Ralabs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a partner at a hospitality company that provides online education for hospitality. We are currently in the pre-launch stage.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ralabs?

We hired Ralabs to develop the backend for our corporate website, which is supposed to present our services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had the frontend ready. We then did the initial design and programming, and we were supposed to adopt the backend. We worked on a time and material basis. When we received the invoice for the last sprint, the amount of time spent looked suspicious.

We asked them to check it and the developers said that it was fine. We then notified them that we would carry out an audit, and they confirmed and asked for a few days to prepare some comments. 

After accepting their request, they asked for two more days every week for two months. Ralabs then told us that they wouldn’t provide access to the code to carry out the audit. They wanted us to make the payment first and then they would give us access to code to audit it.

Because of this, we lost our booking with the auditing company and we couldn’t explain to our partners and investors why our development company kept asking for an extension on a weekly basis, and Ralabs couldn’t explain it either. 

We then carried out the audit with multiple auditing companies using time logs and the CMS, and it showed that the time was increased on average by 3–4 times for the last sprint. We also evaluated the whole project and came to the conclusion that 6–8 times more time was spent on development than necessary.

We did extensive research and talked to companies worldwide, asking them for their estimates. None of them could come close to explaining how we ended up spending that much time on this project.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Roman (CTO & Co-Founder) and we worked with 3–4 developers. Throughout the process, we were in touch with Roman and he was very nice and easy to talk to. However, we had a different experience with Andrew (CEO) who was unwilling to listen to us or negotiate.

We tried to go through friendly negotiation stages and even engaged mediators who we covered financially. During the 2-week timeframe we had allocated for negotiations, the CEO couldn’t find time to talk to us although he knew the project was on hold and we needed to solve it asap as we were losing time and money.

How did you come to work with Ralabs?

Our design partner, who we are very happy with, had experience working with Ralabs and recommended them. So, we thought that it would be easy for us to work with them too. 

How much have you invested with them?

We paid $20,000. We didn’t cover the last sprints because we wanted to check the work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April 2019–May 2020. We told them we would be doing the audit in February 2020 and it was in April 2020 that we asked them to provide an explanation for why they kept playing for time and avoiding the audit.

We tried to be patient with them, believing that they would eventually give us access but, in May 2020, they said they wouldn’t do that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

We will have to redo the whole project as the quality was low. We were supposed to have the project done by March 2020, but now it’s on hold. Additionally, we don’t have a website because everything is in the hands of Ralabs. Due to all of this, our relationship with our partners and investors has worsened. 

We lost money, time, and our relationship with investors because of Ralabs. Our company has also experienced financial losses not only because of the standstill when we still have to pay salaries and cannot operate, but also because we paid for auditing services and for mediators to carry out friendly negotiations that didn’t end up happening because the team couldn’t find a time to talk to us. 

After doing research and estimations, we discovered that we can redo what we have now with dozens of other companies within 3–4 weeks. Overall, we’re in a very bad position because of this. We trusted the recommendation that we got and we didn’t do many checks while we were hiring them.

How did Ralabs perform from a project management standpoint?

The project managers on our side had to spend more time on the project because Ralabs’ project managers had missed certain information or had forgotten to transfer it to IT. Most of the bugs that needed to be corrected had to be repeated 3–5 times.

Everything was perfectly fine up until we requested to carry out the audit. The team wasn’t able to meet deadlines. When we were adopting the backend to the new design, it took them three times longer than originally planned.  

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

The CTO did his best to negotiate, but we understood that he didn’t have a say in this situation.

In what specific areas can they improve?

I would suggest that they don’t treat customers like this, cheat, or play for time in the manner that we experienced. Ralabs knew that they put us in a bad position when they did this. If they know that they’ve done something wrong, they should just be honest about it, talk to their clients, try to understand their position, and not avoid it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be careful and understand that you won't be able to check the work provided. The whole experience ended up being a nightmare from a business point of view.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated by the client on July 10, 2020. The original star ratings were: Overall - 0.5, Quality - 2, Schedule - 1, Cost - 0.5, NPS - 0.5. New content is below:

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had two scopes of work with the developer - both involved backend work. The first sprint went fine and according to the schedule with a fixed price approach. For the second one, we were supposed to adopt the previously developed backend to an updated design working on a time and material basis.

