Rubyroid Labs

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of an automotive based B2B company that assists in inventory management and acquisition.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

As a startup entering a new market, we needed a ground-up build to an MVP. Having no previous foundation to build upon, we needed a developer that was patient and capable enough to produce a new product with quality.

SOLUTION

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

We found Rubyroid after thorough research through multiple online reviewers. We had three other companies that we interviewed for the project and Rubyroid provided the most promising interview we conducted. We needed a capable partner that was also budget conscious for our project.

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

We started with a two-week interview process that provided a full scope and flow of what the project would be and what costs would be incurred. This proved to be essential as we were largely able to root out what was absolutely necessary up front and what could be left for future versions so as to stay within the startup budget. Once approved, their team went immediately to work on building the structure of the site while concurrently working on design and flow so as to expedite the project. Crucial throughout the process was their ability to adjust, add, and modify on the fly. As there wasn't anything to go off of at the start, multiple changes were made throughout, such as adding in notification functions and providing additional product details from inventory feeds. The team was phenomenal at setting reasonable expectations at each step for both time and cost.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were four team members that we worked consistently with on the project, including a project manager, designer, senior developer, and QA specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've only just begun to be able to utilize the project as the ongoing shortage of inventory following the COVID shutdown as limited our pool of potential clients. This said, we've been able to at least have the ability to further test and verify the business model thanks to the quality of the project we've been given.

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

The project management was excellent. Using Google Meet and Slack, we were always able to achieve excellent communication through video and audio calls, and they did so with respect to the time differences between us. Perhaps most important of all, they set clear expectations at every point of communication. They never set a deadline they couldn't keep and were very consistent at keeping to their cost estimations.

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

We came in with concerns about getting the project done in a timely manner and being able to have effective communication to express what we needed done, especially with a seven-hour time difference between us. Their team was expertly patient with us to make sure they understood our needs, never overpromised what could be done, and they worked around our schedule through every step so that we could have effective communication throughout.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital director for i-Motor, and we provide web development services to the automotive industry. We manage about 2,000 websites, and our business is based in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, with about 45 staff members.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rubyroid Labs?

We had a headless CMS that was part of our core website architecture, and we needed help in app development. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged Rubyroid Labs to help us with Ruby on Rails development, their core expertise. First, they audited our code, and we briefed them about the required tasks. They then suggested a team structure to address the project. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with the company’s principal, an account manager, a project manager, some developers, and some testers. 

How did you come to work with Rubyroid Labs?

I researched for available service providers, and we met with each of them to discuss technical approaches and engagement models. After going through the same discovery process with three other vendors, we chose Rubyroid Labs. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $200,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July 2021–March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Rubyroid Labs completed the project very satisfactorily. They didn’t just deliver the work that we asked them to do, they also refactored and remediated a lot of the existing codebase. Their efforts were extremely successful — we had a completed and improved app. We were delighted with their work. 

How did Rubyroid Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Rubyroid Labs’ communication was excellent, and their scheduling was fine. We operated on weekly sprints and had weekly stand-up meetings and 1–2 additional conferences. Their availability and communication were good. 

Rubyroid Labs was flexible to our time zone, which was important for us — the start of their day was our day’s end, but that was managed quite well. They did all of their communication and transactions in English, which was important to us because we were in Australia. We collaborated using Zoom, Basecamp, GitHub, and Slack, but we didn’t use email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There was a scarcity of Ruby on Rails talents in Australia, and I was impressed that Rubyroid Labs had precisely the people we needed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They are experts on Ruby on Rails, and they work efficiently using that tool. However, our team becomes more efficient if we go out of that lane and work on JavaScript or API tasks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The quality of the work you get is proportional to your brief and communication quality. You need to have a regular cadence of communication and be clear with what you ask. Otherwise, you might face challenges.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the product manager of a legaltech workflow automation tool in the intellectual property space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Rubyroid Labs offered to do a code review for our application and write a report.

SOLUTION

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

We have approached Rubyroid Labs to explore a collaboration.

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

The code review was undertaken by one of Rubyroid Labs co-founders / CTO. The review was delivered in a report and an online meeting where we went through each aspect.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The code review was very useful. We could take several action items out of the review which were later implemented.

Our developer team really appreciated the feedback, over all, Rubyroid Labs found that we have a great application with a really good overall score, but they also identified some critical tech debt and recommendations for minor adjustments in the pull request process to increase the quality of shipped features.

I was impressed with the depth and scope of the report and I believe nothing more could have been expected. Thank you!

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

Pavel, BDR was very good at coordinating the process and very helpful in every aspect imagineable.

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

They are kind people with a high level of expertise.

