Grossum

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Transprolog, which is a is a logistics company. Three or four years ago, we decided to create our own transportation management system and tracking system for logistic purposes, using only a web app. Everything is 100% web—we don’t have any PC software, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Grossum?

We have six people on our IT team. We hire freelancers or outsource firms for to complement some of our development work. We needed to have someone focused on developing our apps.

We had some developers in Russia working on an Android app, but in the end, they were hired by an American company. It’s hard to get professionals in my area for mobile development because of the cost.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us develop a Ruby on Rails app. We use Amazon and Heroku, and it’s working very well. The Android app is completely developed by Grossum. We talked about developing an iOS version, but at this point, we’re looking into another platform that we can use for either Android or iOS.

The original app by the Russian team was done very well, but when I brought it to a team in Brazil, they messed up the code. When I gave it to Grossum, they had to start from the beginning. We told them what to do, and they were very proactive with us. It turned out excellent. They were done in a timely manner. Within two months we had a new app with new technologies.

We can now track devices with a cell phone and translate analog data into digital to see where every driver is on the road. In Brazil, we have less than 10% internet coverage, so the analog technology is what we developed together. We are not a huge company, but we have good coverage around Brazil. We have a unique solution in the market right now.

What is the team dynamic?

Our original project leader is no longer with the company, and Natalie is our project manager now. We have had two or three people working on our project almost all the time.

How did you come to work with Grossum?

We wanted a website built here so that the information would remain confidential. I had a good experience with Grossum on our website development, and they were very engaged and proactive on this project. I asked if they could take over what the original team made, and they agreed. We made a very good team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000 and $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2015, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are happy with their work. The app was only going to be used internally, but it’s now in use by other companies in Brazil, like service providers and logistics control towers. It’s working fine. I don’t think I have more metrics to share.

How did Grossum perform from a project management standpoint?

There is a six-hour time difference between here and Kiev, but that hasn’t been a big problem. We use Skype to communicate, and it’s working very well. We send our documentation and then we set up an appointment to do testing. If anything isn’t working, we fix it. We receive the Android package kits, and we test them along with our drivers so we can see if everything is OK.

It’s running very well. We’re going to continue with it because it’s been very successful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project managers are very proactive. They don’t let us sit comfortably. I am the project owner, and they will ask if there is something else they can work on so the project doesn’t stop. Their speed of development has been very good. I’ve been happy with the quality of work and productivity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s been perfect— I’ve tried to outsource to other vendors, but they were not as good as Grossum. They were totally transparent with me.