DataArt

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an insurtech company building tools for insurance agents in the commercial property & casualty space. My position is head of product.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DataArt?

We hired DataArt to assist us in preparing our platform to offer e-forms to our users. Specifically, the work that they did would allow us to digitize a standard set of forms. The feature allows our users to complete an insurance form online and then output the data into the industry-accepted format, allowing our user to download the form into an editable PDF document.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to build a tool that ingested data that was provided in the format supplied by an industry organization and to transform that data into a file that conformed to our specifications. This tool would save our company many person hours of having to manually perform the activity on a form-by-form basis.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our company put together description of several projects that we identified were suitable for outsourcing to a vendor. We shared this document with two companies and had a series of meetings with each to review the scope of work. Both companies returned with proposals that provided information about their capabilities, their approaches to tackling each of the projects, and their estimated project costs. The CEO and heads of product and technology were involved in evaluating the proposals and in deciding on the vendor. We went with DataArt because the combination of their industry experience, technical expertise, cost, methodologies, and flexibility in structuring the engagement was superior to the other firm we considered.

Describe the project in detail.

DataArt was responsible for delivering two items: 1) a set of data in the format that we specified, and 2) code that we could use to process a large set of data that would result in outputting the data into our desired format. Initial meetings were set up to review our Web app so that the DataArt team could understand our product and could obtain context for the work they were undertaking. Subsequently, we provided them with sample sets of data that they could use to test approaches for processing it with the objective of transforming it and outputting it to our desired format. While this was going on, our company was seeking ways to obtain the raw input data from a third party. After we were able to secure the data, we made it available to DataArt. This forced DataArt to revisit their approach because the new data source provided data in a different manner. They were able to adjust quickly and were able to achieve the project goals despite our initially having them go down a different path.

What was the team composition?

One software engineer (full-time), one technical architect (part-time), one project/delivery manager (part-time), one subject matter expert (part-time).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within a few short weeks, the DataArt team was able to deliver on the project ahead of time and under budget. The delivered set of data and the code were of high quality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had daily check-ins and we used instant messaging to communicate between check-ins.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The DataArt team was quick to understand our needs and they spent the time ensuring they fully grasped the objectives of the project. In addition, their technical skill was high, as was the quality fo their work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Given the limited scope of the project, there probably could have been less oversight and participation from their project delivery / engagement management folks, but given they completed the project ahead of schedule and under budget made the addition of those folks a nice to have.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Sharpfin develops the state of the art wealth management platform, Sharpfin Wealth Management Suite which targets external asset managers, banks and family offices. I myself am the CEO and founder of Sharpfin.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DataArt?

We have been using DataArts services as resources in our web/frontend development with various consultants. We also assigned one of their consultants for a longer project when we upgraded our frontend framework from AngularJS to Angular.

What were your goals for this project?

The solution should work the exact same way afterwards but with the new technology and use features from that. Within this project we also implemented i18n to make our solution support multiple languages.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have been working over many years in many company constallations with DataArt and I know for a fact that they always deliver high quality services to reasonable prices.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We have been using three different web developers from DataArt with expertice in AngularJS, Angular and Bootstrap. We also let them to an UI/UX-review of our solution a couple of years ago.

What was the team composition?

The team always consisted of one web developer from DataArt and our backend developers within Sharpfin.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The project was absolutely crucial for our current scalability of the product. Without this upgrade we would have had a much more costly setup which would have been much harder to scale.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We managed the project ourself.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The constant high quality of their consultants was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of. DataArt delivers what you pay for and more. Always friendly always professional.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

PSI is a clinical contract research organization that specializes on running clinical trials of new pharmaceuticals. I head up global business development at PSI.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DataArt?

Clinical trial is a complex project ranging over a number of years and millions of dollars, involving multiple vendors and partners. Estimating the cost of this project is a complex task, therefore we needed DataArt to help us automate the budgeting tool.

What were your goals for this project?

Improve the speed, efficiency and accuracy of budget calculation, as well as inter-departmental collaboration.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through competitive bidding

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Full-cycle of software development:

• Discovery phase
• IT consulting
• Architectural design
• UI/UX, software development
• QA
• Deployment
• User training
• Support & maintenance.

