Develocraft

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a development director at Finastra, a big, 10,000-employee software company providing different solutions for financial institutions like banks. In my position, I’m responsible for developing our platform where other FinTech organizations and banks can collaborate. I manage different things around our platform, including our developers, DevOps, and QA activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Develocraft?

A few months into the development project, we wanted to grow our team. We tried to recruit more people internally, but we were unable to fulfill our needs entirely. However, we had an additional budget to outsource some of the development work, so we decided to look for companies that could provide us with additional engineers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Develocraft provided us with engineers who worked with us on our development project. We worked together for over four years on different subprojects related to the main scope of work. Initially, I talked with them about my needs, and we discussed how they would help me. Throughout the project, we continued to grow our team, so Develocraft helped us with this by recruiting people from the market because they didn’t have enough resources internally.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 10 people Develocraft throughout our engagement.

How did you come to work with Develocraft?

Someone recommended them to me. They were not a big company, and I was trying to partner with a much bigger firm at that time. Still, we felt that working with Develocraft would be much smoother and faster than working with other companies, and we would get better quality resources too.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2018–October 2022. Still, I’ll be happy to work with them again on other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our entire engagement was very good, and I was very happy with the outcome. Although not everything was perfect, the quality of the people that Develocraft provided us with was good enough for our needs. Their team really listened to me and helped me solve the issues we had along the way, constantly asking for feedback to address what needed to be improved. I usually expect a lot from the people I work with, and Develocraft was able to fulfill my expectations.

Moreover, Develocraft’s recruitment process was very good, and I was very happy with the candidates they brought to the table. In the past, other companies weren’t able to find candidates with the quality we expected. However, Develocraft was able to find quality engineers; everything was very good.

How did Develocraft perform from a project management standpoint?

Develocraft was very agile and delivered work on time. Initially, we divided the project into subprojects, and everything went according to plan. Although we had small delays, nothing really impacted our deadlines. As for communication, we used the tools we regularly use internally, including Microsoft Teams and email. Additionally, we used Jira for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Develocraft was very flexible, and they accommodated my needs very quickly, which was impressive. We had short deadlines, but they were able to provide us with resources quickly by taking people from other projects and having them focus on our project for short periods of time. This was really helpful for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, I had a very limited amount of time to find new resources, and Develocraft didn’t have available ones, so they needed to recruit. By the time they found someone, it was too late. Still, this issue wasn’t on them. I understand that having available resources at all times wasn’t realistic unless they had contractors on the bench.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and honest about your expectations and needs, and talk to them about everything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of an Australian software company with a large market share of the business messaging space. Specifically e-Invoicing, Single Touch Payroll and Super Stream.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Develocraft Jamstack, and what were your goals?

We hired Develocraft to scope and run a Proof of concept project for a Point of sale system in Nigeria.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched for outsourced development companies in Australia and Europe and ultimately it was Develocraft's capability and expertise that made the decision an easy one.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We wanted to run a proof of concept for a point of sale system using a well established but obscure backend and a react front end. This was to use a 'headless' design methodology and run via a serverless AWS environment across 3 continents.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We engaged with 1 senior developer, 1 project manager and 1 QA tester for our POC.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project was a success from several perspectives. Firstly it ran to budget which was reassuring. Secondly we proved the technology stack that was used was the right stack. Thirdly we uncovered several in region issues that we will now cater for in our design phase.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Project management tools used were Jira, Slack and Email. The team met weekly and during the phase where we invited external testers into the project we met daily and sometimes nightly to ensure smooth delivery.

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

I found that develocraft really invested into understanding what we wanted and also working with a degree of uncertainty. They did not require every detail to be scoped or locked down before starting work. This meant that they were truly agile and nimble and able to cater to changes in spec in a calm and logical fashion. Additionally their technical expertise and professionalism were highly impressive.

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

I would work with them again in the future. In fact I have a large body of work planned to commence with them soon.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a project manager for a digital solutions company.We mainly deal in the cannabis industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Develocraft Jamstack?

I was managing a digital project that involved the development of a data analysis, data regulation, and data management platform. I collaborated with Develocraft Jamstack to build out this product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially brought Develocraft Jamstack on board to build a data management system. It was 3–4 months of heavy backend work where we developed a system behind the scenes, managed the uploads and data ourselves, and embedded our API as needed. 

It was then that we realized that the system’s frontend needed quite a lot of work as well, so we continued to work with their team. We liked their work so much that we also asked them to create the marketing website for that product.

We then moved towards developing a platform that could provide information about the sales, manufacturing, regulation, and cultivation of cannabis. The data in that platform would enable owners to make responsible business decisions and encourage others to enter the cannabis industry. 

What is the team composition?

We had two full-time backend developers, a tester, and a technical lead. We also worked a few hours per week with the project manager. 

At the time when we began developing the frontend, we retained one backend developer and brought in one full-time frontend developer from Develocraft Jamstack. As the project got more intense, we went on to get one more frontend developer and additional testers.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was above €100,000 (approximately $110,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Develocraft Jamstack from October 2020–September 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My collaboration with them was very good. I liked the fact that they took the time to define very good workflows with us. We had our ups and downs, but whenever we had an issue, Develocraft Jamstack resolved it quickly. We didn’t lose any time or money at all. The technical lead dealt with any issue, and he never got stressed.

