Sigma Software Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering at an advertising company. Our division is responsible for building ad technology platforms, and we’re building a new product for the firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software Group?

Sigma is helping us fill our development team for our new advertising platform. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work with Sigma developers on a staff augmentation basis. Their resources use C#, .NET, SQL Server, Python, and MongoDB, among others. On the frontend, they use React.js and GraphQL. Moreover, they’re not responsible for doing design work, but they do contribute to our design tasks. 

In terms of functionality, the new platform allows our customers to manage their advertising campaigns both within our network and in the digital space. Users can manage their campaign budgets and target specific audiences through the platform.

What is the team composition?

I work with around 20 developers from Sigma, along with their project manager. 

How did you come to work with Sigma Software Group?

The hiring process happened before my time in the company. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested over $1 million CAD (approximately $780,000 USD) in the partnership.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in January 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sigma delivers high-quality work. They do a good job of screening their resources; the people they put forward are generally well-qualified for the project. 

How did Sigma Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

The team falls under our project management scope, so they don’t do too much management on their own — they’re essentially a member of our team. Nonetheless, they’re responsive when we give them deadlines. 

In terms of tools, we use virtual meetings via Teams. We also use the Azure Boards, which is the Azure counterpart of Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sigma is highly responsive to customers, and they’re proactive in managing our relationship. I’m always in the loop if there are any personnel changes that need to happen. Overall, our communication with them is great; they’re transparent and open. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. Our engagement has been a good experience. In fact, their Ukraine team has been able to work through the project despite the Russian Invasion. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to speak with the resources they hire. Sigma handles the screening process, but it’s good to speak with the individuals they consider to ensure they have a good personal and technical fit for your team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of engineering at SkyKick. We develop software for IT service providers, and we currently have three products. The first product deals with migrating email from on-prem to the cloud, while the second does the backup of cloud services, specifically regarding Microsoft. Our third product is for IT administrators to manage all SaaS environments under one roof. I'm responsible for our remote development teams. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software Group?

We were trying to scale our development organization. We had only used internal full-time employees for the course of our history. However, with much interest and pressure to get more features out the door, we wanted to scale our operations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sigma Software is currently working on all three of our products. We have seven engineering teams from their end doing various tasks, including new feature development and sustained engineering and maintenance. They do full stack engineering, so they work on both the back- and the frontend. Since we're a Microsoft-focused company, the teams use SQL, Azure, JavaScript, and anything related to Microsoft technology. 

What is the team composition?

I work with an account team that includes a project management lead, a New York-based account manager, and a Ukraine-based engineering director. The account team oversees billing, recruitment, and personnel issues. 

On a delivery level, each team has a project manager, a development manager, and automation testers. We started with four people, and now we have over 40 people from Sigma Software in our teams. 

How did you come to work with Sigma Software Group?

I was focused on working with a Ukrainian-based firm because I've worked with others and really relied on them. I got 3–4 referrals and went through a selection process. I assessed several factors, including account management, hiring and finding resources quickly, technical competency, and how their development processes coincided with ours. I did a rating system across the four companies I talked to, and Sigma Software came out on top. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $4 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Account engagement is very important when working with an outsourced firm. Sigma Software's account team has been fantastic, and their transparent communication has been critical to the project. Meanwhile, their developers are also highly engaged. We have daily standups, and the team's participation, communication, and collaboration rate are super high from an engineering standpoint. 

We also look at velocity and completed work in throughput, and the teams have helped us release a ton of software and new features throughout our engagement. From an output measurement standpoint, Sigma Software is a super high performer. The team's software quality is also critical; they're not just cranking out new features without concern for quality. We see this in the results because we don't have code-red situations in production, and we've had very few customer-reported issues. Sigma Software really focuses on hitting the high-quality bar.

How did Sigma Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They're good at project management. The teams have integrated our approach to building software, easily adapting to our process and tools. We use Scrum methodology and Kanban depending on the project, and they're steeped in that — even the junior engineers are well-versed in those processes. Their project managers measure our progress and keep track of risks and issues for us. 

