Datamatics

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical project manager for Highlow Markets, one of the largest FX derivatives trading companies. We have our own trading platform and CRM. We have a very large clients base from various part of the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechJini, Inc?

We needed a company to develop and manage our financial services web platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our CRM and the supporting backend from scratch using PHP Symfony. It’s a very complex and high-performance platform that receives a huge volume of trades every day. They’re now developing a latency technology and are working on a couple of AI systems.

One system involves automatic know your customer (KYC) in which the traders get evaluated. It recognizes the phase and then recognizes the driver’s license, whether it’s real or fake. It then auto approves the application, and it lets the trader access our system.

Another system is related to machine learning, which is the system that identifies the pattern of the trader and then records it. If another trader comes and trades with the same pattern, we identify it as either fraud, a good trader, or a suspicious person. It’s a very intelligent system that identifies the trader’s pattern and warns us about group trading or any kind of fraud trading.  

What is the team composition?

We have 45–50 people on the team. There’s a product manager, developers, testers, designers, UX designers, etc.

How did you come to work with TechJini, Inc?

Our MD is a serial entrepreneur with several successful exits, and he has worked with TechJini for all his startups after experiencing their good work and commitment during their first collaboration.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2011 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with them and are finding ways to give them more business. We don’t want to move to any other vendor because we want everything delivered from one company so that management is easy.

How did TechJini, Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a 100% agile workflow with scrum masters/product owners that manage the scrums and all the product requirements. We have weekly meetings with them to review the progress. There’s also a monthly meeting with the board of directors and the vice president during which we review the project at different intervals.

Many of the same team members have been working on the project since the start, which adds a lot of value. They’re all subject matter experts with lots of tech expertise and can do all the troubleshooting quickly, so it doesn’t feel like they’re miles away. We actually have production support nearly 24/7.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide end-to-end support for our products. They’re not just a vendor but rather a technology partner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Considering the nature of the business and our requirements, they weren’t able to onboard resources on time in some instances. It’s a common issue for a client that’s actually scaling up, so I don’t see it as a problem. They have a very stringent onboarding process when it comes to assessing candidates, including multiple rounds of interviews and technology evaluations.

This process gets difficult when it comes to finding people truly skilled at Node.js, Angular.js., Advanced Angular.js, and UX designers. These skillsets are becoming scarce in the market. So while there were delays, we adjusted our product releases accordingly rather than getting somebody who wasn’t really skilled. We wanted to get good people.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Motivate them and give them challenging work. When they don’t receive clear requirements, they’ll find a way to get them from their clients. Give them space to really understand the product well for them to contribute effectively. They should be trusted and treated as if they were part of the internal team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I founded Helix Opportunity. We provide business-related services to corporations, government organizations, and nonprofits. We aim to create meaningful experiences that consumers with disabilities can engage in that do not unintentionally stigmatize them by their differences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechJini, Inc?

I hired TechJini, Inc to develop a learning management system that complies with our design principles. We had two goals for our deliverables. First, we wanted to train customers in workforce development to create inclusive and diverse environments. Second, we wanted our products to be practical and meaningful for users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The system is an external-facing dynamic website with a subscription-based model. TechJini, Inc created wireframes to make the enterprise solution function as an immersive online academic experience. After completing the visual assets, the team is now building out the solution including menu and payment features. They’re incorporating embedded audio so visually impared users do not have to rely on third-party technologies to access content.

What is the team composition?

We work with 5–7 people including a project manager and several developers.

How did you come to work with TechJini, Inc?

One of my clients recommended the team. I received a quote for the scope from a third party and presented the estimate to TechJini, Inc.

How much have you invested with them?

The State of California funded this project for Helix Opportunity and has allocated $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website isn’t operational yet, but the team has taken my vision to heart. TechJini, Inc has identified a few design issues and is now fixing them. They resolve problems and communicate their progress in a proactive manner.

How did TechJini, Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

The team’s agile approach makes them even more efficient and responsive than I am. They send monthly reviews that comprehensively explain their process and goal completions. I approve the reviews for billing purposes. We use Google Docs to share work and communicate via email and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As a collaborative partner TechJini, Inc has strong communication skills and sets realistic expectations. The team understands the scope requirements and knows what I expect from the solution. In some cases, they’ve gone above and beyond my vision to enhance or streamline the features.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of this software application development project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechJini?

