JSGuru

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CoFounder & CTO of SCE

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

SCE provides reliable and professional IT and cyber security services to companies all over the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• One of our clients needed help kick starting and managing a project. Since it's not our main area, we teamed up with JSGuru. This way, each side can focus on doing their best in what they're really good at.

SOLUTION

How did you find JSGuru?

Referral

Why did you select JSGuru over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from JSGuru were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Our client in the field of mineral exploration and mining needed assistance in creating an advanced software solution. This tool would help them keep track of different stages of the exploration process across their multiple mining sites. They enlisted our expertise to develop the software, and we collaborated with JSGuru to efficiently organize, uncover insights, and oversee the project.

From the initial stages of project discovery to the final phases of implementation, JSGuru demonstrated a remarkable ability to align resources, streamline workflows, and maintain a clear trajectory toward project milestones

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

JSGuru's team accomplished the discovery phase with impressive efficiency, surpassing our initial timeline expectations. A key advantage was the presence of a seasoned team member with a deep understanding of the mining and mineral exploration sector, which significantly expedited the process. Once the discovery was complete, JSGuru transitioned into project organization, orchestrating a sequence of productive sprints.

The project advanced smoothly without any significant deviations from our deadlines, underscoring JSGuru's remarkable capacity to maintain oversight and coordination. As the project continues, our consistent success in meeting sprint objectives without major setbacks serves as a testament to JSGuru's exceptional organizational capability

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

Suggesting ClickUp for streamlined coordination, they harmonized stakeholders, and adeptly introduced Scrumban to a traditional mining domain. The bi-weekly rhythm of accomplishments culminated in comprehensive progress reports.

What was your primary form of communication with JSGuru?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

JSGuru's remarkable foresight preempted potential pitfalls, preserving our project's timeline and overall satisfaction.

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

For their designated role, JSGuru's performance was impeccable—no changes needed!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Department Head at NIS a.d. Novi Sad

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

NIS is one of the largest vertically integrated energy companies in Southeast Europe. Main activities of NIS consist of research, production and oil and natural gas refining, sales and distribution of a wide assortment of petroleum products, as well as the realization of projects in the fields of petrochemistry and energetics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Creating and building a HR reward app for over 11,000 of our employees from scratch.

SOLUTION

How did you find JSGuru?

Referral

Why did you select JSGuru over others?

• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from JSGuru were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We needed a mobile application for our employees’ motivation program. It needed to be integrated into existing infrastructure while meeting the highest security standards. We hired JSGuru to help us create a proof of concept and later design and develop our application. Work required both mobile and web expertise. Furthermore, JSGuru's team provided much needed guidance throughout the entire project management process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was crucial for us to ensure good product discovery and create an intuitive UI that aligned with our brand image and guidelines. Communication with JSGuru was smooth and we got the deliverables as agreed. One of the most challenging obstacles was to build everything compliant with all the different department policies and pass third party security tests.

Their team resolved these matters even faster than we initially thought. In the end, JSGuru delivered mobile apps for both Android and iOS platforms, alongside a web app.

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

From the get go, the JSGuru team was deeply involved, trying to understand our solution as if they were members of our company. It was really critical for us to get the initial proof of concept right. The project had a lot of stakeholders and changes would significantly set everything back. This is where JSGuru's team excelled. They knew how to ask the right questions and do some pre-development testing with our employees which proved really useful.

Initial communication was intense and almost daily, but after a couple of weeks we switched to weekly reviews. Our initial request was for project management services, but they provided complete ownership while adhering to our requirements and rules. It's also worth mentioning that our project documentation was really extensive and they delivered all agreed items in the set timeframe.

What was your primary form of communication with JSGuru?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We can certainly highlight many things. JSGuru guides us and makes it seem like a smooth process, which is a complete relief!

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

We were quick to identify which areas of our work together needed improvement, and we took steps to improve them immediately. So, there's nothing to highlight, especially when everything was delivered on time and exceeded expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of QIO - Quantitative Investment Office

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We offer targeted, modern and at the same time cost-effective investment advice to a broad public. Our goal is to democratize access to the capital markets by lowering the barriers to entry for the general public.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Create the entire FE for our wealth tech application

SOLUTION

How did you find JSGuru?

