Kovix

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of product at World Pulse, an NGO. We're a social network that connects women worldwide, supporting their initiatives in their communities. Women and allies online from 227 countries telling their stories, sharing resources, and collaborating together.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kovix?

We were expanding our development team. We had a particular vendor, but we wanted to diversify the work to two different vendors and expand our capacity. At the same time, we are building our internal team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kovix participates in all of our development processes, and they work as part of our team. They come in every morning, join in the stand-ups, and get involved as part of our internal team.

They're building a social network web application that is in beta, and we're in the process of building a mobile application for Android and iOS. The platform allows users to post different initiatives, which we call stories. Then they can interact with comments and reshare stories from other users, and they also access particular badges attached to their participation within the platform and as part of a program to develop their leadership skills.

The developers are a part of our development process, so they are assigned different issues, and if the wireframe is required, they will get it.

What is the team composition?

They provided a team of two developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Kovix?

They were referred to us by a friend of mine.

How much have you invested in them?

We invest around $12,000 a month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The most important thing to measure their success as a vendor is how quickly they understand what the application is about, blend in within the process, and understand all the features we were working on. We also went through a migration from a previous platform, and they provided support with that. We were in the midst of a launch, so I cannot say that we provided them with a lot of help to learn the application, and they were autonomous in that and understood everything, and even supported us in terms of advice and how to make a better process for the application.

Overall, we're satisfied with the flow of the project. We had to work on different adjustments in participating in our daily processes, but it was well-received by colleagues. It was just a matter of providing them the information on how we wanted them to experience it, and as soon as we were all aligned, they were able to do it.

How did Kovix perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, we were off with deadlines because of the launch and the onboarding of our development team. We had one in-house developer, and we were hiring a QA tester. Once we got into the rhythm and were able to provide the proper instructions for the features we needed, they've been doing a great job in meeting deadlines.

In terms of tools and communication, we use GitHub and Slack, among other applications.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They get involved in the product, and it isn’t just that they deliver the features that they were assigned. They usually go further and investigate that feature, and if they find something else that needs to be improved, they will communicate that to us. They also provide us with ideas for enhancing the platform's performance.

They don’t perform as an external party; they're part of our internal team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As I mentioned, in the beginning, we needed to align when it came to the presence we wanted from them, for example, being there for us in the stand-up meetings, participating in our research, and that kind of thing. We also fostered their ability to get involved to take them to the next level, so they got there with us requiring it, but it was a good process, and they are okay.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set up the rhythm of the process in how they will be involved in the day-to-day operations. It is the basis of our success right now, so it's important to make sure that they are involved in the day-to-day.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Justo.mx is an online supermarket operating in Mexico, Brazil and Peru. I'm co-founder an CTO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

At the very beginning we were thinking into "staffing", that is, having additional developers coming from Kovix. But it turned into "agile-team", which is in fact a complete agile-squad (or squads) functioning as part of our own in-house Tech Team.

SOLUTION

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

After test-driving 2 other agencies offering similar services, the factors pushing towards this vendor were: agility in everything they do, quick understanding of what our needs are, such as having a great team and logical pricing

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

The scope is about having Kovix agile-squads fully integrated in our own daily things and business. As such, these squads will get into their sprints, blend and work together from Buenos Aires with our Mexico team. There are no project steps, but instead sprint execution.

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

We have about 15 people working with us: software engineers, product managers, QA analysts

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we're overall an agile-team, results are coming in the form of features/code delivered and deployed to our live site/apps. We don't have track as "measurable outcome", although we are in fact able to show everything these agile-squads produced so far...which is in fact quite a lot when looking in retrospective!

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

Their style is informal but tight, using our own tools (Slack+Jira) which makes things easier for everyone. Since there's a 3-hour time difference (we are 3 hours behind), communication is something we all put special attention to. That said, Kovix team is always trying to make sure they are ready and adapting to our needs in Mexico. All very smooth.

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

Their self-confidence, and the culture they work so hard to keep and honor.

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

A small piece of work in progress we have in place, together: while they insist in the fact that the squads they provide will work better when it's a pure-Kovix-squad, we're on the idea that having mixed squads could work even better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief information officer at Smart Warehousing, a warehousing and fulfillment services company located throughout the US. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kovix?