I hired TechJini to develop and implement a mobile app based on an idea I formulated.

What were your goals for this project?

I hired TechJini to deliver an app that meets all my requirements. I expressed how I visualized a robust back-end. My primary expectation was for the product to work efficiently.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A friend of mine suggested I meet with this company.

Describe the project in detail.

I ran the team through a storyboard and some mockups. After we solidified the design specs, the team prepared a User Journey document along with wireframes to finalize our plan for the visual design. From that point on, they've been coding the app.

What was the team composition?

The founder of the company was initially involved in my project. They assigned me a  team comprised of UX/UI studio designers, Android, iOS, and server-side developers, a project lead, QA support, and a UAT team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our project is still ongoing, so I don't have any metrics to offer. Based on my experience so far, TechJini can capably identify and solve any problems that arise along the way.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Reaching the team is quite easy to do. TechJini has been very responsive so far.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Initially, the team leaders effectively posited the solution to many "what if" situations. This preparation helped them resolve and mitigate a variety of issues. They also provided a lot more structure to my thinking.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As we go lower down in seniority regarding resources, it would be helpful if a more senior teammate kept an eye out for potential future problems users might have. Having this support in place could help more junior staff they quickly identify and solve potential issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology for Lumina Datamatics, a company in the higher education publishing sector.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechJini?

Most recently, I’ve been involved in simulation-based learning for trade schools, primarily automotive. We have an internal development team, but our client had a tight deadline, so we needed to expedite the process and bring in outside resources. They needed to quickly acclimate to our workflow and perform the programming and asset creating in a timely manner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave TechJini wireframes, global specs, and sample modules to base their programming on. They built an HTML5, platform-agnostic simulation that doesn’t use a 3-D game engine or anything that requires a separate plug-in. It’s usable on desktop and mobile devices and has three phases that help educate junior mechanics on different concepts, equipment, and procedures for repairing vehicles.

The simulations vary in complexity, from simple math formulas to utilizing rendered 3-D models for near-realistic recreations of the environment, tools, and parts that students would interact with. They can use the HTML5 drag-and-drop capability to select the correct part, remove the faulty part, and replace it. All of those steps are done within the web browser.

What is the team composition?

I mainly communicated with one person, but there was a team of developers.

How did you come to work with TechJini?

They were referred by someone who’d worked with them before. We reviewed their portfolio and were pleased with the caliber of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2017–February 2018. We’re currently in conversation with them for our next series of projects, which will be mobile device-based.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We brought on other developers from different companies, and TechJini was the only one to do as good of a job as our internal team. They were also able to ramp up much quicker than the others. TechJini was the only firm to meet the caliber we needed to satisfy the customer and meet our deadlines.

How did TechJini perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive and promptly addressed the few challenges we had. We had daily meetings to review work and set goals. We used Jira to generate tickets for functionality updates, bug fixes, etc. We used HipChat, email, phone, and GoToMeeting to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work on a wide range of products and are highly capable in a variety of programming languages and asset creation. Their speed, price, and performance are incredibly satisfying.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Make sure documentation specifications are compiled and handed off. Keep a constant line of communication and have daily meetings, if possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Pivt, which is a mobile app for expats and people who are moving. It helps them find and connect with their extended social network. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechJini?

We couldn’t find the right person for a full-time CTO position, but we had this idea and really wanted to get it to market. We outsourced to TechJini to build our app. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechJini built the entire app for us. One of the best things they’ve done is make it a transparent process. They’ve guided us through all the specifications. The unique aspect of our app is a messaging platform through which you can contact people in your city based on a common interest. Robby [Gupta, US operations head] at TechJini came up with the idea, and the team really made it happen.

How did you come to work with TechJini?

I heard about them through the guy who runs the whole program. I believe his name is Daniel. He had started and sold a bunch of companies, so I figured he would know what it takes to build an app that could go to market. I had a couple of meetings with them, and I was impressed.

