Waverley Software

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering for a power tool manufacturer. We work across stacks.

What challenge were you trying to address with Waverley Software?

We used Waverley to help support some of our development needs through staff augmentation.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to quickly spin up some additional resources within the team, which is what we originally used Waverley for. Over time, the engagement has expanded to backend development, as well as some frontend development.

They’ve dedicated resources to working exclusively on dev-ops related tasks, as well as managing our AWS infrastructure. The team works with us to scale and appropriately develop our general infrastructure, making sure it’s kept secure and running. There are also backend engineers working on some of our internal development tools, writing node-based codes and interacting with our various databases and other systems. We also have frontend developers who are working on our marketing and project sharing platforms. Those developers work directly with our designers and act as part of our own team, going through various backlogs of tickets and other experiences.

What is the team composition?

There are currently three full-time employees and one part-time employee working on various projects throughout the company. 

How did you come to work with Waverley Software?

They were recommended to us by another company who was also using Waverley to manage their infrastructure. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in March 2019 and is ongoing.

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

Since partnering with Waverley, we’ve launched a product globally within the US and Europe, working against some reasonably tight deadlines. The team was quite flexible, working additional hours to ensure we got our product out. Most of the deliverables have been customer-facing changes and features we’ve been able to deliver with their support. 

We’ve also migrated from legacy systems with AWS to Kubernetes. 

How did Waverley Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform as a remote extension of our own team, so we track projects within our own Jira system and communicate in our Slack channels. We have weekly meetings, and they’re quite flexible. They’ve been great at sourcing and interviewing additional resources when necessary as well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The flexibility they provide to spin up and spin down developers has been great. They always work extremely hard to help us meet our needs and fill in gaps. We’ve really appreciated that they’ve been able to roll with some short-term changes and always fulfill goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There haven’t been any problems with them. The engagement has been great; we’ve had no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clearly articulate the day-to-day work you expect from the developers, and work to make them feel as if they’re part of our team. Have check-ins and keep communication consistent. Be sure to give Waverley as much detail as you can as early as you can. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering at a beauty services marketplace, where people can find professionals to do hair and nails. We also have a B2B product that those professionals use to manage their whole business, end-to-end.

What challenge were you trying to address with Waverley Software?

Largely, it was growth. We were trying to grow the engineering team, and we also had some very specific needs where we needed people to quickly go heads-down.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They all worked remotely from Ukraine, doing DevOps and a Python upgrade (2 to 3). We needed someone who could create and execute on a plan without a whole lot of oversight or the need to be fully embedded with a team. They had to be able to work pretty autonomously. They also participated in development planning, which can be seen as design, but they didn’t do any visual design.

What is the team composition?

We contracted two engineers through them, and within Waverley we worked with two people to help find and manage that relationship.

How did you come to work with Waverley Software?

Our VP of engineering had worked with them before or knew someone who had recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $60,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2019, but we’re wrapping up currently. We’re also exploring if we can continue working with them.

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

A lot of the results are internal-based, but I will say that they’ve been able to deliver. For the Python upgrade, the engineer jumped in, created a plan immediately and started delivering upgrades on that plan. I don’t recall the exact turnaround time, but it was at a pace that some of the changes required from our internal engineers were coming too fast to keep up with. We had to scramble to get resources to test things they delivered and put things into production. Their pace and momentum were very good.

They were very good at driving themselves and getting the work done. The fully Python upgrade isn’t complete yet, but that’s part of the plan. They’ve executed on all the work we’ve given them.

How did PSYKHE perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done pretty well. Largely, they managed their own time. They worked with teams. There were times they got a little caught up, usually when they were in areas of the code they weren’t as familiar with, because a lot of the codebase requires a certain level of domain knowledge. They also provided updates along the way.

Our primary tools are Jira and Confluence, and then we meet with them daily on video calls in the mornings

What did you find most impressive about them?

Largely, it’s their willingness to jump in and get things done. Especially with a codebase that’s unfamiliar to them. It’s been one of the biggest things for us because it’s always the hardest thing when working with remote contract engineers. It’s always a question of how productive people like than can be in a system they don’t understand initially.

I’ve always appreciated how much they want to be a part of the team. They enjoy communicating with us and our team members even though a lot of their role is autonomous and self-directed. They’ve made an effort to connect with us and be part of the overall process.

