Product Development for Computer Software Firm
- Web Development
- $1,000,000 to $9,999,999
- Sep. 2013 - Ongoing
- Quality
- 5.0
- Schedule
- 5.0
- Cost
- 5.0
- Willing to Refer
- 5.0
“AgileEngine provided us service that allowed us to move forward.”
- Other industries
- Owings Mills, Maryland
- 11-50 Employees
- Phone Interview
- Verified
AgileEngine helped further develop efficient workflow software using NHibernate, AngularJS, and RESTful APIs that were tested with NUnit and managed with JIRA.
Working with AgileEngine never felt like working with a remote company. They are genuinely invested in projects and never fail to meet expectations or raise questions when they see issues.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the director of software development for Needles Inc. We are a legal software management company providing lawyers and the legal community with elaborate software that allows them to manage daily arrangements such as cases, clients, and court dates.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with AgileEngine LLC?
The company was significantly understaffed when I arrived. The developers had little experience and the group suffered from lack of budget to hire new people, which led us to collaborate.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
I like to be in touch with what’s happening instead of treating them as a vendor. I’d give AgileEngine requirements, work with them as if they were a remote part of my team, engage in day-to-day activities, and then they’d deliver the product. We had a team of 15 people, including developers, several testers, team leads and a test lead.
AgileEngine has developed the core force behind the software process. They created our calendar along with customization features for workflows and screen layouts. We also built a custom web API and introduced the security module into the software.
We would give AgileEngine requirements, and they would voice any questions or clarifications, which led to a good feedback process.
We used NHibernate and RESTful APIs. AngularJS was used for building the web interface of the software. NUnit was used for unit testing, and JIRA for tracking purposes.
How did you come to work with AgileEngine LLC?
Alex Kalinovsky [CEO, Agile Engine] was the first person I reached out to because he was a coworker of mine. We chose AgileEngine, despite initial vendor concerns, because they were very oriented towards showcasing expertise in their team and Alex was good at selling himself. He fulfilled every promise he made during the initial presentation.
Many companies we looked at had a black-box feel, and when we would hand them requirements, we wouldn’t find out until the end if our expectations were met.
With AgileEngine, it was like working with remote members of our own team because of excellent integration. The process was seamless as far as project management goes. There was an honest interest from their side in making our company’s product work, rather than simply getting our business and making money.
We also chose AgileEngine because they allowed us to choose our resources. Their recruiting team would present developers or testers to me, who I would then interview and decide if they were the right fit. They did a good job of supplying high-quality, talented developers who worked well within our management style and with our team. We found that almost everyone who passed AgileEngine’s prescreens were people we could hire.
How much have you invested with AgileEngine LLC?
We’ve spent around $2 million.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started the project in September 2013, and the work is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
AgileEngine built off of the software already in place, but they greatly improved performance during the process. Their customizations and restructuring of the code made it work fast and reduced the number of defects. They built automation into the process, so our software was faster and more stable.
How did AgileEngine LLC perform from a project management standpoint?
We communicated through Skype and TeamViewer, and I also traveled to their office to meet all the people we were working with. We interacted multiple times during the day, as if we had a local team.
What did you find most impressive about AgileEngine LLC?
The recruitment process, interactivity, collaboration, project management, and organization impressed me. I never felt left out of the process.
This was our best experience working with contractors. Other groups mainly tried to sell us services to make money, but AgileEngine provided a balanced process and remained honest about meeting expectations. I felt like I was working with a partner who was genuinely interested in the project. From a long-term perspective, AgileEngine provided us service that allowed us to move forward, and have invested in us as much as we have in their services.
Are there any areas AgileEngine LLC could improve?
Of all the experiences I’ve had with other vendors, this was the most positive and least conflicting one. The process didn’t go very well when we were initially hiring developers for the team because of delays, but we were able to staff everyone we needed after we worked that out.
What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with AgileEngine LLC?
Be open. The company is interested in keeping your business. There is a lot of experience and knowledge in the management team, so, if there is a project or some problem to be solved, there will be people within AgileEngine who can suggest a better approach. I did a bit of listening and got different opinions, and I’m glad I did.
RATINGS
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Quality
5.0Service & Deliverables
"Very talented people. I was hiring many of the developers myself, but there was assistance in managing the remote team, which can be complicated."
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Schedule
5.0On time / deadlines
"Almost everything was completed on time. AgileEngine had very good explanations for the delays which related to insufficient requirements from our side."
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Cost
5.0Value / within estimates
"We were able to hire talented people at a fraction of the cost. I was fully satisfied with the quality."
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Willing to Refer
5.0NPS
"I was very satisfied, and will go with AgileEngine the next time.
