Openware, Inc.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Yellow.com. We’re developing an exchange in the marketplace.

What challenge were you trying to address with Openware SAS?

We were looking for a partner to build an exchange.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have a very ambitious plan. It’s a four-year roadmap. We organized it into big user stories with about one year to launch. It was supposed to take a year but I asked for a couple more features. We should be having a soft launch soon.

We defined the sprints, they assigned a team and then delivered on the sprints. They also came to Thailand for 2-3 weeks and trained my staff as well. For the matching engine and more sophisticated stuff, they use Golang. For admin, they use Ruby on Rails. For the frontend and other things, they use Node.js and React.

What is the team composition?

There are sometimes two teams and sometimes three teams developing different features as we require, totaling about 40 people. I interact with the delivery manager, a business analyst, and a graphic designer. Some of them are doing the frontend, the backend, the marketplace features, etc. If I have a problem, I speak directly with the CEO or CTO.  

How did you come to work with Openware SAS?

I found them on GitHub because their opensource exchange has 2,600 ports and it's used by hundreds of exchanges. They’re the ones maintaining GitHub, as well as the most popular ones. We chose them because they had the most experience with our exchange.

How much have you invested with them?

$500,000-$1 million. I have approved a $1 million budget for this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019 and the work is ongoing.

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

They over-delivered. It’s been a good experience so far. We’re getting ready to launch. The beta testers and the users have given very positive feedback compared to industry standards.

How did Openware SAS perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re a bit delayed but it’s because I have asked for some changes. There were things I wanted a little different than I had initially planned. They usually meet the deadlines. The sprints aren’t very big; it’s quite easy to meet deadlines. They use GitHub and Jira.  Communication is good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a proper software engineering firm. Their formalism and quality are what make them stand out. The work is perfect.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could offer more flexibility in their communication. They’re not in the Asian time zone; we only have the afternoons to talk together. It’s not terrible but they should have a global presence in the three timezones.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with their business analyst and take the time to specify exactly what you need. Don’t try to rush things. It has worked well for us.