Team collaboration is key to develop quality software. While we work most of the time from our Delivery Center to deliver software applying agile methodologies, having the chance to meet in person with our clients to collaborate, work on details, and reduce ramp-up time, usually at the beginning of the project, is highly valuable for everyone involved.
During 2019 our team traveled 4 times to meet with customers based in Boston, MA and Buffalo, NY. SmartBorder, Blueport, and SmartSense are some of them. You can learn about their feedback in our success cases section.
Usually, these trips take 1 week where we visit the client, have several meetings, work side by side, adjust details, and of course have some fun outside the office to build a great and trusting relationship.
For small to mid-size companies, hiring a software development firm to help with your IT needs is essential to its success today. There are more than 500,000 software development and IT services companies in the U.S. alone, so how do you know who to hire?
For the firms that have entrusted us with this responsibility, we are grateful for them and proud of the success they have achieved using our services.
Our clients recently left us great feedback on Clutch, a ratings and reviews platform headquartered in Washington, D.C. This has allowed us to be named amongst the top software developers.
We recently worked with a Learning Solutions company to update its education platform, building its eighth and most recent version. We integrated it with email notifications and dashboard plugins, and we continue to provide maintenance.
In the 5-star review, the Director said:
“Potential clients are amazed at the platform’s functionality and the way it’s built.”
This is something that all of our clients can expect if they choose to work with us. Client satisfaction and feedback are very important to us.
Another example of a satisfied client is SmartBorder, an import/export software company in Buffalo, New York. We worked on a multi-year project, upgrading and developing its main platform. The SmartBorder Director of Technology, Ron Barone, in this 5-star review, said:
“They’re hungry programmers that do a really good job.”
You can expect this type of commitment in terms of quality and quantity if you choose to partner with KAIZEN Softworks for your next project.
“Customer feedback is very important to Kaizen Softworks. It’s one of the main tools that allows our company to continually improve and provide better services for our customers. Services like Clutch help us gather this feedback, and it has been a great source of validation for potential customers, too.” – Kaizen Softworks former CEO and Co-Founder Fabian Fernandez
I’ve been working as a developer for around 1 year, I’m currently studying CS and always loved the idea of making things work as I want by writing code. My current stack at work is mostly JS (Angular 2+, Node), and have worked with C# (.NET).
As a young developer being in the industry since so early, I’ve been really curious about how we developers define ourselves by ‘Ranks’.
When do you become a senior developer? How do you do it? What should you do/know? I still don’t have answers to those questions, but I realized there’s a key factor that influences every developer career, no matter how much time and experience they have…
When I was just starting, I had to fight with the overwhelming amount of things that seemed necessary to learn in order to call myself even a developer, let alone working as one. This takes us to the first point:
Nobody knows everything, and this is specially true in programming. No matter how many years of experience or how many languages a developer claims to know, what really matters is how he/she approaches learning new things. This is an attitude that will open you a huge amount of opportunities.
Don’t be afraid of spending hours on a problem that might seem the simplest of them all, just because you don’t know how does X thing work, as long as they are spent researching and actively working on understanding it. In the end, you might have learned more than what you were first looking for.
It’s also important to have in mind that …
As every other discipline, being proficient as a developer will take time, understanding some things will take time, and making things work will take time, but you should always look forward to complete what you’re doing, because stress and fatigue may come, but will always pay off in the long run.
You will be a better developer, and may be able to complete any similar task in a better faster and cleaner way sometime in the future.
And I can’t stress this enough. Asking other developers when you’re new into programming is one of the best and most enriching things you can do, because most of the time people will be eager to help you and you may learn a whole lot of things in a way it’s really hard to reproduce any other way.
Most experienced developers also make questions all the time. Not knowing something doesn’t make you less of a developer.
What else would you add to this list? When did you stopped feeling as a junior? Leave it in the comments!
