Arkenea Inc

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and director of Feelya Ltd. We are a UK-based online therapy video platform where registered clients can have online therapy sessions with therapists and psychologists in a safe and secure environment at any time, at any place.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea Inc?

Another software company built our platform, but our sales had become static. We soon realized that we had to redesign both the client and therapist experience on the platform, as well as make other changes to the platform if we wanted to continue to grow. We commissioned Arkenea Inc to help with those changes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Arkenea Inc helped to revise our user experience to increase user engagement on our web platform. We tasked them with redesigning and building a new client and therapist journey that would be more attractive and easy to use. We also relied on them to revamp our booking process to make it more efficient. In both cases, they proposed specific ideas and changes, which they later implemented. We now have a service agreement for technical support from them, as well.

What is the team composition?

We work with a dedicated project manager, a business analyst, the technical team leader, and several engineers.

How did you come to work with Arkenea Inc?

As we weren’t very pleased with our previous software company, we were looking for a new development partner. We contacted several companies located all over the world that we found online. We were very impressed with Arkenea Inc after reading reviews from past clients through Clutch. We decided to hire them due to their competitive proposal and professionalism.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent approximately $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December 2018, and the project is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Arkenea Inc has delivered everything we have asked for. We believe all of these changes will drive client and therapist registration and ultimately lead to increased sales revenue.

How did Arkenea Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management approach is extremely professional. They have set up a communication system between the two teams using Basecamp, and the exchange of information has been quite swift. They have assigned us a dedicated project manager who supervises all aspects of the project. The business analyst and the technical manager report on our progress weekly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I am pleased with how quickly they respond to our questions, suggestions, or queries. They have always been accessible when we need them. Arkenea Inc never discounts our opinions and is always willing to find a technical solution to problems we encounter.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we are really happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

All Arkenea Inc needs to succeed is a clear vision of what their client expects. After that, Arkenea Inc will be able to follow the client’s request and deliver the best results possible. They have tremendous technical expertise in website development, and in my opinion, they can tackle any kind of project no matter how simple or complicated.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO and chief strategist of ORLINK. We offer a cloud-based surgical workflow application that utilizes AI. Working on desktops, tablets, and mobile device, the app is essentially a surgeon’s preference card (instructions regarding instrumentation, positioning, and equipment for specific procedures) that we can customize for individual hospitals and surgical centers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea Inc?

Poor communication and training are the two biggest causes of error in the operating room. Well-designed preference cards can prevent them, which benefits patients, costs, and efficiency. We wanted a prototype that represented our vision for how preference cards ought to be used in the US healthcare system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Right now, preference cards are either hand-written notecards or elaborate, multi-page lists containing supplies and tools necessary for a particular surgery—even for the most complex procedures. We’re creating a modern, drag-and-drop environment that’s easy to use and self-explanatory.

We only had a simple prototype, but they built the basic components of a representational version quickly. They set up cloud infrastructure using a MEAN stack, which allows users to log into the backend via the web app or the iOS app. The system is interoperable with all electronic health records (EHRs) thanks to our API. Surgical teams will use a tablet in the operating room, but they’ll be able to edit and organize the workflows on their preference card through the web app.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had up to five people working on the project, including a project coordinator, a technical team lead, and several programmers. 2–3 cloud programmers and an iOS developer have also worked on the project.

How did you come to work with Arkenea Inc?

I found them through a contact of mine who had done some healthcare related projects. We looked at their work, and one of their co-founders came down to Lexington to meet with me. They were engaging and personal, and their early responses were more authentic than other companies’.

While other companies took a light pass over the problem, Arkenea respected it and took the time to understand where we wanted to be. Even though we didn’t know everything that would be required to achieve our goal, we felt they’d be easy to work with. They focused more on addressing our issues and making our project successful than on winning the bid.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $150,000–$180,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been able to secure the participation of some significant healthcare systems thanks to the initial product Arkenea built. They even came to the US to present the product to one of our major partners in Wisconsin.

Their work is entirely responsible for getting us the angel investments we’ve received up to this point. They've been able to do a lot with a relatively small budget. In my 30 years of experience, I’ve never accomplished this much in a single project before.

How did Arkenea Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good about communicating twice a week, in addition to setting regular meetings to present progress reports. Arkenea makes sure the surgeons and technicians on our clinical team can follow along and learn about the app design process. They listen to complex problems, and we’ve found a common language that doesn’t require over-simplifications.

