Sigma Software Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an education technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software Group?

We needed help with software development. We were a startup and didn’t know what we were doing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sigma Software Group developed a mobile application for iOS and Android; they created a virtual football academy for professional clubs. We initially provided rudimentary documentation. They did the frontend for us using Firebase and Flutter. We also used Django and Python for the APIs.

What is the team composition?

We had up to 12–15 teammates at one point.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software Group?

One of our team members worked with them when she worked for Yahoo. They had used them on several occasions, so she knew them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $700,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from June 2022–January 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wouldn’t have a product without Sigma Software Group, so their impact was huge. They developed the platform, and we loved working with them. 

Most of the team was in Ukraine when we started; we went through the Russian Invasion together and got them all out, so they felt like family. Overall, we were amazed at how they worked during this period. We had the greatest amount of respect and regard for their team.

How did Sigma Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We never worked with them on a project basis; we were developing our whole company with them, so it was sometimes harder to guarantee that the software would work. They were learning with us, so they had to solve things in their own time.

Sigma Software Group delivered on time. They respected deadlines and were always available. However, we consistently exceeded the budget because we were doing retainer work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sigma Software Group was willing to work with any project size. We weren’t too small or too big for them, and they were happy to meet us where we were. Moreover, the team was lovely, patient, and understanding; they never made us feel stupid. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We got what we paid for; they created good software, but their prices were high. I don’t know if they could bring them down. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t work with them based on retainer. Give them a project and a feature.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Blockthrough. We’re a technology firm in the ad-block recovery space, and we support businesses of all sizes to recover revenue lost when users use ad-block software. Our clients include publishers and household-name brands in the news and other industries. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software Group?

We hired Sigma Software Group to supplement our existing employment base. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We use a number of teammates from Sigma Software Group and treat them as our own employees and an extension of our engineering team. We have a standard onboarding process, but we usually have them work on our existing projects. Our team gets their engineer up to speed on where the code is, how it works, what the product is, and so on. 

One of the features their resources have worked on is improving the system we use to detect acceptable ads. This technology is built into our product and allows certain ads to be shown to ad-block users when considered acceptable. Sigma Software Group has helped improve this piece of software. 

This is a custom product, but our technologies include containers running in the Google Cloud, such as Docker, Golang, and JavaScript. The database is PostgreSQL. Sigma Software Group also uses Chrome instrumentation technologies. 

Moreover, many of the installations we maintain on publisher pages are time-consuming. The Sigma Software Group team frees up our time by building automation features or doing the installations themselves. Maintenance is a big part of their role. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve had 2–4 full-time engineers throughout the years. Mariia (Recruitment Team Lead) has been our longest-tenured resource. 

How did you come to work with Sigma Software Group?

Sigma Software Group was a referral by one of our long-time advisors who worked with them. He suggested we talk to the team to see if their services fit our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $700,000–$800,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in November 2020, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We review the performance of the Sigma Software Group engineers working for us using the same KPIs that any new employees would have. They’ve met our expectations. On average, the quality of their resources has been high. They have some strong teammates, including Mariia, who has been a truly strong engineer. If there are any performance concerts, they’ve been able to replace teammates quickly. 

How did Sigma Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re generally good at project management. We haven’t hired a project manager since we’re keeping the cadence, but they’ve done well keeping up with us. For tools, we use Jira for ticket and project management. To communicate, we usually use Slack and Zoom calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their resources makes them stand out — that’s the main reason I’ve hired them. Moreover, they have a great ability to find teammates quickly and a deep roster of resources. I’ve sprung up requirements for them, and they’ve been able to fill roles fairly quickly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. I don’t have any complaints about them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Partner with your account manager and ensure they understand your business and product. This way, Sigma Sofware Group will help you find the right people. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a product manager in the training department of the International Air Transport Association, also known as IATA. We’re an airlines association.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software Group?

We’re in the training business and provide different training delivery methods. We have a traditional classroom delivery and digital self-study training. We needed to develop additional training tools, specifically a digital simulator of real-life scenarios for students that are enrolled in our training.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sigma Software Group has designed and developed a digital tool integrated with our training. We initially sent an RFP which detailed our project’s requirements. We needed a simulation tool with an emphasis on graphic abilities that supported 3D images. We also required the students to be able to manipulate the images. 

After Sigma Software Group completed the software’s development, they continued to provide maintenance and tech support services. Sigma Software Group also developed extra functionalities.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with around 10 teammates from Sigma Software Group, including a project manager from the business side, a project coordinator, a lead engineer, a software architect, a business analyst, and a graphic designer.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software Group?