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

Run the report through Grammarly =)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CEO of a SaaS: Vinosmith a wine wholesale industry specific software. We are constantly adding new development to our online platform, updates and additional features

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed a mid-level developer to come in and clean up a large list of pending projects, all over the platform. We had more dev work than our in-house team could handle.

SOLUTION

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

We found them through a referral and after our first meeting with Alex, I could tell they were professional and knew about RoR

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

our developer Vlad worked on countless different projects throughout the platform including reporting, feature sets and designing new solutions for existing challenges

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had one addition to our standard team, he was a full-time RoR developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We released new features and updates faster than ever

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

Vlad fit perfectly into our team and joined our platforms of Trello, GitHub and Slack seamlessly. He immediately felt like one of the team.

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

The quality and attention to detail. They made sure we were really well taken care of, and delivered a perfect programmer for our team and for our companies needs.

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

nope, they were great!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of Yellow Systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We experienced a growth of clients, so we need to scale our development team. We have a challenge to develop a healthcare app for our client. Our main goal was to deliver a tool that would give patients and their loved ones a source of accurate information on the disease and possible treatment solutions. From the technical perspective, the tool needed to be lightweight, to load all the needed information in real-time, even if the user’s Internet connection is not the best.

SOLUTION

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

We did an internet search and stumbled upon Rubyroid. I scheduled a call with them, and since the first discussion, I knew they were the right partner for us.

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

We were able to create a complete user interface (preceded with a UX design phase), but also the entire brand system and brand guidelines. We developed a fully responsive Progressive Web Application, because this solution answered all of the project’s goals: it was lightweight, mobile-first and relatively cost-effective. The team built a custom diagram creator totally from scratch, so we can adjust every segment from the CMS level, without getting back into code.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1 UX/UI Designers, 2 Full-stack Developers, 1 Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their communication and management skills are outstanding. We have a pretty good relationship with them. The quality of work they deliver is of a high standard. Now we’re continuing working on this project with new features.

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

We’re working with them remotely. They’re the type of team that, if they don’t know something, they’ll find someone internally who does. Everybody supports everybody, so we get a lot more value than just having a team assigned to us. They have their own Redmine for our project, and we have a Slack workspace with them.

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

The quality of their work speaks for itself. It’s a given that we’re going to have good quality work, and it’s in their nature to help and make suggestions. They listen very well.

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

No, I have nothing negative to say.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is one of the leading turn-key security solution providers at Belarusian market with a huge distribution platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Company website was outdated and did not perform any selling functions. A decision to reform the company approach to its presence at the local market was made and we started to move towards an online-store platform with b2b personal accounts for customers.

SOLUTION

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

The contractor was recommended by a former employee of our company. Rubyroid Labs performs full-cycle development works since 2013 so we almost didn't hesitate to start a cooperation with them.

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

After assessment of the quality of our codebase, identification of the main errors together we defined goals and requirements in final solution development, developed detailed technical specifications based on our demand, features, Rubyroid Labs directly developed a product using Ruby on Rails with full involvement and passion of all performers at every stage. Meetings were held several times a week to monitor the development process accurately.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had several Ruby on Rails developers coordinated by the project manager. UI/UX designer and Technical Lead we also involved.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We started to process and receive inquiries via the new website three times more just half a year after its launch. Based on our reviews 80% of security design companies use our catalog as a part of their daily routine work.

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

All the necessary tools for communication in any conditions (online, offline) were available for us and therefore communication, interaction and addressing of all issues took place smoothly, efficiently, productively, and without any delays. All technical details were provided in easy language, all the questions were always answered and explained. Even alternative solutions were offered with motivated grounds of such suggestions so this only contributed to a trusted win-win communication style.

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

Rubyroid Labs showed a genuine passion for the process and the end result. Their employees did not just fulfill our various ideas but if necessary offered other solutions with clear explanations.

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

There's nothing to complain about so the only area to improve for Rubyroid Labs is to expand their staff in order to increase their performance.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a women focused online marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website was created by another development company but had a lot of bugs. Since we were not happy with the first company we started searching for another partner. After several calls we choose for Rubyroid Labs. Their communication and advice was outstanding. They helped us with lots of improvements like (partial) redesign of the front end and back end, sitespeed imrpovement en SEO improvement.

SOLUTION

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

We had an interview with 5 new companies and after reviewing the pitches and the communication we choose RubyRoid labs. They replied quickly, came with their own ideas and suggestions.

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

I had a kick of meeting with one of the account managers who then discussed the scope with the CTO. He analysed the current website and wrote a report to explain his thoughts. Then I got a proposal of the tasks and the time estimate. After mailing back and forth 2 times we came to an agreement and I was assigned to a team. They worked with ruby on rails, spree, google tag manager, google page speed, Github and Gitlab.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked with a team of 4 people. A project manager, 2 developers and a technical lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site speed increased enormously. The product upload has improved as well. The website is now fully optimized for mobile and has better usability.

