STX Next

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Data Systems Admin of a technology company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an tech company who make an open source web product that puts privacy and anonymity first.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire STX Next to accomplish?

• Set up a Business Intellegence software
• Migrate data from old sale record source
• Develope a self-hosted Data Warehouse
• Develope an ingestion pipeline

SOLUTION

How did you find STX Next?

Referral

Why did you select STX Next over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from STX Next were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We needed to move our existing business records from relying on vendor supplied data, and create our own data management system to own and control our own data. This involved connecting and bulk exporting historical data from a CRM, Finance platform, Payment Processor, and ticketing platform. The project also required creating an ingestion pipeline for continuous updates. We merged these seperate sources into normalized data in the warehouse and connected it to a BI tool. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The team met each phase of the goal incrementally, from establishing our API connections, building IAC code in our repository, contanerizing and processing data, transforming the data into typed tables, building a medallion layer architecture for data warehousing, and QA and validating the results before setting up a BI tool. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

STX-Next delivered on our needs and met changing timelines very well. We had several logistical challenges during production and the team did a good job of realigning, staying focused, and working with us on prioritizing and making effective decisions through the life cycle of the project. 

What was your primary form of communication with STX Next?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The collaboration and communication were the best. The team and production managers were very good at meeting our needs and our preferences, and working together so that I could be in daily meetings and we could do internal reviews of their work without delaying production. 

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

Work documenntation was good and organized on the front end, but developer notes and allocation of work in retrospect needed to be caught up. This was a minor adjustment and was quickly and affectly addressed by the product manger and supervisors. It was a matter of lost focus and not malicious, and was addressed seriously and timely. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Head of Product of a software company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Helping companies achieve success with AI

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire STX Next to accomplish?

• Develop a large B2B software product

SOLUTION

How did you find STX Next?

Online Search

Why did you select STX Next over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from STX Next were assigned to this project?

Up to 13

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The company successfully completed the end-to-end development of a large-scale product from scratch, covering all stages of the software development lifecycle. This included UI/UX design, cloud and software architecture, and the development of both frontend and backend components. The project also involved quality assurance (QA), DevOps for deployment and system monitoring, and Scrum-based project management led by a dedicated Product Manager.

The product focused on Portfolio Management and Compliance Management in the area of AI, the product itself contained AI compoentens as well.

Key Deliverables:

Product Design: Intuitive UI/UX design tailored for a great user experience
Technical Architecture: Scalable and secure cloud and software architecture
Development: Full implementation of frontend and backend systems
Quality Assurance: Thorough testing to ensure functionality and performance
DevOps Implementation: Automated deployment pipelines and system monitoring
Scrum Framework: Agile processes managed by a Product Manager for iterative delivery

The company delivered a robust, scalable, and user-friendly product that met all business objectives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project delivered a fully functional, scalable, and user-friendly product on time and within scope. User adoption rates and positive feedback confirmed the product’s value and success.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management was very well organized, using a clear Scrum framework. They delivered all key milestones and project items on time. The team was quick to respond to our needs, listened to feedback, and solved any issues right away. Communication was open and smooth, making it easy to work together. Overall, they did a great job and delivered more than we expected.

What was your primary form of communication with STX Next?

Virtual Meeting

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

What impressed most was the high quality of their delivery. Their attention to detail and commitment to delivering a polished product stood out throughout the project.

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

One small area for improvement could be providing documentation earlier in the project. While they delivered excellent documentation later when time allowed, having it sooner might have been even more helpful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of a real estate technology company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide sales enablement through technology in the real estate industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire STX Next to accomplish?

• Build an MVP
• Build a scalable production application
• Enable the team with strong devops
• Generative AI solutions

SOLUTION

How did you find STX Next?

Clutch Site

Why did you select STX Next over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from STX Next were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We brought STX on originally to build an MVP in the real estate technology space with two engineers, primarily front-end focused. The MVP was a web application that integrates with CRMs. After successfully completing that, we moved into beta and added full stack engineers, before moving into a preparing for production/scale and adding AI engineers to our team. STX was tasked with delivering several AI features, integrations with CRMs, as well as providing scrum master services, DevOps, design, and providing production support. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We've onboarded > 20 teams to the application. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

STXNext has been a great partner in helping us reach our goals. Most people there care deeply about their customers. Judith has been with us the entire time and she stays engaged in the project, looks around corners to make STXNext is meeting our needs, and has been a great advocate for us. STXNext has been responsive to any issues we've had, solving problems and helping us level-up our team as we moved into production. 

