Realm Digital

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of strategic alliances and a sales expert at AI Spark. Our company leverages machine learning (ML) to optimize the prediction of future bond performance and pricing. The results are greater accuracy, higher returns, less work, increased productivity, and reduced human bias in the process. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Realm Digital?

We hired Realm Digital to increase the accessibility of our technology by building a web app that anybody could access through a browser. The original product was built into Microsoft Excel, but it didn’t give us much of the functionality that we needed. Apart from that, we had no control over the technical issues that occurred within Microsoft. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Realm Digital started with a discovery process of what we wanted to achieve and the other technical challenges we might run into in the future.  From there, the team prepared an outline of the process we’d go through; their project manager worked with us to outline the process, deliverables, and timelines. 

Once the outline was approved, their technical staff jumped in and built our backend and app servers. Their design team worked on the platform’s frontend look and feel. We created various icons and worked through a lot of data. They ensured the data flowed perfectly through the interface and interacted well with the backend. Some of the programming languages they used included .NET and Java. 

In terms of features, the product would allow users to look at bond ratings and future performance based on ML. Our technology gave them a visual representation of their portfolios based on pricing and yields. This way, users could check whether their portfolio was lagging or performing above expectations. Moreover, users could change the view based on pricing, yield, or returns. They could sort everything out on a table. 

On top of that, users could apply “stresses” and see what their portfolio would look like in the future. They could make assumptions about interest rates or revenue decreases. Applying these stresses to their portfolios and submitting them to the system would return new prections. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with six people over time. This involved multiple developers, designers, testers, and delivery managers. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $70,000–$80,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September 2022–January 2023. 

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

We only recently launched the app, but we gained new product prospects. Our company gained new agreements where we could sell the results of our technology to another entity’s international website. 

Anecdotally, Realm Digital’s work was fantastic. The results were beyond our expectations. We had an idea of how the product would look and perform, but the team brought it to life beyond what we could’ve done. On top of that, we’d presented the product to various people, and each had asked if they could get it immediately. 

How did Realm Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

We’d come under budget, and Realm Digital did a fantastic job managing the project. Moreover, my business partner — who was more technical and understood the work from a programming perspective — was truly positive and excited about what Realm Digital achieved quickly.

 We had weekly meetings, and the team had sprint periods that they met on time. If we added or changed anything, they’d incorporate it. Simply put, we always knew what was going on. Additionally, their delivery manager was fantastic — she kept everything on track and informed me throughout the process.

In terms of tools, we used GitHub for sharing code. All of our meetings were done through Zoom and Google Meet. We also used emails, texts, and calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication style and process were impressive. They stayed true to their process, so we knew what was happening even if there were deviations in the workflow. Apart from that, they had great work delivery and ethics. They stayed on top of the project and were highly responsive. Even if we had an eight-hour difference, we always knew when they were still working.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to be open and honest about where you’re at and what you’re looking for so that Realm Digital can do their job. The information they receive is always filed out in their plan. 

Besides that, be clear about your budget regarding restraints or needs. In our project, the team worked with the budget that we had — if you’re open and honest about your needs and budget, they’ll deliver the best results. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of the Daily Maverick, an investigative journalism and independent news publishing company in South Africa.

What challenge were you trying to address with Realm Digital?

When we were a startup, we didn’t have technical development resources, so we had to outsource our development needs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Realm Digital does custom software development for us and licenses their bespoke CMS. Initially, they started with our iPad publishing systems, CMS, and web development. Later, they helped us migrate to WordPress and build more features for our news website, providing strategic advice on the architecture, systems, and features.

They’ve been our outsourcing development agency for a long time. As we’ve grown more development skills in-house, we’ve moved on to engage them on a project basis. When we don’t have enough people, or we don’t have the skills in-house, we go to Realm Digital.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with different developers, systems engineers, and project managers from their team. Our current project has 5–6 teammates, including developers, web designers, and project managers. Additionally, the CEO takes a particular interest in our business with them, and sometimes the systems architect or business analyst get involved depending on which part of the project we’re in.

How did you come to work with Realm Digital?

They were a recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $1 million in the past ten years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since January 2001.

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

We have a high-quality website with many visitors, and we’ve grown our business at an affordable rate. Moreover, we’ve grown and focused on journalism without investing in tech resources until the time was right. Thanks to Realm Digital, we’ve brought some skills in-house. However, we still use them on a project basis because they deeply understand our business and needs. All in all, we get a lot out of their work.

How did Realm Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

Although it takes a strain, Realm Digital sometimes pulls all-nighters to fix problems. They’re fairly good at delivering at the cost and time they’ve estimated. The team doesn’t always get it on time or on budget, but they sometimes absorb the cost. In general, we’re flexible with them but not to the point where it’s critical for our business. Nonetheless, they’ve gotten better at project management and delivery over the years. We have a good relationship with them.

