JustCoded

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of a property investment company based in London. In 2017, we launched a crowdfunding platform that makes property investments accessible to the general populace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

We wanted to develop and launch our crowdfunding platform. We were using some white label products in the crowdfunding space as the basis for our backend software, but wanted a team to help us do all the frontend development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They linked our platform to the white label software products, via APIs. They’ve done effective work on the website and developed and tested the site based on our requirements. They enabled us to launch our core functionality to allow people to invest in properties. We can now take specific transactions through a variety of financial channels, including ISAs and pension schemes in the UK.

What is the team composition?

I worked with their CEO, two product managers, and a few other team members. They also have an internal team of developers and testers that I didn’t normally interface with directly.

How did you come to work with JustCoded?

They were recommended by the company that built the white label portion of the platform. They had good experience with crowdfunding platforms and worked with a number of companies in similar situations. We interviewed them and felt they would suit our needs. The price point was reasonable, so we decided to pursue a relationship with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent in the region of £150,000 (approximately $195,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around April 2016. The initial launch was in September 2017 and we’ve introduced new functionality since then via various sprints.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Feedback has been very positive. The quality of the website has been very good and our client base enjoys using it. It functions well and is easy to use. The process was very successful and we’re pleased with the outcome.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good project managers. We agree to a sprint of work in advance and talk through all the details. They give us accurate estimates, which are broken down to a detailed level for us to understand. They repair defects in a reasonable amount of time and are flexible when we add requirements.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge and experience in the crowdfunding space is unique among standard web developers. They keep up with the evolution in the marketplace and have a good understanding of DIFITEK/CrowdValley, MANGOPAY, GOJI and other financial transaction systems. They also give very good advice and recommended third-party solutions for some of our functionality to make implementation simpler.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re very good. We have a good working relationship with them and they delivered everything we asked for.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of LuxuryBARED, a leading online luxury hotel reservation site. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire JustCoded?

After experiencing significant growth over the last 12 months, we hired JustCoded to provide in-depth, leading-edge software development and technology support services.

What were your goals for this project?

The project goals, as set to JustCoded, are to implement cost-effective and contemporary software development processes and services, produce efficient code, deploy functionality using proven standards and procedures, and provide mutually agreed upon software support services.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our clients at the time recommended JustCoded, citing their professionalism, reliability, and skill regarding system development, deployment, and support.

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

They have helped us build large levels of complexity into our WordPress environment, linking and updating multiple legacy inventory and pricing systems. 

What was the team composition?

Our executive director and head of creative technology work with JustCoded’s account manager, project manager, development team, and operations and delivery team. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website and systems are considerably more robust that they would have otherwise been.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is strong although occasionally inflexible.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

JustCoded is well managed and disciplined in their approach to system development and provides high quality service. Most importantly, they deliver on time and within agreed budgets.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

There could be more emphasis on a customer-centric relationship.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder, majority shareholder, and CEO of Karadoo Finance, a peer-to-peer lender in the U.K.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

We needed help with our lending platform for people who want to lend money to people who want to borrow money. The execution is quite complicated. A significant database sits in the background and it has to match transactions and extract data to make sure the right money goes to the right people in both directions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided the frontend development for our platform. They used our APIs to integrate several service providers. They also developed display functionalities.

What is the team composition?

A large team from JustCoded supports our project. There were 4–5 developers. We also have account managers, QA managers, and project managers.

How did you come to work with JustCoded?

They were recommended to us. Their experience was the critical factor in that decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re going through a hard launch of our first platform. It’s complete and live. Now, they’re moving on to sister platforms, other lending and donation platforms for us.

