Bitcom Systems

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an early-stage technology company. We’re a small team putting together technology towards mental health in the workplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bitcom Systems?

We approached them to build the website application, which is the key part of our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bitcom Systems has developed our website from scratch. We needed to build something responsive that could be seen on different screens and incorporated machine learning algorithmic interfaces. It also had to include various bits of content we’d developed externally. Initially, we hoped it’d take about 3–4 months, and we’re wrapping up now.

The deliverable is a working version of the technology that we can test in the real-world market. We have a backend database that we’ve put together using Strapi. Also, they’ve worked closely with our internal UX/UI designer to implement the design. Mental health is a specific and challenging topic, so it must be intuitive, inviting, accessible, and easy to use.

Additionally, we briefly employed the services of one of their UI designers. Our designer had insufficient capacity, so we had someone for a short time during the middle of the project. They took over from our teammate, held the reins, offered good ideas, and left the project when we didn’t need them anymore.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about four people. We have a project manager and two front- and backend developers. Occasionally, we’ve been in contact with the CEO, who works on demos.

How did you come to work with Bitcom Systems?

I originally came across them at an online B2B European conference in April 2021. I networked with various developers and companies and stayed in touch with Bitcom Systems. Then, I reached out to them again in the summer when we needed an external development team.

They were very responsive and had good ideas. Also, our CTO was satisfied because they could work with the right coding languages. Overall, we thought it was a good decision to go with them since they were suitable for our price points as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in October 2021 and are almost at the end of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of general feedback, they’ve been excellent. The team is always highly responsive, and they get what we tell them without needing to overexplain. Moreover, Bitcoin Systems is quick and efficient, and they do a good amount of work for their price point. All in all, we’ve been very impressed with them and are happy with their work.

How did Bitcom Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Deadlines are great — if they can’t meet it, they always notify us in advance. We’ve set clear boundaries for the upcoming sprints, and they’re responsive. Also, we have weekly calls to update us on progress, and they’ve delivered everything they’ve promised.

We communicate almost exclusively on Slack, but we send emails occasionally.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good at technical matters, but they probably stand out for their responsiveness. They’re swift to respond. If we have a question or need their input about something, they come back and respond quickly, which is what we need. Also, their price point is competitive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything; we’ve been really impressed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Set clear deliverables in terms of sprints and have a timeline for it — that’s the best way to ensure a smooth, efficient process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Elastic Path is an e-commerce company that was initially in Vancouver, Toronto, and Newcastle in terms of offices. I was a senior development manager, owning all frontend solutions across the entire company, and I had a team of four frontend developers reporting to me.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bitcom Systems?

We were ramping up so we reached out to Bitcom Systems to provide us with additional developers. Moreover, we wanted to build out a lot of frontend systems across our application storefronts like Alexa Skills, Chatbot, or anything that makes use of our e-commerce APIs, that customers and developers can adopt.

This also includes business user tooling like dashboards and merchandising, so that customers can create catalogs and promotions through our platform with a nice UI.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

What Bitcom commonly works on is our storefront offering, all built with React JS and Webpack. It’s essentially a storefront on top of our e-commerce APIs. Additionally, they create unit tests for all the UI components that they build, and if our SDK and other pieces in our storefront needed updating, they’ll go ahead and make those updates.

They essentially took ownership of the delivery and development of our storefront and SDK. Moreover, they conduct tests for automation, as well as the continuous deployment of the projects, so they own how the projects are built and deployed. They also work hand in hand with any new developers within the company to help ramp up what's needed.

What is the team composition?

In 2018, we stacked up to three resources from Bitcom. More recently, specifically in November 2020, we added four more. All in all, we have seven developers in total working across our company.

How did you come to work with Bitcom Systems?

I wasn’t the one who chose them. In 2018, we had a VP of engineering who was looking for contractors because I raised the need to have additional resources for various projects. They went to Ukraine and found Bitcom Systems — a smaller company that thrives in content development.

We had an introduction with Sergii (CEO) and Tetyana (COO & Co-Founder) and I was definitely set on their knowledge based on what they can offer to the company. We put the rubber stamp and started working with them from there going forward.

How much have you invested with them?

The company invests about $40,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in October 2018, just before the holidays. They’re permanently working with the company at the moment, and some of the contractors are working on an on and off basis. The developers we hired in November 2020 will be offboarded between the end of March, and the end of May once the projects are completed. However, the three developers that we initially started with will be working with the company for the foreseeable future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They essentially help accelerate all of our frontend development across the entire company, so we can deliver in a timely manner. We have two products for cloud offering and on-premises offering, and it's very easy for us to have them jump between and work on the storefronts and all their UI components. They are able to drive growth without much interference.

