Neoteric

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-owner of Gearcom, a startup software developer building a product for electronic circuit and phone design. The company is made up of two owners and three employees. We’re based in Gdansk, Poland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We had finished the first development stage for our software using another company. The project itself was quite difficult. We were not happy with that collaboration, and needed to fix some performance issues. We were running out of money and starting to wonder whether our developer could finish the task.

At the time, our user interface had been designed by programmers rather than graphic specialists. We needed help creating a new one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Neoteric analyzed our code, applied fixes, and refactored some functionalities. We needed to adapt our scope to accommodate certain browser limitations. They also built a new user interface based on our design mockups.

What is the team composition?

Mateusz [CEO, Neoteric] was our project leader at the time.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

We researched the development market and found them along with two other companies. It was important for the provider to have good technical and communication abilities, as well as to be flexible and committed to our project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Neoteric in February 2016, and the project ended in May. We’re not currently working with Neoteric because the product doesn’t require any new functionalities or bug fixes at this stage. We’re focusing on populating databases.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product has not been launched to the public yet, so I cannot provide any statistics.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

I was happy with the management and communication on Neoteric’s side. They explained what was possible within our budget and time limitations, which was helpful for planning and avoiding delays.

We had frequent meetings and calls. Mateusz was always available when we needed to discuss something. They provided accurate estimates for each part of the project and delivered before the deadline. When we wanted to present the product at a conference, we gave them a task with only two weeks’ notice. They were flexible, increasing their efforts to deliver on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were quite engaged with our project and wanted it to succeed. It was good to know that we had Neoteric on our side.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of product management for a software solutions developer in the truck haulage area. We develop systems that track and trace assets—both trucks and trainers—through in-cab driver terminals, using Android software, temperature monitoring, and engine diagnostics. We pull all these pieces of information together to provide solutions for users.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We sell a single overarching product, which requires bespoke development for some of our larger customers. As with most outsourcing collaborations, our challenges were scaling dynamically, onboarding talented developers for specific projects, and scaling the team back down as requirements died off. We were looking for a long-term partner that could offer this.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Neoteric generally provides development assistance within our predefined roadmap. There are many projects that we’d like to get done during the next couple of years, and they’re helping us achieve those faster.

We gave them smaller pieces of work until they essentially became another one of our teams. Neoteric collocate with one of our many software teams, working in the exact same systems and with the same transparency as everyone else. We essentially work side-by-side, even though they’re remote.

One of the products they worked on was a job management system. Haulage companies receive orders to move goods from point A to point B, and must line up each one of their trucks and drivers to process as many loads and drops as possible in a day.

Neoteric created a section within our existing product that dispatched jobs to drivers and vehicles, plotted those jobs along maps, and gave drivers directions. Those jobs are transmitted to the driver’s in-cab device, so that he can mark them as started, completed, or in-progress. We can also specify a few more parameters.

At the moment, Neoteric is a key member of the design and development team on a very complex project that focuses on driver regulatory hours. Rather than coming to them with UI requirements, we gave them very complex legal requirements and a backend that required complicated calculations.

They have worked on the whole frontend lifecycle. The normal process involved requirements gathering, breaking those requirements into more concrete elements, getting architectural direction, and proceeding to development, QA, and release. Oftentimes, outsourcers will handle the small engineering piece in the middle, which accounts for 30% of the process. The rest is the management and design of the product, and this is where Neoteric stepped in.

They can step in early in the development lifecycle, take rough requirements from myself and other product managers, and add value to them right away. They can design the product themselves, come up with a solution that fits, and then handle the engineering, QA, and release. These are all time-consuming pieces of development, so outsourcing becomes less valuable if we have to take care of them in-house. This is where Neoteric has shone.

What is the team composition?

We’ve brought them in slowly, starting with very small projects and getting into larger and larger ones. The time-tracking project is two months old, so we’ve taken on a full team for it. Before that, Neoteric had much smaller teams, or even single developers.

Rather than a project manager, their team has a product owner. This is a much more influential and involved role. 

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

First and foremost, we were interested in Neoteric because of their modern skillset. Compared to other outsourcing companies, they provide a higher level of transparency. This aligned with our internal approach, and it was the most difficult thing to find when working with an external company.