On the Waverley side, I liked how responsive they were when we ran into problems. They were quick in the interview process and were pretty lightweight once we hired the resources. They wanted a message every Monday about how the engineers were doing on a red, yellow, green scale. Even though we didn’t run into any issues, they made it clear they wanted to help if we did experience any.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. I’ve worked with other offshoring engineering consulting, and they can be hit or miss with the talent they get you. I wasn’t super hopeful going into this because of that experience, but, overall, they’ve really come through. I can’t say there’s anything I would change.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be direct and honest. Don’t settle. That’s the issue I’ve run into with other consulting firms. Don’t say to yes to ‘good enough’ engineers. We were pretty strict this time, and unless the engineers really met our considerations we said no.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Statement IQ is a payments consulting and software development firm for banks and the fintech industry. I am the owner and primary consultant. We employ approximately 15 independent consultants and developers for all aspects of payments assistance. We work primarily in the merchant acquiring space.

For what projects/services did your company hire Waverley Software?

Some software projects dictate the environment and programming languages required. These projects often have ridged timelines and requirements for on-site for specific locations. In this case, we needed a developer who could program React JS in an Azure environment, and be physically located in Miami Florida for a six month engagement.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to find someone to not only fill this seat, but who could contribute to design discussions, and bring insight to best practices. Experience with front-end UX layout, navigation, reporting and dashboard techniques, and the ability to create pixel perfect screens with rapidly changing mock-ups was very important.

How did you select this vendor?

I was told that Waverley Software was a great resource for people in need of specific technology developers. We had already tried a tech recruiter and after several hundred resumes, we were no closer to finding the right individual.

Within a day of contacting Waverley, we had found our guy and we were coordinating flights, and apartments so he could get started. My lead developer worked closely with Waverley's staff to assure we got everything delivered, and the process was very smooth.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Eugene, the developer provided by Waverley, worked in my customers Miami based office with a team of people from both the customers staff, and with my staff. He joined a daily stand-up and other meetings as needed to understand the project and contribute to the design with ideas from his experience in UX development.

What was the team composition?

Myself, my lead developer based in Miami, Eugene, and a team of developers overseas.

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

This project helped improve my company, and completed the project on time and budget. At one point, we were all falling behind schedule due to the rapid growth of the team, so I went out and bought everyone noise-cancelling head sets to improve productivity. It certainly helped. At the end of the project, we celebrated by taking the team to a Miami Heat basketball game. We have all become friends through the course of the project.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was delivered by the customer, and was one of the biggest difficulties of the project. I was very grateful that my staff was willing to be flexible with such difficulties.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Waverley Software was fast, efficient, effective, and professional. They delivered a best-in-class developer in a short time frame, and regularly checked in to assure we were satisfied.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No - very happy.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a startup called Plannuh, Inc. as the Vice President of Engineering. We offer software solutions that guide businesses in budgeting, planning, and investing based on market trends.

What challenge were you trying to address with Waverley Software?

We needed a team of developers to build our signature SaaS product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We don’t have an in-house development team, so Waverley Software takes care of all our development needs. They built the SaaS platform in AWS, utilizing Angular for the frontend and Python for the backend. 

What is the team composition?

Presently, we are working with eight developers, but we are considering expanding the team by the end of 2020. 

How did you come to work with Waverley Software?

I worked with Waverley Software when I was at my previous company. When I started working at Plannuh, Inc. I recommended that we start working with them.

The rest of the executive staff had the chance to meet the Waverley Software CEO when he was traveling in the U.S., and they felt confident in their abilities. 

Initially, I had been introduced to Waverley Software by a colleague who had a good experience with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent about $700,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in March 2019, and the work is ongoing. 

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

Looking at the difference between our original product and the product they’ve developed, it’s clear that they’ve had a huge impact on our business. Their work is part of the reason we secured investments from Glasswing and Gradient. They’ve helped us meet our objectives for continuing growth of the company. 

How did Waverley Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is one of their strengths. We are not the only client that our project manager is working with, but it feels like we are.

The team is trained in agile methodology, and they’re all very experienced. We have daily status meetings via Zoom and use Slack to communicate, as well as Jira and Confluence.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are highly-skilled in recruiting team members. Their team has access to a rich talent pool in Ukraine. This allows them to have a depth of experience in various niches. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish that they were able to think outside of the agile methodology more often.    

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to understand the strengths and challenges of working with an offshore team that is assertive and independent. It’s also beneficial to outline the rules of the engagement, rather than giving them detailed specifications. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of technology for a health tech company. We have a service that allows people to manage their health information for free. Our clients are medical foundation and pharmaceutical companies interested in working with groups of consenting people with a special set of medical conditions.

What challenge were you trying to address with Waverley Software?

We were looking to augment our development team. Our internal team is pretty small, so we were looking to increase our capacity in iOS development, web development, and QA. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Waverley Software supplies teammates as the need arises for us. Once we inform them of our need, they’ll send a profile of one of their staff members and we make a decision based on that. If none of the people they supply seem right for the job, they’ll recruit a person for the position and, again, send us the profile and we'll interview them to get a sense of whether or not they’re a fit. The developer we choose then integrates within our team, attends the meetings, and works independently for the most part. Over the course of our engagement, they’ve provided iOS developers, web developers, and QA staff. 