Uruguay is a relaxed country, digitally connected, and globally competitive across a range of industries—like software development. Kaizen Softworks in Montevideo embodies these trends by building apps for U.S. customers with advanced technical needs.
It is a niche business that requires a rare blend of programming excellence, global business acumen, and a willingness to customize solutions. Kaizen Softworks favors this niche, because like Uruguay itself, the company thrives on an open and collaborative atmosphere.
Guest post by: Sean Goforth
In the early 2000s, several global businesses began making investments in Uruguay, based on the belief that the small country would make a good hub of operations for service delivery to the rest of South America. Tata Consultancy Services was among the first to set up its regional headquarters in Montevideo.
Quietly, other multinationals followed suit. Meanwhile, a succession of governments from both sides of the political aisle made a series of long-term investments to boost Internet access and expand educational opportunities.
In October of 2009 President Tabare Vazquez handed out the last of the vaguely lunchbox looking XO laptops, at Escuela 28/80, making good on the government’s one-laptop-per-child (OLPC) pledge. With this, Uruguay became the first country in Latin America to fulfill the OLPC pledge.
The occasion brought a wave of international media attention, as did The Economist’s declaration that Uruguay was its “country of the year” in 2013.
Notwithstanding these moments of fanfare, it’s been business as usual in Uruguay. Even as the rest of South America rode commodity exports from boom to bust, Uruguay just trod along.
Yet, slowly over the years the progressive social policies, and sustained commitment to technological access and education, have helped remake the country.
Open, accepting and tech savvy, Uruguay has the feel of a Scandinavian country located in South America. And more improvements are in the offing. Currently ANTEL, the state telecom provider, is carrying out a nationwide fiber optic Internet plan. If all goes according to plan, the additional investments will give Uruguay 100% fiber-to-the-house connectivity by 2022.
Owing to the educational and tech investments, Uruguay offers a thriving tech culture of software programmers and a budding startup ecosystem. This helps explain why the business technology sector in Uruguay has become increasingly fragmented since the early 2000s.
Stellar programmers may start out at multinationals, but many eventually launch their own firms in order to exploit underserved niches in the market. So unlike Argentina, Chile or Mexico, where large software development firms rule the roost, in Uruguay it is an array of small players–many with fewer than 30 programmers– that collectively drive the market.
One such firm is Kaizen Softworks. Over the past three years, the firm has grown steadily based on its offerings in full-stack Microsoft & Open Source solutions, a core element of a world-class developer team.
Robust and scalable architectures are another specialty, and in recent years Kaizen has expanded its client list by working with partners whose JavaScript-based apps demand a forte in Angular and React. All of this is supported by multi-disciplinary, self-managed, and agile teams.
When Indianapolis-based CuroGens was looking for a partner to develop its cloud-based learning application, it initially focused on options across Eastern Europe. But then one of its contacts in Canada recommended that the firm consider Uruguay.
That led CuroGens to discover Kaizen Softworks, and it is extremely happy with the result. ‘Not only did they have the required technical skills’, says CuroGens director Søren Hjorth, ‘but more importantly they went above and beyond to truly understand the application design often resulting in suggesting minor tweaks that allowed us to save both time and money‘.
Today, Kaizen is building on its technical expertise to reach further into the realms of programming and data science, an emerging differentiator between software development firms.
Its strength in Microsoft-based programming has enabled a transition to offerings that include machine learning, artificial intelligence, chatbots (based on the Microsoft bot framework), security, and big data. Still, for all of its technical prowess, Kaizen Softworks remains a small firm based in a small country.
Technical solutions matter, a lot. But the ethos of cooperation between the client and programmers, and the willingness to tailor solutions to meet a client’s needs, counts too.
Kaizen Softworks founder Fabian Fernandez points toward the firm’s recent work with SmartBorder, a leader in compliance software for imports and exports.
Kaizen is building a SaaS version of its products, a project that has advanced based on sync meetings, Agile methods, chats through Slack, and the occasional trip to SmartBorder headquarters in Buffalo, NY.
