500Tech — Out of Business

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

ThetaRay is a five-year-old start-up that specializes in detecting anomalies in big data platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

The collaboration started around three years ago before I joined ThetaRay. The first challenge was to build a web application that enabled users to view and analyze any anomalies we detected. We had no frontend developers on our team, so the former VP of R&D contacted the founder of 500Tech and they built a team together.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

500Tech fully built the first version of our web application from scratch using AngularJS. Part of the challenge was supporting the investigation of big data, which meant integrating with ag-Grid, a non-Angular grid. It was built by another third-party, and it can support viewing and investigating a lot of data. Another task was developing a graphical canvas that could show graphs of all our entities in an intuitive way.

What is the team composition?

Adam, the founder, was part of the team, and I’ve worked with four people from 500Tech. At most, we had five developers working on the application.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

I am unsure of how we first started working together.

How much have you invested with them?

At the peak, I believe we were paying between $30,000 and $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with 500Tech in November 2015. We ended the collaboration after hiring resources for our own team, less than a year ago in the fall of 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I have quality issues all the time, but the framework is still running, which means that it was built well. We just migrated it to Angular 5.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They had an agile approach and we worked remotely from one another. They received guidelines from the UX designer, and gave us feedback from backend developers, regarding the integration with the RESTful API that they were going to expose. During peak times, they were willing to come over to our office, just to make sure that the integration would run faster. Adam also came over to fix some more complex infrastructure issues. He’s also visited us a few months ago for a day, to advise us on some more complex things we needed to do.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of technology, professionalism, and accountability is remarkable. There were times when we prevented the backend developers from progressing, but they still pushed everyone and made their own progress, without letting others stop them. They cared about the project just like anyone from our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Up until now, we’ve had some bug issues, but I’m not sure whether 500Tech was the cause. Since we don’t have automated unit testing, we encountered too many bugs.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They find the right people to work with us, and they teach everyone else on the client’s end how to work, and what the best practices are. I advise clients to learn as much as they can from 500Tech.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an application engineer for Dorot Control Valves, an hydraulic control valve manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

We had a requirement for an online application that would allow our customers to place air valves on a pipeline. The application we did have – a plugin into a CAD program similar to AutoCAD – was old and we needed to upgrade it. In fact, there were so many changes we wanted to make that we decided to rewrite it altogether and do it online. This would allow us to track users and offer them valve upgrades and other options.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They had the previous version - we showed them how it worked - but they had to redesign everything from scratch. We had the algorithms for the solution so they translated them into a full-solution application using Ruby on Rails. We had an intensive back and forth process to produce the beta and 1.0 versions, and then proceeded to make tweaks, additions, and revisions, until we produced the final iteration.

What is the team composition?

We worked with as many as four people during the project including their CEO – who was our main contact – and a board member.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

They were a reference from our CFO who thought they could be the right fit for us. After extensive research on different programming outfits – ranging from freelancers to a full-support team – we went with a boutique firm.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $30,000—$35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2014 until June 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We at Dorot use this application on a daily basis – it's not only for our customers – and we’re very pleased with it. The UI is great and the outcome and everything works to our satisfaction. We have users signing in and using it from all over the world.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

It was fantastic, and there’s no superlative that could be more precise. We were very pleased. They were with us, they were attentive, and they were quick to react. Even though we were a difficult company and very far out of their comfort zone – we're a blue-collar company so we're not accustomed to developing software solutions – they were very accommodating and used Trello to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very professional, attentive, and customer-oriented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t anything. We're truly happy with and appreciative of their work.

Any advice for potential customers?

As a general recommendation, you should have a spec very much laid out in detail to minimize the possibility of misunderstandings or incorrect implementation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a project management application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

When we started the company about two years ago, we received some initial seed investment. We wanted to start working right away but it takes time to find the right engineers and bring them up to speed. Since we didn't want to wait 2–3 months, we decided to look for an external development resource.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

500Tech basically started from scratch in developing the project management web application. We provided them with a requirement document and a full UI design. We asked them to come up with a proof concept in several technology areas. Once they got past the biggest technology challenges, they started coding the real application. Using React on the frontend and a custom database on the backend, they created a complete framework for the application. The user management capabilities also has a team management function so users can invite others into a team environment. The application is fully functional. Users can log into the application, capture project planning, and do project tracking.

