Gera-IT

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of SimpliDeferred, a directory and review platform for qualified intermediaries (QIs) who manage tax-deferred exchanges between investment properties and estates. Because QIs are largely unregulated and are, therefore, sometimes involved in fraud or other misbehavior, we established our site so that people could do due diligence and choose from different QI options.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gera-IT?

I don't know how to code, so I needed help building our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed the whole project using Ruby on Rails. I worked with the CTO at the beginning to set the scope, articulate the use case, and brainstorm ideas. They managed the whole process from design to development, including the UI/UX.

The site has an admin dashboard that tracks all user activity and is easy to navigate. We can see whoever signs up, manage their requests, and approve or deny those requests. We can also track the client reviews and requests for information about QIs, which allows us to easily follow up.

What is the team composition?

My main contact was the project manager, but I worked with up to eight people, including designers, developers, UI/UX specialists, and the CTO.

How did you come to work with Gera-IT?

I had some friends that recommended I outsource to Eastern Europe, and I searched via Google before finding them on Clutch. I contacted about five different companies and interviewed them.

Some of the larger vendors suggested that I use their more out-of-the-box packages. However, Gera-IT seemed to be more open to different ideas and processes. They were also smaller, which I felt meant they weren’t working on a large number of projects. Rather, they would be more focused on each project, which I liked.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from February–June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform is the foundation of our business. It’s not as if we already had a functioning business platform for them to impove—they built it from scratch. The software they developed was the start of the business, so they had a massive impact.

How did Gera-IT perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via Skype, usually in the mornings and at the end of the day. We also used Google Docs for sharing materials.

The project manager was excellent; everything I asked for was completed more or less exactly the way we discussed and in a timely manner. They did everything perfectly.

I would give my requests to the project manager. They would provide a scope of work for me to review and approve, and then they would execute it. We brainstormed together and really collaborated. They also integrated their own ideas and suggestions, which I generally liked.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their accuracy and precision in execution. That level of competency is pretty hard to find. They listen incredibly well and execute on what you want.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They nailed it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a plan coming into it. Be clear about what you want and be able to discuss that with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re developing an online booking platform for school building facilities. I’m the managing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gera-IT?

We had an idea and a clear vision but were struggling to find the right development team to make it a reality.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked based on tickets and tasks. I had the ideas about what the platform needed to do and relied on Gera-IT for technical questions and anything related to development. They designed and developed the whole website from scratch and took care of upgrades for it. Ruby on Rails was the main coding language.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager and with three developers at different times. There were 1–2 main developers working on the project.

How did you come to work with Gera-IT?

I attended an entrepreneurs’ networking event which featured a question about the challenges everyone was facing. I said that I had an idea but didn’t have a development team. Someone came over to me and put me in touch with Gera-IT. The rest is history.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent $250,000 since we started.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Gera-IT in February 2016, and the collaboration is ongoing. The main site has been live for 20 months. We’re still improving it and are also building a site for a spin-off business, which will be launched in the next couple of months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They took my vision and turned it into reality. The feedback we got from our clients is based on the product we’ve built, and Gera-IT is very much a part of that building process. I have a good relationship with them, and I trust the people on my team.

How did Gera-IT perform from a project management standpoint?

I take a hands-on role when it comes to project management, whether it’s working with the developers, creating tickets, or doing QA. I do as much as I can myself in order to keep the cost down. We used Slack as the main form of communication as well as Jira for tickets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really bought into the idea and believed in it, especially during the initial development, when we had no customers or revenue. It was more than just a job for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When something takes longer than expected or when there’s a misunderstanding, the risk is born 100% by me, as the customer, as opposed to being spread more evenly. If a task was supposed to take 10 hours to complete and it takes 20, perhaps I should only pay for five out of the 10 extra hours. This could simply be how teams like this work, and they did explain their rates.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’m unique in terms of the hands-on role I play. We’re doing big things with small numbers, but I believe each client is different.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a company that develops healthcare applications for the U.S. market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gera-IT?

We hired them to develop the server component for the Apple ResearchKit.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to develop a prototype so that customers could see what was possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have worked with Gera-IT before with satisfactory results.

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

They helped build a Ruby on Rails enterprise application that complies with HIPAA requirements. Our product targets the clinical trial industry and the requirements for a focused multiple sclerosis eye exam.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I captured an important contract because of Gera IT's excellent work product and process.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was managed with great discipline—they gathered requirements in a focused manner and provided good documentation. They delivered on time and within our budget, with no bugs or quality issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We’re impressed with their speed and quality. I’ve hired hundreds of development teams, but this group is the best, by far.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Since they are based in Ukraine, paying them can be a bit complex. However, it’s something outside their control.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the owner of a Belgian IT company, for which I subcontracted large projects to Gera-IT

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gera-IT?

