Incora

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Softrange Technology is a US based custom software development consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We have multiple projects that require high quality engineering teams to implement solutions that are innovative, and require extreme attention to detail and quality. This includes, but is not limited to development of software as medical device (SaMD) system. We hired Incora to help us build teams to meet these challenges.

SOLUTION

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

When we pick a vendor we always plan for a long term partnership and our criteria include the quality of the developers both technical and in terms of soft skills and the quality of the communication with people involved in team forming process.

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

We have multiple projects that are full stack javascript implementation with React.js front end and Node.js backend. The projects involve creation of new applications, as well as adding features to existing applications. The developers are required to fully understand the product features, as well as acquire domain knowledge to be able to be effective.

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

There were 5 Incora developers who worked with us who were senior React.js and Node.js developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developers from Incora completed all the work with very high quality and on time. They participated in architecture and software design. I was especially impressed by their ability to learn new areas of applications and become productive quickly.

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

We use agile project development in our team with tools like Jira to support task management.

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

Incora has provided very good developers for our projects. Incora has impressed us with the personal attention and effectiveness of their account managers. When a new project comes Incora is the first company I contact.

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

I wish Incora to continue growing and spreading their strong company culture to wider range of clients.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of IT at Arizto, a real estate company. We focus on software, and we have several agents around the country that focus on house sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Incora?

New Zealand is far away from everybody, and when we had the lockdowns for the COVID-19 pandemic, it was hard to find people to help us continue to develop our software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Incora worked with our existing team on the frontend development of our mobile apps using React Native. The app is a single tool where all our agents can sell properties in New Zealand from beginning to end by creating a lead from any vendor, putting it to market, photography, copywrite, creating offers, creating appraisals, and even signing the agreements. All the agents need is the app to do the entire process, and anyone who wants to look into properties can also use the app.

The app is live to the public. The app allows users to sell houses and track what’s happening, like talking with the agent — it’s mostly a tool between the agent and the seller.

What is the team composition?

There’s a maximum of three frontend developers depending on the needs.

How did you come to work with Incora?

They were referred to us by people who knew about their work. After a few chats, the engagement went pretty straightforward, which I liked. We decided to give it a go, and it went well the first couple of weeks, so there was no reason for us not to keep going with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $100,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They keep delivering what they promise and are very helpful and easy to work with — there haven't been any complications. We’re not a big company, and it’s not easy to jump into an existing project. Overall, our team is happy with their work.

How did Incora perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is great; communication is good, and they stick to timelines. In terms of communication, we use Slack, Asana, and GitHub.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've been great at understanding our company and the work we want to do. They took the time to understand who we were and didn’t rush or make suggestions that didn’t make sense. Also, there's a 12 hours difference between us, which means they stretch a lot of their day to match our days.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they can improve on — they’re getting better and better over time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Tell them what you want, and they'll try to work around your expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a Project Manager in Apiko - a software development company that works on both web and mobile applications. Apiko worked on the educational platform and needed assistance, so we decided to hire Incora developer to help us here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The Education platform was built 5 years ago but it was unstable and needed refactoring. Our purpose was to review the previously made changes, decide how they can be improved and refactored, and work on the new requirements to implement in the project. Incora helped us greatly with front-end development.

SOLUTION

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

We searched for web developers who can assist us with the project. After interviewing Incora, we decided immediately we'd like to work with them.

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

They provided us with front-end development, and UI/UX consulting. We worked together on implementing new sections on the website to give users more options to book lessons with the tutors, improve their experience of searching for available tutors and redesigned the homepage completely - that all together gave us a boost in new bookings. The work used JavaScript, Twillio API, Stripe API, AWS.

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

We worked with one developer who was responsible for the front-end tasks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The redesigned homepage showed that more users are interacting with the website now, and the SEO changes improved ranking greatly. The changes to the Book a lesson flow gave users a better experience and the tutors received more bookings & we also redesigned the Tutor profile, so they could also fill it more and engage more customers.

