KITRUM

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a technical lead at a healthcare company. We’re building an app for data collection and payments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

We want KitRUM to help us build a custom-designed app with AI included.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to build pretty complicated app within a tight deadline

SOLUTION

How did you select KitRUM?

We decided to search for a trusted development partner based on reviews and testimonials from previous clients. Therefore, we found that KitRUM is one of the best React Native developers in Florida according to Clutch reviews. So we decided it’s worth trying.

Describe the project in detail.

We began with a simple consultation. We learned from many sources, like Clutch and so on, that KitRUM has the necessary expertise in React Native development.

Since we got strong support from KitRUM, we decided to choose three developers from their team to enhance our in-house dev crew. We discussed the scope of work and just in 1.5 weeks they sent us a UI mockup with various options. All the tasks were delivered on time according to initial deadlines.

We made everyday calls with the team and--this was a surprise for me -- maintained nighttime calls (since we had an 8-hour time difference). We also had weekly Hangout calls with the PM and it kept me confident in terms of getting a flawless delivery.

What was the team composition?

Firstly, we hired one starter lead who set up the environment. Then we hired four senior react developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The best evidence is that we started with a basic idea and now we’ve got a ready-to-use app built in almost 8 months. It was incredible that we had around 2000 downloads from the AppStore in the first week after launching. So we’re more than satisfied with the results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used Slack, Jira, and Hangout calls to communicate and share reports. We also visited the KitRUM office once just to meet personally and discuss all the things in more detail. They were on schedule with every task.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their strong tech background and market experience. The guys were skilled not just in writing code but also in some bottlenecks and gaps in our industry.

I’ve made my best possible choice by picking KitRUM for this project. A few months after we finished the project, I came to KitRUM with a request to fix a problem. They did it fast and for free. It’s about the quality of work rather than money.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing to say. It's a great pleasure to work with KitRUM. I believe we’ll have even more common projects in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Online Rewards is a reward and incentive program software development company. It’s a custom development shop that builds out programs where users can perform an activity to earn points. Then, they can redeem those points in a catalog. I worked as a product manager there for several years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM?

We hired them to build out native iOS and Android apps that would be complementary to our existing web application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KitRUM performed mobile development to create apps that would be integrated with our existing online platform. The solution uses an API backend that is developed inhouse.

Our inhouse architecture group defined the features and functionalities from an API perspective; our inhouse team also provided the designs. KitRUM performed development, business analysis, and project management services. They also collaborated with us about the interface and UX design for the mobile application. 

They shipped dozens of releases over the two-and-a-half-year period that I worked with them. As the API continued to develop over time, KitRUM continued to implement new features into the mobile application.

The app is similar to a social media experience where users can log in and see recognition that their co-workers are giving to each other for birthdays, work anniversaries, etc. It’s a multimedia experience with a newsfeed component. Users can follow people in groups, create recognitions, and give points.

What is the team composition?

I worked with five people in total. The team included a project manager and business analyst, along with an Android developer, an iOS developer. We also engaged a QA resource who executed a lot of regression testing. Around the time I left, we were preparing to engage a design resource as well. We also worked with Vlad (CTO).

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

Vlad was in the United States and got connected to our CEO. He earned the engagement based on the relationship he built directly with our CEO. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $500,000 with the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in the spring of 2017, and I’m sure the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The solution played an instrumental role in the company’s ability to remain competitive.  Users have given good ratings in both of the app stores. 

There were early signs of good usage and retention metrics, which showed that users were enjoying the app. We were able to show that the app drove incrementally more engagement with our existing program on the web app.

KitRUM’s delivery timeframes for new features aligned with our end users’ timeframes for strategic launches, which was a key success measure. They were very reliable in helping us “Wow” our customers within tight timeframes.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always very sensitive to making sure they were aligned on delivery dates. The team always put in extra work to speed up launch dates. There was never a case where we had a delay on a client launch because they weren’t ready. We were managing the project out of the Atlassian Stack, using Jira and Confluence primarily.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their development was really impressive. The developers, ranging from senior level to younger developers, were really good. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Online Rewards was producing the UI designs and handing those over to KitRUM to implement. We discovered that our designs weren’t precise enough for the metrics we were chasing after. When I dug into it, I discovered that the designs we were handing over to KitRUM weren’t good enough. 