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

Daily updates on Slack and 2 times per week a call. I couldn't be happier with their project management. This is the best company I've worked with so far.

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

their open en straight communication. The different project they have worked on and the knowledge that they have.

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

No, I'm really satisfied!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm CEO of a marketing agency focused on the tech industry. We serve clients across the globe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Since we are working in a relatively new industry — the tech industry — we had very specific marketing and sales workflows that no off-the-shelf CRM could cover.

So we needed a team that could develop a custom CRM for us while dealing with lots of uncertainty on our end, such as, for example, us not being able to come up with exact requirements since many potential workflows we thought we needed had to be tested in real-world situations first, before implementing them.

SOLUTION

How did you select Rubyroid Labs and what were the deciding factors?

Someone from my network recommended Rubyroid Labs. We had a discovery meeting in their office. What we found there was a very vibrant team that spoke our language, and we clicked. Of course, we thoroughly studied their completed CRM development projects, too; a number of them were quite similar to what we were looking for. So we took it from there.

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

They did extensive discovery and BA first. Then they came up with wireframes for us to see if we are moving in the right direction in terms of the design and UX and so we could course-correct, if needed, until it's too late.

Ultimately, they did implementation and integration with the other marketing tools we use. The project is still ongoing as we rolled out an MVP and now are testing it heavily to share further requirements.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

On their team, there were a PM, a designer and three senior developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the key achievements was that the project was delivered on time. We are now actively using the MVP of our CRM to test our hypotheses, see what works and what doesn't, and actually serve our clients.

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

The Rubyroid Labs team joined our collaboration space in ClickUp and set up the work environment there, including all the docs and boards we needed to smoothly communicate throughout the project. They also introduced a very energetic PM, who did their best to make sure our team can track the progress as well as provide feedback in a timely manner.

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

I think it's how they deal with challenges and screw-ups. They would always take responsibility for fixing things.

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

Not that I could think of anything at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a B2B SaaS provider and we focus on making compliance as easy as it can possibly be for our customers, typically in the 100 to 2,500 person range. Our award-winning product in-market at present makes GDPR super simple. We are Cyber Essentials Plus and we are pen tested, we integrate vulnerability and security scanning into our stack etc so we're quite full-on for an early stage company, but we have to be given our business, our demanding customers and our growth plans - we're demanding too! I'm the Founder & CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Rubyroid Labs?

As above, we and our customers are very demanding, so we're always looking to improve the CIA trinity. We were looking for a Ruby expert house to carry out an independent review of our code.

What were your goals for this project?

As part of our continual improvement, we wanted an arms-length professional view of our code to give comfort on where we're doing well and highlight areas for improvement.

SOLUTION

How did you select Rubyroid Labs?

We were introduced to Rubyroid by a mutual contact. We were impressed by their projects, their skills and their communications.

Describe the project in detail.

Rubyroid carried out a code review of our application, producing a very professional and clear report with a good balance of visuals and detailed feedback.

What was the team composition?

Senior Engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were delighted with the quality of the report and Rubyroids approach. Happily, the report was very positive and only highlighted a few minor areas for us to improve. This was as we expected given our continual review process, but a very welcome confirmation.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Perfect.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Very timely communications, polite, informative, not pushy. We carried out the code review in a very secure and light-touch manner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None spring to mind, great team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder and CTO of a B2B application, specializing in the apparel and active lifestyle segments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Rubyroid Labs?

I ran a short term project to get a full code review and security audit of our application.

What were your goals for this project?

I was after an honest review and feedback from an independent organisation.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was introduced to Rubyroid Labs via a friend who runs a business running on the same tech stack as ours. I approached the team at Rubyroid Labs, as well as a couple of other development companies I had found online. Based on interviews/discussions I settled with Rubyroid Labs as they seemed the most professional and knowledgable of the companies I approached.

Describe the project in detail.

A deep-dive was done into the code, architecture and security of our application. Detailed reports were provided with corresponding walkthroughs and discussions.

What was the team composition?

One senior developer and a SME with knowledge of our application domain.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

You know how when you stare at something for a long time it can become a blur? Our relationship with our application had become a bit like that. To have a fresh set of (knowledgeable and experienced) eyes looking at it, was amazing. An idea here, a tip there, the odd "why did you do it that way", were all beneficial and gave us a new focus on our application. It was also comforting to know where we were doing things right!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Awesome communication. Embarrassingly, I only speak English and their English is superb. The reports provided were accurate and detailed. Written and in-person (video conference) meetings were great.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with their knowledge and skills and their ability to translate this into meaningful results. While (thankfully) the results of this engagement were fairly good for our application, there were a few recommendations and suggestions made which we took on board. These have made all the difference.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None. The results I received were exactly what I was after.