In the beginning, they moved with certainty and clarity and met deadlines well. Toward the end, we've recognized the app has become gigantic and that we need to raise significantly more capital to take it to the next level. They've done as much as possible with their small team, taking on an enormous problem no one had been able to solve. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I wasn’t clear on everything in the beginning, and they helped me work through it all. Though it’s been a long, challenging road, they've never gotten frustrated,  even when we had a tight deadline. The app looks simple on the surface, but, like an ocean liner, it has a lot of complexity hidden under the surface. This isn't a project for amateurs or people who exaggerate their capabilities. Arkenea has behaved professionally and concentrated all their attention on my product. They’ve handled themselves with a lot of class.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Adjusting to the rise of AI requires programming groups to switch to a new mode. Everyone other than purely data-driven people, including Arkenea and myself, has a lot to learn when it comes AI mechanics and methodologies.

Arkenea understands what they have to do and has gotten a good start, incorporating new ideas about cloud architecture into their thinking. They’ll wrestle with it now and get better in the future. We’ve shifted the project in a new direction—toward AI—but that has nothing to do with Arkenea’s general abilities. Our vision changed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t throw ideas at them and expect them to make magic out of nothing. Development is a two-way street, and you won’t get what you want if you don’t engage and communicate with them. Most of the failings we’ve experienced have stemmed from our side.

We learned quickly that complex programming tasks took much longer than we’d expected. Because we didn’t understand the pressure we putting them under, we would pile on new ideas while they were still working on the first one.

Arkenea is one of the best partners for classic projects and consumer products. You have to determine whether your project is a good fit for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Tiny Traveler, a startup that allows travelers to rent baby gear, such as highchairs, toys, and other items.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea?

I engaged Arkenea to help build my website from scratch, ensuring that it would be informative, transparent, and very user-friendly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Arkenea created an Excel spreadsheet that mapped out their process week by week. Based on my requirements, they designed a prototype and are now moving into development on the final phase of work. Features allow users to easily find and rent specific baby equipment and gear they may need while traveling.

What is the team composition?

I work with Rahul (Co-founder, Arkenea), as well as a project manager and some developers.

How did you come to work with Arkenea?

A handful of vendors were recommended to me and, after interviewing 5–6, I liked Arkenea's offer the best. They came off as the most professional and organized and were reasonably priced.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested close to $30,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since May 2018. They're just waiting on me to send over photos of some of the products I still need to get licensing for and purchase, and then we'll be able to move on to the next phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Arkenea delivered a modern, professional website that's so easy to navigate, grandparents can use it with ease, which was one of my goals.

How did Arkenea perform from a project management standpoint?

They're accessible whenever I have any questions. We connect through Skype each week and track the progress of the project through Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm very impressed by how quickly the process is going; their team is on top of it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They've been wonderful to work with and very easy to talk to.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and honest with them, even if it means you need to request slowing down some of the development for budgeting or timeline reasons. They're very understanding and flexible to client needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a job hiring web and mobile platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea?

I engaged Arkenea to help develop our web and mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Arkenea designed and developed a web and iOS app, including the frontend and backend work, using MySQL, PHP, and Laravel. The apps include features that help users find employment opportunities.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with a project manager and a tech lead.

How did you come to work with Arkenea?

I met Rahul (Co-founder, Arkenea) through a networking group we're both apart of.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested about $130,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since December 2017 and expect to complete the project by December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven't launched yet, but so far everything they've designed looks great and the reliability of the code is good.

How did Arkenea perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication has been great overall, even though the timeline is taking a little longer than we'd expected. They're pretty good at tracking everything through Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produce quality work and are very process-oriented. They take their time developing the frontend to ensure the documentation, design, and functionality are top-notch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Perhaps their timelines could be improved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to have someone on your team involved in the process from the start who has the time to collaborate with their team and provide them with all the infomation they need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Formulary Academy. We provide automation services for pharmacologists who review prescription information for companies like health benefit payers, hospitals, and clinics. The software suite we’re creating streamlines the onerous process of copying and pasting research so pharmacologists can focus on their specialized role. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea?

The first developer we hired had taken on a rigid approach to customer service and failed to remedy factors impacting the cash flow like subscriptions. Dissatisfied with their “Let’s just wait and see” approach, we hired Arkenea as a replacement. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Arkenea took over all our development, maintenance, support, and hosting. The team confidently took the reins on a complex piece of software. We barely had any noticeable downtime during the transition between teams. They’ve done several projects with us. For the current one, they used the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, PHP, and MySQL).

