GMI Group

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

I love the design work from their side and the mobile app technology; they’ve done a great job on both parts. They gave us options for the design but didn’t overwhelm us with too many choices. I provided initial branding and they were able to implement that as well.

We did go over budget, but, as the customer, I changed my mind and added a few things so I was alright with the overrun.

How did GMI Group perform from a project management standpoint?

This is one of their strong suits. They were extremely punctual to meetings to the point where they were always waiting for me to jump on the call. Additionally, when I identified bugs or gave them feedback on designs they addressed them quickly. Our communication was smooth.

On the business process side, they had a fantastic way to track developer hours. Anytime I wanted, I could pull up a Google Doc and see what they were working on. They also used Trello to great effect. I always knew what was going on and what they needed from me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Thanks to their speed, I was able to see a testable UI in TestFlight almost one week after we started. That process was very smooth.

I also found them to be a very professional outfit. Even when we disagreed they maintained their professional manner so I was never concerned about sharing my opinion. If something was moving slower than I expected we were able to talk about it. This way, there were no surprised at our final MVP debrief — from their side or mine. We had a good working relationship.

Google approved our app with only one question, which we quickly addressed, but Apple took almost one month. They were being a bit frustrating with their questions and GMI gave me good advice on how to push back and fight and respond. Initially, I thought Apple was never going to accept the app but they worked with me to get Apple to relent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My experience was that some developers were extremely strong and some were less so. I shared this feedback with GMI and they were attentive. They quickly switched out a new resource, which resolved the situation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about exactly what you, although it can be hard to pin that down. GMI did a good job of listing out how much each of our asks would cost to ensure we got an accurate estimate. Scope creep can be hard to avoid but that’s on the product owner, rather than the developer.