Neoteric essentially spoke our language in terms of Agile system development and the general velocity around continuous release cycles. It was important to find someone who could move at our speed without acting like a rabbit in the headlights. It’s obvious when we find someone with this quality, and we identified it quickly in their team.

Neoteric wasn’t the first group we approached—we went to several outsourcing companies before settling into a relationship—but they offered great value for money in terms of relative daily rates. Geographically, we narrowed the search down quite a lot, not wanting to go as far as the Far East. We found similar nearshore development teams, but they were managed in the U.S. and came at two or three times the price. Neoteric offered similar quality, but at a very good price.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Neoteric in May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our key performance indicators are clustered around a team’s overall success, and Neoteric measures up with the rest of our developers. Velocity—the speed at which they can complete high-quality work—is an important factor for us. They’re on par with the internal teams we’ve had for the last decade, working at the same rate and delivering the same quality. This is significant, since it normally takes a long time to onboard someone. Neoteric making this jump in a matter of months is quite impressive.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

We deal with them on Slack on almost an hourly basis, which has been very helpful for us. We have daily standups and two demonstrations per sprint. There’s been a good chain of communication, from their architects to the UI designers. They use our Balsamiq platform to show us exactly what we’re going to get before they deliver

In terms of metrics, Neoteric has delivered on every sprint. They keep normal timesheets, but we don’t request any specific status reports. We just ask that they use our internal systems, Jira and Confluence. If they’re working correctly and updating their systems, all the reports and metrics we require will come from of that. As such, we don’t need a project manager.

We’ve flown them to our head office, where they spent a whole day and met our teams. We did this because we envisage a long-term relationship with Neoteric, and wanted to make them feel like a part of the overall team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their AngularJS, Node.js, and Java Microservices skills were quite impressive. Neoteric has a good knowledge of open-source JavaScript libraries, so, rather than designing a product from the ground up, they found off-the-shelf tooling. We hate reinventing the wheel, and want to get to the value quickly. If this means using good open-source libraries, then we’re happy to do so. Neoteric has brought a lot of knowledge in this area.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication, QA, and velocity could be improved across all our teams, so I don’t want to single out Neoteric. They’ve been receptive to everything we asked them to do, and have performed well so far.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The best way to get motivation from an outsourced team is to trust them to be a part of the overall lifecycle—from design to delivery—and not just hand them a design document and expect to get something good back. The process needs to be much more collaborative, which is why we onboarded Neoteric early in projects and treated them like any member of the team. Outsourcing differently than this comes with poor results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in the research department of an architecture firm that works primarily in various market sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We wanted to build a tool that helps people map out ideas and processes when working with internal teams or clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Without a template to go on, the tool had to be built from scratch. We had very specific features in mind and wanted to rely on illustrations and graphics to translate ideas into concrete visualizations.

We also wanted the tool to be highly intuitive, allowing users to operate it without consulting a manual.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with Lukasz Nowacki [Project Manager, Neoteric] throughout the project, as well as Robert Beinaravicius [Junior Frontend Developer, Neoteric]. They’re an excellent team.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

We were introduced to Neoteric through a business colleague who has a similar tool. We found they were capable of handling difficult tasks without compromise. They seemed like they were able to take our raw ideas and produce results that matched our specifications exactly. Other developers tend to hit obstacles and seek alternative solutions that may change your initial vision.

How much have you invested with them?

About $60,300. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and we’re in the final stages of development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we haven’t officially completed development, the tool has seen some use among our colleagues. They find it useful and more intuitive than other commercial process maps.

We’re also pleased with the tool’s aesthetic. The visualizations will ensure it’s a tool people want to use.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

They've performed well considering this is a fairly difficult project. As with any custom development, there were moments when we had to step back and consider how certain pieces would work.

We communicate through Slack, which is especially convenient since we're in different time zones. It allows us to coordinate without the clutter of email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project has gone smoother than we thought possible. They're able to tackle difficult tasks and work any issues through to completion. They’ve provided the exact features we’ve requested without proposing any kind of compromise due to difficult coding. They have a great talent for finding solutions and we’ve had an excellent relationship with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s always helpful to have a detailed outline. Issues will naturally arise when developing any complex project, but the more you’re able to anticipate those stumbling blocks, the better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

RapidSOS is a privately funded startup in the emergency services platform business. I’m the vice president of engineering, responsible for bringing emergency-based products and services, along with 911 connectivity, to businesses. We’re in midtown Manhattan near Times Square.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We needed help with frontend development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were developing a new product called Emergency API. The platform includes a frontend where customers can design workflows and interactively or graphically make them more intuitive.