Our platform is unique in that it doesn’t store any data at the outset. When a customer wants to review a drug, they search for its name and the system pulls in all the prescribing information and research articles from many different locations. It involves extensive backend processing.

Specific bugs came up during the new installation as we transitioned to a new server, and they fixed as fast as they could. Unlike most developers, they never make excuses for challenges we face. Instead, they apologize and fix them. 

What is the team composition? 

The team includes a project manager, lead developer, database admin, 2–3 other developers, and a QA tester. We have a typical project layout, but an advocate-centric point of contact was a requirement in the original bid. When a project manager is responsible for the budget and timeline, they may try to limit the product. 

Arkenea assigned us a business analyst who focuses on product quality and handles the weekly reports, sprints, and demos. While she’s familiar with the complexity of our project, I specified that she shouldn’t be concerned with the budget. Arkenea had no issue with that proposition, and it’s worked out well. Their willingness to cooperate speaks to their professionalism.

How did you come to work with Arkenea?

We put out an open bid and got several responses. Arkenea primarily won because they addressed the main issue we pointed out in our bid documents. Even though it wasn’t obvious, they caught it and understood. Despite our cultural differences, we could see the same things from a business and operational standpoint. They also had a great price point.
 
How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $28,000 so far, but that’s only a fraction of our planned scope for the next two years. Our entire project is worth around $250,000, and we plan to invest $350,000–$500,000 in growing the service and product options.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Arkenea since June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve worked with outsourcing firms for the last 11 years, and Arkenea has been the best one so far. Arkenea developed an effective and reliable platform for us. The team’s attention to detail makes the quality of their work stand out. I’ve been managing UI/UX for 21 years, and they have caught things that I missed. Their willingness to complete tasks before sending a bill is refreshing. They take ownership of the project, and it shows. 

Arkenea understands American business culture. An essential measurable outcome is that we have no internal complaints about our software developer. When operating at a certain level in business, the focus ceases to be about money, but rather results. They never cause problems, and our work goes smoothly every day.

How did Arkenea perform from a project management standpoint?

Arkenea has been friendly and professional, and the business analyst reminds me of pending tasks I need to complete. As a business analyst myself, it’s easy to communicate. When she went on vacation, and the project manager took over for a couple of weeks, it was very different. Our CEO even asked about her.

Due to my schedule, I haven’t been able to respond promptly which has backed up our timeline. We’ve settled on Trello as a tool because it’s free and easy to use. For the moment, it works efficiently. They’ve used Slack with other customers, and I plan to request adding that in. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The business analyst is exceptionally skilled. Her high-level perspective ensured the development team never experienced workflow or missed details. She caught small things I didn’t notice and found missing error messages and confirmation emails. Once we saw these issues, they were easy to add back in.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When our business analyst is on board, the answer is no. They should, however, educate the project manager who works with customers about business issues. This is true for every development company in the world. Every project manager needs to pull themselves out of the project-centric mindset and remember that they’re talking to business people.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

We hired Arkenea because they are professionals who have the skills we lack. We had a vision and knew what we want, but needed their help to translate how to do it. I advise future customers to let them make recommendations and push back on ideas that sound good but might not work when executed. They make great suggestions based on our discussions. When I request a result that’s way too complex, or not complex enough, they always let me know. So far, I haven’t been disappointed.
 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder of NPHub, which serves medical and nursing students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea?

We contracted with Arkenea to build a web application that matches my customers with my vendors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The backend of the website is built with HTML, we’re using AWS to host all the data, and the payment process is managed with Stripe.

Our platform exists to match medical and nursing students with locations to perform clinical hours or residencies. We allow users to create student profiles or preceptor profiles and review the others to determine if they would be a worthwhile match.

What is the team composition?

We had a team that consisted of a business development strategist, a project manager, a designer, and a developer. We also worked closely with one of their founders.

How did you come to work with Arkenea?

I learned about Arkenea through an organization that I'm a member of. One of Arkenea's founders is heavily involved in the tech space, and he has advised other members of that organization. I connected with him that way.

