Building a Dedicated India R&D Team for PolySpot’s Enterprise Search Platform
How TECUNIQUE built and scaled a cross-border development, QA and technical-documentation team for PolySpot—developing GWT expertise, rebuilding key product interfaces, supporting multiple releases and establishing engineering relationships that continued well beyond the original engagement.
How the Partnership Began
A Relationship Built on Previous R&D Experience
Gilles André and Jaydeep Chhasatia had worked together since 2007 at Augure, where Jaydeep helped establish and lead the company’s India-based R&D organization.
When Gilles later moved on from Augure and began working on a new technology venture, he approached Jaydeep again. The initial discussion in early 2010 concerned development around the new venture’s website and open-source community environment. It soon developed into a much broader requirement around PolySpot’s enterprise search product.
PolySpot wanted to build an India-based R&D team that could work alongside its engineering organization in France, and Gilles approached Jaydeep to establish and manage that team. The dedicated PolySpot engagement began in April 2010.
Building Product Expertise Around an Emerging GWT Stack
From Technology Evaluation to Product Delivery
One of PolySpot’s major early requirements was to redevelop significant parts of the product interface using Google Web Toolkit (GWT). At the time, engineers with strong hands-on GWT experience were relatively difficult to find.
Rather than wait for scarce ready-made specialists, TECUNIQUE recruited strong Java and JavaScript/jQuery engineers who could learn the technology and develop the required expertise.
Working together, the India and France engineering teams evaluated different GWT approaches, including SmartGWT and other available options. After technical evaluation, the teams decided to use standard GWT and develop customized widgets and framework components suited specifically to PolySpot’s product.
At a Glance
Client
PolySpot
Industry
Enterprise Search Technology
Product / Platform
Enterprise Search Platform
Team Growth
5 → 13 professionals
Capabilities
Software Development · QA & Automation · Technical Writing · Product Support
Engagement Model
Dedicated Product Engineering Team
Engagement Period
April 2010 – June 2013
Core Technologies
Java · GWT · JavaScript · jQuery · Angular
Working Model
Integrated France–India Agile/Scrum Team
Client Location
Paris, France
Product Engineering & Interface Modernization
What the Team Built Around the GWT Architecture
The engineering team developed and maintained key user-facing modules, custom framework components, and platform delivery tools:
UI Development
Development of the new product user interface using GWT and custom-built widgets.
Administration Interface
Development of the Administration UI as product functionality and enterprise features expanded.
Custom GWT Components
Creation of reusable widgets and framework components tailored to PolySpot’s requirements.
Product Installer
Development and ongoing management of the multi-platform product installer.
Backend Contribution
Participation in selected feature development and data pipelines within the backend search engine.
From 5 to 13 Dedicated Professionals
The engagement started with a small multidisciplinary team and expanded as PolySpot’s product scope, release requirements and engineering organization grew.
5 → 13
Dedicated Professionals at Peak
Java · GWT · JavaScript · jQuery · Angular
UI development, custom GWT widgets, Administration modules, product installer, and backend search engine features.
Manual · Functional · Automation · Performance · Releases
Functional testing, sanity checks, regression suites, Selenium/Java test automation, and release validation.
Product Docs · Release Notes · Installers · Upgrades
Creating and maintaining product documentation, installation guides, and multi-version upgrade procedures.
Day-to-day Coordination · Agile Delivery
Local development management, sprint coordination, and alignment with France engineering leadership.
Client-Selected Talent, Locally Managed by TECUNIQUE
PolySpot maintained direct control over technical evaluation while TECUNIQUE handled local employment and team infrastructure.
Source & Screen
TECUNIQUE identified suitable candidates and conducted the initial screening and interview process.
Technical Evaluation
PolySpot’s engineering team conducted subsequent technical interviews and practical assessments where relevant.
Client Approval
Candidates joined the dedicated team after completing the agreed evaluation process.
Employment & Onboarding
TECUNIQUE managed salary negotiation, onboarding, employment, payroll and ongoing HR administration.
One Cross-Border R&D Organization
India and France Working as One Product Team
During the first year, much of the engineering capacity was based at TECUNIQUE in India, with Eric Beaute providing technical leadership from France. As PolySpot grew, engineering capacity expanded on both sides, with the combined team following Agile/Scrum and participating in the same product-development process.
Initially operating as one unified team, the engineering organization later evolved into separate groups focused on UI & Administration and Backend Engine. During the second year, David Fischer joined PolySpot as CTO and worked directly with the TECUNIQUE team.
QA Across the Product Lifecycle
From Functional Testing to Release Validation
QA became a significant part of the PolySpot dedicated team as the product and release scope expanded.
