GBKSOFT

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

We do code reviews of everything they do. Everything they create is absolute; either it works, or it doesn’t. Their contribution is just as good as anybody else's at every level.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is really good. GBKSOFT is very flexible. If we have a long task list, they are very helpful in terms of delivering tasks within short timelines. 

They always respond at any time of day, which is surprising. I’ve never worked with a company as responsive as GBKSOFT. We primarily communicate via Slack, but we also use email, phone, and text.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and quality are impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they had more resources. I understand that it’s difficult to perform at the level they are and that you can’t just expand while maintaining the same quality.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with the project managers. The more you communicate with them, the easier it is for them to help you. 

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

The work is high-quality and high-value.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

It has been great. We do our best to stay on track, and they usually deliver on or around the deadline. Communication is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They think of things that I wasn’t able to think of myself.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look into them yourself. They do a good job. Give them a shot; they won’t disappoint.

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

They turned around the project very quickly, were responsive, and produced an excellent final deliverable.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

they were responsive and understanding.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very responsive and thorough in their approach to each project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only thing would be we could be more flexible with meeting times, but this is not GBK's fault as we are in very different time zones. I am in USA (New York) and they are in Ukraine

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

We’ve used the website feature to show clients how we come to our conclusions during our sales pitches. We’ve used our backend tools to drum up the appropriate analysis and data research to help clients make decisions. We’ve seen success through the quality of their development. We’ve had the confidence to present these products live.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

Right off the bat, they hit the nail on the head in terms of budget, timeline, and deliverables without too much direction. We used JIRA, which is where they maintained all of their documentation and code repositories in conjunction with GitLab. We also used Trello and Slack as our project task and communication platforms.

We had an issue about halfway through the effort and made our concerns known to GBKSOFT’s leadership. Within a couple of weeks, they made internal changes and assigned us a new project manager who exceeded all of our expectations. She ended up closing the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project estimations are one of their strongest points. At times, their process seemed over the top with the number of questions and iterations. It’s part of their process to give a timeline and cost estimates that they can meet. There were numerous times when they exceeded their estimations, giving us an early deliverable and kicking back cash. We’re definitely going to work with them again because of the quality of their work. They’re a really honest team. We didn’t feel that they were gaming us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone can improve but we’re overall pleased. They could improve their UX/UI design skills. Their team does a good job, but it’s not as refined as it could be.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’ve got to know what you want.  They have a pragmatic approach, so they’re not going to help you take a dream and put it into a concept. If asked, their team will think outside of the box. But they’re looking to take your ideas and put them into a technical concept.

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

The product is beautiful, seamless, quick, and responsive. Everyone I showed the product to was completely blown away. I’ve thought about the impact that this would have on our business for nearly a decade, and when my team finally saw it, they recognized how much easier it will make our jobs. It’s going to free us up to move away from data entry and enables us to do more productive work. We’ve been training people to roll it out in March, but because of COVID-19, our implementation schedule has been delayed and I don’t have data yet to reflect the impact it will have.

Throughout the specification process, they asked excellent questions. They saw potential issues and contingencies, and they took that rough document and refined that to create a more complete workflow.

Some of the ideas I had were off the wall, but they went with it. They took on some unusual challenges and they created a solution that no one has made before.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

Jira and Confluence were the main project management software we used to communicate. That’s where all our specifications were written up. Their management was top-notch. I’ve worked with people in various industries, but GBKSOFT is good. They can be the single point of contact with the contact and can make sure that their team and our team have all the information we need. They kept us informed while keeping everything on schedule. Overall, their project management was absolutely excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their price is very competitive. On top of that, they have an excellent project management team. They do wonderful work, and everything they built met our specifications exactly. Their design team is excellent—the program is beautiful.  Across the board, they provided a service I would have expected to pay 2–3 times as much for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The turnover in the business analyst position was challenging to deal with. As a result, there were a few times where I had to explain our business logic all over again. That was a minor frustration, though. I would never hesitate to recommend them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It probably helps to have someone with a technical background on your internal team. I do think that accelerated our process. Be prepared, too, to have someone be responsive to them. They’re very productive and will give you specifications and designs every day that require your proposal. So, you need someone responsive to prevent the project from slowing down.

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

Fast responses.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was well-organized and both teams successfully accomplished all goals. I would also like to note that the communication was very effective. GBKSOFT team contacted the team of backend developers and they cope with all challenges together without me being involved (and this saved my time greatly). The work of GBKSOFT designer also deserves a compliment. She reviewed my old designs and offered a new concept with great UI and UX that made my app even more intuitive and user friendly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

GBKSOFT stands out from competitors due to the high quality and transparency of their work. Their estimations were precise and took into account every possible detail. So during the development process I have always been aware of the stage at what my project was, and I knew how much time it would take for a team to accomplish a certain task. GBKSOFT has many advantages and one of them is the presence of a qualified business analyst who helped to save money on some development stages and create a solution keeping the end-user in mind.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot suggest any improvements simply because I am not an employee of a software development company. The only thing I can say is that GBKSOFT is a great company which unites many different professionals and I would like to cooperate with them further if I have any new projects in the future.

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

Within less than a month the team had successfully created the update to my liking. It is the most stable version of the app that I have seen and was done in an extremely timely manner. Any initial issues that may have risen were addressed immediately.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I was very happy with the workflow between myself and their team. Responses were addressed quickly especially considering the time zone differences.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What I found most impressive was their willingness to correct any shortcomings. If there was something that needed to be addressed it was immediately corrected.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can not identify any areas for improvement at this time. They are a great company and I will continue to work with them on my mobile application.

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

As always, GBK did an amazing job. My clients are amazed at just how well this was designed and developed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is a strong point for GBK. They truly excel in project management. Their PMs are on top of everything and are very knowledgable and capable of leading projects. They make sure the project keeps moving forward on time and within budget, ensuring all objectives are met.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am most impressed by their teams vast knowledge and ability to comprehend complex projects. They know what they're doing and understand what you're saying. Additionally, they are absolutely transparent and excellent communicators.

Are there any areas for improvement?

From my perspective and from my experience, they are perfect.

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

Overall, the app has received pretty positive feedback from our users. There have been a few crashes and glitches along the way, but that can happen so I can’t complain. Throughout the development, they were very patient with my occasional indecisiveness, making changes when I needed them. They did a good job of staying on top of that.

How did GBKSOFT perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Confluence, which I appreciated. That helped us stay organized. Our teams met using Google Hangouts, which allowed us to communicate. We also employed Invision and Google Doc to enhance our collaboration. Otherwise, we used email for day-to-day communication.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very transparent and great communicators. Realizing that I didn’t have a tech background, they were willing to explain industry terms and their processes to give me a stronger understanding of their work. It was nice of them to do that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Toward the end of the development, they started taking on other projects and giving us a little less time than normal. We became less efficient during that time, which was a little bit frustrating because we were almost done with the work at that point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If I had my plan together from the beginning, things would’ve gone more smoothly. Things slow down when you have indecision on your end. With clear requirements, they’ll move through the work efficiently.

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

The team worked diligently to understand the context in relation to which the product was developed - and gave valuable insights with regard to design and the tech stack employed. Their understanding of AWS and how to leverage that resource was invaluable.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management comprised of two weekly calls with the project manager. The developers were brought into those meetings on a case by case basis.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The communication between GBK Soft and me was excellent - facilitated by the project manager. She knew when to escalate and when to delegate in order to achieve the desired outcome as quickly as possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There were a number of changes to the project manager in the early days of the project which resulted in a loss of continuity. However, GBK did appoint a higher calibre project manager in the end which was very beneficial.