What is the team composition?

I mostly worked with two full-time developers. 500Tech also dedicated some risk management resources to make sure the architecture was done correctly.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

They offer several training courses, which is how I first knew of them. I reached out to them when I learned they also offered third-party development services. Before we began, we talked with some of their existing customers. Those conversations convinced me that they were the right firm for the job.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The main part of the project took place between January–June 2017. We did some work before and after, but it was on a smaller scale. We’re about to start another project with them, so we see it as a continuing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The proof of the project’s success is simple. They built the application from scratch and were able to launch a functional application in July 2017 in the U.S.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. They're committed to a structure of periodic meetings in which we reviewed the progress and discussed how to invest their resources going forward. They were also excellent during the data transition to our internal resources, which is sometimes a sticking point for other development companies. Instead of hesitating to move the data and give up collecting maintenance fees, 500Tech made the transition seamless. They knew that they would get additional projects from us because of their core capability, which is development and not data management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technological capability capabilities are the main differentiator. As a leader in training, they have access to many people working in this field. They do a great job of selecting the right people to do the job.

Any advice for potential customers?

The most important aspect is to have clear product and project requirements. Be very clear with the requirements otherwise you will waste development resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a company focused on helping student loan borrowers navigate the complex repayment process and optimize their payments to maximize their savings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

We brought them on full time to develop our platform from the ground up, which is a web app repayment tool.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

500Tech provided end-to-end solutions for the web app, which handles tens if not hundreds of thousands of student loan borrowers. They created the entire framework for that, as well as building out the entire data structure of the web app, which has over 150 different data variables (name, password, email, loan type, principal balance and interest, total loan amount, loan repayment plan, etc.).

This app pulls loan information, conducts a repayment plan assessment, and uses a notification system to keep track of users’ tasks and hold them accountable for completing them. Building these key features required developing a loan calculation analysis that could be customized to each users’ unique needs.

They also had to integrate with multiple third-party applications, including AWS, Heroku—a web app deployment model—SendGrid—a customer communication email platform—and text message alerts.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with Ilya (Head of NYC Office, 500Tech) and one developer. They’re based in New York, but part of the team is overseas, which is part of the reason they can offer affordable prices.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

Ilya and 500Tech were recommended to me by an engineer recruiting company when I was first starting out. I explained to the recruiting company that I didn’t have any capital yet, but did have early cash flow from a client. For that reason, I had to hire engineers that had just finished boot camp with a wide breadth of knowledge but not much depth. To ensure that the product met our expectations, I wanted to find engineers with more experience to fill an advisory role and provide code review, and that’s where 500Tech came in.

After that project, and as we grew as a company, we hired 500Tech full time because of their expertise, insights, the speed and quality of their work, and their great communication skills.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,00–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together September 2017, and the relationship is still ongoing. We used them in more of the QA testing position for about three months, and have been working together full time for around seven months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

As we’ve grown, we've been able to hire more experienced internal engineers and they execute QA testing on 500Tech’s code. We analyze different reference points in their code, and it’s high-quality work.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Ilya is a very clear communicator all around but especially concerning timeline and workload expectations. It’s difficult to plan out software engineering projects when you’re building something new; there are unknown variables that could cause delays. Ilya plans out the project timeline and builds in buffer time that realistically assesses where you might need extra effort. He doesn’t do this to slow down the project but to provide realistic expectations so that his team can move quickly and diligently.

We had a hard launch date, and as the project’s complexity increased, Ilya started coding alongside the developer. That parallel work enabled us to hit the project deadline and have a smooth launch. There were few, if any, bugs or errors and it functioned exactly as it was supposed to. 500Tech acknowledges that the unexpected can occur, builds in buffer time to account for that, and works as hard as they can to meet the project deadline.