They understand us. Konstantin (CEO, JustCoded) has a good handle on crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending. He’s done a lot of research and study into this sector. He has a good understanding of the dynamics of the business model. He’s translated that for his developers to build a solution for us.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Trello and Google Sheets. We have an assigned project manager who manages the interaction with their team. They provide specific planning terms of the next sprint, what’s being achieved, what hasn’t been achieved, and what’s been carried over. They have strong communication abilities.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism and understanding of the peer-to-peer lending sector is impressive. They’re able to translate the market’s requirements into a product and service that we can take to market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Previously, they sent different developers to different parts of the project at different times and it was very disjointed. We’ve seen much improvement now that they’ve allocated a resource to support our development across all the platforms. That’s been good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

CapitalRise is a crowdfunding site that partners with property developers of prime real estate in the UK. We're currently looking to expand outside that area. We offer a cheap source of capital loans to develop at more attractive rates, then pass as much as possible back to the investor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

We needed to work with a reliable development partner who understood early-stage startups. By partnering with JustCoded, we could develop a high-quality crowdfunding platform at minimal cost.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JustCoded has pretty much been with us since the beginning. Our engagement had two main components. They built the full frontend for all our brochure websites, as well as the actual investor platforms and user journeys our customers see. JustCoded provided both frontend and backend development resources who work with very high-level technologies. They've also been helping us integrate all the third-party systems we use.

What is the team composition? 

On a day to day basis, I work with Igor (Delivery Director, JustCoded). We work with two developers from JustCoded, Alex (Backend Developer, JustCoded) and Andrew (Markup Developer, JustCoded). I've met their CEO a couple of times, as well. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our total costs are approaching $150,000. We're probably going to increase the rate we spend with them now that we've received our initial seed funding round. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with JustCoded since the latter half of 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our key success metric was the complete and successful development and delivery of our platform within a very short period. We've already lent around £10 million ($13,242,490 USD) of property loans through the system they built. 

In the next two years, we're hoping to increase that volume to another 150 million pounds. JustCoded built an easily modifiable platform that we've already scaled to date. We'll need it to expand significantly as we push higher and higher volumes of loans through the system.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

Since we don't pay for any project management overhead from JustCoded, I don't expect formal documentation. The volume we're processing at the moment is relatively small, so we have adequate capacity internally. 

The roles JustCoded covers are a frontend and a backend developer, and business analyst who also runs testing. That latter individual undertakes much of the project management from their side. As we scale up, I have been talking to them about fitting in some more management overhead for additional resources, so this process has less of an impact on our side. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I most appreciate the quality of their talented employees who work quite quickly. JustCoded has a keen ability to take a brief and rapidly turn it into a useful product. It's hard to find developers who genuinely understand the user experience, business, and commercial aspects of a project like they do.

JustCoded has played a much broader role than the typical engineering teams I’m used to working with. They’ve been extremely helpful during my onboarding process as I get up to speed with my company before we scale up. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

None at the moment!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of MEO SPORT, a startup company that will go live in the next eight weeks. We connect athletes to brands, offering sponsorship deals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

Trying to get this project together, I’ve worked with four other development agencies. None of them completed the tasks they were given or did the work within budget.

Coming from a non-technical background, I was looking for a reliable development partner. I needed someone who could translate the vision of what I was trying to create and provide feedback on the best way to build the project, allowing it to scale appropriately. I needed someone to help me manage the project going forward.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As a startup, we have a few specific ways of releasing the product onto the marketplace. We initially planned to release an MVP in the form of a responsive website. Once we validated the business model and achieved some success, we turned it into a mobile app.

JustCoded developed the full backend of the platform. We used a graphic designer in the U.K. to design some of the pages. JustCoded picked the work up from there, creating the remaining pages we required.

What is the team composition?

I am in touch with Konstantin Boyko, the CEO of the company. Two project managers have been assigned to me during the collaboration. I’ve also dealt a lot with their frontend developer.

How did you come to work with JustCoded?

I had Skype interviews with just under 100 development agencies found on Freelancer and other platforms. From the first conversation with JustCoded, I found them to be on point. They’re a company built on traditional values, and they were in touch with what I was trying to achieve.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with JustCoded in April 2016. We’re set to launch in the next eight weeks and plan to continue working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our designer was pleased with how her work was converted into our product. It was spot on with no changes or design errors. In terms of what they’ve been responsible for, they’ve nailed it every single time.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve always found JustCoded to be responsive and focused on getting back to me when they said they would. I consider this to be the key ingredient to a successful relationship.

