Effectus Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a development staff augmentation company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Effectus Software?

We needed staff augmentation to get into a new avenue of business. At the time, we were focused on smaller WordPress projects, but I wanted to branch out into a deeper business offering which was brand new for me. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Effectus Software provides staff-augmented engineers for us. We initially worked together to figure out what processes made sense for me and them. We signed a contract, and the idea was for me to interview the engineers we’d be working with to find the right fit. We then got started.

The Effectus Software team has provided us with resources with experience in React, React Native, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with around 20 full-time teammates from Effectus Software, including lead engineers, senior Ruby on Rails engineers, senior React and React Native engineers, QA engineers, and UI/UX designers.

How did you come to work with Effectus Software?

We found them on LinkedIn. We built a connection with the CEO and felt they listened to us. They were more interested in helping us work through a problem than trying to sell us something. They were a good fit becasue my reputation is very important to me, and I felt like I could trust Effectus Software with it. That genuine relationship could turn into an excellent business relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Effectus Software has helped us develop faster and save time and money. By hiring them, we’ve probably saved $20,000–$30,000 a year per person. They’ve also probably saved us 2–3 months of time per person we hire. They’ve built a genuine relationship with us and made us feel very secure.  In fact,I'm attending one of their teammates' weddings this weekend; this is how close of a relationship we've built. 

How did Effectus Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We handle project management on our side. Effectus Software is very consistent in delivering work on time. We use Slack and Jira for communication and project management.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I’d like to give a shout-out to Juan Martin and Juan Pablo. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

All the teammates from Effectus Software we've worked with have been consistently great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could expand their offerings. They’re great at offering React, React Native, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails, but their offerings are somewhat limited outside of those.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be patient. Effectus Software has a hard job of matching engineers to businesses. They’re very good at adapting quickly. I’d advise building a relationship with them and not just being transactional. If you build a real relationship, the output is significantly greater than the sum of the parts.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of a curiosity app provider.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We publish an app that sparks curiosity, wonder, and awe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Effectus Software to accomplish?

• To develop and maintain our mobile application for both iOS and Android.
• To develop and maintain a back-end input system for app content.

SOLUTION

How did you find Effectus Software?

Referral

Why did you select Effectus Software over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Cared about doing a good job

How many teammates from Effectus Software were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged Effectus to help build and maintain our education mobile application for iOS and Android. They successfully executed an initial MVP and then completed a shift to ongoing subscriptions while adding new features. They also helped design and create a back-end content management software so that we could easily upload/change/delete content on the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Effectus has an attentive team that helped us achieve our goals in launching a V1 of our app and is providing ongoing development support as we continually improve into future versions. We have gotten fantastic reviews on the app; we have very minimal customer support requests, and they were patient as we presented tough design challenges. I would say that I also feel like they genuinely want us to succeed and give us the best product possible.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They delivered all project milestones on budget which was very important (and rare). They did deliver the development on time. There was a lengthy testing phase which, in part, was because of design changes that we made. Overall, I am happy with the project management. The team member that is assigned to our account is extremely attentive, responsive, and generally a nice human being.

What was your primary form of communication with Effectus Software?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They genuinely cared about making this project successful for us. There are always challenges along the way, but it's hard to find a development partner that you feel truly is invested in your success and isn't just interested in signing the next scope of work.

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

I think the testing phase was a little too lengthy, but again, that was in part because of design changes we made. I think overall, I've been very happy with the development and support.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of a software design and development agency that’s focused predominantly on mobile and web applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Effectus Software?

Effectus Software assisted us on multiple software and mobile app engineering projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Across all of our joint projects, Effectus Software used React Native as a development tool. At this point, they’ve expanded our team and worked with us on 3–4 different client engagements. The products we’ve created together range from membership management tools to online marketplaces and product ordering platforms. 

What is the team composition?

There are 2–3 engineers from Effectus Software who are currently filling in for our projects. We also work closely with our primary contact from their team, Juan (CEO & Co-Founder).

How did you come to work with Effectus Software?

