Sunscrapers

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a microcredit provider operating in Poland and Brazil, and expanding to a new market in Latin America. We focus on customer credit as an alternative to traditional banking approaches. We use big data and machine learning methods to assess the credit worthiness of our customers.

Our services are fully digital and online and comprehensive, covering everything from customer acquisition to the credit check and loan servicing. Everything happens through our website and app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sunscrapers?

The goal of the project was to create our own landing platform from scratch using our experience with similar applications. We had a SaaS application model, but we were using different software in both Poland and Brazil, which led to operational overhead and reporting trouble. The aim was to build a single piece of software that would be our property, increase business value, and unify all our processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a lot of experience using similar applications, and the project was built from scratch. There were no wireframes, but we had fine-grained requirements at hand. The platform was built in Django Python, with a React.js frontend. Sunscrapers handled all the coding for three separate apps. Though they’re standalone solutions, they work together.

It’s quite complex, with several customer-facing components involved, including the landing pages, registration form, and a back-office panel (single-age JavaScript application), where our employees take care of loan servicing and credit checks. There’s also a connection to our machine learning scoring system, as well as a couple loosely-coupled components we consolidated into a digital credit platform.

What is the team composition?

At our peak, I believe there were four main developers, a QI tester, and a designer. With the project manager, that makes seven people in total.

How did you come to work with Sunscrapers?

I made the architectural decision to build the project in Python, so I looked for software houses in the area. I first focused on Poland, mainly Warsaw, since we’re also based there, and we figured out that being in the same geographical location would be beneficial to the relationship.

Our requirements weren’t formally written and mainly consisted of brainstorming sessions, which we did in-person. I looked on Clutch and shortlisted a few potential companies. We interviewed three of them and chose Sunscrapers based on their personal feeling and connection.

How much have you invested with them?

Up until the project stopped, the commitment was of about 700,000 Polish Zloty ($179,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We hired them in August 2018, but there was a three-month period prior to that for discussing the legal bits and pieces. The brainstorming and requirement-gathering sessions started in December of that year, and work started in January 2019. The project ended in mid-July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched, but we’re currently in the middle of a Series-A investment roadshow. The app is 75% finished, and we’re showcasing it to potential investors. The feedback we’ve been getting has been nothing but positive, but we can’t show off anything concrete. There aren’t any production environments to put processes in, but we can share screens and details about the project in general.

How did Sunscrapers perform from a project management standpoint?

We followed the scrum framework, adapting the pieces that suited our task: two-week sprints, with features planned for each one ahead of time. The communication was daily during this time, for us to provide answers to any questions the developers had.  I liaised with the project manager on the Sunscrapers’ side, and I think the communication went smoothly.

There were a few misunderstood requirements in the beginning, but this is normal when building up incrementally without prior documentation. Biweekly feedback sessions allowed us to bring up issues and look for solutions.

It was also our wish to be involved in the smaller processes and internal communication of the team. We had a lot of business domain knowledge, and Sunscrapers had the resources to program and make things work. Our communication was daily, and we used their dedicated Slack channels.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I hadn’t had experience with other providers, but I wish everyone would have the same experience we did on this project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few minor points, but Sunscrapers rectified those upon me mentioning them. I have nothing to add on this matter.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Anyone considering outsourced development should come with clear knowledge of what they’re trying to accomplish, as to not waste time. If you don’t manage these things properly, a time and materials engagement can accrue serious expenses without delivering any value in return. Fortunately, we had clear expectations and knew what to do. I recommend that clients watch their budgets in relation to what they want to do.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a life science company who develops and manufactures innovative products that simulate the fluids inside the stomach. The uptake of our products and technology will help speed up drug development and reduce animal testing. We're based in London, U.K. and have customers all over the world. I am a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sunscrapers ?

We hired Sunscrapers to build and maintain our website, for both the front and the back-end, and also to build some bespoke software for use within our business. And we try to continually evolve and improve our website.

What were your goals for this project?

In addition to having an aethetically-pleasing website, we also need rock-solid E-commerce functionality that has a great UX as well. And when we do encounter technical difficulties or bugs, we need these resolved as quickly as possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have known one of the co-founders for many years and we elected to use his company's services when he started this business. We have kept on using his company's services for over 10 years since their inception, because we're happy with how they work and the quality of their work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Sunscrapers have built our website and maintain its front and back-end functionality. We required a highly usable e-commerce website and some custom-made software applications to help with the running of our business.

