GLOBALDEV

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a real estate portal that reimagines the user experience of finding a home in Dubai and empowers users with data to help them make the best decision possible.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Steelkiwi, and what were your goals?

I come from a background of IT consulting across various industries: defense, healthcare, travel & transport, customs and more.

When I decided to embark on this venture as the founder, I needed a team that could develop the web app in the same ways of work that I was accustomed to: persona development, current state analysis, big ideas and prioritization, feature development, agile practices with a scrum or Kanban board, structured documentation, clickable prototypes but most important of all: a talented and passionate team.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I checked out Steelkiwi's client base and learning that Vodafone and Subway were a few of their clients was a huge factor. I even tested out Meddy's website. I was really impressed. The UI was friendly, and just very appealing overall. Igor Churilov, the sales manager, was also key, as he has always been honest, realistic and goes above and beyond with his due diligence.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The scope of work is split into 3 parts: Design: where we described all of the features on Confluence, created all of the epics and user stories in JIRA, and reiterated upon the clickable prototype in Figma. Phase 1 Development: where we developed the admin console using the Django admin panel, and then the web app. Phase 2 Development: where we are building the backend to store the property inventory.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

12 team members who occupied the following positions: BA, BE, FE, PM, QA, Designer, DevOps

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The documentation of the business requirements was impeccable and world class. The level was as high as anything I have seen, and I worked at a multinational corporation for 8 years. The designer did some amazing work and everybody who has seen the dev environment so far has fallen in love with it. Big thanks to Armine O. and Alisa K., who helped us realize our vision.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project manager, Igor Z., is the Captain America of this project. He works so hard, and loves this project so much. His passion comes before his excellent project management skills. To his skills, every week he sends me the financial projections, which I need. Before every scope of work he has the WBS with the estimation per feature, which is crucial. He has the project timeline, the Kanban board set up, everything I need. Brilliant guy.

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

The talent of the team. Armine Ovakimian as BA delivering high quality and structured requirements. Alisa K. as Designer creating a beautiful UI. Vladimir Y. as FE developer who executed flawlessly, and super quickly. Kate D. and Ilya C., the BE developers who implemented a complex algorithm and built a strong foundation for the web app.

Dmitry Z. as QA who is executing efficiently, documenting everything and is a natural and charismatic presenter. Igor Z., the PM, who is the glue that holds everything together and Igor C., the Sales Manager, who is constantly by our side monitoring things, mitigating risks and ensuring that everything is going according to plan.

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

Not necessarily. I am a tough and demanding person and all of my suggestions for improvement have been listened to and addressed quickly. I have a super team though.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of the company Consultacia (online medical consultations)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Steelkiwi, and what were your goals?

Our goal is to provide people with the necessary medical consulting.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We chose the company based on the capabilities of the company (team, cost, management)

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

development of 2 applications for a doctor, (iOS, Android). development of 2 applications for patients (iOS, Android). development of a convenient admin control panel.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

6 people worked on the project. team owner (suggested how best to implement the idea), project manager (managed the development), iOS mobile developer, Android mobile developer, Backend developer, designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

the application is implemented and working successfully Для Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nashivrachi.patient Для Apple https://apps.apple.com/ua/app/nashi-vrachi/id1564711309?l=ru

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

management is an ideal interaction. constant contact and help and explanation in any matter

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

fTheir friendly team and family atmosphere were remarkable.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a startup in the payments space

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Steelkiwi, and what were your goals?

We hired SteelKiwi to start the initial build of our platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Past experience with SteelKiwi made them my first choice.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The project included architecture design, software development of the platform, project management, UI and UX design.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

At the peak there were 7 people working on the project Software developers Project manager Business analyst UI/UX designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We were able to go live with our first customer within 6 months from the start of the project

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They were detail-oriented and adaptive to our management style. Communications lines were always open and the responsiveness was great.

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

That even with the difficult times they had this year, they always kept working and focused and cared about the project.

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

None I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Product Owner at a FinTech startup from Switzerland. We’re building a modern payment solution combined with an investment tool.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Steelkiwi, and what were your goals?

Steelkiwi provides the ongoing backend, frontend, and flutter development services for a fintech startup. The vendor's team also offers UI/UX design, software testing, and project management.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We conducted extensive research on various platforms, including Clutch. Since we were seeking not just a vendor but a partner, we wanted the development company to have specific fintech expertise and a clear understanding of our goals. We also wanted the team to be proactive and responsive.

 After conducting several interviews, we evaluated that Steelkiwi’s employees matched our requirements the best. We wanted to find a team, which will not only execute tasks we give, but express their vision and apply previous experience.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We needed an application that can run on both iOS and Android, and Steelkiwi delivered using the modern Flutter framework. They’ve also developed Python-powered REST API which serves mobile apps and an internal back-office Dashboard app built in React. The team managed day-to-day activities concerning the app, like resolving various issues. They also provided us with design, QA, and DevOps services.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We have a team of eight specialists: 2 backend developers, 2 Flutter developers, a frontend developer, a UI/UX designer, a project manager, and one QA person. We're going to introduce QA automation soon.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Personally, I’m very pleased with the quality of the RCs and how the testing is performed taking into account the frequency of releases. We’ve had very few issues throughout the development. The team is incredibly proactive and gives vital advice and feedback. They helped me get rid of potential issues from the project’s beginning very fast.

