Indium

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager at Crane and Norcross, a law firm in Chicago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We wanted to replace our legacy billing system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We contracted them on a by-project basis to build a billing module for us. Another vendor had created the beginning of this system, which streamlines our real estate tax billing. We moved over to Indium Software, who has since provided development at a fixed price. They’ve been using PostgreSQL, HTML, and Java.

While the solution has been implemented, it’s become sophisticated over time. They’re currently working to refine some of its specifications, the clarity of which was delayed on our own side. This work is part of a secondary, ongoing support contract.

What is the team composition?

I’d say that we’ve worked with 6–­7 teammates.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

Satish Pala (Senior Vice President) was somebody that my brother, who serves as our consultant, had worked with at HP, years ago. They responded to our RFP along with some other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the project has been between $50,000 – $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in October 2019 and was initially implemented in May 2020. They’re providing ongoing adjustments in adherence to our redefined specifications.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is anticipated to cut down on our billing turnaround time. While our legacy system also generated bills, the new system automatically saves the information and sends it to the appropriate parties by email. It boasts improved tracking and reporting functionalities, so it’s far more detailed than the solution it’s replacing. We’ve been very happy with Indium Software.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been pretty good on this front. They set us up on Jira, which has been effective. While they temporarily lost one of their programmers to family issues, they brought her back upon our request. They’ve been consistent and communicative, and their efficiency has eliminated the number of calls we need to hold in a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

While I don’t have a robust basis for comparison, we’ve been pleased with how accommodating they’ve been in terms of working around our schedule. I’d also highlight Satish’s intelligence and how he’s been able to grasp the details of our complex property tax system.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve enjoyed consistent and long-lasting relationships with the teammates who have been critical to the success of this project. Having said that, we could appreciate even more continuity with the different people we work with from their team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have your RFP be detailed and complete before you send it out. It’ll help to have your specs and requirements laid out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the QE director for a software development company in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We needed to find resources for an affordable price.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We purchased a desktop automation testing framework from them. They sent us a resource to implement a testing framework and educate our in-house team on its functions. They also help us with manual testing, automated regression testing, and API and selenium testing using our in-house developer test framework. 

What is the team composition?

We have three working on manual testing, and two people doing automation testing. We also have an account manager that we can contact if we’re having problems with our resources. 

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

I originally worked with them at my previous job, and I found them through Google when I was looking for a readymade testing solution. Based on my previous positive experience, I decided to contact them again. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our ongoing collaboration with them in October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We originally updated our framework using our in-house team. We were successful, but they evaluated our work and provided feedback based on their analysis. 

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They use all the same project management tools as our in-house team, including Jira, Excel spreadsheets, and Slack. They also have access to our network and virtual machines. Initially, there were a few issues with access, but we were able to resolve it. 

We receive reports daily from the automation and manual testing teams, in addition to quarterly meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think one of their biggest strengths is reliability. The turnover rate among the resources is low. We like that our resources are permanent. The team they provided is also very professional and communicative. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. We had to give them a refresh on desktop applications though because the team had become more accustomed to dealing with mobile and web-based apps. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a data analytics lead for a payment company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We’ve worked with them mainly in the area of data migration and visualization reporting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Indium Software is helping us put our data into a single repository for analysis. They’re using Apache NiFi as the extract, transform, load (ETL) tool and Microsoft Azure as a cloud database host.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 2–3 people from Indium Software. I handle the project management portion, while they execute the project.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

They were selected by my predecessor. I’m not sure how he found them.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of their services has been less than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in late-December 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Indium Software has good adaptability and flexibility in accommodating our changes. We’ve launched a first version of the software, and colleagues have said that it’s a useful tool. Previously, they had no visibility into the data.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly update meetings to discuss how the project is progressing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re there to assist us when we require help. They’ve had several rounds of meetings with internal stakeholders from my organization to clear any questions regarding security and how to address those matters.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The delivery speed and application quality could be improved. They could provide more best-practices advice instead of having me tell them what it should be like.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients need to constantly communicate with them around the requirements and get constant updates on the progress.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Skreens is a cloud based video delivery platform that allows full manipulation of the video and video resources via RESTful and websocket based API. I am the Vice President of Product Engineering and a CoFounder. I lead the external software product development resources for both web-based (vue.js) and mobile (Android and iOS)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our mobile applications needed additional functionality of the existing application. They also needed to be brought up to date with a radically new version of our APIs.

What were your goals for this project?

The release to production of both sets of mobile applications and the web portal.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed several companies and settled on this team because of their expertise across all of our product technology suite. They were also very easy to communicate with.

Describe the project in detail.

We use project management tools to assign tasks to the team members. The mockups and functionality are detailed in the tasks. We meet every morning to go over progress (modified scrum). We received daily builds of all the applications.

What was the team composition?

