Celerik

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of software and systems at an oil and gas technology company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Celerik?

We have a small software team and wanted to develop a web-based app that would allow clients to view their oil and gas well-related data in a more consumable and intuitive way through a dashboard.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We outsourced the development of the app’s frontend to Celerik. Our team handled the backend, so the databases and the APIs. We gave them a list of features we wanted, and they developed the first version of the frontend for us. When they transferred the ownership to our internal team, they helped us create the pipelines and DevOps side of things as well. The app was coded in JavaScript, specifically React.js. We used a third-party library called INT for our 3D oil and gas well-viewer.

In the end, we did give them a design as well, but we didn’t have a chance to follow through on that; we had to cut the project a bit short because of COVID-19.

What is the team composition?

My main contact was Juan (CEO & Co-Founder), but there were probably four other people on his team.

How did you come to work with Celerik?

We actually went through a third-party developer, and the owner of that company used Celerik as one of their resources.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent around $50,000–$60,000 on the third-party developer, but I’m not sure what percentage went to Celerik.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in November of 2019, and it just wrapped up in April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The biggest challenge for them was the timing. Our CEO was very ambitious on the timing of this, but they were able to produce a functional frontend within a very short timeframe. I thought it would take three times as long. Their work was generally well-received by our internal team. Our CEO has had some issues controlling the 3D view with his MacBook Pro’s mouse, but it’s worked well on Windows and otherwise.

How did Celerik perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great in terms of project management. Someone on our end who was working on the API would make changes to it and not tell Celerik, which would screw up the connectivity of the frontend that they were working on, but that was really our fault. On their side, they seemed very organized; they had the pipeline set up really well, and they used DevOps to full capacity. I was really impressed by that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very easy to work with and organized, and they came through on a tight timeline. Overall, we were very pleased with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re in Columbia, so there was a little bit of a geographical disconnect. Also, they could have had better connectivity with the backend. As I said, we had someone working on the API who wasn’t the best at communicating, so Celerik could’ve been more proactive on that side, but again, I think that was more our fault than theirs.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a startup that’s focused on giving consumers more transparency around food ingredients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Celerik?

We had a couple of challenges but our biggest challenge finding an immediate interim CTO. Our CTO left, so we needed to offload information and documentation. This would allow the future CTO to jump in once hired. Our tech team didn’t document at all, which made growth and onboarding hard.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Celerik built out our development infrastructure and documentation process. Now, they lead frontend development for us, managing a team of six individuals. Their team also directs database development for us. They work in a mixed capacity of building and deploying features as well as fixing bugs as they arise. 

What is the team composition?

I work with four people closely but six people in total support this project including a technical project manager. The CEO is involved too.

How did you come to work with Celerik?

I found Celerik on a freelancer's platform. Initially, I sought a partner to create a tech feasibility document on ways to expand our database. We hired Celerik for that short-term project. They did great so a month later, I rehired them for this other wave of work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $20,000–$25,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our collaboration in November 2019 and our work’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Celerik was brought into a hard situation that required them to pick up someone else’s code and make sense of it. And then, they had to manage documentation. They’ve been a great partner in a situation that’s probably less than ideal. They’re collaborative team players, so people enjoy working with them.

I evaluate our relationship based on four elements. Communication is a big one, especially with us being in different time zones. I also evaluate their ability to hit deadlines. The quality of their work is important too. I’m not technical but when we launch products, I look into bugs. And then a fourth quality that I consider is their collaboration style. I need a partner to think through whether or not a solution's worth our time and energy as a company to hit a return.

How did Celerik perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team uses Azure DevOps to plan our Agile sprints. They also provide weekly status reports. Either they hit the deadlines or they communicate delays. I never feel that I’m caught off guard. They’ve been awesome.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re incredibly thorough with everything that they do. Our development boards are thorough with time estimates for tasks. Their team’s proactive with identifying deadlines or the work that needs to happen. They’re trustworthy, honest, and hardworking.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you’re clear with your expectations, they’re great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and owner of a company that manufactures hurricane shutters. We’re based in Dade County, Florida. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Celerik?

