Django Stars

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief executive officer of Haystack Informatics, which provides analytic software for the healthcare industry. Our solution helps health systems turn data into action by revealing and standardizing best practices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

We needed help creating a web application, which had to be designed according to our specifications. Our in-house people were busy doing other tasks, so we wanted to augment our capabilities with a third party to create this new product quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us build the first and second versions of our product. We did the data science part while they developed the web application frontend using Django. Initially, we defined what the project looked like, prepared the data, and provided mockups and specifications for the database structure.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a project manager, a designer, and frontend and backend people. The CTO and CEO are also involved in our project.

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

After looking at a few providers, we picked Django Stars based on the questions that they asked and some of the previous projects they had done. We felt that they’d be a good partner for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since January 2017. Currently, they’re just working on a few bugs, which should be done by the end of this week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very happy with the functionality and reliability of the product. They’ve had a strategic impact on who we are as a company; we couldn’t have created this product without Django Stars.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very strong in project management. They would break the work down into tasks and estimate how long each will take. Then, they would measure the actual performance versus the estimates.

They are very good at communicating. We use Jira, Slack, email, and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a responsible and straightforward team who gets things done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re happy with what they’ve created.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you want. The clearer you are, the more likely the project will be a success. If you do most of the work upfront, the execution becomes a straightforward exercise. Otherwise, it would mean lots of changes that would increase the time and cost.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager for our business, which is an e-commerce software that allows sports services to schedule their facilities and equipment for customers. We provide a platform that connects the facilities with their customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

We needed help redeveloping our legacy system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have an existing legacy product built on an older technology. They’ve been working with us to change and update the site technology’s operation by redesigning and recreating it. There’ve been many lessons learned from the first version, and we’re incorporating them into the new version moving forward.

They created login components to connect users and enable them to make an account. They’ve done facility setups, and they developed our backend pieces such as site configuration and permissions. They also produced some frontend designs for site features per our request. They’re still working to complete the product.

What is the team composition?

Their team ranges from 10-15 people. We’ve been mainly working with one project manager and a core team for this partnership. There was some fluctuation at the beginning, but we eventually came to work in a stable team with consistent area leads.

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

We used a website that rated web service contractors. After we performed a contractor evaluation, we found their reviews were rated highly. We narrowed our options to them and two other contractors, and we used a pilot project to evaluate each. We took our website, broke it into segments, and gave them isolated silos to individually work on. In this way, we gauged how each of their services worked and how they managed the project. We compared delivery times, quality of work, and other components, and Django came out on top. They seemed to work at a faster pace. Their budget and timelines were fair, and the quality of their prior work was good.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been working on one project at a time with the understanding that we can stop doing new sprints whenever we see the need. They consistently provide functional deliverables, so we’ve continued moving forward with sprints. So far, their work has been well done and has met our expectations.

Even though the product is not fully built and doesn’t have all the features, we’ve been able to show our site’s new layout and structure. Our customers know that we’re moving forward from these developments, which has helped with their retention. These developments may have helped us land some new accounts as well, so overall this engagement has been valuable.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been open and communicative throughout this collaboration. They’ve been clear about work and project assignments, delivering estimates, and project plans. They’ve shared progress and provided explanations every step of the way. Any time we’ve had questions about the budget or schedule, they’ve provided us with clear answers and explanations. They typically brought up possible issues before they could happen, which helped our process.

We mainly use email to communicate, and we use Google Hangouts for meetings because we’re in different time zones. Whenever we’ve met it has been late in their day and early in our day, which has worked well for both of us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Initially, our time difference was a concern. After we started working together, it actually became a benefit. When they’ve finished their day, we start ours. Our days have some overlap, but they basically work a full day, and then we have a full day to review, add, or change anything and get it in the pipeline for their next workday. This process has helped move the project forward.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Estimates are currently hard to make. We’re going to further review and analyze results to understand why aspects of the project are overestimated or underestimated in different ways. In general, everything has been pretty good. There is a language barrier at times, but we usually overcome it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s been nice to have a rate that is split depending on the employee working. In-house, you are required to have people for frontend work, backend work, and quality assurance in addition to having a designer. With a contractor, you can let them handle which resource takes priority at a given time, so you don’t have to worry about excess or unnecessary employee overhead when you don’t have work for a particular employee. Generally, contracting out web development has worked well for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of StoryTold, an app that encourages and facilitates one-on-one communication between parents and their school-age children. I generally work on marketing and business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the scope of their involvement?