We have one Android developer, one-two iOS developers and one to two jue.vs developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was very successful. The team always went the extra mile to make our deadlines. The daily calls worked really well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team was very responsive to off business hours when needed. Our side also spent a lot of time coordinating daily activities to make sure there were no obstacles.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their willingness to work within our dynamic project with documentation that was not always robust was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The timezone differences between Boston and their facility did cause some difficulties. It would have been better if we had more overlap in work hours.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an account manager and executive at Tika Mobile. We’re a software-based service platform providing CRM platforms to life sciences clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

Our primary objective was to address our testing needs. We wanted to ensure we were offering a very strong product with few bugs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The range of deliverables includes a list of test cases that Indium Software creates for every product and module we want to introduce into the market. They conduct thorough testing and regression testing. 

In addition to that, we very recently took on their help in writing some regulatory documentation required for every software organization that provides a CRM for life sciences clients.

What is the team composition?

We have a team of about seven people, including a primary point of contact who manages the day to day needs. There were about five people on the ground as well.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

My organization was already working with Indium Software when I joined. However, I know they were judged on their existing references and portfolio. Our CEO brought them on board because he’d seen and was impressed with their work.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent between $150,000–$200,000 on the engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration has been ongoing since March 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received great feedback from our developers on the quality of Indium Software’s testing. I’ve seen the type of issues they’ve solved and been really impressed with their performance.

From an overall organization standpoint, we assess their work based on the granularity and depth of the documentation they produce. Those have been very comprehensive and it speaks volumes to their skills and capabilities.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

At the beginning of the engagement, we were using Excel to communicate issues with one another. We recently moved to Monday.com, which is now our primary project management and issue tracking tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The level of scrutiny they bring to their work sets Indium Software apart. When we started engaging with them for the regulatory documentation, their capabilities became clear. The process can be very tricky and complex, but the team handles it well. We know they can wear multiple hats, which is really beneficial to our organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are a few areas, and I’ve given feedback to the team directly. The first is with the framework we asked them to create for our product. They created some minimal framework, but our needs are very agile and our work is aggressive, so it didn’t necessarily reach all the folks in our organization. We would like for it to be streamlined so that everything they create is aligned to that framework.

We also want Indium Software to try and engage more. Right now, they’re testing from an application standpoint, which is great, but we also want them to spend some more time understanding the product. As they’re getting more and more familiar with the business and functional side of our product, they should be able to even write functional test cases in addition to technical ones.

Generally speaking, we’re happy with Indium Software’s approach. They’ve been very flexible, and every member of their team is a team player. They always manage to accommodate our needs, even though we have very aggressive deadlines and tight timelines. The team has been able to show us support and provide us with assistance even in tough situations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We make scientific instruments and software to measure micro-particles. I'm an executive there.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We were looking to augment our software QA capabilities. In particular, we were looking for quality engineering automation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They augment our quality staff by providing a couple of different services. They provide quality engineers to automate various software quality tests using a particular technology. They also provide quality analysts who either script out the tests for the engineers or provide free form testing services. In addition, they provide project and people management for their staff.

What is the team composition?

We have two quality engineers, two quality analysts, and then a part-time project engineer.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

At the end of 2017, I did research to find out who did software quality testing services. We looked at firms all over the world with 3 dozen candidates. We narrowed that down using an RFP technique.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in March 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured them through the number of automated test scripts that were completed and executed, the number of defects we found, and the number of exploratory testing hours that were sent.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very good at communicating. We run in two-week iterations and at the end of every sprint, we get a report of what was planned and what was accomplished. We also have daily standups.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very easy and accessible to work with. Their team is technically proficient and they've been able to adopt multiple different technologies. In the application realm, they've done a decent job of coming up to speed as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't think so. We picked them because of their specialization in software QA. By in large, they've been very effective in bringing software knowledge to the table. It would be nice to know how many bugs would be released, but that's a common question in QA.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have a great way of adapting to the communication styles of their clients. If you have a particular style you prefer, express that to them and they'll follow it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a mobile app startup that provides audio tools for English-speaking tourists in top destinations in Japan, and I am in charge of business operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

They served as our development partner in creating our application, helping us build it from the ground up.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially discussed whether we wanted to use iOS or Android and whether we should include everything together or in several different packages, and we ended up deciding on iOS Native. Once those decisions had been made, they built out and helped us launch the MVP of our product for one destination. At this point, we are in negotiations with them for a CMS for the future.

What is the team composition?

Their team had one dedicated project manager for our account, and then one dedicated developer and another who supported him as necessary. They also provided a marketing person as well as a few others who helped out when our project was in full swing.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

One of our partners in India had worked with them before and was able to recommend their services. We looked through many developers but eventually settled on them because they were the most professional and transparent in our interviewing process.

What is the status of this engagement?