What is the team composition?

At most, they’ve supplied five teammates at a time. Currently, we work with one iOS developer from their team and we have a US-based point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Waverley Software?

We found Waverley Software through one of our advisors. They had a contact who had worked with Waverley Software and we were introduced that way. We got along well, they talked about their approach, and their company seemed like a good fit. We began just with two development resources and the project went well, so we’ve continued with additional resources. 

How much have you invested with them?

Throughout the engagement, we’ve spent a little over $400,000. We pay a monthly rate that depends on how many resources we need.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

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

I don’t have any hard statistics, but overall we’ve been completely happy with the quality of Waverley Software’s resources. They supplied qualified people and any issues we have are resolved very quickly. 

How did Waverley Place perform from a project management standpoint?

They acted like members of our in-house team, so the project ran very smoothly. They attend our weekly meetings, are available to talk through any concerns, and work with us to find the right balance of resources. We communicate easily and my daily point of contact is based in the US. Work was delivered ahead of time and some teammates worked around the clock to make sure everything was built the way we wanted it. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

In many cases, they exceed our expectations in terms of the quality and quantity of the work. Like I mentioned before, they sometimes work so much to the point where I have to check-in and ensure no one was over-working themselves. They are very committed to making sure the work is done on-time and well. 

In this industry, we’re not looking for a “unique” vendor so much as someone who is reliable and gets the job done right, which is exactly what they do. We can count on Waverley Software to provide excellent resources and deliver great services. They’re flexible when we need to increase or decrease resources and are affordable. We don’t have any reason to consider a different team as we look to expand in the future. They’ve been a great partner to us and we’ll choose them first over any others. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing jumps to mind for them to improve on. Their pricing is fair and aligns with others in the industry. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital development manager for Freeman EMEA, an experiential events, meetings, and conferences company. I run a couple of teams to provide software services for the exhibition elements of the industry.

What challenge were you trying to address with Waverly Software?

We’d had a problem finding and keeping software developers in the UK who had the skill sets we needed, so we started looking for overseas staff augmentation solutions.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We do all of the project management in the UK, and Waverly Software provides high-level and full stack JavaScript skills in a JavaScript framework. They work on our database as well as frontend UX. Waverly Software tests and reviews all of the staff, making sure they meet our requirements and are able to communicate efficiently.

They recently worked on a project to create software for designing a floor plan. It allows users to buy varying spaces for booths, and exhibition managers can use it as an e-commerce system and run their entire floor plan through it, without even being a CAD operator. Waverly Software built the MVP, and about 16 clients are currently using it. They’re also working on adding more features to the software.

What is the team composition?

Right now, they provide four developers and an account manager. We’re looking at hiring for some DevOps positions soon.

How did you come to work with Waverly Software?

We wanted an offshore solution with developers who could work in a JavaScript framework. When we met with Waverly Software, they found people who met those expectations.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since September 2018, and the work is ongoing.

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

Since hiring them, more tickets are being completed and more features are being delivered than before. They were instantly available to start working, which was impressive. Before, our development would stop and start because developers would come and go, but now our development is consistent and efficient.

How did Waverly Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always available and have a private chat feature that allows them to quickly respond. We use Slack to communicate, and they provide realistic timelines for their recruitment process, which is usually a few weeks to find potential candidates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of interviewees they bring are phenomenal. They have a superb filtering process, and we’ve hired almost everyone they’ve put in front of us, which saves us lots of time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of any ways they could improve.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be comfortable with online communication, such as Skype and Slack. Because the team isn’t physically present, you’ll need to embrace that kind of communication.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of phone.id. We enable app developers to authenticate users with their phone numbers, providing a frictionless login experience.

For what projects/services did your company hire Waverley Software?

We hired Waverley Software to build a software component that could be seamlessly integrated within many different apps and business contexts. We knew this would require a well thought out architecture, which forced us to find a team with a deep understanding of operating systems. We also wanted our component to be intuitive for both developers and final users.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to create a product with a polished UX that could be implemented by developers with very few lines of code.

How did you select this vendor?

Waverley Software was recommended to me by a friend who had recently started working there. I reached out and was able to speak directly with their CEO. He has a very interesting tech background, and quickly understood our business needs. Soon after, I got the chance to see some of the projects they were working on, and they offered to provide a technical assessment of our project. Their team delivered value before we ever signed a contract.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

After gathering requirements, their developers built an iOS and Android version of an SDK for our component. They’ve provided support, maintenance, and updates since completing the initial product.

What was the team composition?

Waverley Software assigned us two developers and a project manager.