They should make sure it’s clear who is responsible for each deliverable. That way, there will be no room for misinterpretations about who was at fault for diminished quality. They could push back to the client a little bit more to make sure there’s a higher quality end product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a startup called Knackly. We offer a document automation software solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM?

We hired them to handle product development for our SaaS solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KitRUM has been developing the frontend of our solution using JavaScript, React.js node, and Angular. Key deliverables include meeting daily scrum deadlines as laid out by our project manager.

What is the team composition?

There are three people that we work with.

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

We found them through an email they sent out.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $110,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

KitRUM has been a vital part of our team and in helping us deliver our product. They’ve been extremely great to work with, and we’ll be partners for the foreseeable future. Their team has improved their processes throughout the engagement. What’s more, they implement automated QA testing for us and it has been really helpful.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re doing really well. We’re managing tasks that need to be done, and they’re completing those tasks on time and based upon what we agreed upon. Our teams use GitLab to collaborate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to try new things and come up with solutions we don’t know the answers to are most impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve seen a real improvement in communication and language with our main contact.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to understand the specs you need going into the project. We meet daily via video conferencing for scrum meetings and that’s been extremely helpful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company provides AI and Machine Learning-based Anti-money Laundering and Financial Crime Detection software solutions to financial services companies. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

We needed a Ruby on Rails full stack developer to continue to enhance our web application.

What were your goals for this project?

Quickly come up to speed on the existing application. Work collaboratively with our Business Analysts on new projects. Communicate effectively and work independently. Deliver new functionality quickly and in a high-quality manner. We also needed someone who was willing to work mostly Eastern US work hours.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were initially contacted by KitRUM via email. The timing was fortuitous as we were looking to change partners. We evaluated two other providers and compared them based on cost and the quality of the individuals they had available. We interviewed the candidates and KitRUM had the candidate with the best fit.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Full stack Ruby on Rails web application development. The developer reviewed requirements and mockups, developed designs, wrote code, tested code, and deployed to staging environments. Worked with QuantaVerse's Development Managers, BA, QA, and other developers.

What was the team composition?

The was only a single developer at any given time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The enhancements delivered by KitRUM were instrumental in QuantaVerse's customer-facing solution.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Given the small team size, KitRUM personnel worked with QuantaVerse's infrastructure - Pivotal Tracker, BitBucket, Slack, and Zoom. Kitrum management has been consistently proactive in asking for feedback and making sure the developer was meeting expectations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Strong candidates and proactive management team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There was turnover when one developer decided to leave, but KitRUM handled it very professionally and quickly found another strong developer for us to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the tech lead of the back office department of a technology company that offers solutions for the music industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

Several projects related to web development.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a royalty distribution system for neighbouring rights societies.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was recommended by the CEO as they have been working together in other projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The distribution system consists of 4 modules:

Module 1: member and repertoire management. The members of the societies, which are record labels, can sign up to the system, upload their repertoire and manage their rights information.

Module 2: usage management. Societies upload usage information which gets ingested into the system.

Module 3: metadata matching. Usage data is matched against the repertoire database.

Module 4: distribution management. Societies will upload funds information and set up distributions periodically. The funds will be allocated automatically to the members based on the usage data and the rights information provided in module 1 and 2.

Kitrum has provided backend developers and a DevOps.

What was the team composition?