What was the team composition?

PM, solution designer, solution architect, business analyst, front and backend developers, testers, technical writers, development operations, management oversight

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

I can't tell you enough how happy we are to be able to produce accurate study budgets in the minimal timeframe and have them sharable and reviewable by company stakeholders and a clear, transparent manner. This has been a GREAT accomplishment by both DataArt and PSI teams.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

As the vision of the project evolved, their PM team remained agile, flexible, accommodating, and creative.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

DataArt is very service-oriented, which is rare in tech companies. We have managed to built a great relationship.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Can't think of anything

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Credorax is a fully-licensed financial institution in Europe. It’s one of the first fintech companies to receive payment institution and credit institution licenses in the EU. We have around 250 employees, and our core businesses are payment services, payment acquiring, and banking services. We operate in the card and alternative payments markets, bordering e-commerce and not only.

I’m the VP of the CTO office in the organization. I lead the CTO office and report directly to the company’s CTO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DataArt?

We were facing a major platform transformation project. We had a card management acquiring platform that we were using in a SaaS model, and that we wanted to migrate to an on-premises system. We hired DataArt to perform QA services for the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The software was built and implemented by another party. DataArt was in charge of ensuring that the quality was adequate. They provided QA for a system involving card payments, which means that they had to do end-to-end automated tests for card payment protocols, and verify very elaborate billing and interchange logic present in the system.

They developed the automation framework for the QA, on top of providing the testing.

They also provided some consultancy a few years later, when we were scouting for a core banking platform.

What is the team composition?

I haven’t been following the collaboration for the last 12 months. I was in direct contact with them for 4–5 years, during my previous role. The team size used to be 10–12 people, and it’s roughly the same number now, but I don’t know the exact figure.

How did you come to work with DataArt?

We ran a tender for QA services and made a shortlist of four candidate companies. Someone recommended DataArt to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We started at $800,000–$900,000 per year. It was a bit less earlier, and it grew during certain periods. I’d say we’ve spent $3 million–$3.5 million with them to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with DataArt in Q1 of 2015. They still work for us, at the same volume and capacity.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re testing our core platform, and any defect that escapes their attention is something that keeps us in production longer. The more defects they discover, the faster they execute test cases, the better the coverage, and the fewer the escaping defects, the better the quality of the service.

The number of test cases, the test coverage, and the number of escaping defects are the key metrics for DataArt’s performance.

How did DataArt perform from a project management standpoint?

I was very happy with it. It was one area of the project that we didn’t need to worry about. There was an adjustment period, but they quickly responded to my comments and modified the team structure accordingly. It was smooth sailing after the initial period.

Specifically for the carding business, there are deadlines imposed by players like Mastercard and other major card providers, which are absolutely immovable. We’ve been able to successfully meet those at least twice a year. There are two releases annually, and, if we can’t meet them, we can’t continue doing business with VISA or Mastercard. DataArt has a proven history of meeting project deadlines over the course of five years.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d say there were three core things, one accidental and three substantial. The accidental one was that they actually had people on staff who were familiar with the system we were going to test and deploy, which gave them an initial head start. They pulled those people into the project and leveraged them properly. The substantial parts are that they’re really transparent and responsive. I never had an issue that wasn’t resolved to our satisfaction, whether it was with the team, the structure, or something else.

The same goes for the hiring process, which is another. We were part of the hiring process for the team, even though it wasn’t the kind of engagement where we were buying heads. Their selection process was quite good.

Card management and acquiring is a very specific business, and there aren’t many people familiar with it. We did some on-the-job training and provided whatever materials we could. On DataArt’s side, they leveraged whatever was given to them, so that any new team members were trained to the maximum. It included things as simple as recording knowledge transfer presentations given by me and sending new members to me only after they’d seen those presentations.

They adjust to the specifics of the business quite fast, and the work has been very professional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think they have a major disadvantage that I could pinpoint. They’ve already improved everything I’ve asked them to improve, so I don’t want to make up things.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to get deeply involved at the beginning of the project. I don’t know whether or not this is an approach that DataArt provides to everyone by default, but what worked for us was to get involved with the personnel and training processes from the very start.

