The Masters

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Engagum, an online B2B social engagement platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Masters?

We were trying to get an MVP built. We’ve worked with other development companies in the past before finding The Masters.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We decided to use The Masters to get our product built, working closely with a designer. We’d already written code based on PHP, so we took that older code to them and asked them to get it where it needed to be for an MVP.

The team rewrote the code for Ruby on Rails. We wrote a brief with designs, and they turned it into a working online tool.

What is the team composition?

They had two developers for our project. We had a QA tester and a project manager.

How did you come to work with The Masters?

Their team actually reached out to me through LinkedIn. It was the right timing. We were about to start work with another company, but we gave The Masters our brief. Their quote and structure worked a lot better.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–November 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a really good experience with The Masters. Our platform was finished within three months. The new code base made the platform more scalable, faster, and cost-effective. We plan on soft-launching the product in the next few weeks.

I’ve had friends and family test it, and it’s working absolutely fine.

How did The Masters perform from a project management standpoint?

We had regular communication. Our project manager was excellent. I’ve worked with many well-known companies all over the world, and I’ve yet to find a project manager as good as this one.

We use various methods for communication, including Slack and Google Hangouts. It was ad hoc communication that involved setting expectations and updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say their project management. I don’t have the time to manage developers of other businesses. Their solid project management was great.

Behind the scenes, their whole team was good. There is a key difference between them and other companies. I’ve been working on this project for four years, and we’ve never gotten to the point where we can launch it within three or four months. Their team achieved that with solid development skills, project management, and quality assurance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their UAT could’ve been more extensive. We would’ve also included more people in planning sessions. We have a good MVP delivered to scope, so there’s nothing I can complain about.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If somebody has an idea and they want to create an MVP solution, I wouldn’t hesitate to give these guys the job. They’re very cost-effective, and their work quality and communication style are excellent.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the head of engineering at Winter Circle. We allow international organizations to identify, connect with, and hire the best executive talent. I look after all development and technology use in the delivery of our services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Masters?

Currently, our researchers have to manually follow a series of tasks to search, reach, and follow-up with candidates. They also have to manually record all interactions in our CRM. We’re trying to optimize our workflow and automate some of these processes

What were your goals for this project?

The aim is to integrate our CRM system with other applications to reduce inefficiencies in the business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They reached out to us, and after comparing costs with our existing external company and others, we decided to give them a try.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Before starting the project, we discussed various aspects of their contracts to understand how they operate and what type of project they would run. We also talked about their technology and areas of expertise. All this helped us pick a suitable project for an initial trial. Once we shared specifications, they prioritized and estimated the work.

What was the team composition?

We’ve worked with one developer and one product manager so far.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has allowed us to move forward with our automation plans and identify problems we hadn’t even thought about. We’re now continuing our journey with the aim of reducing time spent doing tedious manual tasks.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project is managed via Jira, and progress is updated daily via Slack. All the work done has been shared throughout, which is another good way to track progress and discuss roadblocks or improvements. They're very responsive and constantly ask for feedback when decisions need to be made. Video calls also help us guide their team, set expectations, and discuss tasks in depth.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the work is excellent; we wouldn't be able to do it better internally. The test project was delivered on budget, on time, and to specification. This was mostly due to good communication throughout. Having started from an existing codebase, they were able to understand, adapt, and improve the code with ease. The team hit the ground running pretty quickly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of any area for improvement. They're eager to help in any way they can.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CTO of a startup that is developing a shipping management system as a platform as a service (PaaS).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Masters?

We needed additional development assistance to augment an existing team based in France.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase the velocity of our development.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed a total of three companies and spoke with their past clients. Ultimately, we chose to work with The Masters.

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

Representatives from The Masters worked on the backend of our system using Ruby on Rails and on the frontend using ReactJS. They were responsible for creating new features and refactoring existing code.

What was the team composition?

They provided a frontend and a backend developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Masters worked efficiently on our unique system. Their quality level met our standards and helped us quickly roll our product out to customers.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Throughout the process, we struggled to organize our internal team within an agile project approach. We understood that it would be difficult to add remote developers to this mix, so we tasked The Masters’ developers with features we didn’t have time to complete in-house. Admittedly, this wasn’t a very effective approach. Looking back, we should’ve fully committed to the partnership either by treating them as true team members or bringing on more resources form their end.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are a professional company with high-quality developers. I appreciate their consistent feedback and their flexibility in dealing with customer needs.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

Occasionally, we felt that their developers failed to ask for help or clarification on tasks. They would take it upon themselves to develop solutions, which caused several issues. Because they were working remotely, it was hard to balance communication.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company provides online courseware like online textbooks and simulations for higher education and high schools. I am the VP of Software Engineering and oversee all development projects internally and outsourced.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Masters?

We are a new company that is trying to grow quickly with limited access to local developer talent. We were looking to expand and increase our capacity to deliver online applications as quickly as possible.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to boost our existing development team with experienced developers to increase our ability to deliver features and functionality to our courseware platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The Masters reached out to us offering their services. They immediately impressed us with their professionalism and thoughtful communication. Their development services were exactly what we were looking for in both expertise and cost. After speaking with their team, we did not need to speak with any other prospective vendors.