Neoteric utilized Rappid in development of the frontend of our app. We initially broke the project down into multiple phases, and started with a proof of concept. Their team developed a proof that visually represents the workflows. We set up a specific agreement, and they were able to deliver within 3 weeks, which was really fast.

We made the decision to continue working, and thus moved on to the second phase, which was to build a fully-functional, but not finished, product. The first phase was a fixed contract, but the second part was more open-ended due to the requirements we gave them. They worked with us as we developed those requirements. We’ve almost finished this phase.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

We identified Rappid in research of the best interactive, graphical tools for building web apps. We reached out to the authors of the company that provides custom support for those libraries, and tried to use it ourselves, but failed. Those authors recommended Neoteric because they had successfully delivered fully-functioning apps using this approach.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September of this year, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Neoteric has laid a good foundation for the product moving forward. I’m very happy with their effort, the technical foundation they’ve laid, and their ability to understand the tasks we gave them. They’re a very strong team. We’re also happy with the speed and quality of development.

They were able to demonstrate the product to our board along with some of our investors, and so far, we’ve been very pleased. It’s almost finished.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

They initiated a very robust project management structure. They use a set of tools to track project issues and planning, and also assign project managers to tasks. We use Slack to communicate. I’m directly managing the project, and from my perspective, they’re creating a very effective working environment. They’re polite and thoughtful. They have good resources and have proven themselves to be consistently available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very responsive. They provide us with a level of innovation that most outsourcing environments don’t. They thrive in environments that require them to make more holistic designs, or even in proposing new user interactions that we didn’t specify. They provide very good results. I’m also surprised at how independent they are.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The project is going well, and we’re almost done with it. I’m very happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that sells machinery for and provides services related cars and car parts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We wanted to become more paperless—especially relative to some systems and applications that send information to our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a microservices application with several modules, including functions that allow customers to choose parts; help contractors and warehousing facilities; process payments; send and share documents; trigger our system to send emails; manage customers’ overall interactions with us.

What is the team composition?

I can talk to my project manager anytime I need to.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

In Poland, we have a page called GoldenLine, which is like a combination of Quora and LinkedIn. I noticed that the CEO of Neoteric was very active, helping many people on that platform. I asked about some software development companies and a few people said, “Only Neoteric. Just Neoteric.” After everything, the CEO reached out to me. We had a few meetings and I was confident they were the one.

How much have you invested with them?

Our work with them cost around $265,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2014–May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our revenue has increased fivefold, which more than justifies our decision to go with Neoteric.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

When something went wrong from my side, Neoteric showed me how to communicate with them. They taught me the Scrum methodology and I’m glad I know these processes now. Every day, the whole team (myself included) had daily stand-ups in person, on the phone, or via Skype.

They were responsive. If I needed some decision made, I just called the project manager and I found out everything I needed to know. Plus, they always met deadlines and project milestones.

What did you find most impressive about them?

With previous vendors, the communication wasn’t that good. Now that I’ve worked with Neoteric, I understand what was wrong before. Now, every project that I do, I use what I learned from them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more diverse gender-wise. There are many men and only a handful of women. Other than that, I can’t imagine how to do it better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am CEO of a company that's a provider and project manager of software for three projects for companies. I write the requirements for these projects, as well as tested the final system with counsel from the government.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We were making models for a platform which can authorize the user and administer what each persona attends to what user mobile. This platform was capable of developing models which were targeted for electronic data interchange (EDI) and communication between the customer and the client. It was all about web models. Each one has specifications with also testing if it is working or not.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The software platforms were created with Java, and there were many applications that were dockered to the database. We used JavaScript for the frontend. The web applications are developed for use on mobile and desktop.

What is the team dynamic?

