Accellabs

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of KoolZone, an IoT company. We provide full end-to-end monitoring for the food and pharmaceutical markets, specifically products sensitive to temperature, humidity, and energy costs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accellabs?

We wanted to build a straightforward monitoring system for temperature. It requires wireless monitoring capability out of fridges and freezers and the like. It also needs to receive data traffic and built it into an easy-to-use system with alerts, reports, and audit trails. We had some contracted developers to begin with and reached the limit of their skills.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Accellabs builds all our software. We have business requirements that come in from customers and ideas we have. We review the respective value of doing these projects and looking at the costs, complexity, and timeline. After that, we make priorities to build an agile roadmap. Our product manager and UI designer then work with Accellabs’ main person and goes into the design phase. 

Once we send that work to Accellabs, they build everything in terms of the software stack. Our main tech stack has Node.js and MongoDB. There are other services like mapping systems and alert services as well.

What is the team composition?

There is a main point of contact. We have daily stand up with the whole team with our designer and company. If a lead decision is made, one person makes those decisions. Otherwise, there are lots of things going on; it goes from 3–5 people in developers and 3–4 in product management and design and strategy.

How did you come to work with Accellabs?

When we were in Berlin, someone from Ukraine introduced us to Accellabs. We didn’t think we’d work more than a few months with them, but they did a good job, had good insight, and liked the project, so we stuck with it.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a couple million pounds.
 
What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in April 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we started, we weren’t sure if we’d insource because Accellabs is based in Eastern Europe, and we’re in the UK. However, they’re doing an extremely good job. Their knowledge is excellent and their strategic input is really good. We’ve never changed from them. They’re part of the company for all intents and purposes.

Our customer set has grown; the diversity of industries is much broader. We support multiple languages and operate in different continents, which has respective challenges. There is quite a lot of complexity in the system, but it still needs to be easy to use. Thankfully, ease of use is one of our strengths, along with our ability to rapidly deploy and get sprints out on a timed basis. Out of 60–70 sprints, we’ve only ever had to roll back one. If we have an emergency at 6 a.m. on Sunday, we’ll get a message from the team. Overall, we’re pleased with Accellabs. 

COVID-19 has somewhat wiped out our customer base and our business. During this quiet period, we’ve looked at the architecture of the system and done some clever things that we’ve never had the time to do before. That’s been valuable for us.

How did Accellabs perform from a project management standpoint?

We use the Atlassian suite — in particular, Jira — extensively as well as Bitbucket and other tools. We document everything about our designs and then plan everything in Jira. It’s pretty organized. 

We know that they’re productive, so we don’t feel the need to spend time analyzing their performance. It never feels like the team is slacking. They’re a trusted part of our organization. That’s not to say we don’t have bugs or make mistakes, but we fix them quickly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We pay invoices every month instead of through payroll, but we otherwise treat them like members of the company. We know their families, their sporting interests, and their health. It’s really a good quality team that works well. We trust them to deliver the code and help the success of the business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’d like a team 2–3 times the current size so we can move faster. I’d also like to bring them into the UK more so we can go out and have a beer with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and managing director of a digital content marketing and SEO firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accellabs?

We’re building an enterprise content marketing platform. We needed to bring in a team that could provide full-stack services for SaaS software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided design services, identity services, and logo work. They did frontend design, and now they’re getting into the application work. We provide them with wireframes and mockups, but sometimes they also help with that. Technologies used during the project include Python. 

What is the team composition?

We’re working with four people, and our main point of contact is an account lead.

How did you come to work with Accellabs?

I found Accellabs through a personal referral.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested just under $100,000 with the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February of 2019, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been able to meet deadlines, provide a quality product, and they’ve addressed any bugs they’ve come across.

How did Accellabs perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been good at communicating and meeting deadlines. We do all of our planning and reporting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve been reliable and consistent, and they’ve accommodated our changing needs well. I’d give them really high marks on their flexibility to work with us through different phases of our needs and ability to fund their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m generally very satisfied with them. They’ve been receptive to addressing anything that wasn’t perfect and found a remedy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As early as possible, make sure you have a good set up for your activity reporting plan. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that builds quoting software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accellabs?

We were in the process of developing a platform and needed high-quality engineers at a low cost.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we submitted a list of technical requirements to them, and they connected us with their engineers. We conducted multiple interviews with each candidate to compile a development team. Once we finalized the resources, their engineers worked on product development, providing UI design, wireframes, backend development, analyzation, gray box testing, and data analysis. They’re still working with us full time.

What is the team composition?

