Railwaymen

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Rally Charge, an IoT [Internet-of-things] company. We build a smart hardware product that’s basically a smart charging cable. When a device is plugged into our product, it communicates with our mobile app and our SDK [software development kit] within other third-party apps. This will automatically launch an app and trigger real-time SMS, email, and push notifications, which works well for brands that want to convert local foot traffic into mobile users and mobile engagement. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Railwaymen?

Railwaymen has been our partner from the beginning for software development. Because we’ve got a hardware product as well, we needed somebody who could do both hardware and multidisciplinary development. They developed our mobile apps, APIs, SDK, and backend, as well as our administration dashboard. They were able to bring a full suite of experience to help us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve done everything from help us develop the scope of work and specifications to doing design. They collaborate with us to determine what needs to be architected and how to do everything efficiently. We start with a strategy phase where we go through design, user testing, and prototyping using InVision and typical tools to get early stage prototypes into people’s hands before we start the actual coding. They build all of our code and maintain our code base. They're great at not just executing but also contributing out-of-the-box ideas.

How many resources were assigned to your project?

We have 2 project managers and 5–6 engineers. We have 1 person on the backend, iOS- and Android-specific native engineers, and QA support. There are 5–6 people on the project at any time.

How did you come to work with Railwaymen?

They were highly recommended by a friend who had used them for projects. She had a great experience with them. We started with smaller projects and eventually entrusted them with most of our development.

How much have you invested with Railwaymen?

We have spent $150,000 with them over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2015, and the relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve just achieved our initial milestones. Our development cycle is longer due to our hardware product. Railwaymen got us through the launch in the App Store with a fully functioning product in April 2017. We’re going through manufacturing and our first SDK implementations now, which they’re supporting.

We’ve designed a unique experience, so from an architecture standpoint, they do a good job. They integrated a number of other services like Twilio, SendGrid, and a few other APIs. If you plug into our device in real-time, you get either an email or SMS. They’ve done a good job handling those API integrations. We’ve had feedback that the app looks great and the experience is unique. A lot of the work is happening in the background, and they’ve delivered quickly.

How did Railwaymen perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate well. Working with an offshore development firm, communication is probably the central thing. They’re good at doing background research, documenting their work, setting the scope, and developing sprints. They do a good job of communicating what they’re working on and what they plan to do in the future. They use MasterTask in-house as their project management and software tool. We’re using Slack, phone, and email for communication.

What did you find most impressive about Railwaymen?

They do a good job with sharing, researching, and documenting their findings. We’re trying to build new things, and they bring a good perspective of what’s possible and feasible. They offer the right processes to get us to our end goal and suggest the proper steps for development. They also communicate succinctly.

Are there any areas Railwaymen could improve?

No, we work on a monthly basis, and they keep us apprised of what kind of hours they’ve booked. They could let us know that more frequently, but they do a good job overall. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I’m the owner of a technology solutions firm. My clients, who are usually artists, share their ideas for new technologies or applications. I develop these ideas in conjunction with Railwaymen, who manages the bulk of each project. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Railwaymen?

They’ve helped me with several ideas, depending on their availability and proficiency with the requirements. They help me understand what kind of costs will be involved too.

Recently, Railwaymen created the Pic a Smile app, which later was rebranded for the Latin market with celebrity involvement. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Before each project, they help me plan the scope and figure out what resources they’ll need. They also offer timing and cost estimates. Each project has cost what they’ve estimated in the beginning, with no changes. They’ve been a straightforward partner.

I’ve worked with them on 3 or 4 projects. They develop apps for iOS and Android and the web and assist with launches to app stores. They also advised marketing strategies to limit my costs.

One solution we created was a baby selfie app. It consisted of showing a video on the screen while users take a picture in order to keep the baby’s attention on a TV program or something he or she likes. We started by building the app, and I sold it myself. Then, I got the opportunity to rebrand it for 2 famous artists: an actress and a dancer who had a baby.

With the help of Railwaymen, we rebranded the app to incorporate these artists, and they relaunched it as their own product through my and Railwaymen’s involvement in the background. Railwaymen also created a backend where the artists could access fan information for future use. It was a good experience. Railwaymen continues to help me with other projects.

How did you come to work with Railwaymen?

