Multi-Programming Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company Status Quo belongs to the regional media, has been on the market for over 20 years. I am the Head of the Technical Department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Multi-Programming Solutions, and what were your goals?

Status Quo hired Multi-Programming Solutions to modernize the site, the goal was to speed up the site, both the end product for the user and its admin panel. At the same time, issues of modernizing solutions related to the changed methods of presenting information were solved.

SOLUTION

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

This is not our the first collaboration with this vendor. The decisive factors have always been: impressive communication with the customer, high competence in the issues being resolved, speed of execution, rather flexible and convenient service rates.

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

By modernization of the website we needed to implement the following: creation of admin panel, increasing the speed of the site, adding the category division, multilingualism, qualified search, availability of different domain for each city. After discussion with the vendor we decided to use the modern technologies - Angular for frontend part and Laravel for backend part.

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

There are were 4 team members. We started discussion with CEO, after that 3 specialists were assigned to our project: Senior Back end dev, Senior Front end dev and QA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Of the most noticeable results is a practical increasing in the speed of the site working with the user by an order of magnitude (approximately 10 times). Also, employees of my company note a decrease in the processing time of incoming information at times.

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

The project was discussed with Multi-Programming Solutions through meetings on the Skype platform, from time to time personal meetings were held between the company's management.

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

The most impressive were the speed of response to the wishes of the customer and the amazing initiative in discussing suddenly discovered unforeseen collisions.

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

The most impressive were the speed of response to the wishes of the customer and the amazing initiative in discussing suddenly discovered unforeseen collisions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO at East West Math LLC. We are an educational consulting company that specializes in teacher training, and we provide professional development for math teachers in elementary and middle schools.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Multi-Programming Solutions?

Last year, due to the COVID-19 situation, we couldn’t work with teachers or students either because the schools were closed or they wouldn’t allow people to come inside. We needed to move our training online.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Multi-Programming Solutions helped us move our professional development online. They also built out the platform for our Math Karate program, which allowed students to access online math practices. They developed the web application with an Angular framework, and it was available for iOS and Android devices.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a total of six people including a project manager, a designer, two programmers, and some content creators.

How did you come to work with Multi-Programming Solutions?

Multi-Programming Solutions was recommended to us by a company I worked with in the past. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything was done very well. We established goals and deadlines, which they executed on time or earlier. Inevitably, there were some difficulties and problems that we didn’t foresee along the way. However, Multi-Programming Solutions solved those problems in a creative and timely manner.

Additionally, the reviews from our customers were very positive. Some schools used our web app and made suggestions about adding more practices, activities, and games to it, which we’re planning to do in the future. That was very positive and encouraging for us. 

How did Multi-Programming Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Multi-Programming Solutions had their own project management tools, but I preferred to use Google Docs to simplify the document sharing process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Multi-Programming Solutions had a very talented team. The product manager was very involved in the planning of the project and clearly understood the goals of it. He translated my vision into clearly defined objectives and timelines. The talented programmers and designers understood my vision very well and executed very attractive designs and graphics for the web app. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only changes that I would make related to my initial plan and vision for the web app, as opposed to what they did — they executed what I requested almost perfectly. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Try to identify your goals and objectives as clearly as possible in the initial stages of the planning, and only then communicate that to Multi-Programming Solutions’ team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Kinoland company is one of the largest distributors of feature films in Ukraine with its own network of cinemas in the city of Kharkiv. In total, the city has 5 cinemas of various capacities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Multi-Programming Solutions?

Since 2012, the company has used a website created on the WordPress engine and used the services of third-party companies to ensure the functioning of online movie ticket sales. In 2018, it was decided that it was necessary to develop our own software for organizing online sales and, accordingly, a website and mobile applications to work with it.

What were your goals for this project?