For our day-to-day communication, we used Slack. Their office is only a few blocks away, so we were able to meet with them a few times a week. We also had regular phone check-ins with them.

One thing I really appreciate about Ilya is that he will be completely honest with us. He gets right to the point and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He has a lot of experience, good instincts, and communicates candidly. It’s refreshingly different from what I’ve found with other firms.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Given our small size and budgetary requirements, Ilya was able to find a pricing structure that worked for us and grew as we did. His flexibility and generosity built our trust and helped us to feel that he understood us as a business.

Ilya doesn’t have to deal with the issue of student loans, but he did research, and every time we spoke with him we could tell he was passionate about our mission. I always felt like I was working with someone that brought an extra quality of passion to the project.

Ilya is also versatile and brings a wide range of experience and in-depth knowledge to his projects at a level that is difficult to find in engineers. Most engineers know a little about everything or have very specialized skills, and both instances can require hours of research. In the rare instance that Ilya or his team don't know about a method or technology, they quickly find the information they need and move the project along.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This issue does not impact us today, but in that time between using them in an advisory role and using them full time, there were communication challenges on both ends. We were having trouble detailing our needs because we were still figuring out our product and what we needed. In turn, they had challenges communicating with us because we didn’t have clear plans or full-time expectations. It came to a point where Ilya sat down with us and told us that he and 500Tech couldn’t work ad hoc because it was too inconsistent. It forced us to define our expectations and product, as well as agree to 40-hour weeks. It ended up benefitting us, and we’re happy with our decision, but those few weeks were frustrating.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company operates in the smart transportation business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

We were building a new tool for our operations and support team. We wanted to provide them with a web application that would make their work more efficient and user-friendly. It would allow them to deal with live queries and offline support faster.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had other operating support tools and the business logic was based on those, but the whole technical design of the system was done from scratch as part of a mutual effort. Frontend technical design and development were led by 500Tech. 500Tech took into consideration product definition, UI and the scope of the project and chose to implement using React.js. One of the backend components was also implemented by 500Tech in javascript on serverless infrastructure on Amazon Web Services (AWS). We have our own designer who made the designs, and the tech scope was also dictated by us.

We're currently in the handover phase. We've taken over most of it, but we still have one developer from 500Tech working with us. He will finish in a week or so from now. Rather than stopping in a single day, and leaving us without any support, it has been a gradual process. 

What is the team composition?

The 500Tech team consisted of 3 people: 2 of them were working on the frontend and one on the backend serverless component. After one month, we have recruited a frontend developer who joined the frontend team. Our backend team consisted of 2 developers.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

There are some local conferences that we participate in. 500Tech approached our VP of HR during one of them, introducing themselves and their services. They were in the right time, at the right place as they met us when we were looking for an outsourced company to take over the development.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2018 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The product isn't live yet. We’ve just started having it reviewed by our senior support agents, who will be using it within a few weeks from now. We’re quite satisfied with the quality of work they produced, overall.

The process was very professional. There were some parts where—in order to progress faster—they created base infrastructure, but didn’t fully go into every corner or edge case. Some things were a little neglected in order to meet the timeline, but, overall, it was a good decision to do this. It allowed us to move faster.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They worked closely with us, as part of our team. We handled the design, backend, and product management on our side. One of their developers was working only part-time for this project, in the areas where they needed the most help. They managed the human resources from their side, in order to meet the goals and timelines of the project. Other than that, the whole project was managed from our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There were a few steps during the project where we changed the specifications, but they adapted to everything we needed. The backend was fully implemented using an AWS Lambda serverless implementation. We decided to adopt this solution a month and a half into the project and they were completely okay with it. Even though the developer who worked on the project was not familiar with this framework, they learned everything they needed. The flexibility and ability to adapt to project changes—as well as to adapt to changing timelines and requirements—are exceptional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They managed their own tasks for the first part of the project and participated in our bi-weekly sprint plannings, but 2 months into the project we felt that the communication was not good enough and some things fell between the cracks. We then moved to daily scrum meetings every morning, via Google Hangouts. This significantly improved productivity and communication. Had we started with daily meetings from the beginning, it would have been better.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would recommend that whoever works with them should adopt daily scrums. Other than this, they were really great. There’s no specific advice I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a startup that works in the agriculture technology (agritech) field, focusing on irrigation. We collect data from the fields using sensors we developed, as well as from satellites and other sources. The data is gathered in our servers, analyzed, and given to our customers through mobile and web apps. It helps growers decide how much to irrigate and how to schedule irrigation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

