ObjectStyle

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the SVP of development at the National Hockey League (NHL), a professional sports league in North America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ObjectStyle?

We hired them for staff augmentation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ObjectStyle provides us with development staff augmentation. They work on our products using our technology stack. Our applications’ backend is typically Java-based, though we have some apps where we use Perl or Python. From a frontend perspective, we usually use React.js, though in some cases, we use Ext JS or Sencha Touch. The team has also helped us pick open source software and is responsible for many open source Apache projects. 

They’ve been heavily involved in developing our flagship website and our teams’ websites. ObjectStyle has built a lot of backend aspects of native applications for iOS and Android. The team has also provided guidance regarding architectural design for systems that are performant for a large volume of traffic. Their resources also help us make sure everything is running well.

What is the team composition?

We work with over 20 resources from ObjectStyle, including front- and backend developers, system administrators, DevOps resources, a QA team, and a delivery manager. 

How did you come to work with ObjectStyle?

Originally, Andrus ( Founder, CEO & Chief Architect) was an independent consultant for us until he moved out of the US to start his family. He started ObjectStule, and we’ve kept in touch and maintained the consultant relationship since then. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend roughly $1.2 million–$1.5 million yearly on their resources. Initially, the investment was less than that, but it’s grown over the years. Overall, we’ve spent over $5 million in total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2007, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ObjectStyle has done a remarkable job of finding great resources for us. They have a knack for finding excellent technical resources quicker and easier than we’ve been able to on our own. Moreover, every one of their resources is an outcome driver, and we’ve never had an issue with them. As a result, we’ve never skipped a beat, and our engagement has worked out well. 

Similar to our full-time employees, there’s been very little attrition with the people they’ve brought to work with us. Additionally, we’ve had the same consultants for years, and they’re as close to us as if they were full-time employees. 

How did ObjectStyle perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project management staff typically handles the projects, and a delivery manager coordinates work from their perspective. The team gets things done on time and under budget. As for tools, we use Jira for project management and Zoom, Slack, and email for communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with many vendors with varying levels of quality, and ObjectStyle has yet to disappoint us in terms of what they can accomplish. Moreover, they’re less expensive than domestic options. Overall, they’ve been a really good and solid partner. As long as I’m with the organization, I’ll continue to use them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I wish was different is that they could be closer in terms of time zone differences. A lot of the time, the team is asleep when our games happen, which sometimes can be problematic. However, that’s not in their control, and they’ve been great otherwise. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to have a discussion with Andrus to determine what your needs are. He has a wealth of experience and has grown a large team — ObjectStyle has a lot to offer.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP, Technical Strategist of Evergent Technologies Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Everegent provides cloud-based revenue and subscriber management solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ObjectStyle to accomplish?
Software technology platform modernization

SOLUTION

How did you find ObjectStyle?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select ObjectStyle over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from ObjectStyle were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Microservices platform modernization for better application performance and scalability. Develop POC for a few microservices and provide documentation and training for internal developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Increased velocity of microservices development.
• Reduced cost of operations by leveraging lightweight and efficient frameworks.
• Ability to scale to handle higher workloads and support our continuous customer growth.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

ObjectStyle team was very effective in analyzing our applications' microservice usage patterns, current technologies, and frameworks and provided appropriate solutions, on time and within budget. Well-known founders and contributors of several open-source frameworks lead their team.
Their delivery team developers are seasoned experts and highly experienced. They quickly solve problems and provide framework-level solutions.

What was your primary form of communication with ObjectStyle?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Great work culture and deep expertise specifically in Java-based frameworks.
• Quick response and delivery.

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

They were agile in solving problems. Nothing stands out other than typical challenges in any project execution.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Tech lead of a hospitality & leisure company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cruises

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ObjectStyle to accomplish?

• Data Integration
• Tools Development

SOLUTION

How did you find ObjectStyle?

• Open Source Projects

Why did you select ObjectStyle over others?

• Open Source Projects

How many teammates from ObjectStyle were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

ObjectStyle helped us develop a set of tool for data integration between different divisions of the corporation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

After a few proof of concept tools, we delivered a full integration project thanks to the tools build by ObjectStyle for us.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We never had any delay with the deliverables; and their quality was always excellent.

What was your primary form of communication with ObjectStyle?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The smoothness of the interaction and the quality of the deliverables were amazing. We put a non trivial project in production in a few months, and it has been running smoothly since day one.

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

None that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of a company called Ander. We are developing a platform for data management and training.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ObjectStyle?

We outsource most of our development to their team for both back end and front end development.

SOLUTION

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

I've worked with Andrus, who owns the company, for decades.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We have one back end developer, one HTML/Javascript developer, and one iOS developer. This will likely expand. We had our first major release in March 2022, and will continue to add features and capabilities.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

I called Andrus and told him I had a new project and need staffing. He put me in contact with someone that could help, and we've been adding people as time goes on. The interview new developers if they're not already on staff, and then I interview as well and make the final decision.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We shipped our first full release in March 2022. This version hit all milestones for both iOS and Android apps.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. They have an excellent team.

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

Their ability to find and retain talent in eastern Europe is  impressive.

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

No