CMARIX

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a freelance IT consultant and product owner in a digital agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CMARIX?

I needed to develop a mobile app for a client, which required implementing a complex algorithm for automobile-related calculations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided third-party development for my client. Their team was involved at the beginning of the project when we were setting requirements and specifications. We had to develop a Canadian-based mobile system for vehicle customization where users could make selections based on current offers. Each geographic region has its own terms, conditions, and interest rates that had to be included in the app. They helped us factor in all of these variables.

We created an app that calculates vehicle pricing for a customer on a monthly, weekly or bi-weekly basis using native technologies. They provided a completely finished product for us.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a team of seven to eight people from CMARIX. They assigned a project manager to me, one lead developer,  three secondary developers, and two QA testers. The project manager was my primary contact.

How did you come to work with CMARIX?

I sent out a few RFPs, and they responded to a couple of them. They delivered a good initial presentation, but I decided to work with another vendor. When I had another opportunity, I reached out to them.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between January–September 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their coding work was high quality, and the mobile application has been doing well so far. There were a few issues, but they promptly helped fix them. The work is covered by warranty. After they developed the product, they took responsibility for their work and didn’t ask for additional money for changes.

How did CMARIX perform from a project management standpoint?

I appreciated their team dynamic and dedication to getting the work done. I’ve never had a reason to escalate an issue. Their organization could have been better, but overall they were good. We used Skype and Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their management was fully involved towards the end of the project. From my past work experiences, management doesn’t get as involved or engaged. Instead, a project manager is assigned to me, but I wouldn’t be able to access higher management for any issues. In CMARIX’s case, the heads of the company were accessible and constantly involved. They asked for my feedback in order to ensure that I was happy with whatever was going on.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should start providing end-to-end solutions. They specialize in development work, but if they covered broader digital solutions and design they would be a complete agency. In this way, I could simply provide details, and they could come up with a solution and engage in the full scope of work.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Remain proactive and involved with the development team. It’s important to go over as many project requirements as possible. They’re a reliable team that can be trusted, and they can deliver quality products.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the dealers of a leading petroleum company in India.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with CMARIX?

I wanted custom products that I could sell to other dealers who are having problems managing their operation. I saw a need for it in the industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first project was a custom CRM [customer relationship management] system.

The second project is a custom path management system, which is a program for the petroleum industry. Petroleum or diesel orders go to a refinery, which is where all the petroleum tankers fill up and bring the product back to us. Six different people are involved in this process, and it’s hard to keep track of in real-time because everything happens over the phone. The product CMARIX is developing has a web, iPhone, and Android interface, so almost anyone can use it to check when the tank leaves, if it’s filled up, if it’s left or coming to the outlet, how much time it will take, etc. The entire process is streamlined and automated through this product, unlike anything we have in India at the moment.

CMARIX used ASP.NET, a PHP framework. We planned to use Microsoft technologies, but they have a lot of licensing fees, so we decided an open source would be better. For phase 1, they suggested we put 80% of the product into Angular and the other 20% in HTML5.

What is the team composition?

My account manager led the mobile team, and the project manager led the web team. They both had 2–3 developers.

How did you come to work with CMARIX?

I worked with a similar company 5–6 years ago. It wasn’t a good experience, so I started looking online for better options. I met three different companies in person to see their infrastructure and whether or not they provided technology solutions or just task-oriented solutions. CMARIX understood my needs, was systematic in accomplishing tasks according to specifications, and I felt confident while talking to them, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $37,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2016, and the work is ongoing. Phase 1 was completed in December 2017, and phase 2 was created before launching the CRM.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They recommended we view the product holistically in terms of which browser we should support, what the frontend base should be, etc. This helped save time and effort in the long run, as we avoided problems with browser compatibility. We definitely made the right choice in hiring them.

How did CMARIX perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic. The Scrum model was much better than our previous company, which used a waterfall model that was long and expensive. Scrum was fast and allowed us to never lose track of our work and progress. The project manager was great at keeping us on schedule and determining how long sprints should be.

We kept track of everything on paper but used Basecamp and Bitbucket for the version control. We communicated mainly via email and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The toughest parts of software development are starting and ending projects. My requirements were clear from the beginning, and CMARIX ended well by conducting rigorous and thorough tests. They provided detailed testing reports and not just a summary, helping the process go much faster.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should start selling their own products. I got what I wanted with the quality, budget, and timing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure to communicate the business model first and then go into the technical specifications. If you don’t communicate why there’s a need, then discussing what’s required isn’t important and only confuses people.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a tool manufacturing company in the United States Midwest. We manufacture and sell high-quality specialty tools for professional contractors.

What is your position?

