ITRex

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

The Dollar Shave Club is a razor subscription men's grooming startup located in Los Angeles. I am the director of product management, and I'm in charge of our mobile app development. I oversee everything from the strategy and the business side of things to managing our UX [user experience] design and development processes through to launch.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the ITRex Group?

This isn't the first time I've worked with them. I originally worked with them at a company called DogVacay. I originally started working with them at DogVacay because finding Android talent in Los Angeles is incredibly difficult. We knew the company needed an Android app that was to be part of the overall business strategy but finding Android talent was proving impossible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I've used them for both iOS and Android native application development. They provided a little bit of project management, but mostly just engineering talent. They were great thought partners, so when I was trying to strategize on what a feature might look like, they were able to participate from the very beginning all the way through to launch.

I've used them both for ongoing feature development as well as building brand new apps. Both at DogVacay as well as here at Dollar Shave Club, ITRex has been our only developer. They started from scratch, launched the app, and then continue to be our primary resource for maintaining the application.

How did you come to work with the ITRex Group?

The CEO of another company referred me to ITRex while I was with DogVacay. In turn, I actually referred them to Dollar Shave Club, then I ended up joining that startup.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working for Dollar Shave Club in the summer of 2015. The app launch was in February 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

On the Google Play Store, we have a 4.9-star rating from something like 3,500 users. We get very few negative reviews and, when we do, it very rarely has to do with the quality of the application. The issue is usually us not offering something in the app, which would have been a decision we made on the business side. We haven't had many reviews of the app crashing or not being stable. It's been far and away 5-star reviews.

How did the ITRex Group perform from a project management standpoint?

I haven't really leaned on them for project management except in the beginning when I was using them at DogVacay. Generally speaking, I do my own project management.

In terms of time management, seeing tickets through from the beginning to the end, following a process – that sort of thing – they're very capable. They work well following whatever process I dictate. At the moment, I'm doing two-week scrum cycles, and they work just fine in that project management setting, but it's more something I prefer to handle.

What did you find most impressive about the ITRex Group?

I've worked with a lot of offshore resources. With the exception of the ITRex team, I don't think I would ever do it again. If you think of most of the problems that come with offshore resources, they just don't have those problems. Their English is perfect, the communication is fantastic, and they are flexible working across time zones.

The ITRex Group has even gone so far as to physically bring several developers here from the Ukraine when necessary, especially during crunch time, so they are here in the United States for one-on-one work. They take care of the visas, housing, lodging, flights – everything. In the past, I was the kind of manager that would cringe at the thought of using offshore resources, but for anyone who has those concerns, they don't apply to ITRex. They don't even feel like an offshore resource, but more like a fully integrated team.

Are there any areas the ITRex Group could improve?

No. They take feedback well. Any time I've had concerns, action was taken swiftly. Any problems I might have with them would be little things that I would normally have with any full-time employee. It comes with the nature of managing people. They take feedback well and make changes swiftly. Their price is very competitive, especially compared to onshore resources, so I haven't had any complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a senior project manager with JibJab Bros. Studios. We're based in Marina Del Ray, California. I'm in charge of JibJab's mobile app, both on iOS and Android.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the ITRex Group?

We were looking for ways to augment our in-house engineering team and build out a mobile app. Our team did not have a lot of expertise on Android, so we asked the ITRex Group to help us out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The ITRex Group developed our Android app. We already had an iOS app at the time, so it was just the Android project. They assigned two to three Android engineers to our project. We had an existing bare-bones app that we put together very quickly in-house. It was minimal in terms of features since we needed to hit a deadline. We had a quick-and-dirty app out there. Then, we needed to circle back after the deadline and re-architect the entire app. We added more features that we didn't have time to build out in the initial push.

How did you come to work with the ITRex Group?

I don't remember the exact connection, but friends of mine in the Los Angeles tech scene pointed me their way. I think that's how I connected with the ITRex Group. Initially, we were on a tight deadline, so we didn't do much searching and comparing prices. They had competitive rates. They also had good word-of-mouth recommendations from people I trusted. It was a quick let's go and do this, especially given our timelines.

How much have you invested with the ITRex Group?

We have invested $50,000 to $200,000 with the ITRex Group.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our deadlines were self-imposed since we had to hit internal targets for release in our holiday season. I could give you the specific timeline, but I don't have it in front of me. The project took about six months in total. It started around May 2015 and then took about a year – more or less. It was from May of last year to March of this year [2016].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The code quality was great. We do code reviews internally, and it was nice not to have to spend as much time back and forth on revisions. The only reason we paused working with them was because we shifted our focus toward iOS. If we hadn't done that, then we'd probably be continuing to work with them. That's also because we had not decided to bring an entire Android team in-house yet. It's more or less similar to our iOS app. Also, there were additional constraints on Android that makes the app less than optimal in terms of features. That had nothing to do with the engineering, per se. It was just Android-specific hurdles and limitations. It had nothing to do with our work with the ITRex Group.

