Devathon

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a social network for dogs and their humans. I'm one of our co-founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

We hired them to do the initial versions of our app on iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided some wireframes and had lengthy brainstorming conversations with their team. Through a collaborative approach, we iterated on everything they built. They created the whole app, and they gave users the ability to post content, make comments, and alert the community to lost or found dogs. There is a map feature that helps with lost and found dogs that users can access and share information.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with their CEO to start.

How did you come to work with Devathon?

I found them through a friend who worked with them previously and highly recommended them. They showed me some of their work, and that's how we got started.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October or November 2018. The work is ongoing, and we still iterate on new tasks. We're in the final phase of our first project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have systems in place to track their work, and a trustworthy contact has looked over the code and tells us it's clean.

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

They don't just take our requirements blindly. They go through everything, ask for clarifications, and provide suggestions for improvements. They make sure they understand everything we need, and they give us good feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a deep knowledge, and they're available to help us. I can contact them at any time, and I will always get a response within a couple of hours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the beginning of the project, they could have defined the differences between version one and version two more clearly. That would help us manage our expectations better as we moved through the phases of our project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't be shy; reach out to them and treat them as a partner. Work with them to find the right solution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of a property management startup that works with smart buildings. We take all of the information used to operate and manage a building, everything from live data from lighting and security systems, and mix that with historic data such as equipment names, installation dates, and serial numbers. This gives building owners a better overview of what’s going on in their buildings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

I was looking to rapidly create a prototype of the platform to allow us to start connecting these systems together. I had already designed the screens and creating the statements, I just needed a solid team that could get us through the prototype stage and allow us to scale this platform into hundreds of buildings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Devathon created an MVP of our platform for us, and from there is developing a more established platform. Their team used React on the frontend and TimescaleDB and Python on the backend. One challenge we faced was mixing real-time data with historic data, so we had to use quite a few systems.

What is the team composition?

I started off working with 4–5 members of the Devathon team, but we have since scaled up to about nine. We’ll continue to increase the size of the team going forward as we get traction with customers.

How did you come to work with Devathon?

They were recommended to me by a good friend of mine. When I left my previous position, I had to go and find a new tech team, which is always a challenge. I had a few calls with Devathon and they were able to show examples of their work that ran parallel to what we were trying to achieve. They had worked with mapping and real-time technologies in the past, so we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested about £150,000 (approximately $183,000, USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Devathon began in October 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Devathon was able to turn around an API in a day, something that would have taken other teams two to three weeks. Their turnaround time is incredible. I’ve worked with a lot of tech teams, but this has been the most fun and enjoyable project.

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

As with any startup, no matter how well defined your goals or objectives are, your roadmap is constantly changing on the fly. We had a fairly strong idea of what we wanted our framework to look like but even that has been adapted as we go along and get customer feedback. For example, we began with mostly maps and lists, but customers have requested dashboards. Devathon has been great at adapting and managing those processes. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Devathon has a lot of experience from their varied projects. They bring their experience into integrating new applications of existing technology. They’ve been very patient. Their team is always willing to sit down with me and listen to what I want, and I'm comfortable enough to give them room to come back with their preferred method of delivering upon that. They can choose their technologies as long as I get the same results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes it's very difficult to estimate how long things will take, but I think that's a challenge for both of us. There’s no roadmap because no other companies are doing what we’re doing. Sometimes things take longer than I hope, but they’re normally very good at informing early on that things will take longer than anticipated.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to communicate with Devathon. They’ve always been there when I’ve had questions so there have been no issues, but open communication is always beneficial.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of BostonBlu, a platform that allows users to store photos of people, products, and other things they may need to remember in detail.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

We needed Devathon to design and develop our website and mobile app based on our specifications. We wanted a finished app with an intuitive UI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Devathon was responsible for data design, UI design, and backend development. The team also prototyped the solution.

What was the team composition?

They had separate development teams for the website and app. We worked with a project manager, UI developers on each team, a backend database developer, a business analyst and testers.

How did you come to work with Devathon?

A trusted friend referred Devathon based on their previous experience with the company. Originally, we gave them a smaller web development project. The results impressed us; we felt they understood our requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

Our total investment was between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in January 2014 and concluded in March 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Devathon did an excellent job on both the website and mobile app. They realized our original vision. The solution has since launched.

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

They established the two teams early on as the requirements and design changed continuously. The teams met weekly to work through the prototype and final delivery. We used tools to track remotely the requirements, user stories, development, and testing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The developers had a good practical understanding of the solution we wanted. We envisioned something that hadn’t been done before and their services made it happen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could work faster, but they spent additional time testing to ensure a quality product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of Mindworks Labs, an organization that focuses on the healthcare and wellness sector. We develop technology solutions to build healthier habits for our clients, which include hospitals, clinics, and corporate employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Devathon?

