Itexus

BACKGROUND

We are a 5-people startup based in the West Coast of the United States. We have an audio mobile app for professionals and businesses to listen to relevant information through their smartphones. My role as the founder and Chief Executive Officer is to lay out the vision and find the right set of teams for product development, marketing, sales, and support.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We wanted to build a new mobile app on an Android platform, and upgrade our current iOS app with new features. Our challenge was to find a team that can deliver both so that we reduce many redundant technical tasks and improve the communication. My main criteria were:

• Excellent communication
• Ruby on Rails knowledge
• Mobile Development in iOS
• Mobile Development in Android

Our main goal was to get the first version of our Android app out, and we were able to do so.

SOLUTION

We have been in the business of software development for over a decade. Being in Northern California, it is hard to find a company that does web and mobile development in a cost efficient way. We have not been very successful in hiring the right team in South East Asia and South America. We opted to go with Eastern Europe as I had fairly good experiences in the past.

Our team scoped the project, created the interface, and product specifications. Two developers from Itexus built the product with weekly communication with our team.

Itexus only made two developers available to us. All product management, bug tracking, testing, usability, and interface was handled by our team.

The duration of the project was around six months, with three months of full-time development and three months of part-time debugging and improvement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Overall, Itexus performed well. We are still using their services for the upkeep and additional features of both of our mobile apps.

We were able to deliver two mobile apps at around 1/3 of the cost if they had been built in the United States.

They delivered what we asked for. Their original estimate were slightly off but they were extremely cooperative in their developers' availability and payment plans.

One thing that Itexus could eventually improve is project management. I believe future clients could benefit from a key person between the clients and developers. Also, in order to deliver turnkey solutions, it would be great if Itexus had a UI/UX expert in house.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I'm a freelance developer. I work on custom e-commerce implementations, and Ruby development.

What is your position?

I'm an independent contractor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Itexus?

Sometimes, I have too much work on my hands, for which I use other contractors like Itexus. This particular project was just such an instance.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

I worked with Itexus on a highly customized e-commerce website based on the Spree open source project. They came up as a good solution for the problem that I had.

We also worked on extensions for that particular website, which were either developed by them or upgraded to a newer version. They used Ruby on Rails.

How did you come to work with Itexus?

They contacted me on LinkedIn. Normally, I don't respond to cold acquisition, but they sent me a good message. I contacted them, read a few resumes for the developers, and had a few talks with the client manager, their CTO [Andrey Mozheyko], and had a call with a few of the developers – the ones who were at least marginally fluent in English. I did a few small tests to see how proficient they were with Ruby on Rails. I was satisfied enough to start. There's plenty of room for them to grow but, at that time, it was a question of supply and demand. It's hard to find Ruby on Rails developers and the workload was high.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work started in January 2015, and it was delivered in May.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

My measurements are based on test-driven development. I want to see how well the tests and specifications are written, and there are metrics for that. In that regard, they are lacking a bit. It's hard to get them involved in the project as if it was their own business, which makes implementing the testing aspects difficult.

What distinguishes Itexus from other providers?

I like that they brought in their CTO as the main point of contact as a standard way of working and without additional billing. In the standard contract, you will only pay for the developers that you use. This is something that I don't see much. I appreciate it, and it worked out well.

Is there anything Itexus could have improved or done differently?

Anytime that I failed to describe the work with 100 percent accuracy, I received unsatisfactory deliverables. When I did write out the specifications as they should be, Itexus were spot on. It's hard to give a general conclusion on the quality of work. They do have a good work approach. They work hard and for long hours. I would work with them again, but I would not approach the project the same way as I did the last time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of OMNIS Inc. DBA LucidTrade

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

peer-to-peer lending for the unbanked and underbanked.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Itexus to accomplish?

• Wireframes
• UI/UX

SOLUTION

How did you find Itexus?

UpWork

Why did you select Itexus over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Itexus were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Redesigning and creating screens for the app with 30+ pages

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The timeline of the project and the user experience of the UI/UX designs for our team to have a clear definition on the project.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Everything was on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Itexus?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their quality and speed were very efficient.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at an ecommerce company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

E-Commerce.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Itexus to accomplish?

• Build and maintain multiple web applications to support our business and partners.

SOLUTION

How did you find Itexus?

Referral

Why did you select Itexus over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Itexus were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Multiple members of the team have worked for years on various projects. Sprints, business analysis, and project management keep everything moving at a good pace.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Goals and KPIs were met.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They always responded very quickly and even on weekends / late hours.

What was your primary form of communication with Itexus?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The ability to scale as needed.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am The CEO of Prixy LLC/Prixy S.A. Prixy is an app that allows individuals to send and receive money, and have a saving account that can be set up for a predetermined period.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app that could efficiently solve Haiti's money-transferring issues. The goals were to build a safe, secure, and user-friendly app.

SOLUTION

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

We found them online while looking for a company that could achieve our challenging ideas. After we reviewed tons of positive reviews and feedback from previous customers we agreed to sign a contract with them.

