STRV

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

Our projects are very event-oriented, so as long as they’re completed to our specifications, it’s been a success. STRV’s work has been well received by our internal team. 

How did STRV perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great. Our current project manager is very thorough and looks at the past, present, and future. One of the things we appreciate is that they communicate very well. They’re also very realistic, and they’ll push back on timelines if our go-live dates are too aggressive. 

STRV’s team is forthcoming and honest in the work that they provide for us. They’re there to help us and make our products as successful as possible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is pliable, innovative, and creative, and they deliver on-edge technology. When it comes to development, they’re willing to ride the wave with us and make constant changes. For instance, if there’s a new regulation and we need to switch gears, they’re right there with us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

In everything, there is always room for improvement. Throughout my time working with them, I’ve seen STRV take strides to better not only elements of the platform but also our business relationship. As a young company, we’ve gone through lots of change that pushed and challenged us to hone the quality of our product. I can’t say I’ve experienced a period of time where we’ve seen any degradation in their work as a result of our fast-paced growth. STRV has been consistent every step of the way. Even anticipating certain changes and making adjustments resulting in favorable outcomes for us and our investors.

Any advice for potential customers?

Our experience is that STRV is the engine that will catapult you. Know what you want before you go to them, because they’re an open canvas and can create whatever you want. If what you want isn’t pretty, the picture they sketch won’t be either.

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

It’s difficult to assess the accuracy of need finding and problem validation in their early stages. However, six months removed from the project we found that many of their hypotheses were correct. Their process helped ensure that we didn’t diverge too far from our plans, which saved us time and money.  

How did STRV perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams worked well together. Our product manager even came from the Czech Republic to visit for a week, and we had a chance to work together in person.

Our project manager took a lot of responsibility and leadership in running the project. Because they were in Europe, we’d go to sleep with discussion notes, and wake up with an outline of what was worked on, with next steps. It was impressive that they managed the process so efficiently; it allowed us to focus on other aspects of our operations, such as technology development and fundraising.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We felt we were getting great value for what we were paying, which is important to us as a small business where every dollar is so precious. The team understood our financial constraints and helped us to craft a plan and realistic milestones. Outsourced teams usually charge as much as they can, but it felt very different with STRV. They reflected the same level of efficiency with our resources that we would expect from ourselves, internally. They made sure we had a successful outcome, even though it didn’t necessarily translate into more income for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took us a little longer to familiarize their team with our industry. It would have been better if we could’ve gotten them up to speed quicker, but I don’t know what we could have done to help that process.

There was also a period where we needed to change designers, which was actually a great shift for us. Unfortunately, there was some time wasted with the first iteration of designers. We would certainly work with them again, even with some of those challenges.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In general, it’s best to be clear about desired milestones and to have check-ins to remain on track. It’s definitely easy to have someone else come in and manage the process, but it’s important to keep a close watch on how much work should be outsourced and how much should be internal. I would suggest assessing what stage of competence your company is in; sometimes it’s crucial to the learning curve of your business and your team to keep certain responsibilities and jobs inhouse. Finding that balance with STRV was key, even though they were providing high-quality services for us.

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

Our primary goal has been to deliver the beta iOS SDK and to fix bugs across both versions, and they’ve been successful there.

How did STRV perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly manage the project from our side, working with their engineers in daily stand-ups in a large team format.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of the engineering is excellent, and their staff is very engaged with our project. Rather than telling them what to do and expecting a final product, we share a real collaboration. They work with us to figure out the best approach and provide a lot of suggestions when tackling engineering problems.

In terms of business logistics, I appreciate that they’re willing to work within our budget and timelines. That sort of participation has been very proactive from their side.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The toughest part of working with them is navigating the time zone differences because they’re based in the Czech Republic. Occasionally, their engineers have visited for a few weeks so that we could work on projects side by side, and the team is pretty flexible about our schedules. But having more in-person meetings would be great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
There’s a huge number of engineering companies out there, but STRV has high-quality engineers. If you’re looking for good work, they’re the ones to go to.