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

The communication was easy and quick, we built good communication not only within the team but with the clients as well.

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

The tasks were always delivered on time and within the given estimation ranges.

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

Incora met all our expectations, so there's nothing that should be changed in their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a software business, and I’m the director. We have a variety of products including online courses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Incora?

Recently, we’ve been building out an online course creation platform, and that’s what Incora has been helping with. We already had a backend team but we needed assistance with the React.js frontend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided us with one frontend engineer, who basically joined our team for a four-month period to build out the frontend. They did a good job. The product itself was an MVP.

For Incora, the deliverable was the frontend of the course creator application. It’s a web app people can log into to create their lectures, upload videos, and create their whole course.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one frontend developer, as well as a contract manager, but we only spoke with them at the beginning. I arranged things directly with the developer. He joined our team for the duration.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $7,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July until October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was really about delivering the functionality that we needed in the frontend. There was a set of product specifications, and by the time we finished with them, we were able to sort out 95% of those. It was definitely a success.

How did Incora perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was good. I was coordinating directly with the developer, so he just joined our Whatsapp group. There were ad-hoc meetings and stand-ups as required. There wasn’t any formal management from their side. I handled it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technical competence stood out. I interviewed 16-17 developers to fill the position, including a coding test, and there were a lot of not-great developers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The developer we worked with is still fairly early in their career, so they needed quite a lot of guidance from me. They were able to execute tasks as and when required, though.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Regular communication is definitely worth having — once a week at the minimum. This helps prevent miscommunications and ball drops. If you commit to regular communication you’ll get good results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a software consulting and development company that works mostly in .NET, Python, and JavaScript. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Incora?

We hired them to develop the logic for a set of apps that helps clinics manage their appointments with patients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted the apps to allow clinicians to access patient and prescription history to enable them to give treatments and suggestions online. It was required that there were video and text chat features. Doctors can also chat internally with their team on the app and discuss files and visits. The patient mobile apps help people connect with doctors in North America. The frontend was built with React JS while the backend was created using Python Django. They also used AWS.

We merely provided them with concepts and ideas from our business analysis, and they got to work. They were responsible for the front- and backend of the app.  

What is the team composition?

There were around eight engineers splitting the front- and backend development work. They also provided QA and project management services. 

How did you come to work with Incora?

We found them through references from friends, recommending Clutch as a platform for finding business partners. After using the platform, we found Incora. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January 2019–August 2020. There’s a chance we reengage for maintenance and support as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re flexible, able to hit deadlines and milestones for all of our sprints. My technical partner is very experienced with software engineering and praised the quality of their code. We’re happy with their software structure and code. It’s been easy to work with them. 

How did Incora perform from a project management standpoint?

They took responsibility for the entire project management process. Despite the time zone differences, they were flexible and responsive, especially during times that our workday overlapped. Their project manager communicated well and was able to keep the project on track. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attitude, approach, and willingness to listen all stood out. They were ready to think outside the box to solve problems. The velocity of the development was fairly quick, and their teamwork was great to see throughout the engagement.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d love to see them extend their hours to overlap with ours a bit more. It may also be helpful to improve the overall English language skills of the team, but we were able to communicate well despite that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Discuss project management to ensure that their team is aligned with your vision. As long as they understand the full scope, time, and budget, they should be able to overcome obstacles.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a software development company established in 2011. We provide custom software solutions to customers in the government and private sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Incora?

We have in-house developers, but we need to outsource from time to time, based on the volume of the project or a need to develop faster. We reached out to Incora for help with one of the most challenging projects in our portfolio.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Incora is helping us develop a restaurant platform. The overall scope includes building the backend, dashboard, and mobile app for placing orders. The owners can track orders through the dashboard. The platform has a loyalty point system, user profiles, payment gateway integrations, and driver tracking.

They’re using Node.js for the backend, HTML, and CSS for the frontend, and React Native for the mobile app. The backend is on AWS, and Incora is ensuring that it’s able to handle future upgrades.  