I was looking to take my business online so I could sell my products on the web. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My products are custom-built, so I provided them with the filters and parameters through which users could search for the items. These included specifications like size dimension and shutter track position. I also gave them data, organized in an Excel sheet, which would allow for the computation of the product price. 

The Celerik team took all of these requirements and worked with the engineer on my own team to deliver the website. They also collaborated to resolve errors and bugs. 

What is the team composition?

When I met with them in Columbia, I met with four people on their team. My primary point of contact was the teammate who spoke English.

How did you come to work with Celerik?

I’d met Danny and was having a casual conversation with him before we realized that they could get my idea for a website rolling. We had a follow-up phone call later and then met up with them in Columbia before finalizing our engagement.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $5000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I engaged them in April 2019 and the project wrapped up in July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While I don’t have any strict metrics, the finished product was on-point; it was even better than I’d expected. They performed very well, so I don’t have any complaints about how they did.

How did Celerik perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered upon all their promises and executed in a timely manner. They moved very quickly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to adhere to their promises was very appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything but the language barrier. Since my Spanish isn’t strong, the engagement would’ve been smoother if all members of their team spoke English. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be ready, because once they jump on the project, they’ll need you to give them the materials they require. In retrospect, I might’ve slowed them down because of my own pace. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

ICOMS Group, is an engineering and field services company with a B2C and B2B business model. We help companies better manage their electrical equipment through maintenance programs and assistance. I’m the Co-founder and CEO of the company that is based in Medellin, Colombia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Celerik?

TeSirve is the “Uber of handyman an technician services”.  We hired Celerik to develop our App. By using the app, users can call on-demand technician to their homes to help them repair their appliances and the following services:

• Repairment
• Maintenance
• Installation

Our model leverages partner freelance handymen as well as third party maintenance companies affiliated to our platform.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to operate through third party affiliated service providers and handymen. The goal was become the # 1 and preferred option for handyman services, using our different channels (web, app and whatsapp) and even though the market was highly competed, Celerik helped us make an important dent in it.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We compared 3 offers of other vendors and reviewed experience, quality, capacity, cost-benefit, adaptability and process.

Describe the project in detail.

We used the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas to define the business opportunity and understand the Colombian market needs. We then identified roles, personas, user flows, wireframes, use story map and product roadmap. This helped us put together the early MVP estimates and solutions architecture for TeSirve.

Celerik then had a product backlog to start working on developing the software, deploying the solution and conducting user testing.

What was the team composition?

• 1 Development Manager
• 2 Software Engineers (front and backend)
• 1 UX/UI designer

We were in constant contact with the Developer Manager, and participated with the rest of the team on weekly ceremonies.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We reached 20 partnerships across the 8 large cities in Colombia. Those was very important to fix bugs of the app and maked to the users the best experience, within the customer app and the partner of service app. We were able to provide over 300 repair and maintenance services per month.

After running for over 1 year, TeSirve was acquired by another technician services company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The effectiveness was very good, because, the strict order to operate step by step according the support of the manager of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They integrated well into areas of our company, and all of our requests were addressed in a short time. They always showed very good attitude to serve.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Maybe, they could have assigned more man hours to interaction with final users, so that the final product was even more in line with what the market requires. Nonetheless, Celerik did an amazing job and receiving feedback and proactively propose solutions when issues arose.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an IT analyst at a local government agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Celerik?

I hired them at first to develop a module of the previous platform. More recently, they supported the migration of a web platform for investment projects, management, and purchase programs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used Microsoft Visual Studio with .NET framework on an Oracle database.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two developers, a project manager, a web designer, and an app architect.

How did you come to work with Celerik?

The platform we had before was very complex and we couldn’t support it anymore, so we needed to migrate. We found them right at the moment that we were planning to do this, so we decided to work with them on the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $600,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together for six or seven years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It has been very positive on a functional and administrative level. The platform is easy to use and has saved us a lot of work.

