Clockwise Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder & CEO of Whitelance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

We were looking for someone to help us make our marketplace into a product, available as a service to people.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Clockwise Software helped us think through requirements from an architectural perspective and scope out the strategy. They built the technology from a single marketplace into a multi-level marketplace solution. 

They shifted the technology’s architecture to enable multiple marketplaces with a central system. Users can build their service marketplace for any business anywhere in the world.

What is the team composition?

We have worked with up to three teammates at once. We interact with the architect daily, and there’s also an account manager.

How did you come to work with Clockwise Software?

I found them on Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Clockwise Software has done exactly what we asked them to do. They are technically skilled and professional, and they work in a timely manner. I would love to hire more of their teammates to work with us.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re clear and organized, and they make themselves available to us. They accommodate our needs and are good at coming up with new ways of finding talent, either within their agency or externally, when we need additional resources.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a broad knowledge base and are ahead of their competitors technically. The team is also professional and courteous.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there are no areas for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest about your needs, requirements, and preferences. Clockwise Software is extremely good at responding. If you need additional resources, try to give them as much notice as possible to find someone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a real estate management analytics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

We needed an agency that we could collaborate with to develop a platform to help our business. The goal is to establish an app and optimize its UI/UX design. Our team needed help in bringing datasets together to simplify the process and make everything uniform to get our job done efficiently and answer inquiries faster.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Clockwise Software utilized key technologies like React Redux, Apollo, QOL, and PostgreSQL.

We initially sent them the requirements and they estimated the costs for the modules. The platform allowed us to view different assets for real estate companies and open different tabs to show the corresponding data.

Right now, the Clockwise Software team is working on another module that can help us track the entire experience.

What is the team composition?

We are currently working with 5–6 people from their team – the project manager, a frontend developer, a backend developer, and 2–3 members working on the codes.

How did you come to work with Clockwise Software?

The CEO of Clockwise Software reached out regarding our post on Upwork. We talked over the phone to discuss the project. Upon reviewing their portfolio, which looked great, we selected them over other vendors.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re already spent $35,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration started in May 2020 and it’s still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the metrics we use to measure success is the budget and the team initially gave us an estimate of how much the project would cost. Unfortunately, they went a little over that and that was the main learning curve we had during the early stages of our collaboration.

As for the outputs, the first module the team created was great – it was sharp and sophisticated. That system’s frontend matched perfectly with the design layouts. They’ve set the bar high for the rest of our engagement. Compared to the other developers we’ve worked with in the past, the team is doing a superb job. Overall, Clockwise Software is crucial to our success because of their efforts.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Our team communicates with Clockwise Software through phone calls, Slack, and WhatsApp. They’re good with time management and they can run a project on a tight schedule. The team is dedicated to finishing the project and works tirelessly to get the tasks done.

Clockwise Software has employees and assistants that respond to us immediately. Those members would take care of our concerns and inquiries all the time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Clockwise Software is a well-maintained company — we can easily tell that their leadership is great. That’s evident in how the team communicates with us and how they attend to our requests. The team is concise and able to take my visions and bring them to life yet still managing to summarize them.

We find it impressive that they're always willing to try new things to develop our vision. We appreciate how they continuously reassure us about this project and how they can deliver the outputs consistently.

Are there any areas they could improve?
Perhaps keeping logs and tracking their time could be improved. The team could work more on how they allocate some of their time because it can result in inefficiencies.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our advice would be to know what you want and organize your plan before starting the project with them. You should lay out everything important including the timeline and the cost estimates. Communication is also important — clarify the deliverables to them and they will give you a great output.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a creative marketplace. We connect local photographers and videographers with personal brands on Instagram.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

We were looking for a development team that could create a platform for us from scratch, as we had the vision but didn’t have the technical ability needed to execute it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided us with two frontend and two backend developers, as well as a QA manager and a general project manager. We came to them with initial wireframes and full UX designs, but beyond that their involvement was very direct, and they were able to provide us with a lot of expertise in developing the final project.

Some of the main features they delivered included the ability for an artist to upload content after their job has been completed, as well as for stripe integration in the payment system. They used a combination of Laravel and AngularJS, and incorporated other features with MongoDB, SQL, and AWS as well.

In the end, they delivered a fully functioning site that ticks all the boxes in terms of what we needed it to do. We set out to create an MVP, so it was very fit for purpose. It didn’t have all the bells and whistles, but I think they were a great team for narrowing down exactly what we were looking for.

What is the team composition?

Our main points of contact were Andrei (CEO, Clockwise Software) and Dimitri (Project Manager, Clockwise Software). We had two backend and two frontend developers as well, so there were six people working on the project for the most part (although we had fewer people towards the final stages when we didn’t need as much attention).  