The aim of the project was to modernize the company's website and create new mobile applications, as well as to integrate them with a newly developed online payment system.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have known the company for a long time, and we have always had positive experiences in collaboration with them for web development.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The main objective of this project was to attract customers to our cinema. To do this, the following functions needed to be implemented:

• Large banner on the main page with the premiere of the film.
  • The user can select the cinema schedule directly on this banner and buy tickets in a few clicks.
• A pre-sale version of the banner, which allows you to focus on a specific film.
• A commercial that enhances the user's interest in a particular movie.
• A schedule for specific cinemas, and for films in them, with the ability to select the date and time online.
  • The user can easily find both a specific movie session and a session in a particular movie theater.
• The pop-up inscription “Prices start from” XX, which is displayed when you hover for the duration of the movie session.
• Messages about the release of the film, which allow the user to have the opportunity to be the first to watch the film, or to avoid missing the last chance to watch it.

We also wanted to include the text blocks: "Now at the box office," "Soon at the box office," and "ticket sales," as well as a block with news registration in the application. The ability to use promotional codes was built into bonus accounts that are accrued for each ticket purchased online.

What was the team composition?

The following specialists were on the side of the developer company:

• Project manager
• Business analyst
• Frontend designer
• Angular developer
• DevOps tester

From our side:

• Product manager
• API developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project allowed us to optimize financial gains by excluding third parties from the online payment chain. Thanks to Multi-Programming Solutions, the site works on all types of devices. By creating our mobile applications with Cordova, the cost of creating and maintaining mobile applications has been reduced.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was organized mainly between the project manager from the developer's company and our product manager. Communications took place by telephone and in person. The developers also interacted at their level, as they were also represented on both sides.

We talked about our requirements, and their team suggested a successful solution to our requests. They always answered our questions in a very detailed and accessible way, with all the options and consequences. Also, due to the fact that the project was carried out in JIRA where they started and distributed tasks in a quality and timely manner, I can say that the management was at a high level.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It was evident that they were very interested in the project, not only as a team providing development services but also as end-users of this service, who sincerely wanted the product that they themselves would use in the future to be simple, convenient and worthy of use. I can say with confidence that their team invested a part of themselves in the development of the cinema network for their city.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At the moment, we are completely satisfied with our product. If in the process of work our numerous users consider it necessary to add some more functionality, then we will definitely turn to the same company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of LWS Research. We’re a software development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Multi-Programming Solutions?

We wanted an offshore partner to build our company website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

From scratch, Multi-Programming Solutions developed a website using WordPress. Their team built the platform from the wireframes to the final product, which took a few iterations. To help differentiate ourselves, they developed our ideas into actual graphics. Since we were going to be the ones maintaining the platform, Multi-Programming Solutions made the site opensource, which allows us to easily edit based on instructions and comments. Following launch, their team has resolved any bugs that have arisen.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the owner, a developer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Multi-Programming Solutions?

We’re in the business of supporting people offshore, so we were looking for the same in a partner. We'd heard of Multi-Programming Solutions through word of mouth. After interviewing three companies, we decided to partner with their team because they offered better warranty and support. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $7,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in the fall of 2018, and completed our work three months later.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t target the mass market, rather about 2–3 big clients, so we don’t care about traffic.  We needed the website to look great, which was a success given that the platform has received considerable positive feedback. Clients have found the site to be informative and easy to use.

How did Multi-Programming Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager was probably the best part. She made sure that they delivered on-time, encouraging us to do the same. Their team is absolutely stellar.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Multi-Programming Solutions has pride of ownership. They’re a true engineering company; their team wants to deliver good products. Everyone wants to make money, but they also care about results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t really complain. They pushed back on a couple of ideas we had but they turned out to be right in the end.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want ahead of time to save money. Multi-Programming Solutions has good enough designers to outsource the entire project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Ecocell LLC. We’re a two-pronged business that focuses in hardware design and, as of recent, outsourced IT and software development. Our clients range from startups to mature enterprises.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Multi-Programming Solutions?

We hired them to develop a website to promote our new IT arm at an upcoming consumer electronics show (CES). The site would serve as a sales resource to onboard potential clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Multi-Programming Solutions developed a simple, informative website that showed off our diverse skill set. Because we used the site during discussions with prospective clients, they structured the layout to be very flexible. That way, when I met with a company to pitch a partnership, the team could facilitate the conversation by quickly adapting the site’s content to meet specific client needs.

What is the team composition?

We mostly worked with Olga (Head of Delivery, Multi-Programming Solutions), but there were also a few other resources who occasionally reached out to us. In total, the team consisted of about six people, including a graphic designer, a UX/UI specialist, and an architect.