We had met with two other firms. One was a freelancer who quoted us at an absurdly cheap price that we didn’t feel would be sufficient. The next company quoted us at a more reasonable price, but the proposal itself was not carefully planned. Arkenea quoted the highest price, but their process of gathering information impressed us. One of their founders met with us over the phone for several hours to map out what we wanted before presenting a quote. Even if their quote was higher, we felt they were building us an app and not a useless conglomeration of a few functions.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $125,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2017. Our project is still ongoing. We anticipate a September 2018 launch.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work to this point in the process has been really strong. We have received significant positive feedback about our project.

How did Arkenea perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of meeting deadlines, they performed well. Our team would sometimes be the cause of delays, which would then hurt their productivity. We used Basecamp to track all progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very accommodating to our timeline. We had originally projected a November launch, but we determined that was too late, so we pushed it up to September, and they allocated another engineer to help with development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At this point, I realize there are certain aspects that we overlooked. I wish we could go back and add those things without a delay in time or an increase in price. If we could have added a second round of specification reviews after the design phase, we would have found that useful. That way we don’t get into the development and realize we forgot to include important features.

Any advice for potential customers?

Meet with the founder as a consultant as opposed to a vendor. They are able to guide decisions toward what you truly need instead of simply delivering a misguided product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of TeleMedHome. We have a mobile application that connects and coordinates patient care between patients, family caregivers, and healthcare providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea Inc?

We needed someone to develop our mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Arkenea helped us develop our iOS app. I gave them some sketches and my ideas about UI and basic functionalities. We then started to iterate and adjust. Looking at the current product, about 60% is what we initially gave them and the rest is based on subsequent discussions and their feedback. They also built the backend cloud for data storage as well as some websites and some software.

The app is a secure communication and connection platform, but we want to go further. We want to help users stay healthy. Our target user is a patient who has some chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Our app helps them track their symptoms at home and notifies them to take their medication.

We also help them understand their conditions more fully by giving them access to educational materials and other information. They can also log their vital signs and other metrics, and if their numbers go the wrong direction, the backend generates alerts to their family.

Right now, the main features are alert notification and tracking. We launched the minimum viable product (MVP). We want to see what the users want so we can prioritize accordingly.

As part of our agreement with Arkenea, they’re available for revisions for six months post-launch. They assured me that once I have a clear list of version 2 features, we’ll get together to discuss them. Also, if we get get positive reviews after launch, they’ll build the Android app.

What is the team composition?

One of the co-founders was heavily engaged in the early stages of the project. Once we settled in, we worked primarily with a team of six people plus their development team. However, the project manager coordinated all communications with us.

How did you come to work with Arkenea Inc?

I did a comprehensive global search because I wanted to find the right balance between the price and the estimated timelines. I knew about one of their co-founders because he’d written a few magazine columns I’d read, so I got in touch with him. I also contacted some of their existing and previous customers to get their feedback.

How much have you invested with them?

Thus far, we’ve spent $55,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2016. They completed the iOS app June 2018, but we’ll re-engage them should that launch go well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I didn’t expect the app to be perfect. Because we don’t have a big budget behind us, I’d like to get around 500 users to use the app in a meaningful way, collect feedback on what the next version should look like, and, if that goes well, move forward with the next version.

I got feedback from some early users, who had a chance to look at the UI, and also from a few software people that I know. It needed a lot of polishing and tweaking. For example, there were some problems with logging in and creating a profile. Arkenea has done what they can to make each iteration more seamless than the previous one. At this point, it’s a matter of changing a few prompts here and there.

How did Arkenea Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

If I had to do it again, I would have put a little extra effort initially to predict the timeline of the project. The project lasted a little longer than we anticipated. Most of the delays were caused by us changing the scope of the project and needing to adjust and redesign. They were pretty reliable in what they’ve done.

For the most part, the communication (mainly via Basecamp) went well. The project manager did change a couple of times, however. Depending on where we were timewise, different people would be involved on our regular calls, which, sometimes, caused problems. Since I’m new to app development, it would’ve been nice to get more suggestions from those more in the know on trends and technologies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Be more of a consultant. Guide and educate the customer. Invest more time in leading your customer to something very good rather than just taking what a customer is asking for and executing that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of one of the largest online sites in the e-commerce space dedicated to collectible toys.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea?