I’d talked with different companies, but I never actually felt like I could trust them or justify their prices. A good friend of mine in Chicago recommended Railwaymen.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We’ve spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2015 and have been partners since.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

People really like the app and find it useful. We’ve had no crashes or issues. I have messages from our celebrity sponsors thanking me for the app and explaining how well it worked with their baby. I actually used the app when taking pictures of my daughter. It’s a real problem-solver for parents.

How did Railwaymen perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an excellent job, and I didn’t have any problems. We actually became good friends. I like the way they work with me. They are really good people. We communicate through texting and other channels. They stick to deadlines and our budget, even when I make changes.

What distinguishes Railwaymen from other providers?

They really care about my company, not just making money. They’re reliable and knowledgeable in a variety of topics beyond just programming.

Is there anything Railwaymen could have improved or done differently?

No, I’m happy with their work. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Ripple Networks was a startup company. I was the CEO/CTO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Railwaymen?

We needed to outsource development work because of budget and speed to market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We used their design expertise, iOS developers, backend Rails developers, and JavaScript developers. The most collaborative phase was the design portion where we were using 1 or 2 resources from their team. We had an idea of what we wanted and they came back with a couple of designs based on our requirements. The next four weeks were spent on refining that design phase. We had daily calls with them during that time where they’d present their updates and we’d give them feedback. For the other development, we mapped out a lot of the technical needs of how we wanted the coding and software built. They met those specs perfectly. The only area where we didn’t specify anything was with the JavaScript frameworks that they were going to use for some of the developments, and they came back to us with the tools we needed. We worked with 4 developers.

How did you come to work with Railwaymen?

I got in touch with them through a mutual acquaintance. We were working with some other firms on oDesk to test out and find the partner we wanted to move forward with. Railwaymen showed they had the ability to scale. Lukasz [CEO & Founder, Railwaymen] and his partner were very responsive in their communication. Lukasz is a former engineer so that helps a lot with quality control. We had used them in other test projects and they were the best offshore firm we’d worked with.

How much have you invested with Railwaymen?

The project cost more than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2012 and the project was completed June 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of work was pretty good. We didn’t have to revise anything. There were minor bugs, but over the course of time, the number of those decreased. Our ability to add our own development on top of the work they'd done or maintain by ourselves was fantastic. The documentation within the code and addendums they had were great. It made it easy for us to continue development or maintain what they’ve done. They were available for any questions we had after the project was completed.

How did Railwaymen perform from a project management standpoint?

They were able to meet or exceed deadlines. We communicated often and were able to see the work they were doing on the check-ins and the updated documents.

What did you find most impressive about Railwaymen?

The communication is great for a remote team. They’re very technically sound. They have some great junior resources. They’re very smart people and are using some of the latest frameworks. We use them as a one-stop shop. They’re very strong in all the areas they work in and delivered a high-quality product.

Are there any areas Railwaymen could improve?

They do a good job of managing expectations. They won’t promise something they can’t deliver. They were able to scale their resources to provide the team we needed. The price point for their services is very competitive for what they do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

‎HomeAhead creates real estate technology solutions. Our products include a wish list and a concierge service for realtors. I am the head of products for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Railwaymen?

We were having a challenge finding talented and affordable developers in our area.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Railwaymen started out with web development for HomeAhead, my present company. They also built native iOS and Android apps, primarily using Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, and JavaScript. We have regular standup meetings with Railwaymen's team. Initially, we presented a general product spec sheet that shows the requirements from a high-level perspective. Then, we worked through the details week by week. Railwaymen acted as our local development team, staying up until 2 or 3 AM on Poland time in order to take part in our meetings. We also had meetings at 9 AM US time, providing plans for the next day.

They also built an iOS app for my previous company. It needed to replicate all functionalities on our site, which was quite challenging. It featured custom interactions, video elements, and so on. That project had a 2-month completion time.

How did you come to work with Railwaymen?

I originally found Railwaymen by chance at the SXSW Conference. I had a project which required some work, received a fixed-rate quote, and started the work.

How much have you invested with Railwaymen?

For Railwaymen's work with ‎HomeAhead, the cost of our Android and iOS apps was $30,000. The cost of Railwaymen's work on an iOS app for my previous company was $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We are currently working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I appreciate is that the staff turnover is very low. We are still working with the same people that started out with us 4 years ago. Typically, when working with outsourced development, we will be working with different people from week to week which leads to a lot of wasted time. Railwaymen provided consistent and fantastic talent, superior even to our local developers.