How did you come to work with Multi-Programming Solutions?

We’d considered 5–6 development houses, but most of them only had templates available, and we wanted a company that could handle custom projects. Then, one of my colleagues mentioned that they had worked with Multi-Programming Solutions for an engagement. I checked out their work and felt confident moving forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $7,000 on the site.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work lasted from December 2018–January 2019, launching the site just in time for the CES. We’re now planning to contract them next month for visual effects (VFX) work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Despite the tight schedule, Multi-Programming worked 24/7 to complete the site in time for the CES. It’s become an instrumental sales resource when engaging with prospective clients. After I give a client my business card, they can check out our website and go over our IT capabilities. The flexible layout allows us to cater the content to meet the current client’s needs.

How did Multi-Programming Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Olga felt like a part of my team. She was always available and responded immediately to all of my inquiries. It was easy to communicate with their staff because everyone had a functional level of IT English.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their communication, execution speed, and cost-effective pricing. During the last stretch of the project, I requested a few quick changes, but they didn’t charge me extra for it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we didn’t have any issues with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their team is capable of helping you explore options and execute your vision. That said, having a concrete idea of what you want will help reduce delivery time and stay on budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a print-on-demand drop-shipping company based in London. We have an application for shop owners and designers to install on their Shopify websites, where they can then see the products that we print-on-demand. They can publish designs there, then when they make a sale, we see the order on our end and make the print. I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Multi-Programming Solutions?

We’ve been in the printing business for a long time, but very traditionally; receiving manual backorders and processing them. When I learned about the print-on-demand business, I knew it was a really good market for us, but we needed to automate for it.

The orders come in one by one, so we needed a system that clients could install on their websites, through which they’d see our catalog and publish their works. When they received orders, the details would be passed automatically as well.

We did it manually for a year before we determined that it was impossible long-term, so we decided to create software for the process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our platform using PHP and MySQL, and they’re still working on it. It’s an endless process—we started with Shopify, then we’ll be moving on to Amazon and other integrations.

It’s a web-based application with multiple modules for payment processing, creating and managing orders, customizations, and product generation. There are around 20 modules inside it in total.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with a QA assistant, a designer, and three programmers from their team.

How did you come to work with Multi-Programming Solutions?

My project manager is based in the U.S., and we’d been looking for a company for almost a year. We found candidates all over the world, from India to Ukraine, Russia, the U.K., and the U.S.

Multi-Programming had a good communication style—they dedicated a project management team to review the plan we sent and were the quickest to respond to us. They were also okay budget-wise.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent almost $100,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from May–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application has changed the shape of our business. Around 80% of our company’s revenue comes from it.

How did Multi-Programming Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been perfect and I’m extremely happy with their project manager. We gave them some details about the scope, then they came up with more ideas for the project.

They’ve met deadlines well, which isn’t the easiest thing to do in software development. I’d say they managed it in 95% of cases.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity and programming skills are the most impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been okay in most respects. The team is improving all the time and is suitable for what I need.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They’re extremely good with software development and can deliver whatever a new customer might want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a software solutions company that matches clients to development teams in order to develop solutions using business resources from the client side and technical resources from the software team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Multi-Programming Solutions?

We were developing an e-commerce application for a very specific niche in the shipping industry. Quoting shipping rates is very inaccurately done in the industry. The app accurately quotes the customer shipping rates at the time of checkout.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app allows e-commerce clients to quote their customers in real-time using accurate rates and to purchase shipping labels. It simplifies the process through meticulous UI/UX design. Third party API integrations allow a seamless shipping transaction without the need to go to a shipping website or go through tedious forms. The app simplifies the entire process, making it two clicks and done.

They provided everything from design and development to quality assurance and project management. We did the beta launch last August and released a major update in November/December. We’ve now transitioned development over to the client and Multi-Programming Solutions just sent over the final handover document.

What is the team composition?

I interfaced with their project manager as well as other team members during daily calls.

How did you come to work with Multi-Programming Solutions?

I was researching, looking for teams. Their sales team was very persuasive, but I had also worked with them before so I had a relationship with a few of the sales representatives.

