Grinteq

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO a platform where users can buy, sell, or trade pre-owned luxury watches at wholesale.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GrinTeq?

I needed a technical team of app and web developers to help bring my concept to life.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, GrinTeq reviewed our initial designs for the app and website. They followed up with questions to better understand our company and business problem. Then they defined their timeline, technology, and team structure. The team offered feedback and alternate designs to improve the site’s efficiency. 

GrinTeq used Swift and Firebase to construct the iOS app. They originally used React for the website, but switched over to Node.js later on in the process. 

Their team completed the app and website but continues to help them grow, adding new features. 

What is the team composition?

We work with one mobile developer, a senior web developer, and a back-end developer. There is also a project manager who acts as a liaison. The team pulls in junior resources to meet deadlines as needed. 

How did you come to work with GrinTeq?

I originally connected with one of their founders on a Slack channel for entrepreneurs. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent roughly $65,000–$70,000 to date. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The bulk of the work lasted from July 2018–March 2019, but they still provide maintenance services. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Users are happy with the app and we have received good feedback early on. The app is easy to use and we haven’t had any crashes or errors that would be cause for concern. 

How did GrinTeq perform from a project management standpoint?

Working with an offshore team, I was initially worried about having efficient communication. They ended up being very good communicators, but they don’t always hit deadlines in the way we anticipated.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re economical. Although they weren’t the cheapest option, they are a great provider for what they bring to the table. They ask thoughtful questions and are interested in understanding our business. Their team really wants to use their expertise to provide recommendations. That gives them value and makes them competitive with bigger, more expensive vendors.   

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve been nice to have tighter project management. I would have liked a more structured project plan and regular check-ins.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you’re proactively reaching out, asking for updates, and overcommunicating more than you would with other vendors.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Svefi Academy is one of 250 Liberal Adult Education Institutions in Sweden. Svefi's staff consists of 20 teachers and trainers, and we have about 700 students from Sweden and abroad who attend our long-term courses in all types of learning environments. 

I'm one of the project managers responsible for coordinating with other schools, developing new content for Svefi's courses, finding new ways of teaching content, and interacting with students.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GrinTeq?

We were participating in an international project together with other educational institutions from three European countries. For the project, we needed a testing platform to test the students' knowledge before, during, and after completing courses. 

The learning platforms that we were using at the time had in-built testing modules that always came with certain limitations. These were often very frustrating for teachers trying to customize them. That’s why we decided to create a customized solution that would be easy to use for both teachers and students while having all of the functionalities that we needed. 

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a testing solution that would work on all kinds of platforms, from phones to desktops. It had to have an attractive and intuitive design/audio-visual experience, and we wanted to be able to add increased functionality as appropriate. It also needed to be easy to use for both teachers and students. We expected it to become a motivating tool for students to test their knowledge and to start or proceed with their studies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Since none of the participating organizations in the project had adequate developers, we chose from a pool of vendors that we’d worked with before. Out of the three considered, GrinTeq offered the best in terms of quality and cost. We also liked their attitude during the negotiation stage, and our team felt that they were the most reliable partner that we could trust.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

GrinTeq designed and developed a web-based testing platform for the educational organizations that we cooperate with. The project started with the development of the technical specification based on user stories. GrinTeq produced the specs, and we and our partnering organizations approved it. 

After we agreed on the workflows and approved the mockups, we went on to the production phase, which consisted of two-week sprints. After each release, we would test the functionality of the platform, provide feedback, and suggest improvements. With every sprint, new functionality and features were added, and they implemented all of our suggestions until the testing platform was fully operational.

What was the team composition?

From the vendor’s side, there were five staff members involved: a project manager, a designer, two developers, and a tester. The project manager was our primary point of contact. That person was good at channeling communication to the other team members and provided us with feedback.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a result of the project, we have received a customized solution for testing students. It was launched on time and met our expectations (e.g., design, intuitive interface, feature set, and functionality). Our teachers now have access to a tool that they are 100% happy with.

In addition, our students are motivated to use it. It is no longer boring to do tests, and the platform can be easily adjusted to meet different needs and learning environments.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We were happy with the project management since we met all of our goals on time. We used Jira to plan and implement project activities as well as monitoring the progress of the project. We used Skype for daily/weekly communication, getting updates and solving minor issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Even though we never met, we were still able to plan and successfully implement a rather big web development project using online communication tools. This proves that the GrinTeq’s team is experienced in doing these kinds of projects remotely. We were impressed that all of the project stages were completed in due time, and I appreciated how smoothly the implementation went.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have no complaints—it was just a positive experience in all the areas, and it feels like we had a perfect project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Uniqrn is a product design studio which helps clients to identify business opportunities, prepare business model designs, and prepare product-market fit with further solution elaboration and UX/UI design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GrinTeq?

They provided consulting and development services to support a set of e-commerce projects for our clients. GrinTeq helped to scale up the client's local development team by providing developers on a remote basis.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to execute the development piece according to the solution and UX/UI we have designed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for a service provider in various locations and shortlisted several companies that were ready to set up a team of remote developers quickly. We chose GrinTeq because of their flexibility and affordable rates.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We had a face-to-face meeting at their office, where we described our tech needs. They then arranged interviews with several developers who were experts in the technologies we were most interested in. They helped to scale up our client's local development team by providing developers on a remote basis. They worked on UI/UX design for e-commerce projects.

What was the team composition?

