Monterail for

V2 Studios

Partnering for Digital Innovation

Now it's easy to find good developers and reliable software agencies

but if you are looking for a partner that has spent the last 15 years
ensuring its software delivery process is efficient and effective,
here's what we can do for you:

Executive Summary

Sprint 0

We assume that a defined product vision is in place and that we have access to materials such as personas, market research, value proposition, user research, and data insights from existing products.

Sprint 0 serves as a foundation for refining project scope and setting priorities. During this preliminary sprint, the team will focus on mapping the initial scope and conducting a detailed analysis of the device specifications. 

Implementation

During the implementation phase, the team will focus on the development and testing of the mobile application. Iterative development cycles will follow Scrum methodology to build the mobile app incrementally. We prioritize transparency throughout the project lifecycle, encouraging client involvement at every stage.

By maintaining open communication and collaboration, we ensure that the project progresses smoothly and that the final product meets or exceeds client expectations

The scope is purely focused on re-building what currently is available in Tuya app. It’s a subject of refinement during sprint 0

The offer provides a preliminary outline based on limited information and assumptions about the product's potential evolution, informed by our experience with similar products. It includes a sample scope based on Tuya/ Newton app features.

A detailed analysis of the device's capabilities and features prioritization and clarification would be a subject of discussion during sprint 0.

Offer Part 1:

Sprint 0

Sprint 0 idea

Activities

Budget

Idea

Goal

Sprint 0 being a scoping phase is a space for the team to kick-off the project, get to know the client, refine and prioritize the scope and do any necessary pre-work that will allow smooth start of the implementation phase and mutual understanding of what success looks like.

Sprint 0 will includes both

- Group session together with the client aiming to ensure that all involved parties are aligned

- Team internal work focusing on analysis, research and project setup

Activities

No.

Item

Description

1

Prep work

• Device technical specification analysis, identification of risks and implementation restrictions

• Mapping of current app features and scope initial refinement

2

Group session

• Team introduction

• Current state discussion

• Scope refinement: prioritization and clarification of proposed functionalities

• Technical discussion on security requirements, device specifications, and their impact on the future product. Additional medical compliance and legal requirements

3

Deliverables

• Initial project backlog

• Technical approach final recommendation in line with device specs

• Project estimation review

• Team composition proposition

Acitivites

Budget

Idea

Team composition

- Designer

- Business Analyst

- Project Manager

- FE Senior Developer

- BE Senior Developer - Security focus

Sprint 0 Budget

Sprint 0 Budget

- Duration: 1 week

- Budget: 7,047 USD

Activities

Budget

Idea

Offer Part 2:

Implementation

Assumption-Based

Estimate

Pre-requisites

Necessary device documentation

- Data storage structures, formats, and the types of data collected

- Data collection protocols and transmission methods

- Sensor specifications and capabilities

- Development limitations and potential

HIPAA and GDPR compliance records

Records of efforts to meet HIPAA and GDPR compliance, including identified gaps (if any are found).

Current technology stack

The technology stack used in the current application evaluated to assess the potential for code reuse and ensure compatibility with future projects.

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

Maintenance

Assumptions

No data transfer from the existing application

Excludes any work on the device itself.

​Transition from Tuya ecosystem might require device firmware updates - those are not included in the scope.

Communication with and data reception from device sensors is feasible

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

Ballpark estimate covers only development efforts (frontend and backend)

Maintenance

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

Milestone

Activities

Infrastructure setup: Transition to custom database

• Design a scalable and high-availability database architecture.

• Implement secure data storage solutions adhering to compliance measures such as HIPAA and GDPR.

Device communication: Connection setup

• Establish and configure a stable and secure communication channel between the mobile app and the device

• Implement device Wi-Fi connection to ensure reliable connectivity.

• Develop a QR code scanner within the app to easily sync the mobile app with specific devices

Maintenance

Analyze current application: Assess Tuya app code for reusability

• Review codebase of the current Tuya app to understand its structure and components, as well as possibilities to disconnect from Tuya Cloud

• Identify components that could be potentially reused in the custom application

• Assess the feasibility of integrating these components into the new application and the impact on the overall implementation plan.

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

Milestone

Activities

App stores release

• Prepare comprehensive documentation for the release of the mobile app on app stores (Google Play Store and Apple App Store).

• Ensure that all documentation meets the store guidelines and submission requirements for smooth and timely approval.