Their rates and their quality really stuck out. The value from the amount that they were charging compared to other companies pushed me to use them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in July 2017 and we just finished.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the launch, we’ve been gaining traction in the app markets with a couple of key e-commerce companies who are using our app.

I'm very happy with it. They were on top of it in terms of creativity and their drive as well. With the effort, commitment, creativity, I'm very satisfied.

How did Multi-Programming Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I interfaced with the whole team on a daily basis. We had our scrum call in the mornings and we'd go over the day’s updates. We had the full team on the calls in case any specific questions or points needed to be addressed. They would compile all the updates.

We used Skype for our daily calls and used screen shares through that. We used the Atlassian suite of project management tools. They were always on top of documentation and tracking issues.

The project management was very personal. The project manager on this task had started off in a different role, but he gradually picked up the project management role and flew with it. It was very much a product and project management role.

We got to the point where they were making suggestions for the app, thinking of things on their own without any instruction from me or the clients. This was impressive, especially considering the time zones. One of the downsides of having an offshore team is the lack of communication or the lack of transfer of ideas. They were very much ahead of the game, making it pretty seamless when it came to the time zones.

They’re very responsive. They sent the final handover document in 2 days. We’re officially done now but they’re just as responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their personal effort and personal touch. They’re not, for lack of better words, code monkeys. They take ownership of the work. That’s the key indicator of why I chose them versus any other team. Usually, when you use offshore teams, ownership of and involvement in the project is rare. This team took it on and they enjoyed it. They were hands-on. They provided suggestions as if it was their own project and they were going to take it home with them. That made it all the better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, I felt that there was a slight gap in scheduling. But a few weeks into the project, once it was underway, we were going smoothly. I feel like the initial start took an extra step. But that happens with almost all teams.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Utilize their frontend developer who I learned is very skilled at design. Usually, you have separate designers and frontend developers. But their frontend developer can do both and did both for us. Also, keep them involved and keep on communicating with them. They’ll reciprocate and take it further.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the principal and sole member of a small company in Australia. I live in France and have been a freelance programmer since 1992. I have developed CD-ROMs for companies like Electronic Arts France, IBM, and so on. I was one of the initial developers of a games company, and continued to work in Los Angeles for a few years.

I came back and continued to develop small French games with companies like Hachette. I currently specialize in Python and Unity with C# for various projects on behalf of corporate clients, such as L'Oréal brands. Lately, I have been working on promotional items for their current perfumes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Multi-Programming Solutions?

I was working on an interactive product for Giorgio Armani. I had been consulted for a certain iPad application for the launch of a new perfume at the end of 2017. We had used surface computers for the previous launch in 2016, but the idea now was to use tablets, which clients going into Armani shops could interact with.

I had put together a technical proposal but was having difficulties with my initial development partner. I received a phone call about some changes they wanted to make and wasn’t confident in my current Unity knowledge, so I didn’t want to take any risks. Because I knew the project manager of Multi-Programming Solutions, I contacted her and requested that we build a skeleton and solve the core problems.

We had a short window of time and I didn’t want any delays. There was also a global architectural problem with organizing graphics in a stable way in Unity 5 and newer versions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to create a special effect which was hitting the limits of the engine — it was a full-screen special effect rendered in real time. People would be able to type a message, blow on the microphone, and start a 12-second animation on multiple layers, revealing that text. The problem is that we can only display one full-screen layer of what is called a stencil. We needed to make a screen capture while the animation plays, with the goal of allowing clients to send MP4 videos of those animations to themselves or to friends. We needed to generate those files and handle related server-side tasks. Multi-Programming was proactive in creating a 3D test composer in order to anticipate problems.

They have experience working with Amazon Web Services and listened to my classic problem of not getting flagged when sending emails from servers. We went through a rather pedagogical Skype session during which we agreed to use the French equivalent of AWS, which I had zero problems implementing myself.

How did you come to work with Multi-Programming Solutions?