We originally worked with a legacy development team that had limited bandwidth and was often unresponsive or difficult. Because of that, we had a lot of trouble with the website they were supposed to be managing. It was down frequently, there were customer issues daily, and they did not respond to the problems quickly. We needed another firm to take over the website, make sure it was functional, make any necessary updates, and migrate to a platform that was more user-friendly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began with a consultation to decide whether or not it would be beneficial to migrate to a different platform. The most well-known e-commerce platforms, like BigCommerce or Shopify, wouldn’t work with our custom order system. Our hosting environment was on Rackspace. We decided to have Arkenea migrate all of the new code they would develop onto AWS and a Cloud server.

Our original code was developed using PHP and MySQL, but it hadn’t been updated in 10 years. Arkenea updated all of the existing code, which made the website much more responsive. They tested all of the functionalities to make sure we wouldn't have as many glitches.

The database had a lot of issues due to the complexity of the site, so Arkenea increased the database size in a way that enables us to adapt it as our business continues to grow.

We also have a blog and they completely updated the design for that. We have an ongoing relationship with them as we continue to invest in our website and blog, make significant changes, or build new products.

What is the team composition?

We have about a five-person team. The project manager acts as our liaison and the business analyst puts together the project specifications. They are the two that I communicate with on a regular basis. There are two developers that work on the backend and coding pieces, and one developer that does the frontend design and implementation.

Depending on the complexity of the project, the CTO, CEO, or COO can get involved. That’s generally only when we have to make a very technical or very large decision, which happened more at the beginning of the project.

How did you come to work with Arkenea?

After all of the trouble we were having with the previous firm, I began talking with different entrepreneurs and entrepreneur membership groups I was a part of. Eventually, I was referred to Arkenea and they were one of five or six firms that we were considering.

How much have you invested with them?

We have a monthly retainer of $5,000, and we’ve been working together for two years now, which comes to roughly $132,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2016 and have an ongoing relationship. We are two years into a three-year project roadmap, and I’m currently working on our next three-year roadmap. We continuously evolve and adapt our site because the market is constantly changing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Compared to the site before the integration, our channel sales have significantly improved. The site itself has grown strong revenue each year; we continue to improve our sales and conversion rates.

With the previous site, we had a significant amount of customer issues and system downtime. While there is still the obscure situation where something doesn’t work, the website is up all the time, it’s functioning, and it’s fast.

How did Arkenea perform from a project management standpoint?

It is outsourced work, so it’s not the same as having an in-house team, but communication has been pretty good. Every Sunday night we have a weekly call with the project manager and business analyst to go over the progress and any challenges. We also communicate over Skype.

We currently use Basecamp as our project management tool. At the beginning of the project, we used Jira, which was very helpful during the migration and code updating. However, it’s not necessary now and we’ve found more benefit in using Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver on what they promise without any delays or pushback. They are always very positive and motivated, which is not something I’ve experienced with many offshore firms. They’re open and flexible, and keep the project on schedule and within budget. With every website, there’s a chance that something will go live and not function properly, but Arkenea provides really high-quality work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their regression testing team could be a little more solid. There have been times when that team has said something is thoroughly tested, but then I find some bugs before it goes live. Our site does present more challenges than what I expect the typical e-commerce site does because we have multiple complex order formats. However, if that team were to improve, it would free up a lot of my time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Arkenea does a good job of working parallel paths or working on smaller projects behind the scenes. To really help them move the project forward efficiently, have a detailed roadmap with all of your goals and expectations, and present that to them up front. Be clear and thorough on what exactly you want, put it in the documentation, and they’ll make sure it gets done.

For us, at one time they could be working on 15 large projects and 45 small projects, and then present me with a deliverable that I had forgotten was even on the roadmap.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of a healthcare organization called Hill Country Community Clinic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea Inc.?

We were looking to create a mobile app for iOS and Android to drive revenue, a portion of which would go directly to local nonprofits.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with an extensive planning process. We went back and forth to determine the layout and design of the app, and they subsequently managed all aspects of development. Their scope encompassed the full build, including a geolocation feature via integration with Google Maps. Throughout the process, they checked in with us and made changes as necessary. Once we had a working version, they initiated beta testing and we collected ideas for possible improvements. After several iterations, the app was ready for launch.

How did you come to work with Arkenea Inc.?

We posted our idea on an app development forum and they contacted us with ideas. After meeting with them, we were confident that they could take on this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $45,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had initial conversations in 2013, but we didn’t start working together until June 2016. We concluded development in February 2017, and we officially launched in May of the same year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with the end result. We experienced several crashes during beta testing, and they were able to quickly address the problem prior to release. Since its launch, we’ve had no major issues.