How did you come to work with Clockwise Software?

We found them through Upwork. I think the main reason why we chose them over a few alternatives was the price—they were very affordable compared to the alternatives we were looking at. Their team was also the most responsive in terms of getting back to us with signing NDAs and talking about the future of the project.

They actually presented us with a suggested scope the day after we started engaging in chats with them, which we thought was very professional and forthcoming, so we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested £30,000 (approximately $36,500 USD) in the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Clockwise Software from January—May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, we’ve seen a good conversion rate from our signup page. We’re definitely satisfied with the quality and functionality of the work that they completed for us.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly calls with them in order to get updates on what they had been doing. We got updates through Upwork as well and communicated via Slack on a more regular basis. They do a really good job of executing, but I think they’re better at following designs than coming up with their own design ideas. A couple of things they suggested didn’t work out as well as what we had originally planned in that regard.

We did have a bit of a sticky situation about halfway through when we realized that in order to complete the whole project we were going to have to pay more. It was a tough situation to be in, but I wouldn’t necessarily blame them because I think these projects are very hard to estimate, at least initially.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was definitely impressed by the communication that was carried on over the course of the project. They answered every question we had in a very timely manner. Often, they would respond within a few minutes—a couple of hours, and they were always very helpful. They also focused on putting our needs first and really tried to get the project done in as close to our timeframe as possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d say they could perhaps improve in the cost estimation, given that we did exceed our budget by a fair bit.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come up with a timeline and a clear idea of the design that you want. These guys can definitely work under a strict time frame, and for them, it might actually work out better because they have a lot of team members they can throw at the project. I’d just suggest to come up with your own scope so that you know what you can sacrifice and what you really want to keep, should it come to that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a website development and maintenance company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

Our main platforms were based on an ancient Ruby on Rails application. We wanted to transition the platform but weren’t satisfied with our vendor who was reworking the platform at the time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Clockwise Software helped us transition our online platforms from an outdated Ruby on Rails application to a modern web application based on Node.JS. From our previous vendor's work, the team developed a backend largely based on Jira. They took up and expanded our platform’s capacities and code base, which was completely undocumented at the time.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with around 7–8 team members on this project.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the course of our collaboration, we’ve spent $100,000–200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration began in August 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered a product of an absolutely flawless level of quality. In the sense where work is clearly attributed, we know they did a good job. There are cases where we aren’t able to clearly attribute work so it’s difficult to track success.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Clockwise Software handled the transition from the outdated code base of our previous vendor to a cleaner, modern style of development well. Their project manager created an organized QA process and efficiently prioritized different tasks. Given the complexity of the project scope, it went better than we could’ve expected.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of organization and reliability is hard to find. They’re a team of experts, dedicated to the delivery of the relevant software. We continue working with Clockwise Software because they exceed expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s not much room for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to communicate the project requirements as clearly as possible. In the event of using a largely text-based communication channel, development is easier with an articulated project outline.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a small software development firm. We deliver small- to medium-scale custom software solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

We wanted on-demand development support, especially for when we experience a spike in projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Clockwise Software works alongside my team to provide development support as needed. They are part of the entire architecture and design processes. Their team deploys pure development languages, as we’re a custom development shop and don’t use a CMS.

What is the team composition?

My team has worked with three senior developers.

How did you come to work with Clockwise Software?

I interviewed several companies that I found on Upwork. We initially used Clockwise Software on a trial basis.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $80,000­–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve developed some great products and achieved tremendous success. When I do proof of concept (POC) projects with various clients, Clockwise Software has delivered good products.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Clockwise Software’s developers work with my team and our clients on a daily basis. We maintain a very close engagement; their developers have become part of our team, attending our daily morning standups and all of our discussions. They’ve always superseded the velocity at which I expect developers to perform. I’ve never had to worry about inefficiency or productivity. We communicate via Slack, Skype, and WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Clockwise Software invests in their resources and skills development, and they put significant effort into training their developers. I’ve never worked with such organized and highly skilled developers. They understand our requirements, and their spoken and written English is very good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s challenging to maintain a long-term partnership with a developer; if they’re not engaged in a project, you risk losing them to other work opportunities. This is something we often have to address with Clockwise Software, but the company’s co-founder is accommodating and works with me to strike a balance.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of SpressPay. We offer a white-label mobile app, backend, and API for retail stores that allow customers to order ahead for pickup or delivery.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Clockwise Software?