What was your primary form of communication with STX Next?

Virtual Meeting

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

Great cost/value, strong engineers, strong advocates for their clients. Solid EU and Latam presence. 

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

STXNext could do a bit better documenting meeting notes, action items, agendas etc... I've had to push them a couple times to be more organized with that stuff, but they've been responsive and its a great team. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Owner/ VP of Software Development of Esoft Planner

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Facility management software

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire STX Next to accomplish?

• Provide an efficient development team to allow for the continuous development and management of our software application

SOLUTION

How did you find STX Next?

Online Search

Why did you select STX Next over others?

Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from STX Next were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Continuous development of our software application and the support and maintenance.
• we expect development that provides consistent value to our product and its users to allow us to grow.
• we ask that their time is spent in specific areas. 60% be spent on new development sprint goal. 10% testing, 10% meetings, 10%bugs/fixes, 10% on our CRM tool. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

When pulling time sheets we see most sprints allocate the time/resources properly after my analysis. 

we have grown overtime with the capability of development as the team has become faster and more efficient after the first 6 months of working with them.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

At first no. But after about 6 months of working with them we got better communication and have developed better processes as we work as a continuous partner

What was your primary form of communication with STX Next?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I'm impressed by STX Next's willingness to be flexible. We are a demanding client with a tight budget that forces the team to be diligent and be in constant communication with. 

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

The onboarding process for us was a bit of a nightmare for the first 3 months where nothing really got done or was communicated not properly 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Manager of CloudCompli

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company offers a comprehensive cloud-based stormwater management platform, integrating digital inspections, issue tracking, analytics, and weather monitoring to enhance program efficiency and provide valuable insights.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire STX Next to accomplish?

• Continuously enhance and maintain our mobile application.
• Advance and refine our BMP Map Builder Product.
• Advance and refine our BMP Map Builder Product.

SOLUTION

How did you find STX Next?

Referral

Why did you select STX Next over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from STX Next were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Upgrading to the Latest React Native Version: Deliverable: An updated app running on the latest React Native framework, ensuring improved performance and access to new features. 
• Integration of TypeScript: Deliverable: Enhanced code reliability and maintainability with TypeScript implementation, leading to fewer runtime errors and more robust app functionality. 
• Implementation of Redux for State Management: Deliverable: A more efficient and predictable state management system within the app, resulting in smoother user experience and easier code maintenance. 
• Optimization of Existing Libraries: Deliverable: Updated and optimized libraries that are fully compatible with the new framework and programming enhancements, contributing to overall app performance and stability. 
• Continuous Addition of New Features: Deliverable: Regularly updated app functionalities and features, ensuring the app remains competitive and meets evolving user needs. 
• Quality Assurance and Testing: Deliverable: A thoroughly tested app with each upgrade and new feature addition, ensuring high quality and reliability. 
• Documentation: Deliverable: Comprehensive documentation including technical details of upgrades, feature guides, and user manuals. 
• Ongoing Support and Maintenance: Deliverable: Continuous technical support and maintenance services to address any issues or bugs, ensuring smooth app operation. 
• Compliance and Security: Deliverable: Assurance that all upgrades and features adhere to relevant industry standards and security protocols. 
• Communication and Reporting: Deliverable: Regular updates and reports to stakeholders about the progress, challenges, and changes in the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Improved App Performance Post-Upgrade: We observed significant improvements in the overall performance of our mobile app following the upgrade. This was evident through enhanced load times, increased responsiveness, and a notable decrease in crash rates, which collectively contributed to a smoother UX. 
• Reduction in Runtime Errors and Bugs: Post integration of TypeScript and optimizing our libraries, we saw a substantial reduction in runtime errors and bugs. The number of reported issues decreased markedly, indicating an improvement in code quality and stability, which has been instrumental in enhancing app reliability. 
• Increased User Engagement: Following the implementation of new features and upgrades, we witnessed a notable increase in user engagement. This was reflected in metrics such as higher daily active users, extended session durations, and improved user retention rates. Additionally, user feedback and ratings on app stores became more positive, further confirming the success of our enhancement efforts.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

STX Next displayed exemplary project management throughout our collaboration. They consistently delivered all items on schedule, demonstrating a high level of efficiency and commitment. Their team was notably responsive to our needs, ensuring that all project aspects were aligned with our requirements. 
Moreover, they maintained a strong adherence to deadlines, which greatly contributed to the smooth execution and timely completion of our projects. Their professional approach in managing timelines and responsiveness was a key factor in the successful delivery of our objectives.

