Pwrteams

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of c-Quilibrium, which has developed an enterprise platform used in the financial sector to manage cash supply chains. We’ve created a software methodology that allows banks and cash transport companies to manage and optimize the cash that’s being transported.

Our head office is in Belgium, but we’re expanding towards Latin America, North Africa, and parts of Central and Eastern Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We were looking for a partner who could independently function as our development department. We were looking to nearshore a reliable company in Belgium who could guarantee a talented team at a reasonable price. We had very long-term ambitions that were becoming impossible to realize within our current climate.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia was tasked with architecting and developing for the application, presentation, and data layers of the software. At the start of the engagement, we’d already been in business for 18 years, so we could provide a lot of information—making it a fluid transition.

The database utilizes SQL Server, and the application and presentation layers are created in .NET and C#. The typical architecture for our UI is based on MVC patterns. We use ASP.NET Razor on the frontend, and parts of our architecture are microkernel-oriented.

What is the team composition?

The team contains one person responsible for all operational account management, an HR manager, and a developer.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We looked at a few nearshoring companies offering what we called an “extended enterprise role”, meaning that they could set up a specific development team that would work exclusively for us. That would allow us to nurture the supplementary team and guarantee its continuity.

We chose them based on the uniqueness of their model—an extended enterprise model—and the high level of service they provide us.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been around $220,000 to date, but I think we’re going to expand well beyond that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skelia in January 2018 and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Skelia did a brilliant job of absorbing the required information, collecting all that they needed to know to get started rapidly. They’ve recently ensured that, despite the redevelopment of a core platform feature, we’re still staying 25% below budget. They’re able to deliver according to our projections and estimates.

The first developer that we contracted had three major assets: the maturity and stability we needed to get started, the architectural expertise to be a great leader, and the social skills to build a team around him. This member ended up being the seed of the entire project.

Skelia has taken extremely good care of our relationship with the customers. They’ve also taken very good care of my team. They’ve had excellent insights into the dynamics of how such a team should function.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication has been brilliant. Although my team is located abroad, we immediately discuss any issue that comes up. We’ve developed a clear and open common dictionary to make communication extremely fluid.

In terms of meeting deadlines, they’ve never missed one. Despite their efficiency and punctuality, they don’t compromise quality, either.

We use Jira for project management, as well as Skype and Microsoft Teams. My Belgian team almost has 4–5 hours of direct communication with Skelia’s team per day. It’s like they’re just next door and our interpersonal relationships reflect that. There’s a strong bond that’s grown organically because of the perfect communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their high-quality resources, their excellent account management are two distinguishing factors. There’s a difference between what the customer wants and what they need. In light of that, Skelia was diplomatic but effective in defining what we needed and then immediately providing it. That’s an enormous asset: they really understand their customers.

Also, since we work mostly with the developers, we sometimes forget that there’s an HR department taking great care of these guys. They’re not very visible, but they ensure an extreme level of well-being for everyone.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I could mention as an improvement for Skelia. I wish I had engaged them earlier.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the engineering program director for Showpad, a sales enablement tool that’s typically a SaaS solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

Our company needed QA testing services. It is hard to find the right talent here in Belgium or even in the US and Poland, where we also have sites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia deploys QA engineers for manual and automated testing. They originally started only as manual testers, but over time, their services expanded. We wanted our engineers to focus on operations, not testing.

What is the team composition?

Generally, we work with around ten people, but that depends on the workload. Since there a team of remote employees, we work directly with the engineers because there is no management overhead.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

When I started at Showpad, Skelia was already on board as a partner.

How much have you invested in them?

In total, we’ve spent between $50,000–$199,999. We agreed to review the currency rate between Euros and dollars yearly, and based on that, the rate is modified based on the current currency we have. There’s a daily fee per QA engineer, depending on skill and experience.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Skelia began in July 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We work with Skelia because they provide great QA profile candidates and engineers we can’t find in the local market. The selection of those candidates is made in a similar way we do internally. Our team is involved in that discussion and integrate them as if they’re remote employees of Showpad. They’ve become valuable team members to us. The QA testers have their own dedicated email address and have access to all the systems that all of our engineers have, which is highly appreciated by them.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Skelia’s team is part of our daily stand up meetings. I can’t remember any performance issues with any of the candidates. The team at Skelia is proactive in asking for feedback, visiting every six to nine months for a performance review. They also check to see what our needs are to help us all better align. If there’s a need for extra people, we try to give as much insight as possible so that they can find the right candidates on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The main motivation of working with Skelia wasn’t the cost, but having the right people on board to do the projects we wanted. After several years, they’ve proven that they deliver quality work in the context that we use them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They ask me that question every six months, and to be honest, we’ve been satisfied with their services. The fact that I can’t come up with anything is significant.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a small publishing company that exclusively distributes print and visual media created by a public figure. As a contracted project manager, I oversee the company’s ongoing website and mobile app development. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