We communicate through meetings, scoping and technical documents, chats, and emails. Additionally, they have an in-house project management tool. The team is friendly, polite, and on time for our meetings. They’ve become more proactive over the years; Realm Digital’s team comes to us with suggestions rather than waiting for us to come up with ideas and direction. When something doesn’t go according to plan, they’re frank and give honest feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a strong team culture and work ethic, so their work is reliable. Overall, they’re a great team to work with. Realm Digital does what they promise and has a wide range of technical skills and resources in their team. They also think entrepreneurially and are really committed to delivering and supporting us. Although it’s a cliché, they work as our partners rather than just their clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve missed some deadlines, but it hasn’t been critical. Their speed of delivery could also improve, but it doesn’t stop us from working with them again.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have a clear vision of what you want to build, don’t hesitate to work with Realm Digital.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a child protection agency called Cape Town Child Welfare Society. We work with vulnerable and marginalized communities in Cape Town.

What challenge were you trying to address with Realm Digital?

We needed to make sure that we were compliant with The Children’s Act in South Africa, and we deemed it necessary to look at the digitizing of our casework process to ensure that compliance. We hired Realm Digital to provide a roadmap for creating the software that would standardize compliance.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We didn’t have the funding to create software with Realm Digital, but they did help us develop and construct a roadmap for software by unpacking our workflows using their electronic tools. Realm Digital provided us with a formal report that was essentially a detailed project plan we could give another company to build the software. 

We attended a number of workshops with Realm Digital where they looked over our workflow at various stages and went through timeframes, documentation that would be required, and the steps that needed to be followed. 

They also recommended another company that would be able to create the software we needed at a reduced price. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Simon (CEO) and one other person. 

How did you come to work with Realm Digital?

We found them online, and after looking at their website, we called them. We were looking at three different companies, and after looking at all of the quotes, we decided to move forward with Realm Digital. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between October 2020–February 2021.

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

They were able to contextualize our workflows with a high level of accuracy. It was methodical and logical, and they followed specific steps that ensured they had a clear and accurate understanding of our organization. With the work that Realm Digital provided us with, we were able to lay a high-quality groundwork for building the software. 

How did Realm Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided excellent project management. They had clear lines of communication with us and always ensured that we were on the same page. They used a tool that assisted us with managing the process and sent us automatic messages that made everything easy to understand. We used email and phone calls to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were highly professional, easy to work with, and patient with us throughout the project. Even after we finished work together, they made sure that we were in good hands, and connected us with a company that could put the software together. They cared about our needs and understood where we were coming from and what we could realistically do financially.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing more they could have done for us. They went above and beyond. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to understand your workflows so that they can provide you with the highest quality of work possible.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Van Schaik Bookstore is a retail chain of stores on University campus locations throughout Southern Africa. The 107 year old Group also has publishing interests in Higher Education. I'm the Group Digital Executive for Van Schaik Bookstore, Southern Africa's leading Academic College Bookstore Chain. I am responsible for the execution of the Group's digital strategy including e-commerce, e-books and CRM.

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

We needed a partner that would help us develop a scalable e-commerce web-site with unique features to meet the needs of students, parents of school children and professionals who study.

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

We looked for a vendor that had some experience in e-commerce for books specifically but also had the creative ingenuity to make something as "arb" as Academic books fresh and engaging. Their work with some well-known e-tailers in SA with brands as venerable as ours was a deciding factor too.

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

We wanted a bespoke e-commerce site and hosting support. Realm helped us to conceptualise from

• analysing our expected Customer base
• design work like wire-framing look and feel for better engagement in PHP
• categorising secure payment methods that did not exist elsewhere for student specific bursary payment types
• establishing protocols for book product publisher feeds for local and international publishers using REST APIs
• establishing third-party communication protocols between the website and e-book vendors, rewards programs, courier companies and CRM 
• creating interfaces between the e-commerce web-site and the in-house developed (in C#) physical POS technology so that accurate versions of the truth in terms of physical stock databases could be maintained via SQL tables and legacy Powerbuilder

Thereafter Realm has offerred support on a retainer basis as and when needed.

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

We had interaction from the top-management at CEO and MD levels at the very beginning to align our vision. Thereafter we have worked with Key Account Managers and their Project Managers,

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

Yes, the e-commerce engagement is best in class compared to competitors as there have been no UX complaints despite the diverse audiences (school, college, professional development students) as well as a steady growth in sales of between 14-18% per annum excluding for CoViD-19 disruptions. The various payment types and 3rd party integrations also function optimally as per the SLA hosting is 99% up or better.

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

We would be involved in the Managements AGILE methodolgy and get frequent communication via Trello and Slack keeping us well in the loop in addition to weekly meetings with Project Management and thereafter any additional development "sprints" as needed to keep the website current.

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

Realm provided a fresh and engaging e-commerce site able to cope with the unique quirks of academic bookselling in Africa including non-traditional payment types and could fill in the gaps by inventing tools where needed to ensure continuity when support was not available from overseas edtech or publishing partner teams. They are more of a partner than a vendor to Van Schaik.

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

There have been some hiccups based on capacity of developers that may have scarce skills for legacy systems however that is an industry challenge.