Cuttlesoft

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a tech startup that creates digital solutions for the real estate title industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our previous vender under-scoped the project, leaving us thousands of dollars over budget and months behind schedule. We hired Cuttlesoft to correct the technical errors left behind, complete the buildout, and design and implement solutions for outstanding issues.

SOLUTION

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

A local contact referred us to Cuttlesoft. We were looking for a firm proficient with our existing platform (Ruby on Rails) and flexible to accommodate our rapidly evolving software development needs. We needed affordable onboarding costs, to plan work out over multiple scopes, and project management services in addition to technical engineers.

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

They cleaned up the product by completing existing tickets left from prior vendor; improving UI/UX components; fixing existing bugs; evaluating and cleaning up code; increased test coverage; updated README and documentation; recommended enhancements to the product. They also designed and implemented new features including new structures for multiple organizations and advanced user roles and permissions.

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

There were four people in the core team. This included the director of operations, director of engineering, product manager, and two engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cuttlesoft consistently met deadlines and milestones, and stayed within budget limits. This was a remarkable relief from prior experiences with third-party software developers. We fixed and completed all outstanding work that we initially brought to be addressed. From there, Cuttlesoft's services enabled us to plan and build features required to complete the MVP and proceed with our product launch.

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

The team is organized. Materials are presented with transparency. Weekly standup meetings are on-time and efficient. Planning and communication tools keep information organized and accessible. Questions and requests are responded to promptly. New concerns and requirements are seamlessly solved for and implemented into action plan. The team respects budget and time restrictions, and problem-solves creatively to accommodate changing needs.

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

They listen carefully and design solutions accordingly. Consistently meeting deadlines and staying in budget is seemingly rare, and they achieve it. Cuttlesoft helps my company overcome challenges by effectively translating our list of needs into smart, comprehensive solutions and action plans.

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

Cuttlesoft is excellent at taking a wish list and turning out product solutions. We ask; they deliver. I look forward to giving them increased creative license to suggest fresh ideas, new features, and other insights that could help my company think outside the box on software development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a member of a nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cuttlesoft?

We needed help with building a custom software app for one of our events. We were hosting a brew fest, where over 3,000 people would come and try out different beers, so we needed a custom solution to create a better experience for our participants. Using this solution, we wanted users to rate the beers, keep track of them, and ultimately find places and retailers where they could buy the ones they liked.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cuttlesoft helped us build a custom mobile app solution for iOS and Android devices to support our event. Their scope included both designing and custom-developing the mobile app with two sides, one for the volunteers running the event and one for the participants. As for the technology stack, they used React Native and Python.

Our project started off with a discovery phase. Cuttlesoft had already participated in one of our events before, so they dove in deeper to get a better understanding of our challenges from a participant perspective. From there, we moved into the design phase, where they took our ideas and designed a clickable prototype for the app.

After the design phase, Cuttlesoft went into the development phase. During this phase, they partially developed the app and gave us a test trial to make changes. Then, they developed the full app and tested it afterward. Finally, they provided us with live maintenance and support during and after the event.

On this app, users could find all the information about breweries, microbreweries, and specific beers. They also could save their favorite beers and vote on them as they were trying them. Additionally, they could engage directly with the breweries through the app.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 3–5 people from Cuttlesoft, including a designer, a project manager, a lead developer, and another engineer.

How did you come to work with Cuttlesoft?

Cuttlesoft was working out of a co-working space I was also part of, so I met them there.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $15,000. It originally was a $25,000 project, but Cuttlesoft sponsored part of it.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–August 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The impact of this app on our organization was huge. It increased our sponsorship and allowed us to spend our time on other things. Additionally, it increased our marketing outreach because we were able to engage with participants after the event through it. Overall, it was a big success.

How did Cuttlesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

Cuttlesoft was very detail-oriented, so their scheduling was on point. From the start, they created a detailed roadmap for us, which made the project very easy to follow. Additionally, they were very well-organized and ensured we had enough coverage for the day of the event.

Cuttlesoft had a dedicated person to handle project management from their end, which was very helpful. We mainly communicated via email and text messages, but we also leveraged Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cuttlesoft’s empathy was impressive. They really cared about the end user and strived to build the right product for the participants.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get excited about working with them because they’re very organized, so they will lead you in the right direction. Additionally, come in with as much data as you have regarding your challenge, be open-minded during the discovery phase, and let them do what they’re good at.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of an early-stage software company which builds a Software as a Service (SaaS) application for Human Resources planning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our company was only a few months out from having our first paid users on our platform, and we still had a few mission-critical features we needed to ship. We also brought in Cuttlesoft because of their specific expertise in our technologies (Python, Django, Typescript) and in our company goals (MVP/v1 SaaS).