We hired Clockwise because we needed a new team of developers to finish the first version of our Ionic (cross-platform SDK) app. Since then, they’ve helped us release several version updates.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build an app that worked across all mobile platforms and could easily be branded for different stores. Additionally, we wanted to expand beyond the small coffee chains we were currently piloting the app with.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found Clockwise on UpWork and were impressed by their portfolio. After an initial call, we knew we wanted to work with them.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided them with access to our existing GitHub code base and shared documentation on our API via Postman. Their team is refactoring our code and developing new features and functionality.

What was the team composition?

We’re working with a project manager, a developer, and a QA resource.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Three months after the launch, we have over 200 registered users in our test market. The app is stable, and customers haven’t reported any bugs or issues.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’re very easy to work with. We track our progress with Trello and communicate over Skype. They’re transparent with time estimates, which helps us plan releases.  

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have extensive knowledge of Ionic frameworks that allows them to suggest code improvements.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not at this time. We greatly value their communication and attentiveness.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an IT consulting group. We do a lot of web development work for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

We were taking over a custom software built by another development team. Therefore, we needed an experienced development firm to help us address that platform’s issues. Ideally, we wanted a team that could work with us on a long term basis to build out additional features as needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our web application wasn’t functioning correctly, so Clockwise Software reviewed our requirements and fixed whatever bugs they could find. They worked with our in-house team to accomplish most tasks. The frontend work was done using JavaScript libraries like Vue.js. Since then, they’ve been helping us code new feature requests and additional functionalities. That process involves scoping out each assignment, evaluating the costs, and prioritizing which projects we accept.

An interesting aspect of this engagement was their masterful use of industry-specific technology. Their work involves manipulating STL files and developing functionalities that interact with 3D modeling materials. They’ve also helped accomplish more typical development tasks relating to account management and billing.

What is the team composition?

They allocated one project manager and two developers.

How did you come to work with Clockwise Software?

I found them on a freelancing website and considered several firms. Clockwise Software had developers on staff with experience in the specific JavaScript libraries that made up our web application. I get along well with their owner and appreciate their team’s ability to work together. They accomplished the first assignment quickly, so we continue to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2017 and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The final project is a web application that we sell to customers. Clockwise Software manages to complete 95% of the unique feature requests we receive from clients. Their reliability is why we continue to work with them.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We use an organizational system that incorporates Trello and Freshdesk to manage the project and track issues. Using both platforms simultaneously helps ensure that nothing gets lost in the midst of a frantic development push. The Clockwise Software team communicates well and keeps me up-to-date regarding each project’s progression.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they offer comprehensive project management services. Instead of working with one developer, we’re collaborating with an entire team. They also test each feature before presenting anything to us. If our ideas aren’t polished enough, they’ll brainstorm and come up with viable solutions. They feel like an extension of our team instead of an outsourced developer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We’re happy with how they’ve performed thus far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is an IT software company based in Germany. We build products for different clients in automotive, healthcare, and security sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

We were contracted to build custom software for a client in the health industry. I worked with Clockwise on two or three other projects, so I contacted them to see if they would like to participate in this project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked together on some very difficult server infrastructure, which combined three different elements from separate locations. The major task was to connect those three servers through their environments. Clockwise primarily used PHP on the backend and AngularJS on the frontend.

What is the team composition?

They provided five team members for this project. A project manager oversaw two backend developers, one frontend developer, and a test engineer.

How did you come to work with Clockwise Software?

I've known them for around three years. I first found them on Upwork, and we initially hired them for a small project. Once they proved their efficacy, we continued on to other tasks. This was the biggest project we've worked on together.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $100,000 USD on this project, give or take.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started work in October 2017 and the bulk of the project took place between November 2017–April 2018. After that, the client added new features, so we continued with two- and four-week sprints. The project is 99% complete and was delivered to the client.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client is pleased with the results. Clockwise completed the project on time and within the agreed upon budget. The impacts of the project are all positive.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was very good. We had weekly meetings where we reviewed the previous sprint and our goals for the coming week. Our project manager was available almost 24/7 if I had any questions or issues. It was very agile development, and having the project manager oversee the four developers was very useful. We mostly communicated through Slack, and we used Jira for issue management and tracking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very professional, adhere to deadlines, and do very well with weekly and biweekly sprints. I'm very happy with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any improvements or suggestions for them. This became a long-term project, as the client kept making changes. They adjusted quickly to all the changing requirements and I can't say anything negative about their workflow.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In general, it's a good idea to give as many details as possible to get a realistic scope and an accurate quote ahead of time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Wishyoo. We are a greeting e-card platform that enables companies and individuals to build and send electronic cards that include handwritten and/or voice messages.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

We needed to improve our UX by changing the website design and making it more engaging.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Clockwise Software had to restructure the backend of our already established platform through code development. Through coding and testing, they made sure that all of the functionality was intuitive for users and had a workflow that was easy to understand.

