Kinetech Cloud

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Director of South Texas Alliance for Orphans

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Alliance serves and equips churches, businesses, and individuals to care for children and families impacted by the foster care system. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Kinetech Cloud to accomplish?

• Create an online application for our Babysitting Collaborative
• Make a backend that allowed prospective babysitters and foster agencies to easily access files
• Increase efficiency for both users and Alliance team while protecting personal information

SOLUTION

How did you find Kinetech Cloud?

A Generous Life event

Why did you select Kinetech Cloud over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Kinetech Cloud were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Kintech took a very manual, time-consuming process that contains personal information and needed to be accessed by multiple parties at various levels and streamlined it into an online application. 

• All documents to a secure online platform
• Secure location for all personal information
• Checklist and completion task bars. Able to start and resume without losing inforamation
• Easy access for applicants, Alliance team and agencies
• Creates a packet of the paperwork for both the applicant and the agencies
• Optimized for mobile
• Able to upload picture of documents 
• Able to sign electronically

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Converted all documents to online forms with auto populate when able
• Created broken down checklist to help with completion
• Created a sandbox environment to allow us to test drive and make adjustments

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We met every Tuesday and Thursday via zoom. Each meeting they had additional pieces done and questions for us. The next meeting our feedback would be implemented and they would have the next part ready to discuss. It was the most efficient and effective development rhythm our team has been a part of.  

What was your primary form of communication with Kinetech Cloud?

Virtual Meeting

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

The whole team was amazing! They broke the project down into manageable pieces for our team. They listened to our pain points and needs and created a solution that exceeded our expectations. Our bi-weekly short meetings allowed for quick feedback, incremental progress and eliminated the need for huge edits or huge time commitments by our team. 
They allowed us to see the progress and make adjustments. The front-end user experience is easy to navigate.

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

Wish I would have found them 5 years ago!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Housing First Community Coalition (HFCC, Inc.) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in San Antonio, Texas. With a broad array of partners, we are developing a housing community for seniors experiencing chronic homelessness. I am the Housing Coordinator there (in charge of property management and related property services, as well as positive resident interactions).

I am the SME of the Property Management side of the development software, and have been the most immersed in User Acceptance Testing to this point.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We are creating and operating a type of residential property new to San Antonio -- a single-site Permanent Supportive Housing property, for individuals 50 years and older coming out of chronic homelessness. We need a software tracking system that not only completes property management and maintenance tasks, but also integrates other property functions.

These include social service residency applications, care management, medical and other support services, volunteer tracking, security representative functions, etc. By the end of our iterative project, we will have a functioning, consolidated system that helps us provide and coordinate quality, documented Permanent Supportive Housing services for our residents and other supportive services for unhoused community guests.

SOLUTION

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

Our Director has had prior experience with Kinetech. He has witnessed firsthand their ability to develop software in a fraction of the time of the competition.

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

The team at Kinetech has collaborated closely with us to learn exactly what we hope to do on property. We have sent them assessments, lease agreement, other documents, and project backlog to guide the design of the software, and we hold biweekly standups for updates and feedback on the progress of each sprint. They have brought us in to complete User Acceptance Testing on Jira, for the software on the Mendix platform.

We have nearly completed the property management portion, will then progress to case management and maintenance before property opening, and will move to supportive services and finally fine-tuning/updates by the time the project is finished at the turn of next year. We seek functionality and ease of use for each of the user roles/ software functions mentioned above, so that we can track and support not only our residents, but also any community guests that use on-property support services.

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

Three people from Kinetech have worked with us thus far: Michael (management/ logistics/ guidance), Kyle (architect, team lead), and Charlie (programmer extraordinaire).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Kinetech works to ensure functioning as intended for each step of the project. They have met deliverables for the resident application and onboarding process (with a few UE tweaks needed for display of information, which will come before final project delivery), and are on track to do so for the Property Management portion. We anticipate satisfactory completion on all deliverables by the time the system is finished.

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

Kinetech utilizes an Agile approach, which we find refreshingly responsive for quickly receiving and integrating our feedback for the chunk at hand. They have always welcomed as much commentary as we can give (via email, Standup video chat, notes left in Jira), and have never delayed more than 24 business-week hours before returning our correspondence. They are easy to approach, even when we don't know the right software-speak for what we want to accomplish.

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

They're good people. They actually seem to care about the work we're doing -- not just their portion of the logistics -- and have given significant energy to truly understanding and incorporating our vision and requests.

