Bits Orchestra

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of TimeOutdoors

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

TimeOutdoors is an online community for people who want to lead an active lifestyle outdoors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Bits Orchestra to accomplish?

Rebuild our website in Kentico 13

SOLUTION

How did you find Bits Orchestra?

Online Search

Why did you select Bits Orchestra over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Willing to work flexibly with our in-house team

How many teammates from Bits Orchestra were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The project was to build a new website in Kentico 13. The UI/UX was already designed and the core architecture was in place. The scope of work for Bits Orchestra was to build this out using Kentico 13 Core. Particular items of work were:

1. PageBuilder, giving us editorial flexibility and efficiency combined with rich functionality using custom widgets.
2. e-commerce, giving us an out-of-the-box transactional platform.
3. the performance benefits of .NET Core. 

The project also uses Content personalization, Google Search Console integration, Campaigns, Categories, Data Protection, emails, roles, scheduled tasks, Smart search (inc custom indexes), and workflows. We have also built numerous custom modules and make extensive use of custom settings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The 'big picture' outcome is that we now have a fast, modern website (GTmetrix 'A', 100% Core Web Vitals) and a scalable platform for growth.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The work was project managed by us using an online sprint management app. The Bits Orchestra team worked well with this and delivered items as and when required - responding to our needs and identifying better ways of approaching some of the deliverables.

What was your primary form of communication with Bits Orchestra?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

One of the main reasons we continue to use the team is because of their 'can-do' attitude and flexible working approach. They're great people to work with, so we've visited them in Ukraine twice!

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

The communications, project management, and billing processes were excellent.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Vivad (Aust) Pty Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Large Format digital printing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Bits Orchestra to accomplish?

• Maintain and develop our propriatory web to print portal

SOLUTION

How did you find Bits Orchestra?

Referral

Why did you select Bits Orchestra over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Bits Orchestra’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Vivad have developed a customised Wedto print portal which uses Kentico CMS as a framework.The UI is build using React and the backing is integrated with Vivad's MIS through a seperate API. Bits Orchestra have worked with us to develop Mobile WebsiteUser interface for a Mobile job bag which allows users to Mark done tasks, record material and give feedback to our MIS. They have also build and implemented many new fetures which we have requested on our website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Sprint deliverables

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

I have been extreamely happy with Bits Orchestra project management. They consistently delivering on milestones efficently and on time. Good comunication, excelent competancy and extremely responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with Bits Orchestra?

Email or Messaging App

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

The Managing director; Roman has taken a particular interest in our project. Bits Orchestra make me feel very valued as a client from the top down. They are very much across the detail and invest a lot of time into working with us on our strategy. Thier diverse knowledge and ability to come up with quick and effective solutions is very impressive.

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

I don't have any suggestions for improvement. We have been very happy with our relationship with Bits Orchestra.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of IT Sales Technologies. I have been working with Bits Orchestra for 5 years. We are a flooring manufacturing company with an IT department that supports our systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were struggling finding professional full stack developers to work on our applications. Our goal was to form a team that could produce quality work in a efficient and timely manner.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had worked with Roman before and he provided quality work for our company. They presented to us qualified applicants to interview and the pricing was very competitive.

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

At this time we have a team of resources from Bits Orchestra. We meet every morning for a 15 stand up call to discuss what was accomplished the day before and priorities for current day. All developers are full stack developers that tackle any project thrown at them. Technologies used are: Core web fundamentals: HTML, JavaScript, and CSS,Azure, CI/CD pipeline processes, C# and full .NET Stack, .Net Core, Web API development, RESTful services development, NodeJS and Command Line Interface, Angular development, Translation of designer mockups and wireframes into an Angular front-end, CSS precompilers like Sass and LESS, Google API Libraries integration to Enterprise Applications, SQL Server, DB2, Visual Studio & VS Code and more.

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

We have anywhere from 5-6 team members at a time. They range from junior to senior engineer and we also have a QC in place at this time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team has assisted with many projects. They work on all critical applications/pipelines supported by our team.

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

We have daily standups where all progress as well as any delays are roadblocks are discussed and addressed. The entire team speak excellent English and communicate very well with our team and business partners when needed.

