK to iOS and Android and filling in requirement gaps as needed to deliver complete solutions. 

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Atlanta, Georgia
CEO, IT Services Firm
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Thanks to Cuttlesoft’s exceptional programming resources, all deliverables have met extremely high internal standards for quality and performance. The team’s reliable turnaround time, clear organization, and willingness to adapt continue to add value. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of an IT services firm that does predictive analytics in the real estate industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cuttlesoft?

I originally hired Cuttlesoft for staff augmentation for web frontend development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Katie, who is a programmer. She did a lot of JavaScript and HTML style for us. She connected into our GitHub project remotely, met with us weekly, and worked with my development team on different requirements. We gave her an outline of requirements, which wasn’t too in depth, and she filled in the gaps on her own and was able to complete the work.

We also worked with Emily [Co-Founder and CTO, Cuttlesoft], who is currently developing a mobile version of the SDK [software development kit] for our API. We’d written our SDK in JavaScript, and she is writing it for iOS and Android. She is essentially taking our iOS code and importing it to the new environment. She’s also handling all of the things that come with migrating a web SDK to a mobile SDK.

What is the team dynamic?

In addition to Katie and Emily, we’ve worked with Frank [Director of Operations, Cuttlesoft]. I’ve also worked with a couple of the project managers, but I specifically coordinate with Frank at a higher level for getting the project going, picking staff, and setting the outline of the project scope.

How did you come to work with Cuttlesoft?

I was referred to them by one of our investors.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Cuttlesoft in June or July 2017, and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a great experience. The programmers they’ve assigned to our projects have been exceptional. I have no complaints, which is pretty surprising since we have specific goals and high standards, and I have not had much success in the past with other consulting companies. We were very pleasantly surprised with Cuttlesoft.

How did Cuttlesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management has been fine. We don’t ask them to handle a lot of project management; they largely are responsible for resource management. We have weekly meetings to outline the sprint, what was done and needs to be done, and any questions they might have; that part is very organized. We mostly communicate through our Slack environment.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their engineering is exceptional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. 

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    All of the deadlines we gave Cuttlesoft were met.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    The cost is a little more expensive than I’d like, but we still use them.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Cuttlesoft offers incredible engineering.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I would refer them.

App Dev for Weather E-Learning Platform

“[T]hey get the job done, have a lot of confidence, and are not afraid of stiff deadlines."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Nov. 2014 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Cuttlesoft developed an app for iOS and Android using an Ionic framework. They worked alongside in-house backend development and data-procurement teams to design an app featuring data, images, and live video.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Tallahassee, Florida
Ed Mansouri
Founder, WeatherSTEM
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The project was completed to a very tight deadline and within the allocated budget. Cuttlesoft was adaptable to an open-ended project management model and responded quickly to all issues that arose. The app now has tens of thousands of active users and works successfully.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Founder and Chief Software Architect of a weather platform. My job is to build the software we market and to lead our strategic initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cuttlesoft?

We had developed an ambitious web and social media application which was almost a full-fledged platform. We were introducing the project at a high-profile trade show which would take place in mid-January 2015. Shortly before that, I’d become interested in building a mobile app, with as tight a budget and timeframe as possible. It was to be a weather-intelligence application. We didn’t have the time to facilitate this of our own accord.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cuttlesoft had a strong competency in a mobile app framework called Ionic. It enabled us to use a single codebase and target both iOS and Android devices. I had previously had a bad experience with similar technologies so I was suspicious, but Cuttlesoft was professional and articulate in explaining why Ionic would be probably my only hope of targeting both iOS and Android in such a short amount of time.

I was responsible for building the backend. Cuttlesoft had to work with the backends and the data-procurement teams on our side, as well as with my frontend designer. I was impressed with their ability to figure this out and blend with our respective personalities. My internal design resources also worked with Cuttlesoft on wireframing and prototyping.

The app displays data and images from one of our weather-stem sites. We go to schools or universities and set up weather and agricultural monitoring equipment and cameras. Many of the cameras have streaming components, serving live video from the site. I worked with Cuttlesoft in order to figure out how to do that in a mobile-app environment.

There was the added pressure of expectation of precision and accuracy. In an evolution of the app, what could be called a version-2, we added notifications to the platform. The original web app had been set up so that users could be notified of certain weather conditions like close lightning and excessive heat, via text messages or emails to a specified end-point. We wanted to have in-app notifications, and I was able to work with Cuttlesoft to engineer that. They took ownership of the code running on the device, around incoming notifications, and I worked on the backend on dispatching them via a third-party annotator.

What is the team dynamic? 

We mostly communicated by email. I don’t know what the size of the team was, and I would never judge a company’s strength by the number of people it has. They get the job done, which is what I most care about.

How did you come to work with Cuttlesoft?

Someone whom I’d known for quite a while told me he’d worked with them, and that they did a great job. We set up a meeting and I introduced them to the high-level concepts of our platform. Cuttlesoft specified a proposal and budget and recognized that they would need to sacrifice a good deal of their Christmas holidays in order to fulfill it. They wanted to please me and my firm, helping us to have a mobile app component with the web-based software we would be introducing in January 2015.

How much have you invested with them?

