Instil Software

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of development for a software agency that produces a POS product. My job entails providing implementation of software roadmap direction, managing developers, and providing resources that the business needs to develop its own products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Instil Software?

We were trying to rapidly build a product for a new market opportunity. We needed an Android version of our product, as we already had a newer version of it running on iPads.

We did some explorative work on other companies but Instil was the clear winner in the process. They proved that they had the skills to work with us to build the product we needed.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Instil Software collaborated with us to build a POS product for the Android platform. Our requirements were for it to be cloud-based, high-performing, and extremely reliable for people to use to run their businesses — it’s not a new concept, but its execution was critical. There are multiple versions of the product on the market.  We already had an iOS version which is regarded as an excellent product.

We needed to ensure the Android version had the same quality as the iOS version, but initially, we didn’t have any Android developers. We added a number of Instil developers to our team as we hired our own and they helped us build the first version. We set up a number of lab sessions where we worked on the specifications of the product for five days.

One of their values as a partner is that they transfer knowledge over to our team. They don’t just help develop the product and walk away. They helped train our team on the Android platform to ensure we maintain their good practices and high-quality code — this is helpful from a business point of view because we ultimately provide support for the product.

What is the team composition?

We initially talked with the CEO, development manager, and principal software developer for the exploratory phase. We set up a number of lab sessions where we worked on the specifications of the product for five days. On the last day, they presented the first prototype of what the product would look like and were blown away by their flexibility.

How did you come to work with Instil Software?

I previously worked with them on other projects, but I found them the first time through a recommendation.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2017, and the partnership is still ongoing.

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

We have metrics that show the number of crashes and incidents or problems raised by our customers' experience, but the results are so low, it’s almost negligible which is excellent. In addition, we also had a target to launch on the Google Play Store, which was a big milestone for us. As a software leader, I know that there’s no universal scale of measuring the architecture of a software. I know when things are architected well when the software is easy to change and make additions to. 

They’ve been very flexible, and they’ve been able to provide more developers when we needed them. Instil has top-quality developers with good attitudes, and that’s why it’s been such a pleasure working with them.

How did Instil Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Since they’re in the same city as one of our offices, the developers came to work in our offices a number of days a week. When they couldn’t, they would be in touch through Slack, which we use as an internal communication tool. We also use Jira, GitHub, and Zoom, and Google Meet for meetings that can’t happen face to face.

They’re also committed to our project planning process. They make it with us and really strive to deliver the amount of depth and quality — I’ve seen them go the extra mile.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m very impressed with their attention to detail and how invested they are in our success. They’re a very impressive team that’s generous with their knowledge and if you get that for a development partner, you’ll be very lucky. 

Instil Software are not looking to take your money and build a minimal version of your product. They build extraordinarily high-quality software that’s well-tested, automated, and well-architected - they want you to be happy with their work. They’re an interesting company for developers to work with because they provide challenges all the time. They want to impart the knowledge to you and leave you with the ability to support your own product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had such a good relationship with them that nothing has ever come up. There’s never a point where we need to sit down with them because they’ve always handled things very professionally.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be as transparent as you can about the project. You should absolutely work with them and you will not regret it. Your team and your business will be better for it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.
 
I’m the senior manager of global software development for the professional division of a consumer electronics firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Instil Software?
 
We had a partnership with a customer for a project. We needed to develop a new software application for an emerging aspect of our business. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Instil Software was responsible for this app — they helped design, develop, and write the code for it. They worked closely with our designers and our customer to create something new and different for the industry. They internalized all of the information and developed the software.

What is the team composition?

I worked with around 11 people from Instil Software’s team, but my involvement was more at the executive level. I worked directly with Tara (CEO) and the product management team. I only interacted with the development team at the beginning of the project. We discussed scope and details about how the team was going to work and what needed to be done. 

How did you come to work with Instil Software?

I worked with Tara and other people from Instil Software at a previous organization. My impression of them was high enough that I recommended them as a potential development partner for this new project. We objectively evaluated, critiqued, and graded them against another development team, and they came out to be the top pick for the job. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from approximately October 2019–May 2020.

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

We put together a development plan that was agreed upon between our company and Instil Software; it included specific deliverables based on dates. They delivered what they said they were going to deliver and more — they always over-delivered on what they committed to. I was satisfied with Instil Software's services and would definitely work with them again. 