I didn’t have a big budget for creating native applications and asked that they used React Native, because I needed applications for both Android and iOS platforms. They had worked on a previous project for another company of mine called Eye2eye, for which they also used React Native.

The application is a platform for communication between parents and their children. It allows the parent to write stories and messages on the web version of StoryTold, which their children can read on their mobile phones. It acts as an interpreter between parents and children.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 2 backend developers, 2 frontend developers, 2 UI/UX designers, and 1 quality assurance and Scrum master.

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

I found them on Clutch. I had looked at 10 Ukrainian companies, but after 2 months of searching and comparing companies, I chose them and haven’t regretted it.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent less than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with them in August 2016. The work for Eye2Eye and the redesign for StoryTold was completed in November 2017.

SOLUTION

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

While we don’t have metrics yet, we’re about to test our beta version with a focus group, and plan to launch the paid version in about a month.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

They understood everything we wanted to do. From a project management perspective, everything was perfect. We have standup meetings twice a week, and they keep me updated during the development process. I worked on this project full-time and wanted to be kept up to date at all times, so I asked them for frequent communication, and they’ve followed through.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really try to dig inside the project, rather than just outsource the code. They make sure to deeply understand the business model and the client/customer base before writing any code, which allows them to provide valuable feedback throughout the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I am unsure of where they can improve. Everything has been going well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Engage in frequent communication with the team. When they have questions during the sprint, I always address them quickly so that they don’t waste their time or do something wrong.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Darpedia is an Arabic social platform which connects homeowners with professionals. We have a library of thousands of designs and can connect the user with professionals who can implement those designs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

We needed to develop our platform. They were the first development company I’d worked with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided them with a technical document. It wasn’t a very detailed set of requirements, given that I don’t have a technical background, but it featured our business needs and the wireframes we created with another company. They designed and developed our entire product using Python and Django CMS [content management system]. The platform consists of a web version and a mobile one based on Google Progressive Web Apps.

What is the team dynamic? 

We worked with 5-6 people from their team. I was the only one in contact with them. We had 3 calls every week and communicated by email almost on a daily basis.

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

One of my friends is a senior product manager at another company. He helped me in terms of communication and choosing the right language. After settling on Python and Django CMS, I looked on Clutch, vetted 8 or 9 companies, interviewed them all, and Django Stars came out as the best by far. They went through the due diligence and research on what we were trying to do and came back to me with a great understanding of the project. There was another company I was impressed with, but they were using another language. The 2 were very close, but we chose Django Stars because of their experience with Python.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Django Stars in April 2017 and launched the platform in early August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very pleased with what they delivered. Because we have to signup professionals offline, the process has been quite complicated. We’ve started with Jordan, our home country, which is a small market and have marketed to consumers using AdWords, SEO, and social media.

Since our launch 2 ½ months ago, we’ve had some good feedback. Users like our product and found the mobile app and website to be neat, with a great UX [user experience] and UI [user interface]. The professionals we work with have also liked it as managing their profiles on Darpedia is easy.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered a top-notch website for us. The cost was more than we expected in the beginning, but this was because I changed my mind in some areas along the way. I had some budget constraints, but if I had more money, I would have developed a bigger product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their infrastructure people. We received Microsoft’s startups sponsorship “Bizspark” which includes credits for Azure. Apparently, Django Stars had never implemented anything using Azure, but they were very quick to learn it and implement our infrastructure on it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would have liked it if the requirements were a bit more detailed, allowing us to estimate the scope in a better way. This is true for any development house.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Django Stars is great in terms of communication and can develop solutions exactly how the customer wants it. They can provide advice along the way on best practices.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are developing a cloud-based platform that allows businesses to integrate a range of messaging services into mobile applications, websites, and business systems to improve customer engagement and create unified workflows. Our startup is based in Ireland. I’m the founder and the product owner. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

We had an issue at the time with a number of elements of the system. The project was on the sidelines for quite a while, but we eventually decided to take it to the next level. As a result of this decision, we looked at a few different options in terms of who was going to do that for us.