The whole process, from the beginning to launching our final application, ran from August–November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The MVP is mostly for testing to see how well all of the features in the app would work and be used by our customers, and in that regard, the feedback we’ve received so far has been very positive. Their technical skills are very impressive, and even though we weren’t looking to market the product or receive a lot in terms of revenue or sales, we were able to achieve all of the goals that we had established.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project manager did a really great job of staying on top of all project timelines. She kept track of not only just her team but providing us with all the content requirements and clarifications that they needed along the way in order to get everything done. It was incredibly professional overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were incredibly flexible throughout the project. Things kept evolving throughout the project, especially as the prospect of the Tokyo Olympics became less and less certain, and they helped us to discover new things along the way and change different features as we needed. It was clear that they were focused on the final product and wanted us to be happy in the long run.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think the process could potentially have been a little bit more efficient if we had a senior developer working more closely on our team, but we got to an excellent product in the end, so it wasn’t really a problem.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an inventory auditing platform for small businesses. Our priority is inventory matching.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We’re using them to supply a contingent workforce to supplement some of our prototyping for the beta app that we’re releasing in about three weeks. They’ve been instrumental in building some of the components around our path methods. We don’t use traditional models, but they’ve been key in helping us by learning and adapting to our process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve worked on a few projects for us. We had them handle R&D on a blockchain project. Now, they’re using Node-RED and other programming tools to manage API development.

They’ve also helped create some frontend experience, helping us code the frontend based on our requirements. We’re using Blue JS for that endeavor. Our team does the infrastructure work for the most part. We had them create a PostgreSQL database to manage the data.

What is the team composition?

There are usually four people assigned to the team including an account manager and project manager. We also have one part-time and one full-time developer.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

We found them using LinkedIn ProFinder. They responded to our messages along with several other companies. We decided to test them out on a trial project after meeting and getting to know their CEO. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a grand total of around $100,000 on their work. At this point, we’re averaging about $5,000 each month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2018, and our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve saved us money on the cost of developing large-scale projects. More importantly, they’re able to deliver products and prove concepts at a faster pace than we were able to do before.

That’s been important for us. They’ve also been able to work within the parameters of our patent. We have proprietary products here, so that’s been a requirement. They’ve successfully delivered around our cloud-native model, working well in our lean loop of development. That’s been the biggest benefit for us overall.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t interact with the developers because the project manager handles all of that coordination within the team. We built a personal relationship with their CEO, who often visits our offices to meet clients and interact with our team. We talk on the phone and check-in periodically.

We use Jira and GitHub, which have allowed us to collaborate effectively without constant meetings. Our team breaks up tickets into blocks. After their team completes a block of tickets, they create a video explaining their work that we can watch to understand their progress to date. They serve as updates, which has cut down on our time in meetings. 

They’re flexible, adaptable, and have a customer-centric approach to working. The team has always been full of highly skilled people, so we haven’t had any problems with staffing. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

At the time, we’d never done a blockchain project. They were excited about the work, which made us more confident in the process. We gave them a tutorial on what needed to happen, and they handled everything from there. They ramped up and became proficient in technologies outside of their expertise.

Their team was open about their limited familiarity with some of the technologies and added another resource at no cost to ensure that they handled the project to our standards. I appreciated our open communication about their experience level with technologies. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They do a good job of reporting, but I have to ask for them. It may benefit them to instate a more structured reporting process to help more novice partners to get the outcomes they want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of development projects for BP Logix, a firm in the business process management space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Indium Software?

We needed them to create and run test cases. One of the challenges in our space is trying to stay competitive, which means putting out a lot of new capabilities and features at a fast pace and being able to backfill and support our existing QA. We wanted to strengthen our capacity to do that by working with Indium Software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve created and run different test plans over the past couple of years for thousands of test cases. They’re planning on using some automated test tools moving forward.

What is the team composition?

We work with two engineers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Indium Software?

I think we found them through a Google search. We spoke with a few companies and narrowed it down to just two. The services Indium Software offered went beyond QA into areas that we're eventually going to use, such as automated testing and penetration testing. The depth of things they had access to made us choose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s hard to measure the impact of a bug that they find, and allowing us to fix it before it gets released. That impact means avoiding system problems and customer perception issues, so it can be far-reaching. We also use them to help us in pre-sales, when customers ask about the quality of our testing, we can share the reports that Indium Software generates. Those tests convey confidence to the customers and show them that our software is thoroughly tested before it goes out.

How did Indium Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They use in-house tools and send us reports as they generate them. The communication has been good and they've delivered on schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed that they’ve picked up some of the complexities of the application and put together test cases because it's a non-trivial application. Creating a large number of test cases was a challenge and they did it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice to automate some of the tests, and we’re going down that path now. That will speed the test execution, so they can write and build test cases that will go on forever. We want quicker testing for those tests that can be automated with tools.