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

The Bits Orchestra team is wonderful to work with. They are professional, timely and simply get the job done.

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

At this time we are growing the knowledge of our systems with the QC team member.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a tech company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our goal was to migrate a website from Kentico 12 Portal Engine to Kentico 13 .NET Core including all the content and data, users & roles to get back on track with the latest technology, improve overall site performance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We found them via the Upwork platform. The project was such a high priority, we needed the right developers with great Kentico CMS expertise. They’ve demonstrated deep knowledge in CMS as well as understanding of the domain.

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

Migration to Kentico 13 is, in fact, a complete rebuild of the application from scratch based on a new platform and transferring all the content and data from the old site. That includes installation, configuration, development, testing and deployments. Taking into account the scale of the existing site, migration is a relatively large project and took us around 7 months. The result is a brand new site.

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

There were 2 people on the core team, including 2 Kentico developers and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

High quality services provided within timelines and budget, business partners are satisfied with the development team and their performance, attitude and professional ethics.

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

The project management was well organized, so we moved quite smoothly through the development process and never had unexpected issues. We worked in constant contact during the project, communicated through MS Team and email as well as had 2 meetings per week to sync up and coordinate further steps. Transparent communication helps both sides work in sync.

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

They produce high-quality digital products and the result. The BO team always listens carefully, analyzes the input in detail, asks good questions and suggests ideas and solutions, always looking for improvements. The developers are handling developing tasks according to the agile methodology which helps them to provide excellent software development experience. The collaboration was smooth and transparent.

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

Nothing I could think of at the moment

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the former president of our start-up.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Roman and his team did a pretty broad cross-section of work on our site. From UI improvements to enhancements to our APIs with our energy supplier partners.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The site was built on the Kentico platform and Roman and his team are experts on working with Kentico - both the front and the back end.

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

Roman and his team improved the client-side of our website by adding critical functionality and improving the UI for a more seamless experience. On the server side, he and his team improved our internal reporting capabilities and fixed and created several APIs with our energy supplier partners.

These APIs automated pricing changes on our site and enabled our customers to enroll with one of our energy supplier partners seamlessly. The API required the controlled passing of information back and forth to the energy suppliers. Other developers had failed to execute the APIs reliably.

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

My primary contact was Roman, but there were three other team members that were working on our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After Roman's work, the site saw significant increases in traffic and conversion rates. Google analytics data and increased customer transactions indicated that the UI had been effectively improved and that the APIs were functioning as intended. The automated pricing changes and on-the-fly pricing were finally working as intended.

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

Deliverables were completed on schedule. Communication was always open.

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

Thoughtful, knowledgeable, and collaborative. Roman's work suggestions were never academic, but rather focused on what work we could do to either generate more income or reduce site maintenance time.

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

None noted. Roman and his team were total professionals!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the lead analyst. We supply textiles and develop marketing websites for our business partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bits Orchestra?

We needed to relaunch one of our brand’s websites. Another company had tried to revive it and couldn’t complete it, so we needed someone to take over.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bits Orchestra rewrote the entire website and relaunched it under our direction. They are a team of full stack developers, so they did both front- and backend development. Their developers started from scratch and didn’t use anything that the previous vendor had built. The look and feel is entirely new, and the design is faster and more responsive. 

The central features of the site are the product catalog and automated sample ordering. The latter made it easier for our brand to connect with customers and generate more sales — when a customer orders a sample, the sales representatives and district commercial manager automatically receive the customer’s contact details. 

They also connected it to Salesforce by setting it up on the server and integrating it into the code. This site has already gone live, but we continue to work with Bits Orchestra on other projects.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with two senior developers and Roman (Founder & CEO), who oversees our projects. 

How did you come to work with Bits Orchestra?

We have a history with them. Roman worked with us before he had even established Bits Orchestra. We’ve worked with them on a lot of other projects since. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $100,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in May 2019, and we are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business partners are absolutely satisfied with Bits Orchestra’s work. The website was rebuilt upon the request of our partners, so their opinion is our primary metric. 

