unicrew

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artelogic?

We had to add huge product databases to our products, but these databases could only be filled by datasheets manually typed by some of our internal operators. We wanted to automatize this process to be able to add more data at the same time. The procedure followed a different programming language than our products, so we couldn’t challenge our internal developers with this. We needed to outsource this work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve addressed some automatization topics with Artelogic. Initially, we had the idea, and they did all the research. We didn’t deliver too much information up front; I think they had a similar project in the past, so they already had some knowledge of the specific component we needed. They did the development from scratch and even found some ways to use it better and improve the recognition rate of the documents.

The backend is in C#, and they’ve used the microservice of AWS, which seems to be helpful for this particular process. We didn’t have the chance to deep dive into AWS services in the past. Therefore, we needed someone with experience in AWS, and Artelogic had the knowledge. This has been the core of the automatization project we started almost two years ago.

At the moment, we’re using it as an internal tool. It’s a web application that does data recognition — it sorts the data in the database table and then presents the first results to the operator. Artelogic has also done some UI so the operator can release the data or correct it before releasing it. With this process, we can save time and have high accuracy. Also, it’s a SaaS learning process, so the operator can update some of the algorithms by detecting the data. Consequently, the algorithm constantly improves the recognition rate.

On the other hand, the UX design was first done roughly through the developer. We first needed a proof of concept to ensure that everything was working. When we saw that we had some advantages with this new component, we decided to optimize the UI and UX with a UI/UX designer who improved the application. Currently, we’re in the fourth or fifth iteration of this project, as we always want to extend the system and make it more usable to increase the UX.

What is the team composition?

We initially had three people involved in the project. The core developer changed to a new person, and the project leader changed twice. In total, we’ve worked with six people from Artelogic. We initially worked with the CEO, who then handed over the project to a lead who has since left the company. Now, we have another main contact.

How did you come to work with Artelogic?

We get regular emails from agencies around the world. Their salesperson sent us an email at the right time, as we’d identified this feature request within our company and didn’t have anyone able to develop in AWS. We decided to have a call with Artelogic where he presented the company, and the presentation was great. It was on a very professional level, and we felt it was worth trying them out. It only took two weeks until we started the project, and everything was very smooth and professional.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around €50,000 (approximately $54,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2020, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our goal was to semi-automatize an internal process and reach twice the speed we had before, since it was previously manual. Two people typing data into the database went about 5,000 new data sets per month. With this component, we’re reaching twice the amount of data sets per month. Therefore, we can use our people for different product types and have more accurate data simultaneously, which is a great benefit. Overall, we’re very happy with our collaboration.

How did Artelogic perform from a project management standpoint?

As this was a scientific, internal project at the beginning, we didn’t know if we’d be able to reach the goal, so we didn’t have tight timelines. We still don’t have specific timelines. However, we’re happy with the timelines, communication, and accountability.

Internally, we use standard Microsoft Office products. We also use backtracking tools to check feature requests and maintenance tasks. With Artelogic, we use Jira and Confluence for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge of different technologies is astounding. We can raise any technical issue with them and find someone within their team to work with that specific technology. It’s pretty impressive because we’re trying to focus on a few technologies internally, so we don’t have various types of technology within the company. Artelogic’s team can handle some exotic technologies, which has been a great benefit for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had conversations with them about what we can do better to have fewer obstacles during the project, and they’re flexible enough. For example, we initially had stand-up meetings every day, but that was too often for us as only a few of us were here in Munich. For a different project, we needed more business analytics at the beginning, so they created a BA position for this project so we could discuss what wasn’t running 100% optimally.

In general, they’re open to any kind of discussions or optimizations. I don’t have any improvement wishes because everything has run quite smoothly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It depends on who you are talking to at Artelogic. Some people are more results-oriented. For example, one person contributed a lot to the project’s basic idea; due to his contribution, we reached a different level than we initially thought. Also, there are people within their team that try to solve the to-do list and finish the tasks, but they don’t contribute to optimizing things in the project. That’s why we suggested a BA position — it has allowed us to discuss more complex projects in detail without involving the development team directly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide booking solutions to businesses operating in leisure, hospitality and entertainment. I am CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Artelogic, and what were your goals?

We had a legacy system built over a number of years and needed a company to completely refactor the code as well as develop a number of new features.

SOLUTION

How did you select Artelogic and what were the deciding factors?

We interviewed a number of providers, Artelogic really understood our requirements and had an experienced team to help. It was therefore a no brainer to go with Artelogic.