How much have you invested with TechJini?

We’ve spent close to $40,000 at this point. We added some features that weren’t in the initial contract, but the cost otherwise stuck with the original expectations.

What is the status of this engagement?

The development started in November of 2016. We’ve had the MVP for a few weeks now, and we’re in the testing stage right now with friends and family. Our next phase will be to make changes based on user feedback. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

TechJini has been great dealing with the changes we requested. They’re very transparent and always willing to jump on a call and discuss new ideas. We’ve gotten excellent feedback so far, especially regarding the interface. Everyone has said that it looks amazing. I think that was the best compliment on the TechJini side.

In terms of user acquisition stats and so forth, we’ve only sent the app out to friends and family. We’ll fully launch it in May, and we’ll have more accurate information after that. We have heard great things from current users. I think TechJini has really helped us make our dream come to life.

How did TechJini perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve been very impressed with their transparency. They’re always available. I can call Robby at any time of day, and he’ll spend an hour on the phone with me going over ideas. Beyond helping me with the development, they’ve been a good resource in going through the startup process.

We have lots of scheduled calls to talk about product updates, bug fixes, and changes. They’ve been great in that regard. TechJini has always kept our vision in mind as they go through the development, and we’re kept informed through every phase of building it out.

What did you find most impressive about TechJini?

They’re completely transparent and always available. I think those are the two really big ones. They have lots of customers, but they’ve always treated us as if we were their only one. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to make our vision come alive.

Are there any areas TechJini could improve?

There were timelines that got a little tricky, and we wished that the work was expedited at the end more. A lot of that had to do with third-parties standing in the way. Overall, it’s been a great experience. There were a few glitches, but I think that’s all part of the process. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a mobile-app development company working with Fortune 500 companies. We also provide an e-commerce platform.

What is your position?

I am the vice president of delivery for the company. I lead the project management, operations, and business analysis teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with TechJini?

We needed a partner for co-developing mobile applications. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We’ve worked with TechJini on both Android and iOS apps. They have provided good, stable developers for augmenting our own teams. We haven't given TechJini full projects to develop on their own. Much of our work is fast-paced, so we've found that it works best to have them work in parallel with us.

TechJini has provided frontend development, project management, and quality assurance (QA) services for us. Their project manager is our primary point of contact during projects for escalating concerns, sharing code, and receiving updates on progress.

TechJini has built out a number of different features for us, including a store locator, social media integrations, wish lists for mobile commerce apps, and a range of other features. Their QA analyst tests every build, making sure that it's performing as expected.

For smaller projects, TechJini will assign two developers, one project manager, and one QA tester. We also have a bigger ongoing project which involved six developers with one project manager and a QA resource. The team sizes have ranged from four to eight people who have augmented our team of 12–14 people.

TechJini communicates using the same tools as our own team. Our time zones are different, so we try to make sure that we are in communication during the morning hours in the US, which is later night in Bangalore.

Our first project with TechJini was for Lands' End, starting in the summer of 2016. We have a software-development kit that allows an app to talk to other parts of our ecosystem, which TechJini successfully implemented into the app.

How did you come to work with TechJini?

I was not involved in the initial search, but my understanding is that we did a survey of various offshore companies. TechJini had a combination of competitive pricing, a local presence in New Jersey, and good examples of past work, specifically around mobile-app development. There are many consulting and recruitment companies out there, but they don't all have mobile expertise, which is our sweet spot.

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

The cost of TechJini's work has been between $70,000 and $120,000. In terms of cost, TechJini's development team has a third the price of our team, so we've had some substantial savings.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with TechJini in September 2016. We have two active projects with TechJini, and I've shared a potential third one with them for later in 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

TechJini has completed one project with us, and there are two others in process. The biggest metrics for me are cost and time.

TechJini ran into some issues with us on the last project, after we didn't have some assets ready for them in time. Even though they were blocked on the first day of the project, they still delivered on time, which is a significant metric for me. TechJini could have delayed the project, but they worked overtime to make it happen.

From a cost perspective, TechJini never increased our estimate, even when things changed. They've always been right-on in terms of cost and time or over-delivered.