We wanted to redesign and rewrite the user applications from scratch. We picked 500Tech to support the team we had in-house as it was a very large project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

500Tech worked alongside our in-house team and were involved with API design and frontend development. We had to create separate applications for iOS, Android, and the web and accomplished it by using the React Native.

They were involved from the beginning, helping us decide what platform to choose, what language to write the application in, and so on.

What is the team composition?

The basic setup was done by two full-time members of 500Tech. We’ve continued collaborating with one full-time resource from that point until today.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

A friend recommended them to me. We were in touch with several companies and chose 500Tech based on their comparatively high level of professionalism. Interacting with them was very smooth and simple.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work has been above $100,000. We currently pay $15,000 per month for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with 500Tech in January 2016 and the initial version was launched after three to four months. We’ve gone through several stages of development, including the initial setup. There are new features being added all the time, so our work with them is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The product is good and it works fast. We keep a very close track on the quality of the work, and we’re really satisfied with the fact that 500Tech matches the standards of our internal team. We’ve worked with other contractors in the past which were, by far, not as good as 500Tech is.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They simply supply resources and are integrated into our Scrum process. One of our managers is in charge project management and is in touch with them constantly. He can see what they’re doing and performs code reviews.

Since they’ve joined our own developers as part of the team, it’s difficult to determine what our responsibility is and what’s theirs when it comes to meeting deadlines and goals. Regardless, we know that they deliver high-quality work within good timelines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Finding good-quality people in outsourcing is not simple. I’ve worked with several members of 500Tech, so I’ve had enough experience to determine that they maintain a high standard. Every resource we’ve used from their team is talented and skilled. They manage to bring in high-quality people.

Even though we haven’t used them for project management, they stand out in handling payments. We’ve never had a problem or argument; everything has been smooth.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

We have them work under our in-house manager, side-by-side with our developers. This was a good recipe for success, but I don’t know whether it’s only relevant for 500Tech, or whether it applies to other subcontractors as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a former managing partner for MarketOnce, a software as a service provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

We were building a new application in React and wanted leadership guidance to fulfill our specific needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They augmented our staff and acted as consultants. They took time to understand the problems we faced and helped us construct architecture and processes to solve those problems. We directed the extra staff they provided.

The augmentation situation is one of the best I’ve worked with. They try to guide the process and exceeded my expectations for their work ethic.

What is the team composition?

We typically interacted with Ilya (Head of New York Office, 500Tech). He was available whenever we needed him and was willing to scale to our needs, which varied from week to week. We also interfaced with three developers.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

We weren’t finding many qualified candidates who understood our requirements and could provide appropriate solutions. From a UI and backend perspective, this was one of the most complicated projects I’ve ever worked on.

We asked for recommendations and a partner in our network recommended them. We quickly realized they would be a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $220,000 while I was at the company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017. The engagement was ongoing at the end of my tenure.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We shipped the product in four months. They were instrumental in getting us to market at the specified time and within our expected budget.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

We drove most of the project management from our side, but from an account management standpoint, they did very well. After some early communication issues, they gave us a call and we resolved them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge of JavaScript tech stacks and their development team’s capabilities are impressive. They’re the best team I’ve ever worked with in the JavaScript space. Their technical excellence and their dedication to the relationship were great. They did a fantastic job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This was a complicated process. There were a few points that we could have documented more thoroughly, but we wish they had pushed for more clarity from us. That sort of issue is fairly common in staff augmentation, but they had no issues on the consulting side.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

With any remote team, it’s important to be very detailed and document everything you want. Whenever possible, provide answers to questions before they’re asked.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the VP of R&D for Unpakt, an online moving service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

We wanted to rebuild the website and have the frontend be one huge single-page app. We needed development power and expertise in that field.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I showed them what I had in mind, and they gave their feedback. They built the frontend of the single-page web app using Angular One.