How did Develocraft Jamstack perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, we weren’t very happy with the project manager and the frontend developer, so they brought in replacements who performed much better. They resolved issues immediately, provided us with a small compensation, and made sure to meet deadlines regardless. Any delays were mainly coming from our side because we were sometimes undecided about what we wanted to do. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Develocraft Jamstack had a very strong technical lead. That person was key in helping us avoid a lot of issues. Any problems we had with the developers or around the development, in general, were addressed immediately.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wasn’t happy about the reporting system at times; they were putting in some unnecessary details but left out some of the important information. It became difficult for us to track what we were paying for because some people were not loading their hours properly.

There was also a lack of communication one time, when their members had heavy workloads. If they distributed the work better, they could’ve each had more manageable workloads. That being said, there are definitely some improvements to be made on the project management side. Overall, though, I was very happy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a managing partner at Black Belt Ventures based out of Chicago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Develocraft Jamstack, and what were your goals?

We needed to develop an across-platform mobile app in Flutter from scratch based on Figma designs and detailed requirement documents.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I selected Develocraft because they took the time to produce a very detailed quote and project plan. I also heard great things about them.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Develocraft was responsible for building out the front-end of the app. What we did not have was any back-end to support the app, which was designed and created in tandem, which is always very challenging. Develocraft was able to start the work immediately without the back-end in place and as we were creating the APIs there were able to connect it without any issues.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Project manager, two engineers, team lead, and a tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The end result was a fully functioning app developed to the specifications, pixel perfect, well tested, and performing great on both iOS and Android devices.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project manager was great at managing the entire thing, we held weekly video calls to go over last week's sprint. They did the demo of all the work completed last week and we planned for the next week. The entire project was managed in Jira with well-documented timelines.

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

Overall engineering knowledge exceeded my expectations. They managed the sprints and pointed out potential risks before it was too late.

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

Not really.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO & Full-Stack Developer at UpPacked

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Develocraft, and what were your goals?

We are developing a liquid dispenser with a touch screen and we needed help with designing a clean and functional User Interface for our end users.

SOLUTION

How did you select Develocraft and what were the deciding factors?

As a bootstrapped startup we were looking for professionals who can give us an economically sound offer while also providing outstanding work, and so Develocraft seemed like they matched us the best.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The project involved creating an initial design for seven of our dispenser screens, focusing on creating the layout, flows, images, and the general style based on using our brand colors and fonts. The collaboration happened using the UI/UX design tool Figma which was working without issues.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with a designer from Develocraft's team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We did not have anything to compare with from before and the project is a greenfield startup project. With Develocraft we went from having a simple idea on how to make the UI to finished screens we are happy within a short amount of time.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

The communication was regularly through email and online meetings using Google Meet, as well as using the collaboration flow enabled by Figma. We had a quite tight timeline and the project was finalized in good time.

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

The collaboration from start to finished was managed well in terms of communication and tools. Overall we are very happy with the speed and quality of the work.

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

The initial design drafts were not exactly what we expected but after some discussion, we got to a good result.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a tech startup building a video marketplace platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Develocraft?

Develocraft executed a code review on our frontend code base.

What were your goals for this project?

To identify and subscribe action items for issues that might need our attention for the release candidate and due diligence process with investors.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Vendor selected based on the engagement, direct communication and value offered.

Describe the project in detail.

The code audit was first discussed and then reviewed together after completion within a week's time. The whole process was very straightforward.

What was the team composition?

There were two people involved on each side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The audit was executed professionally and on time. We were satisfied with the results which will be helpful in meeting the due diligence process with investors.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication and scheduling were fast. The work was on point.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The direct and personal engagement of the business development manager which saw the project through from the beginning until the end.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The review could have been more encompassing to include certain other parts of the code base.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

What should I bring? - The web-app Froodini ensures that food and drinks for private events among friends can be organized easy and quick. In particular, events are being promoted to which every participant should bring something. My name is Oliver and I am the founder of Froodini.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Develocraft?

Stabilize the current version of the web-app Froodini which was developed in Vietnam until that point.

What were your goals for this project?

The quality of the web-app made in Vietnam was to buggy to send it out to users. I was looking for a company who was able to analyse the current version and is able to consult me on how to proceed best.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was looking for a technical co-founder. They found me on LinkedIn and we decided to have a call.

Describe the project in detail.

We had a 30 min talk on hangouts where everything got clear from the beginning. After a couple of emails I have send wireframes and the current version of the source-code. Within a couple of days they provided a clear picture on different options. The idea was to develop Froodini on Flutter using Firebase as a DB. This way the were able to create a PWA and native app provided by minimum affords and low costs.

What was the team composition?