The total expenditure to date has probably been in the low-6-figure range — more than $100,000, but less than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Cuttlesoft in November 2014, and completed by the start of the trade show, in January 2015. However, we do also have ongoing work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cuttlesoft came up with an app that worked, with a little time to spare, and within the budget we discussed. They earned my respect, and I have continued to employ them as maintainers of the original mobile app.

The number of downloads and active users is in the tens of thousands — my guess is around 25,000.

How did Cuttlesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve always preferred a more open-ended project management model, something along the lines of weekly check-ins during the development phase. Cuttlesoft seems to have wanted to move in the way of a more traditional project management workflow and sensed some pushback from me. They stepped back and worked in a flow which was comfortable for what I wanted: the maximum amount of information, with the minimum amount of needed touch points.

I was impressed by their willingness to not push things onto their clients and to adapt to the workflow and preferences of those clients. This adaptability is, I think, one of the most important aspects of longevity in their industry.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They get the job done, which is what it’s all about. Also important is how much money I spent, relative to my expectations. If the answers to those questions are negative, I will have a problem, but so far they’ve all been positive. My experience working with other companies has been mixed, but not with Cuttlesoft. They got the job done when they said they would, and I didn’t end up having to pay more than I expected.

Their response to issues is also impressive. Cuttlesoft made an incremental update to the program recently, which caused an issue. When the app was opening, all people were seeing was a white screen. I reached out to the principal on a Saturday, and they pushed out a new release that fixed the issue that afternoon. The way I run my business is service first, everything else second. Cuttlesoft seems to also epitomize this philosophy and mindset.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Cuttlesoft got a lot better at pitching new ways of doing things to me. They’re also more focused on the problem which needs to be solved, and on picking tools which are proven and reliable. Generally, they get the job done, have a lot of confidence, and are not afraid of stiff deadlines.

5.0
Overall Score Cuttlesoft does good work for me.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

AWS Platform Software Dev for Non-Profit

"It's been really great working with them."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
Aug. 2016 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Cuttlesoft initially assisted with the move from a colocated environment to the AWS platform. They are currently assisting the team with technology advancement, specifically new ways of implementing the software development lifecycle.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Washington, DC
Greg Toland
IT Architect, Perinatal Quality Foundation
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Cuttlesoft offered new tools and automation to improve the SDLC. They provide project management with weekly meetings and daily communication. The team collaborates well, using Slack, phone calls, web conferencing and emails to discuss projects. They are responsive, knowledgeable, and easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the IT Architect at The Perinatal Quality Foundation. We are a small, non-profit company based out of Washington D.C. and Oklahoma City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cuttlesoft?

We wanted Cuttlesoft to bring us to the forefront of technology. We were once at the forefront but became used to performing the same tasks in the same way. Additionally, we hired Cuttlesoft to bring us onto the AWS [Amazon Web Services] Platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In terms of bringing us to the forefront, they were showing us new ways of carrying out the software development lifecycle. As I said, we're small and it brought us more into a team environment.  Before, we were an IT shop of one member.  They were showing us new tools and automation in an effort to implement the SDLC [Software Development Life Cycle].

The decision to move to AWS was already made before the partnership with Cuttlesoft. I was looking at both the Azure and AWS platforms months before we hired Cuttlesoft, in fact, I had already started the process before they were brought in to help speed the process.

We weren't changing anything in terms of our development software, back-end database or the operating systems that we were running on.  It was more of moving away from the .NET Framework and into .NET Core. It was showing us different tools, and how some organizations were operating in 2017 as opposed to 2005.

What is the team dynamic?

The CEO Frank has always been involved which has been great. In addition, there are two technical staff members that I am involved with on a daily basis.

How did you come to work with Cuttlesoft?

That was a little bit of a crooked path. We had a consultant that was working for us in a statistical nature, and she had recommended a colleague to evaluate our current environment and make the necessary changes. The colleague in term mentioned Cuttlesoft.

How much have you invested with them?

A considerable amount for a non-profit.

What is the status of this engagement?

The talks began around August 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've made the switch to AWS for a series of websites and a few remain. There are no hard metrics to provide at this time.

How did Cuttlesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet with Cuttlesoft on a weekly basis.  It is a very close relationship. I'm in communication with their team every day and we work together on what is needed. I've had no issues with Cuttlesoft.  They have been very responsive and their strength is clear, up front communication. It has been a pleasure working with them.

The majority of the communication is performed through Slack, with around 5% through email and 25-30% through phone calls. Usually, issues start off on Slack and then move to phone conversations or web conferencing for collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If I had to pick two words that immediately come to mind, they would be responsive and knowledgeable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I cannot think of anything at the moment. It would have been the same if I had to do it all over again.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    It's not their fault, it is just the unknowns.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    I would say that we're really getting the same pricing as a commercial vendor, whereas a lot of companies have nonprofit pricing. I don't think there's any nonprofit pricing, and as a nonprofit, you want high quality but at a lower cost.
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    In terms of deliverables, some things get pushed to the following week because they're taking longer than anticipated.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    It's been great, they are very responsive, morning, noon and night; weekday and weekends, it doesn't matter. If I reach out, I know I’ll get a response.