The development company that we originally hired to build our mobile app were making careless mistakes on the backend, so we needed to find a reliable developer to fix their errors. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia initiated the process by scanning for problems on the backend. Within a few days, they discovered issues that our other web vendor overlooked for five months. After completing the analysis, they began developing an API to support one of the mobile app’s new features. Two of their .Net developers developed the infrastructure, while another developer scripted the container system to enhance scalability. A junior developer worked on the APIs frontend data integration.  

What is the team composition? 

They assigned two alternating project managers and four developers. 

How did you come to work with Skelia?

Our business manager was familiar with their owner, so we interviewed them to see if they would be a good fit. Impressed by their transparent business model and technical acuity, we decided to bring them on board. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $40,000 to build the API.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working with us in 2018. The API is complete, but we’re in negotiations for an ongoing contract with Skelia. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While the API that they implemented on the app isn’t the most complex feature, it is the most reliable. Their work is easily scalable, their code is well-documented, and their repositories are clean. 

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We only gave them a small amount of time to build the API, so they leveraged their external resources to expand their team. When one project manager was absent, the alternate was able to step in without disrupting the workflow. In addition to holding weekly meetings, they produced deliverables every two weeks to meet the final deadline. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Skelia is comprised of an incredible team of architects, but their greatest strength lies in their transparent business model. They understand the importance of a harmonious business relationship. Their philosophies aligned perfectly with our business goals. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was an issue with conflicting invoices, but they We had a problem with conflicting invoices, but they cleared it up quickly. The project was too small to notice any other difficulties. 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the client on Month DAY, YEAR. The original star ratings were: Overall - 4, Quality - 4, Schedule - 5 Cost - 4, NPS - 5. New content is below:

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

TimelessToday LLC provides a video subscription service. I am the I.T. Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

To replace very badly written software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Firstly to replace existing payment system, then add features such as Apple in-app purchase, Chromecast, Google in-app purchase and finally rewrite the application from the ground up.

What is the team dynamic?

The I.T. team in TimelessToday works directly with the Skelia developers (3) to specify, test, and deploy application features

How did you come to work with Skelia?

Recommendation from the TimelessToday CEO

How much have you invested with them?

$220k

What is the status of this engagement?

Current

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

From an initial contract with one Skelia developer to do remedial work, the project expanded to 3 developers. 

How did Skelia address the challenges that arose?

Skelia spent time with the original development company to understand the applications and architecture. From there they worked with the TimelessToday team to analyze and resolve issues.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

The software is more stable, outcomes more predictable. 

How was project management handled?

TimelessToday I.T. team were the project managers.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

Clear thinking and innovative solutions to problems. Also they were not put off by the  bad quality of the original code. They addressed the issues head on.

In what specific areas can they improve?

Better documentation.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

1.    Make sure you have someone  on your team with deep technical knowledge
 2.    Work as closely as possible with the developers so that misunderstandings can be avoided early.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and product management for ETwater, a cloud-based irrigation system. It takes environmental data from multiple sources and adjusts landscape watering schedules based on weather changes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

Our legacy system was reaching maturity, and we needed a partner to help us reengineer our core technology to incorporate advances in programming.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia did a complete architectural overhaul of our system, using Java. They transitioned us from a standard architecture to a microservices architecture. They enhanced our scheduling engine and improved our algorithm; our platform can now change both the frequency and duration of watering based on changes in the weather. The new platform is in beta, and Skelia manages maintenance and updates.

What is the team composition?

