Toughlex

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner and CEO of a small consulting company in the local car industry of Norway.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toughlex?

We needed some digital tools to collect data from our website. We were previously using Microsoft Excel, but we wanted to switch over to a custom web tool.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toughlex developed a web portal for our audits in the car industry. We started the project by discussing the problem and the solution we needed. From there, the team created an MVP so we could test it out. It was developed using React, and it has an integrated database and uses a CSS Grid Layout. Over 50% of the portal was coded on the backend. They continue to build it out by developing more features and functionalities.

What is the team composition?

I've worked directly with a project manager and a developer.

How did you come to work with Toughlex?

They seemed professional and cost-effective. After they let us test the first version of the app, we didn’t see the need to shop around for other agencies.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around €3,000 (approximately $4,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in May 2018, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re pleased with the engagement. Their work is as expected. 

How did Toughlex perform from a project management standpoint?

Toughlex is highly professional. Before developing anything, they first discuss the solutions with us, which I appreciate. They are also very polite, and they always let us know if there will be changes in the timeline. We’ve built a great connection with the team, so working together is a good experience. Initially, we only communicated via email, but we’ve moved to Jira to keep track of notes, features, definitions, licenses, and documentation. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m incredibly satisfied with the value for money they provide. We have been working together for a couple of years now, and they’ve remained professional throughout. The team doesn’t just develop the app on their own — they engage with us to better understand the scope. We are happy with Toughlex.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could have more meetings during development sprints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As much as possible, have clear specifications on what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of e-commerce at Tele2 Latvia. We’re one of the biggest telecom operators in the Baltic states.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Toughlex?

We were developing a customer self-service platform, so we hired Toughlex for support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Toughlex is developing our platform. We gave them an idea of what we wanted, and they've helped us determine how to actually achieve the technical solution. They’ve given us ideas on how to improve it and address certain challenges.

The platform has a payment implementation and integrations with third parties. The backend is built on .NET, and the frontend is React.js.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with five front- and backend developers from Toughlex. We also have a scrum master on their side, who helps us facilitate those ceremonies.

How did you come to work with Toughlex?

Toughlex started working for us as a subcontractor, but we really liked how they worked and delivered, so we made the next move. We started small and expanded.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re spending between €350,000–€500,000 (approximately $423,000–$604,000 USD) per year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Toughlex around 2017. Our relationship is ongoing, and we’re expanding the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our customers are using the product created by Toughlex, which means that the project is successful. Overall, it’s a solid platform.

How did Toughlex perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re using the scrum methodology, and have daily morning standups. We really like this approach, because it gives us the pulse of what’s happening, and it helps us deliver the product for our customers.

For development, we’re using Jira. We use Confluence for documentation, which helps us ensure that nothing goes missing because people and companies change. We’re using GitHub for releases.

What did you find most impressive about them?

With software, there’s a challenge at every step, but Toughlex delivers on their promises.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s a learning curve with every company. When people change, it takes time for the new member to pick up on the work. The learning curve is a challenge for them.

There were some developers that weren’t performing up to our standards, and Toughlex had no problems finding replacements. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The client should be honest with themselves and not hesitate to talk about any challenges with Toughlex. If they don’t like something, they should say it loudly. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Ifdelayed is an expert online service company dedicated to enforce every passenger's right to compensation after a flight delay, flight cancellation or denied boarding according to EU Regulation 261/2004. I was CTO at this company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

There was a need to implement a new claim form in IfDelayed. Toughlex help was relevant for UI implementation using the latest technologies.

SOLUTION

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

We met quite accidentally a long time ago and I remembered Toughlex once I had a need. They were able to offer resources quickly, which was attractive for me.

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

We had in-house back-end developers, designers, so Toughlex role was to cover only UI implementation part. They not only provided us with the great results, but also helped us clarifying requirements to ensure there are no blind zones left.

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

We have a single UI frontend developer and account manager which was contacted us time by time to ask if everything is fine.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Feel free to take a look yourself https://ifdelayed.com/

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

It was not Toughlex responsibility to take care of project management.

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

Flexibility, transparency and quality. There are many specialists I’ve been working with, but Toughlex earned my exceptional trust.

