Origen Software

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director / Co-Founder of SimplyPut

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

SimplyPut is a pocket guide to basic South African laws and business concepts which empowers users to both understand and assert their rights, and connect with legal professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Origen Software to accomplish?

• Develop the first version of our application
• Workshop ideas to include in the application
• Get advice about the South African Start up scene

SOLUTION

How did you find Origen Software?

Referral

Why did you select Origen Software over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Origen Software were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope included end to end mobile app development for IOS and Android. This included UX/UI design, wireframing, development, testing, and deployment. Origen also assisted in brainstorming with the founders about what should be included in the application, market segment selection, and general Start up advice.

By project end, we had:

• Published apps on the  IOS and Android app stores
• A web based Admin Consol 
• A game plan for the next 2 years

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Origen provided constant updates via meetings / emails of either screenshots of progress, or prototype versions of the application we could test. We set goals to achive and each goal had a distint objective, such as screen design, admin consol creation, etc

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

Their project management was great. I never struggled to get meetings or responses. All deliverables were completed before deadlines. Professionalism was present in every interaction with Harley or any team memeber 

What was your primary form of communication with Origen Software?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Hard quality: The quality and speed of their work.

Soft quality: I've had the pleasure of meeting some team members in person and not only do they match up with the quality of the company they work for, they are all round good people. 

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

While not necessarily a step for improvement. I would've liked to have a dynamic version of our application which didn't need a re-release of a version to provide updates. But again this was just a technical choice

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director and founder of an investment company. Our company does three main things. Firstly, we provide advisory to the public and private sectors. Secondly, we're a custodian of providing access to funding for small businesses and green economy ventures in particular. Thirdly, we're a direct investor in early-stage ventures ourselves.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Origen Software?

We needed help with website development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Origen Software designed and developed our website. After our discovery call, the team provided a few templates for the website design that fit my needs regarding the type of website that I wanted. During this process, I provided them with most of the wording, images, and logos that they needed to include on the website.

This is mainly an informational website users can leverage to get in touch with us. It has a call to action button so that users can click on it and get in touch.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Harley (Co-Founder & CEO), who had a team of 2–3 members working behind.

How did you come to work with Origen Software?

We found them through a referral from someone in our network. We initially had an introductory call with Origen Software about the services they provide, during which we also discussed the services I was looking for. During this call, the team also provided insight on how they could tailor their services to our needs, which I appreciated very much.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project around December 2023 and completed it in May 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Origen Software delivered a beautiful website. However, the website is not live yet, so we can't provide any actual metrics. The site will be live soon once we activate the actual domain. Overall, Origen Software's work exceeded my expectations.

How did Origen Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Throughout the process, Origen Software was nothing but professional, hands-on, and timely. They always responded efficiently and timely. Moreover, they delivered on time and on budget, and they communicated extremely well. We used phone calls and emails to communicate and Google Drive to upload some of the images.

Overall, Origen Software's project management was stellar. There was never confusion about who to speak to and when, as Harley was always available. We even communicated via WhatsApp because it was very easy for me to review drafts on my phone and take screenshots to provide my feedback via WhatsApp. They were very flexible in that regard, as they took my feedback from WhatsApp and put it back into the project flow to work on it.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Harley was absolutely fantastic. He was very accessible and available to us, and his wealth of experience made it very easy for my website to come to life. Throughout the project, he provided great advice. Sometimes, I thought I wanted one thing, but he would advise against it, using best practices for the look and feel. He worked on how to keep the website simple and clean. Therefore, he deserves a shout-out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What Origen Software does best is understand the needs of their clients and the end customers. They were great at guiding us in terms of best practices and what the development should look like.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing Origen Software could have improved on; I was very happy with them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Communicate what you're trying to accomplish as clearly as possible and in an organized manner. Giving them as much information and detail as possible is helpful and goes a long way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Startup Club ZA

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The country's largest tech startup and investor community

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Origen Software to accomplish?

• Build our community platform
• Advise on technical roadmap and strategy

SOLUTION

How did you find Origen Software?

Referral

Why did you select Origen Software over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Origen Software were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Origen has been a partner to our network for over a year and during that time, we've been ideating a web-based platform to amplify the reach and value-add to our community around the country. They have added immense value in: 

• Strategic Planning
• Development Roadmap
• Liaising with indepedent UI/UX design team
• Technical build and migration from existing site to new platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team received no-code wireframes and app designs and turned them into a high-end, working product within a matter of weeks (in preparation of our alpha launch). They continue to build and interate at a remarkable speed and quality that I've not worked with before. 