How did ITRex Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They assigned a project manager who was the go-between me and their team of engineers. He did a good job of pairing the talent on their team with our specific needs. He was able to find resources that align with the skill sets required. That made things more efficient. They worked very well with our team, almost like in-house employees. They adopted our tools, like Slack, JIRA, and GitHub. They were able to jump right in and get going quickly. We had weekly sprints, and they would accommodate for the time difference. Those meetings were pretty late in their time zone in some cases.

What did you find most impressive about the ITRex Group?

We ended up having a great, trusting relationship with the ITRex Group. I was impressed with how they aligned their resources to our specific needs. Everything was done in an efficient way so that there wasn't as much ramp-up time compared with external contractors. They also had the flexibility to adapt to our workflow. They were definitely accommodating. Overall, we had a super-easy working relationship.

Are there any areas the ITRex Group improve?

To be honest, I don't think so. I'm not just saying that. We had a great relationship with them. No major issues came up. I don't think I could point to anything specific to say about them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

‎ I'm the CEO at a tech platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the ITRex Group?

We have some pretty advanced tech that has to exist in a number of different environments. The technical requirements are vast, so we wanted to amplify the speed and efficiency of our dev team. That's where ITRex Group comes in.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our product manager and in-house dev team give very specific tasks to the ITRex Group. Specifically, they have been working with us on a lean stack project involving Mongo, Node, and other tools. We use your typical front-end JavaScript libraries, CSS, and HTML obviously. The bulk of the platform is in Node, so that's where the ITRex Group's expertise really shines. They're pretty full-stack and can do pretty much everything. We had two dedicated team members and have found that that suits our needs.

How did you come to work with the ITRex Group?

We're good friends with one of their partners here in Santa Monica. ITRex Group previously worked with a company called RadPad, which we were very familiar with. Then, I was able to introduce them to two well-known tech companies here in Santa Monica. At that point, we decided that we should also work with ITRex Group.

How much have you invested with the ITRex Group?

We have invested around $50,000 to $60,000 with ITRex Group.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with the ITRex Group a year and a half ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The effectiveness of their work is solely measured by our Intel standards, whether our leads like their work. The ITRex Group's output universally does very consistently. In addition, they've been thorough, great at taking direction, and able to engineer exactly what we want. They are able to follow a very aggressive timeline.

How did the ITRex Group perform from a project management standpoint?

The ITRex Group did not handle project management during our engagement with them. We work through a tool called Pivotal Tracker, which I highly recommend to everyone. I believe the ITRex Group was unfamiliar with that tool, but they were very flexible about using our desired tracker, so that was great. It's a great way to manage accountability and momentum. You can see how fast they're working and even estimates on when to expect deadlines. For the most part, I would say they're fairly good at estimating and delivering on the time. If something unexpected came up, they will always circle back. They try to be very accurate with quotes and scoping out a project's timelines and specific features. If a project ever gets off track, they're very quick to note that they've modified a quote or timeline. I never felt like they're stringing me along or anything like that.

What did you find most impressive about the ITRex Group?

I've worked with a handful of outsourcing companies, and I would say that ITRex Group is an expert in the field. They are very talented, and they know a lot. I was impressed by their genuine commitment to getting you what you need. Many firms will promise you the sun and the moon. It's a very "Yes, ma'am, whatever you need" kind of mentality without actually assessing the underlying work that has to be done. They'll promise you anything.

The difference with ITRex Group is that they understand the heart and core of customer success. They would reach out and make sure you're getting what you want, and if you're not, they'll sit down with you. I think they've been very flexible with us. They are very eager and willing to move dynamically with us: growing, scaling, and then shrinking the size of their team. As our needs change, I trust that they can allocate resources since they already know our platform. They're awesome. They'll visit and bring us cool stuff from Eastern Europe. The best part is that they have an office here in Santa Monica. Part of their team works abroad while the rest are here. It's nice because there is no language barrier.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

DogVacay is a marketplace to connect pet sitters and pet owners for boarding and walking services. I am the product manager of our mobile team, which includes iOS and Android apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the ITRex Group?

Before, we only supported iOS phones. We were interested in getting an Android app on the Google Play marketplace.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with a few of the developers from ITRex Group to get the Android app out. They worked with our designers and our back-end developers to make sure that we had a solid, bug-free app. We wanted to create a great user experience. When we first launched, we worked with three developers until our first app release was out. Once the app release was out, we just had 1 developer who we still work with full time. He was also doing some work on the back-end on the web, but now he's focusing completely on the Android app.