They provide a project manager, four backend developers, and two engineers for the frontend and UI.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We found them through LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in October 2014, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Two of our major enterprise accounts have transitioned their water management to our new platform and are excited for the enhanced functionality and cost savings.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings with the project manager and have direct access to their engineering staff. We frequently Skype, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely educated, comparable to Silicon Valley engineering and experience. They’re much better than the past companies we’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The should have more post-release availability and be more proactive in fixing bugs once the product goes live.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Thoroughly explain your business and programming goals so that they understand what your product will be used for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Delaware is an international company, providing everything from strategy to 24/7 support. We’re primarily SAP and Microsoft vendors, and we provide customer experience solutions, from CRM and marketing applications to B2B and B2C e-commerce applications. I’m responsible for the SAP customer engagement and commerce solution. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We’re looking for a company that could provide us with nearshore resources, and we needed the ability to train those resources. They had to be the same quality level as local ones. Skelia also offered testing for customers, with a dedicated testing team and a lab, which we didn’t have at all, which was another interesting aspect.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re using them on two main aspects: Hybris SAP e-commerce development and pure Java development. For the Hybris part, their resources were added as an extension to our development team. We handle the project management, while they take care of the implementation, as part of the bigger team. 

What is the team composition? 

We have two developers for one customer, and five for another. We’re working closely with a couple of other people from their team, one of whom is a liaison who coordinates the entire administration. She enters our tasks into the timesheets and facilitates interviews with new candidates. We’ve also been in contact with their HR manager for the yearly reviews of our resources.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

When I met Patrik (CEO, Skelia), he was already in contact with one of our partners. We had a meeting and started our first project.

We’re located in Belgium, and they’re primarily in Poland and Ukraine, with only a one-hour difference. It’s easy to work with them and they have cheaper resources, which was an important requirement for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $400,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skelia in April 2017, and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of our top five customers is working with two people from Skelia, who’ve provided us with really good quality. They got in-line with our procedures quickly, and they were able to immediately add value to the project.

For our second customer, we started out with two developers as well. The customer told us that those two people were providing the same amount of work as 10 others from elsewhere. We’ve increased the team for that customer to five people as our clients are very satisfied with the quality of the work.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication between the teams is very positive. They adapted to our own communications standards, they’re proactive, and they’re quick to provide responses to our questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The thing that really amazed me is the speed with which they find new resources. In one case, we only had one or two days to provide a new resource to a customer, and they were able to deliver extremely fast. I haven’t seen that with another company yet. They also have a very qualitative profile, which isn’t easy in this market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More transparency on their salaries would be an improvement. We discuss this at the beginning of contracts, but they could make a better overview of all the people working for us. That would take care of some of the administration, and it would help other clients.

Something else they could do is every three months or so, provide us some sample résumés from the market to see if we’d be interested in them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Find.me, a digital platform that aggregates all available data about a specific product then provides recommendations to users based on their profiles. Personal frustration drove me to start this company. I would input my information and preferences on multiple websites and platforms, and I wasn’t always happy with the results. Find.me streamlines the registration process and provides a complete overview of all of the products the market offers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We needed a vendor to help us develop the digital platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a trial phase, where Skelia put together several mockups. They recommended which technology we should use to program the platform. Based on those initial plans, the team designed the interface and started building out the solution. They used a combination of Elasticsearch, Microsoft Azure, MongoDB, and Python.

The basic platform is complete, and we’re currently working on the virtual assist. The feature is available, but we’re fleshing out its performance.

What is the team composition?

They provided four developers to augment our internal team of a PHP senior developer, a full-stack developer for the backend, and a data engineer.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

I’m not a developer myself; my background is in marketing and economics. To get a better idea of the e-commerce and IT space, I spoke with an advisory board. We considered a variety of possibilities, even looking at the options offered by the Belgian Chamber of Commerce in the US. Because most vendors in Belgium focus on AI and big data, the prices are rather high. So, I started looking for nearshore development companies that offered a wide range of skills.

I put together a shortlist and met with the senior management of each candidate. We assessed my expectations and the short-term and long-term goals of the project. The selected vendor would also have to collaborate with our team’s PhD developer and data scientist located in Belgium, as well as our Ukraine team and CTO in Panama. With all of those factors in mind, Skelia was the best choice.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent €173,000 ($196,709 USD) on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skelia in May 2017, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re a startup, so we had some cash flow challenges at the beginning of the project. Skelia was flexible regarding invoicing and payments, which helped us get our business up and running. Currently, the platform supports only the automotive industry, and we’re working to expand across more verticals like the real estate and job markets.