What is the team composition?

We hired two full-time developers and we sometimes had reinforcements from a third person.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

Other companies recommended them to us. I knew one of the developers very well, and our CEO said he’s capable. We didn’t consider anyone else.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$199,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2014–February 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The project was on time. With software development, it’s hard to predict a long-term project. Everyone was really happy that we agreed on four months, and it took four months. We didn’t have many bugs. Everything went smoothly. It was a success.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was a big difference between them and a lot of companies. We didn’t need to micromanage them. Every member of their team is capable of doing his own work and doesn’t need a lot of guidance. Managing tasks with them was really easy. They managed each other. The questions were minimal. It was really easy. We used Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of knowledge is impressive. They take their work and code quality very seriously. You can give them a task and they run with it. You don’t have to check up on them all the time. It gets done fast.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want. Share as much detail as you can in advance. Everything needs to be ready and prepared.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a project manager for a software development company. We provide a platform that is utilized by US insurance carriers.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 500Tech?

I am in charge of one of our leading projects, which involved integrating a large partner. We are more inclined towards server work so we don’t have many user interface or frontend development capabilities. We were looking for someone who could do this work and introduce it into the project. This would provide us enough time to train relevant resources and hire new ones if necessary.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We used 500Tech’s services to create an elaborate website UI. We had a frontend design but needed to create something new. I’m not sure if “dumb” is the correct term, but the frontend needed to be light. The UI had to be separate from the business unit. All validations and calculations would be done on the server side.

Developers from 500Tech created a UI infrastructure. It talks to our site’s backend seamlessly for every call, decision, or validation coming from the end user. It verifies what needs to be done with the server, which required some complex capabilities on the frontend. It was developed using AngularJS 1.5.

We worked with 2–3 members of 500Tech’s team. More people were added at times.

How did you come to work with 500Tech?

We looked at a couple of UI companies and put together a simple request for proposals. We came to know about 500Tech through the recommendations of people who had used them for different companies. Their feedback stated that 500Tech’s people were professionals in their area. We called 500Tech and presented an overview of our project. They gave us a proposal, and we chose to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with 500Tech in late April 2016. The project was finished in February 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We didn’t keep specific statistics, other than invested hours. We underestimated the project and did not provide enough information and requirements. Initially, this created a gap in our expectations of when the work would be completed. When there were difficulties, 500Tech worked with us. They set strict timelines for certain deliverables and increased the capacity of the team as needed. As a result, 500Tech helped us reach our goals.

We’re very satisfied with the quality of the work. There were a couple of complexities at the beginning because of requirements that weren’t finalized. These created gaps in the infrastructure, making it insufficiently robust. We worked together with 500Tech in order to reshape it. We are satisfied with the outcome.

How did 500Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

We integrated 500Tech’s members into our own team, timelines, and project management. We handled the test side, as well as the timelines and scope. They gave us their thoughts and input. We used Trello for task management.

What did you find most impressive about 500Tech?

While other companies give us proposals, none of them seemed to grasp the complexity of what we were trying to do. In contrast, the proposal from 500Tech showed that they understood the project from the beginning. They gave us ideas that made us change some of our assumptions. We’re very satisfied on a professional level.

Are there any areas 500Tech could improve?

We made the mistake of not listening to 500Tech, but they could have been assertive when we steered the project into areas that weren’t right. While 500Tech’s team expressed concerns, they did not do so sufficiently. As experts, they should be confident about giving an opinion so that it would be followed.