How did you come to work with the ITRex Group?

The ITRex Group was referred to us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We launched our first Android app in July 2015. We started working with them three or four months before that, around March or April 2015. We've probably collaborated with them for a year and a half.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The ITRex Group made a solid app, which has great ratings in the Google Play store. Since we've worked with them, we've put out 10 app releases. We've had multiple features in Google Play, including the main store home page. Out of 5 stars, we have a 4.7 ranking in Google Play for our app. I can give you user reviews, which are visible on Google Play. "Easy to use. It's a lifesaving app." "The app works great." "We've got 24/7 support." "It includes the most fantastic features that the website has, as well as getting my notifications." "Very user-friendly and fast." "All in all, it's a great app." "Love this app. It's so useful when I need someone to care for my dog." We have simple, positive reviews. There are barely any crashes on our app. Many apps are less than 80 percent, and we're at 99.7 percent crash-free. That's an extremely high, powerful number.

How did the ITRex Group perform from a project management standpoint?

I did a lot of project management just to keep everything in line with our iOS releases and our desktop releases. I wanted to make sure nothing breaks on Google Play. I communicated directly with the developer from the ITRex Group, and he knew which queue to look in. We communicated through our product tickets, and I put them all in order for him to follow. He followed what I asked for and just went down the list. If he ever had any questions or problems, he immediately reached out to us via email or Slack. If there's something that we can't reproduce or show online, we talk to Shervin [Delband, director of U.S. operations at ITRex Group]. He managed the developers. He was working near our office, so he was happy to come in and explain things if we needed help. After we did a training session on our workflow and ticket system, we haven't had any problems. We brought up any road bumps or issues that came up. No matter who we worked with, everybody was great with communication.

What did you find most impressive about the ITRex Group?

We've worked with a couple developers now from ITRex Group, and every one of them has been professional. They wanted to create the best product. If they have ideas for us, we're readily open to that. Many times, they have features that they're excited about. That's great to see as it shows the team in the best light as well. Everyone we've worked with has done a great job and made solid products.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with the ITRex Group?

Communication is key no matter what when you're working with offsite developers and managers. As always, try to keep things as clear as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of technology for Mobiletizer. We're a mobile advertising company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITRex Group?

We had a previous contractor who was not able to complete our development due to lack of personnel and expertise. That's why we reached out to ITRex Group.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ITRex Group took over our server system maintenance. They also handled the code base for both the web elements and the mobile application code. We developed the majority of our system on Windows Stack, Microsoft Stack, Dot Net, Windows servers, and Microsoft Sequel server. On the mobile application side, they took over the native code for both Android and iOS devices.

How did you come to work with the ITRex Group?

We met the ITRex Group at the end of last year [2015] in December. I met their Los Angeles representative, Shervin [Delband, director of U.S. operations at ITRex Group], at an industry event in Santa Monica. The ITRex Group has an office here in L.A. as well as Belarus. It all just seemed to make sense for what they had to offer in terms of experience, resource, time, and cost.

How much have you invested with the ITRex Group?

We have invested roughly $25,000 with the ITRex Group.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project has gone on quite a while because there was a tremendous learning curve. We also encountered some challenges with the third-party companies that we were integrating. We are looking to launch very shortly. Our working timeline is seven or eight months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Overall, they have been developing efficiently. I'm very satisfied with their work. We have changed course a few times, and they've been able to handle those changes promptly. They took time developing elements that were defined in ways that they probably didn't understand. Maybe there were sometimes where they performed work that they didn't necessarily need to. It's not a whole lot of work, but there were a few instances where they might have done some of that.

How did the ITRex Group perform from a project management standpoint?

ITRex Group has been extremely communicative during the project timeline. We probably should be communicating a little bit more than we are, which is probably once a month. I would like to see a little bit more of that, especially when our product is live and things start to iterate faster. Overall, their project management was done in Belarus, and the timing for me here in L.A. is quite good. We have evening and morning chats. They are also very accessible via instant messaging applications and email. We have many voice conferences as well. In some cases, we have daily and weekly summaries.

What did you find most impressive about the ITRex Group?

ITRex Group is a hybrid company in terms of where their resources are in relation to where we are. They have people here in America and abroad in Belarus. Belarus has turned out to be a great alternative to the other outsourced countries that I have experience with. Those were mainly from India and South America. Their price is very affordable, and they communicate in perfect English. They are available at times that are relatively convenient for me so I don't have to stay up until the after midnight hours. On several occasions, they sent some of their project managers and engineers to Los Angeles. I know they're going to be doing more of that. We're looking forward to more face-to-face meetings to discuss future iterations.