GrinTeq provided us with two software engineers and a QA tester. We also had a dedicated account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before this cooperation, our biggest concern was a lack of time. Their team helped us to boost our development and provided smooth delivery and deployment. They were also very competitive in terms of technical skill and affordability.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We managed the team ourselves. It was very fast and flexible. The team worked according to our internal development standards. We communicated through Slack, Jira, and Skype. With the development team, we communicated during our weekly feedback sessions and during our face-to-face meetings at their office. We have been pleasantly surprised by their strong language skills.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re very proactive. Since the company is pretty young, they care about clients and want to exceed expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They can take some time to prepare their resources—two or three weeks in our case. However, that’s still faster than the onboarding time needed to hire internally.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a co-founder and CTO of StackTome, an SaaS company in the advertising automation space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GrinTeq?

We wanted them to build our platform’s architecture based on the requirements we provided.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed development resources to build our custom solution in time to launch.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were one of the eight staff augmentation providers we sent an RFP to. We liked their approach the most and felt their price was appropriate.

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

After visiting our office to better understand the project, including the volume of data we were working with, they set up Trello and Confluence boards for us to collaborate. They built the architecture in parallel with our own development process. They delivered a demo product after 2–3 sprint cycles that we presented to management for approval.

What was the team composition?

I interacted with five developers, a marketing manager, and a project manager who interfaced with the team daily. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

GrinTeq’s deliverables successfully exceeded the expectations set out in our requirements. They incorporated additional features into our product and delivered a week ahead of schedule, despite the project’s complexities. We weren’t sure we’d set them an achievable goal, so we were very pleased by their ability to deliver.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

I held Slack meetings with each team member every Monday as part of our agile process and was aware of every task they worked on. They responded to all issues and were great about communicating and documenting everything. 

We held several brainstorming discussions and had team-building opportunities every month. They brought on additional staff as needed and provided me the option to visit their team in-person every month.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their dedicated developers were highly responsive and flexible in gaining the skills we wanted. I’ve never worked with another team that was as adjustable or cohesive as they were. They contributed original ideas and value for us and were proud of our development results, which made me think of them as a genuine partner. We had a lot of fun along the way.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Work with their team on an agile basis and be open to their feedback and ideas because brainstorming discussions worked very well for us. Some of the insights they provided from sprint to sprint were better than anything we thought of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Lead Recruiter of a Digital Agency

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Digital Agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Grinteq to accomplish?

• ADA Compliance Work

SOLUTION

How did you find Grinteq?

Referral

Why did you select Grinteq over others?

Good value for cost

How many teammates from Grinteq were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Deliver ADA compliance eCommerce Site.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

5 stars, great service, would definitely go back. echoing what Donnie said, quick to ramp up, worked efficiently and autonomously and proactively sought out work when their assigned tasks were done. 10/31 - - I’d reiterate. If we have other clients with ADA work (and there likely will be more), I’d highly recommend these two. They require little direction and complete tickets very quickly."

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Excellent

What was your primary form of communication with Grinteq?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their rapid delivery was impressive.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of BILDIT

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

BILDIT is a Unified Content Management System and Storefront, including mobile apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Grinteq to accomplish?

Design Decks

SOLUTION

How did you find Grinteq?

Referral

Why did you select Grinteq over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Grinteq were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Grinteq consistently and quickly delivered sales decks for us weekly. They were customized to our customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Completion of deliverables quickly.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, they did. They responded quickly on Slack or email.

What was your primary form of communication with Grinteq?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their design skills and communication were impressive.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Operations director for the Portuguese business. We specialise in Commer solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Grinteq?

Resource Augmentation.

SOLUTION

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

Resources availability.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They provide 1 senior SFCC Eng. The whole recruitment process went smoothly, and the resource has the expected expertise.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

2 stages interview process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The resource is producing what is expected .

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Good, they understand our workflow and adapt well to it.

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

The quality of the people

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

Price needs to be more competitive.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for Born Group and I am a Resource and Vendor manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Grinteq?

We hire contractors for short term and Long Term Projects . Most of our roles are for E commerce Roles.

SOLUTION

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

I like the personal attention that there spoc Pavel gives to my Company. He is always there at anytime I need him.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We have a Project for a 6 month Term , E commerce SFCC roles , If vthe project goes well we can be extended.

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

We have used many of their Contractors at times we have had from 4 to 6 Contractors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have realized that the Grinteq Contractors are very hard working and if we sense some that is something is not right we can Always connect with Pavel from Grinteq and he talks to his Contractors and fixes the issue.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I feel that Grinteq is fully aligned with our needs and requests.

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

They are very detailed oriented

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

I think Grinteq has a great crew.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of welearn GmbH, we run the elearning platforms wedog.com and wehorse.com

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a custom mobile app on React Native and did not have the expertise in-house. Also, we wanted to have 2 deeply integrated high-skill developers. The goal was to ship an app within 8 weeks.

SOLUTION

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

A friend recommend Sergei and his team and from Day 1, I was highly convinced that we can work closely and trustful.

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

• Setup with Expo
• Create Login
• Create Video Pages
• Create MVP of Video Player
• Implement Tracking

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

2, Sergei and Diana

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been very successful in this project, nevertheless, it has been up to now a soft launch, so I cannot provide any reliable data yet.

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

We had our own project manager

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

We love their responsiveness and ability to deliver great talent.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the SVP of a leading digital customer experience company that delivers results through the convergence of analytics, digital commerce, customer experience, and experience driven commerce services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Grinteq?

We utilize Grinteq to find and staff experienced developers across multiple platforms for multiple long term projects.

SOLUTION

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

We enjoy working with Grinteq because they help us staff offshore.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They have provided us with multiple developers with a variety of experience that are results driven.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We let our contact at Grinteq know what our current needs are, and they produce the resource profiles to fit. We then go through an interview and vetting process - if it is a match, then it is a hire.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have had great success with the individuals that Grinteq has put forward.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow is great, and the communication between HR and our contact at Grinteq is always positive.

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

Their ability to produce qualified candidates in a timely manner is amazing.

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

None.