89ITWorld Software Solutions OPC Private Limited

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We work on online projects for the Danish market. Our aim is to offset the cost of local PHP development by using teams in India.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 89ITWorld?

We were running a phone top-up project. It was critical work since top-up codes are worth money, and we had a database filled with them. The technical requirements were big in terms of security and project structure. Any bad security within the app would result in getting hacked and losing codes—and ultimately money.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

89ITWorld developed our mobile comparison portal based on my idea. It featured some modules for Magento and ASP.NET.

How did you come to work with 89ITWorld?

We created a big comparison web portal using a large development company who managed to screw up our project. One of their resources left, and I tracked down his new company since I had had very good communication with him. When I found out that he started his own business, I went with him because I wanted quality.

How much have you invested with 89ITWorld?

The cost depends on the project. Our total has been between $300,000 and $400,000. The first project with 89ITWorld was between $50,000 and $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with 89ITWorld around 2012. We have been so happy with 89ITWorld's performance since the first project that we've used them for almost every one after that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have high standards for applications in general, when it comes to the Danish market, in terms of speed and the quality of an app (e.g. how fast it opens and other attributes of this type). 89ITWorld fulfilled the project according to our description. After running many projects together, their team got better and better in understanding the standards I was looking for. Now, when I need to create a new project, I won't need to tell 89ITWorld that everything needs to be pixel perfect, according to our PSDs [Photoshop documents]. They know that already, so we don't have to spend time educating a developer on our standards.

89ITWorld has never used unnecessary code or filled in components which were not supposed to be there. Many people will use too many JavaScript and jQuery files, for example, but 89ITWorld's team knows how to optimize the code in order for the application to use as few resources as possible.

With the launch of our top-up portal, we were able to close down two competitors offering mobile-phone pricing plans, which was a significant result. It all came down to the site's performance since we didn't have the funding to make it larger, from a marketing perspective.

How did 89ITWorld perform from a project management standpoint?

89ITWorld adapts project management to the client's approach. Indian companies will usually provide a daily status report, but the best approach would be receiving a proper understanding of what a project is about, in terms of workflow and design, and letting the team execute directly on these. This has worked brilliantly for us; if we give 89ITWorld's team a task, they will answer it, but they are not good in terms of creating projects from scratch when that requires creativity. It's not their market, so we need to be precise with the tasks we assign. If we send them a PSD with a specific button, for example, 89ITWorld's team will be able to visualize its role and create it exactly as described.

We use Trello as a management tool, which I recommend to other clients as well, along with giving 89ITWorld precise instructions.

89ITWorld's principal, in particular, is someone I appreciate working with because he's learned my style of working. My style is the Danish style, so he's learned what works for the local market and its requirements and educated his team accordingly. I'm not afraid of giving 89ITWorld a new project, and I don't need to give them the same instructions I would give any other company. 89ITWorld has grown along with our requirements. They can share ideas with us according to an exact process, even though this doesn't extend to the whole project.

What did you find most impressive about 89ITWorld?

89ITWorld's team works at high speed and on the basis of best-practice coding, minimizing load times.

Are there any areas 89ITWorld could improve?

No.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with 89ITWorld?

Indian developers, in general, are not good in terms of creative tasks. They are hard workers and will execute the code given to them—some better than others.