Makeen Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m part of the sales team at General Datatech, an infrastructure and integrator for large and small companies. We do a lot of work for service providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Makeen Technologies?

Our clients sometimes ask us to put together solutions with outcomes when we’re selling software. We have to outsource to our ecosystem partners to accommodate this. Makeen Technologies is one of them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did the infrastructure, hardware installation, and configuration, and then helped our customers with the apps. Makeen Technologies was the integrator who put the app and hardware together to create the output that the customer wanted. They did a lot of front- and backend coding. They made everything work within the app and provided a portal that generates analytic data for end users.

Makeen Technologies’ job was to code and grab those data points from the app and hardware and then put them into the format that the end user wanted on the portal. It’s a web-based portal that’s also mobile responsive. There was a lot of custom work from Makeen Technologies that made it even more valuable as a solution. The project is complete.

We’re currently working on another project for an oil and gas company. We’re building a 3-D imaging platform for field engineers at refineries. We developed a three-part solution that allows my customer to pull up 3-D imaging on their iPads instead of having it hardwired. Makeen Technologies was able to make these three solutions work seamlessly together so that the 3-D image compression would work on a wireless network.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about four people. The CEO is heavily involved with everything and makes things work smoothly. We’re in direct contact with the developers, and once we start a solution, they’re in direct contact with our engineers as well.

How did you come to work with Makeen Technologies?

Our owner met their CEO at a conference. We were getting into web and app development, so it made sense to bring on a company like Makeen Technologies as one of our ecosystem partners. We’re very strict on how we vet our vendors. We’re a billion-dollar company, so we have to be entirely sure that a company will represent us well. We started working with Makeen Technologies because our company vetted them pretty heavily.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $87,000–$90,000 on the first project. The second will cost between $120,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2016, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been a great relationship because we’re both doing what we do best. We send the final product as a complete solution.

The 3-D imaging project couldn’t be done without them because we don’t have that kind of in-house expertise. We’ve received praise on innovating a custom solution. Makeen Technologies is vital in making everything work together.

They’re making the field engineers’ jobs much more efficient because they’re able to pull up these images on the field rather than having to go back to wired computers. It saves a lot of time and money. We’ve received our first contract with a company that’s going to put it in a refinery. They said our development was really good and that we came up with a solution that meets their needs. It turned out to be something that’s going to pay off in the long run.

How did Makeen Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication is great. They have some really good project managers who are very technical and concentrated on the tasks at hand. It makes a lot of difference. Being able to understand the technology and how it’s installed are big advantages because you can clearly see that they’re efficient with their time. I really appreciate them having very technical project managers because it helps lower the cost of the total project.

Makeen Technologies' project managers follow the lead of our project managers. They use their own tools, but we’re not using their reports. We communicate via email, phone calls, meetings, and conference calls. We have standing meets that happen every week for big projects. Communication is very important.

Their development team is pretty sharp and cost-effective, which allows us all to make money. Working with them has been great because they have really good pricing and developers. They don’t scrimp us, even though they charge less. You get really good talent with the price they charge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Our whole company works with them and we have more projects coming down the pipeline. I’ve never received any complaints or had communication issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Building a relationship with Makeen Technologies will help you be more creative. A lot of times when we sub, we sub for technology and don’t really get the full breadth of everything a vendor does. My advice to people who use Makeen Technologies would be to give them a chance to explore all the things they do. It could work with other divisions or projects you have within your company.

We’ve been learning as we go. If they’re involved in a meeting and we talk about certain technologies that are outside of our scope, that’s when we quickly learn that they have engineers or experience around certain things. It’s easy to use them for different projects you may have.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of software development of Branded Entertainment Network. We are integration experts, connecting global brands to consumers through the power of popular entertainment (influencers, TV, film and iconic celebrities).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Makeen Technologies?

We needed platform software development for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they helped architect and build the platform which we’ve since adapted and moved on with. They provided us with technical expertise, consulting leadership, problem-solving, scoping work, implementation, and software development testing.