Referral

Why did you select JSGuru over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from JSGuru were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Developing the FE design, logic and structure for our entire application Programme the above Integrate a payment system into our application Create PDFs for reports generated from the application

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Regular updates from the project manager Confirmation in the project management tool Achievement of milestones

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

We have certainly had delays in the rollout, but this is to be expected given the complexity of the project. JS have always been very responsive to our needs and changing requirements. They have responded in a timely and professional manner.

What was your primary form of communication with JSGuru?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

This is a very agile company with high ambitions and targets. I was particularly pleased with the management's leadership — we were always able to find solutions to problems we encountered along the way. Even when it came to additional costs, we knew that solutions would be found that would benefit both of us, which was very reassuring and avoided unnecessary stress for a young start-up like ours.

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

That is hard to say. For someone without specific requirements, JS's modus operandi may be sufficient. For someone who is very involved in the process, it would help to have an even stricter project management with many more pre-defined questions that need to be answered before the programming or even layout phase in Figma gets started. Documentation could also be improved, especially considering that developers move from company to company in a highly competitive market (especially with the war in Ukraine, developers in that region are extremely in demand).

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a CEO of an organisation building an online networking platform that enables people to connect over projects. It helps folk with projects find like-minded, capable and willing collaborators. Conversely it also helps people with skills and knowledge find projects they feel passionate about and want to collaborate on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

JSGuru joined us as a partner to complete the development of our platform after we tested an MVP and made some significant changes and improvements to the original design and functionality. They took over the app development completely providing: Planning Project management Frontend development Backend development UX/UI design Video production Testing

SOLUTION

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

JSGuru came highly recommend by one of our advisors but we still considered a few other recommendations. The difference with JSGuru was the comprehensiveness of their approach and capability. In our discussions with them they were completely unfazed by the challenges we were facing yet they had keen empathy for our situation and really wanted to help. They were willing to work with what we had but most of all they showed a real passion and enthusiasm for what we were developing and wanted to support us as a partner rather than just a contractor.

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

We already had an MVP that we have tested and significantly redesigned but have lost the original developer through restructure and various other reasons during the pandemic. The app needed to be redeveloped keeping as much of the original code as possible yet not compromise on any of the features and functionalities we wanted to carry forward and introduce.

We first briefed JSGuru and created a priority list of what we planned for the rest of the development. We were then signed a project manager who proceeded to develop user flows based on our brief. While that was being done a handover of the code and assets form the original developer was being handled, which was not a small feat as there were many issues that were unresolved.

Once the first of the user flows were agreed upon, a JSGuru frontend and UX/UI teams proceeded to affect the changes on the actual app design in all the detail and with great respect and sensitivity for our branding and UI design style we established. As they progressed, the backend team continued their work reassembling the existing and adding further functionality around the technologies that were integrated by the original developers, including Laravel Vapor and Algolia.

Throughout the process we had daily calls with the project manager helping us resolve issues as they arose, avoiding delays. We are currently approaching the testing phase and in the meantime a JSGuru video production team are helping us put together comprehensive click-through demos we are using to show the app to potential partners and investors in a really rich and engaging way.

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

We are working with:

• One senior development manger (department head)
• One project manager
• One frontend developer
• Two backend developers
• Two UX/UI design team
• Two video production team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The development proceeded as scheduled and has delivered the full specification including all levels of priority, which means that we now have a beta we are very proud and excited to launch. JSGuru have managed to fulfil even the most outside of expectations in a very organised and elegant way.

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

The project management style was very hand-on. We had regularly scheduled daily video calls which were both efficient and personable. The project manager was in full control of the schedules and planning consulting and informing us about any changes. JSGuru we Google Meet for video calls and Slack for texting as well as emails for more official exchanges. Google Docs were used for collaborating on the user flows and specification.

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

The most remarkable thing about JSGuru is how positive and unfazed they are. This, I think, is due to their confidence, which justifiably comes from their comprehensive capabilities and their people's commitment. But there is more, without an exception their people are great listeners and show respect and sensitivity to ideas and vision. It is a truly great culture.