JustCoded’s documentation has been very good. This was something we were serious about when we first started talking to them; we wanted to make sure we had a solid scope of work to fall back on. Without much guidance from us, their team has kept the scope up-to-date, and they’ve always let us know when there was a possible issue. There was only one mistake, and they quickly corrected it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everyone on our side who’s worked with them has been impressed. Konstantin went above and beyond to prove that he wanted to build a relationship between our two parties. He visited the U.K. to put pen to paper, which was phenomenal. They’ve also gone beyond their agreement with us making sure that the product would be as good as it could be. Two years later, what the team said to me in the beginning has been the case. Their business values and ambitions have all aligned. JustCoded has been an outstanding company to work with. I will definitely continue working with JustCoded for the foreseeable future, including any other projects I will be involved with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I've started an online platform that allows users to find venues in certain areas around the world. For now, we are targeting London but will push to other cities in 2018. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire JustCoded?

JustCoded helped with the development of my WordPress site. They specialize in this field and were able to deliver as per my requirements.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to offer a simple and easily accessible site for users and admin alike that clearly highlighted relevant information. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found JustCoded after months of searching for the right company. Most vendors over-promised but never delivered.

Describe the project in detail.

JustCoded took my initial designs and broke the work into milestones based on my designs and what I wanted to achieve. My main aim was to have a fully functional site that was accessible and offered clear, up-to-date information.

Explain how the solution addressed your business challenge.

The original site had been built with Bootstrap, which meant that all updates had to use HTML. I wanted the platform to be easier to update, which would streamline my admin responsibilities.

What was the team composition?

JustCoded had a dedicated developer and project manager, and I acted as the designer. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

I was determined to finish this project within 3 months. Even though we had some challenges along the way due to my requirements, we still produced a base product that can be updated and expanded in the future.

How effective was the project management?

JustCoded was extremely helpful. We communicate constantly via Skype and arranged other calls if any issues arose. They exhausted every solution to make sure we stayed within the budget.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They communicate clearly, which helped us to achieve our goals and meet our clients’ needs on time and within budget. They’re also highly knowledgeable about WordPress.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

Don’t be afraid to take JustCoded’s directions to heart. As a business owner, I often think I know what's best for my company, but listening to someone else's feedback can be helpful at times.

Also, as a designer, I always want to push boundaries, which can produce great results but increase costs. I’d suggest thoroughly planning, testing, and executing your concept because once a project starts, changing the scope can be costly. Regardless, JustCoded has been a great partner, and I’ll certainly consider them for other projects going forward. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a consultant, and for this project I was working with a marketing, branding, and digital agency that focuses mainly on web design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

We had a very tight deadline that required us to design and create a website in 2-3 weeks. I needed a team that was qualified and worked faster than a typical development team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I sent them our ideas for the design in a PSD (Photoshop Doc) file, and they gave me price estimates. Once we agreed on the estimate, I gave the desktop and mobile files to the team and they set up different print. They provided a timeline that was the most organized I'd seen with a development team. After every sprint they would deliver exactly what they say they would deliver, I would review the work with the agency, and we would move to the next sprint. All development was done in WordPress. Unlike many development firms that I’ve worked with in the past, the initial estimate they provided was exactly what we ended up paying for their services.

What is the team composition?

Sabina [Business Development Manager, JustCoded], Alina and Karina [Account Managers, JustCoded] oversaw my client's account. They were all in constant communication throughout the process.

How did you come to work with JustCoded?

I attended a web design competition in Los Angeles at one point, and they happened to be a judge at the event. I did some research on them afterwards and was very impressed by their portfolio. I then reached out to them to discuss pricing, and their standard rate was the main reason I ended up working with them. The rate that they charge for their level of expertise is a huge advantage.

How much have you invested with them?