The technical team has been changing over the project. Right now there's 1 frontend developer, 1 full-stack developer, 1 DevOps, 3 backend developers and 1 tech lead. This includes our developers as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is going pretty well. We've delivered the MVP solution with minimal delay and there's interest from new customers for adopting the solution.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is handled by us. From Kitrum side, their delivery managers were very responsive and helpful when new resources were necessary.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

How easily it was to get highly experienced developers. KitRUM is very proactive and ready to help in any situation.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a software development company for the financial sector and I am Head of Development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

The challenge was, to find an external company to oursource some projects we have no time for. Thereforce we searched for a company who can provide professional developers with a deep understanding of coding and delivering quality

What were your goals for this project?

Goal of the project was to enlarge our current platform with a new functionallity to make the live of the endusers easier. Platform is written in PHP and NodeJS.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had a lot of calls also with different vendors, but selected KitRum because of two things:

• Pricing is very variable (they really took care about our needs and ideas)
• They acted and organized everything (calls, bills, helping) in a very professional way

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

KitRum provided a developer who was in daily contact with one of our architects and or programmers. They also provided an communication platform to make ongoing discussions more easy.

What was the team composition?

We just had one developer. They found a really good guy which totaly fullfilled our needs, spoke good english and did a great job.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project was finished in time, people are super happy with the solution we got. It reduces the time they need for specific tasks during their daily working routine.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was perfect. KitRum answered all our questions, responded in time and organized everything perfectly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are serious, honest, and helpful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and president of Motion Lab Systems. We create and sell electromyography (EMG) systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM?

We had a lot of software from over the last 20 years written by a programmer in early versions of Microsoft Visual Studio. Since the programmer retired, that source code no longer compiles with the current version of Microsoft Visual Studio. We brought in KitRUM to fix it.
 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We sent KitRUM the original source code we were working with. They then fixed all of the compiler errors. We’re now talking with the team about how to change the way the program works. KitRUM works in C++ and uses a complex file format specific to our industry.

What is the team composition?

I work with one programmer.

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

We received an email from KitRUM suggesting a meeting. We did so and sent them some small programs that they fixed very quickly. They showed they had good experience working with both old and new versions of Microsoft Visual Studio. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started in April 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The programmer is working on the third program now. We’ve had to educate him about how to use the file format—it's difficult to grasp without a background in biomechanics, motion capture, and animation. He’s done a good job of it so far. We’re very happy with KitRUM’s work.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email and share code through GitHub. This gives both our side and KitRUM’s side access to the code and to each other’s work. We’ve also spoken on the phone a few times and found that KitRUM speaks excellent English. Everything is going very nicely.

What did you find most impressive about them?

KitRUM is keen to do a good job and keep us happy. They’re decent people to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I could say that I wish our KitRUM programmer understood our file format better, but he knows it better than many manufacturers in this industry. He asks sensible questions that help me figure out which parts of the documentation don’t explain what we’re looking for well enough.

Any advice for potential customers?

Everyone’s situation is different. KitRUM appears to be very flexible and skilled in C++. I would say that if you understand what you want and can communicate that to KitRUM, you’ll see good results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

LeaseRunner is a web application that provides listing ads, tenant screening, e-signature leases, and ACH rent collection to landlords throughout the United States. I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

We hired KitRUM to do backend code development work.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals for the project included updating a codebase framework, modernizing code, and writing test cases for parts of the web application.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A representative from KitRUM originally reached out to us through Linkedin. We discussed what we were looking for in external development help. We found KitRUM to be the right balance of technical expertise and cost.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They updated parts of the codebase to a new framework, helping to modernizing the code. They also wrote test cases for parts of the web application.

What was the team composition?

The team was composed of one main project manager and one full time backend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Development work is still ongoing.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicated through Slack and Chime. We also shared a repository, cloud drive, and cloud test servers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their work ethic has been very impressive. Their managers put a lot of effort into making sure that they are accomplishing what is expected of them. They work proactively, not reactively. Also, the technical expertise and work efficiency of the developer has been impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Although in general their English speaking is quite good, there is still some room for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-owner of MindWell Psychology, a psychological clinical practice in Northern Virginia. I recently started a new company, Varia Analytics, to create software to visually understand neuropsychological testing results.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire KitRUM?