 Talking about measurable outcomes: the team succeeded with the goal for the app to “work normally with 10k daily users” which was our marketing goal as well. They’ve also delivered on time 6 bi-weekly updates in a row helping us with marketing experiments.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I’m acting as a product owner and we also have a product manager on our side. As result, we’ve built a bridge between us and the team led by the project manager. We completed the concept within the planned time frame, then created user stories and calculated the project’s estimates. We were quite satisfied with the quoted number of hours and rates.

 We’ve agreed on the methodology and communication strategy which is comfortable for me and we follow it. We are using Confluence, Jira, Trello, and Slack for documentation, task management, and communication. We also have a Git repository and used Figma for wireframes and design concepts. We have daily meetings every morning with the team where we talk over our goals and the existing difficulties.

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

We're impressed with the team’s proactive approach and expertise. From the very beginning, they were not really product-thinking, but after 2-3 sprints they started acting as was expected. Now I am able to set product business tasks, and the team is capable and willing to make decisions about their technical realization and implementation.

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

There were some minor communication issues with one developer due to a language barrier, but our project manager was always there to help clarify any misunderstandings. The team is using a combination of Jira + Trello, which was not obvious from the beginning and proper onboarding into this workflow could be of help. I would also mention that the team was pretty ambitious about release dates and it was important to challenge their plans and roadmaps to get realistic dates.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

SOFTIT Is Israel based IT company that is providing solutions for Israeli market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Preezma, and what were your goals?

We needed to setup frontend team very fast, we found the Preezma understood the need and acted very fast to provide the needed resources.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Vendor was selected based on team availability, cost , management team follow-ups can fast responses.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Scope of work is under NDA, in general it was SAAS project for fintech market

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

8, all in Armenia

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Saas project was delivered in time within the budget

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Their management team is online 24/7 with fast and proactive responses.

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

Time to market, team management, cost

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

Keep it up that way

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

An online education company. Role: president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Steelkiwi, and what were your goals?

Improve an MVP created using Python+Django by:
 1) Building an API with Python+DRF.
 2) Frontend written in Typescript + React.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I interviewed several companies and started working with several different companies. I have decide to continue with Steelkiwi after realizing that their developers and support structure works best for me.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

This was a hand-on project where I was personally involved in technical decisions. We have created from a primitive MVP a reasonable robust, feature-rich product in about 18 months time.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I have had 3 developers (on average) working with me during this time, one for back end and two for front end.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

I do not believe in these measurements. Sorry.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I managed the project by directly working with the developers.

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

Their attitude. The team gave their best effort to help my company succeed. Anyone who has built software knows that this is a complex task, so you need partners that can work with you. I think of Steelkiwi as a good partner.

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

I would prefer to give them this feedback privately.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a technology company that creates advanced Software and Hardware systems, which make everyday logistics for individuals and businesses simple, reliable, and cost-effective. Delivery – from challenge to competitive advantage first-to-last mile premium solution for fast, simple, transparent and affordable delivery. People and Culture Lead

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Steelkiwi, and what were your goals?

Develop Backend parts for the whole Project.

SOLUTION

How did you select Steelkiwi and what were the deciding factors?

We selected Steel Kiwi Services among several other proposals as the most valuable option for us.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We had an incomplete set of requirements and a small own team and own management. From SteelKiwi we expected the support in requirements clarification, suggestions and propositions in solution architecture and help in implementation. During the project, we have developed together backend solution that is able to work with our set of applications.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Team of 3 people: Snr Developer (Tech Lead), 2 Middle Developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The results met our expectations and we had a working solution.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Very responsive to requirements changes. Able to work in the Clients environment: Jira, Confluence, MS Teams and Sharepoints

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

They are extremely flexible and client-oriented.

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

More precise estimations

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Fantasy sports analytics

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Preezma?

Building a customer facing web-app with big data back-end.

What were your goals for this project?

Yes, they did an outstanding job. The communication was excellent and the project was completed on time and on budget.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Recommended by an agency

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Building a customer facing web-app with big data back-end. Integrating API's from data providers.

What was the team composition?

A mix of front-end and back-end developers. More were added as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project was completed on time and within the budget. Complex features were added seamlessly

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Good communication and workflow. The project was efficiently managed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to add advanced feature requests seamlessly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No major areas for improvement. They exceeded my expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there. 

I prefer to remain anonymous.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire X1 Group? 

We hired X1 Group to augment our in-house IT staff on a long-term basis.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to quickly increase our IT teams in order to optimize implementation time. Learning to work with international colleagues was an added benefit. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor? 

Our former CTO personally recommended X1.  

Describe the project in detail.

X1 is responsible for hiring, developing, and evaluating highly skilled employees.

What was the team composition? 

Over the years we have hired one UX/UI developer, several frontend developers, and multiple backend developers, all divided into various teams. The team has grown to 16 people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the X1 employees joined our team, completion and delivery times have greatly improved. Although we don’t have specific metrics or statistics, we have gained invaluable experience with working across borders and incorporating new team members.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Because we hired them to integrate with our IT department on a daily and ongoing basis, project management is not especially relevant.

What did you find most impressive about this company? 

X1 excels at scaling quickly and establishing new teams. They offer fresh ideas and fully, broad-spectrum support.

Are there any areas for improvement? 

They could communicate internal regulations better.