We gave it the necessary attention, so that the members would get all the training they needed to be efficient, and we openly discussed any issues before they became an issue for the project. The communication is very open, and they’re easy to work with. If we’re explicit with them, they respond and adjust very fast and to our satisfaction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for an automotive company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DataArt?

We were looking to hire a team to develop software with our internal team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DataArt worked to develop parts of the software with technology we didn’t have in our in-house team. Initially, they worked completely separate from our team, but they have since integrated. 

They are developing the frontend of the mobile application. The app uses simulation software used by auto manufacturers and their suppliers for improving the design of tools used to develop car parts. It’s tablet-based and connects to a backend that was developed collaboratively. 

We developed the Android version; they are working on the web server that services the tablet and its software. They continue to work on new requirements as well as other small projects we present to them.

What is the team composition?

The size of the team is fluid, changing as needed. It consists of developers and QA engineers.

How did you come to work with DataArt?

We requested proposals for the project from companies we found online that had experience. Out of the ones that responded, we felt DataArt was the best fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent 1.5 million Swiss francs (approximately $1.6 million USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2014, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The QA engineers are extremely qualified for the tasks. They do careful, detailed work. Since the teams are integrated, there is daily tracking done.

How did DataArt perform from a project management standpoint?

I manage the project. We have several meetings each week to discuss things. We work in an Agile framework and also do Scrum.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DataArt is not afraid to engage in challenging or niche projects and are willing to allocate a small team when necessary. They work long-term with us; the developers are dedicated, and their rotation is seamless. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could optimize their hiring processes, focusing more on the quality of skill level over the number of recruits.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of software engineering at Savvy Aviation. We provide several services, including maintenance, breakdown assistance, and engine analysis, to small aircrafts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Logicify?

We offered our services on two websites: Savvy Analysis, where we served the engine analysis business, and Savvy Mx, where we tended to all of our other lines of business. My company wanted to merge our two websites and offer all of our services on one unified site to make it easier for clients to navigate our services. Because our services are so unique, we couldn’t deploy any off-the-shelf systems, so all of our software is custom-made. We needed to outsource development support to a vendor that could work with our custom software and provide reasonable prices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My team provides the specifications and uses a ticket-filing process to give Logicify different tasks to work on. They perform these tasks and produce pull requests, which we review. The team is primarily using Python Django, but they’re also deploying AWS and JavaScript on the client side. They provide QA, and we’ve also outsourced scheduling and planning to them.

What is the team composition?

Dmitriy (Fullstack Developer, Logicify) oversees development. We also work with a part-time QA project manager who helps manage and plan the scope of the work. Dmitriy gives this individual the code he’s worked on, and she does some testing on the QA and production servers before delivering the code to us.

How did you come to work with Logicify?

I found Logicify on Clutch.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began outsourcing to Logicify in December 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My team’s pace of work has increased since we began working with Logificy and outsourcing QA and some of the scheduling and planning to them. Now, when we receive code from them, we don’t have to test for bugs; instead, we can focus on whether this is what we want and what changes we might wish to make. This allows my team to focus more on strategy, new features, and long-term planning.

How did Logicify perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve established a collaborative process. Logicify is available to review and discuss their work if necessary, although their coding and deliverables very rarely need correcting. The team provides daily progress updates, and we communicate well. For instance, we gave Logicify a small task that they were putting too much time and effort into, and they quickly changed course when we alerted them of this. Their director sets up monthly calls with me to discuss the project and ensure the team is handling questions and issues well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver high-quality code and solutions. We very rarely need to send code back to them.  Having worked with various other developers, I’ve found that most engineers need a lot more guidance to get to this level of quality. The engineer we work with is incredibly mature. It’s particularly helpful that we don’t have to micromanage every bug and task, as this allows my team to focus on other pertinent work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints. So far, I’m very pleased with all of their work.

Any advice for potential customers?