How did Celerik perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always in touch through emails, WhatsApp, phone, and in person. I received great personal support from them. They have always been reliable and very close to us when we have needed it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their human quality and technical knowledge stood out. They are very well prepared and always up-to-date on the latest technology.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The costs of their services are high for us as a government agency, but worth it. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a not-for-profit technology accelerator, who's primary goal is to build the UK economy in space through projects around the world alinging with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. My role is essentially the Technology Authority on the project - taking overall ownership and responsibility of the solution, as such, I managed the relationship with Celerik.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Celerik?

Two reasons: 1) To build a complex geospatial visualization, alerting and reporting tool, according to agreed user requirements 2) To manage many in-country partner relationships

What were your goals for this project?

Details are confidential, but they are about delivering long-term impact in Colombia, according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Experience, network, flexibility, and eagerness to work with us. The choice was extremely easy as Celerik were the best partners possible.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They facilitated stakeholder meetings and helped us identify end users. From this, they worked with our User Centred Design team to identify and solidify user stories as part of a larger user requirements document.

Celerik then took these and started building the complex geospatial visualisation, alerting and reporting system for the end users, according to the user stories and the non-functional requirements highlighted by our team.

What was the team composition?

Juan Carlos, the CEO was our primary contact during the early phases, but as we went through design, definition and then development, our primary contacts changed accordingly to the head of UX, Product Manager, Technical Architect and, then, the Engineering Director.

The team size did change, slightly, according to need and Celerik were incredibly flexible and reactive to the changing needs of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As the project is ongoing, there are no specific metrics, but the overall "feel" and the general sense of the vendor throughout our company is very positive and I know that we would want to work with them again.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Celerik were delivering part of an overall solution - the most visible part, that the end-users would interact with, so this was high-profile and needed to be carefully managed. Celerik have deeply embedded and formal processes for managing work that dove-tailed with our processes very well. If they hadn't then they were entirely open to flexibility and would have changed accordingly.

The collaboration was through Microsoft Teams, Slack, Azure DevOps etc. They provided a nightly build and an integration end point, plus surfaced the results of the nightly test runs. We had no problems with the language barrier - their English was perfect and we utilised diagrams and whiteboarding sessions when in-country to help us understand.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flexibility, friendliness, open to change and to work with us on that, but also I was very impressed with their willingness to question and to put forward alternative ideas, where appropriate - something I am extremely open to and welcome.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, they have been perfect to work with

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of product management for an IT company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Celerik?

We needed help with mobile app development, work on Azure Cloud, and API management expertise.

What were your goals for this project?

To develop a SaaS-based business model for mobile RFID devices, in order to enable easier, more accurate, and semi-automated inventory fulfillment, invoicing, and cycle counts.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected them based on their prior work and our relationship with their owners.

Describe the project in detail.

We needed an end-to-end cloud-based mobile solution for Android and iOS RFID devices. Their work included architecture, security model, documentation, user stories, design, development, unit testing, Azure Cloud setup & configuration, and knowledge transfer.

What was the team composition?

There was a project manager, an architect, a technical lead, a designer, and some developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Celerik did an excellent job managing expectations throughout, ensuring they had the capability the user stories we required, based their measure velocity and our project budget. They made sure the deliverables aligned with our vision for the product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used tools like GroupHub, Skype, and CloudForge to manage the documentation, product backlog, and communication. It worked well, considering our teams were in different locations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their willingness to always do the right thing and their ability to keep an open mind, taking time to see all perspectives.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sometimes they underestimated on the level of effort that a story would require. However, the team always found ways to overcome this and correct the problem.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m currently the CTO of a company that provides engineering consulting services for the personal care manufacturing industry. We commission equipment and machinery and deploy full-scale production assets to our customers around the world. I’m responsible for developing technology solutions for internal use as well as customer-facing solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Celerik?

Our equipment and process checkout system was paper-based, and the number of simultaneous projects and multiple teams across the world created the need for a more efficient and data-driven system. This will allow us to better serve the projects and develop continuous-improvement opportunities by collecting historical data of projects and results.