We had developed a basic MVP for testing but needed a partner that could strengthen it and help us develop a solution that could be used across both mobile and web platforms in a short period of time without disrupting the usage for the current set of customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with Devathon in the past and were happy with the support they provided. Still, we reviewed other options that were referred to us before finally deciding to go ahead with Devathon based on their quality and strengths.

Describe the project in detail.

They developed a multi-platform application for Android, iOS, and the web. It took four weeks for producing the draft and then they provided three months of support. Devathon worked on enhancing the MVP’s existing features in order to accommodate triple the amount of users. They also improved the UI/UX while making sure there the service wasn’t disrupted for the existing users.

What was the team composition?

They assigned three frontend developers—one for Android, one for iOS, and one for the web version—a server-side developer, a UX specialist, and a QA/QC resource.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Devathon delivered the application before the due date. One of our corporate clients loved the new app’s flow. We were also able to close a partnership with another organization by integrating their APIs with our app.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had daily updates from Devathon through messaging services, which was complemented with weekly check-in calls. This ensured that we were aligned with the deliverables, quality, and timelines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The overall project management was fantastic. We were highly impressed once again by their technological expertise, which combined with strong project management, ensured that we had a solid product delivered within our timelines.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They’re already great but could keep on strengthening their existing talent over time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder of CheckInTonight, a last minute hotel reservation business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

We were looking for a development company to help us create our platform from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Devathon designed and developed our online platform from scratch, including the frontend, backend, and UI/UX. They integrated payment systems and other custom features, utilizing technologies such as Ruby on Rails and AWS.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a team of four people.

How did you come to work with Devathon?

We'd reached out to a number of developers and ultimately felt that Devathon understood our requirements the best. They had innovative ideas relating to how we could bring our product to life.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them for about two years from November 2011–2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Devathon developed one of the most critical components of our business. They delivered a user-friendly, high-quality platform overall that's received a lot of positive feedback.

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

Despite our distance from their team, communication was never an issue. We communicated in a structured way, mostly through a project management tool and by phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is very good at what they do. They also had a lot of patience and took their time to fully understand our goals. That way, they could deliver the best possible end product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We had a very positive experience, and I'd recommend them to others.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO and co-founder of CapsicoHealth. We provide AI analytics for healthcare providers and insurance companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

We needed assistance to develop two mobile apps. We wanted the first app to give clinicians access their patient’s information in a more efficient, connected fashion. Our company needed Devathon to develop a second app with Google Maps technology integrated into it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a mobile app that has full syncing capabilities across multiple devices. It allows clinicians to manage patients. Devathon created complex functions patients can use to complete assessments within the app. The second app was a tool based on Google Maps to classify all US healthcare providers. They developed a classification system so each region can be analyzed separately.  

They performed complex data integration and created a CMS. They used Apache Cordova for the framework and JavaScript for the modules. Their team developed the apps to be compatible with iOS, Android, and the web. They created a drag and drop tool to build diagrams and manage documentation and data. In addition, they made a user subsystem for the web app, which includes managing users, accounts, and other administrative tasks. They are currently providing resources for various development projects.

What is the team composition?

Each stage of the project includes between 1–3 resources, depending on the amount of work.

How did you come to work with Devathon?

I had professional connections who worked with Devathon before. We interviewed their developers and were pleased with their team's quality. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since March 2015, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They developed a functional, high-quality prototype with limited bugs. We’ve had a successful pilot; there were no issues, and we’ve received positive feedback on the appearance.

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been very supportive and become a part of our team. Although the time difference is a challenge, their flexibility allows us to have meetings at least twice a week. Together, we use GitHub to track our development process. We collaborate on WebEx and Microsoft Team, and they worked from within our repository, base code, and on the laptops we provided.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Other than timezone differences, there was no difference in the processes or deliverables; their price is unmatched by other companies. We found a solid balance of cost and quality with Devathon. Additionally, they kept our information secure and followed our processes, which was critical for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be helpful for them to perform more tests on the processes. Doing this would allow us to be more confident in the product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner at a retail solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

We needed help with software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed a project management software that helps us manage a pop-up retail program we do for a major health insurance company. We provided them with the basic specification and to some extent, we mapped it out in terms of wireframes and they took it from there. They fully flushed out the data model for us and developed the backend system as well as the entire interface. They’ve been providing us with ongoing support for that program over the last three years.

One of the programs that we administer with it is a government regulated industry. It has very specific and rigid reporting requirements. Through this program, we’re able to meet those requirements in a real-time manner with all the documentation necessary. It includes documentation on sign-off sheets, completed installation photos, and details around the state of the assets deployed.