We were looking for a strong strategic partner with an experienced team of developers and commercial expertise to build the project from its idea stage to full-scale implementation. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We presented our system to Django Stars, and they redesigned the system and proposed a different approach to how it should be built. We followed this advice, allowing them to rebuild the system from scratch. The previous system that we had was used more as a guide, rather than something to build on. It was still useful in terms of demonstrating what we wanted, but we ended up with a new system that they built for us from the bottom up. It was a different platform because it was previously built on .NET; they took it to Python. It was just completely different, creating many benefits from a management perspective and for our clients as well.

They also added a lot of new features. The previous version didn't serve the purpose of the current version. The original focused on a completely different business objective: a platform for sending text messages. The new incarnation is more of a B2B service rather than B2C. The way Django Stars understood our vision was quite incredible.

We delivered the project requirements to them. We didn’t have our own team in-house. We had two people project managing this—myself and my colleague. We both took proactive roles in the process, but their team of 5 manages the project; they’re pretty diverse in terms of their skill sets.

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

We put out a comprehensive process and identified a number of vendors, one of which was Django Stars. There were 5 suppliers under consideration initially. We narrowed it down to three and ended up with Django Stars as our partner.

What made the choice easier for use was the way they approached the project. Even during the initial few meetings, they gave us a lot of support in terms of how they see this project progressing and what they can bring to the table. That was instrumental in finalizing our decision and making them our partner of choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February of 2015. The work is currently ongoing, as they're still contributing features. The project manager on their side is the same, but they are just starting to allocate their resources now, so some people might change. We're currently going through the next stage of the development process. We recently agreed to a new set of features that they are developing for us. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

We were very impressed with their attention to detail, especially while creating the UI/UX for both mobile and web applications. The final products have exceeded our original requirements and expectations.

We currently have about 18,000 registered users on the project. About 10% of them are active users of the software, so it's working well. The reception was excellent because Django Stars helped us release 3 or 4 new versions and improved an Android app that we currently have on the Google Play Store. Each time a new version was released, we got very positive feedback from users.

With our external suppliers, I found Django Stars much more responsive. The fact that they have such a diverse team with different skills really helped develop this project on a lighter scale. What we struggled with previously was dealing with people who had a specific set of skills. While their skill level may have been high, they didn't deliver the product we wanted. Django Stars’ response to any queries we had was excellent at all levels of the project.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

Throughout the last few months, the people who were on our team at the time when they built the platform were still accessible to us if we need to make any last-minute changes. For example, we recently had a few small issues. I didn't hesitate to get in touch with them, and they were able to provide instant support. It wasn't preplanned; it was a last-minute request, but they obliged and fulfilled it with no problems.

We managed the work through JIRA, Bitbucket, and GitHub, making it a very transparent and easy-to-understand process. We’re on the client's side, and they’re on the development side.

What did you find most impressive about Django Stars?

The level of engagement was excellent in terms of the advice they gave us and the level of support, which helped to create what we envisaged in terms of coding. We got a final product that exceeded our expectations.

Are there any areas Django Stars could improve?

I can’t really find any fault with them, to be honest. I wish we had more of a budget available so we could progress with developing our platform at a faster rate. We have some budget constraints and occasionally have to postpone certain developments. 

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm a co-founder of the company, based in Paris, France, which is developing a chat application for Android and iOS, which allows neighbors, work colleagues, students, and other people within the same space to communicate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

We needed to develop an MVP that we could show to beta users. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Django Stars has mainly worked on the backend of our Android and iOS application based on designs that we gave them.

