Future Processing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CONNECTS has been designed to care about SMEs, Start-ups and Suppliers and the business networks they are organised in. Our vision is to create a global level playing field for all entrepreneurs and companies to do successful business. We’ve created a global matchmaking and community management service that connects businesses and businesspeople via their local chamber and business networks.

It opens up a world of opportunities to develop new business connections and collaborate within communities of common interest. Today the CONNECTS platform hosts almost 50 Chambers of Commerce from representing more than 60 different countries around the world, with more than 35.000 of their members making an average of 5.000 monthly queries. Position: Head of Partnerships

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Future Processing, and what were your goals?

First, we needed to migrate the platform to a newer version of the Symphony framework and PHP, to ensure secure and sustainable development of the service as the previous framework was no longer to be supported. Second, we needed to extend the functionality of the platform to deliver new modules to our clients within the agreed timescale.

SOLUTION

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

I have been collaborating with Future Processing over the past 3 years in different software development projects and knew the way they work and deliver. We needed to scale up in short amount of time with a partner that could support our growth. After reviewing several candidates, we decided that Future Processing was the best fit.

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

Future Processing developed the new features of the Communities module, which enables users to join online communities to connect, do business, and exchange information and ideas with other companies. The module was based on the code of our existing functionality enhanced with additional features. Apart from development work, Future Processing helped automate quality testing and part of the deployment process. Technologies used: PHP Symfony 5

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

There were 4 people in the core team, 2 developers, 1 DevOps and 1 QA. This team was supported by 2 project managers, one relationship manager, one partner manager and one presales solution architect.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Despite some initial challenges in the cooperation between Future Processing and CONNECTS’ development teams, we communicated very well on the management level. As a result, together, we managed to turn things around and deliver a fully functioning Communities module within the agreed timescale. Through our cooperation, we achieved our business goal of being able to offer our clients a new opportunity to develop relationships, cooperate and share expertise.

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

The project management communication was open, transparent and timely. Tools used: Teams, Zoom, our CONNECTS platform, GitLab, to which we added in-person meetings and visit to each of our offices.

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

We were impressed by their focus on people and building relationships. This is what Future Processing prides itself for.

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

In our project review, both parties recognized that we started the project too quickly, more time should have been spent on scoping out the project and socializing the internal and external teams. More in-depth feedback should have been sought about the quality of some of the junior staff put on the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The PACT COMMUNICATION GROUP is one of the leading communication agencies in Germany for sales performance and competence and acts as a quality leader in SALES MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS ANALYTICS & TRAINING SOLUTIONS with the highest analytical, systemic and innovative competence. The four divisions PACT SALES, PACT MARKETING, PACT TRAINING and PACT INSIGHTS operate in a fully integrated and collaborative service portfolio PACT combines strategic advice with specialist implementation expertise to develop solutions in communication and sales. The company focuses on generating and activating leads and maximizing cross-channel conversion - from the first contact to successful completion at the PoS.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Future Processing?

Our collaboration with Future Processing goes back until 2016. In 2019 we hired Future Processing for a project to upgrade, streamline, and re-implement our existing Business Intelligence capabilities. Even though successfully implemented, they were challenging in terms of maintenance and development due to their variety (different versions adjusted to the specific needs of each client).

What were your goals for this project?

The aim of the partnership was to create a Data Warehouse implementation with possibility to apply flexible customization tailored to our client’s particular needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select Future Processing?

We did a research to find companies who provide IT development capacities and services. After a first assessment we narrowed down the number of companies to 3 possible candidates. At the end Future Processing ended up as winner to conduct this project because we had good experiences in the past, their development skills and experiences and their specialization in Business Intelligence development.

Describe the project in detail.

Our initial solution contained complex data that had to be extracted from Microsoft SQL Server, Excel and SalesForce, transformed accordingly to our client’s needs and, finally, shared to other applications like QlikSense reporting for data insights. The main responsibility of Future Processing was to create the whole ETL (extract, transfer, load) procedure. In the course of the project, Future Processing provided services in business analysis, data flow planning, designing data warehouse architecture, data migration and system integration.

What was the team composition?