Working with Sergii and Tetyana has been incredible. They’re very driven and motivated to help the team and ensure that we have the right people in place for our projects.

How did Bitcom Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

We essentially treat them the same way we treat any other developer in the company. I would work closely with their senior developer as a team leader, and made sure that they had all the tasks they needed to make sure they hit all the criteria, and had zero tickets. Once they had them they were able to start developing immediately — they hit the ground running.

All they really need to start are UI mockups and access to the credentials they require.

If a project needed to be done in three months, I’ll be able to get three developers for those three months, and we’ll complete the project within that timeline. If someone asked for some additional features for the storefront, the Bitcom team will work directly with them to implement that feature. Most of the time I just ended up having someone in the middle to communicate, but they're very independent and collaborative to work directly with other people.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In addition to the collaboration that they provide, they’re very self-sufficient. A lot of the things we were building in the past needed to be done quickly because of the tight deadlines — we didn’t always have time to ramp up in terms of developers and staff. Reaching out to Bitcom Systems was a lot easier for us. Any time we need extra resourcing for some of the projects that were more ad-hoc and dynamic, Tetyana and Sergii can ramp up a whole team for the life cycle of a particular project. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

A lot of the things that they could improve on are the things they’re tackling now, which was how we worked with contractors. There were cumulative challenges for us to get estimates and correct dates with time zone changes since Bitcom is based in Ukraine. It's challenging having discussions, but they're very flexible. Sometimes they would work later into the evening so we can overlap and gather our estimates for our plans.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d say to develop a strong relationship with them. One of the things I noticed when I developed a good bond with the developers, is that they're willing to go above and beyond for what they're working towards — if they really understand the mission and the point of what they’re delivering.

Don’t treat the contractor as just chucking work over the fence and hoping it comes back in a week’s time or the next day. Work with them and include them as part of your team and include them with your standups, spring prioritization, planning, and retrospectives. That’s how you can get the most out of them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Diligence-Travel, a travel company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bitcom Systems?

We needed help automating our process by providing an app for our tourists.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bitcom Systems developed our tourist app that gives information about hotels, tour details, and more.

What is the team composition?

I work with the CEO, Tetyana (COO/Co-Founder), and one other person.

How did you come to work with Bitcom Systems?

I found them on Facebook.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Bitcom Systems is a nice partner. We get positive internal feedback and external feedback from our tourists about their work. We’re having discussions about continuing work with them. I believe we will use them to develop an app for our managers as well.

How did Bitcom Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

I discuss all the technical nuances of our project through Skype, Viber, and Messenger. We have a meeting once a week. The communication level is high.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professionals in their field. Bitcom Systems is the best.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we plan to continue working with them. They deliver good quality.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I talked to one person about my specific needs, and that’s all.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a startup. We’re creating a software product for families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bitcom Systems?

We needed to develop the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We explained our goals and the scope of work to Bitcom Systems. The app works as a shared calendar for families to book babysitting services from each other. Then, they walked us through their idea of the app's development. Their team then built an MVP for iOS and Android using React and executed the first round of testing. They managed another round of coding and are about to launch beta testing.

What is the team composition?

We met the whole team when we visited Bitcom Systems. Initially, we worked with 2–3 developers, a project manager, and Tetyana (COO, Bitcom Systems).

How did you come to work with Bitcom Systems?

Before we contacted Bitcom Systems, we had a relationship with them. They understood our vision and told us how to execute the project. Our CTO evaluated their proposal who said the scope was appropriate and the estimates were realistic.

How much have you invested with them?

Up to this point, we’ve spent probably $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in August 2018 and they’re providing ongoing support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tested the product with initial users and the core technology works well. There’s nothing technically wrong with the actual product.

How did Bitcom Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Depending on what we’re communicating, we use different platforms. We use JIRA, Slack, and email as well as Trello and Asana. Their team responds to our needs right away. While it can be difficult to work with a company from another country, their team communicates fluently.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team’s eager to follow our journey as a startup. When signing the contract, we had yet to raise money. Their team was flexible and started working on the project once we raised the funds. Even though we don't know the developers personally, they provide demos and listen to our concerns. The project manager’s involved in demos, so it’s a group effort. I don’t talk to one single person and hope that the message gets through.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s not a problem because their communication’s great, but it can be harder to communicate with the developers.