How did Instil Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Instil Software was very good at meeting deadlines. We had daily meetings with them — communication was never a problem. I wasn’t necessarily involved in the day-to-day development of the software. However, my team that was responsible for that had nothing but good things to say about Instil Software’s development team.

They were very experienced, capable, and high-performing — just a really well-run organization. Also, the product management team was very knowledgeable and understanding. They were able to drive the project and get the information needed for it to grow and go in the direction that we wanted it to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project was extremely complicated because it had very extensive requirements. However, Instil Software did an absolutely fantastic job and exceeded all of the organization’s and our customer’s expectations. 

Tara was a very good person to work with — he was, understanding, willing to help, and accommodating. From a business perspective, he was always fair and willing to do the right thing. I have nothing but respect and trust for Instil Software. Our partnership was a fantastic experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a couple of times when they were collecting information for us, and we didn’t hear anything back from them for a while, which was concerning. I knew they were working on the project and coming up with estimates and plans. However, it would’ve been nice if they’d let us know that they were still working on the project or asked if we had any questions just to make sure there were no long periods of silence. 

However, after these long periods, they always came back with the exact and right answer. That was a pretty minor complaint. Overall, they were the right combination of everything we wanted.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that Instil Software gets as much information as they can. Based on that information, they’ll be able to come up with a fantastic solution. Even in the absence of information, if you describe what you want or need and trust them, they will come up with a good solution.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior technical lead at an IT company, and I lead our digital banking engineering teams. I primarily work in the London office. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Instil Software?

The most recent kind of business challenge that we’ve worked with them was launching a new product to market. It was a large complex technical platform, and we hired Instil to build a banking app for one of our clients. We wanted to finish the project within six months. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Instil primarily provides software engineering capability. They’re augmenting our teams and providing experienced software developers to help us deliver our proposition quickly. They also provide QA on all our deliverables.  

Currently, the team is focused on building our mobile app. They've provided mobile developers that are in charge of the app’s architecture and design. There’s a lot of cloud technology, Kubernetes-based software development, and other technologies that are involved in the project. For example, we’ve used Java Microservices and Swift as our two main technologies for iOS mobile app development.

The team already finished the iOS app, and they're set to complete the Android app too. Furthermore, they help us with the technical problems we’re dealing with and in creating new features for our platform.

What is the team composition?

At the peak, we’ve worked with five people from Instil. We continue to work with two people from Instil today. 

How did you come to work with Instil Software?

I worked with Instil for a number of years. They had a good reputation in the local market, particularly for their quality work above all else. That was something that was really important to us because we wanted to ensure that our products would be done exceptionally. The market recommendation was the primary reason why we started working with them.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $750,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and they’re still working with us today.

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

We’ve been able to have initial releases within six weeks, and that has been impressive.

How did Instil Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a kickoff session, and after that, we got together and planned our activities. Now, we use Slack to communicate, and we use Jira for reporting. Everything’s been really good from a project management perspective: they’ve been integrated with us, and they provide regular updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their work has been fantastic. If they don’t believe they can deliver a piece of work in the time we want them to finish or if there are cost constraints that they identify, they’re open and honest about that. They clearly tell us if they can do something or not. Furthermore, they’ll explain the limitations why they can’t provide the solution. 

As a result, when they receive work, I’m confident that they’ll deliver excellently. Instil is a trustworthy company, and that’s the reason why we’ve worked with them for a long time. They’ve repeatedly proven that they can deliver their promises.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d love for them to scale with us because sometimes it’s challenging getting resources from them. They don’t have a lot of developers, but apart from that, I’m very happy with their services. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you use Instil’s experience well. They have a huge wealth of experience, and they have the ability to produce high quality. That works best when you’re open and honest about what you’re trying to achieve.

You need to work with them as a partner to deliver an outcome rather than being very contract-specific to what you want them to do. I still think they’ll be able to deliver good results, but I don’t think you’ll get the most out of the engagement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a software developer and architect for a wireless company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Instil Software?

Our primary need was to engage a leader in the software development arena to design, create, and test value-added service applications based on our specifications. We wanted a partnership with a team that was able to work both alongside our internal staff as well as independently. Instil also went a step further and provided both leadership and training to augment and improve our team’s knowledge and understanding of new, relevant technologies.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Although our department took care of deployment into production for the multitude of applications in which Instil was involved, their team covered nearly every other stage of work. They conducted research, created designs, implemented the code, tested the results, and deployed the end product into our staging platforms for unit integration and end-to-end testing. Their team provided documentation and 24-7 support for all of the above.