How did TechJini perform from a project management standpoint?

TechJini is quick to escalate concerns and risks, letting us know what is needed from our end before the work can start. Other partners haven't been as clear as that, and we only found out about problems after the fact.

What distinguishes TechJini from other providers?

Communication and escalating risks and concerns are areas where TechJini did a great job.

Is there anything TechJini could have improved or done differently?

Sometimes, TechJini will communicate a problem to us without proposing a solution. More creativity on this side would be an improvement. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a pizza delivery company based in Mountain View, California. We deliver pizzas using proprietary technology which allows us to cook them en route. I am the product manager of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechJini?

I wanted to provide a native Android app for our users, instead of using a wrapper for our website. That solution didn't provide a good user experience and had poor reviews. We do have full-stack engineers on our team, but most of them are focused on backend work, building our core technology. We were looking to partner with a software development firm which could build the customer facing Android app for our users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The basic feature request was in terms of the order flow. A customer can look at our menu and select from a range of pizzas, add them to the cart, place the order, make payments using a credit card, and add an address. We didn't have a solution on the Android side before engaging TechJini, outside of the internally built website wrapper, but our backend infrastructure was already in place.

We are working on features like friend referrals, push notifications, improved tracking, and categorized menus in order to make the app on par with its iOS counterpart.

How did you come to work with TechJini?

I received a call from someone in TechJini's team. I don't know how they found out that we were looking for tech developers, but I looked at their profile and saw that TechJini had worked with a number of companies from the US and India. They had a good proposal with laid out, systematic work items. The package structure worked for us; instead of working on a fixed price, we had a monthly engagement, which was helpful.

How much have you invested with TechJini?

We are using one dedicated developer from TechJini's team at any point in time for a standard fee. The cost so far has been between $20,000 and $25,000, and we estimate to pay $30,000 in total. Our contract with TechJini expires in March 2017, at which point most of our work will be complete. We will negotiate a feature-based agreement at that time.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with TechJini in October 2016. The app took two-and-a-half months to complete and was launched in the last week of January 2017. Right now, we continue to add features in order to bring the app to parity with our iOS version and web platform. We release updates on a weekly basis and have developed 80% of our iOS feature list.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have gotten some good qualitative feedback from customers. There has been an impact in this respect since our Android base was quite low. The number of installs has gone up, almost doubling, which was due in part to the advertising we've done through Google and Facebook. I don't have enough data points at the moment in order to talk about retention since only one month has passed. We don't have a D1-D7 app, but rather a D60-D90 one [ie. retention is measured in terms of repeat usage every 2-3 months, not daily or monthly], so I haven't gauged its impact fully.

How did TechJini perform from a project management standpoint?

TechJini has done a decent job. We had regular meetings at the beginning of our project and were assigned an account manager along with our developer. We use Assembla as a tracking tool, which allows me to see all ongoing tickets and sprints, and we've also communicated through Slack and email. We follow an Agile process, and the management has been good, making it easy for me to determine our status at any point in time without putting in a lot of effort. As time passed and our trust increased, the communication was reduced. I can give a number of tasks to our engineer and receive an update at the end of the week.

What did you find most impressive about TechJini?

I have a dedicated developer who has asked many clarification questions. With outsourced work, the vendor will sometimes make assumptions and deliver based on what he thought the requirements were. Most of the time, this won't be what we asked for, so I appreciate the ability of TechJini's team to ask questions, thus reducing the number of iterations we require.

Are there any areas TechJini could improve?

TechJini could improve the speed of development. Our time zone difference and work approach have had an impact, but I would have expected our work to be delivered in 70% of the time that it took. We've also had some design constraints and proved to be a blocking point ourselves. I'm okay with this since we received a good, high-quality product. If building a more robust app will take more time, I'm all for it, but I would've liked to hit our New Year launch date, as that is a peak time for our business.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

PipelineDeals is a small to medium sized business CRM [customer relationship management] company. I’m a product manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechJini?

They’ve helped us with some of our mobile applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built 2 mobile applications for iOS and Android. They worked with us on defining tech options, technical roadmaps, etc. They consult internally and we have developers in-house that are able to help them with any questions they have about technical decisions.