I am a marketing specialist.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address when you approached CMARIX?

Our website needed increased visibility, improved usability, and better brand awareness. It was an e-commerce site that needed more sales. The old site was dated and hard to navigate. It simply wasn't professional.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of your involvement with CMARIX.

We used CMARIX for the back-end development of our website while using a local company for the front-end design. While the front-end development did not go as well as planned, CMARIX was able to ensure the back-end went quickly and smoothly. CMARIX was responsible for converting PSDs provided by the front-end developers. They set up the content management system and the back-end web and e-commerce platform.

How did you come to work with CMARIX?

CMARIX came highly recommended to us. They were easy to work with, and we received positive feedback from our interviews with other CMARIX customers. My manager did a ton of research into numerous companies and was responding to a personal referral regarding CMARIX.

What was the overall duration of the project?

The project lasted about four months. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any feedback from this engagement?

CMARIX covered the agreed scope and deliverables in the agreed schedule and budget.

What distinguishes CMARIX from other providers?

Cmarix was very easy to work with. They were very responsive and quick to turnaround every request. We are satisifed with their work and client service.

Is there anything CMARIX could have improved or that you would have done differently?

I should have communicated better on items that I felt were of the highest priority beyond what was outlined in our initial scope. That direction would have provided more clarity to CMARIX.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for an information technology company that provides IT solutions customized to client needs. We have many different plans that we offer clients to help their IT strategy.

What is your position?

I'm senior project manager. I execute projects and manage the projects that we undertake for my clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with CMARIX?

We outsource some of the work that we have on our hands. We had some requirements that our internal IT team was not equipped to do. We needed help from an outside developer team.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

It's just development work and a little assistance in deployment activities. We have our own IT team, which was with them on the requirements. A small portion of every project we deliver is developed, tested, and deployed by CMARIX.

How did you come to work with CMARIX?

We have our separate team. Our internal team always finds our offshore partners using a well-documented process. They identified CMARIX as a good potential partner and contacted their leadership.

CMARIX had a synopsis of the requirements and passed our internal tests. Their pricing matched our budget range.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was from $50,000 to $200,000. That was for six months of heavy work.

What is the status of this engagement?

Not all the work is completed. We have already deployed some apps they developed for us for end clients. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I don't have any metrics to share. I can say that we are satisfied and recommend CMARIX to others. My IT team was OK with working with them from a communication standpoint. Overall, the experience was good.

How did CMARIX perform from a project management standpoint?

We are not end users of the products they have developed. Some of the things we've already deployed and we haven't received any complaints. From the internal things that we look at like the scope and budget and schedule from an execution standpoint, all those things worked out fine for us. 

It was in the budget that we initially had. The schedule was what we had planned at the beginning of the project. 

What distinguishes CMARIX from other providers?

I can't think of anything else.

Is there anything CMARIX could have improved or done differently?

So far, I wouldn't say we've done a lot of work with them but, on this one particular project that I was involved with, we haven't got any feedback that was negative within my team from unhappy stakeholders. I don't have anything specifically that CMARIX should improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I run an advertising and marketing agency in California.

What is your position?

I am the CTO. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with CMARIX?

I employ many offshore firms to work with me on back-end development and other new product work.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

I think there's four projects right now that I have with CMARIX – mostly web-based. They usually work on database back-end creation projects. There's a rather large project that has to do with the creation of PDF packets for the specific industries. I've had a lot of experience with them.

How did you come to work with CMARIX?

I have been a project development manager for web and internal applications for probably 15-plus years now. I've had the task of building both internal and external or offshore teams for quite some time. I've worked with 12 to 14 different companies during my tenure.

I ran across CMARIX partially because I had worked some time ago with a person who had dealt with one of the principals at CMARIX, so they came as a reference to me. I talked with them, and we did a couple of small projects that went very well.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

This project we're doing we'll probably be close to $50,000. If I add them all together, we're getting closer to $100,000. We have several projects that are very small. I have an ongoing running number of hours that I buy from them at any given time.

What is the status of this engagement?

I have no plans of stopping. If anything, we'll be ramping up production with them on various projects that are coming up in the future. Our first project was probably about a year ago [2014].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I don't have any metrics in front of me but, as far as the quality of work is concerned, they've been pretty darn good. I've worked with several teams overseas. You always have to realize that anytime you're dealing with any kind of an outsourced project, especially when it's going to a different country, you're going to have a certain set of challenges that range from a bit of a language barrier to a time barrier to an understanding barrier. There's things that will crop up in time. 

It's important that you document things carefully, and you make sure that there is a clear understanding on both sides. You need to build into your timelines the issue of timing. Sometimes, it could be a 12- or 24-hour window before you see a result back from what you've asked to have done. Other times, it's very quick.

