Honeycomb Software

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a news platform, and I'm part of the executive team.

What challenge were you trying to address with Honeycomb Software?

We needed help with web development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Honeycomb Software provides us with web development services. They’re helping us develop our website. They also provide maintenance support.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from their side, including the CEO.

How did you come to work with Honeycomb Software?

We found Honeycomb Software through a recommendation. They seemed really nice, so we decided to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Honeycomb Software, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

We haven’t launched the website, but they’ve been able to fix any bugs we encounter.

How did Honeycomb Software perform from a project management standpoint?

So far, they’ve done a phenomenal job from a project management standpoint — they meet deadlines and stay within budget. For communication, we mainly use email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What distinguishes Honeycomb Software from other providers is their communication skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any constructive feedback for Honeycomb Software; they’ve been doing a great job.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Make sure to communicate with Honeycomb Software regularly.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CTO & Co-founder at Ligo, where we develop a multidisciplinary platform that connects the scientific sector with organizations through open innovation and sustainability challenges.

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

Ligo is a platform which allows users to connect with STEM talent across organizations and research institutions, to develop collaborative projects aimed at solving open innovation challenges within industries. We are launching an MVP to validate product-market fit, so we wanted it to work well and be a great product for users. That’s why we started to collaborate with Honeycomb Software, as we needed testing services.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

After a few meetings and intro with the QA Engineer, we started the testing process. QA Engineer started with exploration testing of the platform and submitted the issues found in the Trello bug board with the attachments and repro steps. The development team had an opportunity to track it and work on fixing those issues. We were able to perform regression testing of the platform as well, which helped us to improve the product even more.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project went initially through user experience validation using UX wireframes and a high-fidelity prototype. After insights were collected from this initial testing, we started developing a functional MVP and performed QA testing with Honeycomb Software to identify and correct bugs in the platform.

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

1 QA Engineer

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

The main goal was to prepare the product for release. The result of the QA work was 30 reported issues, almost 50% of which were fixed and retested right away, the rest left to be handled in due course of work. The cooperation with the QA also gave us possible ideas for further improvement of our product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

At the very beginning, we outlined the scope which was subject to testing prior to our release and were able to see the progress according to the planned schedule. We were very flexible in our communication. Test reports were sent to us through e-mail, but also there was extensive effective communication of the QA with the developers in Discord messenger, which allowed instant feedback. There were also zoom calls once or twice a week to align our efforts.

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

We appreciate the support during the testing process. The communication was great, and if we wanted to discuss something, we just jumped on a call and worked out a solution. Additionally, we got the opportunity to communicate with the QA lead as needed. We were also surprised by the quality of the deliverables and the test log that was provided, which allowed our development team to seamlessly replicate errors and helped us refine our own bug-fixing process.

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

I don't think so

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CCO and one of the co-founders at Pelt8. We provide a platform for companies to collect sustainability data in an easy and auditable way.

What challenge were you trying to address with Honeycomb Software?

We needed support to speed up the development of our platform, so we hired Honeycomb Software.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially provided Honeycomb Software with information about what we wanted to do. After that, we’ve been working collaboratively to develop our software; most of the work is done on the frontend using Azure DevOps. Their team also helps implement our designs when it comes to creating new reports.

What is the team composition?

We're in contact with three people from their side: the CEO, CTO, and a software developer.

How did you come to work with Honeycomb Software?

We were looking for potential software development providers. We had a chat with Honeycomb Software, and their CEO left a good impression on us. We felt like their approach was more personal and that they weren’t just trying to sell us something. Hence, we decided to go with their team for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000 so far. 

What is the status of the engagement?

We began working together in September 2022, and the project is still ongoing.

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

So far, Honeycomb Software has exceeded our expectations. Initially, we planned to get our software to a certain stage by the end of 2022 with at least four developers. However, we’ve managed to reach that stage with just one full-time developer from our team and theirs. Overall, their team has been very efficient with their work.

How did Honeycomb Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done a perfect job from a project management standpoint — most of the work is completed ahead of schedule. For communication, we interact via Google Meet and email.
 
Are there any areas they could improve?

At one point, we were looking for a more senior developer because we felt that the person that was pushed forward was not fulfilling our needs. That was the only moment when we decided against expanding our relationship.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a web-based AI software company that analyzes performance review documents.

What challenge were you trying to address with Honeycomb Software?

We needed someone to help us build our MVP. As a startup, we didn’t have a tech background, so we were looking for an easy way to translate our needs into a functional web application.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Honeycomb Software helped us design and develop our MVP. Initially, I provided them with a base code and some ideas for the UI/UX, although our input was very rudimentary. Therefore, they were in charge of developing almost the entire product. The technology stack was a mixture of Python and React, and we hosted the solution in Microsoft Azure.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people from Honeycomb Software: two software developers, a project manager, and a QA engineer.