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

The project was split into different phases. We first started out with a discovery phase, in that phase, all the details regarding the projects were laid out. That phase allowed both actors to really understand the project and have a mutual understanding of what needed to achieve and the process by which they were going to be achieved it. After the discovery phase was complete we started off with the development phase. The development phase itself was subdivided into pieces such as Android development, IOS development, and front and backend development to only mention those. That was the perfect way for our side to handle the project and understand every step and concept of the development phase.

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

There was about 12 personnel on the team, and they all have their specific key roles to get the project up to the standard we expected. The main personnel was the Project manager, Business analyst, Designer Tech, and Lead QA engineer to only count those.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They deliver demos throughout the projects to verify and make sure that the requirements are met. They always have a 100% success rate on every single delivery which is a great tool to get a final delivery without or with very minor deficiencies.

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

When it comes to the project management side they are very professional. They communicate well with the customers and give early insight as necessary. They always meet the expected timelines and meet all the requirements.

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

We worked side by side with the team. What is more impressive about this company is that they care about the quality of the work that they provide. They provide a lot of suggestions and recommendations throughout the project to make sure that the clients have the best experience possible.

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

No improvement is necessary from our side. The project was a success and we are looking forward to our next one.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a fintech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I hired Itexus to help develop a prototype for my company. My goal was to have a functional product to show to investors to raise capital for my startup.

SOLUTION

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

I read about Itexus online and saw that they specialized in fintech companies, which was very important for me.

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

They developed and designed a personal financial planning software that allows users to create their own financial plans.

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

5 people worked with me: a project manager, a business manager, and a few developers/designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The prototype looks great and helps me have something to present to investors to explain my startup concept.

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

Their style was great, and they were very responsive to all of my messages.

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

The amount of progress updates I received was really nice. It helped me know exactly where they were at along the way.

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

There was a little misunderstanding on what we were building, so I would've appreciated more clarification up front on the end product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a WooCommerce themes design company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Itexus?

We needed help with WooCommerce theme design and development.

SOLUTION

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

We did our research and found Itexus’ profile on Designrush.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

I own a WooCommerce design and development company that sells design templates for e-commerce websites. I needed themes that would cover the needs for functional homepages, single product and shop pages, info pages and blog that would work for various shops.

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

• 1 Project Manager
• 2 UX/UI designers
• 1 Designer Coordinator

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has just been finished, so it’s a little bit early to talk about the results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Perfect! I’ve worked with many companies before. But this time, the team performs even better than expected. The budget is a little bit high, however the work quality is outstanding.

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

I was really impressed with the designers’ and developers’ skills, fast delivery, and excellent customer service.

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

Can’t think of anything yet.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Product Owner of in-store experience at retail company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

AR/ML app to provide new channels of communications with customers, to make buying experience easier and more involving

SOLUTION

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

Key advantages were:

• deep research from the very beginning;
• ideas for usage new technologies;
• the team was involved from scratch

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

BA phase, agile development process, vuforia/tensor flow research and implementation. design

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

There were up to 12 people in the team (delivery manager, pm, ba, designers, dev team, devops and QA)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Release will be a bit later, so it’s not a time to share KPI’s. fast and flexible design.

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

Team is absolutely autonomous and well-organised. It’s easy to communicate with their team and it’s absolutely possible to go deep enough into development process

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

Speed, expertise, involvement and quality.

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

Can’t remember any

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m CEO of Done.pro, a SaaS marketplace platform

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted someone to develop the app from scratch.

SOLUTION

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

Itexus was recommended by our partner, who had successful project experience with this software development vendor.

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

Uber-like web and mobile app for cleaning services. Multifunctional on-demand platform that has CRM module, booking and order management features, in-app calls and notifications and ability to make secure payments inside the app.

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

Business Analyst, Project Manager, 2 .Net and 2 Mobile developers, QA team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients have successfully entered the market with the app. Optimized business processes led to lower staff costs and throughput growth. So the goal was reached - increase in the number of orders and the average check.

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

The team was easy to communicate with — they had a proactive approach and strong technical expertise.

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

During the discovery phase, they dived deeply into the business domain, studied the niche well and made very clear requirements. During the development process, the team was really proactive, suggested ways of possible improvement and strived to make the product as useful as possible.

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

We had no issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a partner at a mobile & web development company. We wanted to amplify our team’s capacities to complete the client’s project faster.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Itexus?

We hired Itexus’ developers because we were looking to outstaff a part of our client’s development to keep our devs on the internal projects.

What were your goals for this project?

We don’t have enough .Net experts, but working with Itexus’ developers fulfilled this gap.

SOLUTION

How did you select Itexus?

We did some research and found Itexus. Their expertise is just on point, communication is quite easy and billing processes are transparent.

Describe the project in detail.

Their developers are still involved in the development process. They work with our mobile team under control of our PM. The project requires some deep understanding in the fintech domain and understanding how to implement it.

What was the team composition?

We work directly with three .Net developers, but it’s easy to scale up if needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The software is not launched yet, but the development process runs smoothly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Itexus’ developers have great tech knowledge, are easy-going and pleasant to communicate with. Billing processes are set up nicely.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Outstaffing with them doesn’t really feel like outstaffing. The developers integrated seamlessly into our team, and we had an option to add more specialists if needed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not detected.