There were 10 developers who worked with three companies for the project.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

We targeted developers and we found them online. We had many offers and we chose Neoteric because of their price and quality of reference.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a total of 1 million euros for these three similar projects [$1,184,600].

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for two or three years. These products were developed, upgraded, and finally tested by the government a few times at both the initial and the final stages.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project involved some new technologies for us. They let us know the opportunities they had and how they could solve our problems using something that exists in the professional market, with technologies like EDI. We also used some open source technologies that were integrated where possible.

They did quite a lot of work for us and they were very fast. The system is well-optimized because we use a lot of data in the system. It’s working very smoothly.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

There was one project manager. He pegged the task list, the reports, and the accepted timesheet; the documentation was all good. I talked with one person, and I didn’t see the developers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

At the time, there were no companies that could docker the application with Java to implement a new server very easily. We didn't find any other company we could use. They were visible in the market, so they had experience in this task. Their CEO often presents at industry conferences and is very popular and visible in the professional community.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We think that it’s better to use Neoteric as outsourcing for software issues. I’ve had worse partners.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Jamer is a consulting company I'm running with a business associate. I'm one of the owners and part of the board.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We ordered Neoteric to create a custom solution for automating B2B processes that measured how they impacted our company and to get rid of all paper documentation that we produced. We also wanted to build custom documents that could be put through the workflows with our customers and employees.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project took around one-and-a-half years and was something we'd been planning for a long time. We divided it into a few steps in two contracts, the bigger one being implementation for the whole system, divided by module. The first step was our engineering requirements: the problem discovery, the documentation of how our business works, and the main challenges that custom software could solve for us.

Our modules started from a digital document repository, the workflow module, and the specific integration with a default standard for digital accounting documents. There's a big module that helps us with billing between different companies and people working on a project for a customer. It does all the bidding among everyone involved and provides us with analytics to see how much we make on each customer and project.

The system includes electronic invoices, electronic signatures, work flow, and management so we can set up a list of tasks to be performed and what we should input at each stage. It's more than just a project management tool because we have all the maintenance and knowledge base that we create.

It's designed on a strategic level, going across every operation in our company because we want to make sure our customers' documents are safe in an online repository, where we can define how our customers and partners are interacting with parts of the documentation.

It also has a configurable notification and reporting system. We can bring alerts to different situations and get notified when there's a problem and we need to engage on a higher management level to solve it.

We have a task manager that can build different tasks with different templates, so we don't have to repeatedly put in the same tasks. We can put them in specific stages and manage projects for different customers. There's even a software-as-a-service part for working with sub-contractors, where we invite our business partners and customers to use our system for their benefit.

What is the team dynamic?

We were given a project manager and had direct communication with the whole team. The programmers would present some of the new modules they were building. This was good because when someone from my team had ideas, they could speak directly to the person creating the part they were interested in.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

We were doing our review on the local market about who would be good for this kind of project, and we were directed to Neoteric by multiple sources. We met and were convinced that they'd be a reliable business partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from July 2014 to December 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engagement has impacted our whole company by helping us move our operations much better. We can do bigger business because we don't have blockades from different systems.

Everyone stresses the flexibility of the solutions. We can just click to see what the document looks like, and it's automated to validate if the fields are right and what the flow should be. This is something everyone is very happy about, as well as Neoteric's approach to supporting the business, not just making the functions we thought we needed.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a good experience for us. They guided us on how to engage in producing the system, and we had real impact on what the project outcome would look like. We could get feedback any time and could see with every sprint that the project was going well. It was open and transparent for us. Plus, we spoke in Polish, so communication was easy for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deeply understood the core of our business and built the right technology to improve it. We were guided step by step to have success with the product they built for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was happy with the whole process, and the outcome was very good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Bellion Clofe is predominantly a software development and consultancy company. I’m the CEO and founder, along with a team of 5 other people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We are working on the development of a game engine for one of our products that has yet to go to market. The biggest challenge was finding a development company that could handle the complexity of our game play format and the restricted environment that we’re building for the game itself. We needed expertise not only in software, but also in the actual field.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The product is a sports gaming platform. We spent 2–3 months going through the documentation and requirements of the system. Development didn’t start until everything was pretty clear.

They’re taking our product from start to finish. They are doing the entire platform with frontend and backend development. A branding company we use is doing our UX/UI.