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

Open communication at all times, clear deliverables and deadlines, met expectations in advance. Super reliable and ever-available to assist and get the job done on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Origen Software?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They have an exceptional company culture and customer-centricity. The team are incredibly invested in the projects they decide to take o  and go over-and-above to ensure that their clients are happy, with work that exceeds expectations. Highly process driven and transparent communications, so the client is always aware of where the project sits. 

They build robust code, are highly skilled and in a market where agencies simply deliver on what's asked and prolong projects to increase client costs (often unnecessarily), the Origen team is genuinely consultative, looks for ways to improve the project at hand and help their customers deliver. Great value for money and a pleasure to deal with.

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

This is an ongoing project - but so far, so good!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Squirrel Away

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are developing a Fintech App focusing on Investment Gifting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Origen Software to accomplish?

• To fully develop the App
• To maintain the App after handover and launch

SOLUTION

How did you find Origen Software?

We met them at a business pitch fintech competition

Why did you select Origen Software over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Origen Software were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Phase 1: Planning and Design (25 July 2023 - 10 September 2023)

1. Project kickoff and requirement gathering
2. Marketing research and competitor analysis
3. Designing user interface and user experience
4. Mock-ups review and approval
5. Prototyping

Phase 2: Development (11 September 2023 - 10 November 2023)

1. User Android and IOS applications development
2. Admin web portal development

Phase 3: Testing and Deployment (11 November 2023 - 25 November 2023)

1. Functional, performance, security, and usability testing
2. Bug fixes and final adjustments
3. Deployment and launch 

Phase 4: Testing and Deployment (26 November 2023 - 20 February 2024)

1. Further feature development on user application
2. Further feature development on administrator portal

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Origen consistently delivered high-quality code that not only met but exceeded our expectations. Their ability to quickly understand complex requirements and implement robust solutions was invaluable.

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

Yes, they delivered items on time and were patient in dealing with me, someone with no background in IT. So they helped in terms of holding my hand on this process of developing the App. Communication was excellent, with regular updates on progress and clear explanations of technical aspects.

What was your primary form of communication with Origen Software?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are accessible, adhere to the timelines they have committed to and very good in communicating about the project and how things are going with the project, good or bad. I also like their patience in terms of explaining the processes especially to someone with no background in this process. I was extremely impressed with their skills and dedication as well.

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

I have had the pleasure of working with Origen. I am overall happy with Origen and as it stands, they have not given me any areas of concern.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Product Management of Deep Current

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A Digital Product Management Agency, we work with select distributed teams to advise on and deliver digital products to clients on time, on spec and on budget.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Origen Software to accomplish?

• Geo-Spatial Tax Data 'Map Explorer' in React.js
• React.js 'Economic Dashboards' for Municipality Decision makers
• Integrate with React.js application with API Tax Data
• Tax 'Data Download' feature with User Access control
• Design and implement 'landing page layouts' for Tax Data Portal
• Finish within limited timeframe before financial year-end

SOLUTION

How did you find Origen Software?

Other

Why did you select Origen Software over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit

What was the size of Origen Software’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

Origen Software was hired to complete the build of the first South African Spatial Tax Data Portal allowing users to explore rich economic data in both a Map Explorer (Geo-Spatial Map) and Dashboard visualization arrangement (Time Series Graphs). In addition, the data needed to made 'open-access', i.e. freely available for download behind a user login process.

Through a collaboration with the HSRC and Deep Current, Origen was able to deliver the portal on time, on spec and on budget at the end of February 2023. Together with Deep Current, who provided product management and python skillsets, Origen successfully delivered on the methodology specified by Deep Current. The methodology centered on using Uber / React.js libraries on the front end and a Python / SQL solution required by the client on the back-end.

On the front-end, the Map Explorer included the use of mapbox.gl, d3,js, deck.gl, with the uber h3 spatial index library. The 14 Economic Dashboards also made use of libraries for react.js from uber. For the back-end, data was uniquely provided by the client in a set of pre-aggregated anonymised csvs which needed to be adpated into a usable API served from a SQL database. A filter configuration was implemented and the API was built using Django, Python, DRF, SQL.