How did Bits Orchestra perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is really good at beating deadlines. We only had six months for this project, and they finished it way before the deadline. That’s impressive because it was a lot of work. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re willing to adjust their schedule for us whenever we need them to be available at a specific time. Bits Orchestra goes above and beyond to satisfy our needs. Roman always follows up and makes sure everything is okay, which is nice.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind; they've done an excellent job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them about what you need from them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder and CTO of a software development company based in Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bits Orchestra?

We specialise in custom web-based and mobile apps development and needed a partner to assist us in a project that uses Kentico as a content management solution for which our expertise was limited.

What were your goals for this project?

Provide consultancy and custom development services for Kentico CMS.

SOLUTION

How did you select Bits Orchestra?

We went through several options and filtered other agencies and freelances before we selected Bits Orchestra. The choice was obvious once we saw their work and found out more details about their expertise and project approach.

Describe the project in detail.

The project we were part of had one component (Kentico CMS) that needed to be adjusted for different workflow scenarios in order to integrate it with existing solutions as well as new applications that we build for that customer.

What was the team composition?

There was a project manager as main point of contact as well as other developers engaged in the background and available depending on the task / time / complexity.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Team was very fast to react, even on minor tasks or corrections. Communication was key and Bits Orchestra understood the requirements right away, every time.

Their suggestions also improved the quality of work and, as a result, the progress of the entire solution (Kentico with legacy systems and the new apps we developed).

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Email, phone and real-time chat via Skype were all used depending on the task. No issues with availability or time allocated to understand and address the work, be it large or small.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Quality of work and response times. Bits Orchestra went above and beyond to make sure what was needed was delivered and, in certain cases, their suggestions made the delivered work even better. Thank you!

Are there any areas for improvement?

In our experience we cannot see what could have been done better by Bits Orchestra. Everything we asked of them was delivered ahead of time and without any issues. Code, communication and execution were all of the highest level.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Administrative Director at a Technical Trade School located in Nashville, Tennessee. We educate students in the HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical trades and they come from across the United States to our training facility.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bits Orchestra?

We had a company website, but it needed updating and additional features added to allow student access to a Portal account for student and school documents and registration. A new website was designed and developed to implement the required changes.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for a website that was attractive, current and engaging for participants. Our company was looking to move away from paper and be able to do all registrations and storage online.

We envisioned a place on our company website where students could go to access all course documents for classes, plus be able to access all of their schoolwork which had been completed, along with any class certificates, etc. We also wanted to complete all student registration and payment transactions through the site.

SOLUTION

How did you select Bits Orchestra?

We are owned by a larger Parent company and they utilize Bits Orchestra for all of their Development needs, so when our company decided to investigate our new website then we contacted them with questions regarding the project and pricing. They saw our vision and had the expertise to allow the design of the project, therefore we decided to go forward with them.

Describe the project in detail.

After the decision to go forward with the project, we then had several discussions on development and implementation. I envisioned a site where our students could go and purchase a class and pay for it online.

Log into a "Student Portal" account and complete their Class Registration paperwork, access their completed student documents such as homework, along with accessing all coursework, which includes having a video platform for viewing videos and an online testing platform for a paper-free environment.

For School staff, I envisioned a site for storing all student registration information, along with payments. Class Instructors could do online grading with accessible student viewing, so they would know where they stand with their grades in the class in real-time.

What was the team composition?

We have been working with the main team of 3 developers, but they have several others who are working on our project as well when they need them to do specific tasks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

This has been a huge project and has been rolled out in increments. Students now register through our website and our payments system is in place. All registration is now done through our website, so no more paper.

All student documents for their coursework are in our "Student Portal", along with all completed assignments being able to be uploaded for student viewing.

The grading system is in place, therefore students are able to view their grades in real-time anytime they like. The next project to get to is the online test-taking platform and video platform.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The development team has been FANTASTIC to work with and they are there for me at any time. When the project first got underway we were having at least 1 meeting per week to keep in touch about what was going on and to answer any questions.

If more meetings were needed then we would hold those as well. Communication these days is mostly via email, as we are only fine-tuning what has already been developed, but they are always available at any time for anything that is needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Everyone that has worked on our project (Roman, Dima, and Daryna.......plus I'm sure there are others as well) has been excellent, and their knowledge is unbelievable. In my opinion, they are the best at what they do!