Our expectations were that the second sprint would go as efficiently as the first one went and at some point, we relaxed the control over the situation. This eventually led to misunderstandings and different views on how the work should be done and how long it should take.

The whole situation generated confusion between our companies and we decided to find another developing company to proceed with.

What is the team dynamic?

Our main point of contact was Roman (CTO & Co-Founder) and we worked with 3–4 developers on an ongoing basis. Throughout the process, we were in touch with Roman and he was very nice and easy to talk to.

Although, initially, we found it hard to come to an agreement with Andrew (CEO) we want to acknowledge that he eventually heard us and put a lot of effort into communication.

We resumed our negotiations efficiently, and we are pleased to confirm that Ralabs showed respect to our circumstances, and they agreed to satisfy our requirements and compensate for our expenses.

How much have you invested with them?

We paid $16,000

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in April 2019 and the disagreements arose in April 2020. In June 2020, we terminated the collaboration in a friendly manner without any claims from either side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

We have gone through different stages in our relationship. As in any collaboration, we had periods when everything moved smoothly and periods when complexities or misalignments in understanding, views, or approaches between our team arose.

While we decided it was best for both teams to stop the engagement, we are pleased with the fact that the termination went smoothly and based on the future interests of both our project and Ralabs'.

How did Ralabs address the challenges that arose?

Despite misunderstandings and lack of efficiency in the negotiations at the outset, in the end, Ralabs' management team demonstrated a willingness to collaborate and to take into consideration the difficulties and long-term interests of the client. Eventually, we came to a mutual agreement that satisfied all of our interests.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

We decided to redo the project as the speed and approach appeared to be unsuitable for our needs.

As a result of the incomprehension and lack of efficient communication with Ralabs, we have gone through a difficult and burdensome period of keeping the project on hold and having complicated relations with investors and partners.

However, we want to commend Ralabs' efforts in resolving the generated complexity between our companies. We have seen the transformation in attitude and approach from their management.

I am sure that both of our teams have emerged from this crisis being wiser and more attentive. Eventually, Ralabs navigated this situation with a focus on long-term relations and the client’s interests.

How was project management handled?

The project managers on our side had to spend more time on the project because occasionally information was missed or not transferred in a timely manner to respective managers. Even though we terminated the partnership, Ralabs consented to fix the bugs.

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

Roman, the CTO did his best to negotiate throughout the collaboration. The CEO demonstrated an ability to adapt, pay attention, and stand up for the long-term interests of both his company and his client.

In what specific areas can they improve?

We suggest that Ralabs pay attention to customer dissatisfaction at earlier stages and be more transparent in their communication. This is a good lesson for both of us and I'm sure this situation will not be repeated with new clients. We are glad to have ended this collaboration with mutual respect and understanding.

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

Discuss everything with more attention, and clear out confusion or unexplained issues right away. Additionally, be clear and insistent in explaining your position and arising complications if you have any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a project manager at Xema Co. Ltd - a large-scale biological manufacturer. Over the course of twenty years, Xema has developed from a small-scale contract manufacturer of human antigen proteins to one of the world’s leading biological companies in providing tumor marker antigens and corresponding monoclonal antibodies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ralabs?

To create a modern web-based, multi-player tournament “game” that allows checking the proficiency and accuracy of manual procedures of laboratory workers.

What were your goals for this project?

Promote Xema Corporate Group at medical events. Create a tool that will allow checking the proficiency of laboratory workers, and to create a tool that will help to educate new laboratory workers on several manual laboratory procedures.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Ralabs was a recommendation from a business partner who worked with them in the past. We also selected more than 10 vendors and ended up working with Ralabs because of the Healthcare and IOT experience. The Ralabs team was full of good and smart people and had an exceptional working culture.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project consists of 3 major parts: - Admin panel for managing all of the users, and tournaments;

- The user interface, that encapsulates all of the major features of the software: Start/End tournaments, upload results, connects with the “reader device”;

- Tournament table, which shows all of the user results live. Ralabs were responsible for building all of the parts, including business research, Software development, IoT, UI/UX design, CI/CD, and deployment.