What was your primary form of communication with STX Next?

Virtual Meeting

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

What stood out most about STX was their exceptional commitment to client satisfaction and their collaborative approach. They worked closely with us at every step, ensuring that all our needs were met and going above and beyond to keep us happy. 
Their company culture resonated deeply with ours, creating a harmonious and productive working relationship. Additionally, their ongoing support and proactive check-ins to ensure everything is running smoothly have been particularly noteworthy. This level of personalized attention and care in fostering a positive client experience is what makes STX truly unique and impressive.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.
I am a Director at VetMedux

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide trusted education and time-saving tools to support veterinarians and their teams as they navigate the complexities of modern practice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire STX Next to accomplish?

• Web development
• Discovery workshop
• Native app development

SOLUTION

How did you find STX Next?

Referral

Why did you select STX Next over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from STX Next were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Initially the project began with a discovery workshop. We came away with eight deliverables, helping us leverage the expertise of the STX Next team across multiple areas of our business. We came away with requirements, a roadmap, recommendations on the system architecture, concept design, and a prototype. The STX Next team also gave us an estimate for team composition needed to develop the platform. 

After we agreed on the initial scope, we dove into development. We rebuilt our previous product from scratch (web and native apps), then moved on to adding an additional tier to the paid subscription. We originally planned on this being a limited project, but we quickly realized that the skills and professionalism of the STX Next team made an ongoing relationship desirable.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Successful relaunch of our web and native applications. Successful launch of a premium tier product. Successful launch of a user-feedback-driven redesign. Functional API development to allow integrations within our industry. Ongoing work to greatly expand and improve integration opportunities.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We used the scrum methodology for our project. We mainly use slack and jira to communicate. The team was open to using software that our company uses vs requiring us to use new software. Overall, we have been thoroughly impressed with their communication skills. Originally I was somewhat concerned about working with a team in a completely different time zone, but we have overcome those challenges. The team is always responsive and open to hearing our thoughts and concerns.

What was your primary form of communication with STX Next?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I have been impressed with their ability to think outside the box and come up with new, unique solutions to problems that we have. They have taken the time to truly understand our product, audience, and needs in order to provide us with the best possible solutions. In addition, they have a wide range of specialities on their team, which allows us to pull in additional individuals while we tackle specific tasks. This was extremely helpful as we were building our search engine. 

We were able to work with a search expert that guided us through the process, gave us recommendations, and was open to hearing our feedback as well. Our STX Next team cares about our product as if it were their own and is always striving to create the best possible product.

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

We encountered some challenges around expanding our product offerings with our existing team. The STX Next team worked closely with us to solve this issue by setting up a second team to run two parallel projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of a consumer products & services company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Automatically generate audio versions of news articles and monetize via audio advertising.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire STX Next to accomplish?

• Build out back end for mobile app to consolidate our content
• Have an additional developer to participate in PR reviews, etc.

SOLUTION

How did you find STX Next?

Online Search

Why did you select STX Next over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from STX Next were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Backend for mobile app
• Content delivering and filtering
• User management

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The app is working! We had a great experience working up through versions, and feature/product outcomes are the most important ones.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We worked together for ~6 months, in intervals of two-week Jira sprints. We did a good job scoping, and the items were delivered on time.

What was your primary form of communication with STX Next?

Virtual Meeting

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

Our STX Next developer was amazing. She was incredibly capable across various facets we needed, and if she was ever outside of her comfort zone, it seemed the STX Platform was there to support her -- she was able to ask other STX developers or experts about topics she was working on for us.

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

We're very satisfied. They maybe could have helped with onboarding/kick-off, but I think that was just something that we (from the customer's side) were naive about. Learning opportunities all around -- STX was absolutely great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO at a financial advisory company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with STX Next?