They’re finishing up another big project for us now that I’m not allowed to speak about. I’m providing it for a client and managing it, and Devathon is doing the work.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 6–7 members of the team, from system architects to programmers. Typically, they identify a lead developer as the point of contact/project manager.

How did you come to work with Devathon?

We were interviewing development companies for another company that I’m working on. We decided to do that development work in-house, but we found Devathon during that process and were impressed by what they did, what they had to say, and their client references.

How much have you invested with them?

Over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Uptime performance of their program is critical for us, given the velocity and the number of users that will be involved in the high season. We’ve never encountered a programming glitch, and we’ve never been down for any reason during our high season.

We’re very happy with Devathon's development in general, as well as their ongoing support and maintenance. We’ve been very pleased over the years and we expect to be doing some new software and programs next year with them.

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been very good. I’d like to see them start using an online system as that would be more convenient. They have a manual process, but there’s not been an issue. We communicate via weekly status meetings where we review where we are against the overall plan and what the targets are.

As is to be expected, there’s some variation throughout the project on some of the deadlines. In the end, everything is done on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work is good value. I have complete confidence in their follow through.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could use an online project management system.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Zingobikes is building a technological web platform for aggregating motorbike owners. We have another platform where we’re trying to accommodate the demand for movement within the city limits.

I'm the director of the business, and I look after the overall costs, including for product development. I also work on the marketing side, making sure we get an adequate number of customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

We were trying to be one of the earliest movers in this particular space, in Bangalore, India. As a result, the main challenge was building a stable product in a speedy manner.

This challenge became even stronger, given that we didn’t have clear insights into what needed to go into the product. On one side, we were collecting insights on what the product should be, while, on the other side, the development itself had to adapt to those insights in a very fast-paced manner. We required speed and were iterating based on consumer insights.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled the entire product development. They took on everything, not only creating the overall product roadmap and vision, but also managing the engineering and design process.

I led the communication with them, providing business insights. They translated those into technical requirements, and managed the timelines and the team of engineers internally, including hiring resources.

From a product perspective, the web aspect was pretty basic. They created a quick landing page, but the main thing they developed was an Android application. The engineering part is similar to how a service-sharing application would work. We were trying to accommodate users looking to travel short distances within the city. After downloading the app, they could demand a ride from point A to point B—short distances that weren’t necessarily suited for a car but were for a bike.

On the other side, there is a driver app that shows users where the requests are coming in, for them to position themselves in advance so that, as soon as the demand comes in, they can reach those points.

What is the team composition?

There were five fixed members and one floating member assigned to us. Depending on the need, they were able to assign 1–2 more members to us. We didn’t have a fixed arrangement.

The fixed team members included a product manager, a quality control person, 1–2 backend engineers—depending on the need during the project—an Android developer, and a UI/UX specialist.

Depending on the need, we were assigned a person who looked after analytics and published them on the web interface, so that we could see what kind of demand we were generating. That person used tools like Slack so that we could receive notifications quickly.

How did you come to work with Devathon?

We found them through a reference. We evaluated a lot of other vendors before the project began, giving them test assignments. We found Devathon to be above those other vendors.

We approached them with a basic public statement, detailing the business we were in and the fact that we were looking for a technology partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $30,000 in their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between September 2015–March 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We compared ourselves to other ventures trying to do something similar and found that the time taken by Devathon to create a product from scratch was the shortest. From a business milestone perspective, we had to come up with the best product/market fit in the least possible time. Not only did Devathon deliver the product quickly, but they also helped us achieve a product and market fit in the least amount of time possible.

An additional result is the entire analytics dashboard, supporting us with user and driver analytics. This had an impact on our business from a decision-making perspective: how many people we needed to hire, where we needed to spend more in terms of user acquisition, and so on. Their team did a good job from an analytics perspective.

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

We had daily standing calls and used tools like Trello to track progress. We also had weekly progress checks, sharing insights.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to solve a complex business problem from a technological perspective, while taking care of the entire workload from a product development perspective, is most impressive about Devathon. Most people are good from an engineering point of view, but Devathon has the right mix of business abilities—breaking down a problem into what it means from a technology perspective—and engineering function.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is always room to improve, and in their case, one area is making use of existing software or tools, rather than developing everything from scratch. Most of the teams I’ve worked with came across as more development-focused teams. This is a minor thing, but it could be worked on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of Discovered. We're an online platform that connects artisans in emerging markets directly to buyer markets across the world. We do that by offering local support to list their products and by adding online and offline sales channels to our platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

We wanted to create a website/marketplace to pull off our business model so that we could connect artisans, get them to list products, and connect buyers on the same side.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Devathon to develop our platform. Initially, we had high-level functional requirements. After initial talks, I flew out to them and we met in India. We had a detailed requirement session where we scoped the project and the work map for the following year with Sunil (Lead Architect, Devathon). From there, we started the development. They did quality work on their end and delivered functional testing on our end. They essentially took care of full stack development and delivery.