Azure DevOps is our project management tool. We meet with the account team on a monthly basis to do a business review. In terms of communication, we use Microsoft Teams for all of our daily standups and meetings, Slack for developers to ask questions, and emails only occasionally. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sigma Software's transparency distinguishes them. They're also fully integrated into our environment — they feel like part of our team and not a separate entity. Additionally, they're awesome people, and they do a really good job of managing turnover. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of their hiring processes, such as making sure we get candidates on time, have been challenging for us. However, the market has been tough due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, so that's not a criticism. Overall, I'm super satisfied with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to treat Sigma Software as you would an internal development team. If you're a company supplementing your team, integrate them into your processes, team frameworks, and company culture. You'll make Sigma Software feel bought in, trusted, and valued, and that's the best thing you can do. For us, this approach has kept our turnover low; we have people who have been on our team for the entirety of our engagement, which is great. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I requested this app be developed for my own, personal interest.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I hired Sigma Software to develop an app for use outdoors by dogwalkers, outdoorsmen and -women, hunters, hikers, etc. My goals were to create a simple, functional app with an old-fashioned, encyclopedia-esque layout.

SOLUTION

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

I selected Sigma Software because they were very responsive to my emails and thorough in their questions on what I wanted.

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

We had a series of meetings to discuss what information the user would send to an app, what the app would look like (how many panels were necessary), images, how the user would interact with the app (who the target audience was etc.)

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

Multiple app developers worked with me, including a manager and internal app developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has been downloaded thousands of times since its launch in May 2021 and currently has a 4 star rating on the Apple store.

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

Their project management style was up-front, honest, and diligent. Questions were thorough and I was regularly asked for feedback. I was always kept in the loop on versions and updates and it was all very transparent. Their project management style was excellent.

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

I found the communication readiness and honesty most impressive about Sigma Software.

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

Not at all -- Sigma Software developers Igor, Anatoliy and Anton should be promoted! Haha

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CPO and Co-founder of NewGlue - a design platform helping small businesses to get a professional brand and several simple tools to design website and content at an affordable cost.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for a partner abroad to help us build a first version for NewGlue's logo marketplace to help us raise additional funding. Once we found Sigma we knew we had a longterm partner. We have continued to work with Sigma for almost 4 years now, and Sigma has been an incredibly valuable partner for us as we have continued to expand the product, conceptually, technically and business-wise.

SOLUTION

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

We met with 3 different companies in Ukraine and Polen. All gave good pitches, but we chose Sigma as they gave the best presentation, and came with strong reviews from other companies in the tech-sector in Stockholm.

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

Sigma has built the entire foundation of NewGlue's logo marketplace and logo generator, allowing us to create professional logos and presenting them automatically in mockups as well as generating logo files, color palettes and other style kit assets.

The system is built in Rails. The new tools are built inhouse by our team in Stockholm and in Angular, but the foundation remains and we continue working with Sigma as a trusted longterm partner.

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

We have worked longterm with backend-developers and Account Manager. Over the years, we have had a few Project Managers and frontend developers. In total, we estimate it to be around 10 people from Sigma.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Deliveries have mostly been on time, and always well documented and developed. Sigma team is always very professional and understanding to a startup's position. We are very grateful for the professionalism and flexibility that Sigma has shown us over the years.

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

Sigma works very structured and organised with Jira and general reporting on time spent, estimates and costs. We are very happy and satisfied with the transparency and communication.

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

Sigma has not only been very professional and shown good quality in the technologies they develop, but most impressive has been the flexibility they have shown us over the years. We did not expect a big company that normally works with large corporations to show as much attention and care as they have done with us.

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

It would have been ideal if there were more developers available when needed, but our financial situation has been very up and down over the years so we are just happy and grateful that Sigma has worked hard to find inhouse developers for us even though it's often been with short notice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a property technology firm that deploys hardware within a building to monitor and control the mechanical systems in the buildings, ranging from heating systems to cooling systems. We have a software component as well, which is a cloud-based platform that allows us to monitor and control these systems.

I spearhead the technology — both hardware and software — as a whole. This requires site visits to understand the buildings’ existing systems and how our hardware and software solutions can be applied most effectively.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software?

We engaged them initially to design and develop and our website. They were extremely talented during that project, so we expanded the engagement to initiate the design phase of our software platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

On the design side, the work started with us describing our inspiration for the site and application, and then they came back with wireframes. We provided feedback and gave them further direction about how to proceed. Moving forward, we played around with color pallets and brainstorm icons and widgets to better understand how to brand ourselves, both on the website and the software platform. We wanted to keep the look consistent throughout our products. Finally, we handed the work off from the UI team to the development team. That process went smoothly and allowed us to be fairly hands-off; their design resources passed on all relevant information to the development team members.