One of our projects involved building a planning tool for the Vlissingen (Flushing) port in the Netherlands

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I handled the client analysis and subcontracted the whole project to Gera-IT. They handled all programming. We had a SQL database and used Microsoft Silverlight. The tool worked with smartphones, which was less common in 2008. Every worker in the port could see their tasks in real-time and plan for the following day. The same was true for the clients, who could see certificates.

It was a rather complicated project—we were generating certifications on one side, and data inputs for invoicing and salaries on the other side. The platform was linked with 4 or 5 other systems in the outside world.

What is the team dynamic?

I had a 7-8-person team from Gera-IT, but I was only in contact with their project leaders, who distributed the work internally. I have visited them onsite twice before, and met the whole team.

How did you come to work with Gera-IT?

I had worked with a few of their competitors in Ukraine. Gera-IT was 40% more expensive than those other companies, but they were better suited for such a complex project. Together, we made an initial analysis of the full parameters in order to ensure the database would perform optimally in the end. Most providers would start right away with a small project, and only after realize that they have to rewrite the database. This analysis was the main reason for assigning the project to Gera-IT.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work on this project was around €600,000 [$700,000]. Overall, I’ve spent €1.5-2 million [$1.75-2.3 million] on their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with Gera-IT intensively over 6 or 7 years, and the first project was 10 years ago. I have recently started a new project with them, working directly with them for my own project, not a client’s

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We tracked the bug count on our projects. The more complex a project became, the more bugs we had, which was logical—but once a tool was up-and-running, the numbers stabilized.

How did Gera-IT perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a planning tool in place for tracking activities and tickets, which made the interaction with me and my client more efficient. The client would generate tickets based on screenshots and bug findings, and Gera-IT handled those errors and interventions.

During critical periods, we had 15-20 tickets per day. We had weekly reviews over Skype where we went through all open topics. Every 3 months, my project manager came to The Netherlands, or I went to Kiev.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their analytic skills. We revisited a couple of projects, but all the work was done efficiently. Gera-IT could, in a short timeframe, correct any area where an analysis was not properly done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their pricing is on the higher side, but I couldn’t really complain.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Take enough time for analysis. As a client, I had the tendency to be less patient for this, but Gera-IT insisted, and it’s there that we created the majority of the value.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a self-employed web developer from Germany and have been in the business since 2005.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gera-IT?

I wanted to outsource development to try to expand my capacity. Gera-IT helped with the development of an e-commerce app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’m contracted to maintain and expand the online shop for a river cruise company. I had been working on the project for a long time, and my hiring company wanted to extend our collaboration. I proposed expanding my team to them in order to get more work done, and my hiring company was fine with it. I previously had good experiences with Gera-IT, and I inquired if they would like to take over some of the work. Gera-IT found a good developer for me, and he had been working on that project with me ever since.

It is a Ruby on Rails application. The front end is Cuda bootstrap, and the backend is MySQL database. There are a few background workers, but it is mainly a pure, complex Ruby on Rails application.

What is the team dynamic?

I had up to three developers working on this project.

How did you come to work with Gera-IT?

For this project, Gera-IT was my first choice, and I haven’t regretted that decision.

How much have you invested in them?

I spent approximately $45,000-$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this particular project together last year, and it was approximately a 3-4 month engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The customer was very pleased with the relaunch of the existing website. It had a completely new design and front end which Gera-IT partly worked on.

How did Gera-IT perform from a project management standpoint?

For this particular project, I mainly did the project management tasks, and spoke directly to the developers instead of their project manager. We communicated mostly through Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I feel good working with Gera-IT, because they know what they are doing and have the capacity to instantly increase developers, QA, or whatever the case may be. I have always had a good experience with them. The developers I worked with spoke English well, they understood what I needed and wanted, and they are very good at what they do. I was happy that I could reach them directly and almost instantly through Skype. They are very fast in picking-up new projects and new situations. I have worked with other companies before, who were average-to-good, but never on this level.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have been pretty happy with them.

The only advice I have to a potential client would be to approach Gera-IT, give them what you need, and they will come back with a very good and accurate estimation.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a telemedicine organization. We provide telemedicine services, that is, medical consultations by different electronic modalities, whether it's telephone, email, or video consultations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Gera-IT?

