iTrends

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’ve been working as the security director for a company that provides medical insurance services.

What challenge were you trying to address with iTrends?

We needed someone to develop a native application for agents, who we use as intermediaries to sell doctors’ services. The application needed a quoting engine functionality, so iTrends helped us with building it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

iTrends had some experience with insurance so they helped us collect the requirements for the app. They designed a solution and provided a prototype which was then validated by the end-user. 

Their team developed an app that could work online and offline since our agents sometimes do not have access to WiFi or cannot get a phone signal. Using the app, our intermediaries could also easily talk to prospective members and give them a quote depending on the location. The tool is multi-currency, multi-company, and operates in different languages on both Android and iOS. 

iTrends originally hosted a solution, but they recently developed a new version of the app that we and the doctors could have full control over.

What is the team composition?

I interacted with at least 3–4 resources, including the project manager, the designer, and the business analyst. They had a development team, but we were not in contact with them.

How did you come to work with iTrends?

iTrends was a referral. A former employee of our company recommended them since they were based in Mexico. The team prepared and delivered a presentation where we saw their previous experience with similar companies, competitive pricing, and tailor-made solution. We then decided to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with iTrends for 4–5 years, since September 2015. The first version was fully developed in 2016 and released in December 2020. We work with them based on the demand, but are currently not engaged in a project since the tool is now on our platform and under our full control. 

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

We have a QA team that developed some of our metrics, which was up to three incidents per release. iTrends' development had good quality because they were under this standard. We also prepared some test cases which the team was able to handle since the model of the app was nothing too complex. 

How did iTrends perform from a project management standpoint?

We developed a project plan with a payment scheme attached to each deliverable and milestone. We usually met with them first, collected the requirements to relay to our internal team, and reviewed their outputs and designs against set checkpoints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were not in the same time zone and we sometimes contacted iTrends outside of business hours, but they were very responsive. They had experience in the market, which was a key attribute that helped them complete this project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on the communication and language aspect. I am bilingual, but some of our users do not speak English. In general, however, they were able to understand, deliver, and document everything properly. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent and establish open communication. Define clearly what you expect from iTrends in terms of deliverables, specifications, and documentation. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the manager development software. We advice enterprise level clients on development of software products

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

The challenge was to create a in a few time a new product that allowed to manage the performance of employees. Our goals were: Just in time, open technologies, scalability and easy to use.

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

We searched a vendor who had experience on this kind of projects, different open technologies and compliance with our software development practices. We found in iTrends a trust vendor who was recommended by many clients because their good results and commitment.

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

The scope of work was from Business analysis to implement the platform. The technologies used was Angular, PHP, Linux.

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

At least 3 people. Their positions were Technical project Leader, and developers. The team was proactive. Great team.

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

The project was delivered on time, with good quality. The attitude of the team was very collaborative The deliverables was as we expected and how they compromised.

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

Their project management style is under Scrum methodology, they use dynamic tools to be easier for the client to stay informed. So it's so easy to have a track and status of the work.

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

Their technical capabilities and consulting skills were impressive.

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

Develop some leadership skills in some key members of the team.