What was the team composition?

Ralabs provided five teammates for this project: Software Engineer, Solution Architect, Manual and Automation QA, Project Manager, and DevOps/SA.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product allowed us to close many deals during the last two conferences we had. Also, it spawned interest in the industry to our software, and currently, we are working on packaging this to sell as a product to other businesses similar to XEMA. So the business impact was enormous because it created a new line of business for our company.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team used SCRUM. I must say, that everything was just spotless.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were all willing to help. Each time we required help during the evening or even times over the weekend, the Ralabs team was there for us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None! All good as it is!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a UX designer and also the CCO of Talck. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ralabs?

We thought of a concept that would give housing corporations and their tenants better communication between one another. Our team needed to develop a platform that would realize our concept.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I designed the whole platform, and we wrote technical documentation together. Then, we had two sessions to determine the best approach for developing the app. That allowed us to figure out what kind of timeline and staffing would be appropriate. Eventually, we chose a technical direction. From there, they took on all the development work for the solution. They used Ruby on Rails on the backend as well as React and Angular on the frontend.  

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager, a frontend developer, a backend developer, a DevOps developer, and another resource. They weren’t all full-time, but we did have five of their team members assigned to the work. 

How did you come to work with Ralabs?

I’d worked with their team in the past and had a great experience with them. Initially, I met them at a conference. They were kind and professional, and I appreciated our chats. We sent out proposals to multiple agencies to see what ideas they had for the work.

They were easily the winner due to their professionalism, willingness to think ahead, and their affordable price points. After selecting them the first time, we had a great collaboration. I never thought about hiring anyone else for the work.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We collaborated from January–November 2019.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re running a pilot test with one client and 1,000 houses. The solution is fully-functioning, and both parties are using it for communication. We haven’t had any issues—it’s working flawlessly and as expected.  

How did Ralabs perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always standing by to help us. We planned the project in Excel and worked closely with them to make sure we were both on the same page. Sometimes deadlines weren’t hit, but everything we needed was there on time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re always pushing us to improve the product. We can take comfort in knowing that they won’t be building the solution blindly because they’re always asking the right questions. They think along with me to ensure that the quality is high. Their technical approach is also well-developed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes deadlines weren’t made. Although they always clearly communicated when this was going to be the case, it would be nice to have clearer estimates at the beginning of a project. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CTO and WorkAround Online, a company that organizes a workforce to work on massive micro task projects with web software

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ralabs?

Ralabs built us a system to enable workers to upload documents for identification and administrators to pay workers through a variety of payment systems, e.g. Paypal, Transferwise etc.

What were your goals for this project?

Entire web frontend and backend with multiple third-party integrations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met Ralabs at a conference and liked their approach to building projects, which is built on the best modern standards and efficient minimal project management strategies. I compared them with 3-5 other vendors.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Built an entire web frontend for workers to:

• upload documents
• view payment history
• request payment and approval from a variety of payment sources

They also constructed an administrator panel with controls for approving payments and identification from workers. They then built a backend with an API including a Postgres Database schema. The backend had many complex state machines which were cleanly defined and implemented. They integrated with our deployment scheme and built into our Auth0 authentication system. There were many difficult state machines

What was the team composition?

One project manager and one senior full-stack developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system has saved us several months of internal development and eliminated the need for hundreds of manual payments via Paypal, Transferwise and Bill.com monthly. This is projected to save us 40 man-hours internally every month.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was extremely effective- we knew what was going on every day of the project and there were very few minor miscommunications which were mostly due to third-party vendors.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We've already performed maintenance on the codebase we were provided and were impressed at how easy it was to modify, work with or extend. Ralabs can be trusted with writing good, maintainable code that follows best practices. I was pretty worried about this going in so we're very happy at the outcome. They made MANY last minute changes as we were preparing to deploy without any schedule change which was very appreciated.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the head of digital at Hromadske.ua, the largest and most popular social network and nonprofit online media platform in Ukraine. We create independent television and radio broadcasts and have two million monthly active users. In 2014, we started broadcasting internationally to highlight news about Ukraine for an English-speaking audience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ralabs?