The original project was between $10,000-$15,000, but my client has between $50,000-$150,000 in the pipeline. They have been very pleased with the work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started to establish a working relationship in June of 2017, and started this first web development project in October 2017. They completed it within the 3-week period, and we’re continuing to work together on other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There isn’t much specific information as of right now. I can say that there were only 1-2 rounds of quality control, as opposed to the usual 7-8 rounds that are needed with a typical development agency.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

They were the most organized development agency I have ever worked with. It seemed like they were always available even with the time difference, which really surprised me. We communicated mostly via email and Skype/Facetime, and provided my client with detailed time reports over the course of the project. They were great to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

As I mentioned, they were extremely organized throughout the project, and they were able to deliver everything on time as a result.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At Blueleaf, we design websites. I am the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

One of our clients needed a site building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We designed the website and JustCoded built it on Magento 2.

What is the team dynamic?

Konstantin [CEO, JustCoded] was the main person. We worked with him, and he caught up with his project management team and internal team.

How did you come to work with JustCoded?

They were referred to us by an organization that both of us are a part of. It was a network connection.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February 2017 until May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client was happy with the outcome of the website and then took it on board to manage themselves.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent and very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They got the job done, they project-managed it well, the quality was good, and the price was about right.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they had a UK base.

Do you have any advice for a future buyer of JustCoded?

Just approach them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a managing partner of a community of creative agencies called Agency Collective. We help agencies grow their businesses. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

JustCoded and I go back many years. I used to run a UX agency before this. We did a lot of design work on complex, custom-built systems like CRM [customer relationship management], loan application processes, and alternative investment platforms. We didn’t have that skill or knowledge in-house at my agency, and JustCoded had been recommended to me by a mentor. We ended up outsourcing lots of our development work to JustCoded during that period.

Now, our business case has changed. I’ve used JustCoded occasionally when we need an API integration or something like that. I’m also recommending them to our members who have business challenges that require a partner like JustCoded. All of the people I’ve recommended them to have given really positive responses about the experience. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a high-profile client in the UK that we built a community platform for based on WordPress. JustCoded is great with PHP, so they’re good with WordPress, Magento, and a lot of custom-built stuff. I believe they use Symfony as a framework.

They built the underlying technology for the community on WordPress, integrated all the different plugins, customized plugins when needed, and did the frontend and the backend. It was a pretty hefty project. There was a member profile area, and all the profiles had to be depicted on a map. A payment system was integrated into that. There was a library of over a thousand pieces of content that had to be filtered in different ways. We needed a very powerful search function behind it as well.

The client had specific branding, so the designs we created needed to be replicated once on the frontend; otherwise, they wouldn’t have passed. That was a real challenge, and JustCoded resolved that very well. I know they’ve done a lot of mobile work, but I’ve never worked with them on that type of project.

It’s been a couple years since we worked together, and I don’t remember our format. I think they now have over 60 staff members, but back then they were smaller. I always worked with a project manager, a lead developer, and possibly a couple of junior developers who would support the lead. I don’t know how that has evolved, and I’m pretty sure they’ve got a CTO on board now.

How did you come to work with JustCoded?

We went through a long period of searching for a development partner. We looked everywhere in Asia, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. We always had problems with anyone we came across, and things never worked the way we thought due to communication barriers. JustCoded was recommended to me by a trusted source who was my mentor at the time.

When I started working with them, everything began running smoothly. We did a little test project, and I thought it was brilliant. The cost-to-value ratio was great as well. I can think of 25 companies I’ve worked with in different countries, but none delivered like JustCoded did. I’m still getting the same feedback from people I’ve introduced them to, which is great.

How much have you invested with JustCoded?

We’ve spent £60,000–£80,000 [$75,997–$101,311]. That’s a rough figure. I’ve worked with them for long enough to know that they’re good.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in either 2013 or 2014. Whenever we have something come up in our business, I definitely give them the first bid. It’s still an ongoing partnership, but it hasn’t been as substantial because we don’t do major projects anymore. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t give actual numbers. For the project, our client’s aim was to get 100 customers on that system within the first 3 months, and they ended up having over 1,000 within 6 months. I think they actually merged with another organization, which took over as a result. It was a major success for them.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

They really impressed me and never complained about the work. They always questioned tasks to stay on the right track and find the best options. That was something I always appreciated when working with them. They would make suggestions but always acknowledge that it was my decision in the end. I often took their advice, which ended up being the better solution.