So far, we haven’t run into a single bug. Their work has been extremely high-quality. Our CTO enjoys working with them, and we’ve received only positive feedback on the basic platform. We’ve interacted with notable brands in the automotive industry to get their products in our system, and their representatives also praise the platform.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We started with two-week sprints. We had weekly standups, which we soon changed to biweekly. To avoid micromanaging them, we provide user storyboards, and they handle the design and development process. They work remotely from Ukraine, but it feels like they’re sitting in the same room as us. If there are any scheduling conflicts, they’ll let us know right away.

We communicate with several members of their team, but there is a point person who handles the management of our account. The representative provides feedback on meetings, information about their processes, and plans for the future. It’s not always very detailed. Over a few weeks, they replaced the original account manager, but nothing changed.

With that said, meeting with them is always very productive. Their team is well-prepared with presentations of their most recent work. We go over business insights, marketing updates, and sales information every six weeks. It keeps everyone on the same page. Overall, we can tell they’re committed to our project. They’ve even worked overtime to make sure they complete a specific task.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like to know the team that I’m working with, and it’s crucial that they have a very collaborative attitude. We have one-on-one meetings with their staff, and it’s always enjoyable. It’s clear that the Skelia team likes working with their colleagues, which sets the foundations for strong communication. They’re a good fit for this project, not only in terms of skill but also culture.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t. The combination of the tools that they’re using is working perfectly. They’re a well-organized company, even providing their staff with team-building days.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company measures employee engagements and helps our participating companies implement best practices to improve their productivity through work culture changes and employee engagement. I’m the QA lead, and I help test products that my company creates and helps support our mission.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

One of the applications that I test is our annual survey app. We found that a lot of companies wanted more context within the framework of the annual survey, so we built an app that ensures the content from our annual survey better enables employees to interact regularly. We call the application, Connect. We needed to manage Connect's quality in addition to testing the app, but the work involved with these tasks was more than one person could do. We also needed help creating an automation framework and conducting manual testing on an ad hoc basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We collaborated with Skelia to help create an automation framework for Connect, and they helped us implement it per our specifications. They also provided manual testing for us.

One of our requirements was a functional automation layer that used technology we were familiar with such as C#. Using C# was important from a support perspective. We used Selenium to interact with Connect functionally. We also used Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS), which they worked into a type of regression suite that would run ad hoc. VSTS’s test manager was used for manual testing, issue management source control, and bug management.

What is the team composition?

One automation developer from their team worked exclusively for us building the automation framework. Another person acted as a flexible, shared resource and was responsible for manually testing Connect per our request.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We were seeking vendors, and one of our leadership team members identified Skelia. We had a discussion with them, and we found them to be flexible. Their rate was favorable as well. We evaluated them and described our needs. They were able to help us build the automation framework. They also could support our ad-hoc needs for manual testing. The deciding factor, however, was the level of comfort we felt with them. They seemed like a good fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in December 2015 and concluded our collaboration in February 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s hard to quantify the assets they built for us, but we derived value from their manual testing and from their work to build the app framework.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

This project was more loosely built, with general goals and milestones. They built the framework we requested. They were responsive, and Patrik [Founder and CEO, Skelia] was very flexible when it came to our needs. He stayed in touch with us as well. The person from their team that worked on our project typically fulfilled requests on an overnight basis.

We managed our work and requests through our issue recording system, VSTS. We managed the project using the Agile methodology and the scrum process to discuss and review the work we wanted to complete on a biweekly basis. Initially, we would meet on a daily basis, but we later met twice a week via video conference calls using RingCentral. We would communicate often through Slack as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility was commendable. They worked with us to find the engineers we needed and the technology we wanted to use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a couple things that were challenging during our collaboration. One of the things that hindered the project was failing to meet our need for running tests on an ad hoc basis - or at least a periodic basis. Tests had to be run on our company’s test server. Yet we encountered a technical problem that prevented us from executing the tests, reporting results, and we couldn’t get past this issue. We believe they could benefit greatly from expanding their technical knowledge and experience. It would be helpful if they shared other existing approaches for addressing our project needs. 