What is the team composition?

We have four dedicated engineers on Incora’s side.

How did you come to work with Incora?

One of my colleagues closed the deal with them, but I checked their profile and talked to their account manager. He told me that all their members were fluent in English and that they were up to date with the technologies we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost has been $90,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Incora in late-October 2019, and the project is ongoing. We hope to continue working with them for the years to come. They’re one of the best teams we have right now, and their rate is competitive.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Incora’s developers produce good-quality work. We have to follow standards, and our customer isn’t easy to deal with, so it would be impossible for us to neglect security or hand over the code without comments.

How did Incora perform from a project management standpoint?

We have standup meetings on a daily basis, and we have a Skype group. We work as one team toward our objective. They can adjust the number of working hours per week depending on our workload, and they’re also willing to work on weekends. We can rely heavily on them, and they respond quickly. They were patient with us when we had difficulties paying their invoices. We’re doing our best to ensure that this will be a long-term partnership.

We’ve worked with another outsourcing company, and their developers didn’t speak English very well. We haven’t had any language issues with Incora. All of the employees speak English, and we can understand each other without having a translator.

We’re responsible for managing the team members they provide. We schedule their time and ensure they have eight hours of tasks per day. We use a standard task management tool, and they can ask questions either on the actual cards or on our Skype group. We’ve had calls with the customer in order to solve issues and for their backend team to provide us certificates and keys. Incora collaborated with us on that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have excellent written and spoken English skills, they’re up to date with the technologies they’re using, they’re responsive and comfortable working with us, and they’re proactive in suggesting solutions to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Having more face to face communication would improve our relationship and add value for both of us. I’d like to have continuous sessions to improve our processes so that we can work together as one team.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to log the working time and to keep the team motivated. It’s difficult for them to keep going without having the necessary inputs in place. We reply to them immediately when they ask for something, and we let them know that we’ll ask the customer when we don’t know the answer. 

They shouldn’t be left without something to do. There should always be a backlog full of tasks for them. One of the worst scenarios is to have nothing for them to do because we’re waiting for credentials or for the customer to reply. It’s also important to review their work and report bugs or issues immediately. Clients should deal with Incora as though they were part of the internal team, and not just an outsourcing company.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO & Founder of Health Explore, a novel web-based platform aiming to map all infectious and non-infectious diseases, linking associated conditions to one another according to common elements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Incora?

The unique aspect of our website is an interactive three-dimensional map which features different diseases and connections representing an association (e.g. genetic link or subclassification). We outsourced the design of the map to Incora. They were also tasked to build a dashboard which allowed the map to be updated in real time.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to use this 3D disease map as the centre piece of the website, allowing visitors to learn about medical conditions in a visual format.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

While conducting an RFP to build the disease map, Incora reached out to us via email to see if we would be interested in working with them.

Describe the project in detail.

After a kick-off call we decided they had the expertise to handle the project. Following this, we received a detailed timeline breakdown of the development plan and signed an agreement. The first steps were completed on schedule and the map soon took shape.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with an Account Manager at Incora. We set up a series of calls and worked over Slack to address queries and keep the project flowing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The map was designed and built in a short period of time and I was impressed with the results from the beginning. There were aspects of the project which I didn't anticipate including, but Incora did a great job of proposing new features within the agreed budget and made quick progress on design specifications.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication works well between Incora and our team. I find they are responsive to our needs and are always available to jump on a call if we need to discuss things in further detail.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Incora has a talented team of developers capable of turning a high-level description into reality. I also appreciate the time they put into performance testing to ensure the website is compatible across different browsers and devices.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Overall I've been really impressed with what Incora has been able to develop with the Health Explore project. There are still a few key features pending with the map development which first require a solution—it would be great to have a road map presented in the near future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a startup company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Incora?