‘Understanding the business of SmartBorder and having the Kaizen team fly to their office in the US for short periods of time has been another factor that played a main role in understanding exactly what needs to be built, and how to deliver value that fits our client’s needs’, says Fernandez.
To ensure it stays on the cutting edge, Kaizen plays an active role in the programmer conferences. For example, the firm Co-Founded .NET Conf Global. Since 2014, the Microsoft programmer conferences in Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia and Chile have brought together more than 3,000 programmers in total, making it the largest tech conferences in the region.
Other smaller events abound in Montevideo, and Kaizen’s programmers actively take part. It helps ensure world-class programming skills and the early adoption of the latest trends.
Indeed, in 2018 Kaizen will be opening a “tech hostel” to host programmers from the rest of the country in a space next to the company’s new headquarters so that they can stay queued in to the latest developer trends.
These moves are helping to spread the firm’s expertise to the larger programmer community. Because like Uruguay itself, Kaizen Softworks prefers an open and collaborative atmosphere.
The Uruguayan company, Kaizen Softworks, dedicated to software development, inaugurated its new offices and plans for 2018 to open a “technological hostel” that will house young people coming from other cities who work for the company.
First seen on InfoNegocios (Spanish).
Fabian Fernandez, CEO of Kaizen Softworks told InfoNegocios that the search for a new location for their offices took more than a year. ‘We started as a startup in the house of my partner’s father, we were running out of space in his house where we were already 17 people working there’, he said.
The new offices are located in Presidente Giro and Juan Ramon Gomez, in the Blanqueada area and have 5900 sq ft (550m2) distributed in six meeting rooms, an open space of approximately 4300 sq ft (400m2), 6 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room and an internal yard with barbecue.
‘We seek to make a very relaxed office with meeting rooms, ping pong and common spaces. We like the area of La Blanqueada because the location is tremendously good, we are in the middle of Montevideo where the main avenues meet and that makes any bus leave you at the door’, said Fernandez.
For next year Kaizen Softworks is already working on a new project that will consist of a ‘technological hostel’. As explained by the CEO of the company, the goal is to promote IT careers in other cities of the country by working in conjunction with educational institutions such as the University of Technology of Uruguay (UTEC), the technological high school Anima and Young Programmers (Jovenes a Programar by the Spanish name).
‘We want to help promote technology careers in other cities of the country because we know there is a need there and because in Montevideo it is sometimes difficult to get talent either because they are employed and well established or because the tech skill level is not enough good to us’, explained Fernandez.
The project will seek to employ young people from the interior of Uruguay who wish to work for Kaizen Softworks remotely, but who have the availability to stay at the ‘technological hostel’ for one week per month or every two months.
In this regard Fernandez said: ‘We believe that besides working remotely is convenient, it is just as important to get involved and meet people in person, so the idea is to come to work in the offices one week per month’.
Regarding the present of the company, Fernandez explained that they are working hard with the U.S. market and that for 6 months is the only market they are dedicated to where they expect to continue growing during 2018.
‘We are achieving the vision we had when we started that was to create a company made by software developers for software developers. We are aiming to be twice as many people by the end of 2018 so we are going to have to step on the bottom and accelerate’, concluded the businessman.
I was recently on a business trip across the U.S. and during my stay on Tampa, FL, I had the great honor of being interviewed by Clayton Hunt and John Callaway on their very first episode of the podcast they are starting at The 6 Figure Developer.
In this article, we’ll explore some key takeaways from that discussion and see how they relate to the larger landscape of the tech industry.
Before we delve into the details, let’s start with a brief overview of the podcast. The 6 Figure Developer Podcast, hosted by Clayton Hunt and John Callaway, is a platform dedicated to tech enthusiasts and committed to assisting developers in advancing their careers. It covers a wide range of topics, including Test Driven Development, the importance of Clean Code, professionalism, entrepreneurship, and explores the most up-to-date programming languages and cutting-edge concepts in the field.