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

They took on a complex React application built on Ruby on Rails. We provided the basic requirements and their team assessed those requirements and immediately went to work. They provided both developer and project management expertise.

What was the team composition?

We had several developers on our team working with one or two developers on their team and I managed both teams. This arrangement worked for us since our initial project and continues to work out today.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We immediately tested and deployed the code developed by their team and finished projects we previously thought were not possible.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They provided a project manager that is continuously in contact with us providing updates and ensuring all requirements were gathered successfully. The primary tools we use are Slack for communication and Clubhouse for project management. Both platforms are effective in allowing communication to flow smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Masters are skilled developers and work very hard to ensure project satisfaction. They have extensive expertise on hand to solve any issue and communicate fluidly to ensure all needs are met.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

At times, a developer is pulled from our project to work on another client’s project. The shift in developers slowed down the progress of our project, but we understand that this is necessary on their end to successfully run their business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of NewFlight, a London-based digital marketing agency that believes great work comes from creating remarkable stories. Our core expertise is producing immersive and engaging movies as well as various digital experiences like stunning websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Masters?

Part of our job is to link our clients with trustworthy subcontractors for software development and other services. Some of our projects require more complex software development and top-notch development skills. That’s where we partner up with companies like The Masters.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were on the lookout for a new software development partner when we came across a very cool cold email from The Masters. We require a mastery of the Agile approach, which would allow the vendor to respond to all the modifications provided by our clients. Since the amount of development work varies over time, the team has to remain flexible and adjust to the dynamic situation.

Describe the project in detail.

So far, they’ve built two systems for us. The first project, a geolocation search app, required an expert Node.js developer who would create groundbreaking technological systems and make them available on the browser. Although Node.js is not their core technology, The Masters went out of their way to find a brilliant freelancer for us and managed our collaboration with him.

For the second project, they built an online solution to manage health and safety regulations. It was very time-sensitive and involved a very dynamic and demanding process. The Masters proved their commitment by working around the clock and being available even during late nights and weekends.

What was the team composition?

We’ve worked with three developers, one project manager, and one account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The online solution is due to be rolled out across the U.K., with wide adoption from the largest construction companies and consultancy firms in the country. Completing the minimum viable product within 12 weeks meant we could roll out the platform to prove viability. Without their work, we wouldn’t have the advantage that we do today.

How effective was the project management?

The project manager has done a great job of assigning an adequate volume of resources in a given period, even with short notice.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We are impressed by their responsiveness, proactiveness, and flexibility.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

There’s very little they need to improve. They are a capable team and always up to the challenge of building new and exciting technologies. They have the infrastructure, processes, attitude, and culture required to provide extremely flexible and cost-effective projects. They have what it takes to build what wouldn’t be possible elsewhere.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and managing director of a Dublin-based startup supported by investment from an Irish governmental organization. We provide a collaborative event management solution that has been tailored to the needs of venues and festivals. Our solution offers controllable access, shared information, clear responsibilities and flagged deadlines. Our team consists of eight people who are passionate about event management and innovations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Masters?

The Masters is the core development team building our new web-based platform from scratch. The app consists of several modules allowing users to create and manage events and festivals. Our own team does not include full-time development capacity, so we sought a partner for the build. Their challenge is to take the visuals and functional descriptions and construct the complete backend architecture that could deliver what was needed.

What were your goals for this project?

The ultimate goal of this project is to release a successful minimum viable product (MVP). We require real-time case study feedback from our community of testers. At the same time, we need positive user endorsement on the platform to allow us to seek further investment.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We sought referrals from industry colleagues, asked for proposals from six potential partner companies, and short-listed three candidates. Following a number of discussions with each potential partner, we chose The Masters. During the selection process, two of my company advisers were involved, both of whom have many years of experience in tech development.

We chose The Masters because of the quality of their proposal—their commitment to detail demonstrated that they had rigorously examined the platform's functionality and considered how they would approach it. During our discussions, they were extremely professional and showed superior communication skills, responding quickly and thoroughly. Plus, they were flexible and accommodating to the pressures of startup companies.

Describe the project in detail.

Initially, we provided The Masters with a series of screen design mockups and a functional specification. They took it from there to build the web application. At first, they proposed to do four two-week sprints to see if we were both happy with the collaboration. They’ve made quick progress, and we’ve continued with fortnightly sprint plans that incorporated our feedback.

To maximize development speed and quality, the application is being built using Ruby on Rails for the backend and AngularJS for the frontend. The platform includes assignment and ongoing control of user access for different functions, section areas, and modules.

What was the team composition?

I deal with a dedicated project manager (PM) from The Masters who manages one backend developer, a number of quality assurance (QA) team members, and a frontend designer. We added the frontend designer once a certain level of functionality had been developed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Once a number of key functions were completed, I presented the platform to a number of testers who successfully self-navigated the system and provided useful feedback. They were impressed with what they experienced and positively endorsed the potential value of the MVP functionality for them and their business. They remain keen to be involved in the system's development and roll-out. This is a hugely positive result for the company and bodes well for attracting future investment.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their project management is exemplary. They rapidly map out the functions and user journey, task by task, then estimate the development time for each individual task and structure them into a series of agile development sprints that maximize functionality roll-out. We have access to their Jira system, allowing us to track progress and the time devoted to each task. They’ve also given us access to the platform on their test server so that we can explore its functionality.