We reached out to them to help redesign and develop our proprietary warehouse management system and another mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kovix helped redesign and develop the initial functionality of our warehouse management system using Postgres, Node.js, Angular 6, and other APIs. They built in features that allow us to support lot, serialization, and other information related to inventory. The system allows us to manage a wide variety of customers at each facility, all with unique business models, workflows, and order requirements.

They also developed another app that we use to visualize our supply chain and orders within our network, making our inventory information available both internally as well as to customers to view. 

What is the team composition? 

Nicolás (CEO, Kovix) and a project manager are our main points of contact, but we've had anywhere from 3–12 others working on our projects as well. 

How did you come to work with Kovix?

We were impressed by the work Nicolás had done for us on some previous engagements when he was involved with a different company. He has a broad knowledge of technology across multiple tech stacks, so we were confident he'd be a good fit for the job. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together on the most recent project since May 2018, which is expected to wrap up in July 2019, while the other project is expected to wrap up by the end of 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've come up with some very innovative, one-of-a-kind solutions for us.  Although we plan to finish production of the platform internally, the base work Kovix provided for the complex system has laid a solid foundation for us to build on. Overall, we're very impressed by their designs and coding work, which has minimal bugs. We also don't have any issues with the mobile app they built, which is starting to be deployed for internal use. Kovix did a great job of taking our ideas and providing innovative solutions that hit the mark. 

How did Kovix perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager is very communicative, responsive, and transparent. We have regular video conference calls with their team and use Azure DevOps to manage development pipelines. They also visit our office a couple times a year for a week or two to participate in more detailed on-site planning and design meetings. 

They've spent a lot of time getting to know our business and its unique challenges before attempting to come up with technology solutions. Their distant location has had very little impact on our relationship; the time zone difference hasn't been an issue and they speak English very well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They spend a lot of time vetting the individuals they hire; they're rigorously tested for technical aptitude, but also have great interpersonal skills. We've gotten to know everyone on their team very well, and even met all of them in person. It's great that we're able to easily engage with everyone working on our projects, reaching out directly to developers and designers throughout the process who are as technically savvy as they are easy to communicate with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We've been very pleased with everything they've done thus far. Even though we're not deadline-driven, they work hard to deliver in a timely manner and always go the extra mile to keep everything on track. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Although they're good at following requirements, they're also honest when it comes to suggesting technologies or features that could improve product outcomes, so I'd recommend being open to their feedback. Whether or not the scope of work is clearly defined and documented, they're flexible. They can deliver on exact requirements or help clients find the right direction to accomplish particular goals. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a logistics applications product manager for a company with a general distribution center, 4 regional centers and 110 stores.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our legacy systems limit our ability to adapt to new business needs, both in volume and response time, which is why we faced the development of an omnichannel solution for warehouse management

SOLUTION

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

We chose it for its previous experience in similar developments and for using technologies and methodologies similar to ours.

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

The project consists of 4 six-monthly stages, each with a main milestone: 1) Collection of third-party products; 2) Fulfillment of our products from a warehouse; 3) WMS functionalities; 4) Expanded distribution center functionalities

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

1 x Project Manager  3 x Sr & Ssr. Fullstack Developers  1 x Industrial Engineer  1 x QA Tester  1 x DevOps Enginee

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Up to this moment, all the monthly deliverables and those of each stage of the project have been fulfilled

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

As agreed, at the end of each month the deliverables are reported, in addition to biweekly planning (scrum)

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

There was always a very good predisposition to understand our needs. All their team members exhibited a great professionalism.

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

We talked about the improvement opportunities that arose and they were applied immediately

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

A team-focused platform designed to help employees track and improve engagement and mental health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Building our platform from the ground up.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed and vetted 5 different companies. I was referred to Kovix by another customer who highly recommended them. The deciding factor, beyond their technical capacity was that they work like an extension of our team.

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

This is confidential.

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

1 project manager and 3 engineers. We also have one of their senior people on every meeting.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We evolved from nothing to an MVP in 3 months. The team works very fast and never missed a deadline.

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

We use agile methods with 2-week sprints. The project manager is fully available during work hours to field any questions or requests.

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

We like their can-do attitude. There's no hard task that they won't take.

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

Nothing to add.