We talked a lot about the .NET community in Uruguay, primarily focusing on two key aspects: the .NET Meetup and the .NET Conf. These events serve as valuable hubs for networking and knowledge sharing, bringing together tech enthusiasts from various backgrounds. Such communities play a significant role in fostering innovation and growth.
One of the most exciting discussions revolved around tech trends for the next five years, our opinions and preferences when coding and on software architecture, and about business and how we work at Kaizen Softworks.
Some other interesting topics surfaced during the interview:
In today’s interconnected world, it’s vital to collaborate with communities beyond the .NET realm. Cross-pollination of ideas and practices leads to innovation and growth.
Bringing international speakers to local tech events, like in Uruguay, is a fantastic way to expose the community to diverse perspectives and cutting-edge knowledge.
Tips were shared on how to become an effective public speaker. Clear communication is a key skill in the tech world, whether you’re presenting at a conference or discussing ideas with your team.
Agility is a buzzword in tech, but it’s not limited to software development. The discussion touched on how to implement agile practices even in non-agile workplaces.
The conversation also delved into business, particularly the experiences of growing Kaizen Softworks.
It wasn’t the first time I was interviewed or featured on a podcast but it was my first time to do it in English and it was a fun time. Clayton and John are really cool guys with great tech expertise and a lot to talk with.
The podcast with The 6 Figure Developer provided an opportunity to discuss essential aspects of the tech world – community, tech trends, and business. It emphasized the importance of collaboration, staying updated with industry trends, and embracing growth even in challenging circumstances. As the tech landscape continues to evolve, engaging with the community, staying agile, and being open to international perspectives will be more critical than ever.
In the ever-evolving landscape of international trade, staying ahead of the curve is not just a competitive advantage; it’s a necessity. SmartBorder, a leading logistics compliance software, understands this all too well.
To ensure they continue to meet the needs of their diverse customer base, they have made an exciting announcement. SmartBorder is partnering with Kaizen Softworks, a renowned Uruguayan software development company. Agreements are in place with programming set to begin in Q1 2017.
Launched in 2001, the SmartBorder line of U.S. Customs compliance software was designed from the ground up to increase productivity for customs brokers, carriers, and self-directed importers. With new guidelines and regulations being implemented at an ever-increasing pace, SmartBorder has proven its adaptability by constantly offering solutions that are extremely flexible, exceedingly reliable and most importantly increase the productivity of their client’s workforce.
SmartBorder’s decision to collaborate with Kaizen Softworks is driven by their quest for innovation. With Kaizen’s expertise in web development, particularly in Google’s Angular framework, SmartBorder aims to usher in a new era of efficiency and functionality. Ron Barone, Director of Technology at SmartBorder, expressed his enthusiasm, stating: ‘We are excited to partner with Kaizen Softworks to use Google’s Angular – one of the fastest web technologies available. It will be able to easily handle our large data entry requirements in the enterprise environment.’
The choice of Google’s Angular framework is not arbitrary. It offers a host of advantages that are particularly crucial in the international trade industry. Angular allows for increased productivity, scalability, and flexibility in application development. In an environment where new regulations and compliance requirements are perpetually emerging, having cutting-edge technology is a game-changer for SmartBorder’s customers, which include customs brokers, importers, and carriers.
Accuracy of the modules is key; as urgent shipments can be delayed or penalties issued if information is not transmitted correctly or timely to the appropriate government agencies. Partnering with a company that has in-depth experience in web development will create a better platform going forward, making it easier to release new functionality with fewer bugs.
In addition to new features and increased efficiency, SmartBorder customers can look forward to more capacity to automate and customize the new application for their needs. As organizations are increasingly moving towards software being built around their unique business, SmartBorder knows that the flexibility of this technology will be extremely beneficial to its customers.
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