No, they’re pretty straightforward to work with. When I haven’t had time to give them directions, they’ve been good at figuring tasks out.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of C-Change Labs, a sustainability-focused cloud services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Logicify?

We needed a partner to help us implement a web-based cloud service and database for embodied carbon emissions in construction materials.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Logicify is primarily providing a Django Python backend, some extract transform load scripting, and an Angular frontend design. The function of the web application is to provide a database of construction materials. It allows users to search for the environmental impact of those materials based on the structural properties of the material. Intended users are construction professionals such as architects, structural engineers, and contractors.

I provided them with clear requirements, but we collaborated on the actual design of the site. I created some wireframes and Logicify also did a lot of that work themselves as well. They've done an API to a .NET application that we previously wrote for visualization. They've also assisted with APIs to Box.com and other software services that are involved in the deployment of the solution.

What is the team composition?

I work with several people. The person I interact with the most is the technical backend lead. I also work directly with a primary project contact and a primary business contact.

How did you come to work with Logicify?

I originally found them through on Upwork. I selected them for a trial project based on reviews and their long-term relationships with several other customers. I retained their services because they successfully delivered and cleanly executed the trial task.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $70,000 CAD (approximately $53,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web application is live and they’ve made several deliveries so far. There's a lot of excitement around the application. People think it looks really good and it's easy to use. There's still some bugs but that’s to be expected at this early stage. Overall, they do very good work. They're dedicated and focused on delivering a good result.

How did Logicify perform from a project management standpoint?

They deal with bugs in a very businesslike way. We identify the bug, and they identify the root cause. It gets deployed for testing and then to production. It's a very efficient process. This isn’t a large project so I work closely with their technical team. We use a combination of web meetings, screen sharing, and Asana.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re willing to work extremely hard when our customers' deadlines are coming up. They really care about the long term success of the partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of their frontend design is not as sophisticated as it should be. They're much stronger on the backend then the frontend.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Logicify is a good partner for a long term relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a team lead at OT-OIL. We develop corporate information solutions for oil and gas companies in Russia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Logicify?

We needed visual components for our tube monitoring system and our Google Web Toolkit (GWT) software engineers were not available. We were looking for an outsourced partner to handle this isolated piece of our solution.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a multi-select picker, complex text field validation system, rich calendar, and oil well visualization tool that were completely compatible with Internet Explorer 8.0 and GWT.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our colleagues recommended their services and, upon inspection, we found that their technology stack aligned with what we were looking for. We spoke with their management and agreed they were suitable for the project.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

We ran an agile project with results delivered after each two-week sprint period. The total engagement included several smaller projects. First, they completed some standalone components for the program, such as a multi-select picker, a text field with a complex validation system, and a rich calendar. After completing those functions in a high-quality and timely manner, we asked them to design the oil well visualization tool. This complex element needed various interactive displays, event and action information, and a feature that allowed users to hover over different areas to see the necessary details. They managed the project and shared MS Project files through Redmine.

What was the team composition?

We worked with the CTO to determine the scope, then a single engineer completed all of the development tasks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We easily integrated all of Logicify’s components without issue, which added additional value and interactive capabilities to the product. Following the project’s completion, the team remained accessible in case we needed to make any changes or corrections.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We regularly communicated with the engineer on our project and scheduled weekly catch-ups with their management team to ensure the requirements and expectations were met and all our needs were handled properly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They quickly adjusted to our management and development model. There were minor issues, but they were seamlessly addressed and the project always remained on track.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Clients might find them a little conservative in terms of planning, but that wasn’t an issue for us because it aligned with our team’s approach.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of trovvit, a student-centric, student-owned portfolio and networking tool that allows users to find pathways and opportunities from the people and organizations they already trust.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Logicify?

I needed a technical team as I launched my new startup, so I was looking for a vendor that could offer the right tech stack, people, and talent to ensure the architecture was in place for what we were hoping to scale to.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Logicify acts as the company's CTO of product development, frontend and backend development, and testing for our web and mobile app (iOS and Android). They used Angular and Apache Cordova, as well as Amazon AWS for storage and hosting of our systems, integrating some of AWS's tools, including transcoders and Filepicker, as well as Facebook and Google Drive. While they provided feedback on the wireframes and flows I created, we worked with another design shop on the UX/UI.

