2026/8/18
Contract Development That Doesn't End at Delivery — Two Years in the Field with a Local Government, Through a Partner's Eyes
The day you deliver is the day the system works best. After that, every change feels risky — and there's no one left to fix it. This is a regret we often hear from organizations that outsource development.
At yocto, contract development means designing IoT, mobile, web, cloud, and AI as one team — and staying alongside our clients through post-launch improvements.
Here is that work, told partly through the words of a partner company that has watched us in the field with a local government for two years.
What we do
We take on everything from hardware to apps, cloud, and AI — end to end.
Our founder, Takafumi Kawano, has been an engineer since 1999. While building web systems for a public university in Japan and apps for private companies, he also designed yoctoMat, our own AIoT device with embedded pressure sensors, and took it all the way to mass production (Japanese Patent No. 7023004).
From design to implementation to operations, the founder himself stays hands-on. Even on projects with partner companies, yocto remains the single point of contact — and holds sole responsibility for design and quality.
IoT and hardware (sensor device design, firmware, BLE integration)
Mobile (iOS/Android apps with Flutter and more)
Web and cloud (React, Django, Firebase, GCP)
AI (voice analysis, LLM integration, data analysis)
Track record
Learning-data visualization system for a public university in Japan
Kawano has worked on this system continuously for almost 10 years, since 2016 — from requirements definition through development and maintenance.
It visualizes classroom learning logs for research support, and it keeps growing with the university's needs. It is our longest-running proof of "not ending at delivery."
Physical fitness testing system for a local government
We built the mat-type sensor, the iPad app, and the external system integration end to end. After the first year of operation, we are now in the second year of ongoing maintenance and support.
MVP of a talent platform for international talent
Built test-first from design documents, delivered with 616 automated tests and privacy-conscious design including consent management and audit logs.
Beyond client work, we have built and operate our own services: a multilingual AI voice-response system (6 languages, about 46,000 lines of code) and an online service integrating payments, video, and generative AI (244 automated tests).
Our own AIoT device — with more than 1,000 pressure sensors — reached mass production, proving hardware-software vertical integration with our own product.
How we work — we don't just "build to spec"
We work alongside you. Instead of waiting for a spec document, we design from the goal together. We believe a spec is only complete once the system is used in the field, so we count the post-launch improvement cycle as part of development.
Field-driven improvement. We turn voices from operations into features. At municipal testing sites, staff requests led us to implement group measurement for multiple participants and two-lane simultaneous operation.
Honest estimates. If a timeline cannot work, we write "this timeline cannot be completed" in the quote, with reasons. We don't inflate promises to win orders.
We don't disappear after handover. We hand over source code and documentation — and keep supporting operations after delivery.
Partnership — one joint project led to the next
Our relationship with Nihon Computer Co., Ltd. began with the joint development of a government app for a municipality. yocto built the application side, and the two companies' engineers worked together daily — from database permission design to pre-release verification. It was joint development in the truest sense.
That relationship led to the next project: the municipal fitness-testing system. There too, we worked side by side through launch — account authentication on the devices, distributing test builds — and now handle issue triage and feature adjustments together in day-to-day operations.
A partner's view
Yuki Sakurai, Nihon Computer Co., Ltd. (translated from the original Japanese):
"On the Adachi City project, yocto handled the integration between the app and our system with great care, from spec alignment through implementation and operations. Their responses are fast, and they grasp our intent accurately, so we could move the development forward with confidence. Since entering the operations phase, they have responded quickly and flexibly to issues in the field. As a development partner, we find them truly reassuring, and we look forward to continuing to work together."
Contact
We offer an introduction deck of our contract development services. In a free 30-minute consultation, we will map out feasibility, likely architecture, what to build first, and the main risks — and give you a clear written summary.
"We have a working prototype but worry about production." "We want hardware and app handled by one team." — Whatever stage you are at, feel free to reach out.
Download the deck (form in Japanese)