I was introduced to them by another Chicago-based company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started using their services around February 2021. We will continue to partner with them on concurrent and future projects. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Apart from minor bugs and necessary enhancements, the cross-platform applications that we’ve developed with Effectus Software have been of high quality and accurate coding. One of our clients has been really happy with the final product that we’ve built, and their team really contributed to that. We’re 100% satisfied. They’ve met our high expectations. 

How did Effectus Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent at sticking to schedules and staying within budget. I communicate with one of their partners on a quarterly basis, but my internal project managers talk to their engineers weekly. We use Jira, Confluence, and sometimes Zoom for these communications.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have very talented React Native developers, and on top of their technical skills, they are really good team players. They blend and communicate well with my own team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any suggestions for improvements. They’ve proven themselves plenty over the course of our engagement. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Effectus Software is based in South America, so you have to be comfortable working long-distance with an offshore team, particularly one that’s in a different timezone. They also let you interview individual developers before you consider adding them to your team, so be sure to take advantage of that process to validate their fit and technical expertise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm OnPace +'s Operation Manager. The company aims to improve healthcare procedures and protocols using technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Effectus Software?

We hired Effectus Software to develop our website's front-end. The project's objective is to optimize medical appointment management, helping patients manage their health and healthcare practitioners to facilitate and improve patient care.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for this project was to have a safe, efficient, and easy-to-use front-end solution for our website. We also wanted to integrate some features that allowed medical appointments to be carried out remotely.

SOLUTION

How did you select Effectus Software?

They were referred to us, and after interviewing a handful of software companies, we decided to go with Effectus Software because they had experience with UX/UI design and had an exciting technology stack. The initial communication with them was fluid and professional, which increased our optimism about the project tremendously.

Describe the project in detail.

They designed and developed the front-end solution to manage complex information related to medicine and the patient's anamnesis. Also, they worked on the integration of specific and intricate functionalities such as the possibility of carrying out the medical appointments remotely using safe video calls.

Additional requirements included data integration and data privacy. These critical elements challenged the success of the project. The project relationship started at an early phase with limited design and feature definition.

What was the team composition?

Effectus Software provided two full-time front-end developers. There was at least one more developer (most of the times there were at least 2 devs from our side) provided by our company, and a ScrumMaster also provided by us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our work with Effectus was instrumental in clarifying company vision and mission. The collaborative relationship with the team and OnPace made it possible to gain clarity of the clinical and patient use cases for what we were building.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It went great. Communication was fluid, and daily, so we were aligned all the time. The project manager was part of our team, but they followed procedures and had experience with the Scrum framework.

We carried out all the ceremonies, which allowed us to predict and plan all the business goals in an organized manner. The team cared about the project and, at times, collaborated with us beyond its scope.

There was a seamless relationship between our internal resources and the Effectus management team as well as developers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Strong structures for communication with management and willingness to be flexible with funding, design changes and concept revisions. Staffing to meet our needs as we scaled up development.

Partnership and relationship was as important to Effectus as it was to OnPace. We always had a sense of alignment that our company vision and goals were theirs as well. There was a good range of skill and experience with available resources.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of PeachGaming. The company is focused on the gaming industry. On the one hand, we offer a wide variety of products so that people can build their personalized PCs. On the other hand, we manage the local community of gamers and organize tournaments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Effectus Software?

We hired Effectus Software to design a website that gives gamers access to a social network and allows them to build and purchase their PCs.

What were your goals for this project?

Effectus helped us design a new and innovative product. We wanted a visually appealing and friendly website that would attract more gamers into the community. It needed features such as choosing the PC components, online payment processing, competition result display, etc, and they solved it very well.

SOLUTION

How did you select Effectus Software?

We had a list of vendors that were referred to us by friends and colleagues. After considering and evaluating numbers, teams, appeal, and portfolio we decided to go with Effectus. Their team and innovative approach caught our attention.

Describe the project in detail.

They worked on all the designs, iterating from lo-fi prototypes to interactive high-fi ones. They also developed the brand identity, its style tile and provided previews and guidelines.

What was the team composition?