How did you come to work with TechJini?

That process took place before I joined the company.

How much have you invested with TechJini?

In the last year, we’ve spent $20,000 to $30,000 with TechJini.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in January 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don’t have any specifics off the top of my head.

How did TechJini perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really proactive about communicating current work on projects and suggesting ideas. They’re a true partner and are committed to making sure they deliver the best work possible. Any bugs that we find, they’re quick to fix them. We use a variety of tools for project management including HipChat, Trello, and Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about TechJini?

They really want to perform well and make sure that we’re happy with the work they’re doing. They don’t take for granted that they’re doing a good job. They’re constantly looking for feedback. I definitely appreciate how they keep the project moving forward.

Are there any areas TechJini could improve?

It’s challenging to know how much information about the core pieces of infrastructure to share with any outsourced company. Time zones can also be a challenge when outsourcing with someone outside the country.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with TechJini?

Keep in mind accessibility and make sure that you’re OK with not being able to communicate during most hours of the work day.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a vehicle telematics company providing fleet management software and hardware. We also operate in the connected car space, providing an IoT [Internet of Things] solution.

I am the engineering manager for fleet and connected-cars applications within the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechJini?

We didn't have in-house mobile expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechJini helped us define our mobile application strategy and build our solution for the direct consumer market. We have native Android and iOS applications, the latter using the Swift language.

The size of their team has fluctuated, based on our needs. We initially used 2 developers from TechJini. We have an on-site tech lead who is working with TechJini's project manager.

How did you come to work with TechJini?

We received a reference from a contact. We invited a few organizations to participate in the initial phase of our project, ultimately choosing TechJini. They were equipped to handle everything we wanted to do and were also cost-effective.

How much have you invested with TechJini?

This information is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with TechJini in April 2015. We have increased our mobile footprint, so TechJini was tasked with developing further applications for the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

TechJini was instrumental in helping us launch our first consumer application. We have continued to use them for additional apps.

How did TechJini perform from a project management standpoint?

We use a user interface screen management tool. TechJini uses our internal JIRA instance. Development is done in Xcode and Android Studio.

Given that TechJini is based in India, they've had to work during the night in order to meet our schedule.

What did you find most impressive about TechJini?

TechJini is able to ramp-up resources fast, which has given us a big advantage. They were able to fill in the gaps we had in our own team.

Are there any areas TechJini could improve?

On-site presence is an improvement point, but we have been able to mitigate this by using a dedicated project manager on TechJini's side.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Sapphire Automation creates automation software. I’m the president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechJini?

We needed software support and development help related to software for factory automation that we were developing for Mac.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided a software development resource who had expertise and understanding about the Mac operating system, and experience in developing applications on Mac. They used Objective-C.

How did you come to work with TechJini?

Through another contact that worked with TechJini, so it was a referral from a friend. Basically, the confidence came from the friend that used them for similar development. I was looking for somebody who had expertise in developing an application on Mac OS and a resource from India.

How much have you invested with TechJini?

We spend more than $100,000 in a given year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began work in 2014 and it lasted until October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The people were knowledgeable and they worked extra hours to meet our deadlines and deliver our project on time. They supported the travel plan. Even if they had some family issues and other issues, the resource did travel based on our schedule.

How did TechJini perform from a project management standpoint?

They were pretty professional. They supported us well. With the time difference, we sometimes had to ask the candidates to work on a US time basis, which was night their time. They were happy to do it and work with us that way. We needed them to travel also, and they did that to support us. They were able to provide technical help as well. Communication was mainly through Skype and Go To Meeting; those were the main ones for us communicating and meeting with them online and discussing the technical solutions to review the code that they had developed. We used them on a continuous basis for the length of the project with dedicated resources. At any given time, it was from one to four resources.

What did you find most impressive about TechJini?

I think they’re pretty professional, and the resources were really knowledgeable about the things that we wanted to do. They actually helped in certain cases because we were new to Mac OS.

Are there any areas TechJini could improve?

I think they did well. Everything was good. I don’t think anything right now comes to my mind.