I found Sigma Software Group through online research. We wanted to work with a company within our same region and checked different service providers.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $100,000–$500,000 with Sigma Software Group. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Sigma Software Group from December 2019–November 2020. The project was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sigma Software Group was professional and met our expectations. This project was part of our overall strategy to create a unique business proposal. We wanted to offer unique training tools so our customers didn’t have traditional training. The software developed by Sigma Software Group supported our new product line and allowed students to practice without going out of the classroom. 

How did Sigma Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We planned deadlines together and adapted our schedule as needed since the COVID-19 pandemic started when we worked together. Sigma Software Group was flexible and organized. Sigma Software Group was good at planning and meeting deadlines. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we had in-person meetings, and then we changed to Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed by Sigma Software Group’s professionalism and quickness to respond. Sigma Software Group also had a wide team of specialists, which was really positive for me because I didn’t have experience in software development. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any significant thing for Sigma Software Group to improve. Overall, I wish in-person meetings came back to business like they used to be before the COVID-19 pandemic. I think it's important for creating business relationships. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to what Sigma Software Group has to offer because it will benefit your company. I really recommend Sigma Software Group’s work quality — they responded to our project’s request. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of a hardware and software company. Our company culture strategizes that we should be a network organization using consultancy firms for various things and suppliers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software Group?

We needed help with custom software development.

SOLUTION

What is the scope of their involvement?

We initially asked Sigma Software Group to fix resources in Ukraine for us. We had a proof of concept before we brought them in.

Sigma Software group has helped us with our cloud-based solution; it gathers data from our hardware, stores the data in the cloud, and analyzes it so we can present it to our customers. The solution is a .NET application based on Microsoft Azure technology with AI and IoT functionality.

When we need a few sprints, they bring in an expert to help us with our issues. Then, the person leaves the team and works for someone else.

What is the team composition?

We have three developers and a project manager in our core team. Additionally, we’ve had QA people and UX experts.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software Group?

I was friends with one of their local managers in Sweden, so I wanted to establish an agreement with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $400,000 so far.

What is the status of the engagement?

We began working together in October 2021 and are still in partnership with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve recently started measuring the sprints' velocity, and they always deliver according to expectations. Overall, the process has been smooth. One of the success factors is that we have an agreement with the Swedish Sigma Software Group. We were a bit concerned about everything when the Russian Invasion of Ukraine started, so we’ve had a few phone calls with them and ironed out some issues.

How did Sigma perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been outstanding, especially considering the current circumstances due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. If there are any difficulties, they’ve been great at communicating them. All in all, the team hasn’t missed any goals so far.

We use Azure DevOps for the product backlog and sprint planning. We have wiki pages here as a communication tool and Microsoft Teams for our meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

First, one of the benefits of using them is their broad range of competencies. Moreover, they’re keen to deliver up to our expectations. Sigma Software Group’s team pushes itself hard to work normally and fulfill its commitments each sprint despite the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. For example, several team members needed to relocate at one point, but they made up for that time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I can think of at the moment. Sometimes they have problems with the internet connection, but they attend meetings through their phone or go to a place where they can have good reception from the phone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of a department called uptime systems and work for Lynk & Co International. We develop off-the-market IT solutions for the car industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software Group?

The challenge was that we needed to create a completely new warranty system. We had a manual process that we needed to replace with an automated system. We had good requirement specifications for the system, and we had surrounding systems that we needed to integrate with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had the framework, but the system was developed from scratch. The core feature is to keep track of all warranty cases we handle for all the cars we have out in the market. The new system mainly automizes and integrates data with other systems to get the best financial follow-up.

What is the team composition?

We have one lead architect, one project manager, and 3–4 developers. Additionally, we have a test lead and a tester. The team has gone up and down between 7–9 people.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software Group?

We had a normal RFQ round for different companies, and we had discussions with Sigma Software Group in Sweden who we have a close partnership with. They introduced us to their Ukrainian team, and we thought they had a really good setup and a good team that could take on this challenge. After the RFQ, we began working with them.

How much have you invested in them?

We've spent around €500,000 (approximately $516,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since January 2022. The first delivery has been deployed, but we are currently working on developing it further.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have two really experienced business owners that have worked in this area for a long time, and they have been extremely happy with the system. The system is doing everything it’s supposed to do, and has made their life a lot easier. We removed our manual process, and we measure success by the fact that we have had very few technical problems or bugs in the system.

