ICONOI S.A.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that offers consultation services on environmental issues in Colombia; we also provide QC for food, water, and cosmetics.

What challenge were you trying to address with ICONOI S.A.?

We manually completed data collection and analysis in our lab, and everything was recorded on paper. We decided to digitize the process and hired ICONOI S.A. for custom software development services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with ICONOI S.A. to develop software to collect samples, register data, prepare a report of analysis results, and send it to the client. 

ICONOI S.A. first assessed what we had, and delivered a report about the development, our needs, and how we could meet them. They had to translate everything from an old Java version to a new one and write a big part of the code again. They copied some things from the frontend of the previous version, improved it, and made it responsive for mobile phones, tablets, and other devices.

The software has launched and is in a pilot phase, and we’re currently working on further developments together. 

What is the team composition?

The CEO of ICONOI S.A. is our project manager. We also work with one senior and junior developer, backend developers, one frontend developer, and a coordinator who ensures everything is running smoothly between us.

How did you come to work with ICONOI S.A.?

They were a referral.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $21,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2022–January 2023 on the initial project. The engagement is ongoing because we’re still working on further developments with ICONOI S.A.

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

We are still in the pilot phase, so we don't have any statistics yet, but we have projected that we will save about five hours a day per person in the technical department. We also met with one of our big clients, and they were very impressed with the results. 

How did ICONOI S.A. perform from a project management standpoint?

We had designated people to run the project and weekly meetings to keep on track; there were delays, but they were small. As for the budget, we had to put in more money than we had initially planned because they had to rewrite the code. We communicate via Google Meet, phone calls, WhatsApp, and email. For project management, we use monday.com.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ICONOI S.A.'s biggest strength is their ability to understand our needs and problems and develop and translate them into code.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We wish they would dedicate more time to the frontend; they're good but could be better.

Any advice for potential customers?

We highly recommend them because they are good at understanding and translating client needs. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

FAM Agencia Maritima's main business is to carry out the export and import logistics of different types of products using maritime transport lines. I am he CTO of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire ICONOI S.A., and what were your goals?

We hired ICONOI S.A. for various projects including the development of a CRM and the development of an ERP customized to our business. The ERP included modules such as accounting, accounts payable / receivable, treasury, money orders, quotes, and cargo tracking through the different ports. Our objectives were to technologically modernize the previous ERP and maintain historical data without the need for very complex migrations.

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

We selected ICONOI for being recognized partners of important companies such as Microsoft and Oracle, for having quality certifications and for customer references of other jobs. They offered the best price / benefit ratio.

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

A PROJECT PLAN was made, it was decided to use agile methodology with monthly sprints, using several phases according to the defined priority. The solution was installed in Azure infrastructure in the cloud (databases and servers) and programming using MVC architecture and REST services to access the different layers of the application.

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

The group consisted of a PM, 4 developers, 1 tester, an architect, an infrastructure consultant, and a UI designer.

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

The project had various risks and difficulties that the group managed to handle appropriately. Deliveries were made on time and the product was implemented in phases as planned. ICONOI S.A.'s commitment at all times to resolve incidents on time was remarkable. It was possible to replace the modules whose technology was already obsolete and modernize the architecture of the entire application with respect to previous solutions.

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

For the management of the project, a schedule was made that was reviewed weekly, controlling risks and resources. Progress, difficulties and achievements were reviewed in each "daily" and special meetings to plan the sprints. The code and documentation were kept in a versioned repository and permanent communication through Team Foundation Server tools-

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

We can highlight the professionalism, experience and commitment

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

We recommend including in a project like this a role of automatic tests to facilitate the verification of the versions to be released.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a coordinator of public health surveillance at the National Health Institute of Colombia.

What challenge were you trying to address with ICONOI S.A.?

We needed to update a system that allows us to consolidate information about the population’s health after facing incidents concerning public health.

What was the scope of their involvement?

ICONOI is updating our system’s infrastructure. The primary features of the update include the ability to send notifications, integrate with new modules to cross information with other institutions, process bigger volumes of information, and generate analysis with a new dashboard. The team uses Microsoft technologies, while the development's primary coding language has been .NET. For data visualization, they’ve used tools such as Power BI. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with about 10 people, including a project manager, a senior business analyst, a business architect, a testing lead, and a couple of developers.

How did you come to work with ICONOI S.A.?