I decided to do a restaurant booking app. I have designers and developers in-house, but they specialize in game development in Unity. This project was front- and backend development in Angular and Node and I needed someone with that expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

All the design work, testing, and project management was on our side. They developed the front- and backend of the app for iOS and Android. Functionality allows customers to make a reservation, choose their chef, and determine the number of people that can sit at a table. They can book the table for a certain number of hours or all day. If two users book the same table, priority is first come, first served, unless the first user doesn’t pay.

What is the team composition?

There were three developers on their side.

How did you come to work with Incora?

A friend recommended three companies that he knew personally, and Incora was one of them. I gave them a smaller task, and they delivered good quality, so I decided to proceed with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $60,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2017–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The software is very good. We started with a soft launch in Ukraine so we could meet restaurant owners face to face. We got a lot of positive feedback and recommendations for modifications and changes. We’ve made a profit and the app is successful. We’re currently pushing it out to American restaurants and plan to make updates next year.

How did Incora perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily communicated via phone, which I prefer. They were proactive and always worked to solve issues and finish everything on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had the expertise I needed and their communication was great. Their developers managed the project very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they did a very good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them and give them the opportunity to prove themselves.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the COO and legal officer of Incubator LLC. We are a US-based software tech incubator that works on projects in many different verticals, including legal automation, blockchain, and IP security. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Incora?

Along with our in-house developers, we use several domestic and offshore contractors. We work on an unusually broad range of types of projects and have experience working with teams from around the world. 

We hired Incora to handle bug fixing and bring a project to completion. They're also developing an app from scratch. They've done QA clean up and brought a product to launch in two other cases. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Incora supports our web development projects that involve Ruby on Rails and Node. They’ve always used some type of JavaScript for the frontend and the Postgres web stack database. We're currently working on an app that we'd previously shelved. Via manual QA, we’re going through and cleaning up software bugs to prepare it for launch. It’s almost ready at this point. Incora's core resources are also handling all the PHP and integration work for a WordPress platform. It includes WooCommerce plugins and numerous integrations with third-party APIs. 

Our other project is a build from scratch. We gave Incora a set of text and visual requirements for a web application. Using a word document, we wrote out descriptions and embedded images like screenshot mockups. The product has a Postgres database, Node backend, and Angular 6 frontend. We're integrating it with third-party APIs including our own installation of the community non-enterprise version of the Mattermost messaging system. 

What is the team composition? 

We use multiple teams, and Incora works with us in the same way as the others. They assign us a project manager, product manager, and two full stack developers per project. Other vendors have contributed separate frontend and backend developers. 

How did you come to work with Incora?

We found Incora through a software developer referral system. We interviewed several vendors and liked them the best. They had the skill set we needed and interviewed well, so we tried them out. Based on their performance on the first project, we started giving them progressively more work. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since May 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our company is still fairly small, so we're not running metrics on contracted teams. Qualitatively, we really like Incora. They're performing well in relation to our senior developers’ expectations. These onshore developers have worked in software for 30 years and are used to overseeing offshore teams in a variety of contexts. They have high standards, and I rely on their feedback and assessments. Incora never violates the provisions in our billing guidelines. Our senior developers believe that they're coding efficiently. 

How did Incora perform from a project management standpoint?

We use multiple teams and have had to terminate more than half of them within the last two years based on billing or skill-related issues. We have high standards, but Incora is still on our list. We're an easygoing client, but are demanding about compliance with our billing guidelines. Incora has complied with all our requirements, terms, provisions, and agreements like NDAs. 

Incora is meeting our demanding requirements, and we're very happy with them. Our communication has worked well so far. We hold daily stand up calls via Skype. Regarding tools, we switched from Jira to Trello and also use Slack and GitHub. We've never had any billing issues or serious delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Incora is one of the fastest teams we’ve worked with. Their two developers we work with have graduate degrees in either math, computer science, or both. They're based out of Ukraine and are postgrad software developers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The people we work with are lacking in English skills. They aren't as fluent as the other Ukrainian and offshore teams we've used; they're probably between the middle and bottom of the pack. It hasn't been a problem, though, and I don't expect everyone in the world to be fluent in English. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

This applies to all companies hiring offshore developers; be very specific with your requirements. I've gotten better at it, but there was a steep learning curve. The range of people who use Clutch might be mostly sophisticated software development companies, but this advice is for someone who wants to make an app for the first time. 

