SLABCODE

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a managed service provider specializing in the telecommunications industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SLABCODE?

We had a very dicey situation where our Lead Developer was unavailable and our Sr. Developer was waiting to go on a two month sabbatical. We at minimum wanted to "survive" this time period but ideally would invest in someone that would help us build new features and teach our Senior staff new tricks.

SOLUTION

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

We found this agency through a staffing agency. The confidence and energy level of the Lead Developer we hired really came through during the interview process.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Andres joined us and immediately started diving into the code and the tickets. "It's no problem" was a frequent comment from him. Although he was very frustrated (understandably!) with the state of our documentation he would always find a solution and kept a positive attitude. Since the initial "saving" of our team he now is focused more on new functionality and coaching our Sr. Developer on new practices. It's great to give him the room to work on more interesting things vs. just doing bug fixes and operational tasks.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We used the agency to shortlist candidates and make sure there was an initial fit. After reviewing the "saved" video interviews that were tailored to our needs we did two very short exercises that were part logic, part communication skills and part coding. The first was more on how to look at and query complex data and the second was more on OOD. We ended up with two developers from two different firms from this process but quickly realized only Andres was worth keeping from Slabcode.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Survived losing our Lead Developer
• Allowed our Senior Developer to go on sabbatical
• Built documentation to help new developers get up to speed more quickly
• Built a data dictionary to bring clarity to the data model
• Enhanced the system "while the train was moving"
• Found a proper way to keep Andres as the new Lead Developer for our team
• Experimenting with new computing models for production code that will be easy to blend with our current model

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely. SLABCODE adapts to all of our procedures and is highly committed and available.

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

Andres cares very, very much to do a great job. He and I had and have a wonderful open dialogue built on trust and honesty so we both get what we need and are happy.

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

Nothing. Andres exceeded all of my high expectations and now that we have a role that will keep him happy I'm thrilled beyond belief.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a software company with offices in London, Portugal, and America. We compare logistic markets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SLABCODE?

We hired SLABCODE to give maintenance for a software platform that we developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SLABCODE provides maintenance for a software platform that we had already developed. They use AWS and Ruby to do API integration with logistic companies in Portugal so that we can compare the markets.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from their team.

How did you come to work with SLABCODE?

We had a licitation, and SLABCODE gave us a proposal. At first, we decided to work with another company, but it wasn’t possible to continue with them. Therefore, we went with SLABCODE, and it’s been great.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in November 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re now integrated with the logistic providers. Our clients come to our platform to use our services, which it’s good for us because it will create revenue for our business.

It’s an ongoing process; therefore, there are things that we still have to do. We hope to finish in the next six months, but we’re very happy.

How did SLABCODE perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through Zoom meetings and WhatsApp. They’re very easy to talk to, and that’s something I find very attractive because we’ve worked with other companies in the past that were difficult to talk to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SLABCODE’s team has impressive know-how skills. They research if they don’t know something. Additionally, they get our ideas and understand our requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

SLABCODE has a great business, so they could probably expand it outside of Colombia. As for their work, I’m not sure there’s anything to improve. They employ people to do software development, so they just need to get the right people.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future clients have to be very clear about the requirements to create software. SLABCODE is great, but if you don’t know what to expect from them, they won’t be able to do the job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a technology company that develops, deploys and maintains scalable applications to enforce information security and allow the biometric identification of people for many industries. Our company provides its products and services both for government entities and private companies.

I currently work as a Software Developer Manager here, and my primary responsibility is to ensure that the development projects of the company are carried out according to the defined budget and schedule.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SLABCODE?

We hired developers from Slabcode to work on a project called MiFirma, which is a web application that allows users to digitally sign documents with legal validity. This project is still ongoing and we are still working with Slabcode to enhance its features. Among them, they are developing add-ins for so that users are able to sign documents using Office 365.

What were your goals for this project?

The main objective of this project was to digitalize the process of signing a document while maintaining the legal validity according to the law. This has greatly simplified many processes for our customers and have saved them time and money.

SOLUTION

How did you select SLABCODE?

We had previously worked with Slabcode on a couple of projects with excellent results, so they were a natural choice for this challenge. They proved they were up for it and that’s why we are still working on this project together.

Describe the project in detail.

MiFirma is composed of several components, we have a web application, a native Android applications and add-ins for Office 365. The developers from Slabcode have worked on the backend, which is built with .NET Core, the frontend, using Angular, and the add-ins, which are being developed using vanilla Javascript due to limitations in the Office 365 API.

What was the team composition?