We’ve had a previous project with them. Usually, these projects are financed or made in collaboration with other institutions or agencies. For this project, our partner requested a specific process we had to follow to find our service provider. 

The first step was to invite companies that had experience in the health sector. About eight companies participated in the selection process and presented proposals. From there, we interviewed five companies. After these companies passed an evaluation process, we selected ICONOI because they showed great abilities and experience with the health sector, which was one of our requirements. 

How much have you invested with them?

This project cost about 220 million Colombian pesos (approximately $59,000 USD), while our first project cost about 450 million Colombian pesos (approximately $120,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in January 2020, and it’s ongoing. We had our first project with them in 2008.

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

The platform is pretty robust. It allows us to integrate new technologies and gives us the chance to operate with other information systems. It combines all the information from different sources into a single platform, which has been very valuable. This project means a complete renewal on the technology side of all of our business architecture.

This information system is also of great importance for the country as it allows us to identify events that could be of risk for the population’s health. Additionally, the project was awarded as the best development in the health sector by the Colombian Development Association.

How did ICONOI S.A. perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve been working with technology projects for years now, and in my experience, there are always setbacks. In particular, meeting deadlines can be challenging, but the ICONOI team has been very respectful of deadlines and processes while remaining very flexible with our needs. As for communication tools, we have working groups and weekly video conferences via Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, and so on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed that the project got an award for the best development in the health sector.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The ICONOI team has improved many things along the way. They’ve had to go through a learning process, specifically regarding the processes of public health. The team also had to learn about our development procedures from our in-house development team.

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Regional Center for the Promotion of Books in Latin America and the Caribbean. We're a nonprofit international organization dedicated to accompanying countries in cities in strengthening their policies regarding books, reading and libraries. I'm the technical deputy director.

For what projects/services did your company hire ICONOI S.A., and what were your goals?

We had an agreement with the Secretary of Education of Bogotá. The allies required software that would allow them to automate the administration, reporting and monitoring of the results of literacy tests applied in the city.

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

CERLALC made a public call to receive proposals. The main factors considered were the experience of the company and the value of the proposal.

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

I do not have the technical expertise to answer this question.

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

We had permanent contact with Rodrigo Nassar, who I understand is the director of the company. We are constantly working with an account executive, Katherine Ramos, and at least two development engineers.

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

Overall, the project met the partner's expectations and will significantly help improve evaluation processes. Since the process of effective use of the platform has not started, we cannot give quantifiable data of the results.

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

We implemented a weekly meeting methodology during the early development phases that guaranteed an agile approach to the most critical moments of the project. Later, the frequency of meetings was reduced and we maintained fluid communication by email and messaging.

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

His ability to support the partner in organizing their ideas about their own procedure. Their ability to understand our needs and rapidly respond to our requests impressed me.

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

Perhaps it would have been necessary to strengthen aspects of the graphic design of user interfaces.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT assistant manager at a medical practice.

What challenges were you trying to address with ICONOI S.A.?

Our company uses mostly Microsoft technologies for development. ICONOI is a Microsoft partner, so that was one of the reasons we started collaborating with them in the first place.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve had numerous projects together. At the moment, we’re working with ICONOI on a software factory scheme. We’ve also developed numerous apps and solutions for different business areas.

What is the team composition?

We work with 5–6 people.

How did you come to work with  ICONOI S.A.?

It was a long time ago, but they approached us first. ICONOI contacted us and presented a proposal. We liked their skills and experience, so we added them to our service providers portfolio.  When we had a project that seemed like a great fit for them, we called ICONOI and had our first collaboration.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together for about 15 years now, and the relationship is ongoing.

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

In our first projects, we used to have numerous manual processes and these developments helped us to be more efficient, save time, and improve processes. As for our latest solutions, they’ve helped us improve our services, and we’ve seen the impact with our clients. We’ve been able to follow their cases more closely and provide a better service.

How did ICONOI S.A.  Perform from a project management standpoint?

It has been great. We've continued our collaboration for so long because we’ve always had a great experience with them. They’ve always been responsive, supportive, and willing to solve any inconveniences.

For communication, we used to have in-person periodical meetings, although now with the COVID-19 pandemic they've been mostly online.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their size is an advantage to me. They’re still a medium-sized company, so their processes are faster and their service is more customized. They also have great skills and have gotten to know our company’s processes very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their logistic and organizational scheme in terms of development. Sometimes it takes a while to find new resources in urgent or unexpected situations.