Since the website is the entry point to our business, it's crucial for it to be scalable and have a high-quality UI/UX. We needed an experienced, energetic, proactive team for full-stack software development, technical support, and maintenance. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to improve our metrics, particularly user retention, and reduce infrastructure support costs. We had a limited AWS budget, so we asked them to build and optimize the infrastructure based on the high-end costs. Like other media, our user traffic is irregular. Everything needed to work smoothly, regardless of whether we have 100 or one million unique users.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through an open tender. During the final round, we chose Relabs from several award-winning agencies. We decided to work with them because we were on the same page and got along well. After a few meetings, we trusted their expertise in digital innovation.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Ralabs completely rebuilt our infrastructure, website, management panel, cloud WYSIWYG editor, and UX. We used Next.js, React, Node.js, AWS, and Kubernetes to develop all the features.

During a UX discovery phase, they built personas, prepared analytics, and created an AWS infrastructure that could handle our irregular load. We used an agile approach to release features iteratively. Eventually, they stored images and migrated content from AWS S3.

What was the team composition?

Initially, the CTO and CEO gathered requirements and prepared our feature backlog. We started with two software engineers. When we reached the development stage, we added seven engineers, one project manager, and a few QA engineers to produce a high-tech outcome. The team also included part-time DevOps engineers for deployments, configurations, and other elements of the release process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project boosted the speed and performance of our website significantly. We improved user retention, decreased our bounce rate, and increased the time visitors spend on the site. We also reduced the cost of our AWS infrastructure and the time that our journalists spend managing the site.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicated through Slack and Jira and followed the Scrum methodology, focusing on the product backlog. We hosted the first few meetings in our office, after which I visited their headquarters several times. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team was extremely smart, intelligent, dedicated, and professional. On the release date, they worked crazy overtime, delivering everything on time and fully functional.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We had some issues planning the processes and dividing tasks, but Ralabs solved them effectively. We successfully built and released an MVP to verify their technical approach, but it would have saved time to test everything before starting development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Skytango, a cloud-based operations platform. We provide compliance services for pilots, their customers, and the cities and landowners the drones fly over.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ralabs?

We needed a team to take over the development of our backend database. A previous team left us with an unstable product that needed improvement. We also wanted them to build an AI process for litter detection, and a mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to streamline our current development and have a mobile app that enabled pilots to connect their workflows to relevant data. We also wanted to deploy a complete AI system to identify litter in the air.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Ralabs was recommended to us by our investors.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed a path to cover the issues our previous developers left us with. They began by stabilizing our platform and fixed problems with our critical systems. They implemented UX/UI features and performed backend development across our Google accounts, AWS, and other platforms.

What was the team composition?

Ralabs provided four teammates for the project, each with a different area of expertise.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work Ralabs provided had a positive impact on our platform and overall business process. They found the right places to rebuild from our previous developers and the final product is stable.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The Ralabs team was easy to work with and managed our expectations well. They met every deadline for each sprint and managed the project fantastically. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They get the work done efficiently and professionally. Additionally, the value they offer is impressive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of engineering at a health-tech platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ralabs?

Ralabs provides a talented and vetted engineering team to assist with the development of our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ralabs has primarily worked with the MERN stack, which includes MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. Additionally, we’ve had some native development using Meteor and Koa. Working with Ralabs has been convenient for when we have one-off DevOps or design tasks, and they’re able to provide the appropriate resources for a week or two. That saves us from having full-time DevOps or design personnel.

What is the team composition?

Ralabs has provided as many as four or five developers at one time. Andrew (CEO, Ralabs) is usually involved as well because he’s well-versed in the technical components.

How did you come to work with Ralabs?

