Clockwise Software

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

The client is pleased with the results. Clockwise completed the project on time and within the agreed upon budget. The impacts of the project are all positive.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was very good. We had weekly meetings where we reviewed the previous sprint and our goals for the coming week. Our project manager was available almost 24/7 if I had any questions or issues. It was very agile development, and having the project manager oversee the four developers was very useful. We mostly communicated through Slack, and we used Jira for issue management and tracking.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very professional, adhere to deadlines, and do very well with weekly and biweekly sprints. I'm very happy with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any improvements or suggestions for them. This became a long-term project, as the client kept making changes. They adjusted quickly to all the changing requirements and I can't say anything negative about their workflow.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In general, it's a good idea to give as many details as possible to get a realistic scope and an accurate quote ahead of time.

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

I designed a workflow similar to a Kanban-scrum structure that tracks and tests all of our tasks. Two of the applications we’re working on, which have approximately 1200 automated tests, earned 100% code coverage and 100% branch coverage. Another app we’ve worked on with Clockwise Software has 99.4% code coverage. I’m very pleased with the quality of the work we’ve done together.

How did Clockwise Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I like to drive a project, especially when I’m working with a smaller team like Clockwise, so I essentially serve as project lead for them. We have a video conference call every morning for about an hour. We also use Talky, a free WebRTC online tool, to do screen shares, discuss the day’s tickets, and review code together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The fact that Clockwise’s CEO has spent as much time and effort in training, personal improvement and quality assurance for his team as I do is something I consider very valuable. For example, the CEO sends his team to English courses to ensure they can clearly communicate with customers in the U.S.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was pleased with everything overall. They did a great job sourcing the right developers for me.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Structure your contracts with them so they’re incentivized to achieve. For example, paying them monthly created a more stable pay cycle and allowed them to focus their attention on quality, as opposed to how many hours each developer is allocated.

I’ve also found that hiring an external project manager isn’t as effective as hiring an on-site project manager who has an entrenched understanding of the requirements and expectations of the project. If the project manager isn’t actively involved in the development process, the result won’t be as good.