PioGroup Software

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Ahead of the Class Educational Services, an educational consulting firm located in Houston, Texas. We provide educational solutions to schools and school districts.

What challenge were you trying to address with PioGroup Software?

We provide professional development to educators and tutoring to students. Thus, we were looking for an online learning management system (LMS) that could integrate the two major parts of our business. We also wanted this LMS to be the core of our interactions with our customers, and we needed to integrate it within our website, so we hired PioGroup for this project.

What was the scope of their involvement?

PioGroup’s involvement divides into a couple of parts. On the one hand, they’re developing our external-facing website so that when customers come to it, they know exactly who we are.

They’re handling the wireframe designs, all of the imaginary content, and the UI/UX designs. Basically, they’re designing it from the ground up. PioGroup isn’t using any templates or preexisting plug-ins, so everything they design, they also code it.

Additionally, they’ll be connecting that external-facing website to our internal LMS administration platform. This means that they’re also developing everything we need on the backend to manage our platform, track our customers’ invoices, handle our database, and track the attendance of our students to our courses.

Once a client enters our website, they have to interface with the LMS externally. They can take their classes, test, and quizzes through the LMS once they enroll, so PioGroup is designing everything to ensure that the user-facing side of the LMS is working properly.

They’re developing everything in PHP and integrating CSS for the website. Their package also includes maintenance, so they’ll be providing this service to our platform once they finish the development.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with a project manager from PioGroup, who helps guide the different Sprints. I also work with a UI/UX designer to ensure that the UX is what we want.

How did you come to work with PioGroup Software?

We found PioGroup online while searching for organizations that could do this type of work. We wanted to find a small organization that would listen to our needs and quickly maneuver whenever we requested changes.

We really liked the feel of PioGroup because they thought about things that we didn’t. They weren’t just trying to complete the task at hand, but they were figuring out a way to enhance that task to improve their work and deliver a product better than we originally envisioned.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working around February 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

We’re currently testing our platform, and we’ve received great feedback from the clients who are interfacing with our platform’s beta phase. They say that it is very organized and professionally designed.

How did PioGroup Software perform from a project management standpoint?

PioGroup has done a fantastic job. One of our biggest results is that we’ve been able to progress in a timely manner. There haven’t been any delays, and they’ve completed tasks by the time they say they’ll complete them.

We have a process in place for communicating about bugs. We use Slack to send PioGroup any bugs we find, and they get on it and fix them within one week. We also use a Google Form to track the Sprint cycles and know the project’s status, and we communicate via email and Zoom calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

PioGroup’s customer attention goes above and beyond what the customers ask for. They do a great job of asking the right questions to ensure that they fully understand the clients’ needs, and once they understand the needs, they make suggestions that not only address them but also add to the conversation. Having someone who can see our vision, add to it, and enhance it is all we can ask from a long-term partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As PioGroup continues to grow and get more clients, it would be great if they built out their capacity to ensure that they can continue to do their work without stretching themselves too thin.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re clear about your expectations and know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish, just start a conversation with PioGroup. Having a little bit of technical background so that you can understand software development will also help ease the conversation.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of OSM Solutions. We are a consultancy company in the IT field.

What challenge were you trying to address with PioGroup?

We designed a product and needed to have it implemented.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided PioGroup with detailed implementation guidelines, including outlining the parts. They designed the interface and handled the full-stack development. They managed the full-stack development work using Node.js, Python, React/Redux, Express js, PostgreSQL, Sequelize ORM, REST API.

The software is a compliance product. The software analyzes existing documents, and the scrolling mechanism allows us to automatically match customers and documentation, regarding security and compliance, directly to their requirements.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of people including Alexander (CTO & Managing Partner), Alexey (Founder & CEO), a customer satisfaction manager, our dedicated project manager, and a handful of developers, including Serg (Python Developer).

How did you come to work with PioGroup?

One of our co-founders had worked with them before, and recommended their services to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between €100,000 – €120,000 (approximately $122,000 – $147,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around May 2020 and we’re about to launch. 

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

Their team was helpful and knowledgeable. We have a working software which we are about to launch. We’re happy with the outcome of the engagement. 

How did PioGroup perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job managing the project. Our project manager was very engaged and extremely communicative. On the few occasions we encountered a language barrier, she translated for the developers. They used an internal project management tool, and we used a JIT (Just-in-Time) system for configuration work. We also communicated via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did a marvelous job — we had a good engagement from start to finish. We’re talking about working on another project together, too. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Alexey could have the developers take a language class to make their English communication skills stronger.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it — they’re a good, helpful company and will work to get you to the finish line.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of MedicHero. It is a healthcare startup that provides medical tools for paramedics.

What challenge were you trying to address with PioGroup Software?

We had mixed reviews about the mobile app we had on the market, mainly related to downfalls in user experience. I needed help revamping the product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We collaborated with their designers and developers to determine the best possible user experience. This included where to place buttons, how to improve load time, functionality, and experience in locations without an internet connection.

