Plathanus Software & Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

IT Manager at Vialaser, a company with more than 150 units in Brazil and Paraguay, specialized in laser hair removal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plathanus Software & Design, and what were your goals?

The project consists of refactoring our application's code, eliminating existing technical debts and affecting our end user as little as possible.

SOLUTION

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

We selected Plathanus after an evaluation battery of competitors and also after conversations to learn about its structure and market reference.

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

The scope was divided by modules of our application. The most important is the scheduling module. React is the applied technology.

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

A project manager and two front-end developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Technically, the technical debts were resolved, significantly improving the speed of our subsequent maintenances.

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

Project carried out in an agile model, but with delivery in production only after completion of all modules and homologated by us. That last decision was our business. They adapt to the need and model.

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

We were delighted by their ability to adapt to our scenario and avoid bureaucratization in the partnership, supporting gaps left in the project and not barring specific needs that arose during development that were not in the initial scope (No additional charges).

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

Due to the agile model, and because all meetings are guided by conversation, it was not always 100% clear what was being carried out and the next items in the queue. Despite the general deadline having been delivered.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a product review website. We test and recommend the products we thing are the best at several segments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plathanus Software & Design, and what were your goals?

We perceived that some people just want to know the best brand to make his buy decision. So we ask for Plathanus to develop a MVP website that allow users to vote at their preferred brand and see the votes from others.

SOLUTION

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

After a few research we understand that Plathanus would have the technical knowledge of new development languages.

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

After a kick off and budget defined, we make all the mockups of front end, write a small document with all requirements and send to them. The backend we leave without the wireframe.

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

There was a project manager that keep contact with us and 2 full stack developers, one was a senior one and the second probably a junior developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deployment of website was difficult, we have about one hour talk about what should me make to deploy the application. But there was a lack of help at this point. The application is working, but the backend, since we have not send the mock-ups, has a fell of underdevelopment application.

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

We have few meetings during the development. During the meetings, the project manager and developers were present, but mostly of talk was directed to the senior developer. The partial deliveries were review by us, but was common let few issues to the next delivery.

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

The developers are really experienced. With just few explanations they could understand our needs. They also could accomplish every task, even the ones that we thought would be very difficult.

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

Sure, their pricing seems not transparent as we would like. On a small adjustment order we get a over priced proposal.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am founder and CEO of a virtual platform for private tutors with the aim of establishing an efficient and modern infrastructure in the complementary education market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Plathanus to develop our website (MVP) so that we can test our model with a working website.

SOLUTION

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

We searched the internet on some web developer listings, and Plathanus appeared to be the best value for money and had an impressive portfolio.

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

We had a meeting to align the website's objectives and deliverables, and since then we have followed the website's development using the tools used by Plathanus.

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

In the team we always had a Project Manager and two full-stack developers. One of them abandoned the project, however, they quickly found someone to replace it and continued to work efficiently.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't launched the site yet, but we're very happy not only with what they've been producing, but also with the malleability and attention to detail they bring. Each member's input has also been very important at every step.

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

The use of clickup and discord are very efficient, and they have detailed everything very well from the beginning to suit people like us who have little technological knowledge.

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

The attention to detail and commitment to our vision to truly deliver what we want are impressive.

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

I believe some areas of the operation could have been explained and detailed more extensively, but they are a great company and I would always recommend them!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the technology leader at Feedz, responsible for the entire operation of the platform. Our company has more than 20 employees and we have developed our platform for companies that want to increase employee engagement and improve team management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plathanus?

Our company felt the need to have a mobile application to meet a very specific demand, but of great value for our growth in the job market. We don't have enough manpower to build an application and maintain the platform.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal is notification in mobile applications. With this, we believe that the engagement of the platform will increase considerably, given that many of our users work in the field.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We already know the excellent work of Plathanus, both from friends and referrals.

Describe the project in detail.

The goal of the project is to have an application that runs our current web platform, within a mobile application, but that we can use the push notification tool native to the mobile phone.

We held two alignment meetings and entered Slack to improve communication. The whole project, the communication was impeccable, always very direct and fast, which made it easier to overcome problems encountered.

What was the team composition?

Five people were assigned to test the application that was being implemented by Plathanus. Plathanus made available two people who dominate the content for both IOS and Android, which made us accelerate the project to deliver an excellent job.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

With one month of development, we have an application that will meet this demand that we need. We believe that the application will help a lot when selling our platform and provide inputs for the commercial to explore this side more.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project had a fluid and objective communication. It was easy to talk about the problems encountered and find solutions that we managed to get through these problems without increasing the cost of the project in both time and money.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The best part of working with Plathanus is that they embrace the project in a spectacular way. They want the right project and to meet all customer expectations

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything is in perfect sync, with no improvements to report.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company has an app that offers essential financial services and after 2 years of operation, we decided to innovate through a whitelabel online credit solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plathanus?

We looked for companies that had experience in product discovery methodologies, that would help us better understand our intentions and the needs of the market, in addition to delivering the entire design of the solution in a format that would allow us to track the delivery of the solution.

What were your goals for this project?

We had a very limited budget and we needed the development of the solution to be in line with the market need and that the entire design and development stage did not allow deviations from poorly planned requirements and rework.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We started looking for partners through our relationship network and received some positive indications from Plathanus.

Describe the project in detail.

Following a methodology based on design thinking, Plathanus started the work with the "Inception" phase, where we obtained a more adherent vision to our needs and expectations regarding the objectives of the impacted personas. The final summary of this work was an MVP based on User Story Mapping.

What was the team composition?