We hired Cuttlesoft to increase our backend software-engineering capacity (Django and Python) so that we could ship features sooner.

SOLUTION

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

I have worked with Cuttlesoft engineers on a previous project, so I was familiar with their quality of work and professionalism.

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

We are building a B2B SaaS application using Python, Django, and Django Rest Framework (DRF) for the backend and React + Typescript for the frontend. Our project was nearing the MVP stage, but missing a few mission critical features.

We worked with Cuttlesoft via staff aug of one Engineer and one Project Manager. We assigned specific features from our backlog to the Cuttlesoft Engineer (using Github Issues). The engineer collaborated with us to refine the scope of the ticket and clarify any requirements. The engineer then wrote the code and created Github Pull Requests to be reviewed by our senior engineers.

Examples

• 3rd party integrations to other SaaS via REST for updates (both push and pull)
• Import / Export functionality to allow bulk ingestion & data exports via Google Sheets integration
• Flexible "Approvals" workflow to allow each company (customer) to define their own multi-stage, multi-user change management process based on their business needs
• Validation logic to ensure data quality from user-supplied data
• Business logic (and reporting) to compute business metrics and aggregate them across multiple dimensions

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

Primarily 1 Software Engineer writing and submitting code We also had 1 Project Manager to assist in requirements gathering/feature scoping

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to achieve our goal: land the mission critical features we needed ahead of customer onboarding; 3rd party integrations, Approvals, Validation, and Business Logic. Additionally, Cuttlesoft went above and beyond our expectations to provide the expertise that helped us our app.

Examples:

• Greatly improved application speed by refining our Django ORM queries and refactoring expensive Model hierarchies
• CI/CD enhancements to speed up automated tests & deploys
• Improved testing methodology & test data management
• Typescript PR reviews

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

Project management was great. Cuttlesoft met us where we were at and integrated well into our existing processes and systems. Cuttlesoft joined our Slack / Github and went to work quickly!

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

Cuttlesoft engineering was able to explain specific trade-offs of various approaches to each feature. This allowed us to make informed business decisions based on the cost of each requirement so we could invest our resources to maximize business impact.

For example, we reworked our "Approvals" system's requirements to operate one-at-a-time which allowed us to meet business needs without the overhead of managing multiple in-flight items at once. Cuttlesoft brings a rare combination of exceptional code quality plus superb organizational & people-facing skills. Cuttlesoft cared about our business and about our code.

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

We caught Cuttlesoft during a busy season, so it took them a few weeks to have an engineer ready for us. Cuttlesoft was open and upfront about the situation before we ever signed a contract, so not a surprise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a managing partner at SafeSite LLC; we’re a technology service provider for aviation management solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cuttlesoft?

We work in a safety-oriented industry, so we wanted to create a technology platform to analyze safety management factors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cuttlesoft has helped us create a technology platform to manage aviation safety. First, we went through an exploratory phase where the Cuttlesoft team asked several questions and got to know our business problem. Based on our answers, the team developed thorough user requirements. 

Then, they built a prototype to ensure the platform could support several data elements and test whether it would solve our business problems. After the testing phase, they developed the tool from scratch using Kotlin and a Ruby on Rails framework. Cuttlesoft also built REST APIs and migrated the platform from Heroku to AWS for hosting purposes. The tool is a workflow-oriented product that collects safety insights from pilots and crew members and manages safety perceptions. 

Since developing the platform, the Cuttlesoft team has been responsible for deploying new functions and maintaining the infrastructure. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with architects, project managers, engineers, and the founders of Cuttlesoft. 

How did you come to work with Cuttlesoft?

We found Cuttlesoft through Clutch and received the stamp of approval from our industry partners who had engaged them. After interviewing Cuttlesoft, we felt confident they could deliver what we were looking for.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $200,000–$250,000 in the partnership with Cuttlesoft. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Cuttlesoft in August 2020, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cuttlesoft has become an integral part of our technology initiatives; they’ve helped us refine our approach and uncover efficient solutions. With Cuttlesoft’s help, we’ve achieved our goal of developing a tool to manage safety factors in the aviation industry. They’ve been an amazing development partner, and we’re happy with the product. 

How did Cuttlesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

Cuttlesoft has managed our project exceptionally well; they’ve consistently executed deliverables 90–100% on time and on target. We’re safety experts, not software programmers, and Cuttlesoft has led us through the development process and broken down the technical jargon for us to understand.