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

Every software development project has its ebbs and flows, and process of development. Ours is developing nicely, and we look forward to the collaboration to come -- No complaints here.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a municipal government organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kinetech Cloud?

We were processing chunks of lists and data from large-scale entities, and we needed a custom database application to automate these processes and make our information available to our partners.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kinetech Cloud has deployed custom solutions to address our needs, including a staff- and client-friendly backend and an automated data processing system. Apart from those features, they’ve also made our platform accessible to our sub-recipients and focused on running seamless data integration to help us avoid duplicating organizational data. Additionally, the app sends email notifications and storage reminders to help our users manage their tasks.

Kinetech has already built our product, but we’re still in the process of conducting rigorous application testings to guarantee its efficacy and identify any bugs that can impede its performance.

What is the team composition?
Michael (CEO) is our main point of contact, but we’ve also worked with Mario (Senior Consultant) and Taylor (Project Manager).

How did you come to work with Kinetech Cloud?

I wasn’t actively involved in the recruitment process, but proximity was definitely one of our deciding factors for hiring Kinetech Cloud.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in March 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any quantitative data at this point since we haven’t launched the product yet. From our perspective, Kinetech Cloud has built a robust and reliable system that brims with innovative potentials, which we can use to optimize our operations. We’ve identified some minor issues and made small adjustments while testing the app, but they’ve always been cooperative in helping us address those.

How did Kinetech Cloud perform from a project management standpoint?

Kinetech Cloud meets our deadlines without problems and manages to keep us in the loop at all times, which helps our team comply seamlessly with their requirements.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a solution-oriented and accommodating provider — that’s why we’ve chosen them in the first place. We’ve never felt alone in this journey because Kinetech Cloud works closely with our team to help us meet our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can consider expanding their skill set to offer more services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate to onboard Kinetech Cloud and have their team address your needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager in the technology department for a realty company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kinetech Cloud?

We contracted with them for one project, but they’ve picked up others with us since then. The original development project was a shared payment service and the ability to have our agents pay their fees through multiple merchant processors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They configured and set up shared payment functionality for us. Their team handled the work within the Mendix environment.

In their work with us, they’ve also been able to develop and implement a new merchant processor that we had not previously integrated with.

What is the team composition?

I work with Ricky (COO) and Mark (CTO) as my developers. 

How did you come to work with Kinetech Cloud?

Our VP of product engineering manages the project, but I know that Ricky met with one of our technical staff members at a technical meetup opportunity a few years ago. That ended up operating as a referral based on that employee’s knowledge of their ability to work in a Mendix networking environment. 

What is the status of this engagement?

This project lasted from October–November 2020.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Much of our work is done on a fast-paced timeline, and they’ve been able to meet project completions on time with very few critical bugs. There are always opportunities to make things a little bit better, but there are very few critical issues in their work. 

How did Kinetech Cloud perform from a project management standpoint?

They never miss deadlines and participate in our daily standups, where they provide updates and concerns about their progress. Typically, the problems they encounter are pretty limited. They maintain communication with us through our internal messaging tool, adopting our way of working. They’re always available through that tool to communicate updates on the project.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The developers are super knowledgeable about the Mendix database and very personable. They’ve developed a nice relationship with our internal technical team.

We can tell they bring expert-level knowledge to the table, which allows me to trust their work. They give feedback on design decisions and always deliver what we asked them to. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have an immediate opportunity for improvement. We’ve worked with them several times, and they’re great to work with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would suggest making sure your projects are scoped out. However, it’s also important to be flexible in design because they can provide great feedback and guidance to develop a phenomenal solution. They’ll bring a strong design if you allow them to.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the division support manager at a financial services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kinetech Cloud?

We were trying to create a better workflow solution for our sales and operations departments so that we could more efficiently run the process of providing services to our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kinetech Cloud designed and built a custom software solution for our needs. We’re still developing it with them. The solution provides sales agents with the ability to pull up information on clients and enter data for our operations teams.

We gave them a broad idea of what we wanted and they worked with us to scale it down so that it was more manageable. They used Java, SQL, Mendix.

What is the team composition?

We work with Marc (CTO) and Jason (Business Engineer). 

How did you come to work with Kinetech Cloud?

We found them through Clutch. We had a couple of calls with a couple of different companies, and we went with Kinetech Cloud because they said they were able to deliver a custom solution according to our timeline. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We started using the software a couple of months ago and it’s been fairly successful. There was a period of buy-in with end-users, but once everyone was on it, they were happy. Kinetech Cloud is very responsive. 