A Business Manager, a Project Manager, 2 Developers and 1 Business Analyst were involved

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

After 2 months of work, we received the delivery of each phase, through Inception documentation; Detailed development schedule based on prioritization using an activity sequencer; User Story Mapping of the solution.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very fluid, much of the contact was through face-to-face meetings and when it was not possible we used a slack group.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They acted very professionally, strictly following the schedule and deliveries.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We had a successful job and led by both teams. I have no considerations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a Financial Institution that operates throughout the State of Santa Catarina. we have products for Individuals: Public and Private Payroll Loans and for Legal Entities we have Prepayment of receivables, Compror, Vendor and Working Capital. My role in the company is as a Technology Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plathanus?

We hired Plathanus to reformulate and develop the Santinvest Institutional Portal.

What were your goals for this project?

The objectives were to bring a modern website, tuned to the new concepts of Digital Bank, that talks to its different personas. A lightweight website that draws the public's attention to the company's new moment.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We conducted a market survey in the region where we are located and after knowing the performance model of all competitors, which were 5, Plathanus was the company that we understand as the most adherent to delivering value to the product. In addition, its cost was one of the lowest practiced.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

For the Project, Plathanus conducted some targeted research with key people in the process within the company, such as the Board, Marketing and Products team, in addition to IT. With the survey carried out, we held another 2 meetings to review and approve the material collected. From that, Plathanus had the input to start the Project and have the autonomy to propose the best practices regarding the usability of the new website.

What was the team composition?

Plathanus has a very good multidisciplinary team that we deal with directly in every situation that arises, decisions are made quickly and everything flows very well. For their part there is a team composed of about 5 people. My role in this Project is to validate the structure of the site / pages, serve as an intermediary with the other internal teams involved in the Project and also with decision-making power.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We mainly improved the visibility of our website, which with this new design further demonstrates the Santinvest concept as a Financial Institution for the people of Santa Catarina.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Since the understanding of the proposal, the negotiation of values ​​and the start meeting of the Project, we have been guided through good project management practices. We have always had the details of each phase together with the cost management per phase delivered. This gave Santinvest the exact idea of ​​the percentage of each stage and how much was yet to be delivered.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The transparency and organization of their project management stood out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a travel app, and I'm the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Plathanus?

We were looking for a vendor to develop our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave Plathanus the wireframes and they developed both the front- and backend of our application. It's an app for iOS and Android that allows users to search for and select flights. It also automatically notifies users if the flight has been canceled or delayed. Plathanus integrated the app with Stripe and other third-party APIs. It's quite a complex app, but Plathanus did a great job making it user-friendly for our customers. Our in-house team is also very involved, so it's been a collaborative process.

What is the team composition? 

We work with three developers and a project manager. 

How did you come to work with Plathanus?

I read their reviews on Clutch and I decided to contact them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with Plathanus in September 2018 and the relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application is not live yet, but they definitely know what they're doing. The quality of their work is excellent. 

How did Plathanus perform from a project management standpoint? 

They're great communicators and they always let us know if there is a delay. We use Jira to keep track of the project. If there are any bugs or issues, Plathanus addresses them pretty quickly. We also use WhatsApp to keep in touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very approachable and work well as a team. They're also very knowledgeable and try to identify issues as soon as possible. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've had a lot of bugs and improvements, so we're a little bit behind the schedule. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're definitely a reliable and trustworthy partner. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are building a service center for educational platforms to help students find answers to frequently asked questions related to the platforms themselves or other school subjects. We want to reduce the need for daily in-person resources. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Plathanus?

We hired them to help develop and manage each of our call centers using updated and innovative technologies.  

What were your goals for this project?

Our primary goal was to capture all potential questions that students may have. The challenge was to map and transfer the platform’s entire functionality to ensure correct AI analysis and prediction.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Several partner companies recommended them. We liked the results of the initial prototype they developed and decided to pursue what is now a continuing partnership. 

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They were responsible for everything from project management and market analysis and requirements to development, configuration, deployment, and production maintenance. 

What was the team composition?

The team included managers, front- and backend developers, QA specialists, DevOps personnel, and experts in both AI and internet of things.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

They developed our product from scratch. We now have regular meetings to prioritize our backlog and work out bi-weekly deliverables.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The management was excellent. They clearly articulated the project’s progress using readable reports and graphs.  

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The transparency we have with their IT department is exceptional. Not only do we know exactly what they are doing, but we also know how and when they do it. We are familiar with everyone involved and vice versa. They continue to be responsible for all of our technological development. 

Are there any areas where they can improve?

They can offer a clearer contract; they tend to present more requirements than we expected.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Designer of a Solar Tech Manufacturer

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The life in motion

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Plathanus Software & Design to accomplish?

• Update the old website.
• Align it with the new identity.

SOLUTION

How did you find Plathanus Software & Design?

In conversation with an acquaintance.

Why did you select Plathanus Software & Design over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location

How many teammates from Plathanus Software & Design were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Meetings for development, approvals, and testing on the delivered website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Length of the objective.

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

They delivered the website on time. However, they only provided the source code through external charges.

What was your primary form of communication with Plathanus Software & Design?

Virtual Meeting

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

The individuals responsible for developing the website are very communicative (front-end, back-end, designer, etc).

Are there any areas for improvement or something Plathanus Software & Design could have done differently?

More time for testing on the website, better project clarification, and flexible adjustments.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Executive Officer of CashOpera Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Peer to peer currency exchange.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Plathanus Software & Design to accomplish?

• Develop Application

SOLUTION

How did you find Plathanus Software & Design?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Plathanus Software & Design over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Plathanus Software & Design were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Development of iOS and Android App.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

App was successfully launched.

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

Everything delivered on time and in the best possible quality.

What was your primary form of communication with Plathanus Software & Design?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They had a lovely team of very knowledgable professionals.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Plathanus Software & Design could have done differently?

N/A