Overall, the engagement has been highly successful. Cuttlesoft has identified budget-friendly solutions which have provided us with significant cost savings. They’ve been very transparent in their reporting by sending weekly status updates, which has also helped us remain within budget. 

The Cuttlesoft project managers have worked independently, which has limited the back and forth. The founders have been very involved in the project at a high level, which has been great. Similarly, the engineers have communicated seamlessly and answered our questions promptly. We’ve also had monthly calls with their senior leadership team to ensure we hit our KPIs and metrics. We’ve mainly communicated via Slack and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been very impressed with their engagement model; Cuttlesoft has always remained five steps ahead. They’ve asked detailed questions that challenged us to uncover critical business needs. The team has consistently empathized with our end users and taken the initiative to develop practical usability requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone has areas for improvement. It’s difficult to articulate the value of our engagement upfront, so it would be great if Cuttlesoft could provide case studies so other potential clients can understand their process and what they bring to the table. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s essential to consider your project's size, scale, and goals before vetting potential development partners. I’d advise going into the partnership with a clear vision of your desired outcomes and articulating them to Cuttlesoft as transparently as possible. 

Rather than getting caught building a technological gimmick, think about your customers and products upfront. This way, you can prepare to answer Cuttlesoft’s business questions, and they can guide you towards achieving your goal.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a software and development manager for a bioinformatics group at a biotech company with about 15,000 employees. We build genomics software to help our customers analyze data that is generated using Bio-Rad products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cuttlesoft?

Our customers do a genomics experiment, and my team and I built software that analyzes these large unstructured data sets. This data is then processed and put into a report that informs users of their results. We had an effective tool built internally for processing and reporting the data, but it was rudimentary and wasn’t performing at a high level with the scale of work we were doing. 

We hired Cuttlesoft to build custom software from scratch that could create a report that summarized a lot of information in a compact way. We needed them to build something bigger, faster, stronger, nicer-looking, and easier to work with. 

The report needed to be relatively small in size and potentially handle hundreds of samples simultaneously. It also needed to be contained in an HTML document and written in code that was clean, readable, and easily modifiable by my team once Cuttlesoft handed the software back over to us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team from Cuttlesoft spent a lot of time scoping out the project with us because they didn’t typically work in the biology space. They wanted to understand the biology that went on in the process, so they could accurately capture what the product was supposed to be. 

They did a lot of research in the discovery phase and spoke to internal customers at our company about the desired customer experience and how they wanted to work with the software. 

They built the software from scratch, and it works in two phases. First, it integrates into a pipeline that my team builds as a process. That process can execute any software that we put into it, and Cuttlesoft built out that module for us purely through Python.

It then goes into a preparation phase that aggregates all the data that is generated upstream in the pipeline. This data is waiting to be rendered into a report, and once that is complete, it spits out an HTML document. This portion of the process was built using JavaScript, and many of the graphics were done in D3.js.  

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager, technical lead, and a number of developers working on this project.  

How did you come to work with Cuttlesoft?

We had an employee who had previously been in close proximity to Cuttlesoft and worked with them. That employee referred us to them when we were looking for someone to help us with our problems.

We reached out to them, and they got back to us to set up a quick introductory meeting to hear our problem statement. They told us that it was something they were good at and came back to us about a week later with similar-looking projects they had done for other companies and walked us through the work. We were impressed with how they solved issues for other companies and thought it would be a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $135,000 with Cuttlesoft.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between January–May 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product they built hasn't launched yet, but we put the software out for beta testing on a handful of beta sites and received a lot of positive feedback about the report. The software is very nice and works significantly better than our previous internal solution. 

How did Cuttlesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

They met all of the deadlines and were right on budget. We gave them a large task, and they were able to execute it. It was very well organized on their end, and we were impressed with how they went about their project management.  

We communicated through tools like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. All of the code was stored in GitHub. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very well organized, and we were continually impressed by how they scoped the work before they started. They spent a lot of time communicating with us and trying to understand what we were doing so everyone was on the same page when they started building the software. 

When the developers sat down to write the code and software, they were very communicative and felt like a part of the team. We didn't waste time waiting for a weekly meeting if something wasn't working the way we expected it to. We would get feedback for them in real time, which kept us as productive as possible.

We were never worried about the quality of the work they handed us because it was a collaborative and integrated process where they functioned as part of our group. 

We gave them a difficult task with a tight turnaround, and they got it done in time and it looked great. It isn't perfect, but we gave them an almost impossible situation, and they exceeded our expectations. 