Effectus Software assigned two designers to our project. We talked every week to give feedback on the prototypes and to facilitate iteration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome of this project were high-fidelity UI/UX designs which we are using actually to build our website. They are very polished and follow the guidelines we had to the letter.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked as one team. We talked via email or over video calls where they shared their screen and walked us through all the designs' changes. We also used Google Docs to store content and notes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

This vendor has an excellent knowledge about UX and UI design and process, we feel very satisfied about they way of work, it's a very collaborative atmosphere, which allowed us to accomplish really excellent results pretty fast.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We don't observe any area for improvement

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of a startup that aims to centralize track and field data for athletes, scouts, and fans of the sport.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Effectus Software to develop the iOS App (built in React Native) and its UI/UX design. The platform allows Track & Field records to be accessible for everyone. To successfully design and develop a zero bugs iOS app from scratch that is validated by users.

SOLUTION

How did you select Effectus Software and what were the deciding factors?

After a post we published online, Effectus contacted us offering their services. We made some research about their work and they were the type of business we wanted to work with. They are professional, flexible and focused on delivering what the client asks for, offering services in reference to design, project management, quality assurance, and development.

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

The project consisted of developing an iOS application focusing on the UX/UI design. The app allows users to find in-depth information about athletes, teams, meets, and venues. This is done by evaluating A LOT of data. The team had to handle this data by creating complex queries. The front-end was developed using React Native using GraphQL to interact with the API, and the analysis and reviews were displayed by creating an innovative two-panel navigation system.

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

A software developer that also assured software quality was optimal.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to build a software platform that got interest and use from early adopters and was a factor in outside investment into the company.

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

They've been a pleasure to work with. They're some hours ahead of us, which took some adjustments, but project management was excellent. We started off the project with a meeting where we talked about the project, its goals, needs, etc. After that, we had direct contact with the developer and set regular meetings with him to outline the mockups, validate requirements, and ensure everything was aligned.

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

They have a great culture with skilled and motivated team members that make working with them fun and productive. The company leadership is experienced in building products and companies from the ground up and understood the needs / constraints for an early-stage company

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

That's hard to say, but their top tier talent can be in high demand and may not be able to commit to full requested hours due to other engagements. With that said, they're very transparent and can help you to avoid that situation with early conversations

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Punto Home Garden. We sell bazaar and garden items online, offering an exceptional set of products and after-sales service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Effectus Software to develop our e-commerce website from scratch. We had the opportunity to develop the website from the ground up, and our goal was to make one that was easy to use for our customers, which was attractive and represented the essence of the brand, and also that was efficient.

SOLUTION

How did you select Effectus Software and what were the deciding factors?

I was referred to them by three completely different contacts. And that reinforced my decision to contact them. I saw some of the projects they had made and knew they were going to do a good job.

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

They developed an e-commerce website where we can showcase and sell our products. The developed system lets the admin categorize these products and modify all the information related to them. He can also access analytics regarding sales and traffic. The technology stack was the following: Ruby On Rails Heroku PostgreSQL React

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

We've worked with a backend developer, a front-end designer, and a front-end engineer. We had one point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's not easy to measure the impact with metrics since we started from scratch, but things have gone well. Sells are happening, and users haven't claimed nor criticized anything regarding the website's performance. We have an excellent, reliable, and functional product that meets all of our requirements.

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

Exceptional. They have a proactive management style, always there to answer questions or doubts. All the meetings we had and the access to the Trello board with the current status of the activities made them and us be aligned all the time.

All communication was transparent and prompt, and whenever we needed to talk, we all jumped straight to a conference call. They were incredibly easy to work with.

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

We were impressed with their ability to build high-quality designs and code that matched our expectations in the set timeframe. Every phase of the development process was carefully planned and managed according to our requirements and considering all of our real concerns.

They also made suggestions that we hadn't thought of that could make the project more successful. They were ready to go the extra mile for us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wouldn't add much to the process they already have. The solution they provide me was as successful as I expected. No improvement needed from my perspective.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder and managing director of BeFit, an on-demand streaming platform with the exercising content guided by LATAM's best trainers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Effectus built some of our app's main features and did a significant upgrade of some existing ones. The team redesigned a big part of the app and put in a whole range of new functions. The goal was to improve what already existed and introduce new things that added value to the app. We also wanted to make the app more attractive, so we worked on a redesign that they materialized.

SOLUTION

How did you select Effectus Software and what were the deciding factors?