The platform is web-based and originally built with Node.js and MongoDB on the backend, as well as Angular on the frontend. We’ve since migrated the frontend to React. The platform allows users to identify correct opportunities based on a myriad of criteria and then tracks those opportunities through execution and reporting.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a total of six people from their team as they’ve augmented our own, including their CEO, QA resources, and developers.

How did you come to work with Makeen Technologies?

Our former VP of software engineering had used them at a previous job and had positive things to say, so we entered them into our tender process.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in January 2015. The engagement ended in April 2017 because we decided to use internal resources instead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did what they said they were going to do and provided us with the resources we asked for. People who worked on the project were conscientious, diligent, and brilliant. They were fantastic to work with and I would do so again without hesitation.

How did Makeen Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed incredibly well, as did the resources they provided. They were always pushing deadlines and making sure that things went forward. They were also heavily involved in coming up with ideas. It felt like they were really a part of our team as opposed to just a vendor.

We communicated mostly through Jira, Slack, and Skype. The people in our company who work out of Los Angeles met with them fairly regularly in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always provided us with fantastic people. They were very easy to get along with and did what they said they were going to do, which is always nice when working with a vendor.

They were an incredibly professional and fantastic partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything was as we wanted it. They did a great job, and I have nothing bad to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re hiring expensive and clever people, you will probably receive very good ideas of ways to improve your business. If you want to take the most advantage of someone like Makeen Technologies, you should think of them as a partner, not an implementer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a contractor consultant, and work closely with a broker to manage short term real estate portfolios.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Makeen Technologies?

Our servicer needed to develop a proprietary portfolio management and origination software. Since our company could benefit from this development, we were willing to undertake the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our broker and originator was using a manual, repetitive process amongst disparate Microsoft products like Word and Excel. Makeen Technologies observed the workflow, including customer contact, property identification, and valuation. They streamlined the operation into a .NET-based proprietary software app, which is hosted on a local server.

Their developers built the software from scratch. We worked closely with them on the needs and requirements document. Since we’re not a tech company, we only provided basic sketches of how we thought it should look. They used our ideas to create wireframes and built out the app from there. As it was adopted by the end users, they made continuous improvements.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five or six different developers. At one point, I brought in a project manager to interface with their team.

How did you come to work with Makeen Technologies?

They were referred to us by our network of corporate contacts.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $300,000. Since the app was built over the course of several years, it was a significant investment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2013 and completed the project around January 2017. After we developed the app to a stage that needed minimal ongoing maintenance and changes, we brought it in-house.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our software users have been ecstatic. They were really impressed with Makeen Technologies' ability to streamline their process in the app. The team was always responsive to making any additional enhancements we needed, or fixing potential bugs that popped up. They developed a good understanding of the end goal and made all the necessary motions to achieve it. Everyone is really pleased with the outcome, and we still use the app today.

How did Makeen Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Makeen Technologies did a great job from this perspective. They introduced us to Trello, a tool we’ve actually adopted in-house for new, unrelated projects going forward. That was our main form of communication, and it worked really well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've worked on several other projects with different IT consultants. Comparatively, Makeen Technologies individuals had a better grasp on what we were trying to achieve and progressed through the project much faster. Overall, we were very pleased with the work they performed for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a major entertainment company, focusing on movie and television production. I'm a senior product manager for the branch that designs new applications for our company's employees and businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Makeen Technologies?

We needed to support apps built in React Native and improve our go-to-market time with our apps. Since our team had no experience building apps in React Native, we needed an outside company to do that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've done everything: project management, business analysis, QA, testing, and engineering. They’ve also augmented our staff on an as-needed basis. Being a major movie studio, we have to deal with a lot of digital rights, digital rights management [DRM], DRM content and encryption, and forensic watermarking.