We continuously add to or re-develop our website and software applications as our business evolves. Therefore we need a tech partner who is sufficiently agile to cope with our increasing demands.

What was the team composition?

The team composition from Sunscrapers is a project manager and a dedicated website coder.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We know from the moment we have gone live with either a new website or upgraded feature, whether or not it is working. Either a notable increase or decrease in customer feedback, will indicate how a particular project has gone.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management is based around organising tasks into 2 week sprints and monitoring this process using Trello and Slack. At the end of each sprint there's a review with Sunscrapers and us about how these tasks have gone. Future tasks to be tackled are placed on a backlog board. We've found this to be a highly effective way of working.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Sunscrapers' way of working is highly methodical and organized. this makes the geographical distance between us and them not an issue. Furthermore, they are good communicators, so if there are any minor issues to resolve during a sprint, they can be resolved swiftly and painlessly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Over the years we've worked with Sunscrapers, they've always given a lot of thought to how they work and have updated their methods accordingly. Their current sprint-based approach is undoubtedly very effective. Having said that, they are still receptive to customer feedback and suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of a machine learning firm on a mission to give people their time back.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sunscrapers?

For one of our clients, we were rebuilding the user flow of a web application that eases preparing tax settlements. We were running short on time, so we asked Sunscrapers to help us boost the speed of development of the backend part of the project where the amount of work exceeded our capacity.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to rebuild the user flow, as that was essential for marketing strategy.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended in our community. In addition, other vendors couldn't provide us an experienced developer within such a short time frame.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They helped with the development of a few critical features. They traced two bugs which otherwise would have presented serious issues. In addition, they helped to design the architecture of a new feature for one segment of customers.

What was the team composition?

They provided us with one experienced developer who joined a team of five.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We are building a long-term relationship with our customer, so every improvement in the process is very important for us. Their development assistance made a difference.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was solely on our shoulders. We had a single point of contact for requests from our side.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their flexibility allowed us to extend our team for a short period of time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I would expect more direct feedback from developers regarding work that is planned.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the COO of a software development consultancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sunscrapers?

We hired Sunscrapers to augment our team working on a long-term project for a strategic client.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal of the project was to deliver a comprehensive, critical web app.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Sunscrapers had a reputation for being a team of great Django developers.

Describe the project in detail.

The project primarily consisted of a Django backend and JavaScript frontend. They worked with our team on the development and utilized PostgreSQL databases and AWS to build the app.

What was the team composition?

They provided a senior Django developer for our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Sunscrapers achieved all of the milestones we set for them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had an amazing workflow between our teams. They were great communicators and their developer perfectly fit in with us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their development skills, technical prowess, and strong communication. They had a great attitude, as well.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was nothing to be improved during our project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a competitive intelligence and e-commerce performance agency working for e-tailers and manufacturers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sunscrapers?

We needed to redesign our web application's appearance, which involved reworking the UI/UX design, graphic design, and coding.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to deliver improved functionality along with a modernized look and feel to our customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Sunscrapers through a recommendation from another happy client of theirs.

Describe the project in detail.

Sunscrapers supported us through the process of design, testing with customers, and final implementation. Sunscrapers not only helped our team but also led us through the process and assisted us in implementing good practices.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a project manager, a UI/UX engineer, a graphic designer, and a frontend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We redesigned and re-implemented most of our modules to provide a better experience for our clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was perfect. Their team was responsive and eager to not only deliver what we asked for but also in suggesting their own improvements to the product and the process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We expected to outsource part of the work that we couldn't do in-house and what we really received was guidance and an ownership-based approach from the team at Sunscrapers. It's rare to work with vendors that take their own initiative and responsibility for the outcome and not only for billable hours.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were working on a time and materials basis through lots of the iterations, including our feedback and customer’s feedback. Because of that, there were slow periods on our end at times, but we also had to wait for Sunscrapers’ team to become available for us again, as they’d be assigned to other projects. Of course, this is something that we anticipated in choosing this model of collaboration and it was a trade-off that we understood and were informed about before starting the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of operations for a marketing and advertising firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sunscrapers?