There have been two backend developers, one iOS and Android front-end developer, and a QA tester from Django Stars' team. We mainly communicated with the person in charge of the project, but for certain requests, we also contacted the developers.

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

We were looking for an offshore company with a reasonable price, and after looking at some reviews, found Django Stars through Clutch.co. We contacted four other companies in Ukraine and other countries, but we selected Django Stars based on the solutions they proposed to us and the price they offered. It proved to be a good choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Django Stars in April 2016. We have an ongoing relationship; they've completed our initial phase, and we're working on specs for a second step.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We are pitching our MVP, and it's been received well.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a delay, but Django Stars delivered what we asked for eventually. We used Skype, Dropbox, and email for the collaboration.

What distinguishes Django Stars from other providers?

I am the CTO of another company and have worked with other offshore developers through this position. Django Stars has very good communication and development skills by comparison. Django Stars did what I asked for, which isn't true of every company.

Is there anything Django Stars could have improved or done differently?

Even two or three months into the process and after many meetings, Django Stars didn't fully understand our specs and didn't respect them precisely. Ultimately, however, they accomplished everything we asked for without asking for more money.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

TrialValueapp platform is a venture owned by Rhieos-Ventures, an independent service and consulting firm that enables novel clinical research and healthcare solutions. We provide development resources (knowledge, finance, and expert advice) and tools for that segment.

What is your position?

I'm the owner and director of the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

Our goal was to develop a web and mobile application for mitigating clinical trial costs. The solution needed to use a simple workflow, be extremely user-friendly and should work across three platforms, web, iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They put together a design spec, designed the user interface (UI), frontend and backend of the platform, and developed features and functionalities.

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

I spoke with a number of web and UI/UX development companies, sharing my vision with them. I chose Django Stars because right from the beginning, they shared their ideas and suggestions on how to design and implement the application in order to meet the key specifications and requirements. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Above $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started work in January 2016 and launched the initial version in November 2016. We are currently working on the upgraded version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The main success factor is that we were able to launch our apps successfully with many built-in functionalities. The main feedback from users, potential users, and industry colleagues are that the platform is game-changing. We do recognize that we aren't done yet, but the collaboration has been very positive. I couldn't have imagined getting to this stage when we only had an idea. Developing the TrialValue solution has been a great learning experience. And the collaboration with Django Stars team was instrumental in making the project a success.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

The project was coordinated by the CTO who coordinated the project. They provided regular status updates and we communicated regularly by email and phone. Overall, this process was satisfactory.

What distinguishes Django Stars from other providers?

Django Stars has excellent Python programming capabilities. They have a way of quickly grasping concepts and translating them into foundations for features. Django Stars' team is also quick in the turnaround process.

Is there anything Django Stars could have improved or done differently?

I think the development process would have taken less time if the scope, specification and UI ideas was better defined at the start. That, of course, is always the challenge when one tries to build something new and innovative.

BACKGROUND

Please introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide a software-as-a-service [SaaS] solution that gives businesses more access and control over their price estimates and sales process. The company was started in November 2016, and I am its sole member. We have a single customer at this time, but we’re ramping up our platform in order to handle more. I’m the founder and product manager of the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

Our customer is using the software within the automotive industry to track and manage quotes and follow-up procedures. We wanted to help him implement a better process that would allow more growth, so we looked for a partner who could build a standalone service app for this purpose.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

The scope of the project was building a simple CRM [customer relationship management] tool with a trigger system for quoting and an area that can help users find past quotes in order to come up with subsequent ones. We have three main tabs: one for submitting a customer, one for following up with existing customers and quotes, and a workflow tool.

Django Stars also set up my mailing server and provided training for the application, too. 

