Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?
The track and trace and the service management platform—maptrack.io—is online. Because of this platform, my company is about to get bought. I’m pretty happy with the work that we’ve done together. There’s no way around bugs. The developers deliver the code and test their delivered code. But, when the code gets into production, somebody always uses the module or the code in a way that was not foreseen and breaks it.
For now, I haven’t hired any testers because ElifTech can provide that service. Right now, the developers are doing the first line of testing, I’m doing the second line, and my customers are also doing some testing themselves. I’ve worked with other companies before, and ElifTech has shown a huge difference in delivery. They actually test what they deliver beforehand; they don’t just publish the code and hope that I never come across issues. I’m pretty happy about that.
How did ElifTech perform from a project management standpoint?
We use Skype and Google Hangouts to communicate. They send me the timesheets for each developer via Google Sheets. We use BitBucket, and they have Atlassian JIRA. ElifTech offers their own repositories and task management systems, but if clients have their own, they are more than willing to train their people in a new way of working. They’re not rigid.
Sticking to the schedule is harder at the beginning of a project. The team has to learn about the project setup. If it’s a huge project, ramping up to that level of knowledge may take 1–2 weeks. But, as soon as they get up to speed, they usually deliver on time. I have a senior developer who’s doing code review and also making sure that we’re on the same page with the other resources.
What did you find most impressive about ElifTech?
I insist that my developers are able to communicate well and are specialized in MEAN.io, Node.js, and the JavaScript web technology that’s growing in popularity. Everyone on ElifTech’s team meets these requirements—not just 1 senior resource. Everybody who is hired by ElifTech is supposed to have these technical skills.
Also, whenever I need to ramp up development, I can double or triple the number of developers within a few weeks. So far, all of the resources are enthusiastic and want to learn about my goals. They work even after-hours so that the next day, they can move on to the next step correctly.
Are there any areas ElifTech could improve?
I don’t have anything negative to say. I’ve been working with a lot of freelancers and companies who hire freelancers, and I’ve stuck with ElifTech because they have all the qualities I need.
The development work they've conducted is excellent, with the team demonstrating their high level of expertize and experience. They integrate well with the in-house team, always displaying a strong work ethic.