For the frontend development, they redesigned the site to make sure it was eye-popping and appealing. They were able to provide us with an outside perspective on how users interact with the site, and from there develop a plan and take the steps to improve user engagement.

We began with small steps toward making the site user-friendly for people accessing it through their desktop or mobile device. From there, we continued to make changes to improve the design, functionality, and overall user satisfaction. At this point, we have a complete product and are making progress with continuous improvement.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of 4–6 people, which included two project managers, the CEO, a frontend and a backend developer, and then developers with a more focused skill set.

How did you come to work with Clockwise Software?

We found them on Upwork and were impressed with their reviews. Almost 100% of their reviews were positive, and upon talking with people that had worked with them in the past, we decided to slowly bring them onto the project. They showed us that they could work well with our code and platform, so we gradually increased their responsibility on the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $60,000–$70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The efficiency of the code and responsiveness of the entire system stood out to us and our users. The system and code resources work between the CPU and mobile devices very well.

We were especially happy with the results of our concurrency testing. We tested the system against 5,000 users at one time, and stress tested specific parts of the mobile responses, and there was no system lag time.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was always available to us and quickly answered our questions. The two project managers especially stood out, because they managed their hours so that they were working during our mornings, which were after hours for them.

We generally communicated over Slack. In addition to that, we required them to use our project management system, which they were not familiar with; however, they were flexible and quickly learned. They were effective communicators and learned our tools so that we could report and communicate efficiently.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with their professionalism, availability, and effectiveness. They provided us with daily deliverables, responded to our requests quickly—despite a large time difference—and understood exactly what we were trying to deliver to our users.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve been very satisfied with their work, so it’s difficult to think of anything. The only thing I could want is more deliverables in a day, but I think any project manager would say that and it’s not a critique of their work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a company that develops software for roll-off dumpsters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Clockwise Software?

I needed a larger development team to help expand my company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Clockwise Software is helping me develop four mobile applications. While I have my own designer to handle design work for the apps, Clockwise provides me with a variety of software development services, including quality assurance testing, automated testing, and implementations with React, Redux, Redux-Saga, and Node.js. 

One of the projects they’ve partnered with me to develop is a mobile application that integrates web-based dispatching software. It tracks the inventory of a dispatcher as they move through their workflow, preventing them from moving forward to the next step until the inventory is properly accounted for. We intend to further integrate the app with a lot of multi-tendency functionalities that will allow a single dispatcher to work across four different hauling companies simultaneously.

What is the team composition? 

There are about four to five developers working with me. I was heavily involved in their selection.

How did you come to work with Clockwise Software?

I was looking for a firm that could source talent for me. I also wanted to be able to negotiate arrangements that allowed the same developers to work with me on something similar to a salary basis, despite it being an independent contractor relationship.

I found Clockwise Software through an online ad, though I’m not sure the source. The CEO and I were able to agree upon an arrangement that best suits what I was looking for, so I decided to partner with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $150,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started partnering together in November 2016. The engagement has been paused temporarily because I’m currently fundraising for my project. Once I’ve finished that, I intend to continue working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I designed a workflow similar to a Kanban-scrum structure that tracks and tests all of our tasks. Two of the applications we’re working on, which have approximately 1200 automated tests, earned 100% code coverage and 100% branch coverage. Another app we’ve worked on with Clockwise Software has 99.4% code coverage. I’m very pleased with the quality of the work we’ve done together.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I like to drive a project, especially when I’m working with a smaller team like Clockwise, so I essentially serve as project lead for them. We have a video conference call every morning for about an hour. We also use Talky, a free WebRTC online tool, to do screen shares, discuss the day’s tickets, and review code together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The fact that Clockwise’s CEO has spent as much time and effort in training, personal improvement and quality assurance for his team as I do is something I consider very valuable. For example, the CEO sends his team to English courses to ensure they can clearly communicate with customers in the U.S.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was pleased with everything overall. They did a great job sourcing the right developers for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Structure your contracts with them so they’re incentivized to achieve. For example, paying them monthly created a more stable pay cycle and allowed them to focus their attention on quality, as opposed to how many hours each developer is allocated.

I’ve also found that hiring an external project manager isn’t as effective as hiring an on-site project manager who has an entrenched understanding of the requirements and expectations of the project. If the project manager isn’t actively involved in the development process, the result won’t be as good.