Maintenance

Notifications

• Integrate push notification functionality to alert users with app alarms in the event of cry detection

• Customize notification settings to allow users to modify alert preferences

User accounts

• Develop a user account system allowing secure registration, login, and profile management

• Implement authentication and authorization measures to ensure data privacy and security

Device communication: Remote device control

• Implement functionality in the mobile app to send commands to the device, including:

  • ​Motion control,

  • Sound control,

  • Light control

• Enable cry detection settings

Development Approach - Mobile Application

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

Unified Codebase

Single codebase for both iOS & Android thanks to cross-platform framework such as React Native or Flutter

Cost Reduction

Only one team and codebase needed, lowering development costs.

Native-Like Experience

Delivers a native look and feel with minor adjustments

Feature Access

Direct access to mobile features like Bluetooth and GeoLocation

Extendable

Easy integration of native elements (Swift/Kotlin) for specific functionalities.

Performance

Comparable UI performance to native apps (e.g., Facebook, Slack).

Maintenance

Development Approach - Backend

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

Flexible Tech Stack

Recommended use of Ruby on Rails for backend and Sidekiq for background tasks; PostgreSQL for the database with encryption.

Adaptable Data Storage

Considering InfluxDB for time-series or vector databases like FAISS/Milvus, especially for potential machine learning.

Strategic Hosting

AWS hosting, with region choice focused on performance and GDPR compliance.

A preliminary approach that could evolve as more details about the device and project features are collected.

Maintenance

Tech Stack Overview

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

Flutter or React Native for Mobile App Development

Both frameworks are widely adopted for cross-platform mobile app development due to their robust feature sets, extensive community support, and ability to deliver high-quality performance on both iOS and Android devices.

Ruby Rails for Backend API Development

Ruby on Rails provides a mature, scalable, and efficient framework for building backend APIs. It adheres to conventions that promote clean code and rapid development, with a large ecosystem of libraries (gems) for added functionality, making it a go-to choice for many modern web applications.

InfluxDB for Data Management

As a purpose-built time-series database, InfluxDB excels in handling high write and query loads typical of time-series data, making it ideal for monitoring, analytics, and real-time applications.

Maintenance

FAISS or Milvus

These vector databases are optimized for handling vector data and similarity search at scale, crucial for applications involving machine learning, recommendation systems, and real-time analytics.

AWS for Cloud Hosting

AWS is a leading cloud platform known for its comprehensive suite of services, reliability, and scalability. By selecting AWS regions, applications can be optimized for performance and regulatory compliance, such as  e.g. GDPR.

Ballpark

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

Team composition

- 2 Frontend Developers

- 2 Backend Developers

- Project Manager (20h per week)

- Quality Assurance Engineer

- Business Analyst (20h per week)

Considering all of the pre-requisites are met and assumptions are correct, following the outlined development approach we believe, that the appropriate team composition would be 2 Frontend and 2 Backend developers, accompanied by Project Manager, Quality Assurance Engineer and Business Analyst. 

Maintenance

Ballpark

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Ballpark

8 weeks of development

12 weeks of development

136k USD

205k USD

Pre-requisites and assumptions correct and met

Milestones achieved

High quality code

Application delivered according to industry standards

Multiple reiterations of feature work

Advanced and complex functionalities

We estimate that software that meets these general requirements can be built with a budget as low as approx. 136K . At the same time there a lot of unknowns and details that may impact the price and will have to be discussed on later stages of cooperation. In our judgement this product should not cost more than 205K.

Maintenance

Maintenance

Pre-requisites

Assumptions

Milestones

Development Approach

Monterail offers different solutions for the maintenance phase (team reduction, hour package, on-demand service). Regardless of the selected solution the services rendered under the “maintenance” category typically fall into one of the categories listed below (1-6)

1. Updates in the existing features upon client’s request
2. Bug fixes
3. Maintaining a high service uptime to ensure the code is up to date with the latest versions of programming scripts and libraries
4. App Store & Google Store updates (if applicable)
5. 3rd party services updates
6. Adjusting to new security regulations if necessary

Maintenance

Ballpark

1. Team reduction

Both frameworks are widely adopted for cross-platform mobile app development due to their robust feature sets, extensive community support, and ability to deliver high-quality performance on both iOS and Android devices.

Example monthly cost: USD 8,136

2. Hour package

When 0.5 FTE is still too much, we can set up the package of hours to use. Then in a given month we carry out the submitted work within the available hours budget. We always try to arrange people who previously worked on the project, but we cannot guarantee it. 32h/month (1 day per week) is the minimum.

Example monthly cost: USD 3,384

3. On-demand service

On demand service is also possible, though it is not a recommended options as it subject to team availability.

