Techstern

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The company is dealing into logistics services being provided to corporates across the Eastern region of the country. Pranav, Director

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We are having 400 employees and managing their payrolls with various types of HR compliances were a challenge. With this we are getting into ease of Managing Employees in terms of their leaves/ compliances etc..

SOLUTION

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

Our Branch office is located in Ranchi, from where we got the lead of the company and knowing their quality projects delivered in past, we chose to go ahead with them.

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

We had a meeting where details on our requirements were explained to them. On their 1st cut we reviewed again, and gradually after discussions we are at a verge of a great platform being developed.

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

No idea on it, as I just interacted with 2 of them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our HR management has become easier.

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

The coordination was good and we met almost all the timelines.

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

They are punctual and always gave us alternatives in order to shape the best.

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

They did well, but even the best has scopes for improvement.. Nothing in specific that could have been done differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CTO of Edukapark Educational Solutions. We offer an online, multi-lingual, workflow-based school management system. It operates mainly in the EMEA region, offering school and institutional management services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techstern Solutions?

We needed to develop a cloud-based, SaaS system.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our outreach to potential new customers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The project required a spectrum of skills including cloud-solutions, modern web development technologies, and mobile systems. We were also looking for someone with experience in the development technologies we were going to use. We found Techstern through a professional services organization.

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

Techstern took our initial architectural documents and business requirements and provided us with recommendations, in terms what cloud technologies to consume and how to set up, scale, and enhance our original design. Once we agreed on initial plans, they delivered the project's source code, a web UI, and backend, mobile apps and database systems.

What was the team composition?

We hired the following from Techstern: a .NET and web technologies senior architect, two .NET senior developers, a senior Xamarin architect, a senior software test engineer, and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve achieved timely delivery on our requirements and the system is ready to go. Techstern will be with us again soon to handle maintenance of the existing system and development of the next versions.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Techstern arranged project management and it was extremely efficient. We got detailed information on every resource, including how much time they were spending on each issue, coupled with their assignment to the rest of the items on the backlog. We never had to repeat a request for a bug, code change, or optimization. It’s always been done in the timelines they proposed.

The project manager was our main point of contact for daily progress reports. The team chased daily, weekly and milestone targets while following agile principles and working with a geographically distributed team. Throughout the project, Techstern’s founder was personally involved to ensure a quality delivery and oversaw some higher-level, architectural aspects of the system.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The founder has created an impressive team and has built a friendly and motivated work environment, which shines through their work and when they engage with their customers. I was impressed by their sincere and professional attitude and willingness to deal with business after they deliver.

We established trust from the start and they never fell short of their promises. We’ve benefited from the architects' extensive experience, and their developers delivered great value around timely, disciplined responses.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I want to see them build an even larger company and spread out geographically, but they need to display their portfolio and show off their skill-set better on their website and LinkedIn. There’s a huge customer base that can benefit from their professional attitude and technical skill set. They have the business acumen and motivation to deliver on the largest software architectures.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO at a financial technology company that licenses hedge funds and buys residential mortgage loans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Techstern Solutions?

We were starting a technology business, so we needed a technology partner to help us build the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Using ASP.NET, MVC, C#, and Microsoft Azure, they created a database structure, architecture, and design. Then, they implemented everything for us. One of the most important features they developed was the ability to absorb data from excel spreadsheets, map it, and normalize it.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with two developers and a QA person.

How did you come to work with them?

We found them through Upwork.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in November 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They met all of our expectations. Our clients have been actively using the platform and it's been working as planned.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

I do most of the project management myself, so I oversee the milestones and make sure we're meeting all the necessary requirements that we've agreed upon. They're very responsive. We use phone and Skype to communicate and Wrike.com – for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're willing to go above and beyond for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I'd like them to provide us with a little more feedback and proactively give us suggestions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you lay out all of your expectations upfront and clearly communicate the scope of work. If you spend as much time as possible at the beginning, everything should go as planned.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO at an educational company that develops solutions for K-12 and universities. We have content development, e-learn resources, online CMS [content management system] and LMS [learning management system] management, and student information systems. We’ve been providing various services for 17 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Techstern Solutions?

We needed development help with numerous projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave Techstern software requirements, specifications, and documents. They then gave me the project timelines, how many developers would be required, and what their positions were.