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

It was decided to use laravel as a framework as our legacy system wasn't built on a framework. Initially they had to review, audit and understand the current system. Then break it down into a number of different modules and sub tasks before commencing the project.

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

We currently have the below: One Lead Developer, One Backend Developer, Two Front End Developers, One Mobile Developer, One QA Tester, One Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our platform has been refactored to Laravel ensuring the code base is more stable, easier to maintain and easier to add new features.

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

Project management has been great. Using a remote team it's always a concern initially but it has never been a problem. Regular stand ups, status calls, sprint planning and reviews ensure the project runs smoothly.

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

Their professionalism and quality of work have stood out in the partnership. We have had the code audited by a 3rd party who was extremely complimentary of the work.

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

I don't have any suggestions here, we have been extremely happy with the project and will continue to use them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a commodity trading company. We have less than five employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artelogic?

We didn’t have an internal IT team, so we needed support in building our first platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Artelogic designed and developed our web platform. For the project's first stage, they built an internal CRM system, which took them 3–4 months to complete. Then, they developed a marketplace for our platform, which was more complicated and took them around nine months to complete — that was the project's second stage.

Initially, we had a discovery phase to define the scope and decide which technologies to use. After that, we jumped into the development phase. We tested different parts of the platform on a monthly basis, and once we approved certain deliverables, we moved on to the next phase and built on top of the approved parts until completing the project.

What is the team composition?

During the discovery phase, we worked with their COO and CTO. Once we defined the scope, we worked daily with their project manager. Artelogic’s development team was composed of 14 people, including backend and frontend software developers and QA specialists.

How did you come to work with Artelogic?

We contacted different companies, including companies I had worked with in the past and new companies we found online. My other co-founder knew that there was talent in Ukraine, so he found and contacted Artelogic for an initial discussion.

Ultimately, we contacted five different companies and evaluated their proposals. For our evaluation, we looked at their overall competence, proposed methodology, cost, and the estimated timeline for completing the project. Artelogic had the highest score across all these deciding factors.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020, and the project was completed by September 2021. The original project was divided into three different phases. Although the first two stages were completed, the third stage was put on hold by us due to some budget relocation issues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our overall experience working with Artelogic was very good.

How did Artelogic perform from a project management standpoint?

I was very satisfied with Artelogic’s project management. They were very good at organizing all the different parts of the project, and our communication was easy; they were always available and proactive. Towards the end of the project, they went the extra mile and worked longer than expected without charging for the extra time, showing a lot of commitment.

We used JIRA for project management. The project manager took care of all the backlog and progress tracking for the entire project, and I was granted access to check the status. We also used Slack to communicate with the team, and the documentation was kept in Atlassian and BitBucket.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The variety of resources that Artelogic has was impressive. Our project required several different skill sets, and parts of our platform used blockchain technologies. Still, they were able to use an expert that they had in-house to tackle that part of the project even though this resource wasn’t on the team they assigned initially. Otherwise, we would’ve had to look for external help. Artelogic showed the same strength during the UI/UX design phase. They engaged with a specialized company in order to support us on that aspect for two weeks.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Towards the end of the project, the project manager left to pursue another career opportunity. Thus, for the last two weeks, we had another project manager who wasn’t fluent in English, so we had some communication challenges. Ultimately, it wasn’t a big problem because most of the work was already completed. Still, it would have been good if their entire team had the same English proficiency.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Discuss with their team the different skill sets that you need for your project and interview each team member before starting the project. If you start the project with a team and are unhappy with one member, you will spend extra time onboarding another resource. We initially spent time ensuring that each team member had the right profile, and Artelogic was very accommodating with this request.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CFO and VP of IT for a national moving company that specializes in smaller interstate Household Goods moves.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Artelogic, and what were your goals?

We hired Artelogic to provided additional design and development resources in support of on-going maintenance and enhancement of our custom web-based order management system.

SOLUTION

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

We were looking for a broad range of expertise in web design and development as our system handles everything from lead management to accounting. We were also looking for a vendor that could assist us in support of our infrastructure(Azure, SQL ,mobile application).

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

The Order Management system is the backbone of our business. We utilize the Agile process and create biweekly sprints which are assigned out to the development resources. Even though our team is not located in one place we hold daily standup meetings to discuss each days activities and to plan testing as well as deployments.

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

We have a project lead and a full time developer. In addition for special projects we may bring on a project manager and special expertise such as a UI designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business simply wouldn't function without the Order Management system. We have made numerous functional and performance enhancements that has increased productivity and allowed us to maintain double digit growth without a substantial increase in staffing.

