Out of Business - Pickrell Global Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Manager of GMS Mine Repair

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a general contractor for the mining industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pickrell Global Technologies to accomplish?

• Redevelop our custom forms portal internal website.
• Move site and database to new server.
• Make improvements on website operations.

SOLUTION

How did you find Pickrell Global Technologies?

UpWork

Why did you select Pickrell Global Technologies over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

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

1.  Project Overview:
GMS Mine Repair is currently using an internal portal to track important information related to their contractors work at various job sites. The current system has fallen out of date, with the php 5 version having reached End-of-Life status over 5 years ago.

In order to ensure that the solution remains functioning, secure and performant, the application will be modernized into a .NET 8 MVC application which will allow for the porting of existing jQuery/CSS/HTML code while also adopting a modern framework that will help ensure the application is maintainable and secure for the foreseeable future.

2.  Proposed Approach:
In order to achieve the modernization, the following milestones/timeline are proposed:

1.  Project Setup / Kickoff:
1.1  Required Views Documentation:
●     Joint effort to document all of the views/user flows in the application and designate which need to be ported over and which can be removed.

1.2  Repository Creation:
●     Creation of a new GitHub repository that will contain the updated application code.

1.3  Test Environment Infrastructure Setup:
●     Creation of Windows VM with MySQL and IIS installed to mimic eventual production environment

1.4  Copying Existing Database Schema/Data:
●     Migration/Copying of existing application data into the new test environment database to prevent any data modification in the production environment.

2.  Static Asset Migration:
2.1.  File Migration:
●     Moving all existing CSS/jQuery code into the new application.

●     Rewriting existing php scripts as .cshtml files.

3.  User Authentication Flows:
3.1. Rewrite existing login application flows:
●     Migrate Login form action to C# and related packages for LDAP authentication against Active Directory.

●     Migrate Register/account creation logic to C#.

●     Migrate Forgot/Reset Password logic to C#.

4.  Rewriting Server-Side Logic and Routes:
4.1  Configure Routes:
●     Configure required routes based on necessary views and implement them.

4.2  Server-side logic:
●     Rewrite existing server-side functionality including forms and conditional rendering logic currently written in php to C#.

5.  Testing and Modification:
5.1  Defining Test Plan:
●     Defining a concrete test plan based on all of the views/actions in the application and expected outcomes based on user actions.

5.2  Executing Test Plan:

●     Executing test plan and making any necessary fixes/modifications where appropriate based on previously defined test plan.

6.  Testing and Modification:
6.1  Deploying Production Application:
●     Deployment of production application to new production environment.

6.2  Monitoring/Maintenance:
●     Maintaining/Monitoring production application to ensure it is functioning as intended.

The following technologies and tools will be utilized to develop and deploy the software:

Programming Languages and Frameworks: .NET 8/C# MVC

UI Library: Existing application CSS Database/Storage: Existing MySQL hosted on-premise Development Tools: Visual Studio, VSCode

Hosting and Deployment: Microsoft Azure, Automated CI/CD Deployment Pipelines

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website met all of our requirements and more. Alex suggested simple features that made our website funtion even better that we imagined. We measured our success while rolling out the new site to our users who gave helpfull and positive feedback. 

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

Alex managed this project very professionally and transparently. We were able to place specific deadlines to each step of the project and he met every single one. Alex was very responsive and we emailed each other several times a day. 

What was your primary form of communication with Pickrell Global Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I had the pleasure of working with Alex, and I couldn’t be more impressed with his work. From start to finish, he went above and beyond expectations. He was incredibly quick to respond to emails, always professional and easy to communicate with. Not only did he meet every deadline, but he also graciously accepted additional tasks that came up throughout the project without hesitation. His ability to deliver high-quality work, on time, and at a very competitive rate truly sets him apart. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with him in the future. If I could give him a rating, it would be a solid 10 out of 10. Highly recommend!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pickrell Global Technologies could have done differently?

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder and CEO of Home for Life Design, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Web-based home assessment technology that measures the safety and accessibility of homes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pickrell Global Technologies to accomplish?

• Develop our mobile application and solution.
• IT support.

SOLUTION

How did you find Pickrell Global Technologies?

Upworks

Why did you select Pickrell Global Technologies over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Pickrell Global Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our company utilized an enterprise web application, created in 2019, using DotNetNuke as our CMS, hosted in Microsoft Azure. This application is a simple workflow for users to conduct home evaluations.  Pickrell Global Technologies helped transition our platform from DotNetNuke, our mobile app (apple), and made our current web application (desktop portal) mobile friendly/responsive.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a date deadline of 6 months for the work to be completed and the team met our timeframe as requested.

We also agreed to trialing the software and changes needed to reach the goals we had hoped for in the app development.

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

Alex and the team met all of our expectations. They were always available, helped us trouble shoot and gave us ideas for better product development.

What was your primary form of communication with Pickrell Global Technologies?

Virtual Meeting

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

Alex was excited for the challenge and ready to help our team. I appreciated his enthusiasm for our success. He fit in great with our team and our excitement was his excitment. We were not just another customer.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pickrell Global Technologies could have done differently?

No. The team was always resourceful in finding the solutions for the project's development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the President of a consulting company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Recruiting firm

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pickrell Global Technologies to accomplish?

• Design App and help launch it.

SOLUTION

How did you find Pickrell Global Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Pickrell Global Technologies over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Pickrell Global Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Alex and his team helped my team and I take my vision of an app and turned it until functional reality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Its fully live and able to use.

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

Great

What was your primary form of communication with Pickrell Global Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Super Ethical.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pickrell Global Technologies could have done differently?

They really understand the product and vision needs.