We have a portal that the entire business operates on, and we needed a company that could maintain and continue development on that portal, and that’s what Gera-IT did for us. We've used other companies for development as well.

It's not so much customers and it's not so much features; our entire corporation is operating on this CRM [customer relationship management] portal. It's everything. My nurses' consultations are set up in it. Doctors access it to complete the consultation. Nurses develop the consultation form, which is an HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act]-compliant medical record storage. It's literally the backbone of our entire organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We got the big development out of the way, and now we are enhancing small features regularly. I met with them recently for the next set of those. Not only are they doing maintenance and bug fixes, but they are still doing additional enhancements.

How did you come to work with Gera-IT?

They worked on some other projects that we had, and they've done a pretty good job. Once we found out that they had a team that could work on Ruby [on Rails], they were the obvious logical choice. It's not easy to find Ruby on Rails developers, and Gera-IT has some very good people on that technology.

Ultimately, Gera-IT ended up becoming the champion or the most knowledgeable about our products or our platform in a very short period of time. They really helped separate themselves from anybody else we used by becoming extremely knowledgeable of our platform, which is fairly robust and complicated.

How much have you invested with them?

It's well north of $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They still maintain the site, and they do more than that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were in a bit of chaos for a fairly long period of time, close to 6 months. The CRM marginally met the requirements originally. But when we switched our business model, it went from marginally to almost not supporting us at all. Running my company was a nightmare. We were running this company with Microsoft Word documents, with spreadsheets, everything was manual, handwritten—it was just horrible.

Finally, after about 6 months of real, hard development, and listening to us on why it wasn't working, we are now in the best shape we've been since this company was formed.

How did Gera-IT perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a project manager assigned to our project; he's my primary contact. I have almost daily interaction with them. We used Skype, Slack, and a portal where we create tickets to monitor their progress. We used GoToMeeting with them, and just a multitude of different products.

They were good at making sure that, if someone on their side might’ve had a language barrier, their project managers were IT-savvy and didn't have a language barrier. You can tell that English is not their first language, but it doesn't hinder our ability to communicate.

We've had 3 project managers over the years. In terms of developers, there's not many. I have no idea how many are around our team in total. We don't have an internal team of developers. I'm the COO and a minority owner of the company. Myself and the person that manages my call center are the liaisons from our side. That's one of their strengths—I'm not a technical guy and neither is the person that manages our call center. They are able to speak to us in the manner that we need to be spoken to, in non-technical terms, and convert it to what they need to do on their end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The reality is, when we were going through tough times with our organization and the software wasn't meeting our needs, it was a very stressful time. They had to deal with me when I wasn't always the nicest guy to deal with, and probably not the most rational, and enforcing unrealistic deadlines. They came through that like a champ. I think a lot of companies would’ve thrown in the towel given the amount of pressure we were putting on them, but they kept coming back for more and ultimately solved it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The one thing they wished we would've done differently, and it ultimately becomes something that they might have done differently as well, is a lot of the QA testing. We don't have that resource allocated to us. We don't pay for that resource on their end, so they are dependent on us to do the testing.

Being a non-technical team, the testing that we do would best be described as woefully inadequate. I don't need to tell you that doesn't work out really well in the long term. They're doing development, we're not doing great testing. Ultimately, it results in more development that probably didn't need to be done.

The only thing that they may do better is to really insist that a QA manager or a QA consultant is part of the team. In other words, you have to have them. Although that's a double-edged sword, because if they forced it on me, I probably wouldn't have gone with them. I do know that it would be an enhancement, but I also know it's a cost, and a lot of companies just can't absorb that cost.

Advice for potential customers?

If you're going to do QA, you've got to really do it. You're either going to pay them to do it or you've got to have someone on your team who is capable.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company works in schools to impact literacy rates among children.

What is your position?

I’m the Chief Executive Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Gera-IT?

We had gone through a proof of concept phase, done some research, and a randomized control trial. We knew our process and methodology was very effective, but the technology was not scalable. We needed help with development.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We had Gera-IT help with both front-end and back-end Ruby on Rails development. We drove the process, and they provided the skills.

How did you come to work with Gera-IT?

Our CTO already had a relationship with them. He thought that the quality of their code was very high. We felt that we got great results for what we paid for.

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

The projects range from $5,000-$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for two years and are currently still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The team is very tight, so there are rarely bugs in the system. Not only is that because they run a very tight process, but also because they have great quality assurance. Our customers have grown month to month.