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

In the scope of our cooperation, I did not notice. There were probably some things, but they were quickly resolved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a brand manager at Aukok.lt – the biggest online donations portal in Lithuania, founded in 2009. It is a dedicated website where non-governmental organizations (NGOs) present their social projects and donors have the opportunity to support them by donating a selected amount of money in a simple, convenient and transparent manner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our website was created years ago and eventually came to a need to be updated. The main point of our cooperation was not only to develop needed changes or fixes as they arose, but also to implement new functionalities and consult us on possible solutions that would make portal easier to use for both system users and administrators. Our goal is to provide the best experience and the most convenient ways of online donating for individuals and legal entities.

SOLUTION

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

In 2018, we searched for web developers in our area. Toughlex was recommended by other software development professionals. We had an interview and decided to work together.

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

Toughlex ensures our everyday system development and maintenance. We constantly provide and discuss our goals, priorities for further web development, they come up with solutions and implementation. Some of the projects implemented were:

• Personal fundraising functionality
• GDPR compliance
• CMS upgrades
• Periodic donation solution

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

Typically one or two people on their side are responsible for the whole project – communication, development and implementation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We struggled to find a professional service before that would meet all of our needs, so the fact that the system and all its components are up, running and developing is a significant impact already. We are glad that in partnership with Toughlex we can develop and provide our users with up-to-date digital fundraising and donating solutions.

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

Toughlex reacts promptly, comes up with creative solutions and focuses on the value. They also do a great job keeping our expectations aligned with reality. They provide estimates regarding cost and time and generally they are meeting them quite well.

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

As I understand, our scale is significantly smaller than other Toughlex clients, yet Toughlex is flexible enough to provide great service for us.

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

If there are any areas for improvement, we address the feedback directly and Toughlex team fix the issues immediately.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Tele2 is a major telecommunications operator in the Nordic and Baltic countries. I am a PrePaid Product Owner in Tele2 Lithuania.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Toughlex was involved in our works as subcontractors first. After the decision from higher layers to split ways with the main contractor, we decided to stay with Toughlex for the future.

SOLUTION

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

We have worked with Toughlex since 2017 so there were many challenges over this period of time, which were met by Toughlex with the highest qualifications and involvement, so we decided to stay with this company for our further online development.

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

Toughlex was responsible for the software development part of the project. High level architecture was provided by us, as well as business logic, content. Designs were prepared by another company. Toughlex took care of the new system implementation, ensuring modern best practices and performance, moreover smooth transition from the old system. Also it is worth mentioning that Toughlex provides us with 24/7 support, which truly was handy during the project.

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

There are 5 people from Toughlex side we are in touch with constantly: 3 developers, 1 QA, 1 account manager. All these people are characterized by their flexibility, responsiveness, value-driven attitude. Developers are continually proactive, working together to ensure the best results and come up with smart solutions. QA is structured, attentive. Account manager is empathic, hearing, and creative. It is comprehensively a pleasant experience to work with Toughlex - from impressive results to fun gatherings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The results speak for themselves here https://pildyk.lt/

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

The strength of our cooperation is growing, currently we are focused on other projects and challenges. We are happy with the results, hopefully Toughlex will keep up the good work and we will successfully cooperate further.

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

The combination of their competence, attitude, constant improvement, and pricing is truly exceptional.

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

They ask this question regularly :) Most of the time there is nothing, sometimes there are small things and they are resolved quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

GIDEON Informatics was founded in 1992 and produces the GIDEON web application and GIDEON ebook series for health professionals and educators.

In addition to maintaining the epidemiological database and a unique, Bayesian analysis-driven toolkit to diagnose diseases and identify pathogens, GIDEON supports an API for programmatic data consumption. I am Kristina Symes, Director of Product Development and Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Due to changing consumer needs, the GIDEON web application needed a major interface upgrade, as it was running on the interface built a couple of decades ago. We needed to make the application fully responsive, faster, and a lot more modern, thereby delighting existing customers and attracting new ones.

The biggest challenge Toughlex had to overcome was to deliver a complex UI solution that had to use large data sets, which could not have been changed in comparison to the legacy UI.