Development is ongoing. Currently, we’re evaluating potential technology stacks for the cloud platform. Our website is going to be supported by a custom WordPress theme.

What is the team composition?

There are two different teams within Sigma Software, one for each project. The website team is comprised of four individuals, each with a specific skill set, including layout, illustration, design, and project management. Regarding the software platform team, there are only two individuals, both of whom work full-time. They’ve excelled at expanding upon our ideas without requiring us to go into granular details with them.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software?

A local friend of ours recommended them. We had a few introductory meetings with Sigma Software to make sure they were fully competent to take on our projects. Their background and work history vouched for them, and the case studies they provided directly related to our goals.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$15,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had meetings with stakeholders to gain their feedback on what we’ve been designing, and it’s been great. People have been blown away to this point, and they’re eager for both projects to be finished and fully usable.

How did Sigma Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate over Discord. It has a very organized layout, with the ability to create different channels that apply to specific tasks, like pages on our website or our software platform. This way, we don’t have just one email thread or chat for our massive project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sigma Software is a large company, but it doesn’t feel that way while we’re engaged with them. Their size gives them experience, allowing them to pull resources from different areas of their organization. For example, when we wanted custom icons and animations on the website, they pulled in a resource that specializes in that area. The designer on our website team brought the new member up to speed in terms of what we needed. This separates Sigma Software from anyone we’ve engaged with before. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve been good so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice isn’t specific to Sigma Software, but if you’re engaging with a design or development team, it’s important to understand what you’re looking for. A bit of inspiration is all you need — you don’t need to understand everything. Companies like Sigma Software can take that inspiration and expand on it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief product officer of the ed-tech company Mindvalley.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software?

For the longest time, we've been average Facebook as a social network presence for community-based learning. Students would take courses through our mobile app, but they would use Facebook groups for the community aspect.

In the two years prior to this project, we’d started to hear customers grumble and complain, saying that they were unhappy with Facebook. We decided to build our own social platform in 2019, and that’s where Sigma Software came in.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Sigma Software to build an MVP social network mobile app. They provided project management and development teams for Android, iOS, and the backend. We had our own UI/UX designers.

Everything was built from scratch, using no legacy code or libraries. Our only criterion was to build the backend on Elixir, which is a bit of a bleeding-edge technology. Our CTO has given the direction to move our overall stack to Elixir.

Our goal was to get feature parity with what a social platform should be. People can make posts and comments, organize or host events, add friends, and so on.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with one iOS, one Android, and one backend developer, one QA tester, one solution architect, and one project manager. There were also one DevOps person and one solution architect, who came in when required.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software?

They came recommended by our previous project manager. She was from Ukraine and quite connected to the startup scene there. Sigma Software was already with the company when I joined earlier this year. We were midway through the project by then. Working with them, I can see why we picked Sigma Software.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Sigma Software in May 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure the success of the project based on a set of deliverables. We operate on a scrum-based project management. We agree on certain deliverables at the beginning of every sprint. Sigma Software delivers everything they commit to. The aim over the last one and a half years has been getting predictability, and they’ve done their job very well.

Even though the app started out with just the basic functionalities of a social platform, we’ve started giving it our own twist over the past year, related to education. To that end, Sigma Software has brought their own creative contributions.

How did Sigma Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Most vendors will struggle with also providing the innovation and creative input of a proper agile team, beyond just delivering output. There’s always going to be a conflict, where their account manager will try to have us plan what we should deliver over the whole year, then use that as a benchmark, to see whether we delivered on the project or not, but agile doesn’t really work that way.

We will change our plans as we build each iteration, so there’s always a bit of a conflict between their account manager and our project manager. We’ve gained a lot more trust in each other moving forward, so both parties are generally happy with the working relationship.

We’re on the Atlassian platform, so we use Jira and Confluence. We use Slack extensively for work communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This is impressive as well as a frustration: at the beginning of some sprints, we’ll bring in last-minute, complex problems for them to solve. That’s usually when the agency/project management side kicks in. They’ll tell us that they don’t think they can do it. They don’t want to overcommit, but they’ll usually tell us by the end of the sprint that they’ve secretly finished all the things we wanted them to do.