If you plan accordingly, you can get things back in a couple hours if you're in need of something small. Just in general, I would say as long as you're careful about how you plan then they should do fine.

How did CMARIX perform from a project management standpoint?

In the case of CMARIX, they've been far better at that than any of the other teams that I've worked with. The last team I worked with was turning out some good work, but they were extraordinarily hard to convey data properly and get them to understand it without going through four or five rounds of discussions. You always get back what you put in when it comes to offshore IT [information technology] projects.

What distinguishes CMARIX from other providers?

I don't think it's unique as much as it is a willingness and a commitment to making sure they're turning out a quality product. I could call that unique in the sense that there are many companies that I've worked with that just bang a project out and throw it back at you and hope that it's what you wanted.

One of the things I've noticed about CMARIX is that they tend to take time to look at what you want and are mindful of things like budget and all of that. I never had a budget with them that's gone totally awry that wasn't my fault. That has happened with other companies I've dealt with.

Is there anything CMARIX could have improved or done differently?

I think everybody's always got room for improvement. There were a couple of glitches that we had at the beginning where we thought they understood what we wanted clearly, and they thought they understood, but it turns out they didn't understand it at all.

I have to say that was more the fault of one of my program managers who hadn't had the amount of training to make sure they documented something like that for them. It wasn't horrific. It was just a matter of proper communication. They do a good job of trying to better themselves with that. I can't say they've dropped the ball on anything like that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Aspen Claims Service

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Insurance claims adjusting

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CMARIX to accomplish?

• software development

SOLUTION

How did you find CMARIX?

Online Search

Why did you select CMARIX over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from CMARIX were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Develop a claims management system 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Consistent progress by beta testing new modules

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

work was timely

What was your primary form of communication with CMARIX?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

personal communication

Are there any areas for improvement or something CMARIX could have done differently?

All was good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an Executive of Della Terra

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Real estate hospitality advisory services and investments

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CMARIX to accomplish?

• re-create a functional website for my team to update content via Wordpress
• re-create a functional website for customers to find us and desire to work with us

SOLUTION

How did you find CMARIX?

Upwork

Why did you select CMARIX over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from CMARIX were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

End to end re-development of my current site to take it to the next level of professionalism, scale and ease of use. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Website complete on time, on scope and on budget

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Cmarix was responsive and on time 

What was your primary form of communication with CMARIX?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

CMARIX delivered a high level of detail and, most importantly, a professional end product.

Are there any areas for improvement or something CMARIX could have done differently?

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of an information technology company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Gratitude mobile app

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CMARIX to accomplish?

• Create new UI design for mobile app

SOLUTION

How did you find CMARIX?

Clutch Site

Why did you select CMARIX over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from CMARIX were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

I have hired CMARIX to completely redesign existing app. I'm satisfied with the end result. I'm looking forward to continue working together in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I'm satisfied with the end result

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Communication has been smooth and excellent. Everything has been delivered on time.

What was your primary form of communication with CMARIX?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

UI design of the projects they worked on

Are there any areas for improvement or something CMARIX could have done differently?

Can't name any yet. We have only worked together for little over one month and everything has been done flawlessly thus far. On top of that, I appreciate their input with new ideas and suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Android Developer at an app development company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Apps for fun

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CMARIX to accomplish?

• The UX/UI design of a pet adoption app

SOLUTION

How did you find CMARIX?

Online Search

Why did you select CMARIX over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Good designs

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

CMARIX helped me with the UX/UI design of my pet adoption app using Figma. They did an excellent job in understanding my requirements and conducting thorough research. The scope of work included creating a comprehensive design that perfectly caters to my app's needs. They delivered wireframes, mockups, design assets. The result is an intuitive and visually appealing design that I can proudly showcase in my portfolio as an Android Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The measurable outcomes demonstrating progress or success in the project include positive user feedback, visual appeal of the design, and the impact in my portfolio.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

CMARIX demonstrated effective project management by delivering items on time and being responsive to my needs throughout the project.

What was your primary form of communication with CMARIX?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The patience

Are there any areas for improvement or something CMARIX could have done differently?

Everything was great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of JTE LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

N/A

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire CMARIX to accomplish?

• N/A
• N/A
• N/A

SOLUTION

How did you find CMARIX?

Online Search

Why did you select CMARIX over others?

High ratings

What was the size of CMARIX’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Was looking for a website and they delivered

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• did great, totally love my website wouldnt go with another company

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Amazing

What was your primary form of communication with CMARIX?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I was impressed with how they met my needs

Are there any areas for improvement or something CMARIX could have done differently?

no