ESGROUP

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Yawave AG implements software as a service, which helps activate crowds based on different tools we offer. You can run campaigns. You can do customer satisfaction reviews.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ESGROUP?

Our system consists of two subsystems. One part is a frontend and CMS. The backend is based on Java technology. We needed ESGROUP to implement the functionality needed in the backend to track users, referrals, sharing, etc.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The backend is Java. It’s the whole stack with Spring etc. It’s MySQL, Tomcat etc. The project is live and we have customers. In the last year, we implemented a refactoring of our application to be able to scale out. They got experience in charting an application and having a horizontal, scale out capable application. We still need extensions, improvements, and optimizations.

What is the team dynamic?

It varied from 2-4 developers. They all had quite mature knowledge in Java technology and in the libraries used in that context. They had extensive experience in implementing applications with the Java technology.

How much have you invested with them?

$100,000 or $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together two years ago and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a frontend and they consumed the services from the backend. Usually, the results they delivered being integrated with the frontend were high quality. The testing was done quite well. We had a unit test, integration test, and it automated for all of these services. That was good.

How did ESGROUP perform from a project management standpoint?

We steered them and managed them quite closely. We have daily standups, meetings, and interactions to close gaps in specifications or questions or requirements. That’s a key factor in the success of the project. It was very easy to communicate with them. They are used to communicating directly with the customer. We use Skype and chat.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked together with a handful of suppliers who were involved in the project. The customer orientation is quite good. They adapt to the project and culture in the project. In other companies, we had developers think their way is the only right way. It was always very easy with ESGROUP to discuss architectures. They didn’t think their point of view was the only right way or thing to consider when going about the project. Their adaptation to customers is very good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We didn’t really have 100% specifications because we don’t have the resources to write them. The specifications are always 70-80%. It’s up to the developers to close the gap with questions and trying to understand the specifications. They could break it down and make some estimations of how long it could take and how much it will cost. Sometimes we had the feeling it could take very long, especially the scale out part. Still, the results were always good. It wasn’t that easy because the specification wasn’t at 100%. They already improved in that context.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want to do nearshoring or offshoring, the thing that works well is daily interaction through chat, talking on Skype, or any other tool of communication. It was the key with ESGROUP. If you can’t set up something like that, then it’s very difficult to have a successful project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m leading a tech Professional Services team for a CRM software that is a solution for salespeople. Our application is delivered to customers worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ESGroup?

We’re getting bigger customers who have bigger demands regarding integration, professional services, etc. My team is doing all of the integrations and customizations needed. Our company would like to build our capacity to an almost unlimited capacity by having good relationships with third-party companies. Therefore, we chose ESGroup to be our partner in integrating our interface platforms.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company is solely responsible for our integration because our customers are unaware that we have a third party working with us. We want to be responsible for quality and deliver everything to our customers on time and within budget. We have many customers around the world for whom we deliver solutions. Generally, our solution is on the backend, so we use Java and Spring Framework.

What is the team dynamic?

We have two developers from ESGroup who are working with us.

How did you come to work with ESGroup?

I worked with one of the developers that is working for ESGroup now. I knew he was a good developer, and I was looking for him on the job market when I was looking for people to add to my team. Then I learned about ESGroup and that he was working there, and I realized this company is gathering good developers, so I started working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

If I remember correctly, we began working together in May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because we are working with different third parties, we’re collecting information and doing assessments on every piece of code that is delivered to us. During the code review, we ask how the code fulfills business needs and how the code is from a performance perspective. We’re collecting those metrics, and, in general, ESGroup is delivering a high level of quality.

How did ESGroup perform from a project management standpoint?

We are responsible for project management. They just contribute as developers, similar to the developers I have on our team. We mainly use Google Hangouts to communicate. The projects are quite short because they’re just integrating two systems, so they are not working on one project constantly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I observed high levels of engagement; they ask a lot of questions. Often times, they bring better solutions to the table; from that perspective, they are unique. Also, they provide high-quality code; we do a low amount of code review for their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and partner of Sixsentix AG, a company focusing on software testing for clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ESGROUP?

We needed to develop a web, iOS, and Android compatible application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After we explained our needs to them, they came up with a plan and we ran through multiple iterations of the app. ESGROUP completely developed the backend, but I’m not sure what database they used for it. The app went live about a year ago, and we are currently adding new features.

What is the team dynamic?

I’m not sure how many people we worked with total because we had multiple projects. We probably had 5-6 team members at any given time, along with one person managing the on-site team. We communicated several times a week for the course of the first Sprint, then had extended contact thereafter. During feedback loops, we were in more consistent communication so we could ask each other questions. Sometimes communication was more spontaneous depending if we were starting another Sprint or not. The product owner was involved with the Sprint process, as well. Occasionally, we used Skype. 

How did you come to work with ESGROUP?

We found them over the internet, and they had worked with similar clients, which was a good starting point for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $150,000 total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them three years ago, and the relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything is standardized now, which has helped us immensely because it makes our internal processes much easier to manage. Our mobile app acts as a portal where we can display information about different applications and their aspects. Our management team finds it very useful, also. It’s been a positive change for us.

How did ESGROUP perform from a project management standpoint?

I have worked with companies in both Ukraine and Russia, and the team from Ukraine only consisted of 1-2 people who didn’t offer us an overall service. With other companies, we had to take over the lead when it came to project management, but with ESGROUP, we didn’t have to micromanage them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with a local team in Switzerland comes with a more expensive price tag, so we were very satisfied with ESGROUP’s pricing and quality. They also have one educated person who bridges the gap between project management and development, which eliminated the need for us to constantly watch over them. By not having to micromanage them, we were able to focus on other requirements and found this extremely helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. From a technology standpoint, we may have to update things within the app as things grow outdated, but that can’t be avoided.