How did you come to work with Honeycomb Software?

I found them on Clutch. Still, I reached out to a technology startup incubator in Huston, and it was a happy coincidence to see Honeycomb Software as part of that incubator. Then, I was connected to their VP of sales, who showed me the types of projects they had worked on before.

Their past work and their great communication skills gave me confidence in them because I knew that what I wanted would be seamlessly translated into technical requirements. Moreover, they were great for us because they were a customizable software design company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially started working together in September 2022, and Honeycomb Software finished the MVP in December 2022. Still, now we’re entering the continuous maintenance phase with them.

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

I had a great experience working with Honeycomb Software, and they ultimately delivered a product we could both stand behind.

How did Honeycomb Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Initially, we worked together on a requirements document detailing our vision for the MVP, our needs, and the steps needed to complete the product, which made the process very transparent. Moreover, the project manager gave me access to their Slack channel and the project management side of Microsoft Azure, which they used to keep track of tasks. Therefore, anytime I wanted to check on the progress, I could simply log in and figure out what Honeycomb Software was doing.

As for communication, Honeycomb Software was incredibly responsive. Anytime I had a question, they answered immediately; there wasn’t any delay in our communication. In addition to our regular interactions via Slack, we had at least a weekly meeting via Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Honeycomb Software was incredibly responsive, and they lived up to what they said they could deliver. Additionally, they were very friendly and easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything Honeycomb Software could improve on. Their team was very cohesive, and our experience was great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Given that Honeycomb Software is very responsive, the best approach to working with them would be to be as responsive. Always answer their questions and facilitate timely exchange of information to keep the project going.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Co-Founder at 5thIndustry GmbH, where we do The Manufacturing Operating System Of The Future. 5thIndustry solves the major challenges of digital transformation in the factory. We know the needs of production and have tailor-made our apps for them.

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

We wanted to build scalable MVP for clients in order to validate the idea, bring it to market & attract the first customers. There was a need for help on the Frontend side at the moment, so we were looking for a vendor to extend our team.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We met Honeycomb Software at the event and decided to explore collaboration opportunities. Honeycomb Software estimated the scope of work and we agreed on the start of work. They offered us to start with a high-skilled professional, an excellent level of communication and management and expertise in the technologies, which seemed pretty attractive for our product.

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

Weekly sprints require the team to stay focused during the development process. The Honeycomb Software team has a key to successful releases - the product understanding, requirements, project goals and the perfect task decomposition. The Honeycomb Software team consists of front-end developers who create high-quality product in collaboration with our engineers.

An experienced Quality Assurance Engineer provides great quality control. React, Apollo Client, Node.js, NPM, Git, Bit.cloud, and Redux are the key technologies used while developing the product.

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

3 Full-stack developers 1 QA Engineer Project Manager

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

As a result of tight cooperation, we successfully created MVP using react/redux/graphQL technologies and migrated to Progressive Web App at some point to have maximum mobile device support. Currently, we are working on new business features, maintaining the platform, and implementing customisations for existing customers.

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

The management style was transforming while developing, and right now we work with the sprints model. We are always in touch and exchanging feedback, which allows us to adjust priorities and improve the product. We use Microsoft Teams for communication, a convenient tool which covers our needs.

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

Honeycomb Software provides great technological expertise and it gives priceless support for the product. Having a unique communication and management approach, they managed not only to strengthen our team but also to help us build an effective solution.

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

Everything was great for us.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Technical Officer at CarFluent - an online used car retailer based in the United States. The main goal of the project is the reformation of the auto assurance field in the US, the process of purchase automatization of vehicles, and coverages in the States.

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

Our team hired Honeycomb Software’s developers to augment our team with experienced developers

How did you select this agency and what were the deciding factors?

While talking to the team, we found the synergies between their experience and our services. Honeycomb Software pleasantly surprised us with its clear communication and expertise in the transportation industry. In addition, their tech stack matched ours perfectly. Meaning this, we didn't have any doubts about choosing a vendor.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The Honeycomb Software team is working on implementing new features and third-party services, improving code style, and fixing bugs. They take part in team collaboration and sprint retrospectives. Full-stack developers were working with the following tech stack:

• Frontend part: React, Mobx, MaterialUI, Typescript Backend part: C#, .Net, Entity Framework, RabbitMQ, MediaTR.
• Third-party services: Persona, industry-related services. Also, for some tasks they were using Azure Portal, Docker, and Microservice architecture.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We discussed collaboration with managers and directly the CEO and CTO of Honeycomb software

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

• Significantly increased overall team capacity and versatility using Full-Stack Developers
• Code was improved from hard to understand with a lot of bugs code to understandable and readable code
• Improved code debug process and debug speed increased threefold
• Updated design
• mproved content management system.