To be fair, their management wasn't hands-off, but it would have been helpful to have them communicate more often with our management team, identify and help resolve technical impasses. Sometimes, things went down the pipeline, and then back up to me, which may not have happened if our management teams communicated. However, this isn’t a reflection of anyone specifically.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask more probing questions about the experience, expectations, and needs from the resource Skelia provides. We reached a point where we couldn't advance further. The person that was assigned to us as our resource was great, but I’m not sure that they had anyone above them that could have resolved our issues. Establish your goals. Be completely transparent with them, and be upfront with your needs. I would also require additional project management.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Rubicoin is a startup based in Dublin, Ireland. We create apps that teach people how to invest and advise people about stocks. I'm the co-founder and chief operating officer. Our team is 14 people at the moment, with 6 in technology and 8 in non-technical roles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We have a relatively small tech team within our overall development team. We'd been doing a lot of the testing and reviewing in-house, and we decided to bring in Skelia to support that testing process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We decided to outsource not only to gain additional resources but also to make sure we were doing the best in class when it came to testing. We had 2 cross-platform apps that needed updates every 3 weeks for both app stores, so we asked Skelia to dive into the middle of that process. They performed regression and UI testing in advance of new updates.

The first app they worked on has a straightforward content-led structure and it doesn't change often, but the second app is much more involved. It requires user registration and offers dynamic content on a daily or weekly basis, so it needed quite a bit more testing and updating.

What is the team dynamic?

I had two primary contacts: the head of the testing team and the head of development. They worked with each other as well, and then I know they had a number of engineers who carried out the tests, but I didn't interact with any of them.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

From what I recall, they reached out to me and offered their services, and then we discussed in-house whether to take them up on it. For me, an outsourced testing partner needs to feel like a part of our team, so I asked a lot of questions to get a sense of how they'd interact with my development team. Given all the testing we had to do, the relationship wouldn't have worked for me if it was at arm's length. They made me feel very comfortable with their style of collaboration, so we did a few trial runs with our code to see how we'd work together. That went very well, so I was happy to move forward.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $30,000-40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them for around 1.5 years, starting in summer 2015. We're no longer working together, and that's no fault of theirs — we acquired additional funding and have now in-sourced the work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They definitely increased our performance. The number of bugs found by customers dropped dramatically once we started working with them. That was one metric I kept a close eye on for several months, and once we started working with Skelia there was a significant improvement in the quality of our releases to the app stores.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was seamlessly run. They're very professional, clear, and responded quickly whenever they encountered bugs or anomalies. I was also impressed with how they took feedback from us throughout the process. We mainly used video calls to keep in touch, as well as phone and email. We also occasionally used Trello and some of our own project management tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They gave me a lot of confidence that they were thorough and professional, which was particularly important to me given the testing we did. In a situation like this, you want to know that your partner cares as much about your products as you do. And I definitely felt that from them, especially from the members of the testing team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took a while to reach a point where I was happy with the price negotiations for the project. This may be personal preference, but for me, it's important that we have a trial period before we start to negotiate the bill. In this case, we spent a bit of time deciding what to pay for those smaller test projects. To be fair to them, it's probably a function of the scale of their business, but if I was working with a larger company I'd expect them to put time and energy into selling the product to me before they request any payments. But I do understand that it's expensive to spend time and resources on a business like mine if I decide not to use them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd say to embrace the relationship. It's easy to look at your outsourced testing team and keep them at a distance, but integrating them deeper into your team is very valuable. Bring them in on a weekly or bi-monthly call as part of your production cycle. They're trustworthy, so rely on them like part of your team, because you'll have a better outcome.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of entrust-it. We support growth companies (scale-ups), with a hands-on approach. We provide consulting advice and develop application solutions together with our customers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We were looking for quality assurance [QA] services for what we build for our customers. We were looking for an external company that would be able to check the quality of an application, as well as the cross-device compatibility, which is one of the main challenges of this work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia has been testing the functionality of an application on a number of devices. It is an online ordering system geared towards takeaways and restaurants, which allows users to open a menu on-site by scanning a QR code and opening the app, or order their lunches or evening meals on-the-go.

We’re designing the solution locally in Belgium, and are developing it through our team in Pakistan. They are performing low-level testing but, before releasing it to the community, we needed another quality test for Android, iOS, and web, which is where Skelia came in.

What is the team dynamic?

We are using half an STE [software testing engineer] on a continuous basis, and this has varied up and down. One of the advantages of Skelia is their flexibility, given that sometimes we have functionality testing and sometimes we don’t. We have one main point of contact from their side.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

I know their founder personally; he’s an ex-colleague.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of half an FTE has been $35 per hour, over a year-and-a-half period.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first worked with them in 2008 or 2009 on another engagement. For this project, we started work in March 2016. The project is still ongoing, as part of a bigger subsidy engagement which will last until the end of February 2018. After that, we will need to see how we can continue the collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a little too early to mention results. In terms of feedback related to the operations on our side, we receive regular reports from them and have access to their environments. We should be able to use their services more rigidly, instead of the ad-hoc approach we have now. If we identify things to be tested, they will start doing so. My development team actually need to manage these services.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

The performance was okay in the beginning, and less so now. Once in a while, we receive a report from Skelia.