They developed a web platform based on Ruby on Rails with HTML5 for the whole stack. It was really important for us to build it on Ruby and the development team had some knowledgeable development specialists. We had an example platform that we used, and we were able to follow the functional requirements from that.

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager, a lead architect, a developer, someone on visual design and quality testing, and depending on the stage of the project, another three to six people involved.

How did you come to work with Devathon?

We posted an RFP online. They contacted us and we had a pleasant conversation. They were very clear on what they could and could not do, and they helped to scope the project and its details. They were able to deliver positive references—I spoke to three different project owners which gave me some confidence. I heard they were on time and accurate with their descriptions.

How much have you invested in them?

We invested between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2014–September 2016. We currently have our own team of developers in-house.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The basic requirements were developed well. The quality of coding was good, as well as the speed of delivery. We had an external party do a code audit to validate the quality. We found that it was good, but there was some room for improvement. That's partly due to us because you get what you ask for. We cut some corners on the documentation because of limitations and budget. We're happy with the deliverables, the project management, and the choices made.

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

Working with them was a good experience, but there needs to be an experienced project manager or functional architect to really guarantee the quality of the deliverables.

We used Trello and Sprint Learning to manage the progress. When we would reach out they were always excellent, quick, and spoke good English. The whole experience from the very start of the project was excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I used to work for larger companies and with offshore teams in India. I found working with offshore agencies difficult in the past, but what I found impressive with Devathon was that they had a really good understanding of e-commerce. They were able to grasp the idea of what we wanted to build.

In addition, they were able to scope the project and bring it forward. They added improvements because of their experience. The project management and skills were really good, and I was really impressed. It was the best experience I've had with offshore teams, and probably developers as a whole.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Once the first release was live and the project manager was less involved, the quality was okay, but not as good. That put more pressure on us to make sure that we defined what needed to be built.

Having better QA and tools in place to check progress is something they can improve on internally as well. Our current developer has a whole array of tools in place which makes it a lot of easier.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have a clear scope project, use them. If you need an e-commerce specialist working with you, I would definitely recommend using them. If you're looking for more of a long-term relationship, you need to pay attention to how the day-to-day operations work. There is room for improvement, but it was also down to us, because the project was limited and we cut corners. In the end, one of us should have said no earlier.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of a cloud integration company. Our products help customers connect different cloud applications the way they want and create custom workflows. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Devathon?

Essentially, we needed to design our entire product including the architecture and backend. Factors we took into account included technology selection and high-level technical detailing. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We approached Devathon with our product and scalability requirements. During our first couple of meetings, we explained our high-level business specifications. We laid out how the web application should perform and its intended functionalities. The team conducted a thorough analysis of all these materials. Based on the results, they recommended the best type of technology to use and which features to include. 

Once we finalized the scope, they began developing our web application using the MEAN stack. Devathon used a Mongo database and programmed the frontend UI in Angular.js. They built a substantial backend to handle, retrieve, and process a high volume of data from third-party applications. It executes cloud integrations that users contribute.

During the two years we have worked together, they’ve helped our product take form. Their services have ranged from consulting, design, and product development to maintenance and technical support. 

What is the team composition? 

We directly coordinate with the technical lead who is our contact point for every requirement. The rest of the team worked together internally to deliver our products. 

How did you come to work with Devathon?

We received a reference from one of their former customers.  We considered one other vendor, but Devathon had a much better approach. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $70,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve had an ongoing engagement since we first started working together in August 2015. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was particularly impressed with Devathon's technical expertise. They delved into an outstanding amount of detail for the technology, design, and scalability aspects of our project. As the gateway to our business, they took care to build the exact product we wanted. Their enhancements have had a marked impact on the UX. Improving the usability for our customers has been a significant plus. 

How did Devathon perform from a project management standpoint?

Devathon has done very well so far. They manage almost everything in-house. We interact almost exclusively with our designated account manager. He's knowledgeable about relevant aspects of technology and business and easily understood our project from a requirements standpoint. After cross-verifying the details with us, the team went on to the implementation stage.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I most admired Devathon’s core technical expertise. They demonstrated impressive attention to detail about the technology stack, performance, and design. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing much to improve aside from the frequency of communication. Everything else has been good, and we haven’t had any problems.