Kaizen Softworks

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

The quality of their work has been great. Kaizen Software has brought a fresh perspective. Their team hasn’t just accepted our ideas but has improved and challenged them. They have helped us to push the boundaries and come up with new concepts.

How did Kaizen Softworks perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve communicated by Jira and Slack. We’ve talked every single day. Being in Uruguay, Kaizen Software’s only one hour ahead of us. Whenever I’ve had any questions or concerns, their team has responded immediately. They've also met deadlines and know the deadlines that I have to meet. Their team has accommodated our schedule based on the assignments we need to get done. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of their greatest strengths is their hunger. They have a desire to create a cool project—it’s not just a contract they’re trying to fulfill. Their team’s trying to make the product truly spectacular. Another strength is the buy-in that they’ve had so far. You can tell that they’re fully invested in the project. Kaizen Softworks wants to be a part of the team. It has made the process of understanding the project much simpler.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any improvements off the top of my head. The collaboration has run smoothly.

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

We have been able to scale and build the product we wanted using their team. Kaizen delivered the outcome we were looking for from an engineering perspective. From an engineering perspective, it works exactly like we wanted it and Kaizen built it as per our designs.

How did Kaizen Softworks perform from a project management standpoint?

We had them use our project management tools, Jira and Bitbucket. They were comfortable using those.

Kaizen understood where we were in terms of deadlines, and committed to them. If we had a deadline, they worked with us, making sure we could hit it.

I know that English is not their native language, but, from a business perspective, the level is good. We were able to communicate, they understood our requirements, and I understood them. Having both parties working in the same time zone was a big benefit.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I liked about working with them is what it wasn’t a matter of tossing work over the fence and having the team do what I say. If something wasn’t right or if we gave an unclear direction, Kaizen brought it to my attention. If I asked for a particular approach and they found that there was a better one, they would come back and tell me. They took a lot of initiative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the context of working remotely, everyone has the opportunity to improve on communication. Having more communication done more frequently is beneficial. We were always connected through Slack, but in general, it can be improved.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

This was a big project for us using a remote team. Time needs to be put into planning what has to be done and writing it down so that the team can be successful in delivering what the client wants.

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

They really took their time to understand what we wanted to do. Since they did this early on, they’re now able to come up with ideas when we brainstorm new features. They’re not just coders that we give tasks and tell them to go from top to bottom. They come back and give suggestions that make our product better.

I love that we’re able to discuss things together. Things sometimes look a certain way in my head but would be too complex for them to build, and they’re able to identify that. They don’t just build what I ask for. They look at things critically to see if it’s applicable with the solution we’re building.

How did Kaizen Softworks perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re easy to understand. We use Slack a lot, which was new to me at first but I really like it now. It helps me catch a things before they turn into issues and also allows us to quickly change direction before they get too deep into coding. We have daily communication. They’re fast at getting back to me. We don’t have any language barriers. We understand what they’re building 99% of the time. We also do weekly sprints to make sure we’re on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I view it as a partnership more than outsourcing code to someone else. I rarely find issues in their work. Their quality control is better than I’ve seen from other companies, and I’ve worked in IT for over 20 years with outsourced companies from India, Ghana, South America, and Eastern Europe. It’s very rare that I come across people who are this self-conscious about quality and what they need to deliver.

Kaizen tests a lot. There are things that only I can find because I’m so invested in the pedagogical approach. It’s very rare that I have to send something back to them to redo. We’ve only moved our timeline by two months, and I’m used to being 6–12 months off. This is very good. We love working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any bad things to say. We’re really happy with them and hope to work with them for many years to come. I’ve recommended them to others because I’m that pleased with their services. We’re a very happy customer.