Just me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have found a technical co-founder just before finishing the concrete road map and cost estimation. Even though we are not continuing right now they provided good insights and useful suggestion in a great way. Thanks again.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were using google hangouts and email communication. In general the whole communications was always on the point and straight forward. It took me very little afford to make sure we were on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The summaries of the outputs. They know exactly how to transfer information in terms of findings/feedback/recommendations in a very clean way. That was super important to me and made me feel to work with real professionals. Thanks for it again.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They were super fast in answering/delivering emails/questions/results. Still one ore two times I've send an email they could have replied 'Got your mail, we will need two days to reply/deliver.' to make me feel everything is in place. But it was an edge case and in general they are super costumer focused and helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Nais, a SaaS company. We work for HR generally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Develocraft?

We wanted to maintain and further develop the functionality of our SaaS platform. We had a previous subcontractor and it was a bad relationship. We needed to find new developers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started with some existing code that had a lot of mistakes and created a very successful product. They manage very difficult topics on our platform. They developed the SaaS functionalities. It’s a very open platform for people. We have a lot of features that are open for very small companies with four and five people and for very large companies over 5,000-10,000 people.

We have not only a website platform, but mobile apps as well. One is devoted to our suppliers and the other is for our users.

We’re now preparing a very big SaaS project that is part of our platform and mobile app.

What is the team composition?

There’s a CTO, backend developer, senior frontend developer, junior frontend developer, and a UX designer. The CTO is the main point of contact. He organizes the whole team around my project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $500,000-$1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We get very good feedback from our clients. We have a very good SaaS product.

We’ve improved the employee onboarding process from 3-4 weeks to 1-2 weeks for 2.500 users. Our net promoter score (NPS) improved from 30 to 50 within the year. We also extended user expenditures from 40 to 55 % monthly.

How did Develocraft perform from a project management standpoint?

They are a cooperative staff for us. They’re a very stable team. We’ve had the same people working for us for two years. When we need additional people for projects, they hire the appropriate people for us for whatever length of time we need them. They’re very flexible. Every person that has cooperated with us has high IT qualifications. We have weekly calls and try and work day-to-day with them. We do everything according to scrum. We use Jira and Slack. The project management is perfect.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are great in finding the right IT people and building a development team. They’re a real value-add for my company. They work super-fast. Their team definitely meets our needs.

If we have any trouble, they always discuss openly and they try to improve their service. For example, we weren't satisfied with UX specialist and they found a new one

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s a successful cooperation. I think that support with knowledge about IT trends and technologies could be valuable.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve had such a good experience with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager at a real estate company. We provide office space for companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Develocraft?

We were trying to provide opportunities for people commuting by car to pick up others in their area or along their path to work. Initially, we had a website where people could search for carpooling opportunities in their area, but we wanted to implement a coupon system and develop a mobile solution. The ultimate goal was to create a software solution that didn’t require hardware to be placed in peoples’ cars.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Develocraft developed a teaser website for us, along with an iOS and Android app with geolocation and gamification elements. They were also responsible for the design. The hardest part was implementing a coupon system based on how many people were traveling in their cars.

What is the team composition?

The team was composed of two developers—one for the landing page and one for the mobile app—and one UI/UX designer.

How did you come to work with Develocraft?

I knew Marcin (CEO and Founder, Develocraft) from a programming course we both attended. After we both started at our current companies, we came to share space on the same floor of the same building. We asked them to develop a different application as a test, and they performed well. After sending them and a few other companies an RFP, we decided Develocraft was our best fit regarding expectations and budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January until December 2018. The project is complete, but we’re continuing to work with them on extra features. I have one more phase in mind for the product.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Previously, when we only had the carpooling website in place, we attracted only 200 users annually. After publishing the carpooling app, we reached over 300 users in a month. Their work met our expectations, and everything is going well. I haven’t received any negative feedback about the software itself.

How did Develocraft perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a delay in publishing the application because of some bugs, but Develocraft solved those issues well. I was okay with the overall timing. Their organization was strong as well. They provided feedback if they found ways to improve my concept or make it more attractive for users. It was an enjoyable environment to work in.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their debugging skills and speed of development were exceptional, especially at the end of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve been better for me if the sprint lengths were more consistent than they were. We sometimes worked on them back-to-back, when I would’ve wanted testing and debugging to be more organized.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Develocraft is a good company to work with. They create a friendly atmosphere and are open-minded. I’ll likely start other projects with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the business development manager at PayLane, an omnichannel payments provider supporting both online and cashless offline payments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Develocraft?

We needed development of a payment module for our Web Host Manager Complete Solution (WHMCS), an automated billing platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted modules for various types of payments for the WHMCS system, including payments by card, recurring payments, and returns. We also wanted a secure form.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They impressed us as a trustworthy partner with exceptional IT development skills.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They created payment modules that connected our API with the WHMCS system. Their developer coded in PHP and used MySQL and apache2 to conform with the requirements of the web hosting platform.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a senior full-stack developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now can reach over 35,000 clients globally through the web hosting platform.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We worked with a coordinator who ensured the project was done properly and remained on track.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They worked with expertise, efficiency, and flexibility, and they provided excellent customer service.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, we’re completely satisfied.