They've built React Native-based applications, including multiple apps for iOS and Android, and an Electron desktop app. While we sometimes supplied them with wireframes and designs, they sourced UI/UX professionals who worked with us along with their own developers. Those UI/UX professionals helped us not just create wireframes, but also the comps that were used in development.

What is the team composition?

We work with 20–25 people, including designers, developers, and product managers.

How did you come to work with Makeen Technologies?

One of our VPs recommended them to us after having worked with them at another company.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customers—businesses, business units, and employees of our company—truly enjoy the experience. We're able to achieve a faster go-to-market time, which benefits our employees and the businesses that depend upon us.

One of our apps was over 20 years old internally and, using my requirements, they helped us create a phenomenal UI/UX experience. The feedback from the users has been very positive.

With another application, which is a video-based application, they created an administration tool enabling adjustments without a lot of coding. They met our requirements creating cutting-edge designs and the result was fantastic.

One more application they helped us develop used Bluetooth beacon-based technology for a scavenger hunt as well as QR codes, and that’s been a big success for us.

How did Makeen Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They make sure my requirements are clear, always follow up if they need a clarification, and handle change management exceptionally well. They’re invested in our success and involved in our daily stand-up calls; even their CEO is involved when necessary. We mostly communicate via email, phone, Slack, or Skype, but we also have in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide an end-to-end positive experience, especially when there is a need to do the work quickly and correctly. From an administrative perspective, they've done a great job and their code is top-notch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything specific because every project is different and areas for improvement can be found retrospectively for each project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure your requirements are fleshed out in advance.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead project manager in an oil and gas company’s IT department. I work with various business clients through the organization, specifically the subsidiary service company that engaged Makeen Technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Makeen Technologies?

Our Pumping Services had an Excel spreadsheet to track the status of the following: hydraulic pumping trucks, conveyor belts, tractor trailers, and other equipment for 7-8 frack fleets. The large amount of data compromised the tool’s integrity. Likewise, it regularly froze out and lost information due to high usage levels. As a result, we needed to convert the spreadsheet to a SQL database with a friendlier user interface (UI).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Primarily, we brought them in to supplement our own internal talent; a separate in-house ERP system project had diverted our resources. Using an agile approach, they started initial analysis mid-2016.

We developed the initial application and interfaced it to the physical location that runs our truth databases. We used our N4 app to manage equipment-related data and the WellView app to source the truth data for fracking wells. We needed to interface the equipment tracker application with those 2 databases in order to feed real-time data to the application.

When we brought up the initial application, they sent a lead analyst to conduct requirements gathering, which was used to produce user stories. We then allocated those user stories into sprints and subsequently went through the building and testing processes. Next steps included 3-4 rounds of enhancements after users began utilizing the application on a daily basis.

The application is not mobile or cloud-based, but an internal software tool that runs on our own servers. While it does have the potential for mobile access, we have not yet implemented that feature.

Since getting user feedback, we’ve retained Makeen Technologies on an ongoing basis to build out improvements. We have a contract for annual maintenance and support. Additionally, there’s a statement of work that we will approve in the next six to eight months. This project focuses on the modifications needed to interface the application with our ERP system.

What is the team composition?

There were four to five people on their team during the initial development stages. Now, there are two to three people for enhancements with an additional two members on call for maintenance and support.

How did you come to work with Makeen Technologies?

I attended a conference where I met someone associated with them. We evaluated their capabilities and used the initial application as a proof of concept for potential future engagements.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in June 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While my department was skeptical, they won them over through quality work and responsive collaboration. Everyone now trusts them to deliver.

How did Makeen Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

The lead analyst also served as the project manager. As my counterpart, he was very easy to work with and performed well with quick turnarounds. Overall, the team did an excellent job.