Their business manager has spent many years in France learning the language, and also speaks Russian and English very well. We met on LinkedIn 3 years ago when I had a problem with a small game I was working on, which needed to display low-polygon characters. I don’t like LinkedIn very much, so I initially made a post in Russian on their forums using Google Translate. I wanted to filter out people who were not able to make the effort of translating from Russian to English. I posted a small description of the kind of person I was looking for, and Multi-Programming’s business manager was the only one who replied.

How much have you invested with Multi-Programming Solutions?

The cost of their work was just below €5,000 [US $5,701] excluding sales tax. The total budget for me was €9,750 [US $11,117], plus the 20% sales tax.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the L’Oréal project at the beginning of May 2017 and delivered the final product to the client on the June 9th.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I know that the application works and the client is happy about it. They are not going to talk about it or show it before the Christmas period, which is when it will be delivered to stores.

How did Multi-Programming Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The process was well organized. We had an initial meeting with Multi-Programming Solutions’ principal, who brought in their Unity specialist. We had a  person in charge of all communication and a second one that took over when the other one needed to go away to conventions. Both performed perfectly.

During our work period, the 1st and 8th of May were big holidays. However, this didn’t interfere with our work.

What did you find most impressive about Multi-Programming Solutions?

Working internationally can cause mistrust with the actual people writing the code. I've worked with Chinese companies and other developers; compared to them, whenever I asked Multi-Programming Solutions for source code which needed to be integrated with other components, they had no reservations in delivering it.

It’s always complicated to outsource code to a foreign company given the time and cultural differences. The French think differently than the Americans or the Russians. If Multi-Programming has one quality, it’s to listen and ensure that there are no misunderstandings. I have corporate clients on the other end that can be very demanding. Multi-Programming’s team always succeeded to calm me down.

Are there any areas Multi-Programming Solutions could improve?

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a gaming company. We’ve created a social casino platform for Facebook, iOS, and Android. We only created the one game, Odds Maker. You can bet on sports, high school sports, horses, regular casino slots, baccarat, poker, etc. For instance, you can bet on horses in our game, and there are a lot of intricate types of wagers in horse wagering. Like trifectas, you bet on three horses, and they have to finish in a certain order for a certain amount of money that you're winning. You're checking ATI feeds back and forth. There are big companies that do this stuff with real bets. You can also create your own sportsbook.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Multi-Programming Solutions?

There are a million social casino games on Facebook, but they’re all slots. We wanted to create a bunch of features that nobody else has.

Multi-Programming Solutions helped me out after I had several bad experiences with a bunch of other contractors. One guy stole my money, and another guy didn't do what he said he was going to do.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Most program places want to start from scratch, but Multi-Programming Solutions took the code I already had and refactored it to where I needed it to be. I came up with the idea, layout, and graphics. They did what they needed to do on the computer end. They were the engineers behind it, doing more of the technical work. I was trying to save money on my end, so I was looking to do as much as I could. I did some of the server stuff and the graphics, just because I know how to do some of that. It had nothing to do with their ability or lack of ability.

How did you come to work with Multi-Programming Solutions?

I think I found them on Upwork, or whatever it was called at the time—one of those freelance sites. I’m not 100% sure about that though, honestly.

How much have you invested with Multi-Programming Solutions?

I’d have to look. It was probably about $35,000. They think it was about $25,000, but I think it was more than that. I think $25,000 was the initial estimate, but then I was always adding stuff onto it—$500 here, $1,000 there.

In the beginning, I was inexperienced and I ended up hiring a company that charged me more than Multi-Programming Solutions, and they didn't even know what they were doing. Multi-Programming Solutions did the work cheaper, and they knew what they were doing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around March 2014. I started the project around 2012, and the one dude screwed me over for about 18 months. This project dragged along for a long time before Multi-Programming Solutions got involved. They are done with the main development, and now they work periodically for me when I need something. The game kind of runs itself now, honestly. I think the project ended around October 2016, but I’m not 100% sure on that either.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have nothing but nice things to say about them. They were rock solid, and I wish I’d worked with Multi-Programming Solutions from the beginning. They did everything for me. I was pretty much working with just one guy, Max. He did all of the work by himself in a reasonable amount of time and for a reasonable price. He’s doing work that other companies have whole engineer teams doing. Everything he built for me works flawlessly.