Manual & Functional Testing
Functional validation across enterprise product features.
Sanity Testing
Focused verification around individual builds and release candidates.
UI Testing
Validation of frontend behavior, custom widgets, and user workflows.
Backend Testing
Validation of search indexing, data extraction, and backend query functionality.
Integration Testing
Validation across integrated product components and search modules.
End-to-End Testing
Testing complete user and product discovery workflows.
Regression Testing
Repeated validation across evolving releases and version branches.
Automation Testing
Automated regression test suite built and maintained using Selenium and Java.
Release Testing
Comprehensive validation and sign-off around major and minor releases.
Release & Version Management
The QA team participated directly in release and version management using Bamboo. Testing, release validation and version-related activities were integrated directly into the engineering delivery process rather than operating as a downstream check.
Technical Documentation
Documentation Across Product Versions
A dedicated Technical Writer formed part of the PolySpot team from the beginning, creating and maintaining documentation that evolved alongside engineering changes:
- Product Documentation
- Release Documentation & Release Notes
- Installation Instructions
- Upgrade Procedures Across Versions
Product Support
Supporting the Product After Release
The dedicated team participated directly in post-release technical support, bridging QA investigation with development fix validation:
- Reproducing customer-reported issues
- Analyzing application behavior and logs
- Gathering relevant diagnostic data
- Escalating to developers for deep root-cause fixes
Technology Evolution Across the Platform
Over the engagement, the platform architecture evolved across frameworks, enterprise search, frontend approaches, and CI pipelines.
Backend & Platform
Core Architecture
Frontend
UI Frameworks
UI Engineering
Component Architecture
QA & Automation
Test Automation
Engineering Delivery
CI & Versioning
The technology stack evolved over the course of the engagement. GWT formed the original frontend foundation, while JavaScript, jQuery and later Angular were introduced as the product evolved. Across the engagement, the team supported several major and minor releases as the product architecture, frontend technologies and testing practices evolved.
When PolySpot Reached the End of Its Product Lifecycle
The End of PolySpot — Not the End of the Relationship
By June 2013, PolySpot reached the end of its product lifecycle after the business did not achieve the sales required to continue the product. The TECUNIQUE engagement therefore concluded.
Most members of the established dedicated team subsequently continued into the CustomerMatrix engagement, preserving much of the engineering experience, product knowledge and working relationships developed through PolySpot.
One Engagement. Multiple Long-Term Relationships.
Relationship Continuity Across Companies
Gilles André
Co-Founder & CEO, PolySpot
Gilles André’s experience working with TECUNIQUE through PolySpot led directly into the subsequent CustomerMatrix engagement and later continued again through OPPSCIENCE.
David Fischer
CTO, PolySpot (Joined Year 2)
David Fischer joined PolySpot as CTO during the engagement and worked directly with the TECUNIQUE team. That experience later became the foundation for TECUNIQUE’s long-term collaboration with Innovalog around JMWE.
These represent relationship-continuity paths established through shared engineering work, not corporate succession or ownership relationships.
Engagement Timeline
Key milestones across the PolySpot partnership lifecycle (2007 – 2013).
Gilles & Jaydeep Begin Working Together
Previous R&D relationship established at Augure where Jaydeep led the India R&D center.
New Technology Venture
Gilles approaches Jaydeep regarding his new venture and engineering requirements.
PolySpot Dedicated Team Begins
Initial team of 3 developers, 1 QA engineer and 1 technical writer established in India.
GWT Redevelopment & Product Foundations
New UI, Administration modules, custom widgets, and product installer developed.
Team Expansion & Multidisciplinary Scale
Team grows from 5 to 13 professionals across development, QA, automation, and tech docs.
Continuous Product Evolution & Releases
Multiple major and minor releases supported alongside post-release customer triage.
June 2013 — PolySpot Engagement Concludes
Most established TECUNIQUE team members continue into CustomerMatrix.
“TECUNIQUE has been an integral part of our journey for PolySpot, and we are committed to further expanding our collaborative efforts. Our association with TECUNIQUE is not merely driven by financial considerations; it’s centered on the invaluable expertise and contributions that team brings to the table. We share the sentiment that, it’s not just about cost-effectiveness but about securing the right talent. I express my sincere appreciation for TECUNIQUE's relentless efforts over the years and emphasize their importance in continued partnership over the years.”
Gilles André
Founder & CEO, PolySpot
Build the Engineering Capacity Your Product Needs
TECUNIQUE can help you recruit, build and support dedicated development and QA teams in India that work directly with your product organization and evolve as your engineering requirements change.