Finer transformations, needed to generate the relevant API structures, were done with libraries such as pandas and numpy. Uniquely for the front-end, Origen created a custom legend overlay to support the Map Explorer filter process, features such as 'linear/log', 'min/max', 'a choropleth map', '3d', 'opacity toggle', 'diverging scale colour', 'continuous scale colour' were added to allow economists and municipalities effective viewing the data.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• On Time
• On Budget
• Completed Specification

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

Yes, on time. However, Deep Current was responsible for Product Management / Project Management for this project.

What was your primary form of communication with Origen Software?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

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

• High skillset
• High standard
• Valuable insights received into best approaches

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

Nothing specific. As a team, we responded to challenges quickly to keep in step with the required project pace.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Founder and CEO of a new and innovative E-Recruitment platform called PikUniq, a platform that delivers simplified, affordable, and unique talent-sourcing solutions. The platform gives our users access to video resume technology, one-way interview solutions, and employment opportunities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Origen Software came on board to develop a mobile application that allows users to create their profile, upload video resumes, apply for jobs and attend one-way interviews. They also built the business portal for companies to search, screen and shortlist candidates including posting vacancies and inviting candidates to one-way interviews. In addition, they built a management portal for the PikUniq team that allows us to manage all of the moving aspects of the platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I found Origen Software and met with the CEO of the company, after presenting solutions, timelines and a structured project plan we decided to run with the team on this project - they are result-driven and committed to helping us build a successful platform and provide the necessary support and guidance.

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

Android and IOS Mobile APP with video resume technology and one way interview solutions including a dashboard with access to vacancies, and push notifications on features such as interviews and new vacancy listings. Web portal with access to a candidate search engine, shortlisting functions, job board and one-way interview solutions.

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

3 people, this will include the CEO, Account Manager and Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team worked well and we are still working with then to develop and introduce more features and functionalities to the APP and Business portal.

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

We communicate via email on project expectations and outcomes and all tasks are recorded on a online platform called Notion Board.

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

In general, I've been dealing with the CEO directly since the beginning of the project, there's been consistency in liaising with the same people in the team and that know the project and understand the requirements and expected outcomes.

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

Although I'm in general very pleased and happy with the output and results, i can however add something for improvement: The attention to detail when delivering a project for testing could be improved or worked on, and probably doing a monthly or bi-weekly meeting with feedback on progress. Although there is a platform tracking the tasks, I do believe having a one-on-one session to discuss processes, expectations, deliverables, possibilities, etc. can add value to the journey.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Co-Founder of an end-to-end e-commerce platform for SME's to sell online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

After a pivot from our initial value proposition, we approached Origen to assist us with updating our existing mobile app to incorporate/build out the new e-commerce centric features.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Having dealt with a number of third-party software vendors in the past, we were reluctant to outsource again on account of the lack of transparency, regularity of updates and fairness of pricing. But with Origen, everything was a breath of fresh air! From moment one, the Origen team were personable, founder-first and honest about their ability to deliver.

They gave us proactive guidance on what we wanted to build and didn't merely execute our instructions, but came alongside us as a technical parter to refine, question and build the best product possible. Most importantly, they provided us a hard-stop cost upfront - and committed to deliver within that budget (unlike most agencies that simply bill more in the event they take longer to deliver).

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

After raising fresh capital, we had the task of pivoting our existing mobile app to one that provided an end-to-end e-commerce function. Despite the rolling start, it was effectively a new build. This include UI/UX, integrating with our existing Web-app API, multiple ensuring a smooth CX between web and mobile users.

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

We engaged with 3 members of the Origen team, including project lead, senior developer and testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team exceeded our expectations. Work delivered on-time, within budget, professional and personable. Great technical partner who helped us refine our focus and what to build.

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

Engaged and transparent. The team used Jira, email and Whatsapp to ensure we were aware of what they were working on, where they ran into challenges, whilst maintaining a clean line of communication at all times.

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

It is rare to parter with a software agency that 1) takes a vested interest in the success of their client's business beyond the technical build and 2) takes ownership of delivering outcomes within the budget and doesn't punish the client if they take longer than anticipated.

Origen have delivered high caliber work in a professional and client-friendly manner - and in my opinion - represent the next generation of truly value-adding outsourced technical services.

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

The team delivered as best as possible under our budget and time constraints. Through no fault of their own, the project took longer than expected, and the only suggestion would be to take a bit longer on a technical DD on the existing codebase upfront - the migration of which presented some challenges.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there? 

