Dev & Maintenance for Training Company

Solution

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have been doing almost everything development-related for the last couple of years. We have a small team in-house, but the rest is fully handled by a team at Arcanys.

They do our iOS and Android work, as well as all the backend. That’s concerns Python, data, and machine learning. In addition, I needed to review my UI/UX, and they were able to bring in a senior designer on a temporary basis to do it.

What is the team composition?

Initially, we had two or three developers. As our needs increased, we gradually added more people.

We have a scrum master who works part-time as we need someone to coordinate tasks and to make sure all sprints are filled. That person oversees several different teams so can learn from elsewhere in the company and apply those lessons to our project.

How did you come to work with Arcanys?

I looked into hiring a full team, but it would have been very costly and, as I’m not a tech person, I wouldn’t have known how to manage them. I also tried hiring a CTO, but that didn’t work out. After that, I decided to reach out to Arcanys who I found through a referral.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $20,000–$25,000 per month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2017, and it is an ongoing engagement.

Results & Feedback

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

With Arcanys, the application development has been successful because they’re very reactive. Whenever we have a request from a client, they will have someone that can answer the questions. They have a lot of skills within their company so whenever there is something that is missing, they can ask someone, even if they are not part of our team. When we do meet challenged, their problem solving fast. They provide a lot of flexibility that I didn’t have before.

How did Arcanys perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m not in direct contact with the developers as the product owner handles them. In general, the communication is easy because there isn’t a time difference.

They hand in the sprints every two weeks, and there is very tight follow up on how much money we have spent, where it was spent, and what the results of it were. In terms of delivery, they’ve been very good so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very client oriented. Their advice is very good as they work hard to analyze a business, understand its needs and goals, then work out how to fulfill them.

I love their company spirit because it’s very human-oriented. I’ve visited them several times and our contact with them is always very friendly. We’re happy to work with them, which is important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Whenever something needs to be improved, we tell them straight away and generally see immediate results. We don’t have any problems with them and haven’t faced any big challenges. When new developers come on board, there is a learning curve, but generally, they recruit people that are fit for the job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure to have a deep understanding of the project from the very beginning. Find out how the team works and who is responsible for what.

On their side, they need to know what to do, how to do it, and how long they have. That means be very clear with the communication and make sure it is regular. When you have a team on site, you can always pop in and ask a question, but when they’re remote, you need to make sure everything is completely clear before moving on.