Future Processing provided a flexible team that was scaled up and down accordingly to our current business requirements. Over the course of the project their team consisted of Business Intelligence architects, developers and a quality assurance engineer as, from the very beginning, the team was constructed in the way that enabled delivery of the highest quality final product.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

FP has provided us with an optimal Data Warehouse for our BI system. Even logical changes within the DWH are implemented quickly. A reprioritisation of tasks is possible at any time, even in running sprints. With the help of Future Processing we have been able to improve our sales performance. '

The new automated data world improved the visibility on our sales activities and allowed us a better management of our sales teams. Reports run automatically, so we can support our customers more effectively and faster. We have become more responsive to new customer requirements.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project was organized and executed using Scrum. In this context, we provided the Product Owner to conduct communications with our stakeholders and the development team of FP. The project organization was very effective because communication has been easy and friendly all the time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Future Processing always managed to provide exactly the right people at the right time who helped us in the different stages of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We can’t think of any improvements right now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Algorithm People (TAP) offer a revolutionary solution called My Transport Planner. It is a pay as you go, web-based transport planning tool designed for commercial vehicle operators of all sizes. TAP

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Future Processing?

We hired Future Processing to expedite the development of My Transport Planner. The opportunity to move in the market place swiftly was important to us and hiring in the expertise made sense to our business.

What were your goals for this project?

The key areas for My Transport Planner was to ensure the user gained efficiencies which were measured in five key areas: A saving in planning time A reduction in total mileage An increase in productivity A reduction in costs A reduction in emissions

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Future Processing were highly recommended. We found them to be competitively priced with a wide breadth of experience in development and project management.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed the front and back end system. This was based on specification drawn up by our product development team who worked alongside FP . The work was broken down into Phases and from there broken down into Sprints.

What was the team composition?

The team was lead by a project manager and we had a number of developers working on the project. The consistency of the project manager was key as they led throughout the development and this was vitally important to overall objective and making sure we hit the time lines that we were working to.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our solution is due to be launched to the general public in May. First feedback from beta testers has been very positive and we are very much looking forward to the response from the marketplace. We are already looking ahead to Phase 2 development

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was very effective. As previously mentioned it was consistent and we always had a point of contact. "We were impressed that if there was an issue it would be dealt with swiftly and professionally.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flexibility and diligence. With experience in software development and a strong drive to get the development completed we have been a demanding client. However, this has been no issue to the team at FP and they have been happy to adjust the plan balanced with being realistic in what can be achieved. Nothing has been too much trouble and it has been executed well and professionally.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is very little to be improved on as a whole the project has gone very well. If anything time frames could be more specific, however, we appreciate this is not always an exact science in software development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of an award-winning customer relationship management (CRM) and internet marketing company based out of Indianapolis.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Future Processing?

We were looking to engage top quality software engineers from a company that had mature software development processes and experiences.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We view Future Processing not as a vendor that’s executing on a specific project but as a long-term partner. For this reason, different teams may engage in different types of projects.

Their team works on projects from building internal tools to improving the quality of our codebase to new feature development. Our development technologies are primarily C#, .NET, and Angular.

What is the team composition?

Currently, we work with one team of four individuals but expect to add several teams this year.

How did you come to work with Future Processing?

I targeted our search to central and eastern Europe because there’s a better time zone overlap and a strong engineering education in those areas. Based on the research and reviews that I read, Future Processing was an obvious choice. They had a great combination of a fantastic track record, reasonable rates, and top-notch staff.

How much have you invested with them?

We will have spent in excess of $100,000 this year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2020 and the partnership’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team reviews their code. Our QA and business teams provide testing for the development they’ve done. It has been of exceptional quality. Our experiences with them have been incredibly positive. We’ve had a good relationship.

How did Future Processing perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via video calls and Slack. They’re probably the best vendor that I’ve worked with at this company. Their team has a mature project management methodology. They go to great lengths to be flexible with their clients and make sure that they’re following best practices while also working within the context of the partnership.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I specifically sought a mature company that we could feel confident in assigning work to them and receive work to our standards. They’ve shown to be capable of completing work to our standards.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind at this point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any outsourced partner, set clear expectations and communicate details quickly. It’s also critical to give them access to any resources within your team to address questions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager at a human rights organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Future Processing?