We needed help from a development company to update our web platform to better manage our advisory process and make our business more efficient.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a previous web platform that didn’t fit our company’s needs anymore. STX Next has developed a new web platform from scratch using Python and Vue.js. Our platform allows our clients to leave a review and has a reconciliation fee functionality as well. At some point, we considered hiring STX Next for design services, but we didn’t need them in the end.

What is the team composition?

We work with six teammates from STX Next, including four developers, one product owner, and one QA tester.

How did you come to work with STX Next?

I found STX Next online. I chose STX Next because they seemed professional and had the skill set that we required. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested £300,000 (approximately $376,000 USD) with STX Next.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with STX Next in June 2022, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

STX Next has met my expectations, and I’m pleased with the platform they’ve developed. Our users have recently started using the platform and are very happy. STX Next has shown great expertise and put the work into trying to understand what we want to achieve.

How did STX Next perform from a project management standpoint?

STX Next is impeccably good when it comes to communication. They’re responsive to my requests and very proactive. I have frequent meetings with STX Next’s service delivery manager, who always takes and implements our feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with STX Next’s professionalism. STX Next’s staff is excellent, and their development team works diligently to develop the platform according to our requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The project has taken longer than expected. I hoped to have something delivered in 5-6 months, which turned into eight months. During this time, we had to continue paying for the additional time because our fee wasn’t flat. However, we’ve discussed this situation, and what STX Next has developed so far is excellent.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I encourage customers to work with STX Next because they manage client relationships well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at a district heating supplier. We supply heat, hot water, and cooling to thousands of customers in the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with STX Next?

We needed a company that could help with our metering and billing platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

STX Next provides software development support for our metering and billing platform. They’re responsible for helping us manage and improve the platform.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with four developers, one tester, one DevOps, and one product owner/Scrum Master.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our main measure of success is whether the sprints are planned, tested, and delivered successfully. This has resulted in smooth delivery and ongoing improvements.

How did STX Next perform from a project management standpoint?

STX Next has performed well in terms of project management. We run an agile project delivery, and every two weeks, they do new work for us. We have a very structured relationship — we have regular presentations and sprint planning and delivery meetings. They have the agility and flexibility to quickly make changes within what we’re delivering. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with STX Next’s fantastic work ethic and support. They’ve helped us get over inevitable hurdles that we’ve faced during software delivery.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Tailored products for individual customers would be an extra product offering that I'm sure would be well received.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Putting a structure in place for the delivery is crucial to deliver successful change. It ensures the whole team know what's planned yet gives them the freedom to deliver their best.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at Boopos, a fintech company and private bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with STX Next?

We needed to augment our team with engineers familiar with data warehouses, including AWS, as well as with Python and Angular development expertise. Thus, we sought staff augmentation service providers to help us out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

STX Next provides us with staff augmentation services — they specifically provide us with Python and Angular engineers knowledgeable in AWS. These resources are embedded in our team, and they continuously work with us to help us develop an internal platform for banking purposes. Our internal resources are senior-level engineers, so STX Next provides us with mid-level engineers.

Initially, STX Next offered to develop the job descriptions for the resources we needed, but we wrote our own ones instead. Then, they ran the candidate search process internally. Once they found the right candidates for us, they trained them internally before incorporating them into our team.

What is the team composition?

I work with STX Next’s head of machine learning and the engineers that they’ve hired for us.

How did you come to work with STX Next?

We found them on Clutch and chose them because they were very transparent regarding expectations. They were the only ones able to provide realistic timelines, and they found the kind of candidates we wanted.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $170,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From day one, STX Next has made things really easy for me. Their engineers have been able to work with our internal engineers without any issues.

How did STX Next perform from a project management standpoint?

STX Next’s engineers work under our project management guidance. Initially, we communicated via email and video conference calls; now, we communicate via Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

STX Next is really transparent. Moreover, they have great engineers who work really fast. Thanks to the quality of their work, we don’t have a lot of iteration, which facilitates the fast pace.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, we had some back and forth with STX Next’s legal department to set up our contract agreement. That process took longer than expected because they weren’t flexible regarding their legal framework. Other than that, I have no constructive feedback for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure they understand the project, what you want, and how you work. Additionally, ensure you understand that the engagement will be under their rules.