We have hired a complete development team from Slabcode: a Technical Leader, a backend developer, a frontend developed and a fullstack developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch the product after just 3 months of work. Since then our user base has been continually growing and we have been able to add new features to it. in total we have worked on the project for almost a year.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I can say that we have always had a smooth workflow between our teams. Their developers were able to adapt to our work culture and methodologies. Our project manager and technical leader assigned tasks to them and had no issues following up and receiving the agreed deliverables.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were a perfect fit for our team. Their way of working was impressive, and they were always proactive and eager to do more.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I think they need to complement their team with more senior developers. However, all the talent that they provided was really good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

SaaS company with software solutions for restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our main objective was to scale integrations between our software and external providers.

SOLUTION

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

They had a good fit with the projects we had and were well referred from some internal POCs at the company.

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

We have several projects that consist usually on API integrations between different Web services. The projects start with a scoping development and then moves into execution, tests, pilot and production.

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

Around 4 - 5 different people between Engineers and project managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of work has always been top notch including the deadlines and quick fixes when needed. Very flexible team!

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

Very flexible team, can adapt well to our proposed style of meeting - including weekly meetings and slack channels for daily communication.

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

Fast paced development and ability to fix issues in short notice even with a relatively small team working with our projects.

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

I would say project management was not the strong part of the development, but it was also not something we pushed for - as we prefer to have a fast paced development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of IGM. We do enterprise disclosure management for the public and private sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To continue development of our main product.

SOLUTION

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

Confidential.

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

Confidential.

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

Two, software developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Confidential.

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

We use Slack, JIRA and collaborative coding tools.

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

They are professional and talented.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of backup energy generaror in Colombia

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Migrate legacy data for finance, maintenance, inventory and projects to a new database.

SOLUTION

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

We had worked with them in previous projects, at these experiences were decisive to select them for this new project

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

We had a design phase, then and implementation and migration phase and finally training sessions with the users. The key technologies were Google Big Query as data repository, Google Data Studio for reports and xplenty for building the etls.

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

There was a 4 people team that included a manager and 3 developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We migrated all data to new database and build a new front based on google technology ( big query and data studio).

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

The project had weekly meetings for followup and we defined weekly sprints with specific tasks

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

Their commitment to achieve the expected scope and the their expertise in using bi tools for building etls and reports

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

He had delays based on the agreed schedule based on difficulties of getting the data from the legacy system with the expected quality.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on Feb 16, 2021

Juan Manuel Cruz Yañez

CTO, Energy Company

Oil & Energy

11-50 Employees

$50,000 to $199,999

July 2020 - Ongoing

Project summary: 

An energy company hired SLABCODE to develop a web portal and mobile app. The team is tasked with designing, implementing, and supporting a contact-tracing and survey collection and analysis application. 

Feedback summary: 

Despite working through a tight timeframe, SLABCODE was able to exceed the scope of the project. The team has shown great expertise in utilizing best practices and software. They are well-oriented with QA and provide continuous integration, testing, and enhancements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Prime Energía Colombia is the owner of reliable back-up power plants in the predominantly hydroelectric Colombian power system and supports the national grid primarily during the dry season. My role is CTO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To build a Web Portal and mobile application for contact tracing trazability.

SOLUTION

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

After previous engagements as a former CTO in another company they helped to build customized applications that involved similar technologies that were used in building PrimeApp. There commitment and technical expertice was a critical factor as the the time span for the project was very agressive.

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

The scope included the design, implementation and on-going support to build a robust architecture to support contact tracing and survey form submit and analysis of results via a Administration Web Portal and a mobile app in Android and IOS.

The key technolgies were building and tuning the contact tracing algorithm using bluetooth, angular js for the survey portal and administration portal in the front layer and node js and Mongo DB as No-Sql database.

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

There were 6 resources involved: Android developer, IOS Developer, QA Tester, Backend developer, Front End Develover and Project Manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project's schedule was very tight and had to be delivered in a months (4 working weeks). The scope and date were completed in time and Slabcode was able to apply to an extra bonus remuneration due to over execution of the project.

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

The tool for Project follow up was Monday.com. The style used was Scrum with sprints of 1 week duration (7 days) conduncting all expected ceremonies (scrum planning meeting, scrum review meeting, retrospective meeeting, daily standup meeting).

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

They were committed and fully engaged to comply with scope, time, and quality expectations

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

As the time span has very agressive, the Scrum methodology was not conducted as strict as it has to be. The focus on delivering the final outcome did not let us to work as we wanted and some histories related to the minium viable product were dropped (conveyed with the client) . This led to future bugs or upgrades that were developed after going live

Star Rating

Overall rating: 4.5

Quality: 5

Schedule: 4

Cost: 5

Willing to Refer: 5