The products on which they collaborated with us ranged from mobile apps to server-side development. A common assignment was for a certain type of application that allowed users to enter into a system and provision features for a cellular customer.

How much have you invested with them?

During our overall work with Instil, we have invested between C$2-5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Instil in 2011, and we are currently in the process of wrapping up our final projects.

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

Due to the varied nature of our work with them, I do not have any concrete metrics to share on the results of their work.

How did Instil Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Their organization was particularly impressive, with each project having its own clearly defined schedule to which their team would adhere—even when our timeline changed with little notice. It was very clear that our priorities were of the utmost importance to them. If their progress was going to be delayed, they would indicate so with advance notice.

Instil always delivered their assigned work in a timely fashion, the products were consistently of the highest quality, and their responsiveness to queries or issues was thorough and constant, despite them being located on a different continent. If ever there was a problem, their team was immediately available to assist with our concerns.

To assist with our collaborations, we used Confluence, Slack, and Google TV, in addition to holding daily telephone calls, as well as stand-ups for some of our Agile projects. Every quarter, their team’s management would fly over to our office for three or four days.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their competitiveness and their intelligence make them stand out from the crowd. Instil’s sheer breadth of knowledge makes their software services very desirable. Although they were located across the pond, our team developed a close bond with them on a personal level. Despite the distance, they worked with us exceptionally well.

Additionally, we occasionally compared their pricing system to other, larger software development vendors, and Instil was usually one-half to one-fifth of the cost.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In an ideal world, they would open up an office in Toronto. New contractor guidelines at our company regarding the distance of collaborators have meant that we have had to part ways with Instil on future projects, even though we would prefer to continue to work with them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the senior engineering manager for the high performance versions of multiple developer tooling products.

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

The goal was to accelerate product development and support existing dev teams with expert engineers that could hit the ground running and quickly ramp into the technical stack. The overall goal was to accelerate delivery of features across multiple products.

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

The Instil team have a strong reputation for quality and technical excellence. They were flexible with timings and comfortable integrating into existing team structures.

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

We got the Instil team into the standard company development practices. They were fully treated like existing staff and participated in feature kickoff, scope definition, build, test, communicate to community, define success metrics and measure post release.

The key deliverables were sets of features across multiple developer tooling products. The Instil team was super useful in feeding into scoping features and managing risks. The tech stack was JS, Java, Spring, OSGi, Tomcat, jUnit, Git etc. The general Java tech stack.

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

We had between 7-10 staff from Instil working as a team with us over the course of the engagement. The positions varied from 'developer', 'senior developer' and 'principal developer'.

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

The deliverables were to a very high quality and performance standard. As the overarching goal was to ship more value for customers across multiple developer tooling products, we eventually experienced an uptick in CSAT and as a lagging metric revenue and renewals.

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

The Instil team participated in the company development process, so they adhered to the version of Agile delivery that we practiced. They engaged directly with other teams to manage dependencies and ensure communication was strong. We found them to be proactive, responsive and asking the correct questions and the right time.

They were indistinguishable from a full time employed team. In terms of tooling, the primary tools were Jira Software, Confluence, Atlas, Slack etc.

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

We were impressed with how well they integrated into the internal team's ways of working. This meant that they acted and behaved as a team of full time employees. Their technical ability shone through and the speed at which they ramped on the product challenges and tech stack, meant that they were effective quickly.

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

Nothing specifc.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Body Worn Video camera manufacturer and direct supplier to end user customers. Founder, Managing Director.

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

To develop a ground up, all new Digital Evidence Management software system for review of secure video files. It was essential that the software was user friendly and scalable for the end user.

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

We had met in 2013 and had a good impression of the Instil team and management.

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

Initially Instil prepared a detail elaboration report in order to assess the viability of the proposed project. This gave us a clear idea of costs and realistic time frames for the new software development. All key deliverables were met on time, often exceeding expectations.

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

There were four people in the core Instil development team. We had regular weekly meetings that also included two additional people from the Management team. We had good access to the commercial team when appropriate.

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

The project was completed and software was delivered on time. Very professional throughout.

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

Project management and communication with all the team at Instil was excellent. Very respectful to our team and very professional with the highest software development ability based on our experience.

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

Communication was excellent. Professional consistency made for a very calm and enjoyable experience for us. At no stage did we have any doubt on the complete success of this rather extensive development project.

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

None that I can think off.