I’m the CEO of ParkShare Technologies. We’re a mobile parking provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Origen Software?

We needed to develop a mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Origen Software advised and guided us throughout the project to make the best choices. They developed the mobile app and were involved with aesthetics, features, and functionalities. They worked in Firebase and Google platform-based services.

The app is like Airbnb for parking. It connects drivers with empty parking spaces in parking garages. They can prepay for their spot to reserve it.

What is the team composition?

There were 3–4 people involved from their side, including Harley (CEO), who was our primary contact, Jonathan (Software Developer), and another coder.

How did you come to work with Origen Software?

I found them through my best friend, who does cybersecurity.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent 120,000 South African Rand (approximately $8,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2020–September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us formulate a marketing strategy, and we’ve reached 57,000 people on social media, such as Facebook and Instagram. We’ve also seen a 1,305% increase in website traffic in the last month.

Moreover, we were satisfied with the quality of the finished product. The app worked well. We presented it and have been able to secure capital venture funding. 

How did Origen Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They were organized and easy to communicate with. They went the extra mile for us.  A delay added two months to the timeline, but they didn’t charge for the extra time it took to finish. Origen Software mapped out project tasks and provided progress updates in meetings, which we had once or twice per month. They also responded quickly to emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered a product that looked like it had the budget of a major corporation, but it was an affordable price for a small business. Also, they cared about the project’s success as if they were shareholders in our company and didn’t hold back from giving honest feedback and critiques.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any criticisms.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Respect and welcome their input. Moreover, view them as a partner rather than an employee.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an executive at a digital wallet company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Origen Software?

We needed a vendor who could help build our software, do the designs, and handle integrations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Origen Software is building the whole app using Firebase. Their tasks include developing a registration form, database set up, and more. It’s going to launch on both iOS and Android. In terms of features, the app has a feature for scanning bar codes and adding cards to profiles.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with someone who's the dedicated developer for the project. 

How did you come to work with Origen Software?

A former co-worker referred them to me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $3,500 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They help with translating the designs into an actual working product. Another important thing they do is update everything on the app to pass all of Apple’s requirements for the App Store. Overall, we’re delighted, and everything works great.

How did Origen Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I work directly with our contact person, so I don’t have any issues in terms of deadlines. In addition to that, their communication skills are good and clear, and they provide feedback on building things that add value to our app — they even include short animations, which are very cool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to replicate exactly what the prototype looks like is impressive. Sometimes people can get something completely different from the prototype, but we can’t tell the difference with ours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More communication would be good in the sense that they could let me know beforehand when they’re going to implement something. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them; they know what they’re going and always have their client’s interest at heart. Also, keep communication channels open, break down the project into chunks, and check in every two weeks.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I have developed a discussion starter board game that we are in the process of developing into an online game with video/audio integration to enable video chat. www.turkeys-and-eagles.com

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

COVID stopped a lot of our sales as people were and still are scared to meet in person. Online meetings are the norm these days and we thought that the time is right to develop an online version of our game

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Origen (Harley) is mutual friend and has also done work for my partner, so he recommended Harley to me

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

I'm not sure what software or technology was used as I gave Origen a physical board in the beginning and then explained what I would this online game to look like and what it must be able to do. Once they had a good understanding of the game dynamics, they plotted out a project plan which we approved after some back and forth communication.

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

2. Harley is the senior developer and he also had another more junior developer on this job whom I worked with quite closely to ensure the smooth development process as far as possible

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our first phase was to build the actual back-end and database to make the mechanics works. That is now up and working and we're super pleased with the outcome so far. No doubt we'll probably make improvements as we go along, but very happy with the way that this project was managed, the clear communication along the way, the expectation management that was done properly. As it normally goes, I got a lot of new ideas along the way. They are brilliant in terms of delivery of what we've agreed on.

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

Super pleased with the project management style. Their communication was really good and when they were not able to complete a task, it was communicated. They have a "Lets-make-it-happen" attitude and it was really a privilege to work with them. Because of the way in which this project was managed, I'll gladly with with them again

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

They are super clued-up in terms of what is possible and if they didn't know how to make something happen, they went the extra mile to find out and make it happen.

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

Honestly speaking, they did really well with the limited budget that was available to make it happen. My next phase would be to work on the look and feel to make it more inviting, but functionality-wise... all is working well so far