We've closed out work on the first release, but we're looking forward to working with them again on the second release. I'm certain that we will end up working with them again. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few issues at the beginning regarding decision-making and knowing exactly what they needed from us. They could have been a bit more clear what sort of deliverables they needed from us at specific times. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have what you want established prior to sitting down with the contractor and sketching out what you're going to build. It's difficult to instruct someone else on how to build something if you don't know what you want from the start. It's beneficial to be aware of what gaps you're dealing with before you engage with the contractor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of WorkMade.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cuttlesoft?

In 2015, I wanted to start a WordPress hosting company because WordPress on its own was really complex, and there weren’t a lot of systems in place. We wanted to come to the market with a fast solution so we could spin websites in a short time. We also wanted a container orchestration to automate the process; the goal was to launch sites in 30–60 seconds and make it low-cost. Ultimately, we needed to develop a system that functioned as a solid solution for WordPress hosting and was scalable and cost-effective.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cuttlesoft built the platform from scratch using AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, and Vagrant. They did a 50-page software requirements specification document to lay everything out and diagrammed how everything would work. Also, they helped out as consultants throughout the project. Any time we needed assistance, we could go with them.

All in all, they built the whole plan and helped us work with our CTO. They focused on the architecture and structure, working with our business model.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Frank (Co-Founder & Director of Operations), Emily (Co-Founder & Director of Engineering), and Michelle and Jesse (Software Developers).

How did you come to work with Cuttlesoft?

We shared a coworking space in Tallahassee, Florida. They were working on some projects for a few universities and the state, and I heard a lot about what they were building. They were a startup, so we took the gamble based on the recommendations from a few friends.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them in the early days of their company, from March–July 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

First, our most prominent success metrics in terms of KPIs were speed and efficiency. They were swift and efficient. However, our margins were the most crucial indicator because we needed to make the company profitable. At the time, our margins were at 80%–90%, which was the goal. Cuttlesoft scaled the platform so we could monetize the company, which was huge for us. Our cost to acquire a customer was about $100, and we required over 3–4 months to do it. Overall, the greatest benefit of working with them was that we could pay as we grew the company.

How did Cuttlesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

They approached the project holistically. They had a deep understanding of startups and a dedicated team. Throughout the process, they understood where we needed to go and worked with us to achieve our next goal. We weren’t technical, so whenever we were confused, they broke it down so we could understand what was going on and what they were building. Other software companies would’ve laughed or made us feel dumb, but they had an open environment.

We communicated via in-person meetings, phone calls, and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with many software companies throughout my eight years of experience, and Cuttlesoft is still one of my favorites. They were very detail-oriented and realistic. They met us where we were, didn’t oversell us on something we didn’t need, and didn’t put us in a position we couldn’t understand. Also, they had an intelligent team. All in all, we trusted them because their biggest value proposition was their opinion and judgment. We’d work with them again in a heartbeat.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish their pricing were the same as in 2015; they’re ten times more expensive now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask all your questions and let them know your budget and time commitment. They’re there to help you find the right solution, so be open and honest with them. The more information you give them, the better they can work with you to get you where you want.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Dash Energy is a startup, developed to help small and mid-market companies buy energy more strategically & confidently. I am one of the co-founders, fulfilling roles of both Product Manager and Marketing Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Development of a responsive, single-page web application and RESTful API as a pilot system and proof of concept. The software facilitated the data necessary between energy brokers and energy suppliers as brokers buy and negotiate energy for their customers, businesses. The team also developed reporting capabilities to be used for post-pilot analysis.

SOLUTION

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

We reviewed 10 potential vendors for this project. We spent a week reaching out and interviewing each vendor. I performed research on LinkedIn and Google primarily, and then took some recommendations from people that the Dash team members knew to reduce the list.

I gave each vendor ideas about what the database relationships should look like, process diagrams, and user stories. Cuttlesoft was selected based on technology expertise, their understanding and excitement for the project, time zone, and solid references through a team member connection.

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

Cuttlesoft built a responsive, single-page web application and RESTful API. They provided all development, testing and maintenance for the project.

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

Project Manager, Senior Developer and Lead Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was a success, we were able to get real time feedback from users. Now, the pilot system Cuttlesoft built will be the foundation for our next iteration of the product as we go to market.

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

I love the Cuttlesoft team and would love to work with them again. The process that they have for onboarding a customer and the day-to-day project management was stellar. I've worked with a ton of vendors - graphic designers, web designers, and other app design projects.

And, I felt like they knew exactly where I should be in this process. They communicated well, provided weekly status updates, budget, documented minutes, and clearly articulated where we were and what we needed to do next.