Any time we have issues, bugs, or feature requests, they are able to communicate clearly what it would take to deliver those things and what we needed to do on our end.

How did Kinetech Cloud perform from a project management standpoint?

We used their version of an agile sprint review board, but we eventually switched over to email after the release of the software.  We also have standup meetings every once in a while to follow up. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Kinetech Cloud gives me clear answers to the questions that I pose to them, which helps me decide whether it’s a good idea to bring it up to management.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I haven’t had any major issues. They’ve been on point. Their time management and communication are fine.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a good idea of what you want your end-product to be and Kinetech Cloud will absolutely guide you there. Devote time to making sure that the solution works for you. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was part of the investment team at an asset management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kinetech Cloud?

Initially, the company didn’t have a centralized web-enabled portfolio management tool, so we hired them to develop that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kinetech Cloud worked with us from the beginning to help us map out the interface, data structure, functionality, and workflows. They then developed a centralized loan management system in Mendix. We would give them our requirements and they would implement, test, and deploy them. 

What is the team composition?

Over the entirety of the engagement, I worked with three teammates, but I had one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Kinetech Cloud?

Kinetech Cloud was recommended to us by Mendix after I settled on them as a low-code environment. They had done similar work and had experience with the environment, so they seemed like a good fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from March–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone was pleased with Kinetech Cloud’s responsiveness and turnaround time. The analyst who was dedicated to managing the relationship with Kinetech Cloud was pleased with their ability to execute and get everything to the test and production phases.

Everyone at the firm was pleased with the relationship and with what they were able to do for us. 

How did Kinetech Cloud perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was good. The development and deployment wasn’t always a priority from my organization’s standpoint, which was challenging, but Kinetech Cloud did a good job of keeping things queued up and on track. They organized and laid out everything in a way that allowed the firm to keep moving forward. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to tailor their engagement and delivery of solutions to the client’s needs was impressive. For example, if someone has a detailed, complex workflow and process that needs to get implemented, Kinetech Cloud is capable of doing that.

If someone else gives high-level guidance, Kinetech Cloud is also able to manage that development and deployment process, which is very helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the product manager at a cloud-based real estate organization. We have a presence in all 50 states, nine provinces in Canada, and most recently, in the United Kingdom. I work directly with our international expansion team to build our suite of proprietary applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kinetech Cloud?

We primarily use Mendix software to build our applications. We needed a development partner to build out a module that would allow us to easily edit and update publically-available forms for agents.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kinetech developed custom software for our international expansion to the UK. Their team started by building out a reflexive module allowing us to configure forms at runtime in conjunction with a microservice architecture that would facilitate the onboarding processes in each of our international locations.

They are a full stack development and consulting firm that handled all wireframes and documentation. They also built an API integration with HelloSign within the apps themselves to execute agreements. The solution allows forms to be edited by administrators to capture information from agents to questions, surveys, or in some cases apply for employment.

For the international version, Kinetech augmented our development team and hit the ground running in a sprint. Our teams were given about four months to complete a very large effort of work on this “new-joiner” application. Their team analyzed and ensured these individual applications could be localized to meet the needs of the international market. From a scalability perspective, Kinetech helped future proof our architecture.

The team utilized the standard Mendix modules to handle automated emails, but also integrated HelloSign to facilitate the signing of agreements that go out to the joining agents, as well as a Stripe API to facilitate payment.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Ricky (COO, Kinetech Cloud) and Marc (CTO, Kinetech Cloud). Their contributions were invaluable, both their understanding of the software but also their ability to quickly adapt. 

How did you come to work with Kinetech Cloud?

Our senior software engineer was familiar with Ricky by being in Houston. He came into contact with Kinetech Cloud and was impressed by their work

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Kinetech Cloud began in May 2019. The first project wrapped at the beginning of July, and we immediately began working on the international version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We gave Kinetech Cloud a very tight timeline to produce these applications and have them stood up in two markets. We were able to meet one of the market deadlines, although, missing the other deadline was a result of other factors and had nothing to do with Kinetech Cloud.

Kinetech Cloud is outstanding. Ricky and Marc helped take us outside the box and bring in different points of view. They were valuable assets to this project.

How did Kinetech Cloud perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams primarily used Jira for our sprints and bug tracking. Our QA team also used Quality Center to log bugs. During this engagement, we began using Confluence to store documentation about the project.

