PSL Corp.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I think probably the best time for us to answer that will be toward the end of the year. We've done some alpha testing with a BI [business intelligence] component of our solution and received very positive responses. We do expect that the volume of work that we'll be able to handle, and the performance of this new system will be orders of magnitude more scalable than anything that we've been able to produce before. It's a paradigm-shifting platform, so it's hard to put direct numbers on the product until we're actually out in the market with the customers.

How did PSL perform from a project management standpoint?

We're very pleased with their approach to project management. Our organization has been going through what I would call a business transformation, moving from a traditional waterfall approach to a more agile approach to business. It's been beneficial to gain experience from the PSL project management team. Our scrum master, for example, is an expert at that delicate balance between process and diplomacy and has done a very good job of helping a number of people on the Xtiva side of the equation pick up and learn the agile process in a practical way.

I have to say that Jorge [Aramburo], the founder of the company, and Alejandro [Vasquez], our relationship manager, are really good, really responsive. They understand the software industry and how to help companies who are in the service of other companies like ourselves develop a platform and adapt new technology. There was a good chemistry from the beginning.

What distinguishes PSL from other providers?

There are a couple of things I'd like to highlight. One is I think they've been extraordinarily flexible in working to adapt to Xtiva culture. Often in working with other third-party sources, we've had issues in communications or in synchronization internally versus externally, and PSL has turned out to be very easy to work with. They've helped introduce some best practice and been very patient while we go through growing pains on the Xtiva side. That's a big plus.

The other is that the culture is very positive. The organization seems to do a good job of engaging and retaining its staff. There's a lot of focus on training and camaraderie among the staff, so there's a nice family feel to the culture at PSL. They're not as sterile or corporate or hyper-devoted to the process as we've seen in other organizations. They do a nice job of importing the Colombian culture, to the team, and that's been very beneficial. It helps with cohesion in the team and supporting one another to achieve some very challenging goals.

Is there anything PSL could have improved or done differently?

I would say that we've worked with them to embed the team into our organization I think to a deeper level than they might've been used to. Exporting that idea to other engagements will be good. I think that the Xtiva engagement has been a bit unusual in that regard, but I think that by applying that, they'll actually be able to serve even broader groups of people.

It's always a competitive recruiting environment. We've come to them from time to time to help scale up, for example, and sometimes that can be a challenge because we typically are looking for very senior skill sets, and often in specific niches of the technology. We've pushed the envelope on resources in that regard and, as long as they continue to grow their tech resources, they'll end up being unique in the Colombian market in terms of some of the technical skills that we're developing there.

How did PSL perform from a project management standpoint?

PSL was very pleasant to work with. They are happy and professional people, which makes them very productive. There were times when we needed to meet a deadline fast. Without asking us, PSL worked through the weekend in order to get it done. They became part of our team and treated the product as if it was their own. They wanted to see it succeed.

At one point, there were over 100 people working on development, quality assurance, automation, business analysis, and so on. When our relationship ended, because they had hired good people, they were able to move them to other projects, instead of terminating their employment. I got the sense that PSL doesn’t hire employees just to fill a project, instead they’re aimed at acquiring long-term employees. People working for their company felt secure as a result.

They integrated with our processes very well and worked together with us to find the best solutions. Compared to other vendors, especially in Europe, this is a great advantage.

What distinguishes PSL from other providers?

We worked with two developers at the same time, and the main quality that made PSL stand out is that they were continuously improving. They ran surveys for this purpose and acted on them. I always felt that they were telling me the truth and trusted them whenever they told me what would work and what wouldn't. Whenever we had issues with any developer, they took care of it either by coaching them or having that person assigned to a different project. PSL integrated with our processes very well. Their English, for the majority of the team, was very good from the beginning. The ones that didn't have a good enough level improved quickly. This again speaks to their continuous strive for improvement.

Is there anything PSL could have improved or done differently?

Every member of our team was hardworking and did a good job, but not everyone was highly technical. This is the only point of improvement for PSL.

Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback from this engagement?

I’ve been very impressed with the quality of PSL's work. One of the things that, for me, has been a differentiator is that a company of our size doesn’t have the luxury of maintaining an in-house team of business and quality assurance [QA] analysts, architects and developers. All we can afford is a couple of developers, throw a problem at them and hope we get results. Since we were able to go nearshore, we were able to get a more price-competitive structure.

PSL provides us business analysts that work upfront; that’s been very helpful because by the time we get into the development cycle, we know what the designs should look like and what the requirements will be. PSL also has the luxury of a QA group, that not only looks at the quality of the code, but also has been very instrumental in making sure that the design product looks like the initial wireframes. Their designers are very competent and very effective. When they deliver wireframes, I have high confidence that when the product gets done, it’s going to look like those wireframes, and I think that’s been one of the factors for our success.

Even beyond the technical soundness of the product, the user interface looks good. As I’ve taken this set of tools out to our distributors, the first thing they say is that the product looks so much better than anything they have ever had before. Their first impression of the tool set is positive, and as they start to get into the capabilities that exist in the product, they see that the maturity of the solution matches the design.

The bottom line is that both our executives and our distributors have been happy with the results. It’s been a good partnership.

What distinguishes PSL Corp from other providers?

What I think is unique about this relationship is that the resources at PSL are an extension of our team here in the United States, and the interaction I have with them is like the interaction I have with our other developers, whether they are across the street or across the world. PSL has become my team. They’re just an extension of who we are; I don’t look at them as just another company that’s doing our software work. These are my people that I’m working with to deliver results.

Is there anything PSL Corp could have improved or done differently?

Not really. However, we want to push them outside their comfort zone so we can see new types of results.  It will be interesting to see how quickly they can pick up on a new set of skills and support us.