• Monterail provides project support during standard working hours (Mon Fri 8 AM to 6 PM CET). We may also provide on-call support when it’s required for our clients

• If SLA is requested, we can make an offer keeping in mind that we would not do 24/7 support, rather covering CET working hours only

• Depending on the agreed coverage of the maintenance phase and the current backlog, the team composition and monthly budget might change.

Important Notes:

Implementation Case Studies

Fighting diabetes in African countries

Merck DORA is a product by the Merck Group, a science and technology company that focuses on health improvements with the help of tech solutions and scientific support. So is the example of Merck Dora, a web-based application centered on helping fight diabetes in African countries.

Implementation case study

Sneak peek into the project

The Merck Group needed to overhaul and improve their existing web-based application. Keeping in mind key aspects for this app, such as access to the Internet and its connection speed, we delivered a lightweight but still visually appealing and secure app for diabetes treatment where users can assess the risk of falling ill.

Originally, Merck DORA was only available in Kenya. After our partnership, the application became available in other eight African countries, and with different language variants.

Our involvement resulted in further collaboration on three projects: Merck Unite, Merck Life Science, and the Fertility Online Risk Assessment.

Expertise and insight

Not only did Monterail bring their technical expertise to the table, but they showed their sensitivity to the particular cultural context of this project by asking a lot of meaningful questions early on. Once they had fully and objectively analyzed the problems, they set about producing an original and extremely adequate application solution.

A web and mobile prescription
delivery solution

A web and mobile application enabling the UK’s fastest
prescription delivery service, built using Ionic.

Implementation case study

Sneak peek into the project

In April 2022 - after 7 months of moving between the very initial application plan to its working version - the MVP with basic functionalities for online pharmacies was launched, and in June 2022, the team at Scription collected feedback from the app’s beta users to make adjustments to the product.

The alpha version of the app was released later in July 2022. Patients can get a prescription and then their medications are delivered in less than 90 minutes. Pharmacies gain access to a new pool of potential customers and a steady stream of online orders.

Essential support

The team at Monterail has been essential to us; we couldn't have done it without the breadth of structure that they have because what they provide is effective, including the business manager that runs the whole team working for us.

Cloud-powered EHR

for rapid COVID-19 response

We delivered a vital emergency service to the National Department of Health, using our Cloud-based EHR to gather real-time COVID-19 data from all South African hospitals.
We future-proofed the system, migrated the datacenter to Amazon Web Services, and upgraded from Rails 3 to 6, ensuring scalability and reliability through code refactoring and bug fixing.

Implementation case study

Online therapy and wellbeing mobile application

OctoberHealth aims to make mental health more accessible in Africa. They believe that everyone should have access to mental health care and support, which is not the case for many people. The company has taken it as its mission to help provide the resources in this gap and fight the three main reasons for the lack of accessibility: stigma, cost, and unawareness.

previously Panda

Implementation case study

Sneak peek into the project

As they are a company in its early stages, they required a team of experts that could support the creation of the app on all stages from day one. They knew what they wanted in terms of functionality for the app.

We started our cooperation with discovery workshops during which we mapped out user journeys to help understand how the pieces fit together to bring this product to life.

Our main focus was to provide a smooth experience to all users, especially those with a low internet connection to motivate them not to resign from sessions due to streaming problems. We also ensured that data encryption and safe storage of data, crucial in the mental health industry, are incorporated into the app.

Bringing vision to life

What impressed me the most about the team, is how quickly they grasped what we are trying to achieve, and how they supported us to bring our vision to life. We have a world-class product and we wouldn’t have gotten to this point alone. Monterail was the perfect partner to get us here.

World's first breast pump for
nursing with a full freedom of movement

Elvie is a health and lifestyle brand specializing in innovative products for women's health. We developed native mobile apps for iOS and Android platforms for Elvie. This included preparing software and collaborating with the hardware team, synchronizing data from different sessions and pumps into a single session model, and perfecting the design validation process.

Implementation case study

Smart hearing aid for
personalized support for living with hearing loss

Developed a web backend app for iOS and Android platforms for Eargo, tailored for elderly users. This included designing the app around one-way communication using ultrasonic and Bluetooth, creating an intuitive UI/UX despite technical limitations, auditing existing software solutions and previous hearing aid generations, adapting to clinical study results and new requirements for Eargo 5, 6, and 7, and optimizing business processes in customer support and RMA.

Implementation case study

Wireless ultrasound for accessible & precise diagnosis

Vave Health specializes in portable, wireless ultrasound devices designed for medical professionals. Developed hybrid mobile apps for iOS and Android platforms using React Native. This involved a deep analysis and review of the previous solution with a tailored upgrade strategy, solving technical debt, improving connectivity and communication with hardware, and designing a brand new UX.

Implementation case study

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www.monterail.com