Sotex Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and creative director of a design studio called Art & Code. We do everything creating visual identities, designing logos, and developing complex web and mobile apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sotex Solutions?

We needed someone to provide us with development services to finish our projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sotex Solutions helps us with back- and frontend development, specifically creating a web app for a startup project. After initially discussing the specifications and implementing the wireframes of the platform, we proceeded to develop it from scratch using PHP.

We’ve just finished the development phase and we’re working on launching the product next year, so it’s not available to the public at this time.

What is the team composition?

We’re working directly with the owner and two developers.

How did you come to work with Sotex Solutions?

We came across Sotex Solutions through a recommendation from one of my colleagues.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about €200,000 a year (approximately $220,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has been going smoothly, as they’re very sympathetic towards the challenges of startups. It’s been a very dynamic environment for development and a great process and partnership throughout.

How did Sotex Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication has been excellent and we usually interact through Slack and manage the project using Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re very impressed with their friendliness and compassion towards what we’re building.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on the pricing, but it’s fine as long as they achieve the results we’re looking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and system analyst of Wemedoo. The company is based in Switzerland and is active in clinical research and medical informatics. We offer software and services specific to narrow research fields, mainly for pharmaceutical and medical technology companies. For clinical informatics, we deal with healthcare records and data exchange.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sotex Solutions?

There’s a need for ad hoc solutions in our field, so we needed a primary development partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first conduct scoping and setting up user and developer specifications. Sotex then handles development and testing. In addition, they provide support services and innovative thinking. Most of the development is on .NET, C#, and Azure, and we have in-house and on-premise installations. The software is used in highly regulated environments, like clinical trials and practice. We also have software for technology interoperability in medicine. We plan on expanding the collaboration.

What is the team composition?

We regularly have 5–10 people from Sotex engaged with us, from system architects to testers.

How did you come to work with Sotex Solutions?

We met Sotex through a personal recommendation. We operate in a highly regulated environment, so we had to be careful. We gave the team some test projects and created a master service agreement when we were sure about them.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost so far is around €400,000 (approximately $480,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first contact was in January 2017, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re quite content with the quality and flexibility we’re getting from the Sotex team. We work in a highly regulated environment, so the software we build simply must function and cannot have bugs. I’m delighted by the efficiency and effectiveness of their work. They undergo extensive testing before deployment to the field, and our customers are happy. We’re running our services using software developed by Sotex, and everything functions perfectly.

How did Sotex Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re mainly using Microsoft tools along with GitHub for code tracking. Additionally, we’re using monday.com and a customer relationship management system on our side. In terms of software development, we have established ways of communication. We effectively work with a small team of 2–6 people on a daily basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by their flexibility, precision, and understanding of complex problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At this stage, I have nothing negative to say about Sotex.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to take time and discuss the problem with Sotex. They’re very analytical and able to bring insight that the customer won’t have. We often think that something’s simple until reality strikes, and then we have to sit down and discuss it with the team. Sotex’s people are developers and not magicians, and innovation simply takes time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Beacon Power Services. We provide energy software and data analytics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sotex Solutions?

We wanted to build software solutions for utilities across Africa, automating some manual solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sotex Solutions works on several development projects with us.

For one of the major projects, we first conceptualized and mapped out what we wanted. Then, they developed custom software from scratch, doing everything to build, test, and deploy it. They started working with Personal Software Process (PSP), then shifted to an agile framework.

The software connects half million nodes, collecting data on energy flow and analyzing it. It then provides basic critical outputs, essentially becoming the eyes and ears of the grid to let utilities see what’s happening within the entire grid network.

What is the team composition?

The team varies between 6–8 people, depending on the phase of a project.

How did you come to work with Sotex Solutions?

We had a mutual connection that highly recommended them. One of the things we liked most was that their developer had a background as a power-sector engineer, meaning he understood the sector well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around February 2017, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are two major positives for me. First, we’ve never had downtime with the software they’ve built. Secondly, no matter how complex, they’re always able to work with us to find solutions that will work. Sotex Solutions has delivered everything we ask for, and they’ve become an integral part of our team.

How did Sotex Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re transparent, and we work quite similarly. We have a team call each Monday to go over priorities and set targets for the week. On Fridays, we do another call on to discuss what was and wasn’t achieved, and go over sprints.

The teams are in constant communication between meetings, and we use Hangouts, Zoom, and WhatsApp as tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have excellent problem-solving skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to have more bandwidth. Our ability to make progress is sometimes limited by that, so we have more projects than bandwidth to handle them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Establish clear lines of communication and have dedicated channels for that. It also helps to have a main point of contact rather than multiple ones.