We’re happy about that, but it’s not good from a product management and agile practice point of view, because it means losing a bit of predictability. It creates a bit of a bad habit with the upstream stakeholders, in that they’ll think that Sigma Software can deliver more than they say they can.

The agile coaches and scrum masters on our side are happy with what Sigma Software Software is delivering, but, from an agile practice point of view, they say that it’s not a good thing to encourage.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Coming back to my earlier point, it would’ve been better if they had more experienced scrum masters that could coach the development team to aim for predictability rather than being heroes every other sprint. Had I kickstarted this project, I would’ve probably asked Sigma to hire a scrum master for this purpose.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d advise them to hire a scrum master.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I´m head of development on a tech company focusing on delivering payment solutions for smaller companies as well as enterprises

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Sigma offers the great flexibility in terms of available resource types which is great for a relatively small company as ourself. We cannot afford to have all disciplines by ourself. But we can afford Sigma. Also, Sigma offers high professional treatment and highly skilled co-workers.

SOLUTION

How did you select Sigma Software and what were the deciding factors?

I had previous experience from last work place with Sigma. And after interviewing a couple of other offshore companies the decision still fell on Sigma to be our choosen supplier.

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

We have had everything from UI designer involved for solving mockups of order application. To experienced developer pinpointing maintenance and performance issues in SQL Server and Windows server environments.

Right now we mostly use quality assurance and DevOps services.

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

Account owner and project manager are primary contacts that concerns high level plans and making sure that everything goes according to plan. Quality assurance is mostly involved in discussions relating to day-to-day work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

More product releases in shorter time frame! From on release in 6 months. To once every 2:nd week.

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

We use Jira and Confluence for planing and information gathering purpose. Daily stand-ups with team and QA. Also weely meeting with PM. And monthly meeting with account owner.

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

We feel that Sigma is part of our company. This is due to the way that collaboration is made funny and engaging for everyone within the team.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of PROCURE Alliance, a cancer foundation that helps men with prostate cancer and their families to obtain information, find support, and invest in research.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software?

With the COVID-19 situation, we weren't able to have fundraising events where people could mingle in person. The challenge was to have a cycling fundraiser where participants can be virtually together without being physically together. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I came up with an idea for an app that would allow us to host virtual cycling fundraisers. At first, we presented our idea to Sigma Software through a PowerPoint. We wanted to have an app that was similar to Strava in time for our event in September. Having our own app enabled us to aggregate fundraising information and kilometers cycled in one solution.

Sigma Software really grasped our idea after that. They came up with a super simple app that was slick digitally and in-line with what we do. Their solution helped bring virtual challenges for all the cyclists. Above all, it was available on both Android and iOS. 

What is the team composition?

There were 6–7 people I worked with directly which included designers, developers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software?

With my background, I have a couple of contacts and have a broad network. I contacted them and they suggested two companies including Sigma Software. It wasn’t only a monetary investment but a people investment and that made me feel really comfortable.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s really inexpensive. We spent $10,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Sigma Software from June–September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The virtual challenge was really part of the company’s success this year. The apps launched at the beginning of September, and we raised over $360 more per participant. Additionally, hosting a virtual event through the app made people feel like they were taking charge of something. They weren't just fundraising for the sake of fundraising.

How did Sigma Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided great support. We had meetings twice a week, and the team’s interaction was awesome. They were never in panic mode. Whenever we brought up some issues with the software, Sigma Software handled it quickly.

I was quite impressed with them. That’s why we sent them a gift—I felt they were working with me and not just working for me. The interaction was great, and we really saw that they cared about our project as if it were their own cause.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sigma Software went beyond just providing an app. From the CEO to the developers and UI designers, I never felt like I had to convince them that this project was important to us. Even after the project was delivered, the project manager contacted me to ask about the status of our fundraising project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s hard to say if there’s anything they could have done better. For example, when we had issues getting the app in the App Store, they were able to solve that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want a specific project to be realized, you have to make your objectives clear. We came to the table with a clear objective and we collaborated with each other to come up with solutions. Sigma Software saw what we were trying to accomplish and they came up with a blueprint of what was going to be developed. 

Overall, I really felt we were aligned. Projects have a tendency to lag or to not realize what the user is expecting because this is not set up at the forefront.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the software development manager of LeoVegas. We’re a GameTech company providing a software platform for the online industry. I manage six development teams and five Sigma Software development teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sigma Software?