We communicated primarily via phone and email. But, we also used WebEx to run through prototypes or incorporate visuals in meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

While they were not familiar with our environment, the team was quick to learn user needs. Their comprehension was evident in the application itself, particularly the quality of the user interfaces. The UI designer did an outstanding job and overall the whole team delivered on time, any delays were usually caused by us, not them. Consistently, the quality of the application and the team’s efficiency have been excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was miscommunication about the specific technical environment requirements. The team went in another direction after we communicated our preferences for a different approach. However, they responded to our concerns quickly and adjusted their development environment.

Additionally, we had issues with software compatibility. We both used Spotfire as a reporting tool, but Makeen Technologies used a version that we didn’t support internally. They had to backtrack and rebuild the analytical reports we needed. Other technical problems included broken data ETL transmissions.

Although there were occasional obstacles, none of them were unusual to projects of this nature. They made immediate corrections and took accountability for those mistakes. We appreciated their honest self-assessment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director, Private Equity of Contour Ridge

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Private equity

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Makeen Technologies to accomplish?

• Develop web and mobile platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Makeen Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Makeen Technologies over others?

• Pricing first our budget,
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Makeen Technologies’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Confidential.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• High Functioning digital assets

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

Well done

What was your primary form of communication with Makeen Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

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

We were impressed with their speed and the quality of their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the PRESIDENT of EMMASSON INCORPORATED

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide Digital Rights Management Control solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Makeen Technologies to accomplish?

• Software Development
• Cutting Edge Development
• Software Maintenance and Hiring Solutions

SOLUTION

How did you find Makeen Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Makeen Technologies over others?

High ratings, Great culture fit, Good value for cost, Referred to me, Company values aligned

What was the size of Makeen Technologies’s team?

Team scaled to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Makeen Technologies?

In-Person Meeting, Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

Full turnkey services for application development for mobile and web platforms in the Digital Rights Management space.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Workable application

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

Agile development style. Very amenable and adaptable to any work style and environment.

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

Their ability to scale and thorough industry knowledge germane to our development is impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something {provider_name} could have done differently?

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Owner, Vyoo Sports of Vyoo.me

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Social Platform for Content Creators

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Makeen Technologies to accomplish?

• Back end architecture and development
• Front end developement

SOLUTION

How did you find Makeen Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Makeen Technologies over others?

Great culture fit, Good value for cost, Referred to me, Company values aligned

What was the size of Makeen Technologies’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Back end and api developement, front end web developement for youth sports social and admin platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Delivery of be/api driving web front end and mobile app
• Dev ops / infrastructure planning and work

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

Solid resources, good people, fair rated... overall great experience

What was your primary form of communication with Makeen Technologies?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

Flexibility on resourcing and commitment to the project

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

All good

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Layer3

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Build an app that allows you to securely access customers’ census, payroll, and benefits data across hundreds of HRIS and payroll systems with a single integration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Makeen Technologies to accomplish?

• Swifter development times and team

SOLUTION

How did you find Makeen Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Makeen Technologies over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing first our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

What was the size of Makeen Technologies’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Needed alot of backend infrastructure help with azure as well as DB management and creation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Slick backend and testing for backend
• Better experience for our users

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

They delivered better and faster than expected.

What was your primary form of communication with Makeen Technologies?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their proactive nature

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We’re entrepreneurs inspired by a vision of a Pakistan where everyone can enjoy a next-level service in the Facility Management & Automobile sector. We wanted to bring the world’s Best in Pakistan. We believe passionately in doing things the right way, and we believe the better way helps us deliver high-quality services that touch consumers each and every day. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Makeen Technologies?

They were hired for web development and mobile application.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal is to make a mobile application for easy & contact data of our client.

SOLUTION

How did you select Makeen Technologies?

We selected Makeen Technologies for best and reliable services.

Describe the project in detail.

We made the website for our client to understand our company knowledge and mobile application for our client's complete information and data for our future promotions and activities.

What was the team composition?

• Abdus
• Patel
• Sheikh 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They were very effective and reliable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent workflow was shown by the team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had a mutual understanding with the Makeen Technologies team. They are very good at their work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There's not much to improve.