Are there any areas the ITRex Group could improve?

It's difficult to say with our project because it wasn't an overall bid project. It was a time-based project with no clear idea of how long it was going to take, the level of effort, and so on. To me, it feels like this project has been going on for a month or two longer than it probably should have. I could attribute it partially to our side and the third-party companies that we're trying to integrate. Ultimately, the only criticism I have is for ITRex Group to be more aware of the client's expenses. After all, the less money the client has to spend, the better it is for the relationship. It's still nice to know that who you are paying is actually working with you and making their best effort to reduce your overall expenses. It would be great to have project management notifications for out-of-control spending that sometimes happens. Like I said, it's not a great amount of time or expense, but it's the only thing I could think of that they need to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

RadPad is a rental marketplace that allows renters to interact with property owners to find apartments, sign leases, and pay rent. I am the chief executive officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITRex Group?

We started RadPad as a mobile app company. The first version of RadPad was an iOS app. It was so successful we knew we needed to build an Android app. We were looking to bring someone in-house to build it. To be honest with you, we don't like to outsource anything. We like to build everything in-house. My cofounder is an iOS engineer, so we were looking for essentially the equivalent of him on the Android side.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

ITRex took a version of the app that had been designed in-house but wasn't done very well. They inherited bad code, but were able to take that and, within about a month, get us something that we could release into the Android store. It was a huge victory for both of us and showed me that, with the right outsourcing partner, working with an outside agency can make sense in some cases.

RadPad's mobile app is complex. There is a geo-location function where renters can open the app and actually view apartments nearby. There is a payment component to process rent payments, so renters can enter their credit or debit card or bank account and pay their rent right through the app. There's the messaging communications component, which is pretty complex, facilitating communication back and forth from renters and property owners through the app.

I'd say those three are the major parts that ITRex was able to work through and deliver an outstanding product.

How did you come to work with ITRex Group?

Since we wanted to develop the app in-house, we interviewed several people and hired one individual but just were not happy. We had to let that person go and were left struggling with getting a version of RadPad out to Google Play. ITRex came highly recommended by someone I respect, and we had nothing to lose with giving them a shot.

We were desperate to get something to market and were willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. We looked at a couple different vendors and, ultimately, we ended up going with ITRex because of their lower cost and that recommendation. When I called to do reference checking on them, everyone spoke very highly of them. The other thing was that we had a very aggressive timeline to get a product into Google Play, and they were the only group that promised us that they would have a shippable product within our timeframe.

How much have you invested with ITRex Group?

We have spent something more than $50,000 working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in early 2014, I believe – February or March. We ended our engagement with them in March or April of 2016 because we hired a full-time in-house Android engineer who we were happy with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

When they took over RadPad, our Google Play ranking went from 3.7 up to 4.5. Ultimately, the way you demonstrate the effectiveness or the success of an app is looking at downloads and app store rankings. That's how I think you can gauge an engineer or an agency. As I mentioned, we went from 3.7 stars to 4.5, and that was accomplished because of them.

How did ITRex Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They worked directly with my cofounder and me. We're busy running the company, so we'd have a weekly meeting with them – about an hour, hour-and-a-half-long meeting. We also invited them to work on our Slack channel so that their developers could talk to our developers in real time, and it worked out incredibly well for us. It actually felt like they were part of our team, almost like a full-time employee, because the Slack integration connecting them to our team, their engineers to our engineers, allowed them to communicate directly and remove me from being involved in the day-to-day operations.

What did you find most impressive about ITRex Group?

They came in on budget every time. We gave them a set budget every month that they had to work within, and they always came in at or under budget, which I think is incredibly important. ITRex Group built a quality product for us. Working with them was pretty much a breeze.

We reluctantly moved on from them just because we ultimately wanted to hire someone in-house. Our Android app has become a major part of RadPad, and we wanted to have someone in house doing this. On their last day, we had a little party for them here at the office. Ultimately, we had a great experience with them. If I had to work with them again, I absolutely would.

Are there any areas ITRex Group could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of Engineering for a global software as a service (SaaS) company. We specialize in connected car services and transportation analytics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ITRex Group?

We needed help maintaining our suite of mobile apps and software development kit (SDKs)

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to maintain our apps’ five-star ratings and add more functionality. Our SDKs exist on many third-party devices and need to be stable on a variety of platforms and OSs.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were referred to us by another one of their clients.

Describe the project in detail.

We’re receiving ongoing support from their mobile development team.

What was the team composition?

We worked with one full-time engineer and have occasional burst support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our main KPI is user satisfaction, which has gone up.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They work great remotely and also visit us to get face-to-face time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their overall communication and skillsets set them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there aren’t any.