We had a hard time finding developers in Sweden. There’s a high demand for skilled front- and backend developers here. We needed help in order to be competitive, scale our company, and stay at the forefront of technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started a new team at Sigma Software to build a service that fulfilled regulatory requirements for responsible gaming. The requirements would synchronize accounts and other data types between different brands. We had to sync all of those brands in order to be compliant in different markets.

Our architects had a high-level understanding of what we wanted to do. We recruited five people from Sigma Software as well as their program managers who helped with the recruitment process. They offered 6–10 pre-vetted CVs for junior-, mid-, and senior-level developers, with pricing that varied accordingly.

Their developers worked with our architects on the high-level solution, and they came back with some suggestions to make it even better. We started building it from there.

We’ve expanded the collaboration since that project. There are currently two teams from Sigma Software that own core services in our platform, and we’re using three other teams from them for integration.

We’ve made the scaling of the teams work through a very streamlined onboarding process. We started with integrations of new third-party services, in order to avoid the need for long onboarding and domain knowledge.

As Sigma Software proved that they could deliver, they took on more and more services. The onboarding process now involves me telling them about the business of the company, after which Sigma Software’s developers will look at a prerecorded architecture run-through of our platform.

They’ll then sit down with the team and get to know the services and architecture of the product area they’ll be working on. They’ll start by setting up a Hello World project in our platform, including the deployment and monitorization of the task. That’s all done within the first two weeks, so it’s a really impressive process.

What is the team composition?

We started out with five developers, and we’ve grown to 22 at the moment, spanned over five different product areas in our company. There’s a team of three backend developers from Sigma that works on location with our team in Sweden.

How did you come to work with Sigma Software?

Sigma Software was recommended to us by our CTO, who’d worked with them at his previous company. We had a couple of interviews with them and discussed what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it. They had 20 years of experience in nearshore development, so they also gave their input into the process.

We looked at Swedish consultants, but Sigma Software was more cost-effective. Swedish consultant prices span from €120–€140 (approximately $140–$160 USD) per hour and the average price of a Sigma Software developer is €30–€50 (approximately $35–$60 USD) per hour. That’s a vast difference. We also wanted to find a nearshore company that was in the same time zone as ours or close to it. They were also able to provide the developers we wanted within two weeks.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the 22 developers we’re using at the moment is €100,000 (approximately $120,000 USD) per month on average.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Sigma Software in August 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. The second team was established in November of that year, the third and fourth ones were in March 2020, the fifth team was in April 2020. We’re looking to scale up during 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered way over our expectations. If it was up to me, I’d only have people from Sigma Software. The level of technicality they have is incredible. They’re very skilled developers and can also come up with architectural and implementation solutions, along with setting everything up themselves. They’re very self-driven.

One of the initial teams we set up is working on a core component with our internal architect. They’re the only people allowed to touch that component, and that in itself speaks to the level of detail and knowledge they have. It’s amazing.

How did Sigma Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We think of them as teammates and colleagues, and not as consultants. We visit each other’s offices and have regular information meetings and after-work activities. They’re intertwined with our company.

Aside from program managers, Sigma Software also assigns project managers to each team free of charge. They take care of all managerial items like setting up meetings, communicating, and sending off weekly letters. We get regular updates and have monthly meetings going through all the development.

In the one year I’ve been with Sigma Software, they’ve always delivered on time or before. They haven’t been late once.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The recruitment process makes them stand out. They scope out and understand the needs of the client, and then they cater to those. Out of the 22 developers we’ve gotten from them, we’ve only had to exchange one because that person didn’t live up to what we expected. They did that right away and free of charge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their test automation skills. They’re up to date with the latest development and database frameworks and techniques, and they’re good with QA but they could bring in more people who could guide us when it comes to test automation.

They provide English courses for their employees, which is helpful because not all of their team members are 100% fluent in the language.

The last part is setting up and sending them hardware devices. Ukrainian laws regarding this are a bit complicated. It takes up to a month to send devices, and there’s a hefty customs fee. This is something that Sigma Software takes care of, but it’s still a hassle.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d make sure I know what I want and could specify it. This is in order to get the right resources for the job. Someone building a full-stack team should mention that as the goal. If they only want backend developers, questions will come up about how the testing and validation will be done.