Vappar - The Consult Things

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IoT solution lead at PLC Group, a company that provides remote monitoring solutions for critical facilities infrastructure elements such as janitors and air conditioning systems.

What challenge were you trying to address with Vappar - The Consult Things?

We have a software piece that has to connect the end devices. These end devices are proprietary, specific, and defined devices for telecommunications companies. They’re not commercial air conditioners or generators. Our customers are telecommunications firms and our overall product is under NDA. Thus, in order to come up with customization requirements and to be able to manage different device versions, we needed help with a part of our IoT development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a discussion about developing a portion of our software. They ensured us that they could provide us with a system that can connect to multiple devices and customize this system as needed. They've helped us build the system, which includes customized IoT gateways that allow us to add devices, provide output to our end-users in the most helpful way, and fulfill end customer customization requirements without adding too much coding. These gateways connect data from our end-users' devices to both a backend database system that stores this data and a frontend visualization component that allows us to visualize the data.

The first deliverable they've provided is a complete end-to-end IoT gateway. Now, we're working on the upper layer where we can analyze the data. It’s a centralized system that can collect data from multiple sites and do a lot of analysis.

What is the team composition?

There are 5–10 members of their team, including an architect, project manager, a frontend developer, and a backend developer.

How did you come to work with Vappar - The Consult Things?

I had worked with them before. I liked that they'll not only present an idea but also help us to prototype it and develop a proof of concept. This guidance has helped us clearly visualize our progress throughout the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since January 2019.

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

They’re very strong developers and they've done a lot of good work for us. The only issue we've faced is that we have to work with them on the deliverables because they’re not connected directly with our end customer. In terms of development itself, though, they’re very strong.

How did Vappar - The Consult Things perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very strong with IT management in terms of managing the project within the cost and development of the system. In the beginning, we faced some challenges because of the different processes that they were following. However, they’ve improved a lot over the course of the last two years. They’re following the processes and communication has improved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take ownership and initiative throughout the development process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only area for improvement is customer delivery. They only work on software, but for customer delivery, software, hardware, and other support are required. If they had hardware people on their team and could assist with delivery, they’d be an even stronger team. They could improve their project management skills as well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have a lot of people with young minds who are ready to work, but any processes need to be clear before they start working. Be involved on a weekly or monthly basis and define a clear scope.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an educational institute with more than 30 flagships. An institute that has been in the education sector for more than 30 years now. I am currently functioning as Manage IT & E-services and was involved directly with the development of the project.

For what projects/services did your company hire Vappar - The Consult Things, and what were your goals?

We wanted to digitize the learning methodologies and acquired the services for a customized Learning Management System that can sustain the dynamics we have.

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

The project was announced and we asked multiple companies to submit their profiles for shortlisting and review. The deciding factors were the skill and the dedication of the resources, the level of flexibility they showed during the development cycle.

The vision they had for digitization of the education industry with their apps and software. They have constantly met the needs and requirements which we pushed their way in a professional manner.

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

Scope: Managing a complete student academic life cycle. Allowing student to access their portal for academic connectivity and parents are provisioned with a mobile app to get in-depth details about their child's current progress. Integration with the existing ERP for data migration. PHP & SQL utilized for the development.

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

The three-member core team was involved directly during the development. CTO and Two core developers

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

The requirements were fulfilled as they were provided. The developed s/w was very much appreciated both inside company and outside by the community. The ease provided to the parents and students. The movement of all manual work to the digital medium was a big success. It enhanced the capacity of our staff.

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

The mode of communication has been email for the requirement gathering and is finalized by an approved BRD and FRD. Based on the shared scope the timelines are communicated to us. A designated instance of a support portal was provided to us to route all our concerns and issues in it. They were addressed properly and timely,

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

The openness to communication. The flexibility to facilitate the needs of the clients. The support services are available 24/7.

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

My experience with them was extremely healthy and productive. As far as I can share they are following proper steps and mechanisms to manage a complete s/w development cycle.