We used Trello, and that worked really well for our partnership. They use different tools depending on who they’re working with.

What did you find most impressive about JustCoded?

They were able to translate a lot of designs on the frontend to perfection. I was very impressed with their responsiveness as well. I’ve struggled in this area with other companies. They just wouldn’t pay that extra attention to detail from a frontend point of view.

Konstantin [CEO, JustCoded] is quite proactive. He travels to his clients’ locations, which shows that relationships are really important to him. Sometimes, when you work with an overseas outsource partner, you don’t really know what they’re like. Konstantin takes a lot of pride in building close relationships with his clients. I think that’s a good sign of how JustCoded is run.

Are there any areas JustCoded could improve?

No, I don’t have any critiques at this stage. It’s been a while since I worked with them, but nothing came up in the past. Whenever there were issues, they always ended up coming from my company’s side. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and publisher of a global platform for architecture and design with 20 people and offices in Amsterdam and Toronto.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

JustCoded needed to translate our plans into a working framework to make a website exactly how we wanted it. They're the builders and the engine behind the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We made the actual web design ourselves. JustCoded did the frontend mock-up based on our design and the backend. Another company made the website. The website was previously on Drupal 6, and we are now migrating to Yii 2.0 PHP platform.

There's one full-time and one part-time coder. Someone is doing the mock-up, who may be full-time. Someone is doing the QA. Then there's the project manager, who is not doing a lot because we directly do the project management ourselves.

How did you come to work with JustCoded?

I found JustCoded through Google searching “Drupal” when we worked at our previous company. We found them and asked for references. It was a gamble, but we started with them.

How much have you invested with JustCoded?

It’s been roughly €250,000 ($266,100 USD) in those four years split across €50,000 ($53,200 USD) per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with JustCoded four years ago in 2013. We're still working with them. They're now making our new website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People like the design of our website. Metrics are difficult because we're now in the middle of a new website. They built a lot of pages, but the statistics don't really influence that because that's not their part. They are facilitating, so they make what we want. They're more technical with it, so you cannot really put that towards their angle.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

I had some communication challenges with different project managers.

What did you find most impressive about JustCoded?

JustCoded is distinguished by how technically good they are. However, it’s difficult for me to compare because I’ve only worked with three different companies.

Are there any areas JustCoded could improve?

JustCoded could work on their communication and project management. Over three years, I got three different project managers, which is why you need a project manager on your side. It’s okay, but that can be improved. It’s also organic that we do the project management ourselves because we can do it.

This review was updated on March 20, 2018 by the client. New content is below.

UPDATED REVIEW

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a global platform for the architecture and design community.

What challenge were you trying to address with JustCoded?

We wanted to move to a completely new interface and framework.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built and migrated us from a Drupal 6 framework to a completely new one on Yii. They also did the programming, project management, and actual migration to an Amazon server. They also wrote the code and did QA to make sure everything worked. I delivered the functional design and graphics.

We were 20% finished during the last review, but it’s now live. We’re going to further develop the site with them. They will also help with maintenance and enhancing the SEO. We have a lot of new tools that they’re not finished with yet.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with the senior programmer, a project manager, and the CEO. I didn’t work directly with the other people involved.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project has taken about two years.

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

Everything is 10 times better than it was, which was the whole aim. We now have an extremely fast website that attracts a lot more users. The old one had a lot of troubles, but the new framework is state of the art and completely compatible with any mobile device.

How did JustCoded perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good. I got a new project manager who highly improved the communication issues I mentioned in my last review. She’s very proactive and the project has been going much smoother. We have a solid project management system and can see if everything’s up to date, so I know what I’m paying for.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technology knowledge impresses me. They come up with improvements all the time and have made our platform so fast. It works great and there are no bugs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no suggestions for improvement.