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

We have daily stand-ups via video conference with the developer and project lead. We also utilize Slack through out the rest of the day to communicate. They are always extremely responsive and meet whatever goals are given to them.

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

Their communication and transparency. Everyone I have dealt with in the company has been extremely helpful and honest. They are all very good people and I feel they are a true partner that cares about our success.

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

Any concerns I have had over the last few years have always been addressed immediately. I think the team works very well together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a web application that manufacturers and wholesale distributors subscribe to provide information to their sales reps and B2B customer base. It’s also used for warranty claim processing, order entry, sales reporting, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artelogic?

Up until a year and a half ago, I handled all the development and support of our application myself and I needed help. I brought in Artelogic, and it was one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have subscribers who ask us for custom modifications, so I put together quotes for the subscribers, and they accept or reject them. If they want to proceed, I put together a detailed specification for Artelogic, who does the development work and testing.

If we need enhancements that aren’t customer requests, Artelogic handles those as well. They act as an outsourced IT department. They’re our development team and programmers. They do more than that though, maintaining the system itself. Additionally, they migrated our applications from an old hosting solution to the Azure platform. We use a Microsoft Stack, including C# SQL servers, ASP.NET.

What is the team composition?

I work with Alex (CTO) and Diana (programmer). They’re both very smart, proactive, and conscientious. I can’t speak highly enough of either of them.

How did you come to work with Artelogic?

I found them on Clutch and then interviewed several options.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $90,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have any specific metrics, as the purpose of the relationship was to take the development off of me and put it on someone else — bringing someone else in to have them learn the system. They’ve met this primary objective.

I’m satisfied, and people love the work that we deliver through Artelogic. I’m impressed with their quality, as well as Artelogic’s honesty and brilliance, honestly. They’re very bright.

Rather than simply following instructions, they put in the time to understand the underlying objective or goal of the project. If I’ve forgotten to put something in the specification, or if some aspect of it doesn’t make sense, then they’ll inquire about it or make a suggestion to improve the deliverable.

How did Artelogic perform from a project management standpoint?

I do a lot of the project management myself as a technical person. We provide them with the delivery date we gave to our subscriber and they excel at meeting that. They will also communicate if a certain date isn’t possible, thought that hasn’t happened yet. They’re great at managing my expectations.

We use Jira and Slack for messaging, as well as a tool for source code management and storage. One of the companies I considered used their own proprietary tools, but I wanted to use industry standard tools. Artelogic fit that bill.

We have a daily status meeting over Google Meet. They’re ahead of me, so we meet in their evening time in Ukraine. The accommodations they’ve made for US time have been great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the main reasons I chose them was that Alex was involved in the interview process. I didn’t just speak with the sales resources; Alex was there in every interview. Artelogic really wanted to understand what I was looking for and what our code base looked like. Alex scheduled a time for him specifically to see my code so that he could understand how it was structured. The other companies didn’t do that; they were focused on making a sell, rather than helping me. Everything Artelogic has done since that moment has reinforced that their goal is to meet my goals and objectives.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our only rough patch was when we went to renew the contract and someone else got involved in the negotiation. It didn’t go smoothly; there were going to be some changes that were too drastic for me. I talked to Alex ab out those things and he addressed my concerns, resolving the issues in a fair manner.

Artelogic didn’t do a great job of managing expectations in this area, but that is the only aspect of our work that has been less than outstanding.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re the ones who taught me how to get the most out of the engagement. They set out the standard for daily meetings. My advice would be to follow their advice. If something isn’t working, then talk to them. They’re very open to ideas and suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the IT director of a culture analytics company. We have clients globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Artelogic, and what were your goals?

We had a series of Word and PowerPoint reports that we needed automated in a short period of time. In an effort to increase our development capacity, we decided to outsource some of the work.

SOLUTION

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

We found them through an online search. Their cost and reputation are what ultimately helped us choose them as our custom software provider.

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

They desigend and developed a C# application to automate Word and PowerPoint reports based on sample prototypes and sample data. We started with a kickoff to get the scope of the work. We then shared our mockups and sample data. After a week or 2, they came back with a scoped estimate with hours for each task. The deliverables included working code and automated tests that allowed us to independently QA/UAT the work with a variety of data sets.

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

We worked with 1 main contact. I'm not sure how many people were allocated to the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to get the work completed in the expected time frame. There were little to no defects which was very nice because it allowed us to release and move on to our next project without having to back peddle.

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

The project management was great. They were very easy to work with. We communicated regularly through slack. The work progression matched the estimate that they provided. This was nice because we were able to confidently share expected deliverables with other stakeholders.