Before working with The Masters, I’d never outsourced to a team in another country before, so I had some initial worries about communicating over such a distance and encountering cultural or language barriers. Fortunately, these concerns were quickly dispelled by the excellent quality of our engagement. So far, we’ve had zero issues with the distance, culture, or language.

The PM and I hold weekly Skype meetings to exchange feedback, clarify issues, make adjustments, or address questions. The PM is extremely responsive to any messages sent by any channel and, whenever necessary, additional Skype meetings are scheduled to discuss issues. The PM always listens attentively and responds with insight and clarity, suggesting alternative solutions that will reduce development time or simplify the process. No question or request is ever considered to be too troublesome or problematic.

As my background is not technology, I appreciate the PM's focus on the user journey and functionality rather than discussing the details of the backend architecture. However, the PM is also adept at translating technical challenges into lay terms when needed. After each Skype meeting, the PM follows up promptly with an email summary of the discussion, which includes the agreed action list incorporated into the upcoming sprint schedule.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their professionalism and effortless project management are impressive. They show an outstanding quality of thought and a deep understanding of our requirements. We also appreciate the speed and professionalism of their responses. They possess not just exemplary technical skills, but also the management skills to deliver results smoothly. The work is done with the courtesy, grace, and ease that distinguishes an expert—no task is too difficult.

I have commissioned eight websites from seven different vendors in the past—none of which came anywhere close to being as complex as this web application—and this is, by far, the smoothest collaboration I have had with a third-party partner to date.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The QA checks missed some issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Lead Stream is an all-in-one tool to support lead generation of B2B sales teams of all sizes. We provide our clients with features like email automation, building a database of prospects’ contact details, drip campaigns, inbox integration, comprehensive sales analytics and sales team management. I’m the co-founder. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Masters?

The Masters have built Lead Stream application from scratch. Firstly, it was only a tool that allowed its users to aggregate information regarding their potential clients. The Masters’ devs have built the whole engine of the app. Later on, we’ve decided to develop the software further and add a few new features such as: running drip campaigns or inbox integration. The Masters have covered all our development, testing and maintenance needs.

The first goal was to build a working prototype to be tested out by the community of early adopters. We soon realized that there is a demand for more than just a prospecting tool, but rather an all-in-one solution that can support the whole sales process. In fall 2017 we’ve successfully released a new version of the application with a few new key functionalities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The Masters have assigned 4 developers (in total) and 1 tester to our project. They’ve been working in agile methodology, performing their work in 2-weeks sprints. At the beginning of each sprint, they’ve been getting a load of work from me that they were breaking down to small tasks and putting into Jira. After every spring they were showing me a demo of what has been done. Thanks to that we had a full insight into the progress of the project. What’s more, we are in touch via Slack or Hangouts anytime time we needed. We demanded a very high level of expertise because the functionalities of e-mail addresses’ search engine and email scheduling were the job that only real software development rockstars can handle.​

​​​​​​What is the team composition? 

The Masters have assigned 4 developers (in total - they have been rotating), 1 tester and 1 project manager to our project.

How did you come to work with The Masters?

For us, it was an easy decision to make to select The Masters as our dev team. I’m the Co-Founder and former CEO of this company and many times I’ve witnessed that the quality of their work is stellar. Their team is broadly experienced in building web apps in Ruby on Rails and AngularJS and this was the stack I wanted to build Lead Stream with.

How much have you invested with The Masters?

We have spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in 2016. We hope to be live in one month. We’re testing right now. I hope that in October we will start developing this new model to send emails from our tool.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After releasing the first version of the app, we successfully acquired first paying clients as well as talked to dozens of early adopters in order to get their valuable feedback. Most of the reviews were positive so we knew that it was worth to invest more in this platform. We’ve set a very time-sensitive roadmap for the new features and again, The Masters have delivered it on time.

How did The Masters perform from a project management standpoint?

The Masters demonstrate a very professional approach to project management. I had catch-ups with their PM at least once a week and sometimes even more often when they needed to clarify anything in the specs of the system. For me, it proved that they are very sincere and easy to get along with.

I was really impressed with the team’s expertise. A few times they have advised the solutions that turned out to be more effective and efficient than the ones originally proposed by us. It proves that they are not only brilliant developers but also know the latest trends in the business.

The Masters also supported us with marketing. They have prepared a very detailed market research, including competitors, potential target audience and clients’ acquisition strategies etc. Due to our long-term collaboration they did it with no additional charges.

What did you find most impressive about The Masters?

Their tremendous expertise and professional business consultancy are the most prominent traits I appreciated when working with The Masters. Their team has not only helped me with the tech aspects of my project but also supported me with releasing my app to be tested out on the market.

Are there any areas for improvement? 

From my perspective and experience, there is nothing to be improved, I have been fully satisfied with the collaboration with The Masters.