Most gaming applications are fairly simple. Fantasy sports, for example, is a point and location kind of system. Ours is a novel product requiring a far more complex algorithm. The hardest part for us was conveying that patented algorithm and technology to them.

Due to the particular library that we use, the frontend is going to be very complicated to create. The product is actually made for thousands of people to play at the same time.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

We were searching for an offshore software development company. My CTO did the shortlisting process, and we spoke to about 5 vendors. I was only part of the interview process.

We knew our platform needed to be coded in a particular language, so we predominantly looked for vendors who were competent in that area. We also looked for vendors who had relevant past projects or ones that gave them useful experience for our project.

Most of the companies said they were able to handle the project and there would be no issues. After speaking with each individually a second time, we realized they really didn’t understand the context of the engine.

It was almost the opposite with Neoteric. We decided to go with them, because they understood our needs at the initial conception stages and even suggested ways to streamline the engine and boost the efficiency of its performance. They were responsive and communicated what they could and couldn’t do. We felt they were the most competent and knew what they were talking about. The price point was just about right too.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $80,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2017, and the work is ongoing. As the product and development has evolved, along with edits and functionalities, we’ve pushed the timeline back, but it’s not anyone’s fault. The estimated completion date is next June. We intend to retain them for maintenance after the site goes live.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve done some internal testing, but none externally. The project hasn’t actually gone to market. We are waiting for the patent filing to clear before we release it to the public or any external parties.

The backend is well-developed. There are a few kinks to work through. It’s really a pre-alpha version, but even at this stage, we definitely got what we needed in terms of the complexity of the engine. I attribute a lot of that to their backend team, who has put in a quite a bit of work. Their sheer ability to understand its complexity has really helped.

They’ve done a very good job so far on the frontend as well. At most it’s been tested by 10 people and 1 goal. Based on this small focus group, on a scale of 1 to 10, we are at around 8–9.

It’s been very encouraging to me and my team. We look back on the vendors we looked at and can only imagine how the product would’ve turned out with someone who didn’t understand our needs or have the necessary capabilities. We would end up with a bigger issue at the end of the day.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management has been very good. It’s our first time working with Neoteric, so it took a few months to find our preferred working relationship style. It’s been much better since. Helping them understand the project from our point of view and translating that into an actual product was the biggest challenge for us. We’ve overcome that, but of course not with 100% fluidity. There are hiccups along the way. Even at these challenge points, both parties worked through the issues fairly smoothly due to our close collaboration.

The project manager plays a supervisory role for their team and attends a weekly sprint meeting with us. We also request meetings with him for budgeting or forward planning. We don’t get him involved on a daily basis, and we deal with the other team members on a more informal basis. That’s done purposely, because we prefer to speak directly with whoever is in charge of a particular area. We know the team members very well. Some people might not like such an informal working relationship, but for us it’s built on trust. 

They’ve been flexible and fairly adaptive to our needs. Those are plus points. We used to do a 2-week sprint, but we currently are doing a weekly sprint, as well as a daily standup. The communication and collaboration has increased over time. We’re in contact with them on a daily basis via Slack. We also use formal channels like Taiga.

It’s easy to talk to a software development company and a team that speaks the same language. The fact that there’s no language barrier eases the workflow process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If I needed a corporate website to be coded, I could go with anyone else. It isn’t hard to convey a simple project to most development companies. It’s harder to find a vendor that will take the time to understand the complexity of your project and that also has the development capability and expertise to tackle it.

Neoteric is positioned to serve customers with high-level projects with higher demands. They are able to produce the kind of quality needed. When it comes to complex projects, Neoteric is one of the few we’ve found that can live up to our expectations.