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

They were very accessible and took the time to understand our needs. They truly felt like part of the team.

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

I have no complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of IT for an e-commerce company that primarily works in the European B2C and B2B markets. I’m in charge of the development, infrastructure, and BI teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artelogic?

We had 10 WordPress websites that one developer managed. We continued to face more complicated demands from the business. Our developer couldn’t meet these demands.

Our company engaged an agency to support the developer who didn’t have much project management experience. We didn’t receive satisfactory deliverables. The sites were buggy and messy.

When I came on board, I inherited an environment where developers had direct access to databases and pushed products live without test environments. Changes needed to be made.

We wanted a vendor to support us and provide quality developers. We needed a partner that could supply us with all the resources necessary to create a proper infrastructure.

We initially engaged with Artelogic when we decided to replatform our sites, moving from WordPress to Shopify. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When Artelogic came on board, we replatformed our products. We introduced a centralized product information management system based on AWS. We integrated a scalable infrastructure and a Microsoft Dynamics ERP feature for logistics, procurement, stock management, and customer communication. We also developed a component that connects products to the appropriate sales channels, takes orders from channels, connects them to the ERP, and manages logistics.

Artelogic provides three full-time frontend and backend developers who manage day-to-day operations such as fix bugs. Their team also supports product launches and promotions.

Artelogic scales up or down based on our needs. For example, if we need to create a big feature, they quickly onboard resources. Their team performs all of the pre-interviews and send us qualified candidates. When we finish a large project, their team scales down.   

What is the team composition?

We usually work with three people from Artelogic—two senior developers and an experienced QC/BA who’re embedded into our team. Their management team finds additional resources for us when necessary.

How did you come to work with Artelogic?

Our CEO found them through his professional network. He passed the recommendation to me, and I interviewed them in addition to 2–3 other agencies. Artelogic appeared to be a good choice. I normally would’ve tested them but due to the project’s urgency, we dove into our partnership. However, we didn’t onboard an entire team on day one.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about €14,000 (approximately $16,500 USD) per month on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement Artelogic in January 2020, and it’s ongoing. We typically work on projects for 3–6 months and then scale down. Once there’s another project, we scale up our resources again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Artelogic finds qualified candidates. When they couldn’t find adequate resources, they told us. This showed that Artelogic wanted to have a long-term relationship with us.

Their team’s excellent. My product owner asked where we found one of Artelogic’s business analyst, calling him a superstar. If we could, we’d hire them ourselves. 

Their team delivers. As part of this project, we asked Artelogic to change everything towards the end because we had late architectural design changes. They quickly redid all of their work.

My team lead wants to keep both of Artelogic’s developers on the project until the product’s release. We have a backlog of 40 big projects, so I only see Artelogic’s involvement increasing.

How did Artelogic perform from a project management standpoint?

We follow an Agile methodology and have loose milestones. All three teammates from Artelogic help us to achieve our big targets. I give them my objectives and timelines but don’t check on their progress on a daily basis. Their team tells me about any blockers.

Artelogic anticipates our needs and meets them before we even identify them. I’m very happy with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Artelogic provides high-quality developers at a low rate. One of the best parts of our partnership’s the fact that they don’t move forward with a candidate who doesn’t meet our requirements. That practice saves me time from reviewing CVs and conducting interviews. They don’t charge us for that part of the service.

Their team spends time on searching and pre-interviewing. There was a situation when we asked them to find a candidate but decided to go in a different direction. They didn’t charge us because they recognize this as a long-term partnership.

Their team communicates effectively, which is valuable to us as an international company. It’s a must not only for development projects but also for business practices.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any suggestions for improvements.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

You should know what skills you need to leverage from Artelogic. Give them the best possible information to help them provide you with the best possible developers. Be honest with them. You should also be honest about the collaboration’s duration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of EZ-SQR, a security startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artelogic?

We needed support building our mobile application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When Artelogic came in, we only had a description of my idea to go off of. The team helped me nail down the features and functionalities before building it out completely.

What is the team composition?

We work with one project manager, along with a couple other people on the development side.

How did you come to work with Artelogic?

I found Artelogic after doing an online search. They picked up my call and after an initial conversation, I thought they’d be the right fit for our project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration began in October 2019, though we’ve temporarily halted the project due to COVID-19.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results so far have been great. Unfortunately, with COVID-19 we don’t have a final product yet, but I have been able to show what we have to some people, and the feedback has been positive.

How did Artelogic perform from a project management standpoint?

They were perfect. Nothing got lost in translation and we managed the time difference well. Artelogic has been professional, personable, and flexible, especially when it comes to our budget after the pandemic. 