SOLUTION

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

When looking to outsource development services, GIDEON explored many options in several countries. Toughlex stood out from the rest as they demonstrated a genuine interest in what we do, deep knowledge of Agile development practices, user-centric thinking, and an excellent collaborative attitude.

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

Scope: Front-end application building, authentication services implementation, and collaborating with GIDEON developers on improving the API. Once the UI design was in its last iteration (after 4 rounds of user feedback), we had an in-person kick-off week in Lithuania to agree on common processes and ways of working together.

The kick-off itself took a day, and the remaining days were spent working side by side, discussing and 'calibrating'. The remaining work was done remotely, with team members keeping up-to-date via daily video meetings and instant messaging.

Toughlex developed a React.js SPA serving data via a REST API, hosted on AWS. The product is a feature-rich scientific application, too many to be listed here.

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

Three developers - two senior, one junior, and the company's CEO, who kept in regular contact. To ensure better collaboration we chose to work with Toughlex developers directly, without a project manager. The team integration was seamless.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Toughlex team's insights helped enhance the application well beyond its original upgrade design. The project had two alpha and one beta release leading to the main launch.

GIDEON opened up the unfinished interface and sought user feedback at each stage - this gathered reviews from hundreds of medical scientists from 26 countries.

Some of the feedback received:

• “This is a huge improvement. I very much like the general concept. The dark mode is also very nice.”
• “I just had a look and I am blown away by both diagnosis modules. They are fantastic!”

The new interface traffic outperformed the legacy application within the first month of launch. Most customers switched to the new application right away.

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

We used Slack and JIRA as tools of collaboration, communicating via daily stand-up meetings on Zoom. Due to SCRUM methodology, there was no project manager - all comms happened directly between the Toughlex team and myself.

Toughlex team’s value-driven attitude and proactive insights helped set the right expectations throughout the whole project - they have integrated right into our team.

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

Toughlex team was very responsive, real team players, quality-focused yet still delivering above and beyond every sprint. Thanks to their foresight and creativity, many valuable enhancements have been introduced into the product. Can't recommend them highly enough.

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

I feel lucky to have found such a wonderful team to work with. Hard to find any areas for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of Elektronines Leidybos Namai (ELM for short).  We started in 1998 with the main goal of developing different multimedia products like websites, apps, and touchscreen terminals. We have an internal team of eight people, but we also outsource freelance programmers and designers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with toughlex?

We were running a project for museum touchscreen terminals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company was responsible for developing the whole exhibition, including interactive elements like touchscreens and videos. We provided toughlex with a design and a general idea of how the interface should look. Their task was to make the technical implementation. The main coding languages were PHP, HTML5 and JavaScript.

What is the team dynamic?

There’s typically been a single person on their side responsible for communication, but we’ve also had involvement from other people in the team, if necessary.

How did you come to work with toughlex?

We had worked with one of their programmers, Donatas Lučiūnas, on a freelance basis. We initially found him through the recommendation of a multimedia creator colleague of mine, after I asked him about an HTML and PHP developer. After toughlex was formed, we started using them as a team.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work on this project was up to €10,000. [$12,000] Our general workload with them has been below €50,000. [$60,000]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with toughlex in July 2015, and finished in December of that year. It was a short project which needed to be completed fast. We have another ongoing project with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We needed to complete the project in a rush since we had other work in place. Toughlex helped us by delivering a good-quality product based on brief descriptions from us, which allowed us to finish our project in time.

How did toughlex perform from a project management standpoint?

We are based in different cities, so we’ve mostly worked remotely with their team. We’ve used Skype, email and Trello, which was offered by them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very responsible. From our experience with other developers, after taking on the commitment, they would start talking about additional costs and time. Toughlex has usually delivered on what they've promised. Their responsive attitude is one of their best qualities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Price flexibility can always be improved, but toughlex is doing well at the moment. It’s important that they don’t lose their attitude.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide an online advertising platform across 15–16 countries. The main development part of our operations is located in Slovenia, Belarus, and Poland, and our headquarters are in Copenhagen. I am a manager within the company, responsible for product development, with a team of 35 people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with toughlex?