How did Sigma Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We have monthly meetings where we decide things based on resource allocation, budget issues, or questions. On the project management side, we have a weekly follow-up through Microsoft Teams. We use our DevOps for project management so we have full visibility on a daily basis of all ongoing activities.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say that they're very structured, follow plans, and are very well organized. They don’t overpromise; we set the plan and they stick to that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When you get structured and well-organized timelines, the backside of that is sometimes spilled into delivery, but that hasn’t been our biggest focus area in this project, and it isn’t really a big issue. Time, cost, and quality are parameters you have to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As always, you need to have a really good view and good specifications for what you want. They’re a really good partner to team up with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re building a mobile app for the automotive industry. I’m the tech team manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software Group?

We needed help with app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sigma Software Group has done a lot of things for us. They work on full app development, AI, and 3D modeling. They’ve built a mobile application with advanced search capabilities and 3D visualization. The AI can view an automotive part and find a match within our database. Also, they’ve built out a custom admin panel to access and edit the entire application.

We’ve built the app from scratch. Initially, we had some design concepts set up and some documents detailing the things we needed, but we went through every detail with them. They’ve connected us to an API extension, setting it up and doing custom configurations for our search capabilities. For now, the app is only for iOS. We’ve used React Native so it can be easily transferred to Android in the future.

What is the team composition?

We have about nine people on the team, including a project manager, several developers, a UI designer, and a graphic designer.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software Group?

We found them on Behance and used them to do the original UI screen design we used to build the app later. They did the app’s first mock-up and then went into software development and AI, so we worked with them on app development too.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in February 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app hasn’t been launched yet, but the API connection, custom search, and 3D viewing features are custom-built and one of a kind. The AI performs at a 98%–99% match accuracy. If we have bugs, they fix them promptly.

How did Sigma Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re doing phenomenally. We know about the budget ahead of time, and there have been many instances where they’ve been under budget. Moreover, we’re able to plan for it; the only time they went over budget was when we changed the parameters during the process. All in all, Sigma Software Group does all the project management for us. We just have a daily meeting via Teams. Also, we can email anything we need, and they handle everything else.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have everything in one house. If we need anything, they always have somebody available that specializes in that thing. They have graphic design, UI design, and every sort of development, including mobile app developers for iOS and Android.

On the other hand, the project management is excellent. Nothing falls through the cracks. We can offhandedly mention something, and they make sure to sit down and follow up. Also, we’ve given them many complex challenges, and they’ve done a great job at coming up with solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe they could explain things more. At first, they explained right away, but they used specific terminology because they thought we were more tech-savvy. Now they know we don’t understand those big terms. Other than that, they’re pretty good. I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Figure out everything you want upfront and investigate more so you don’t build it and then decide to edit it after. Also, we noticed that having meetings frequently made things go better and faster, so don’t skimp on communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CPO and Co-founder of NewGlue - a design platform helping small businesses to get a professional brand and several simple tools to design website and content at an affordable cost.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sigma Software, and what were your goals?

We were looking for a partner abroad to help us build a first version for NewGlue's logo marketplace to help us raise additional funding. Once we found Sigma we knew we had a longterm partner. We have continued to work with Sigma for almost 4 years now, and Sigma has been an incredibly valuable partner for us as we have continued to expand the product, conceptually, technically and business-wise.

SOLUTION

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

We met with 3 different companies in Ukraine and Polen. All gave good pitches, but we chose Sigma as they gave the best presentation, and came with strong reviews from other companies in the tech-sector in Stockholm.

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

Sigma has built the entire foundation of NewGlue's logo marketplace and logo generator, allowing us to create professional logos and presenting them automatically in mockups as well as generating logo files, color palettes and other style kit assets.

The system is built in Rails. The new tools are built inhouse by our team in Stockholm and in Angular, but the foundation remains and we continue working with Sigma as a trusted longterm partner.

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

We have worked longterm with backend-developers and Account Manager. Over the years, we have had a few Project Managers and frontend developers. In total, we estimate it to be around 10 people from Sigma.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Deliveries have mostly been on time, and always well documented and developed. Sigma team is always very professional and understanding to a startup's position. We are very grateful for the professionalism and flexibility that Sigma has shown us over the years.

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

Sigma works very structured and organised with Jira and general reporting on time spent, estimates and costs. We are very happy and satisfied with the transparency and communication.

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

Sigma has not only been very professional and shown good quality in the technologies they develop, but most impressive has been the flexibility they have shown us over the years. We did not expect a big company that normally works with large corporations to show as much attention and care as they have done with us.

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

It would have been ideal if there were more developers available when needed, but our financial situation has been very up and down over the years so we are just happy and grateful that Sigma has worked hard to find inhouse developers for us even though it's often been with short notice.