I work with multiple software engineers.

How did you come to work with Accellabs?

One of my Russian developers found them online and recommended them to me. I reached out to them, gave them my requirements, and interviewed their team.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work began in 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve provided strong engineers to help us develop our products and have had a positive impact on our company. Compared with U.S. resources, their team delivers high-quality assets at three times the value. It’s also far easier to find skilled, qualified engineers with them than in the U.S.

How did Accellabs perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always timely with their tasks and go above and beyond our expectations. They also work outside of normal business hours. In terms of communication, we interface via daily phone calls, emails, webinars, and screen sharing tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their ability to onboard quality resources who push our projects forward. The team is responsive, and we’re able to call them before and after hours. They manage projects well and go the extra mile without being asked. They’ve also offered many services to help our business grow, at times without additional payment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. I’ve been extremely happy with everything, so I don’t have any complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to make sure that your schedules overlap by at least a few hours to effectively work with their team. We start our day at eight in the morning and they stop at seven in the evening (Ukraine time), which affords us two hours of daily communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a software company that makes custom software for clients in the e-commerce space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accellabs?

We needed a vendor to develop project mapping software for an end-client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The software ran on Laravel, and did projection mapping and 3D rendering of video. Accellabs built the web and Android apps. The former controlled the latter’s system, which operated similarly to a video player. We provided the designs and they coded the backend in Node.js while using a socket service for the Android app.

What is the team composition?

They had approximately two Android developers and three Laravel developers.

How did you come to work with Accellabs?

The team found us when we needed only mobile development services. The partnership later evolved into a longer-standing relationship with multiple projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January–October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were a great resource for expertise on a range of technologies. Less expensive than domestic vendors, the team was also adept at development. They had knowledgeable resources for a number of different technologies.

How did Accellabs perform from a project management standpoint?

Although third-party development made logistical coordination between teams complicated, Accellabs performed well given the client’s occasionally unclear directions. We communicated via email and Slack and a number of office visits.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Accellabs was easy to work with despite the time zone difference. The team was always available and had access to a range of helpful resources and technological expertise.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As with any remote startup, the team had strong development skills but didn’t always provide consistent clarity on timelines for end-delivery, however much of this uncertainty was not caused by them. This was a few years ago and more recent engagements have seen this resolved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The client’s unclear requirements often caused the mistakes that occurred. Accellabs delivered as needed when they had clear instructions and we were always very pleased, so ensuring requirements are clear is important.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of technology for a consumer privacy company. We create consumer privacy software and protect against digital fingerprinting, which keeps people from tracking users online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Accellabs?

We have re-engaged Accellabs to develop a Mac OS app that ensures secure browsing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They are currently developing a Mac OS app that protects all installed browsers from online tracking. They created a baseline, building off of our Windows offerings, and used that to plan the project workflow. The principal contractor is a Mac OS architect and he is implementing the framework that the application will eventually be built on.

What is the team composition?

The team size has changed for each project, but currently, the team is composed of a project manager, a Mac OS architect, an iOS developer, and a QA technician.

How did you come to work with Accellabs?

Accellabs reached out to us during a time that we needed QA testing on our Windows and Android products, which is how we initially engaged with them. After that, we moved into iOS development and they created a minimum viable product in the form of a privacy-centric browser. That included features to make sure users couldn’t be identified, like clearing cookies, deleting history, leaving web cache, and alerting users to tracking scripts. Based on those successes and the expertise they demonstrated, we decided to use them for our current work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together November of 2016, and have ongoing development work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They consistently exceed our expectations and meet requirements ahead of schedule. Our in-house developers review Accellabs’ code looking specifically for readability and flexibility—if it can be used across different applications—and we haven’t discovered anything that required reformatting.

How did Accellabs perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done an excellent job of tracking and organizing all of our tasks in Jira. They communicate progress in a very digestible way so that we know exactly what is being and has been done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their engineers are extremely talented. In particular, the iOS developer that we work with was very impressive. He finished projects ahead of schedule on a consistent basis, so much so that we began designing new app features and functionalities to leverage his knowledge of the platform and user needs. He was able to advise us about how we could fill gaps in the iOS market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve adapted well to all of our needs and have been incredibly responsive to everything we’ve suggested or asked for.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your homework before engaging with them. The only challenge we had was when we initiated a project in one programming language but quickly realized the project would go more smoothly using another language. We had to switch engineers purely for technical reasons. Accellabs was able to set us up with a new engineer within a week, but if we had done the homework on the technology, the entire situation could have been avoided.