We reached out to Sunscrapers to provide some additional development support for a creative management platform that enables us to build various versions of digital ads at scale for clients. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sunscrapers provides development support for our platform, including the frontend, backend, and overall architecture of the system, as well as coming up with new feature ideas and QA. They've used technologies that include Python, JavaScript, React, HTML, Django, Celery, and Docker.

What is the team composition? 

We work with two developers at the moment.

How did you come to work with Sunscrapers?

I wasn't involved in the hiring process, but I believe we were looking around for development shops with lots of Python experience. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested in the range of $200,00–$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around June 2016 and launched the platform by September 2017, but our relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sunscrapers' development contributions to our platform have allowed our business to grow significantly.

How did Sunscrapers perform from a project management standpoint?

Although we handle project management on our end, their developers have been very communicative, accessible, and responsive. We have daily scrum meetings over video chat. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their consistency, dedication, and ability to scale resources as needed has been great. They take the time to find the right resources to work on our account and haven't charged us for the onboarding process when the person wasn't the right fit. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I've enjoyed working with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be collaborative and open to other technologies or languages they may suggest, and try to help them understand the project holistically so they can find the right person on their team to meet those needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of product at a company that creates automated assessments for developers. Our tests indicate whether a developer has specific sets of programming skills. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sunscrapers?

Sunscrapers is a development shop that specializes in Python. We had a limitation in our bandwidth that caused problems with creating our side feature that offers programming challenges. Candidates can apply to take one of our tests to win a prize, rather than for recruitment purposes. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sunscrapers helped us by providing development services. We held an initial kickoff during the consultation phase so we could meet the project managers and developers from their team. We planned the project together based on the documentation we'd written. 

From there on, we communicated on a weekly basis. They provided sprint demos and progress updates to make sure that we were on track. Every week, they told us what they'd accomplished as they worked towards a deliverable. 

In addition to Python, they used several technologies including Django for the backend and React for the frontend. The relatively simple website is built on a MySQL database. We handled the design ourselves because we wanted to dictate that aspect. 

What is the team composition? 

A small team from Sunscrapers that included a project manager and two senior developers worked with us. The project manager took the lead on communication, but the developers were also highly communicative and involved throughout all the stages. 

How did you come to work with Sunscrapers?

Our CTO found Sunscrapers through a personal reference. I also knew them from a former colleague who had recommended them to another American startup. We essentially found them via word of mouth. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent in the range of about $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2018 and finished the first phase in the beginning of February 2019. Even though we paused the project due to our internal bandwidth, I hope to restart it again in the next couple of months. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of results, Sunscrapers delivered everything we requested. It was a little bit over budget concerning time, but only because we expanded the scope. They delivered very promptly. We were not really measuring any particular metrics. 

Instead, we were looking at the overall progress. We were impressed by how well Sunscrapers took our requirements and helped us develop them. Our company was very satisfied. 

The product hasn't gone live yet, but internal interest was definitely piqued. Once we launch, it will open up a whole new revenue stream. Our original problem was the extreme difficulty we'd had with maintenance. The code and administration panel they created will improve our efficiency considerably. 

How did Sunscrapers perform from a project management standpoint?

We maintained general correspondence using Trello and had a dedicated board for our project. The team was fairly responsive despite having other clients. 

Even when they didn't respond instantaneously, we always heard back within a few hours. They were very flexible and understanding, especially when we had to cancel. Overall, the experience was very good. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by how communicative and transparent Sunscrapers was during our project. We even met with the CEO, who would ask us how everything was going and frequently check in. Overall, they were very open to feedback. Taking a self-critical perspective, they constantly sought to improve the services they provided. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we first started, it took them some time to make all the arrangements. We didn't have a working relationship yet, so I think we had to establish trust before formalizing our engagement. Once we got the planning in place, everything was fine. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear about what you want. It's important to be aware that Sunscrapers is highly capable, but they still need guidance from the client side. Keep them in the loop. You can make changes, but give them a heads up and explain why when you do. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CTO of Codility. We offer a technical skills assessment solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sunscrapers?

We needed to replace a legacy system with a new solution. It had to have both an administrative interface and a customer landing page with sign-up functionalities.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed the solution to be developed, tested, and supported during the integration process.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our choice was based on supported technologies, brand, and recommendations. We were familiar with Sunscrapers because of their previous projects and activity in the development community.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Sunscrapers helped shape our requirements and design, implement, and test the solution.

