Mango Projects Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and creative director of an online dating service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mango Projects Inc.?

We worked with them to build an online presence for my company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team helped me pick the design templates and then turn them into a functional website. It was mostly done through WordPress but is connected to our backend software. I had built the file in Adobe XD, and then put that into WordPress.

What is the team composition?

I was in touch with one person.

How did you come to work with Mango Projects Inc.?

I got linked up with them through another entrepreneur that I know. He had done work with them in the past, so it was a natural recommendation.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them a few months ago, and it’s 95% complete. We’re making a few design tweaks before we bring it to the market.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we haven’t launched the site yet, my experience with them has been very easy. The team was accommodating to any changes I chose to make. We also overcame any tech challenges that came up. It’s been a super smooth engagement.

How did Mango Projects Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We chatted on the phone and through Zoom a few times, but most of our communication was through email. They were quick to respond.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think they’re great. When I suggested changes, they were happy to let me know their thoughts from a tech perspective. I found that to be very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m really happy with what they did.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of It’s My Momentum, a wellness platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mango Projects Inc.?

I was trying to create a beta version of my app. We were testing the market and needed to have a development team in place. We couldn’t do it internally so we had to outsource it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve worked with us to create the beta version of the app. We scoped out the work with their team. As far as I know, they’ve developed using TypeScript, React Native, and Expo. 

What is the team composition?

At least 2–3 people have worked with us. 

How did you come to work with Mango Projects Inc.?

I’d known Ketan (Founder) already, so we hired them to do the development work. I knew he’s a great person who is hardworking and dedicated, so I was trying to find a way for us to work together.

When it came time to create the beta version of the app, I knew he’d do a great job and be conscious that we didn’t have a massive budget since we aren’t externally funded as a startup. The fit was great and they were cost-efficient.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $12,000– $15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in around December 2018. We’re working to do a bit more development in the Fall, but because of COVID-19, we’re unsure what it will look like. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We really wanted the beta app to be functional and testable, which they more than accomplished. We’ve heard so many stories of how beta apps can be glitchy, but we’ve had no glitches at all for months on end. The app is fully functioning and we don’t receive any complaints because the foundation is built really well. Even from day 1, all of the feedback has been positive and impressed that it’s a beta app. They did a really good job. 

How did Mango Projects Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a good workflow — it is nice to manage the project with them. There’s so many stories about how things can go wrong in developing an app, but that never happened with us. Nothing is ever delayed and it’s been smooth. We use Asana to manage the project. All of our deadlines have been met and they’ve been very involved in managing the project between our teams. 

Our tech partner has a very high standard for communication through GitHub and recording what’s been done, so that’s one area of project management that could have been improved. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re just great people to work with. When a situation came up where someone from the team could no longer work on the project, and they instantly filled the role — we didn’t skip a beat and the team was never compromised. Their ability to manage the project is just great and we appreciate that aspect. They’re also really great, technically speaking. 

We never have to worry about how they’re running their team and the workflow never gets delayed. We can be certain that the deadline will be hit within a reasonable plus or minus amount of time, as compared to month-long delays from other vendors. Even if something comes a day later than the deadline, they explain why and it’s always completely fine. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing would be the point about documentation through GitHub for our tech partner. It also would have been our tech partner’s preference to build the product on Django, but they weren’t very familiar with it so we went with Laravel, which we were completely fine with. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and head of product at Certain. We are a human risk intelligence platform, so we do background checks and find information about people to assess risk in pre-employment, insurance, lending, and tenant screening.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mango Projects Inc?

Mango projects developed our MyCRC product. We had an idea that there was a segment of consumers in Canada that wanted to run background checks on themselves, and we needed a development partner to help us come up with a solution to offer them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used a bunch of different technologies to help us deliver our product, including everything from WordPress for the MVP and connecting that to our existing API integrations to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the frontend and Python and Django for the backend. The final product was a web portal that allows consumers to view the results of a background check conducted on themselves.

What is the team composition?

We only had one main point of contact for the project that all of our communication was able to flow through.

How did you come to work with Mango Projects Inc?

I looked at a bunch of different providers but decided to work with them because of their reputation and my familiarity with their founder.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $5,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

On this specific project, we started working in July 2019 and are continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve worked with them for many years because of the consistent affordability and quality of their services. Any time I need to test a hypothesis, they are able to provide a solid, fast solution for my MVP that I can then take and build in house.

With this particular project, they were able to build a solution in two weeks and we managed to scale that from zero to handling a few hundred thousand dollars a month in revenue before we even considered touching the foundation that they had built. To be able to build a product that can deliver that high of a return on investment is absolutely incredible.

How did Mango Projects Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack as our primary communication tool, so that was the primary way that our engineers and account managers communicated with the team members on their side of the project.

