Client and project background

The client is a middle-size company with a closed-loop system for employee productivity tracking. Their product has dozens of enterprise users all over the world.

The system is based on a set of tools that allow it to monitor all aspects of remote work, including:

  real-time insights

  automated screenshots

  time and user management

and more customized features.

The core of the clients’ team consists of non-tech experts, so they have to work closely with vendors on each stage of product creation. 

They reached out to VEProf because they weren't completely happy with their current tech partners. 

By this time they already had a working system for Windows and some drafts for Linux. Having unique expertise that the client needed, our task was to perfect the Linux version and create a macOS version of their product from scratch.

Project challenges

The development of desktop software for macOS and Linux is a a quite challenging task. Working with a legacy from other developers only makes the task more complex, let alone the very specific nature of the client’s requirements.

Overall there were a few major challenges we faced working on this project:

1.  Specific OS needs

The task to build products for macOS and Linux contained a requirement to develop them for specific versions of both OS. It included both fresh and also very old versions of OS, which was an extremely challenging task, taking into account the scope of custom technological decisions we had to develop. VEProf team led by our Senior engineer was up for the task and rewrote almost the entire code and frameworks to make that happen.

2.  Lack of documentation

Even though the product is a big complex system, there was no documentation to cover it even partially due to multiple vendors being in charge at different points in time. As a result, all those vendors have contributed more than 2000 branches at Git without a systematic and clear approach. 

Being under time constraints, we managed to figure out the architecture and components of the project without compromising its quality. Both Linux and macOS versions of the Remote Employee Productivity Tracker were made with a clear vision of the product’s tech specifics and needs.

3.  Custom demands for features

The client had a unique vision of the product. Based on market needs, the project had to include a lot of specific custom features like stealth monitoring mode or automatic screenshots with no warning. In terms of programming, it was a challenge since it implied more cracking of security and flow of OSes than traditional development.

4.  Neverending backlog

Like any ongoing product, this system has its own planned backlog. The tricky thing here was that at some point there were too many tasks that were changing, some of them were technically impossible, some of them were easy to implement. 

Prioritizing and setting up a systematic workflow with our client turned out to be a tough but extremely rewarding task.

5.  Communicating complex programming aspects to a client

The client’s team consists entirely of managers and QA engineers with no technical skills or background. Still, as product owners, they set all tasks and were responsible for the product backlog. Sometimes, it took us extra communication skills to fully grasp the descriptions of issues, bottlenecks, or bug reports and turn them into an actual piece of code.

Scope of work and tech solutions

Soon as VEProf become the only tech vendor selected by the client, we committed to the creation of Linux and macOS versions of the product.

We also agreed to cover continuous delivery of the new features and ongoing support of software that had been developed before we hopped on board. 

Our main task was to help the client extend their business by making their product accessible and convenient for a wide range of enterprise companies.

Within just a few months we managed to create solutions for:

  automated screenshots capturing

  keys and mouse logging

  visited websites tracking

  stealth monitoring mode

  schedule-tracking 

  communication with server

  CI/CD

  remote control

  apps tracking

  offline mode

  login

  bug fixes

Project Results

The client got high-quality remote employees productivity tracking software for the majority of platforms used by their target audience. 

Our collaboration with the client continues. The product still grows, introducing new features, welcoming new users, and offering enterprise clients numerous pricing plans. 

Overall, they seem very happy with us as their software vendor and it is mutual.

Client’s feedback

The highly technical team efficiently handles complications that come during the development process. The most important thing is that they deliver outstanding results within the deadline!