How did Gera-IT perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was very good. We collaborate using Slack and have regular conversations. Thanks to the way we communicate, we know the wider team, not just the people involved in the tech side of things, but those that deal with customers in our team. They know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it which is important.

What distinguishes Gera-IT from other providers?

We’ve worked with five or six members of their team and it is clear they have a real commitment to their trade. The entire team at Gera-IT is very proud of their work and holds itself to high standards. That’s a good quality to have in development and coding.

Is there anything Gera-IT could have improved or done differently?

The employees that are higher up at Gera-IT could check in with us a bit more frequently. I tend to initiate with them, but that’s a minor issue.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company is Fenway Games. Our first product was a game called Snap Bet, which allows users to bet on what’s going to happen in the next 60 seconds of a live sporting event.

What is your position?

I am the founder and Chief Executive Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Gera-IT?

The challenge was to build out the initial concept. I’m not technical, but I had an idea. Gera-IT took my idea from a PowerPoint presentation into an initial product for very little money. I’ve stayed with them over the last few years to build the app into a go-to-market product. Gera-IT has been fantastic and helped all along the way.

The main technical problem in betting on the next 60 seconds was delivering the data very quickly. We receive data feeds from suppliers, quickly process that information, process players who are playing, and tie that all together with people winning or losing. All that happens within seconds.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

First, they developed the strategy for how to take my idea and turn it into a product. They developed a web version but it became apparent that it needed to be a mobile app. It’s on iOS and will be submitted to Apple in the next week or so. We’re having a couple of conversations with B2B [business-to-business] clients and corporate clients who might want to own it themselves in certain regions. We’re only delaying submitting it to Apple over the next few weeks because of those discussions.

How did you come to work with Gera-IT?

I decided to use oDesk (now Upwork) to find them, and Gera-IT was the most professional in their approach. A lot of freelancers would just tell me how much the project would cost and leave it at that. Gera-IT organized a Skype call, listened to what I wanted, told me what could and couldn’t be done, offered recommendations, and then gave a quote. Because Gera-IT really bought into the project and wanted to understand it before giving me a price, I decided they would be the best fit.

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

We’ve spent $22,000 to $27,000 working with Gera-IT.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s an ongoing relationship. We’re still using Gera-IT to update the backend, basically, everything that surfaces through the API that they built into the mobile device.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback from this engagement?

We’ve received two industry awards in the last three months. There is a gaming organization called Ice, who gave us an award for "game to watch" in February at the European Gaming Conference. Additionally, the accounting firm KPMG ran a gaming conference in Gibraltar, and we won there as well.

How did Gera-IT perform from a project management standpoint?

Gera-IT did a fantastic job! I’m limited on budget, but we have made it work. They’ve always made deadlines I've given them.

What distinguishes Gera-IT from other providers?

Gera-IT really believes in the product. I have a limited number of people to play and test the app, but one or two of their developers would play as well. I wasn’t paying them to do that, which helped me a lot. They would turn up and play for an hour or so as a gesture of their support of the game.

As a result of their involvement, they wouldn’t just do the work that I laid out, but would make suggestions about what else we might do. They were proactive in recommending new things to try.

Is there anything Gera-IT could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything they could do better. In terms of backend work, they have been fantastic. The design, look, and feel could be slightly better. That being said, I am happy with the work they've done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the CEO of the agency that was looking for a subcontractor to deliver a back-end part of a crypto-wallet for a customer of ours whom we were building a mobile app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gera-IT, and what were your goals?

Rewriting of the existing code Integrations Full back-end development using RoR

SOLUTION

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

• Recommendation 
• Interview
• Tech interview
• bidding/RFP
• joint proposal for the customer.

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

under NDA

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

3-4

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has was delivered on time, within budget, guys helped with maintainance.

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

None

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

They were real tech geeks and a result-driven team. 

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

Contract negotiation was a bit heavy

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a software company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Gera-IT, and what were your goals?

Build a cloud-based flexible data loading and analytics platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select Gera-IT and what were the deciding factors?

Hired several people in early phases of the work. They understood the importance of structured requirements, and they won the work in a competitive bidding process.

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

Cloud based flexible data loading platform. Ruby on Rails. Linux, etc.

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

Project management, senior developers, junior and mid devops and systems administration. About five people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From requirements gathering to systems work, they had us covered.

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

No nonsense. Just right - not to much, and never too little.

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

Very smart team.

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

I'm very happy working with GERA-IT. We continue to use them. We're going on a 10 year relationship.