We design our own products and then Railwaymen takes care of the development. In that respect, they've done a fantastic job of matching our designs. Everything built by Railwaymen has been responsive and persistent from a maintenance point of view. We are still using code written by Railwaymen 4 years ago.

How did Railwaymen perform from a project management standpoint?

With all custom development, there will always be another feature to be added, a bug discovered, and so on. Railwaymen stayed within budget and schedule. They are also extremely responsive, considering that the company is based in Poland.

What did you find most impressive about Railwaymen?

Railwaymen assigns product managers who keep meticulous records of every single story or topic we've worked on, the hours spent on it. There has never been a moment of confusion around the billing we receive. Things have become better and better. Before, the work used to be broken down by the hour, which meant that there could be a little fluff. Considering Railwaymen's rates, that didn't really matter. But now, we are doing billing on a 15-minute basis. They are also up to date with the newest tech which is great.

I have been personally working with Railwaymen since 2012. I’ve brought them multiple projects and have had multiple companies using them. I love the company and I bring projects to them whenever I can.

Are there any areas Railwaymen could improve?

I have nothing but glowing reviews for Railwaymen. There will always be small issues here and there, but nothing that would be a deal-breaker. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a recruitment company working with teachers and training professionals who wish to work abroad.

What is your position?

I am the founder and General Recruitment Manager of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Railwaymen?

We wanted to develop a web portal on which teachers could advertise their services. It was meant as a separate arm for bringing in more candidates, without advertising on different platforms.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We worked with Railwaymen for the development of an outlet related to one of our websites. They developed it from the ground up. I was involved in keeping track of the vision of what we wanted done.

How did you come to work with Railwaymen?

We wanted to use a company that could develop our site using Ruby on Rails. Cost-wise, it wasn't feasible for us to use a local company. We started looking at a number of shops in Europe, contacting 20 different developers in The Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal. We were most impressed with the speed at which Railwaymen got back to us. Their owner was professional from the very beginning. One of the metrics by which we gauged our original screening was how responsive they would be to the request and how comfortable we were with the initial conversation.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost of our development with Railwaymen was between $15,000 and $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our website was completed 3 years ago. We have a monthly relationship with Railwaymen for additions or bug fixes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Everything went well and I'm happy with the results from Railwaymen. We could have used a bit of guidance on the SEO [search engine optimization] part, but that wasn't an initial part of the project. It was an area which we overlooked when doing the build. Railwaymen did everything we asked them to do and did it well.

Around 33% of the users who land on our homepage will create an account. It's a very niche market, so they have a specific purpose for coming on to our website, but the figure does show that people trust the site and like the way in which it functions enough to go through the basic process of creating an account.

How did Railwaymen perform from a project management standpoint?

We've dealt with their principal from day-one. He has been very professional and always available. This has made Railwaymen stand out and be trustworthy.

What distinguishes Railwaymen from other providers?

Railwaymen's customer service is very good. They're also very good hosts. I went out to visit Railwaymen's headquarters and we had a couple of very good nights in Cracow.

Is there anything Railwaymen could have improved or done differently?

The oversight was on our part, in terms of SEO. If there was someone on Railwaymen's staff that could provide more input in terms of the site's structure and SSL elements that could affect SEO, that would be an improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company is called MySoberRoommate. It's a new online platform for sober people to meet potential roommates.

What is your position?

I am one of the co-founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Railwaymen?

We needed to build a website.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

I believe it was Ruby on Rails. They built an entire website with search features and messaging functions. They're in the process of building an app on iOS.

How did you come to work with Railwaymen?

We found them by referral from a friend of a friend who had used them. We had a phone consultation with Lukasz [Mlynek, co-founder and CEO of Railwaymen]. He was so patient and knowledgeable. They sent us designs and did such a great job.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The whole project was $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Railwaymen is currently working on a mobile app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Everyone says the site looks sleek and modern, and it works great. The site has only been up one week, but the beta testing returned some impressive feedback. We feel lucky that we found them.

How did Railwaymen perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job. We were a little concerned about the time difference and how that might affect communication, but they were great. Their communication was fantastic. They were very accommodating and responsive via email.

What distinguishes Railwaymen from other providers?