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

We expect our product to change the way businesses authenticate users, and we’re excited by the work that Waverley Software has done.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We were able to communicate directly with their developers, and their project manager facilitated as needed. At one point, the Android developer on our project was replaced, and the transition was fluid. Their team was always prompt in their responses, typically reaching out via Slack or during our weekly sprint planning calls.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their developers are top-notch, and the support from their project manager was outstanding. I was very pleased with how quickly we were able to begin development. Also, the quality of their work was always very high.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t identify any areas for improvement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was head of cloud services at Jibo. It was a robotics company that created a social robot as an internet of things (IoT) device.

What challenge were you trying to address with Waverley Software?

As most of our engineering focus was on robotics, we needed support on mobile and cloud development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Waverley Software led the architecture and design of our online cloud component. They provided expertise on AWS and microservice architecture. Starting from some rough guidelines, they collaborated with our team to design an architecture that fit the project’s evolving needs.

Using Node.js, TypeScript, Docker, and MongoDB, they led Android and iOS development. They also provided automated testing, as well as QA testing and support.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around 15 team members at the project’s peak.

How did you come to work with Waverley Software?

They were already on board before I joined the company.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $1 million dollars a year. It went up and down at different times.

What is the status of this engagement?

I joined the company in November 2017. I believe they started working in January 2016, and the engagement took place over a four year period.

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

Their architecture was extraordinarily stable and able to run cleanly. They delivered a solid product that was highly reliable with an excellent design. It’s foundational so that we could build other things on top of it. Also, the quality of their developers was excellent. They worked with us closely to find the right match for people joining our team. Everyone that we worked with was dedicated to the project. They brought technical expertise, flexibility, and intelligence to our problems.

How did Waverley Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job of adapting to what we needed. They had their own project management tools, but they fully integrated into our Jira and GitHub workflows. They worked hard to accommodate whatever we needed and be part of our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were really dedicated to the project. They were invested in our success as though they were full-time developers. The consistent quality of their talent was very good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Improving their communication is an ongoing challenge for any outsourcing company. They're good at it, but it's something that can always be improved.

Any advice for potential customers?

Don't outsource your product vision. Make sure that you have a clear vision of what you want to do. Only engage an outsourcer on a well-defined project. Giving clear specifications and definitions sets everybody up for success.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of engineering at a consumer electronics company in the wearable space.

What challenge were you trying to address with Waverley Software?

We were looking for an offshore staff augmentation partner because we wanted to do more than we were able to with our current team size.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re helping us with mobile development, including iOS APIs, Swift, Core Data, and REST API implementations.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with two engineers.

How much have you invested with them?

I don't recall the exact amount but it’s very reasonable.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018 and it’s an ongoing engagement.

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

We’ve seen good month-over-month feature launches since the engagement began. In terms of KPIs, our application crash rate has maintained stability. They haven't caused any major regressions, and we've improved our overall cadence of external releases. Their work is professional and high-quality. The engineers are a pleasure to interact with.

How did Waverley Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re integrated into our project management systems and structures, which has been effective. In terms of working with an offshore company, we have to be very specific about the requirements to make sure that expectations are clear. Because they're not here in the office, we have to remember they don't always have the full context. If we’re specific about what we need and close the feedback loop, they do really good work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciate the high attention to detail from their executive team. The CEO is really engaged and likes to check in regularly on the relationship to make sure feedback is moving. Their leadership cares a lot about our success.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of Oji Life Lab, a company that creates adult learning experiences focused on business and soft skills training. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Waverley Software?

We needed a partner to help us build our software, including mobile and backend development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Waverley is building our software from scratch for both iOS and Android, using native technologies and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The software provides learning experiences through a variety of media types that are then analyzed in the backend so we can better understand how people are learning and improve upon it over time.

What is the team composition?

I'm in regular contact with Matt (Founder and CEO, Waverley Software), Sasha (Digital Marketing Manager, Waverley Software), and sometimes Nikita (Chief Software Architect, Waverley Software). There's also about three full-time developers and a some part-time time developers working on our software.

How did you come to work with Waverley Software?

I've known Matt for about 35 years and worked with him on smaller projects in the past. I knew he would bring a strong skill set to this project and that I could trust him.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent over $50,000 thus far, but still have a lot more development to do.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working with us full-time in March 2018 and we expect to launch this Fall.

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

They've done a great job at hitting all of our milestones thus far—we're getting everything done at a steady pace. Their QA person has been testing each build as we go, so we're confident the launch will go smoothly.

How did Waverley Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been a pleasure to work with from the start. They're very clear and organized in communication. I can trust them to make things happen. We stay connected through many channels, including Asana, Basecamp, Skype, and Pivotal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a team of highly skilled, top-notch engineers. They're also very dedicated to our project; they take a strong sense of ownership in it, which makes it feel like they're part of our own team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Engage their team as if they were your own to get the most out of their talents.