They changed current features that were lacking, and also added new software functionality and features. They redid the way paramedics access their patient protocols within the mobile app.

They used Java Mobile Edition and Objective C programming for the native Android and iOS applications, respectively. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Alexey (CEO), two project managers, a QA engineer, a UI/UX designer, an iOS developer, an Android developer, and a JavaScript developer.

How did you come to work with PioGroup Software?

Though I had a personal friendship with Alexey, I did consider other companies. Based on the proposals that I received, the one from this company was the best. It was very detailed, clear, and it was a no-brainer for me to choose to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $100,000 CAD (approximately $76,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July – October 2018, but they continue to maintain the app. 

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

We have seen 10 times more users with this version of the app, going from 100 monthly active users to 1,000 monthly active users. They continue to add new features and functionalities, tweak the user experience as needed, and help with mobile app analytics.

How did PioGroup Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They met deadlines and communication was great. We used Trello at times and communicated via Skype, instant messages daily and video calls weekly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have excellent customer service and prioritize the customer’s satisfaction above everything else. There are always things that go wrong in development. When any challenges arose, they went above and beyond to ensure our satisfaction in dealing with it. They deliver what they promise. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could do a better job of sharing information and knowledge between team members, especially when a new person joins. There were a couple of occasions where mistakes were made due to a new team member being unaware of certain things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them give you a quote; they have quality pre-project planning. They will present options to you and help you think through what an application should look like, and why.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Partner at our company- we deliver and develop software for customers and we have also our own projects.

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

We needed to update frameworks in a system from 2012 that had some issues. The main goal was to figure out if we could re-use the systemet and get it updated or if we needed to start from the beginning.

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

Got the vendor recommended and it was positive from day one - always ready to help and execute.

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

A PHP Symfony system was built in 2012 and later moved to a Docker solution. The system did not show data in browser so we found out it was the framework that needed to be updated. First step was to get the system installed on a new server where all sourcecode was is Github.

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

There was 3 three - CTO, CEO and Client Happyness Manager.

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

They got the system up and running on the new server and are now interested in the business model to see if they can help getting the system running towards our goal.

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

Good - there was alway good communication and there was always quick reply. We used Skype, Github and Slack.

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

That they were not only interested in the software, but also in our business model and how the software could help us out.

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

Not at this moment

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a german IT Company, providing web development & consulting services. We focus on implementation of different we solutions, e.g. home pages, CRM solutions, online shops and SAP systems, for our clients.

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

During a big client-based project, which represented an ongoing development of a custom CRM System, we felt a strong need in expanding our team to be able to cope the new tasks and challenges. The goal of cooperation was to speed up the development process to satisfy clients´ needs by adding new team members to the project, and at the same time remaining flexible to provide client support on daily problems (e.g. bugs/small corrections mentioned by client).

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

We searched for an outsource company, which could provide us with experienced team members (Symfony) for a longer period of time, as the project is still ongoing. We came across PioGroup Software, had a talk, where we discussed all the details of the potential cooperation. We were impressed by the level of management and organization in the vendor´s company, their flexibility and prompt reaction to our requests.

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

We had a kick off meetings, where we discussed the main goals of each project milestone. Despite constant changing priorities of a client, we managed to cooperate efficient by using Jira for task descriptions and communication tools for our meetings.

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

3 Full Stack Developers for a CRM Development Project. Apart from this, sometimes we asked for PioGroup Software consultation in respect to other projects (React, Drupal etc. ), as they have a very diverse team of qualified employees.

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

After expanding our team, we received a Very positive feedback from our client, as we managed to meet the project milestones in a very effective manner. The cooperation definitely lead to the client´s income increase.

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

We have daily stand-up meetings with the team, so to stay informed on potential risks or issues and discuss the details or change requests to current tasks. Tools: Email, Jira, Skype + our own communication software.

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

From customer service to project finalization, we were always given professional advice. This cooperation was characterized by openness, constructive meetings, and quick problem-solving. In addition to the quick and prompt completion of the tasks, the given budget was always adhered to.

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

Everything was good.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a co-founder of Moving Pipe, a B2B web and mobile application for the transportation industry.

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

We had a previous outsourced company who helped us start the project but didn't stand up to the standard we expected and left us with an in-complete product which required a lot of fixing. We hired PioGroup in order to fix the issues we had and take it to the next level in terms of added features, as well as for on-going maintenance of the software.

How did you select PioGroup Software and what were the deciding factors?

I came across PioGroup's facebook page. My deciding factors in picking PioGroup were: the company has been there for a while (about 11 year at the time we started),

I liked their portfolio, they provided the expertise in the technologies used in my apps, and last but not least, through the company images on facebook I got the impression that it's a good working environment for their employees.