Features of the app include identity and accounts, as well as safety and security protocols, since our apps target minors and require guardian or parental consent. Users can upload various media, including photos, videos, and documents.

What is the team composition?

It varies depending on the project, but we typically work with anywhere from four to seven developers and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Logicify?

I had hired and worked with Logicify for another company I own. Although I've worked with several developers around the world, I keep coming back to them. They now make up the majority of our tech team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at this company in February 2015 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We receive maybe one support ticket every couple months, and most of those are usually a result of user error. The platform Logicify built is very stable, has few bugs, and no down time. The number of users continues grow at a rate of about 10–15% per month.

How did Logicify perform from a project management standpoint?

We're very pleased with their team, which is why I keep recommending them to others. They stay organized through tools like Confluence, Jira, Bitbucket, Slack, and Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're great communicators, which is hard to find. Their English and collaboration skills are top-notch, and they're also proactive about providing feedback where they feel it would improve the product.

Many outsourced vendors will take a project and run with it, but their team is willing to provide feedback and seems to genuinely care about overall client success. Even the people that had previously worked on the project and have moved on continue to check in with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They provide good MVPs of mobile apps, but they could do more in that area of their business should they decide to expand their expertise.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them—they're fantastic.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and CEO of ISIC Holding AG. We're a holding company specializing in the development of turnkey solutions for international corporations in niche markets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Logicify?

The initial challenge was the development of an application that could provide 100% coverage within an industry that hadn’t previously had an application. Our client wanted a custom-made app for running their marine insurance business. They specialized in cargo ships and tankers. The challenge was the development of a software app to underwrite the insurance side of the operation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The software application covers the entire marine insurance process from the point of view of underwriting how you would insure ships that actually travel in the seas. Logicify took the version that was developed by other companies in Austria, remodeled it, and rewrote the entire thing. They utilized the state-of-the-art technologies in existence at the time. They took it from a linear programming approach to a modular programming approach and finished the product. They used Apache Wicket and Java to this.

The modularizing of the application enabled us to turn sections of it on and off, depending on the need. This is what impressed me the most. The client was able to have full or partial functionality, which was a great advantage for the marketability of the app.

What is the team composition?

There were 4–6 people involved, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Logicify?

They were introduced to me by a member of the ISIC consortium as an alternative to the development or the revamping of the software application we were developing. I spoke to them and we took a trip to Ukraine to get to know them. I was very satisfied with what I saw at the time. I did also interview an additional two companies in Austria, one in Italy, and another in Romania.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the revamping project in 2009. It was a very short contract, based on the promise that they could deliver. The first section of the project was finished in August 2009. We then finished an additional development phase around August 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To this date, there's no comparison on that market to the product developed by Logicify. The end-product was a success. It’s still owned by my company and is still marketable in that section of the industry.

In terms of quality of code, they delivered at 97% efficiency. The beauty of the application is that it’s adaptable. It's convertible to cater to other insurance industries with very little effort. That makes it a cost-effective application, even today.

How did Logicify perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was the part that impressed me the most. The professionalism of Logicify’s project manager was high. They had German precision in terms of reporting on updates and progress. Out of the 11 companies that participated in this project, Logicify was the best I dealt with.

We communicated on a daily basis and had continuous back-and-forth communication throughout the development cycle.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing I really like about them is that if the team believes that they don’t have sufficient industry experience to handle a project, they will be upfront with it and will ask for the time to familiarize themselves with the matter.

What I saw at the time when I visited them was great. They had a great setting, and they were cost-effective. The best impression I received was about their knowledge of the technology itself. I visited them again in 2017, and I was further impressed by their progress. I wish them the best of luck, and I would recommend them to any other company looking for development partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could grow by marketing themselves a bit more efficiently. They have great potential to be competitive—as far as development is concerned, they're preparing themselves for what the industry will offer within the next 10 years. They just need to hire a few more experts in the robotics and intelligent-appliances areas, but they have great potential going forward.