Soft-macro

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Majoto is a next generation contract automation SaaS start-up, that is focussed on automating and scaling the design and management of visual contracts. I am the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Soft-macro, and what were your goals?

We hired Soft-macro initially to produce an MVP of our first contract drafting product, based on a very simple prototype produced in-house. Following a successful MVP deliverable, we then worked to develop the MVP into a fuller experimental end-to-end product with the goal of proving the technology and use cases and running trials. We are now continuing to work with Soft-Macro on developing the full platform.

SOLUTION

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

We were building on top of Google Workspace, which was unique for our area of legal tech, so this required a lot of new thinking and inventiveness as well as a masterful knowledge of Google and Google script. Soft-macro had both the knowledge and the inventive, outside-the-box thinking that we needed.

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

During phase 1, we built out an MVP from our prototype. This was built on Google Sheets and Google Workspace, using Google Script.
During phase 2, we built the MVP further to add end-to-end workflows, dashboards, admin tools, visual design capability, e-signature integration and customer onboarding. The technology was Google Script and React with deep integration into Google Workspace.
During the current phase 3, we are building the full platform on Heroku and using JS, HTML and React.

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

Throughout the process we've worked with our lead developer from Soft-macro who has taken on some of the role of a CTO for our company. Other team members (front end and back end developers) have been brought in as required at different phases. Soft-macro has fielded between 1 and 4 mid and junior level developers in addition to the lead developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Soft-macro have been able to deliver on very challenging functional requirements, inside significant constraints (in terms of the technologies we needed them to use and budget constraints). They have helped us create the world's first automation platform for visual contract design. Projects using the technology have reduced deal cycles by up to 50-80% for our customers.

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

Soft-macro feel like part of the team, not contractors. They are flexible enough to handle unusual project structures, a lot of change and uncertainty - we give them that in bucketloads. They are direct and approachable and not afraid to challenge. They've delivered to tight timelines. We communicate through a variety of means including videoconferencing, email and Trello.

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

Soft-macro does not just execute development tasks, they're also proactive, creative, and inventive. They've played a core role to developing our product and to inventing new ways of doing things.

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

We have been talking to Soft-macro about increasing their capabilities in product testing, to reduce the time we take to test the product. They've been responsive and we are currently trying out new routines with their people.