We needed someone to support and develop our client database system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Future Processing provides ongoing support of our system. Their developers resolve the issues and work on change requests that we submit as tickets. We’ve also engaged them in a couple of projects to develop the system further.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with a number of developers at Future Processing.  

How did you come to work with Future Processing?

My predecessor chose them. One of the main reasons we decided to hire them was because they were the most cost-effective option, which is important for us as a charity.

How much have you invested with them?

On average, we spend about £25,000 (approximately $30,350 USD) each year. We have a support contract, and they bill us by the number of hours we engage them and the amount of change requests we submit.

What is the status of this engagement?

My company began working with Future Processing in July 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work is fantastic, and the level of customer service that they provide is also great.

How did Future Processing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very fine. We use a ticket system to submit system problems or change requests.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our experience working with Future Processing has been very positive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re based in Poland, and we’ve experienced a language barrier with 1–2 developers who aren’t great at communicating in English. However, this isn’t a major problem.

Any advice for potential customers?

They're great. If you can find work that is suitable for them, then I’d certainly recommend Future Processing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the national development manager for FareShare, a food and logistics charity. We redistribute surplus food to charities and community groups across the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Future Processing?

My organization needed a bespoke stock control and logistics platform. Unlike other logistics and retail companies, we often don’t know what inventory we’re going to receive in advance, so we needed the platform to be flexible. Also, we needed a modular system so that we could train volunteers of varying IT skill levels on different modules, without having to provide training on the entire system. Finally, we wanted the platform to store information on our beneficiary organizations and provide impact reporting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My organization provided Future Processing with a storyboard that laid out what we needed the platform to accomplish and what functions we wanted to include. Future Processing’s UX team visited from Poland and spoke with our volunteers and warehouse staff so that they could design the most user-friendly frontend. Then, they designed and developed a custom, web-based, modular platform hosted on AWS. The platform is essentially a database. Future Processing built 7–8 different modules, one of which is a goods-in module that logs stock as it comes into our warehouses. They also created an inventory management module that allows us to check stock or change product type.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with Future Processing’s main development team, which consisted of around six team members. My team interfaced with a project lead and the UI team lead.  

How did you come to work with Future Processing?

We considered an external consultant and several software houses. After narrowing our selection down to three vendors, we chose Future Processing based on their ability to meet our price, design, and support needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project spanned December 2015–April 2017, when the platform went live.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform that Future Processing developed has revolutionized what we do across many aspects. The platform is web-based but also works on mobile, which is very useful because it enables warehouses to use tablets and thereby reduce paper usage. Because we’ve been able to train more of our volunteers to use this user-friendly, intuitive, and clean platform, our processing speeds have significantly increased. Additionally, the goods-in module increased the rate at which we log goods into warehouses by 40%.

We’ve streamlined all of our processes, including inventory management, food allocation, and report and data generation. Having such detailed reporting allows us to serve our users better; for instance, knowing the impact that one of our organizations has allows us to know how much food to send them.

How did Future Processing perform from a project management standpoint?

We were initially worried that the language barrier would impact communication, but their English language skills were second-to-none. Our teams worked well together. Future Processing provided quick response times and visibility into what they were doing, and they resolved issues quickly.

Their team was also very receptive to feedback. When they built the goods-in module, they taught us how to use it and had us test it with our users. Then, they implemented any feedback we provided, tailoring the platform to our user base. The project was on time and budget.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Future Processing cared about what we did as a company, which is why they sent a team from Poland to spend a few days in our warehouses. This allowed them to understand our processes and see the nuances of our work. It’s rare for coders to visit a company to investigate the core business, and we certainly didn’t expect this level of interaction. They were committed to delivering a system that met our needs in terms of increasing capacity, usability, and processing times. The attention they paid us as a client was impressive. They not only met every deadline but also exceeded our expectations in terms of the quality of the platform.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of any. We’re still very pleased with their work, and we continue to interact with them a lot.