J2ML Infotech

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CIO at Real-Time IP. We're a patent attorney firm in Australia and New Zealand that helps attorneys launch their patent into the Australian marketplace. We use a web cloud-based system for efficiency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with J2ML Infotech?

We had a backend that interacts with the government department that processes patents here in Australia. We wanted to make a frontend that a third-party could use to complete their details, upload their documents, and submit them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

J2ML Infotech helped us with frontend development. I provided them with the wireframes, and they prepared the coding. They used Angular to work out the protocols for logins. We also rewrote our database as the project evolved.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Vishal (Senior Project Manager, J2ML Infotech), but I believe he gave some of the work to some of his internal peers.

How did you come to work with J2ML Infotech?

It was more luck than anything. We met a friend at an event who indicated that he was working with strong offshore developers. One of my coworkers asked for details, so we called Vishal and had an interview. We gave him a trial and were impressed. That encouraged us to expand upon the engagement.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $6,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–November 2019. Subsequent to that, I started a new separate project with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For us, one story point is equal to one hour. We can generally get through about 40 story points a week.

After utilizing their services, we did roadshows throughout America and got into some of the biggest firms. On our last roadshow, everyone was impressed with the site's professionalism and visual appeal.

How did J2ML Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been good. The database design part was a bit more complicated with respect to login security. That was a rough patch. During that time, Vishal made sure things were ticking along. It was a real comfort to me to know that progress was always being made. Deadlines slipped, but it wasn’t all their fault.

We evolved our approach with them over time. In our work, we used Trello, which didn't quite work out. Subsequently, we have happily moved to Jira and we also use Toggle. As they start each task, they start a Toggle timer, closing the timer when they finish.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If I was directing the project inefficiently or ineffectively, they would voice their opinions. I thought that was really good. They helped move the project in the right direction.

Vishal understood not only the IT ramifications of what we were doing, but he also had a fairly good insight into the business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

To get the best out of them, I would adapt my body clock to their time zone. I would love it if they worked Australian hours but understand the world doesn’t work that way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend following the conscious processes that we did. Personally, I like to plan everything before I engage. We went into the engagement with a working prototype and knew the technology we wanted.

There was a very clear vision of what we wanted to be established from the start. The clear instructions we were able to give helped them out.