How did Arkenea Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed this project very effectively. They always made sure that we stayed on task while still accommodating us when there were delays on our end. We had weekly calls throughout the project and used Basecamp to track progress and communicate day-to-day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Arkenea team is very personable and emphasizes effective communication throughout the engagement. The whole experience was very positive for us.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to prepare all the necessary materials prior to meeting with them. If you want to move the project forward, be prepared on your side, because they’re always prepared on theirs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of a B2B management company. We primarily work with marketing and agile technology vendors, as well as niche vendors such as security, storage, cloud, and Internet of Things companies. We help them with their entire marketing strategies, from awareness to sales-qualified leads. We also have a media side that focuses on the editorial aspects of enterprise software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arkenea?

We decided to launch our media business back in 2014. We were contemplating using either off-the-shelf CMS solutions, or going with a proprietary, in-house-developed solution, and we were going to need help implementing either. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After we engaged Arkenea, we discussed the pros and cons of both solutions, and decided to go with an in-house PHP solution. We did a fair amount of homework internally and gave them a brief, which their business analyst then used to build out the wireframes and use cases. These were then translated into a mockup.

There were a host of functionalities. The platform is a publishing site where users can push content based on various categories and taxonomies. We needed the flexibility to define our taxonomies at the backend, as well a common engine, so we could launch new properties. We also wanted a guest author program where they had he flexibility to log into our CMS and submit content directly. We also needed a review platform for marketing technology products, so Arkenea built that entire review engine for us. As we went deeper into it, we asked their team to develop more and more features, depending on how our business requirements matured.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with their co-founder and Director. We also had a team of four people on their side that included a business analyst.

We didn’t have any in-house engineering talent when we started, so we leaned entirely on Arkenea. We also hired a technology advisor in a consulting capacity, who overlooked the project. He worked with Arkenea, and—to the best of my knowledge—was very happy with the quality of code being developed. One and a half years later, we started taking the whole process in-house. We put our own team in place, and we currently manage the whole thing ourselves.

How did you come to work with Arkenea?

One of my managers found Arkenea, either through their network or through web research.

How much have you invested with them?

We paid them around $5,000 per month for 12 months, for a total cost of $60,000. There might’ve been some incidental costs as well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January 2015 to June 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The revenue we have on the media side, for all our properties, is powered by the CMS developed by Arkenea. For the past two years, we’ve had our own engineering team manage the platform, and it continues to be the core of our business. I don’t know if I'd be able to provide any metrics or statistics to support this though.

We haven’t faced any issues in terms of downtime over the last three years. We don’t have a lot of traffic, given that our audiences are very niche, but we have close to 200,000 page views per month, and we haven’t seen any issues in terms of site performance.

How did Arkenea perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was quite good and I never saw it as a challenge. We kept coming up with new ideas all the time, and there was a lot change in management for Arkenea to deal with, but they handled it all really well. I believe they used Jira to manage the project, but we also had an entire infrastructure for uploading code and testing it in a sandbox server. Overall, they had sprints defined and, more often than not, they met the deadlines they committed to in terms of releasing new features.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things we really liked about Arkenea was that they had a strong business analyst. They were able to capture our requirements well to begin with, and they were also able to apply their own experience to recommend any kind of change, identify bottlenecks, as well as anything else we had missed, which they felt would have an impact at a later date.

We haven’t worked with companies in the same space as Arkenea, but we have tried to work with development companies when it came to workflow automation and management information systems automation projects. Many of these other development companies had worse performance in terms of timelines, and there would be a lot of compromises in terms of functionalities, as well as the UX never turning out as it was supposed to. We even had to abandon some of these projects. This may have been a function of our own internal maturity, but, all things being the same, Arkenea was able to successfully deliver a CMS that is a core platform driving multiple properties for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve probably evolved since our project two years ago, and they’ve probably grown their team size as well, but there were no major issues. This was probably the most successful development project we’ve had over the years, or at least one of the most successful ones.

There’s nothing I could complain about. They did run over on the timelines, but this may have been related to the changes we brought to sprints, as well as to incorrect estimations on Arkenea’s end. I don’t hold this against them though since the spillover wasn’t great.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Customers should simply be clear in terms of what the requirements are, and set realistic expectations. Other than that, I don’t really have a comment. Arkenea is a good firm to work with and has a good set of people. They’re particular about the people they hire. We haven’t faced a situation of needing to change members of our team.