My CTO works closely with them, and he says he’s been very impressed with the speed at which the team has managed to produce the components of our project. Within Singapore, we’re familiar with major development companies. I’m not putting them down, but it’s really hard to find developers who can go above average. It’s hard to find someone who’s as invested in your project as you are. Neoteric has that slight edge. They get people who care about the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The workflow itself as well as forward planning could be better. With certain components, future issues aren’t immediately clear. One piece might not be the best fit for the puzzle. It would be helpful for them to anticipate what could go wrong with an approach we’ve chosen. Part of that has to do with the client, so it’s not all on them. We know they can’t read our minds.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an early venture-funded startup. We are within the API and microservices enterprise cloud software space. Our headquarters are in the Bay Area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

At that time, we were trying to build a prototype with a UX [user experience] consultant. We wanted to demo and bring it to market so that we could have user feedback sessions around the prototype. We needed specialized frontend developers, but I was on a tight budget.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Neoteric was engaged to do the frontend portion of this prototype. We had one project manager running Scrum and two developers, with whom we held weekly sprints. The developers used React, took the mockups we had, and built the interaction. Once that looked good, they built the prototype itself. They worked with our developers to partner on the backend services, but there was a clear line of division in terms of work.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

I was looking at a specialized SVG library developed by a firm called Client.io. I originally used them and they subcontracted the work to Neoteric. Once we delved into the requirements, they told me we don’t need to use the specialized library—we could use a more generalized technology like React and get it done a lot faster. I asked Client.io if we could have a release and work directly with Neoteric. Fortunately, they allowed that. Neoteric’s rates were a lot more reasonable than trying to do it in the Bay Area. The alternative would’ve been working directly with Polish developers. If I did that, I would save a lot more. However, I had no such visibility into the market at the time.

How much have you invested with Neoteric?

We spent between $50,000 and $100,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in March 2016 and the work was completed in June 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

All the metrics were kept in our project management system. They completed everything to the full expectation of requirements. The prototype was done in such a thoughtful manner that we could use it as the first iteration of the production code.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

We realized two full-time equivalents and throughout that weekly sprint, we got a lot done. The project was very well organized. They were able to import my user stories from Excel to Taiga, which we used for project management. I tried to be specific on the user stories. Anytime there were questions from the developers, they were good about asking for further clarification. The project manager was very thorough and detailed. If there were any issues, he was very accessible. We all communicated on Slack, which was great, especially with the time difference. They were on time and within budget. We also had daily meetings over Hangout.

What did you find most impressive about Neoteric?

Neoteric had value-based efficiency, making them a good match for us. They also had reasonable rates for a very specialized service. They have a keen sense of deadlines and scope creep, which manage that pretty well. There’s a lot on the line when it comes to time and money, especially for a startup.

Are there any areas Neoteric could improve?

The level of quality and delivery is dependent on the assigned resource. Our two mainstay developers were fantastic. One, in particular, carried the weight of the team and he exceeded my expectations. We brought in a third person that was more junior to do more web design work, but he didn’t quite meet our expectations. He eventually got the job done, but it wasn’t at the level of what the other two developers provided.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the delivering managers for a provider of IT solutions for aviation. Currently, I’m also working as the research manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Neoteric?

We are launching a new product that reads data sources and tries to provide insight about them. We needed assistance with creating an architecture based on microservices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Neoteric has experience in backend applications and products like ours, so we combined our expertise for this project. They helped with the architecture for the backend and frontend, working together with my team on development. They also helped with designing the solution on different levels. At the beginning, we had four resources assigned to us, then we scaled up to eight. Now, we have six resources working with us from Neoteric.

How did you come to work with Neoteric?

I was looking for a company who had the same size and culture as our team. After Neoteric did a small research project with us, we found we could collaborate on something that was bigger. We looked at five other companies but decided to use Neoteric because of the skill they had in-house.

How much have you invested with Neoteric?

We have spent between $50,000 and $200,000 on this project so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in February 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Neoteric has been an essential partner for us and we are happy with the quality they have provided. We trust each other and they have the right expertise to help us. We don’t have any metrics, but the feedback has been positive.

How did Neoteric perform from a project management standpoint?

They are always on time and I’m happy about the content they’ve delivered. We usually communicate by phone, although sometimes we send messages online. They are honest about issues, so we could talk about things and agree on a solution that benefited both parties. Neoteric kept their word. Whatever they promised, they delivered. They gave feedback when they thought something wouldn’t work and found a solution that would be best for us.

What did you find most impressive about Neoteric?

I’m impressed by their knowledge and the flexibility of their team. They’re a great company to work with since they understand how to help their customers. That’s why we get along quite nicely with them.

Are there any areas Neoteric could improve?

None. For my type of problem, they are the right weapon.