Whenever I had to make changes to the game or needed something fixed here and there, Multi-Programming Solutions took care of it. I added a few things after we had wrapped up our project. For instance, I wanted to add deep links so I could advertise certain things in mobile. Max did it in about a day and a half. I think they charged me for about 10 hours of work.

The game’s success isn’t dependent upon Multi-Programming Solutions. They did everything they could. From Multi-Programming Solutions’ standpoint, they did what they said they were going to do for me. Now, it’s come to the point where I have to advertise and promote it, and it’s all on me. I actually tried to advertise last week, but Facebook has the worst customer service on the planet. I'm having issues with their ad.

How did Multi-Programming Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Multi-Programming Solutions did great from a project management standpoint. was the project manager. Sometimes, when I was dealing with Gary himself, it was a little bit cumbersome. I felt like there was a delay from him getting to Max and so on. I used email with Gary. When it was just Max and me, we used Skype, which was great. Max is real short with words anyway because I don't think his English is that great. For project management, we used Redmine. It kept track of tasks and attachments, stuff like that.

What did you find most impressive about Multi-Programming Solutions?

Multi-Programming Solutions are people of their word. They took what I had, and I told them what I needed. They said, “This is what we can do for this price,” and they did it. There’s nothing better in a business than that. They are people who say what they are going to do, and then they do it. It took a while just because I had add-ons and then Max got hurt. I think he broke his hand or arm and couldn't work for three or four months. I was fine with that. It was out of our control, really.

Are there any areas Multi-Programming Solutions could improve?

My only complaint with them was when I had to deal with their go-between guy. I understand why companies use project managers, so you're not bothering the developer every second. But I don't really ask that many questions because I kind of know what’s going on. When you have a project manager, it adds another layer of communication. I would rather have just dealt with Max myself. I think Gary ended up leaving the company anyway. When I started to deal with Max directly, stuff actually went a lot faster because there was one less layer of communication. I was speaking right to the source with him.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a gaming company providing poker slots, blackjack, and roulette apps for Facebook. We plan to expand to Android and iOS eventually.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Multi-Programming Solutions?

I’ve been involved with the virtual gaming space for around eight years. I applied all the knowledge I accumulated into a new game, and I needed help developing it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Multi-Programming Solutions developed everything we assigned them. They could have handled design as well, but we already have resources in our internal team. We dealt with one contact from Multi-Programming Solutions’ side on a consistent level. We stayed in touch on Skype, and she passed along all our requirements to the programmers. It’s a very efficient service that allowed us to do everything we needed to on a daily basis. Whenever we identified a new feature that would work well within our game, Multi-Programming would implement it as part of the maintenance work. They also sorted out any issues with our server, Facebook algorithm changes, and so on. If we had any problems whatsoever, Multi-Programming would be there for us on a 24-hour basis, but we’ve had very few problems overall.

How did you come to work with Multi-Programming Solutions?

Multi-Programming Solutions had done work on a past app for a business partner. I contacted the team and told them what we wanted.

How much have you invested with Multi-Programming Solutions?

The cost of Multi-Programming Solutions’ work has been around $85,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the poker game in 2014. It launched in September of that year. The app has been launched, but Multi-Programming Solutions continues to maintain it for us. Facebook has new updates every couple of months, so we need to be on top of the format changes. They’re also working on a new roulette game for our company. We will definitely use them for future iOS and Android games.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Multi-Programming Solutions developed one of the best games on Facebook.

How did Multi-Programming Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They never let me down once. I never had to wait for more than five minutes for a reply on Skype. We also communicate through email, but, if there are any urgent issues which need attending to, I can contact them immediately through Skype. Multi-Programming Solutions has been there all the time. I can’t overemphasize how good they are.

What did you find most impressive about Multi-Programming Solutions?

When the company originally started, we went through other programmers until we came upon Multi-Programming Solutions. They seemed to understand what we were trying to achieve, and I’ve never had a situation of them getting something wrong—you’d be surprised how many times a programming company can get a feature wrong. Multi-Programming Solutions is able to apply the team’s experience in the gaming area in order to get things right. We’ve been working together for six or seven years, and they’ve never let me down. I continue to give Multi-Programming Solutions new work, which shows the faith I have in them.