What was the team composition?

We worked with several frontend and backend developers and a manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We were very satisfied with both the cooperation and its results. They delivered the solution fast and were responsive and helpful. The product was well-tested and stable, covering all initial requirements.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The manager was available throughout the entire process. He made sure our expectations were understood and satisfied.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their robust customer onboarding process stood out to us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I was aware of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CTO of Verve. We provide software for building advocacy programs. Our solution allows events to turn their fans into advocates and sell tickets to their friends in exchange for rewards like free entry and VIP experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sunscrapers?

As our business grows, we need to invest in our technology and platform, but hiring is difficult in our demanding market. We engaged Sunscrapers to augment our existing teams with pre-vetted, high-quality engineers.

What were your goals for this project?

We had several goals across each project: launch our word-of-mouth platform in the sports and live touring industry, augment our existing data platform to provide better capabilities to our engineering organization, and build a new React Native iOS app to support our travel initiatives.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A mutual connection referred us to them. After interviewing Sunscrapers CEO and CTO, we decided to work with them. Their augmentation model appealed to us, as they staffed for burst capacity, rather than developing full scrum teams.

Describe the project in detail.

To staff each team, we shared our needs with Sunscrapers’, who came back to us with the CV’s of team members they believed were best suited to the project. Generally, we agreed with their suggestions and onboarded their resources to work within our sprints.

Sunscrapers’ provided two groups of resources, one of which built out a new product and another that joined our platform and data team. The new product uses React, Django, and GraphQL, while our platform utilizes Django, REST Framework, Heroku, and GraphQL.

What was the team composition?

We've employed Django, React, and React Native engineers from Sunscrapers. In total, we’ve used 5–6 developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All of the above projects launched on time and delivered the expected business benefit. Having Sunscrapers’ additional support and expertise was instrumental to our success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Team members are fully on-boarded into product teams and work alongside my own staff members as peers. The one time we had a communication/culture mismatch, Sunscrapers was quick to act and fix the issue.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their supportive and flexible approach to staffing helps us be more successful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sometimes it takes longer than we’d like for someone to work on our projects because Sunscrapers is quite busy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

RW3 CultureWizard is an intercultural training company that teaches people how to work effectively with those from other cultures. We create courses, assessments, and articles. Our learning platform has a recommendation engine and a mobile app. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sunscrapers? 

We contracted Sunscrapers to add an additional resource to our development team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

On a day-to-day basis, they primarily provide a frontend developer working in React on our platform. We had a hodgepodge of code and the developer is also instrumental in helping with the architecture of our frontend code library. He's spending time learning our product and understanding how it was put together. He’s going through the legacy code to simplify it and make it more efficient. The developer also with regular updates and other project development work. 

What is the team composition? 

We work with one developer. 

How did you come to work with Sunscrapers?

They were a recommendation from another design and development firm. We set up a three month trial period to have the developer do the code evaluation and work on some small scale projects. It was clear from the outset that it was a good fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $80,000–$100,000, probably closer to the high end.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our director of technology does code checks and testing of all the code we're getting from Sunscrapers. They're efficient and highly capable, which are our main measures of success. The evaluation from our internal team is positive. We’ve already seen ROI such as the site load time going from 5 seconds to 1.5 seconds. That’s been a huge improvement. They're also making updates to the look and feel of the platform that will be apparent to everyone. 

How did Sunscrapers perform from a project management standpoint? 

While I was concerned at first that the developer is based in Poland, it's actually worked out quite well. Cultural and language issues are non-existent. The time zone turned out to be an advantage. The developer is able to work during our night and review with us when we come online in the morning. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their competence and dedication to us as a client are most impressive. The developer brings skills and talent that we're not used to seeing from outsourced teams. They also never make us feel as if we're borrowing time from their other clients. In this case it feels as if they’re another member of our team. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, it's been quite good. I'd love for it to be even less expensive than it is, but it is already competitive compared to local talent in New York. I can't complain at all. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Clearly define your objectives and be really clear about what you expect out of the project. In my experience, they're pretty responsive. They don’t just go off and execute the project plan; rather, they expect to collaborate with you.