What were your goals for this project?

The main objective was to develop a software solution that allows our users to follow a systematic approach while commissioning equipment on the field. Additionally, we wanted to create visibility for our customers so that they can track the project’s progress in real-time. Finally, we needed to collect historical success/failure data that will allow us to make better decisions on the following projects.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Celerik is in the same city as we are. I had worked with their team before, so the decision to start the project with them was made right away.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, and released a web app for the company's internal use that allows our engineering team to commission machinery startup projects in a systematic approach. The application is a combination of a task management system and a score-card dashboard project reporting system. They took care of deployment, maintenance, and support throughout all stages of the project.

What was the team composition?

The team was made up of a team lead and three or four developers that took care of different areas of the application. Our in-house team was always in direct contact with the lead developer and account manager for new requirements and support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

By going from a paper-based system to a fully digital system, we gained significant and measurable results. By collecting historical data from each project, we were able to compare the performance of different teams and make data-based decisions to succeed in following projects. Our clients also trust us more since we were able to create visibility into their project's status. This has helped us differentiate our services from competitors.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used an agile approach and regularly met with the development team to provide feedback on features and add progressive requirements to the application. This was effective as we could increase our functionality while having the application work seamlessly from its early stages of development.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Having direct contact with the development team at all levels improved communication efficiency. They offered great support, attending our requirements with top priority.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They’re always improving their processes, which is something all companies have to do. I can't think of anything specific I would suggest them to work on at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a product manager for CharityJob, a specialized job board for charities in the UK. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Celerik?

The majority of our traffic is from mobile users. We surveyed our core users—both candidates and recruiters—about what features we could provide to improve their experience. One option was a mobile app, which was overwhelmingly their top request. We engaged Celerik to help us create an MVP of an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Celerik built the MVP for both iOS and Android devices. We provided wireframes and blueprint designs early on, and their team used the materials to guide development. The app allows users to search for jobs via location and other search filters. Users can view listings, save them, and apply via a web-view. It also provides a job alerts function. As an MVP, the app doesn’t have full access to all of our job board’s features. We wanted to meet the minimum requirements based on user feedback.

What is the team composition?

We work with Juan (CEO, Celerik), Daniel (CTO, Celerik), and 3–4 developers. Juan and Daniel are our main points of contact. 

How did you come to work with Celerik?

When we were looking for outsourced companies to build the app, our CTO reached out to a former developer of ours. They recommended Celerik to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £8,000 (approximately $10,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018. Celerik’s portion is mostly finished, but the project is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have yet to launch the app, but Celerik has delivered all the materials we need to get started. Our CTO is pleased with the quality of their code. We plan to measure our traffic, the number of downloads, and user interactions through the API connected to the app.

We look forward to receiving feedback through user testing after the app's launch. Celerik’s part is mostly done, but we will likely reach to them for future development needs.

How did Celerik perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team managed our project brilliantly. Our focus was split between a lot of projects, and we often got back to them late in communication and deliverables. Celerik remained patient while staying on top of us to make sure we produced updates and met our deadlines. We had weekly phone calls to share progress. Celerik even offered to have us participate in their regular stand-ups. This was our first experience with an outsourced company where we completed a full project together. We’re satisfied with the collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Celerik often over-delivered on their promised services. If we had a request beyond our scope, they’re happy to do it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Time zone differences caused issues with communication sometimes. The project also took longer than expected, but most delays came from our side. Otherwise, I can’t think of anything. Celerik was an excellent partner to work with.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be open and available to Celerik’s level of communication. It will make the project more successful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Gold by Gold

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Precious metal trading and refining

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Celerik to accomplish?

• reactivity
• business understanding
• cost

SOLUTION

How did you find Celerik?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Celerik over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Celerik were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Traceability tool link to visual representation, internal controls, industry and national regulations applied to minerals tracing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Celerik designed and constructed the backbone of our mineral trading business.

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

Very responsive and great Project managers

What was your primary form of communication with Celerik?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

Finding this level of understanding and reactivity is hard to find.

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

not than I can think of