Techstern did complete front- and backend development, including the mobile app development. All of our projects were based on Agile, and a couple were on iOS and Android platforms. Techstern supported all of the technologies.

They develop a lot of applications and curriculum, working on large projects over a couple of years. They’ve developed our various websites and have a complete team of developers for Android, iOS, Windows, and web. They continue to fulfill all of our requirements.

What is the team composition?

We work with Bhanu (Managing Director, Techstern Solutions) and also have a dedicated business development manager who handles all of our requirements. He passes it onto the management and developers, communicating all the requirements and budgeting. When there’s something urgent, we talk directly to the developers—they’re responsive and fix the bugs.

How did you come to work with Techstern Solutions?

We found them on Upwork. They initially did a small project to develop some ePUBS and HTML based content for an ICT curriculum. The development was fast, and the quality was good, so we continued the relationship and gave them a couple of big projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered exactly what we expected. We haven’t found any quality issues, and they’re right on par with the requirements.

How did Techstern Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Our team lists bugs on GitLab, and the developers fix them immediately. There’s a time difference, but they support us whenever we need them. The official communication is through email, and we use Zoom or GoToMeeting for conferences.

They don’t have any issues with delivering projects on time. We sometimes miss deadlines, but they’re supportive and understanding. They’re also flexible with budget. We keep a 10%-15% buffer for the requirement changes, and they’re okay with that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re available when we need, and their communication is good. They’re always online and respond quickly. The quality of the work is good. We’re happy that most of the projects are ongoing and their developers know how to work the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve on the testing side. They need to put more focus on it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their quality is good. If they can’t do it within a certain budget, they’ll let you know. Don’t force them to go with the lower budget because it won’t be feasible for them. They’re committed and supportive.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Websync services, which is a manufacturing unit for brewery.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techstern Solutions?

The project was for VAS ERP.

What were your goals for this project?

Management of logistics via the web application.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was a review/reference based selection.

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

They designed, developed, configured and launched a new web application that streamlined the logistics vertical of the company and enhanced the production volume geometrically.

What was the team composition?

Two developers, one tester and one team leader.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve achieved prompt delivery and the system is ready to go. Techstern will be with us again soon to handle the maintenance of the existing system.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We got detailed information on every resource, including how much time they were spending on each issue, coupled with their assignment to the rest of the items on the backlog. The project manager was our main point of contact for daily progress reports. The team chased daily, weekly and milestone targets while following agile principles and working with a geographically distributed team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their sincere and professional attitude and willingness to deal with business after they delivered. We established trust from the start and they never fell short of their promises.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

The company can improve on their awareness part. There’s a huge customer base that can benefit from their professional attitude and technical skillset.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a chartered accountant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techstern Solutions?

I needed to develop a custom web application.

What were your goals for this project?

The app needed to meet my needs and requirements.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met with several vendors. Based on those experiences, I chose to partner with Techstern Solutions.

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

Following my requirements, they developed the UI and backend for a custom solution.

What was the team composition?

I worked with a developer and a tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They met my expectations in terms of quality.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They were good. We scheduled scrum meetings and phone calls as needed. They were always available. Updates were shared regularly, setting the foundation for a smooth collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re an experienced team that was really committed to my project.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I’m sure there are things they could improve, but nothing comes to mind at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Walle Infotech, an end-to-end solution provider for electronic waste management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Techstern Solutions?

We approached Techstern for web and mobile application development, management information system [MIS], data management, and all other technology-related work.

What were your goals for this project?

As a startup, we needed a technology partner who could understand our needs and concerns while managing all technical work without much assistance from us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We met with three or four vendors who could meet our requirements and decided that Techstern was the best option. Not only did we feel that they would be able to work on the project independently, but when we told them that we needed the project finished in about six months, they were able to present us with a much faster timeline.

Describe the project in detail.

Aside from general technical assistance, we needed a platform built where users could buy or sell the goods and services our company offers.

What was the team composition?

The team is made up of two developers, one designer, and one tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

Based on the work progress shared by Techstern so far, we are very hopeful that the project can be delivered ahead of schedule.

How effective was the project management?

Their project management is very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their easy accessibility and experienced staff are very impressive.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

None.