It has been nice to work with someone like Ricky. He’s the kind of person who’s hard to find, someone who is able to do the product side of the work and also dive into the development side. He’s been a great asset to me as a project manager. It’s been a pleasure to work with Kinetech Cloud.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Kinetech Cloud was always readily available. They provided suggestions and insights into helping us achieve our longterm goal for scalability within the app. Ricky and Marc are both very talented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The very few issues that occurred were no fault of Kinetech Cloud.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They were very easy to work with, which says something about their organization. They are honest and smart. Kinetech Cloud is easy to work with and picks things up quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an asset manager, currently holding about a billion and a half in acquired mortgage loans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kinetech Cloud?

There are a number of static characteristics and variables associated with mortgage loans that need to be database and tracked. We hired Kinetech Cloud to develop a database that helps us understand how our portfolio is performing, how those individual mortgage loans are performing, and understand if there are any outsized risks in the portfolio.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kinetech Cloud developed a single database that all of our team members can access. We provided wireframes, but they developed the system to work within our existing infrastructure and It tracks all of our assets through a centralized repository of information and reports it through a preset template that we use to manage ongoing performance and risk.

They provide ongoing maintenance and development, as we continue to grow and increase our software needs. They’ve been very helpful partners, guiding us and executing changes to the database that satisfy our needs.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with their team and a primary liaison that does all of our development work.

How did you come to work with Kinetech Cloud?

This project predates me, but I believe they were recommended buy an investment professional within our organization.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$100,000

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around September 2018 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been able to unlock additional functionality within the system, providing us with even more visibility into our portfolio, which has been super helpful as we manage risk in return.

How did Kinetech Cloud perform from a project management standpoint?

The consultant we work with has been very responsive to all our questions. They’ve been good partners as we reach out to them to solve database problems, seek guidance, and seek to improve functionality. They’re generally good at meeting deadlines and project compliance. We predominately use email to initiate discussion through email but will report bugs through a system called Sprinter.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Despite not having a tremendous background in mortgages, they’ve been very good at suggesting solutions to problems that we've raised. They’ve taken the initiative to understand a little bit more about our business needs and how we satisfy our needs using their system, which makes them a good partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the assistant director in San Antonio’s Department of Human Services, the social services branch of the city. We do everything from child care to senior services, and one of our programs is the utility assistance program where we provide utility relief for ratepayers under 125% of poverty.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kinetech Cloud?

Our utility assistance program receives about 10,000 applications annually, and it was entirely paper-based. We also had a non-technological workflow, so the forms were all processes manually, and we wanted a company to build a technology solution to streamline the process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kinetech Cloud built a software-as-a-service (SaaS), using Amazon Web Services for the backend. The product is an electronic application process that gives users immediate feedback on their application through email. The system alerts them if they’re missing documents, when their application is submitted, when it’s moved onto the review process, and when it’s been approved. It’s a fully automated SaaS solution that certifies if the client is eligible and retrieves and stores backup certification documentation. Kinetech Cloud also underwent a rigorous security process because the product handles personally identifiable information.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three individuals: the founder/project manager, head of sales, and developer.

How did you come to work with Kinetech Cloud?

We issued a problem statement and RFP to the tech community, and Kinetech Cloud was one of the respondents. We chose them because they provided a high-tech solution and agile process that streamlined the work. They connected with our end users and expressed compassion to helping serve vulnerable members of the community.

How much have you invested with them?

We didn’t pay for the creation of the product. The RFP said we’d choose whichever solution was best and then pay for hosting. We’ll probably spend around $30,000–$50,000 in the first year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The SaaS is going to be vital in improving the productivity of our utility assistance program. It takes about an hour and 20 minutes to manually process one application, but the software cut that time down to 15 minutes. Both the tech community and end users are excited about the product.

How did Kinetech Cloud perform from a project management standpoint?

They listened to what we wanted and took the time to understand our process. They met with our staff and built a good relationship with our team. Their agile process made collaboration easy and efficient, allowing us to make changes directly in our meetings. They provided detailed documentation and served as a bridge between business and IT language. We have lots of stakeholders and partners, and Kinetech Cloud communicated well with all of them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have compassion for the people their product is helping. You can find millions of developers who can do the technical work, but putting in the effort to provide a solution that satisfies the client and end users is a unique trait.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As they grow their company and work more with municipal governments, they need to set time aside for non-technical tasks. For example, their entire team had to pass security training to access the personal data, and things like that may take up more time than they initially allotted for the project.