Railwaymen was very patient with us, which I appreciated. We're not tech savvy people, so they would take the time to explain in terms we could understand. We changed our minds as we went, and they were always very accommodating.

Is there anything Railwaymen could have improved or done differently?

I don't think so. We had a great experience working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company is Apple Seeds, an indoor play space for kids who are ages 0 to 5. Our playspace features unique indoor playgrounds designed by well-known children's museum designers. We also host weekday and weekend birthday parties, play dates, and corporate events.

What is your position?

I'm an accountant, but I'm also responsible for technological issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Railwaymen?

They built features for our website including an internal CRM [customer relationship management], an internal POS [point of sale], and an internal scheduling system. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We had a certain platform that Railwaymen built for us. They were responsible for end-to-end development of that.

How did you come to work with Railwaymen?

I'm not able to answer that because Railwaymen was selected, and the project began before I joined.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The size of the project is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's been five or six years since we first started working with Railwaymen. We always have projects going on. They also provide support if there are issues with our existing platform. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any feedback from this engagement?

Railwaymen met the deadline. They were definitely able to deliver what was expected. Railwaymen's delivery encompassed everything. We ended up using our own platform instead of using a third party – it was a ready-to-use shelf product. It was nice that Railwaymen was able to facilitate that for us.

What distinguishes Railwaymen from other providers?

Their approach is very thorough. They are dedicated to trying to solve the client's issue.

Is there anything Railwaymen could have improved or done differently?

I don't have any complaints. All of our issues have been addressed in a timely manner properly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I run a digital marketing agency. We do online marketing and assist with Web development for our clients who tend to be small- to medium-sized businesses.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Railwaymen?

I outsourced our Web development for that project. We were building a Ruby on Rails Web application as well as an iOS and Android mobile application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

They have done all the development on that project including iOS and Android. They also did some consulting in the beginning. We had the design taken care of ahead of time.

What was your process for selecting Railwaymen with which to work?

We interviewed quite a few developers. We were looking for someone who was incredibly knowledgeable in the technology that we needed for this project. We didn’t want to work with a couple different developers. We were also looking for someone who worked on a time and materials basis, who was skilled in Ruby, and who had great communication skills. We wanted someone who would work as a partner. I talked with some of their references before hiring them.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms or a personnel work-hour figure?

It was $50,000 to $200,000

When was the work completed?

The Web application is unofficially launched already, and we’re finishing up the mobile apps. We don’t have a launch date.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I don’t have any metrics yet because it hasn’t launched yet.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

If I could use them on all of our projects I would because they’re that good.

Is there anything unique or special about Railwaymen that really makes them stand out compared to other online marketing companies?

Their technical knowledge is really great. Their service and communication is by far superior to most firms that I’ve worked with. Their transparency and collaborative approach is also unique. They’re great in understanding the business and strategic side of things. They provide really accurate estimates.

What advice would you give to future clients of theirs?

I think you need to be clear about your objective and the scope of the work. I would give the same advice for any work that is outsourced.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

We did have a couple project manager changes, but they handled all of that really smoothly on their end. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of an infrastructure analysis company. 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

AI-based infrastructure analysis

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Create iOS App
• Program API

SOLUTION

How did you find Railwaymen?

Referral

Why did you select Railwaymen over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Railwaymen were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Complete iOS development from start to finish

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Fully working iOS app

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

Great communication. Very engaged and motivated employees.

What was your primary form of communication with Railwaymen?

Virtual Meeting

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

I was impressed with their pragmatism and efficiency.

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

None. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Project Manager in Restaurant Branches in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Railwaymen, and what were your goals?

We intend to develop a food delivery app, and our main goal is to make it friendly to use.

SOLUTION

How did you select Railwaymen and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online for a high-rank company that can fulfill our requirements, and we hired a Railway company because we were sure that it is what we are looking for.

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

After a couple of meetings and providing a wireframe design by using Figma, the hired vendor has got our main target, and we got what we are looking for after doing some testing for the deliverables.

How many resources from the Railwaymen team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We deal with almost 6 developers and one project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did too many tests for the final product, and we notice it's stable and solid.

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

The project manager was very cooperative, and we used different channels for quick response we had Slack, and for giving feedback we had meetings, with emails to give a summary for the current status.

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

I found the most important note, their patience and hard work to make our project work very well are impressive.

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

NO