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

I wanted to become more of a SaaS company, so I researched the most robust platform for my application and found Django Stars. I used Google to find companies that specialized in this technology, contacted Django Stars, and spoke to one of their business analysts, who compiled my business requirements and gave me a quote.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The cost of Django Stars’ work has been just under $13,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started talking with Django Stars in September 2016. Since I moved to Italy during this period, there’s been a delay in the project. The team was formed at the beginning of October, and we had a goal of delivering the work at the beginning of January 2017, but we had a three-week delay. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I have no results yet since we haven't started using the platform in a production environment. It's being tested, and there have been a couple of logistical challenges on my end.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

Django Stars used JIRA for project tracking, and I had access to issues for approval and feedback. Communication was largely done via email between myself and their QA analyst.

What distinguishes Django Stars from other providers?

Django Stars is a nice and friendly group. They were always prompt in responding to me, and I was the one usually causing delays.

Is there anything Django Stars could have improved or done differently?

The total cost of the project ended up being higher than I expected. I only found out about this when the work was completed. We negotiated and met in the middle, but a better reporting process on Django Stars' side would be an improvement. We went overtime by about 80 hours in one particular month.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We develop security software allowing clients to monitor user activity on company computers and servers. The software protects companies from insider trades, increases employee productivity, and improves overall security. I am the founder and CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

We needed to outsource the development of a web app that provides reporting for the data collected by our software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Django Stars analyzed our requirements and came up with a design from scratch. A development team was assigned to our project, and we were kept informed during all steps of the work. In the end, Django Stars delivered an updated web application that we could then market and sell to end-customers. The app shows the recorded user activity, including visited websites and time spent on each one, accessed programs and files, sent and received emails, and other activities. This is all shown fluidly, using a modern design.

At peak capacity, we've worked with seven people from Django Stars' team.

How much have you invested with Django Stars?

The cost of Django Stars' work was between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Django Stars in May 2016, and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I was very happy with their expertise level. Django Stars delivered a quality product, provided testing for it, and made suggestions in order to improve our application.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

The project was done in consecutive iterations, and each milestone was delivered on time and within the specified budget. We were given access to Django Stars' JIRA instance, allowing us to track the status of each task. It gave us a clear overview of the project.

What did you find most impressive about Django Stars?

Django Stars can analyze requirements and design a project from scratch, unlike a lot of others who basically just code for you. They can handle the full cycle of app development, from the initial steps to testing results.

Are there any areas Django Stars could improve?

There isn't much to improve. I've been happy with Django Stars, and continue to work with them on future versions of the application.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of a small UK-based charity organization. We focus on type-1 diabetes, specifically advocacy work around access to medicine. I am in charge of changes to our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Django Stars?

We have recently redeveloped our website using the Django platform. We're able to make basic edits ourselves, but needed help for more specific backend work. There were some existing issues with the site and some things we needed to be customized. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Django Stars has worked on features and fixes for our site. As an example, Django Stars fixed the scroll bar of one of our pages. They also worked on a new signup form as well as a contact form. Our previous ones weren't functioning correctly and, as a result, we weren't able to capture all the data we needed. That was a pretty big issue for us. We're also exploring having translations for the site. We've interacted with 1 main contact from Django Stars' team, but there are others working on our tasks. 

How did you come to work with Django Stars?

I used to be part of another group that provided Django training. Django Stars was one of the companies providing help for us. I reached out to Django Stars and asked if they provide pro bono work and could help on some issues with our site.

How much have you invested with Django Stars?

Django Stars has worked with us on an ad-hoc, pro bono basis.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Django Stars in September 2016. We have an ongoing relationship with Django Stars for support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Django Stars has been a real asset to our organization. They've been responsive and have worked quickly. The work has been fairly minor, so it hasn't led to tangible outcomes like gaining new supporters. That being said, we wouldn't be able to accomplish any of the things they've done without their involvement. It is fairly impressive that they are willing to go out of their way and lend a hand, even for seemingly minor things.

How did Django Stars perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with Django Stars through Skype and have screen shares when necessary. The communication has been good and clear, with short response times.

What did you find most impressive about Django Stars?

We haven't been working with Django Stars for very long, and the work itself is ad-hoc, comprised of small tasks. It's not in-depth enough to allow me to compare them to much else, but they have done a good job so far.

Are there any areas Django Stars could improve?

None. So far, it's been good.