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

The work was an on-going project fixing all the errors and bugs that were left by the previous company. Later we worked to add some new pages and features, and design modifications on both our mobile and web applications.

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

We had about 4-5 team members which included a project manager, designer, and 2-3 senior developers.

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

PioGroup had fixed all the bugs and issues left from the previous company as well as implementing all modifications and added features we needed in order to bring us to the launch phase.

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

Working with PioGroup is one of the best experiences I had in comparison to other individuals and companies I've previously hired. The project manager is highly responsive and always taking the steps to make sure everything is done correctly.

Programmers are of a high quality. The CEO is also very communicative. There wasn't one time I had to wait for a respond beyond the reasonable time-zone factor. Above all, this company is also honest.

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

I was impressed with their responsiveness, quality, modesty, and honesty.

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

I only had good experience.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Ripple Foundation is a not for profit foundation that has supported open source, open standards and an open architecture/platform for healthcare that can be re-used worldwide. I am the co-founder and co-director of Ripple Foundation

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

We have three tiers to our application UX/UI framework

• PulseTile Middleware/integration
• QEWD Clinical Data Repository (to the openEHR standard)
• EtherCIS

We were looking for a full stack development team working with experience of JavaScript, for support in the development of the UX/UI framework but that could also support integration and data storage needs.

How did you select PioGroup Software and what were the deciding factors?

We were recommended PioGroup and started with a small package of work initially. They provided a quality and responsive service and could flex their team to meet our changing/growing needs.

Their communication style was clear and the project management from within PioGroup ensured consistent delivery. We developed a good and long lasting working relationship with the team.

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

Development of an open platform for healthcare, using the following technologies and languages PulseTile - Angular.js, Redux, WebPack, Bower - React.js Redux RxJS, WebPack QEWD - Nodejs / Redis EtherCIS - Java, postgreSQL, GraphQL We used a kanban approach to development and would undertake a series of sprints to develop/enhance core/plugin features.

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

• 1x Project Manager
• 1x UI developer
• 1x Middleware/backend developer
• 1x Security/devops

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

We successfully deployed the technologies in a number of areas across the UK and europe thanks to the developments undertaken by PioGroup.

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

We communicated via Skype (messenger+video) on a regular basis and used github for software control mechanisms and an Agile project management approach. We used open source kanban solutions for managing our development pipeline.

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

We could engage with the team as a team and on an individual level to work in an agile manner. They clearly communicated both written and verbally any plans/problems/ideas throughout. They met all our needs and gave significant help to our company.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Youchoose is my company an E-learning Platform that makes sure people Instructors specialised at their field upload their courses for them to sell at the own price. i am the Founder and CEO of the Company.

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

My Company Hired piogroup to solve 2 issues the company was facing in the website, and my goal was to ensure that the platform is working very well without having future issues.

How did you select PioGroup Software and what were the deciding factors?

I selected Piogroup found Alex on this platform reviewed his work ethics and decided to message him to see if he could work on solving my companies issue.

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

What i found most impressive about piogroup is that they were able to solve the issues very quick, easy to comunicate with them and the team is fully responsive.

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

3 people worked with me Alex and Anastaysia made sure if everything was alright and Julia could identify issues the platform had at a fast pace.

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

after the issue was solved we tested it and it was what i expected.

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

we communicated effectively and whenever i would want to schedule a meeting they were there. specially Julia and Anastaysia were always available.

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

They were very skilled people and I would recommend everyone to work with them.

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

Not really everyone i asked was delivered. cant complain.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a small web development and design company. We offer services to both big and small companies.

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

Piogroup helped us with development, bug fixing and quality assurance for different projects regarding the website pro.danefae.dk and danefae.dk.

How did you select PioGroup Software and what were the deciding factors?

The selection was based purely due to Piogroup's very high degree of service and excellent qualifications.

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

After a virtual meeting, we decided to go further with the development of the product. Daily meetings were made, and the communication was great. Piogroup always offers to test their products on development servers, so that the final product can be tested before going live.

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

We had contact with a product manager and a developer at all times.

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

After launching the website, we received very positive feedback from the users. The website was problem free.

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

Their team's excellent work and quality assurance were impressive. All bugs were promptly fixed.

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

The level of service is uncomparable!

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

Not any I can think of...

Please describe your company and your position there.

Real Estate Company, Broker/Owner

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

New custom build mobile app

How did you select PioGroup Software and what were the deciding factors?

Innovative approach, professionalism, can do attitude

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

From project plan, functionality, specs to testing and implementing

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

3 including project manager, designer, developer

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

We were able to implement the app across the platforms and improved our web position on SE

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

The entire team was very responsible, professional and responsive. They always listen to our requests and were helpful in every way.

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

Great communication, always responsive and helpful.

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

We were very happy with the company and the custom app they developed. It was early in the apps development overall and the PioGroup Software company was at the cutting edge.