Gruffi

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Managing Partner for a company operating a portal connecting service providers (e.g. air conditioning installers, cleaning services, etc.) with businesses and families. It is still ramping up as a technology startup, based in Singapore. It currently employs four people: two are partners who essentially deal with technology and strategy, and two are employed as admin/marketing people who are still in the process of acquiring both merchants and users.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gruffi?

We wanted advice on what technology we should use for the project to be done in a cost-effective way. Being a startup, you just want to get started, and then there's a phase where you improve everything, and if you have enough money and it generates some sort of revenue, you can then invest and rewrite. What we wanted to do was test the product in the market, then come back and redo it. We were open to any sort of technology, as long as it fulfilled our business objectives.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we talked to folks in Singapore, they wanted to build the whole thing in PHP. Australia wanted to build it in .NET. The majority of what Jakub [Managing Director, Gruffi] recommended was built in Java, so we had three different approaches to almost the same problem.

Gruffi helped formulate and develop some complex modules for the portal, including a secure payment gateway and archive system for the customers, as well as a business analytics service and scheduling system for the merchants.

How did you come to work with Gruffi?

We went to several different agencies in Singapore and Australia, but their quotes were all on the high side. An old flatmate of mine had worked with Gruffi in the past. When I asked if he knew developers, he told me to go to Gruffi in Poland because they’re good—even if they’re a bit pricey.

We gave it a go because we might as well go with someone who knew what they’re doing. Jakub’s quote was not only cheaper, his expertise, everything he told us, and how he guided us through the technology project came from a different angle.

Instead of replying to our emails, he asked to have a Skype conversation and went through requirements line by line, questioning and challenging us as to whether we had thought of certain things.

We liked that approach. It was consultative and so different from everything else we had received. It was a breath of fresh air. Rather than being dealt with as people who just submitted requirements, we were consulted on those requirements, which was great.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, it’s around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We submitted our RFP to Gruffi in January or February 2016, and by early May 2016, we started working with a full contract.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Gruffi perform from a project management standpoint?

We were very happy. Jakub managed the project using an Agile methodology, so we discussed every single requirement and module. Even though we focused on those little things to build the big picture, there was also an overarching strategy as to how the portal needed to look to work properly.

If any deadlines were missed, it was more because it was difficult to spend the needed time to provide Gruffi with the feedback they expected, so our turnaround time was off, and it was the customer who caused the delay.

Everything was documented. Gruffi always followed up with an email, and they also used Skype, Facetime, and WhatsApp. They always wanted to know more and get more information, which, as a customer, is exactly what I want. I want to be chased, I want to be reminded, I want to be told that if I don't do something, this is the impact it's going to have on different tasks and planned activities.

We always knew where we were. We always knew how we were spending our money. We always knew the risks and different issues we would face, and we were always suggested a possible mitigation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Essentially, whenever we were building any of the modules, they would keep coming back and question our logic multiple times—for example, how best to approach payment schemes and monetize our ideas. After consulting with Jakub and his developers, it was more of an open forum as to what would be best, and in the end, it turned out that even though our requirements were met, we'd gone 180 degrees on it. But we were treated in a very consultative manner. Rather than just being told we would have to do something, there was always a reason or explanation that there would be a much bigger benefit than doing it in an alternative way.

It came down to this: Gruffi appeared more as a partner than just as somebody we paid money to to do the job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d suggested to Jakub to have a dedicated person within his team who would focus on project management and testing at the same time. If we had had a dedicated tester for everything we needed, the project wouldn't have slipped by for 10 months, or however many it will be by the end of it.

Even though developers test their own products, there’s always the danger of not being objective enough, and as a customer, you would want to test your own code rather than test the product end to end. There is little in terms of actual scenario testing. Then again, it’s a chicken and egg thing.

Because this type of testing was never discussed and we, as a customer, always assumed that we would do it and were always going to have time to do it, it didn't work out. It’s not Gruffi to be blamed, though it’s an angle they could consider adding to their approach.