Although I don’t remember how we initially found each other, the reason we’ve stuck with them is that their communication style suits us well. Ralabs navigates the time difference between California and Ukraine with ease. They try to overlap their days with ours as much as they can.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $60,000–$65,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked on an ongoing basis since 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve worked with a lot of development shops in the past, and I even used to have my own. I’ve rarely seen a development shop that produces the type of quality that Ralabs is capable of. They’ve been a thoroughly reliable and transparent partner.

How did Ralabs perform from a project management standpoint?

We have both been guilty of the occasional missed deadline, but Ralabs always takes the appropriate steps to correct course regardless of where a mistake came from. I’ve been very happy with their approach to solving all of our problems. They are also experienced with agile methodologies, which fits well with our workflow, and they have been flexible in communicating through Slack, WhatsApp, or Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They execute the work well, but some steps come before the execution as far as the planning and the design where Ralabs provides useful insight as well. It’s been valuable to work with their CEO, who is familiar with the product development process and has a sound technological background. Overall, the team produces high-quality code with these newer stacks. I’ve recommended them to multiple friends already, and it sounds like they’re working well for them also.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. In my experience of working with and vetting so many different development shops, I’ve come to learn fairly quickly if they’re a good fit. I wouldn’t have been using Ralabs for two years if they weren’t phenomenal.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder of Foodies.com. Our platform is a social food community that helps users discover restaurants and recipes through connections.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ralabs?

We needed to update the platform with bug fixes and performance improvements.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a stable platform to support our users.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had been looking for a reliable and affordable development partner for a while. Another company recommended we contact Ralabs. After speaking with their team, we ultimately chose to work with them based on their experience, communication skills, and enthusiasm for our project.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Our primary focus was to improve the platform’s performance. Ralabs performed several bug fixes and implemented a few minor changes to the site’s UX.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a team of three developers and the CTO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website’s speed significantly increased. Additionally, our platform is stable enough to support new users.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Ralabs’ communication was excellent. We scheduled a Skype call every morning to discuss progress from the previous day and set a plan for the rest of that day. If we needed a quick response, we reached out via Slack and we tracked the project through Trello. The development team submitted their problem reports (PRs) using GitHub.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Having worked with a lot of offshore developers, I know that communication is key to a successful partnership. Only through good communication a mutual understanding of the requirements can the goal be achieved. The Ralabs team knew this and approached the project with ambition. We appreciated their drive to complete tasks with the utmost efficiency.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing manager at CAPinside. We specialize in the marketing and sales of capital investments in the B2B industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ralabs?

We needed a standalone cache to combine our MailChimp account and Klipfolio platform into a real-time business dashboard.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a functioning, clean, and fast cache to increase the speed and stability of our data processing in Klipfolio.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After screening a few outsourced software developers, we found Ralabs to be the best fit for our project.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

First, the Ralabs team listened to our needs and requirements, then they did extensive research to determine proof of concept. The team developed a high-performing and neat cache to support our MailChimp activity and data processing elements in Klipfolio.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ralabs’ cache is faster and more accessible than our previous iteration. We are now more confident and efficient in handling our data. They prioritized our unique needs order to produce optimum results.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team was very attentive to detail in both the planning and development processes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their collaboration skills helped create a great piece of software.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of Qwobble, a platform where professionals can find other professionals and receive feedback. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ralabs?

We needed help in custom software development and needed technical advice for the platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to a create a platform on which users can find each other and a beta product we could expand later. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met Ralabs at a conference. I chose them because of their good technical knowledge and professional appearance/workflow. 

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They started with a discovery period and gathered our user stories and technical requirements. They then created a stable and scalable networking platform and fine-tuned the UX.

What was the team composition?

We worked with their developers and CEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our platform has gone live and is in its beta stages. We are now set to start further testing and growing our product. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used Trello as a Kanban board to track work and deadlines. They had weekly and daily reviews with our CTO. Their team worked closely with us and communicated frequently during the whole project. 

​​​​​​What did you find most impressive about this company?

They listen to your feedback and work along with you. They have fun doing their work. 

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I can't think of anything to improve at the moment.