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

I was most impressed with their onboarding and management process. But also, I was impressed with the level of engagement from Emily Morehouse, the co-founder of Cuttlesoft, who was also a lead developer on the project. It was nice to have premiere talent like her's involved in the project.

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

Testing took longer than expected and we fell behind schedule a bit. There could have been more roadmap planning for testing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

When I engaged with Cuttlesoft, I was the head of product at Hunt a Killer. Hunt a Killer delivers murder mystery escape room experiences in a subscription box to customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cuttlesoft?

We hired Cuttlesoft to build a custom e-commerce platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had something in mind before we started, but after brainstorming together, my ideas for the platform changed. From start to finish, they provided custom web design and development services. We migrated our customers off of our original Shopify platform to Chargebee.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from their team.

How did you come to work with Cuttlesoft?

We considered three other companies before deciding on Cuttlesoft. Someone at my company was previously in contact with them.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent between $150,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2018–December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were awesome to work with. I’ve worked with half a dozen other development shops as a client and even ran some myself. Cuttlesoft’s level of communication set them apart for me. Nowadays, anyone can build a website, but excellent communication is key.

How did Cuttlesoft perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills were excellent. Everything was kept in Jira. Their team took great minute meeting notes with actionable action items. Cuttlesoft did a great job of project planning, which let us know what to expect. They accurately predicted when features would be finished and planned for launching newer versions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because of Cuttlesoft taking ownership of the project, I didn’t stress about it as much as I thought I would.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the beginning, it wasn’t completely clear who was doing project management. It was disorganized, which their team actually brought up. I asked them how much it would be for them to manage it, and they started shaping it correctly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate correctly. Cuttlesoft does an excellent job of researching and finding what clients genuinely need.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Building, growing, and scaling your in-person community can be a frustrating and expensive process. Bevy is a community management and social networking platform that enables companies to build, grow and scale their in-person community groups. Bevy builds community in real life.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cuttlesoft?

We needed additional software development support to expedite a project with a client to support SAML SSO.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed additional software development support to expedite a project with a client to support SAML SSO.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Personal connection + vetted multiple vendors pricing structure and experience.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Support for SAML single sign on on our whitelabeled community project and contributions to an existing allauth library.

What was the team composition?

A few engineers and a project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We were able to deliver the promised project on time and bolster out single sign on protocol support.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used Slack and email mostly to communicate, discuss issues, requirements, best practices etc.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Quality of work, willingness to shift and adapt to our changing business needs, and ultimately, they delivered exactly as promised.

Are there any areas for improvement?

These projects are difficult sometimes to guage current progress. Cuttlesoft communicated timing as they could but doubling down here and sending more frequent product updates would be helpul. I've found they are very receptive to feedback and so we've discussed this and they've improved since.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I serve as the Technology Transfer Director at a University.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Cuttlesoft?

We wanted to begin building a prototype of a patented method we had to collect information and store and protect valuable pieces of university intellectual property.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a working prototype that could be marketed and built out even further with more capabilities added over time when our funding permitted it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were housed in DOMI Station which was just down the street from our campus and Cuttlesoft had a reputation for doing quality work in a reasonable time frame. Since we were all part of the Tallahassee Tech Ecosystem, I wanted to partner with my neighbors.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Cuttlesoft researched my function as a technology transfer manager and incorporated the information I collected from my inventors, the process I used to collect and store the data and the criteria I used to classify and recall it into one place that could be accese3d by many different users in an environment that was still confidential and secure for the university, tech manager, or even the inventor that had new intellectual property to disclose.

What was the team composition?

I was assigned a specialist who researched my functions, then she custom coded what I needed in the software package with my direction. She worked fabulously in an independent fashion for 95% of the time. But when she did need a deeper bit of expertise, the owners of the company stepped in and solved the challenges that were too difficult for her to handle. I believe that was only twice during the whole build and test process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We got a successfully running prototype and we plan to market it to other schools as soon as we figure out how we want to handle the confidential data that is generating in running the VTTO environment.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Well, she was dedicated to my project, so it went very well. We met or talked weekly and went over the functionalities and changes to the software in real-time. New goals were set for each week and I cannot remember a time when they were not met.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The company's expertise, their attention to details and their ability to listen stood out. They processed information in order to deliver exactly what was asked for and needed were outstanding.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I just wish I had the cash in my budget to run the environment and finish building out the model w had set up in the beginning. but like everything else, I am working on it and I couldn't image any other outfit working on it for me.