They are integrated into our JIRA environment. They have their own testing environment and management tool, but we follow up on the work using our instance of JIRA.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility. We have an agreement to use half an STE, but often don’t have any work for many weeks. Other service providers would have already started complaining that we’re not consuming enough of their services, given that we are paying by the hour. In the end, if we need to upscale, this is where Skelia is flexible: we’re not pressed to use their services if we have no use for them. This is the best point for me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they should continue as they are.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients need to have experience managing offshore or nearshore providers. Bring the team over in the beginning for a one-day face-to-face conversation in order to set expectations and explain the solution or project. After that, the communication can go through online channels.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the client on February 3, 2020. The original star ratings were: Overall - 3.5, Quality - 3.5, Schedule - 4, Cost - 4, NPS - 5. New content is below.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

We have been working with Skelia for quite a while now and are quite satisfied by their flexibility and drive for results. In terms of feedback related to the operations on our side, we received regular reports from them and have access to their environments. In the meantime, we have referred Skelia to some of our business relations, too, which basically says a lot!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Thomas Cook is a large travel company spanning across Europe. I started as a technical lead on the ecommerce platform for Belgium and the Netherlands, but now I’m responsible for the CRM competency center within the company which includes our group tools. I worked with Skelia in both of these capacities. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

An external company in Belgium had already developed the website, but we decided to move it over to Skelia.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia took over complete responsibility for developing the ecommerce platform. They built features in each of the areas, including connectivity to the mainframe. They enabled the capability of our ecommerce platform to process mainframe dump files. This allows us to sell these products online, connect to the mainframe, and then conduct the actual purchase which is integrated into our payment provider in Belgium.

They also handled other 3rd party integrations. Skelia had to handle a lot of content integration, for example, Zoover, including photos and descriptive text for our website. They also developed features for our airlines, including one that allows customers to book extra meals or luggage.

They developed the frontend and backend, as well as provided design. They also set up a couple servers in the background that handle and upload data. They used a JavaScript and .NET framework, and also set up the WCMS (web content management system) on Sitecore.

What is the team dynamic?

We increased the Skelia team to 10 developers and 4 QA resources. The team is divided into two scrums, each with a proxy product owner who was also the business analyst based in Belgium. I was responsible for the solution design, and Skelia handled the application architecture. Their resources are actually regarded as a part of our internal team. They also provide additional, temporary resources when necessary.

Other departments are also involved with Skelia, so overall, we are interacting with 40–50 of their team members.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

When I came to work for Thomas Cook, they had already started engaging with Skelia.  Development of the ecommerce platform began a few months after I started.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $1,000,000–$9,999,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2009, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Skelia has been very consistent in their delivery, and we’ve been very successful due in part to the collaboration. After an engagement with a previous vendor failed, Skelia was able to provide us with stability within 2–3 months. Every time I met the business, the team would tell me how awesome Skelia was. The CRM project has been a little tough due to having just taken it over, but we’re already seeing signs of stabilization.

Skelia’s testing is excellent and thorough, and since we’re introduced them to the platform, we saw the number of P1 defects decrease rapidly to a very low level after every production release.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is very honest, and they never promise what they aren’t capable of. They give feedback, and if we do a session where the analyst explains what needs to be done, they ask questions. Sometimes, they reach results that analysts didn’t even think about.

In the beginning, we did weekly or biweekly, but now we just have status meetings. When we first started, getting everyone acquainted was a little difficult, but now when we bring new people in, it’s a lot easier.

We use JIRA for ticketing, and Skype and email for communication. We also use Scrum methodology.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are capable and loyal, and they really support the team by going out of their way to find solutions. They always provide great candidates as well.

Skelia is very driven and motivated, and if we ask them to work on the weekends, they have no problems with it. They are part of our team, and the fact that they’re treated the same as our internal resources really helps with the overall dynamic. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They don’t always have the necessary resources in order to come up with a solution. If we need to scale up very rapidly and temporarily, that can be a problem sometimes.