Binariks

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

They’re great, and, as a result, have 20-30 initial users. They’ve done everything I’ve asked of them. 

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

I liked having a project manager as my key point of contact throughout the project. They give us weekly reports. Even though they’re in Ukraine and are three hours behind, they’re very responsive. I email them at 5:00 my time and they email me that evening. I couldn’t be happier with them. They keep on top of the hours and cost for me. They managed the budget well.

Every two weeks, they planned the fortnightly number of hours they were going to spend. They emailed me with their projections on how many hours and people needed to get through the milestones in that time period.

They would always check with me if I was satisfied with spending that amount of money. If I wasn’t, they’d cut back on the hours and delay it. If I was willing to spend more, they’d add a few more hours. They manage the project very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very helpful being that I don’t come with any app development background. They explained everything. I asked them a lot of stupid questions and not once did they criticize. They explained everything to me. They made me feel comfortable with the decisions. They made a lot of alterations and have put a lot of input into it based on their knowledge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The project was slightly delayed due to COVID-19. They prioritized me when I needed them to. They’re very good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take their advice when they offer it. They have the expertise to know what they’re talking about.

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

They keep up with sprints, which we conduct over two weeks. Their team also handles any tickets. We're highly pleased with their team and their work.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

We speak weekly and use Jira. I handle operational project management such as planning work, distributing tickets, and organizing stand-ups. Their project manager handles other tasks such as collecting and reporting hours. They're responsive, meet deadlines, and communicate well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a team of mature, professional, self-starters. I don’t need to push them or watch them every step of the way. Binariks is accommodating and meets expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t micromanage them. They're hungry for work and approach it professionally.

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

We already have an MVP, and we’re constantly iterating to optimize the speed. We’ve gotten feedback from our customers, and we’re now working on the system with a project manager and a team of three others from Binariks. It is organic, and things are changing.

We’re in a specific industry with very market-specific demands, and we were pretty surprised by how quickly they understood our whole process and absorbed our demands. I’m still surprised by how quickly these young, fit, and intelligent programmers have been able to adapt our business. That is a strength. I’ve worked with other companies on projects that were often simpler than this one, yet it was more difficult to explain the requirements to them. Binariks has a high level of experience. They have a long-term legacy over our company.

We are really happy with what we have. When I look at our company from where we were last year to where we are now, we have made a huge step forward, and Binariks has been an enormous part of that. Our whole company now depends on the software that they’ve have built. We are not talking about a little webshop or software that we use once a week; their software connects all of our internal employees. We make delivery notes and invoices, and our software connects to our machines, which handle big jobs.

We are satisfied and extremely happy with it. The outcome is what we wanted. Of course, there are always challenges; no one is perfect. However, even when we have a hiccup in the system, the Binariks team is eager to help. You will never find that motivation in the Netherlands or Germany. They will work until there is a solution, even if it’s the evening. There is always a risk in nearshore development, but they have delivered what we expected. It is exactly how we wanted it to be.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

I think we have had pretty good cooperation, which also has to do with my own experience, as I’m partly a project manager. In the beginning, we had to search for a good connection. When you have a good idea, then speed is key; you want to go fast. I must say that their project manager told me to slow down, and this was a learning curve for me. They wanted to make the scope complete before we started development. I realized that what they were recommending was better. We needed to first really describe the scope from A to Z, including the correct screens and user stories, and then start the development. Binariks made me realize that the whole process before you start programming is perhaps even more important than the programming itself.

We use Jira, Confluence, and other typical project management software. I receive status updates every week, but I am actually in control of what is going on 24/7 through Jira. We communicate over Skype, where we have a few smaller group chats for more specific areas. We have also visited them several times, which I think is another big benefit. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really prepare the project from A to Z and then start to develop. It is certainly something different than what I have seen with other companies, which typically start development right away and then have to correct things as they go along. That is something that sets Binariks, in my opinion, apart from other companies I have worked with so far.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think you can always improve, but considering the overall scope, I think they delivered an exceptional system in a short amount of time. It wasn’t a simple system. When you develop with a nearshore company, you always have to be aware of language differences. Speaking English, which isn’t our native language, took some getting used to. I think that in this case, I learned more from Binariks than they learned from me. I am critical, but they delivered the work exactly how we wanted. They are a flexible company, and I can really recommend them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I always tell people that they really have to give good input to any offsite company and explain exactly what they want. They are much more capable of absorbing your information than you might think. It was impressive how quickly Binariks absorbed the information, including what we wanted as well as what the challenges were.  If there is a possibility to visit the company to motivate them and give them the atmosphere of what you are expecting, I think it is advantageous.

When you start the initial development, you don’t have to be an expert, but express interest in technology and what is available in the market; then, your connection with the programmers and the people you are working with will be much stronger. Really co-create with them. When you are looking for a technical company that is capable of checking your legacy and working with a lot of different programming languages, then Binariks is the right company. I have already referred them a few times.

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

The primary benefit that we get is elasticity. When I need to ramp up engineering, their team’s quick to respond. As well, when we have to move an engineer to a different product, we can have the Binariks team pick up that work. In the last 3–4 months, we’ve gotten a lot done with our products.

How did Binariks perform from a project management standpoint?

We use JIRA to track bugs and manage sprints. We communicate primarily over Slack, Zoom, and Google Hangouts. We also share information through Google Docs and use Confluence. They don’t need any more oversight than I would provide to any other team. They do time-shifting, so we have a half-day overlap. Many of our engineers get responses from them that go into their evenings. They’re also not afraid to speak up when they have ideas for improvements.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take a sense of ownership in these projects. Their team’s focused and engaged in the work that they do. They’re available all of the time and seem to be part of our team. Their team works well with our team’s operation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We focused on sprint retrospectives during the first six months of bringing them onboard. We identified any gaps in the way that our engineers communicated with them or gaps in how we handed out the design specifications. So, both teams made adjustments. After the first 3–4 months, they've worked with us seamlessly. It doesn’t happen by accident. We kept asking questions about what worked and what didn’t. Binariks was quick to make any changes. Their team was also proactive when they felt that we needed to make an adjustment in how we worked. That’s another quality that I appreciate.