KitRum designed new software for Varia Analytics. They created a platform/dashboard that would help translate quantitative data into a visual diagram. They worked with me from Step 1 to completion.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to create a visual platform for patients/clients so they could better understand their child's neuropsychological assessments.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They reached out to me and after I interviewed several companies, I decided that they best understood what I was trying to create.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed software where standardized scores could be translated into a visual dashboard. It helped compare different neuropsychological constructs so that the client can better understand the data.

What was the team composition?

The project team had about 5-6 people based in Ukraine. We had meet-ups via skype.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I will begin to use the software and hope that my patients can better understand psychological testing data and results.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was very effective. I worked with a team of software developers. While it was remote, it felt like direct experience.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

KitRUM understood my vision and was able to translate my idea into practice.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a large shipbroker company, dealing in country markets globally, but based only in Singapore. I am a senior shipbroker.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KitRUM?

It is time-consuming for our brokers to input different types of information manually. Compounding that problem, we receive a lot of information in bits and pieces from various parties.

We engaged KitRUM to create an online cloud-based platform with automatically-generated reports and position lists. We wanted this tool also to track cargo in our system and display various sorts of analytics.

We hoped that this tool would allow us to focus more on client relationships. We wanted to do more business, make our service better, and become the most efficient shipbroker.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KitRUM developed a web-based portal for our company. It features automatic alerts and reminders that cut down on costly human mistakes. The platform also sends emails and updates to our clients to notify them of deadlines and other information.

What is the team composition?

I initially spoke with Vlad (CTO, KitRUM), but there were up to 10 people assigned to the team at its peak. We typically worked with around six people, though.

How did you come to work with KitRUM?

We reviewed a few local providers based on referrals, but I met Vlad through another connection. The first providers were responsive and showed signs of interest in our business, but KitRUM responded the best to our message and our problem. We gave them a task and an idea of what we needed, and they were committed to delivering it.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $150,000 on the bulk of the development. We’re continuing to invest in the platform.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with KitRUM in June 2018, and I’d say that the collaboration is ongoing. It took about a year to create the platform. We’re still finding new ways to improve the product, but I hope we’ll be done before 2019 is over.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform has allowed us to connect more with our clients, and the quality of our information has improved at different levels.

The product has been helpful for our claims department, in particular. Brokers just do business, but the claims staff has tasks that take much more time and effort. A lot of automation has come into play now so that they can do more with less stress.  

We’re getting there, in terms of what we wanted to achieve, but I think it would be fair to see how it goes in one year. Right now, it’s difficult to say how much money we’ve made through the aid of the system, but we’re getting there with our predictions.

How did KitRUM perform from a project management standpoint?

We initially talked more through emails and then moved to phone calls and WhatsApp, where they give us quick updates and feedback. We use Skype if we need to speak in groups. We were initially concerned about the time difference between our offices, but we’ve worked around it well. KitRUM opens once we finish with lunch, so we work together at that time. We can leave them with tasks before our day is over, and they deliver them by our opening the next day.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great in terms of doing their part professionally without asking too many questions. They learned about our business and put themselves in our shoes. There are a lot of people here working crazy hours, and there’s no option to ask questions a second time; people get irritated, and they don’t have much time.

KitRUM was quick and super sharp on the delivery, and I’m surprised at how quickly they understood our goals. I believe they mentioned they’d dealt with a cargo shipping business before, and maybe that helped them with our project. I was surprised at how fast they, as IT people, understood what we needed and delivered what we needed without spending too much time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

By no means is this a complaint, but I think they have the potential to become big global players. They don’t yet have a presence in Asia, but I think they could benefit significantly from that. One of the next steps for them could be to get people here permanently. I hope they get here soon, and I wish them all the best.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to explain the main idea and set the project goals clearly. Vlad should be kept in the loop for quick feedback. Everything will go quickly and efficiently after that. Vlad is happy to supervise and be on the ball.