MindCoopers

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a lead software developer for a property management company. I developed the software that around 200 users utilize in the field. The company owns and runs about 76 home rental communities around the nation.

We develop tools for reporting and for people to use out in the field while they’re trying to talk to their communities, collecting rent, and other things — whatever it may be — to improve their lives There are several reports on what to do to make the community better, so we offer tools to help them do that. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindCoopers?

The managing partner that started the communities is passionate about iPhones and Macs, but we didn’t have a lot of experience in developing iOS and macOS. That’s why we knew that we wanted to have a mobile app right away and that app would be served upon an iPhone.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I wasn’t on the team at the time, but they brought on MindCoopers in a contract. I work with a single resource for this application, but I have also collaborated with a couple of their resources who provided staff augmentation.

For this app, I work with an employee of theirs who is well-versed in the iOS system. That person's work involves connecting tools to the App Store. The app has been made for the company’s employees — there’s traceability in what their daily activities are. The app collects several data points from different locations and loads, and then data points can be easily understood by community managers and maintenance folks. 

Since the scale of the project is pretty big, one of the goals was to come up with something that has a depth of knowledge in analytics and implement something in the interface that a community manager can interpret.

I wasn’t for the initial design, but we’re a startup company and we got big fast, so there wasn’t any policy and procedures in place yet. I imagine that there weren’t many detailed requirements and there were no rigid outlines at the start. They probably had to elicit a lot of information to get where they did today. 

Currently, they’re still serving up the developer license, but we’re in the process of moving that over. They’ve given me some limited access to that. However, I’m not sure if I get to see a production by doing this, or If I only see the beta version that we brought on to catch up with some of the changes our company is requesting. The team also continues to improve and scale the app. 

What is the team composition?

I only have one main point of contact, but I also speak with his lead and manager. 

How did you come to work with MindCoopers?

I’m not sure how our company found MindCoopers. 

How much have you invested with them?

We probably spent $130,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019, and we continue to collaborate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re in the middle of creating the metrics for the app, so I don’t really have a lot of in-depth analytics as far as the app goes other than crash reports and sessions logged in. However, the app is a huge discussion topic when it comes to managing our employees. Without it, I cannot think of how things would be running as far as revenue is coming in. 

Many employees have questions about scheduling tasks and targeting priorities after they get going and they don’t necessarily know the impact of not being out there and doing their day-to-day, so we gauge all that along with traceability. After that, it's easy to put them on track. When folks have questions, they point them to the application and how to engage the app.

How did MindCoopers perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication hasn’t been a problem at all. They are based in India, and our time is quite different, but they have been accommodating throughout. MindCoopers allowed me to act as the project manager, and with their lead's assistance the project has kept all milestones on track.

MindCoopers has been reactive and always solves any rising situation with good solutions. I have also worked with an insightful employee and his knowledge of the iOS system is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication skills are impressive despite being new in the industry. They have been able to get up to speed really fast and adapt to whatever situation that we throw at them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. When I didn’t see any daily turnout of what we are doing, they react to that pretty well. They've adhered to whatever instructions we had for schedules, so I really can’t tell anything that they can do better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be free with ideas and throw them on the table. They’re good with eliciting requirements when there are none, especially if you’re unsure what to ask. They’re really good at pulling some ideas together to make it more intelligible. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Infotrac Systems. We’re a software company developing employee engagement software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MindCoopers?

We’re developing a product from scratch and needed some extra helping hands. We have an internal team but realized we needed external expertise as well. Our team brought them on to be part of our project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started this from scratch, and MindCoopers has been involved since the beginning. They’re involved during the entirety of the life cycle, from gathering to development to testing. We follow a short sprint structure as well as use Angular for the frontend and Java Spring Boot for the backend. They’re also helping us set up and host the solution on AWS. The platform’s two main functionalities are a perks module and a recognition service.

What is the team composition?

We work with four individuals.

How did you come to work with MindCoopers?

We were searching for a vendor who could fit in with our team and heard about MindCoopers through a reference.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested more than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They know what they’re doing. Our developer is very technically sound. Their team is open to learning new technology. They’ve remained within scope.

How did MindCoopers perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good. I have no complaints. We utilize Jira and communicate through Google Meet or Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What they know, they know well. They don’t claim to know everything. If they’re not ready for something, they tell us upfront. They’re honest and transparent; that gives me a lot of confidence in them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything is going well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
They’re a small team that can deliver what you need. They have their own expertise but I doubt whether they’re fit for a very large project. My company is also small so they’re the right fit for us. But if you’re a very large client expecting an intense and high-profile enterprise product, they may not be the right fit for you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I started this project to rent camera and other equipments. You can rent your equipments through our platform called Lettuce

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired MindCoopers to Develop back end API and mobile apps on Android and iOS. Since we are new we wanted full project execution support from a company.

We found MindCoopers as a great fit since they are in to cutting edge technology stack and really skilled developers and architects

SOLUTION

How did you select MindCoopers and what were the deciding factors?

We approached different companies and interviewed the developers and architect and MindCoopers resources were outstanding.

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

We explained what's the product and what features we needed and the time line. They started from the UI design to Back End API design and coding and completed all features before the time line

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

There were a team of 5 members involved, including Architect, Front End Developers, Back End developers and DevOps

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have not yet launched public, we are still on closed user group testing

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

It was Scrum methodology everything was process oriented

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

They are very young and enthusiastic

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

Everything is good nothing comes in mind as an improvement required