To keep in touch, we mainly use Skype video chats and phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered an extremely high-functioning product that’s great even as a demo. We’re really excited to see the results once it’s finalized and connected to a database.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice if they were a little more detailed in their invoices. Ultimately, I don’t have anything bad to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come prepared to the engagement and Artelogic will be able to deliver what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a combination software and logistics integration company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artelogic?

We originally sought to interconnect the moving and storage industry by using a robust software platform to integrate local service providers and businesses. Local moving storage companies could enter the long-distance interstate business by joining our platform. This would connect them to service providers and movers across the country.

Meanwhile, our company would purchase moving transportation in bulk and offer it to resale to other local moving and storage companies. This would effectively enable smaller companies to compete against the oligopolies that control such a large volume of the business at the top end of the market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Artelogic wrote the platform from scratch, creating the software that enables customers to create job orders and effectively select the services that they want remotely whether they’re packing services, unpacking services, special services, turning utilities on, turn utilities off, loading the trucks and so forth. The user interface was obviously a really important aspect of the project. If it’s not easy to use, people won’t use it. So, they developed the platform’s backend and frontend.

Since the initial development, we’ve modified the software as the market has changed. Now the platform is integrated with smart containers that allow users to get data and information on their shipping containers, like the location at any given time.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with a project manager and a team of 2–6 people at any given time.

How did you come to work with Artelogic?

Artelogic was a preexisting vendor when I became invested in this company and project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent slightly over $1,000,000 and expect the project ‘s total cost to be about $1,500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in December 2016 and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The software does what it is designed to do and we are about to launch the product. Since the market has shifted a bit, we are readjusting to meet business requirements and ensure functionality for the project’s objectives. I had some other experts assess their work to see if the product was commercially viable, and everyone was impressed by the quality of the product.

How did Artelogic perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication and project engagement ebbs and flows based on what is being prioritized. We communicate very frequently, usually multiple times a week. Although they’re located overseas and in a different time zone, we use GoToMeeting and other web devices to communicate effectively and share screens. We use cloud-based software the allows us to be running the software at the same time, which is a very effective tool for collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a highly ethical and well-managed organization. I was amazed by the CEO’s skill level and business acumen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a business person, my knee jerk reaction is to ask for more cost control, but I know the cost has been driven up based on the changes I request and the project requirements. Rather than being a place for them to improve, I think they manage expectations very well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Though this advice isn’t specific to those working with Artelogic— be careful to delve into the details of what you're trying to accomplish and understand very clearly the technical roadmap and cost associated with getting that done. Try to look as far down the road as you can so that the building blocks of the platform will accommodate changes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of IT at MiniMoves, Inc. We’re a transportation company that specializes in moving small household goods. We service all 50 US states, have partners in all of the major metropolitan areas, and do about 3,000–4,000 moves each year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Artelogic?

We had an outdated custom-built order management system that we needed to replace with new technology. We bought a base .NET system that had basic transportation management functionalities, such as being able to enter an order, rate the shipment and assign transportation. However, we operate a bit differently from other moving companies, so there was a lot of customization required in order to make the system fit with our current business model.

We hired Artelogic to customize the system and serve as our primary development team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Artelogic assisted us in redesigning and refactoring the base order management system to fit with our model.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager, who oversees the development team, and a lead developer.

How did you come to work with Artelogic?

The people who we bought our software from recommended Artelogic.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in November 2015, and it’s ongoing. We are looking forward to launching the system in October.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have been involved with all aspects of the project from architecture and major modifications to bug fixes. 

How did Artelogic perform from a project management standpoint?

The lead developer has been on this project since the beginning, and he’s been an instrumental liaison to me. My team creates the requirements and assigns the work, and then we work with the lead developer and his team. We follow the Agile methodology and work in sprints. We have daily standups.

Although they’re remote, communication is great, and their team works well with mine. We communicate over through instant message or phone every day and utilize  Azure DevOps to track sprints and assigned tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been impressed by their work ethic and how they put me as the customer first. They’re always ready to jump in and go the extra mile. They put great effort into communicating to ensure that tasks are updated in a timely manner. The team keeps us apprised of exactly what they’re working on.

Working remotely often poses various challenges, but I feel that working with Artelogic is a seamless process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. We’ve had a really good relationship with Artelogic. Communication is key, and they’re very good at it.

Any advice for potential customers?

This applies to a lot of these types of projects, but make sure you spend your time on the requirements before handing them over to the development team. Then, establish a good assignment process in whatever methodology you’re working in.