Carfluent is in a way to production and it's improving all the time. The team has good feedback from potential partners and a project has a lot of advantages compared to competitors. As a main result, the project is in the last development stage and almost ready to release.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Developers were included in our Agile/Scrum-based process as a part of our cross-functional teams 

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

It becomes clear when you talk to them. Did you have such a feeling when you meet the person at first, but it seems that you've known his\her for a hundred years? It was exactly about Honeycomb. Honeycomb Software’s developers are professionals. They know what they are doing, follow market trends, and communicate with you to make your project the best in its area. It's like a sincere devotion to what you're doing.

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

Working with Honeycomb Software is a good experience overall.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an agriculture-focused company that develops tools and software for the industry.

What challenge were you trying to address with Honeycomb Software?

We’ve been developing a web app that will eventually become a mobile app for the agriculture industry.  

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve provided top-notch professionals through the entire process, from quoting to delivery. We came to Honeycomb with an idea of what we wanted to do, and they made it even better.

The platform is going to be a social platform for the agriculture industry, for all sorts of users, including service providers, farmers, ranchers, etc. We provided them with the design, and they worked within our budget to deliver the platform.

They did say I could brainstorm some marketing strategies with their resources even though those services weren't included in the package. 

What is the team composition?

In all, we’ve worked with 10 people, ranging from sales and marketing people to the owner and our project designer. Additionally, they assigned software developers and QA teammates. There is also a project manager. Every single person has contributed equally. They’re an excellent team.They compose each group for a specific project based on the client's needs.

How did you come to work with Honeycomb Software?

They were a referral from someone who’d already done a project with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2021.

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

We haven’t launched the application yet, but their team has been incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and thorough. Working with them is easy and intriguing, as they’re outspoken. Additionally, their management style is organized and dependable. Honeycomb was eager to take on our project, especially as they were new to our industry. They worked to embrace it and become highly knowledgeable.

How did Honeycomb Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They continue to provide excellent customer service, including during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, where they’re based. We weren’t expecting to continue as normal when they were attacked, but they relocated their employees and returned to our regularly scheduled meetings within one week. That says a lot about their integrity and unity, as well as their resilience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are all very detailed and incredibly diligent when it comes to managing the project. Despite all the changes, pivots, and bottlenecks we throw at them, they’ve remained flexible and adaptable, delivering new timelines when needed.

They've prodded us throughout the whole relationship to stay within our timeline and keep us on track, which also means we stay on budget.

Honeycomb is incredibly proactive when it came to voicing their opinion on improving our project and certain aspects of it that we may have overlooked. They’re incredibly knowledgeable, even though they’ve never worked in our industry before. They have the ability to work with a large number of programs — Zoom, Slack, and Teams, included.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t. In fact, we learn from them about teamwork, professionalism, and a willingness to go the extra mile. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just work with them. Their entire team truly wants the best for your project; whatever they say, it is said in your best interest. They will take the time to educate you and be honest and forthright with your timeline, budget, and final project. They’re not afraid to do and say what’s necessary to ensure successful delivery.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a lead project manager with start-up custom software development company.

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

We had recently signed a new client that want to replace their current SaaS system with web/mobile based application that was specifically tailored to facilitate their operations. Due to the complexity and timeline of the project we decided to contract HoneyComb as we needed a knowledgeable development team that was able to execute at an accelerated pace.

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

HoneyComb was selected due to prior positive interactions that were further supported by a recommendation from a colleague.

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

They designed and developed an ERP web application which included an API for mobile app connectivity. The web-based application aimed to serve field engineers' business day providing custom relationship details, works order's management, time management, some element of service tracking, and a variety of reports for multiple services.

Project was managed through weekly meetings with HoneyComb to review deliverables and discuss new requirements provided by the client. Technologies leveraged include .net (Entity Framework, Hangfire, Twilio, SendGrid) + ReactJS (React Redux, Redux Thunk, React Hooks) and deployment on Azure Web Services.

How many people from the HoneyComb Software team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The core team was 3 individuals comprised of a Team Lead (full stack), Backend, and Frontend developers.

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

The application was well received by the client. In particular, they were elated with the reliability of the application as their previous SaaS solution would often be down for weeks at time. The application also transitioned the company away from a paper entry system to a completely virtual environment which increased overall efficiency and reduced lag time between processes.