I did an organic search and then read some reviews on them. After some calls with the CEO, I knew they were good and knew what they were doing.

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

The team developed and designed fundamental aspects of the application. The development was very efficient, and they kept in contact with us regularly, always seeking approval. They built the app on information gathered from potential and actual users, thus creating a well-founded product that people enjoy using. The team developed a highly accurate product in a short time.

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

I interacted with four or five people from their team but made the decisions with only one. There were two front-end developers, one QA developer, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The use of the web potentially increased after introducing the new features. Users use the app daily, and the abandonment rate has dropped.

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

The team spent much time on the scope of work, meaning we all knew the goals and costs of every phase. They met every deadline incredibly. Customer service and communication were excellent and extremely professional. The communication was by Slack.

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

Something that I liked that any challenge that could appear was previously informed to us, so we were prepared for any slight delay. Also, communication with all the team was always really professional.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own an online software application called Teachery, and I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Effectus Software?

We needed a development company to come in and handle our Rails web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their work included managing all of the codebase for our course creation software for teachers. They helped with updating new features, fixing bugs, and having resources on hand for any other projects or fixes that came up as we went along.

What is the team composition?

Between our project managers, developers, and frontend leads, I work with about 6–7 people from their team.

How did you come to work with Effectus Software?

I had a really hard time finding a development company that I was comfortable with, so I reached out to a couple friends who also run similar software companies. One of them recommended Effectus Software to me, and that was what led me to take a chance on their team.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the project is about $4,000 a month, so we’ve spent about $30,000–$40,000 in total so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2019, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I basically measure the success of their work but how much I am able to give them a feature and let them run with it, while still receiving a relatively error-free product that does what I need it to do.

They’ve done a fantastic job of providing that service and being really easy to work with on top of it. Even in cases where we do find errors, they are always more than willing and capable of going back to fix those and make sure they understand what had gone wrong.

How did Effectus Software perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the biggest criteria I had for any partner I brought on was the ability to clearly communicate without a lot of difficulty. They do a fantastic job of making sure that they understand what I am asking them for and asking questions when they need something to be clarified.

They use Jira to track all of our progress toward specific milestones and everything, and they’ve done a great job of organizing things on there and making sure that I feel comfortable navigating it to understand what the developers are working on and exactly how much time is being spent on each task. Their process is extremely efficient and easy to use.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only do they do very high-quality work but the team is very capable of rolling with quick changes in requirements, which is a huge need in the software startup world. I haven’t run into a challenge yet that I haven’t been unable to take to them and come back with a solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I honestly don’t think there’s anything in particular I wish they had done better. I’ve been totally pleased with the quality of the work they’ve done for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that if you don’t have a clear process for how to work with a development company like them, you ask them to give you a process they’ve used before so that you can work with them in a way that they are comfortable with. The fewer hoops you give them to jump through, the easier to manage the partnership will be.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is involved in commodity trading business. We buy and sell commodities (grains) in different countries. My position is CFO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Effectus Software?

We requested Effectus to develop a global controlling system for the company. The system should involve all variables in the business - we mean prices, exchange rates, interest rates, quantities, etc - and serve as a controlling and forecast system. Our main objective is to simulate and forecast every variable involved in our business.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal is to have a system that using the statistical information of the company, could calculate risks, forecast variables and controll all the operations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

By a contact recomendation.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project consisted in meeting with CFO mainly in order to create a system as described above. Effectus provided a platform to see the developmenst of the project and a team that helped us build the system. Furthermore they code and develop all the features of the system.

What was the team composition?

1 project manager 3 developers and QA testers all from Effectus.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have used statistical information gathered by the system to set risk limits to positions taken in commodity futures contracts with suppliers. These risk limits helped us to manage our risk. We got through this statistical information limits that applied to the business keep us in control of our risk. When we run the system backward we can prove that those limits were very effective in managing risk.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

A system was build in the first three months. This system was validated. Currently we are working on a second part of the system that will include new features using more flexible methodologies. This part of the project will last around 6 months.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very quick to answer and they fulfill deadlines. Moreover they're very open to hear ideas from the company and try to find solutions. Is a team work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wouldn´t know. In may experience they have provided a very good service considering the constraints of any project.