They are professional, but yet very fun and enjoyable to work with. Their expertise in being able to take ideas, develop, and implement them, no matter the complexity, is amazing. They have impressed me time and time again!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything that I ask them to do is always an "emergency" and needs to be implemented immediately. They work as fast as they can to take care of my needs and I can't ask for anything more. Again, they are fantastic!!!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO for Harold Grinspoon Foundation. We are a global foundation that does significant outreach specifically around the Jewish community. Our primary program is a book giving program for children around the world. We have different age groups that we market to, and we’re somewhere in the neighborhood of half a million subscribers worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Bits Orchestra?

We were doing a complete rewrite of our book giving program for older children. There are a lot more complexities for that program because we allow the children to pick multiple books, whereas we distribute volumes to the younger children monthly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Bits Orchestra provided our frontend and Kentico development. Kentico is the CMS we use to manage our content, websites, and logic. They provided the technical skills for the development and consultation to ensure we were architecting the platform in a way that would scale. They shared all of their code base with us so that we understand what they’re doing, and we can support it.

What is the team composition?

In total, we worked with three.

How did you come to work with Bits Orchestra?

Bits Orchestra was working with the foundation long before I came. They helped build and maintain our Ukrainian and Russian websites. When we bid out this project, they came back with a reasonable bid that beat all of their competitors. We were comfortable with the work they had done with those first sites, so we gave them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $86,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Bits Orchestra in November 2019, and we deployed the site in June. From an operational perspective, it’s an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything met expectations. The team provided us a lot of knowledge regarding Kentico. They were transparent in what they were accomplishing with their code. We found next to no bugs. We estimated about a 97% success rate, which means out of the 50,000 people we distributed to, only 60 or so were affected by a logic bug. In fact, that wasn’t even a Bits Orchestra issue, but it was ours.

Their code aligned directly with our requirements. When they felt our requirements weren’t realistic to the platform, they derived new solutions with us. For our next project, I will likely be going back with Bits Orchestra.

How did Bits Orchestra perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. With every delivery date, they were on point. Whenever we had a problem or issue, they were responsive, even with time differences. Their level of attention to detail was outstanding.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their CEO is excellent to work with. He understands how to run a business and produce a great product. The team he puts on projects is dedicated and responsive. Even if it’s out of the box or outside of scope, they’ll help us figure out a way to a solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything specific I would improve upon. They helped to make sure that time wasn’t a factor, and when we needed resources, they made sure they were available.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have clean requirements and work through them with their team so that they understand completely. Beyond that, manage them as if they’re an augmentation of your staff, and you’ll be fine.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the marketing manager for Fit Factory Health Clubs. Fit Factory is a full-service health club that provides luxury studio experiences at an affordable price. I oversee all marketing efforts including digital, print, and more in order to reach new customers and communicate with existing ones.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Bits Orchestra?

We hired them to create and manage our website.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to ensure that the website provides a clear representation of our brand. Additionally, we wanted to simplify the consumer journey and make it easy to navigate.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I believe we were introduced through a prior vendor who did a limited amount of website management and knew that we needed more support. Roman (Co-Founder & CEO, Bits Orchestra) was incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and provided reasonable estimates so we decided to move forward and have since formed a great partnership.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Bits Orchestra built our website and helps us maintain it so that it’s continuously improving and evolving as we do. The biggest thing they've done has been the complete redesign of our website, changing how users interact with it and the way our team manages it on the backend.

What was the team composition?

Roman and his team work directly with us to help us with our current projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re currently conducting an analysis on how web traffic has improved since having Bits Orchestra on board, however, they have helped us launch pre-sale pages for a multitude of clubs that have led to over 1,000 additional memberships over the course of the past few months.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

All I have to do when I need something is send an email. From there, Bits Orchestra creates tasks in Jira to track progress, ask questions, etc. It’s all very easy and effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Working with Bits Orchestra has been truly awesome and they’re by far one of my favorite vendors to work with. The team is always knowledgeable and helpful and their speed of service is really unmatched! It's so easy for me to just send an email and know that my request will be taken care of in just a day or so—sometimes even only hours.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, there’s nothing they need to fix. Bits Orchestra is great at managing all of our web development needs!