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

Overall, the project management team was great. I was able to access them at any time if I needed an impromptu update or an unexpected issue arose. Communication was typically conducted through 2 weekly meetings in which we would review the previous sprints deliverables and discuss requirements for the upcoming sprint.

Deadlines were always met or exceeded. If a deadline was not met it was due to requirements changing mid-sprint and even in most of these cases the team was able to meet the original deadline. Meetings were facilitated by Zoom while individual communications were through Skype. Project Team was amenable to alternatives if I preferred.

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

They conducted themselves as if our client was their client. Often, they would offer recommendations or solutions that would improve overall usability of the system. They were willing to accommodate any changes requested by the client, even if it was on a once accepted deliverable. It should also be noted that HoneyComb is a Ukraine based company, and were able to complete the project with few delays despite the on-going conflict in their country.

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

If there are any areas for improvement, the improvement would be minor enough that it's not worth mentioning. The development team executed the requirements as presented and met my expectations of them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am COO/CTO for a startup focused on LoRaWAN edge hardware for industrial applications.

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

We engaged Honeycomb to assist in development of firmware using C/C++ with Mbed OS and tools. The goals were to continue to add functionality and otherwise improve the offering.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I met Oleg at an IoT Meetup in Houston shortly after returning from a trip to Ukraine. I had worked previously with various developers from Ukraine and thought highly of them. Based on that experience I was always interested in bringing Ukrainian talent into our operations.

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

There was no real definitive plan as the technology is very new and rapidly changing. Fortunately, Katya was a total rockstar and seemed to grasp what we were doing from the moment she started working with us.

She banged out deliverables super quickly without any significant handholding or even really guidance from us. In a very short time, she had a much a better handle on the code than we did.

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

Just Katya who is a Jr. Developer.

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

No, nothing measurable. They showed crazy overall progress consistently, though, over the 2 years.

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

Most everything was handled over Slack and Github with an occasional email. Basically, we'd write up a task on Github, assign it to Katya, and she'd come back with results. Occasionally she had a question or two about something that was unclear although more often than not that was our fault.

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

Katya. Again, she just crushed it for us.

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

No

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a startup.

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

I personally wrote the backend code and implemented the database design, while I hired friends and Upworkers to complete the frontend. After I funded my pre-seed round, I knew it was time to find an agency to populate a team. Given the demand for outsourced talent during the pandemic, I knew it would be a challenge.

I reached out to agencies I had worked with before and asked for three bids. Honeycomb has a manager based here in Houston and is very active in the startup scene. They knew exactly what stage of company I was in and the challenges I was facing in a way the others did not. They had the best price and some top talent with skills that matched my project.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I have outsourced primarily in Eastern Europe over the last ten years, but also have experience with Mexico, India and China. When I look for a vendor, I always check online reviews, such as Clutch, as well as ask for a live testimonial from a current client. As a technical product manager, I am looking for a mix of technical chops, trust and leadership. Honeycomb demonstrated all three.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

This project required ongoing support from a technical team to develop both frontend and backend capabilities in React and Python.

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

I originally started with a team of three developers and a tester. After eight months, I added an extra developer as well as a designer. They were very good at asking questions about the problems we were solving and right sizing the team with the relevant experience levels required.

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

Overall I am very pleased with Honeycomb's management as well as the performance of the team. Given the state of the current war, I was immediately worried about the safety of the team, but also concerned about business continuity.

The CEO, CTO and my account manager have communicated with me regularly about current events and contingency plans. Honeycomb has done an excellent job supporting their employees during this time as well as adapting under extraordinary circumstances so that they can continue to operate and meet business objectives.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been a fairly standard implementation of Agile via sprints and using Azure DevOps. Personally I am a fan of Jira, but agree that Azure offers some great free tools for a startup at my stage. I meet with the team about three times a week in the early morning my time and regularly communicate via Slack. Overall, written and verbal communication is satisfactory with little language interference.

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

This is the first agency I have worked with that truly understood what I was trying to achieve as a business as well as the stage of the company. They have been generous in making introductions within the Houston startup scene and helped bring in an early client. They have gone above and beyond.

The designer they recommended also has been one of the best UI/UX collaborations I have ever had. Again, the designer truly understood what I was trying to do very quickly and was able to turn around good designs within a couple days.

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

Overall, Honeycomb has met or exceeded my expectations. The only thing I wish we had done differently is spent some time doing DevOps with Jira rather than Azure. I recognize they have a lot of Azure experience, but as a product manager it is much easier for me to manage tickets and roadmaps in Jira rather than Azure. That said, I agreed to make the tradeoff and it's worked just fine.