Using images will help offset the language difference. Instead of describing everything in text, include visual diagrams and mockups. Microsoft Paint is easy to use as a mockup tool. Incora asks useful questions when they don't understand something and offers great suggestions for improvement. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have a shipping company in Mexico. People can use our website to compare the shipping services of DHL, FedEx, UPS, and some local Mexican carriers. We offer an API and specialized online software where people can create and administer shipments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Incora?

We need plug-ins for standard e-commerce platforms such as WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, and so on, which are PHP-based. Our application was written on Ruby on Rails.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve hired a programmer from Incora, who is working on all our plug-ins. We initially worked on a Magento 1 plug-in, then moved on to Magento 2 and PrestaShop ones.

The plug-ins are intended for people running WooCommerce or Magento stores, who want to have their shipping automated, and want to provide customers with information on their shipping options. After installing a plug-in from our shop, users will be given an API key from our website through which they can connect and configure what shipping services they want to offer to customers. Customers can see the available services during checkout. Store owners can decide how they want to display those services: with a general global name, with a carrier logo, and so on.

The end-customer can select shipping service, see an exact cost, and then go to checkout and pay. The store operators can then create shipping labels directly from the order page. Customers receive their confirmation by email.

What is the team composition?

They initially assigned us one programmer, with whom I worked directly for most of the time. We’ve also worked with Bohdan (Co-Founder and CEO, Incora), who got in touch with us once a week to inquire about our status and whether we were happy. I managed the programmer assigned to us. He did a decent job—he was quick and the quality was pretty good.

How did you come to work with Incora?

We used Upwork to check different providers—both agencies and freelancers. We found Incora to be the best option in terms of price versus benefits. We gave them a test, working on a Magento 1 plug-in with one of their programmers.

At one point, we hired a second person in order to increase the speed. However, we saw a clear difference between the quality and speed of the second programmer and the person from Incora. We ended up firing the new programmer and stayed with Incora for good.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of their work has been around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around September 2017. The job has been completed successfully, but we have ongoing work. The shipping process is very complex, and we're still adding a lot of functionality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There are currently 150 online shops using our plug-ins, each of them having processed 300–500 shipments. There's some competition in our area, but we’ve heard some good feedback. Customers have told us that they're happy with our plug-ins, which have much more functionality than those offered by our competitors.

This is attributable to our own company, but also to Incora’s developer. The plug-in is working as it’s supposed to be and it’s making life much easier for store admins.

How did Incora perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm very happy with the one developer we’ve been assigned, who is doing a great job. He can think for himself, mention any details we may have overlooked and basically correct requirements. I'm also happy with Bohdan, who responded quickly whenever I had a question and got everything sorted out.

We have weekly sprints and assign tickets for those sprints. They're finished on time 90% of the time, and when they're not, it's because of a requirement that proved more complex than we thought, or because we added requirements in the middle of the project. We also use Jira for issue-tracking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their effectiveness and reliability. They’ve done a high-quality job in a short time, compared to other experiences I’ve had.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The communication could be slightly improved. Their developer works well, but he can disappear for a whole week if I don’t ask him how he’s doing. This is fine given that, whenever I asked him about the progress, he had advanced a lot. However, some proactive updates would be welcomed.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should define their exact working hours from the beginning, relative to global time zones. We have a big time difference, given that our developer is in Ukraine, which has an 8-hour time difference with Mexico. In the beginning, our developer would work early and be done by noon, on his time. When I asked him to change his hours, he made some adjustments that he wasn’t very comfortable with in the beginning. We were able to solve this issue relatively easily.

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