HQSoftware

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The project has been completely successful. I couldn't be happier. The quality of the developers and the consistency of our core team has been above and beyond what was required.We do not engage HQSoftware to provide QA, so testing is done internally. Because we're involved in that process, it's not relevant for me to mention the bug count. Compared to our previous developer, the quality of the code has improved. HQSoftware has had to start with a hard base, but they worked out strategies for ensuring that the quality would get better as we went along.

How did HQSoftware perform from a project management standpoint?

HQSoftware's project manager and 2 of our developers have been working with us since the project was started. The staff turnover is very low, which I personally find reassuring. Since the work is very complicated, I don't want to have to pay for training new people.

What did you find most impressive about HQSoftware?

HQSoftware is a part of our business. I haven't worked with a project manager as good as the one from HQSoftware. I feel that they are personally invested in the project, which is great. We don't want people who will simply write the code and hand it over. The work is very complicated, but HQSoftware's understands what we want and how we want it. We have developed a relationship by which HQSoftware knows what to do without even asking. The project management side of things is top-notch.

Are there any areas HQSoftware could improve?

Our company is based in Australia, while I work from America. Working through these time zones can be a bit difficult, but this is not something that HQSoftware can improve. There's nothing negative I could say about them. We've had issues at 10 PM on HQSoftware's time, but we could reach 2 developers online and fix the problem.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with HQSoftware?

Clients should work with HQSoftware as if they were part of the team, giving them as much knowledge and exposure as possible. We always get the best out of people if they're made to feel that they're adding value.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Year to date, since we’ve been with HQ, we’ve booked about 6,500 reservations. Right now, that’s $500,000 in revenue for 5 golf courses.

How did HQSoftware perform from a project management standpoint?

That was one of the best parts. The project manager, Angelina, really had a great understanding of the technology side. Her team responded to our requests quickly and efficiently. She was always getting back to me. We’re on an East Coast time zone here; she’s 6, 7 hours ahead. She’d be available till mid-afternoon our time, which was almost midnight her time. She was always able to wrap our conversations up and put them into a timeline. She organized and kept everything on task. She was one of the best parts of working with HQSmart.

What did you find most impressive about HQSoftware?

They’re a smaller shop. I liked how they were able to work with me about our payment schedule. HQSoftware were flexible and let me dictate the terms depending on what would make sense. We could do it bi-weekly. If I wanted to wrap it up after 40 hours, 80 hours’ worth of work, we could make payments then. I think that came down from the owner who made it possible for us to work with him.

Are there any areas HQSoftware could improve?

No, I was pretty happy with them. 

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

There really hasn't been any problem. I've never had a client say, "Oh, this is a mess. This isn't working." Everything is complementary. When somebody needs a change, HQSoftware is good about making changes fast and being accessible even with the time change between here and there. As far as revenue with them, I would say that it's probably close to $100,000 a year in profit. 

How did HQSoftware perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the reasons why I wanted to find somebody else was that it's hard to find good people with quality. Working with HQSoftware has been amazing. It's freed me up from tons of time and stress, and the results are exceptional.

Is there anything HQSoftware could have improved or done differently?

It's not a problem anymore and part of it was probably me with communication and things. But, when we first started working, the quotes were  a bit off. Things were over budget. But, now, we work much closer, and we make sure we have all the details in the beginning. For the past two years, everything has been super smooth. If anything, we're always coming in under budget now.

Could you share any statistics, metrics, or other feedback from this engagement?

My job was to put the electronic trade facility online and to manage the staff needed to get it off the ground. You can imagine working with 250 different companies in Belarus. They couldn't provide the exact details we needed – like images, text, and prices – in a consistent form that we could put into the database. We had to have people to do that for them and put everything into a spreadsheet so we could import everything. All that was taken care of by the United Nations development department after I left the project. I know for sure the project is still running, and they are very happy with the results. I have had absolutely no complaints at all.

How did HQSoftware perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management from their side was perfect. I couldn't point out a single problem, which was unusual for me. I've worked with people in Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and many other places where they had good programmers, but HQSoftware was spot on with everything.

What distinguishes HQSoftware from other providers?

HQSoftware will go the extra mile to understand what kind of project they are involved in. In some cases, I took them out to see clients so they could see what kind of material we expected them to deliver. Because they saw how poorly that was being done, they actually took the initiative to put up a website so they could input the material directly, which helped a lot because everything came out in a consistent format which was easy to put in the database. They made the extra effort to understand the project, and I think they wanted to have this as a strong reference for their international business.

Is there anything HQSoftware could have improved or done differently?

Their work was excellent. I had these requirements that they had to meet. They did that perfectly, and the ministry of their own industrial services in Belarus approved everything. I don't see how they could've done better.