We needed to deliver more, and had limited hiring possibilities. We were hiring a lot of people, but had a good opportunity to quickly onboard a couple of developers through toughlex, which we took. At the time, we had a bunch of relatively small projects which could be outsourced. They were not risky for us as a company, in the general sense, so we were open to having them done by someone else.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

From the perspective of our product, there were a couple of subsystems which needed to be rewritten. It was partially a facelift, but as a consequence of it, some backend systems needed to be worked on as well. toughlex handled both, using C# for the backend and a JavaScript framework on the frontend.

The product is intended for external use, but it’s not a critical part of our system. It’s related to self-service banner management on the user part. It impacts other parts of the system, but toughlex wasn’t involved with those.

What is the team dynamic?

toughlex was a small startup at the time, with maybe 5 developers in total, but we did have a team lead for communication. He came to our office weekly or biweekly, for acceptancy reviews and planning. This was our main communication channel. The manager also brought along one of the senior developers. We also communicated through Skype on a daily basis. There were 3–4 developers working for us.

How did you come to work with toughlex?

One of their developers had worked on our product in the past, which was an important detail for us. It made the communication smoother, and ensured that—at least to some extent—they knew what our platform was, what technology stack it used, and what our work approach was. I believe this paid off. toughlex was there, ready to jump on our particular tasks, which was also important. Their price was also very good.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was close to €50,000. [$60,000]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with toughlex in November 2015, and finished in December 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our approach is a bit different, since we are selling a service, and not a piece of software. We had to stretch our capacity, and toughlex’s assistance reduced our hiring need at that time. It made things simpler, since we could onboard new developers without actually hiring them.

There were a couple of challenges from a UX perspective. We have an internal team which defines standards and performs reviews. Rather than toughlex doing something bad, it was a matter of our UX being in an unclear state. As a consequence, the work took longer than we initially expected, but they delivered what we expected in the end.

How did toughlex perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated well with the main team manager and the senior developer. The communication was constructive and straight to the point.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work in small iterations, and focus on delivering each one, as well as on reviewing what is needed and adapting to that (rather than following a long plan only to deliver something which wasn’t really required).

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could hire a couple of people in order to provide more regular communication. We interfaced with a senior person who covered the initial communication, with a couple of juniors behind him. From our perspective, this was okay, but there could have been a more efficient timeline if there were more senior people on board at the time. I believe that toughlex has changed since that time, so this may no longer be an issue.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the account manager at Nortal, an IT software development and consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with toughlex?

We needed to outsource a company to develop several software products for one of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re working on a telecom domain. We are mediators between our client and toughlex, so we have them do the work based on specifications and requirements from said client. They are also assisting us with web self-care services for the end users of the product. They’re creating the features on .NET platforms.

What is the team dynamic?

I have a project manager who we communicate with on a regular basis. We give him feedback, ask questions, and discuss future plans. We have a close connection with him. We also have 6 developers, and they’re spread between the different projects for the same customer.

We are doing the same functionalities for several companies of the same plant. Our plant represents Estonia and Lithuania. It’s the same topic, but we’re doing it for different locations and we consider them as separate projects. The toughlex team is divided between the three.

How did you come to work with toughlex?

One of my colleagues recommended toughlex, so we talked to them and agreed to work together.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend €15,000 euros [U.S. $17,690] per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client is happy with both performance and deliverables. We can’t consider toughlex’s team as a separate manpower because they are tightly integrated into ours, but they definitely contribute to the client’s satisfaction.

How did toughlex perform from a project management standpoint?

We have Skype calls and phone calls, and we can contact each other whenever we need to. I’m satisfied with both the communication and connection.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a young team, which is good because they remain active. They’re always looking for new challenges. They’re eager to learn new things so they can gain knowledge and expertise. Their performance is good, so we’re satisfied. They are a committed team, and they deliver as promised.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re trying to improve themselves constantly. When we have discussions with the project manager and they have a recommendation, they try to apply the recommendation immediately. I don’t even have a backlog for them. I can’t think of anything they need to improve upon.