They have always been super responsive there, so we’ve never had any problems with communication or being able to meet the deadlines that we set out of the beginning of our work. Any time they say they’re going to deliver something it is there on the day they promised without fail.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their key strength is the ability to pare things down to an MVP that works at the most basic level in order to help a developer prove a concept. That is something that a lot of dev shops don’t do.

A lot of people will try to sell you on a full development process when you just want to test the market, and Mango Projects provides that capability completely. They are a fantastic partner for any startup because of that capability.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really don’t think there’s anything they need to improve. If anything, they should charge more, because the things they are able to accomplish are really excellent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and director for Jetstream Agency, a digital marketing agency in Victoria, British Columbia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mango Projects Inc.?

I was trying to get my website up and running. I contracted them to take the site and build the design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They remade the site and incorporated the logo we had. WordPress was used to set it up. Their team purchased a theme and used it to make changes. After that was completed, they’ve done some web design work in conjunction with our clients.

What is the team composition?

I was only in contact with one person. I don’t know how many actually worked on the project.

How did you come to work with Mango Projects Inc.?

I found them through my business partner. The partner recommended me to the company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $2,000–$2,500 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work started in November 2019 and the consulting work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The result of the collaboration was a strong online presence. We wanted a strong look and feel for the website and we got that. Overall, it’s been a really good experience.

How did Mango Projects Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very easy to work with. I didn’t communicate directly with the team, but things moved quickly. I had good communication with the project owner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication was strong. When you’re building something, there’s a difference between what you envision and what it actually looks like. They were able to address those issues.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a B2B company that helps with the procurement and sourcing for seafood-related businesses around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mango Projects Inc.?

They built and deployed our platform to help our customers source and procure seafood.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us build our entire platform, which is built mainly out of .NET Core. Within the solution, users create accounts that allow them to interact with and add other businesses. They interact by sending direct messages and writing reviews for services. 

Companies are able to claim and control their business pages by uploading identifying information. That allows them to interact with customers and comment on reviews they’ve been given. They’re also able to broadcast information through posts. If they have an inventory that they need to clear out or a special deal of the day, that information will be disseminated to users that are connected with them. Their team was responsible for building all of these capabilities.

At this point, the app is complete. We’re currently in a 60-day period where they’re helping us fix any bugs that come up. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with a designer, lead developer, junior developer, and project manager. We also interacted with the owner of the company. 

How did you come to work with Mango Projects Inc.?

They were referred to me by someone in my network. I figured that I’d give them a try. They were able to walk me through exactly what the end platform would look like in the early stages of development. At the time, I’d never built a platform like this before, so I appreciated that guidance. They were also able to detail milestones and a project timeline. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in September 2019, and I’m planning on continuing our partnership in the next phase of this project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m happy with everything that they did for us. For the price point and time frame that they’re able to build products, they’re a strong team. That’s why we plan to continue working with them in the future. The value is definitely there.    

How did Mango Projects Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Because of the scope of the project, I was expecting some delays. However, we were only about a week late from our final deadline. When it was time to deploy, there were no issues. I was pretty happy with their ability to meet the milestones we set. We used Slack and Asana to communicate with their team. I typically interacted with a project manager, who later delegated work to his development team. I’m able to reach out to the developers as needed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

When the platform was complete, we brought in some external individuals to audit it. Those examining the solution assumed that we paid 50%–80% more than we did. I was surprised to hear that I got that good of a deal. They delivered great value for the cost of their services.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because they’re an outsourced party, requirements that aren’t extremely clear can sometimes get lost in translation. If we didn’t provide clear standards, they occasionally returned to us with something that had to be fixed later. I could’ve been more clear about various aspects of the project from the start.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Owner of the company contracted to redsign the clients website

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mango Projects Inc.?

A redesign and consolidation of our clients website to create concise look and feel

SOLUTION

How did you select Mango Projects Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

Worked with them previously and completed projectes well

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The team implemented designs from my designer in two phases

How many resources from the Mango's Projects Inc. team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1 lead developer and two frontend developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Completed and the client is extremely happy

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was good

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

I was happy with the work they completed.

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

Communication could be more often updating on milestones to allow for sticking to deadlines.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a healthy women's underwear e-commerce brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mango Projects Inc., and what were your goals?

Ongoing web development projects for our e-commerce site.

SOLUTION

How did you select Mango Projects Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

Mango projects came as a recommendation from a fellow e-commerce brand owner.

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

The project was varied, includes updates to product pages and debugging any issues with the functionality of the site.

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

Mainly the founder of Mango Projects, Ketan, but also a couple of web developers on his team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are very fast in handling our web development/update needs and always provide detailed feedback when they need more information or have completed the project.

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

We communicate primarily by email.

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

Their timely responses and execution abilities are outstanding.

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

Some of the projects they quoted us on were more expensive than local agencies.