StepInsight

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of a boat booking company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with StepInsight?

We required web development services, so we hired StepInsight.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

StepInsight is helping us develop our website and web-based booking system from scratch, using Angular as one of the main technologies. Initially, we discussed everything we wanted to achieve for this platform, including the UI/UX, and created a project plan. Then, they started executing that plan.

What was the team composition?

We worked with three of StepInsight’s co-founders and 2–3 developers. 

How did you come to work with  StepInsight? 

I met them at a business owners club and realized we had a common interest. Then, I explained what we wanted to do, and they thought it would be a great thing to build, so they decided to join the project.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $200,000 AUD (approximately $139,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement? 

We first engaged in May 2022 and started the project around June 2022. It’s still a work in progress.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To measure the success of our engagement, we initially established deadlines and defined certain functionalities to ensure StepInsight delivered accordingly because we also wanted to do testing. Although we still need to review a couple of things, everything is going well overall.

How did StepInsight perform from a project management standpoint?

StepInsight has kept the project on budget, and we’ve worked within the timeline so far. We use Slack for direct communication and a couple of other products for project management. Moreover, StepInsight built an internal dashboard with a login system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

StepInsight has demonstrated high enthusiasm about the project, and they want to be involved in every part of it to help us build something special from scratch. They’re very passionate about what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, it's hard to get in touch with StepInsight because they’re very busy. However, we have regular catch-ups.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them; they know what they’re doing and want the best outcome for their clients. Additionally, they’re fair and reasonable, so trust the process and don’t be afraid to tell them what you don’t like; they’ll take care of it and ensure the best results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a department manager of a land surveying company. We primarily look after civil construction, tunneling, and major infrastructure surveying projects around Sydney and New South Wales, Australia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with StepInsight?

As part of the monitoring work that we do, we have a client-facing web application that was designed and developed in the early 2000s. We needed a fresh look for our app, so we approached StepInsight to do that for us.

SOLUTION

What is the scope of their involvement?

We initially briefed StepInsight on what we wanted, and they tried to implement it. We also went back and forth a couple of times to try and find the best solution for value.

Their team is in charge of the full stack development, including the UI/UX design of the app. They’ve built it using Google Cloud and JavaScript. They’ve sent me frameworks for some applications as well.

Our product is a cloud-based app scaled for viewing on mobile. It's a heavy UI-based service that offers to chart and plan layouts of where some instrumentation might be out in the field. We have automatic measurements taken from a remote sensing instrument, and they're then uploaded straight to the cloud and captured by the website. The results are then produced onto the charts on the application in its most basic form.

What is the team composition?

I'm not sure how many people work full-time on the, but so far, I’ve interfaced with two lead developers, the owner of the company, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with StepInsight?

We heard about StepInsight because they were subcontracted by our previous vendor to fix their issues.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the last year, we’ve spent about $140,000 AUD (approximately $95,000 USD).

What is the status of the engagement?

We started working with them in January 2019, and our partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

StepInsight is doing an exceptional job. We work in a technical industry, and they’ve been quick to understand our requirements and how we work.

We’ve experienced many bugs during the development process, but it’s always in a staging environment and generally not in production.

How did StepInsight perform from a project management standpoint terms?

Initially, they were a little loose with prior engagements, but I think they’ve understood the technicalities a little better this time around, and their time management skills have improved. Moreover, they immediately ask us questions or any clarifications before proceeding with development. They also manage the project well and are very intelligent.

We communicate mainly via email and manage tasks on Notion, where we would create a list of the bugs that we find. We'd then rank them in terms of urgency and gravity.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with how fast they resolve a problem. Also, their responsiveness is exceptional, and they provide good ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any negative things to say about StepInsight — we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive experience working with them.

Any advice for potential customers?

If you've got a project with StepInsight, you'd want to get a contract in place for a lump sum agreement because these things can slide away pretty quickly, and it keeps both sides honest. Furthermore, it’s very important to do testing throughout the development process; don’t just do it at the end.

You should also work closely with them. Make it a two-way collaboration instead of just paying for their services and waiting to receive a finished product.