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

When we started our work with JSGuru we were in a very challenging situation having lost our original developer, form that point onwards they have exceeded our expectations in so many ways it is impossible to think of anything more they could have done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and MD of a management consulting organisation in the tech space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I needed a platform that would help create a level of automation and productivity when working on various CRM tasks for various clients.

SOLUTION

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

I was recommended to work with them by a friend who is a founder and CEO of a large tech company.

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

They build a platform to help manage CRM tasks more effectively. It was very organised project starting at kick off and onboarding me which entail understanding the full scope of the project first. After that we worked on the design aspects in iterations until I was happy with this. We had various demos along the way for validation. They also ensured that I signed off on a detailed use case/user stories doc to make sure they covered all functionalities.

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

Worked with a project manager, a designer(s) and the COO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform delivery is great! I can already see the value it will give us once launched. It will help us give our clients a better experience.

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

Great project management skills. Always on top of things and ensuring we meet key deliverables. It was a really great experience working with them.

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

They really have the client at mind and not only in ensuring they build something great for us but also push back and give advice if a request wasn't going to give the our end customers the best experience.

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

The quality of work was really good. If there is an improvement to mention, is that they could have taken us through the documentation provided a bit more.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Head of Product at a software company that provides email signature management solutions for SMB + Enterprise customers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We launched a free version of our main product and wanted to provide a stand alone html signature editor to drive attention to our free service.

SOLUTION

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

Our mother company works together with JSGuru since years - they recommended JSGuru as a reliable and professional partner and so we went with JSGuru.

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

JSGuru got a design draft + a briefing + app specs from us and created a beautiful Angular Frontend. JSGuru developed a html signature generator where users can completely individualize ready made signatures - add own infos and change the whole look etc.

JusGuru also developed a script that optimized the html signatures to be used in common email clients, so that the users can use the signatures in their own mail clients.

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

I was in contact with the CEO, two project managers and the technical lead of this project. In addition, a team of developers worked on the implementation of the actual application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The web app is highly frequented and currently acts as the main source of new leads.

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

After a briefing with all involved people I always had a PM as contact person. PM frequently reported Status + next Steps to me and we had 1 - 2 weekly calls to review progress. JSGuru have directly shared a Slack Channel with us to keep communication as effective as possible.

We always did video calls with zoom, teams or another software. The development team of JSGuru implemented the application very quickly according to our wishes. They were available 24/7.

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

JSGuru have been very fast in implementing the whole application. I had a dedicated contact person at all times.

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

Where challenges have arisen, they have been resolved quickly and without discussion.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO & Founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire JSGuru?

We had tried previously hiring an independent contractor to do about 5-10 screens for a software solution. We had/have several competitors that we drew inspiration from and needed to improve on what was already good UI/UX. We pulled in JSguru to make the 10x better version.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had them as a referral from a previous employer.

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

Their team scoped out and interviewed us with a very thorough and detailed run-through of requirements. Once agreed, we shared resources with their team and they did extensive research on everything we provided. They went out of scope too to find resources we had initially missed.

We let them access our internal comms via Slack so they could bounce back and forth with our team. We communicated once every 2-3 days so that we had a close eye on the project. Across 4 weeks we had 8-10 meetings where we discussed changes. Once satisfied, we ran through the designs with a number of our persona, had a string of feedback & then gave final comments before completing the project.

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

We had one UI/UX designer named Stefan who was professional, creative, and a delight to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the designs exceeded expectations. Our team now has a workable prototype to work from which has received glowing reviews from interviews we've conducted since.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Stefan was excellent, he resolved feedback very quickly whilst remaining positive and professional throughout the process.

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

Their UI/UX skills were outstanding, everything went smoothly and exceeded our expectations.

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

No, couldn't recommend it more. Such a great experience!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a start up that aim to disrupt the party industry. I am one of the 2 founders of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Development of a mobile app (whole app, incl. front-end and back end, UX/UI design), in both iOS and Android. Goal was a market launch in Europe in June 2021. The app goal is to disrupt the party business by solving the main pain points of a party-goer: be able to see the parties around him and her and ask to be invited to the party, alone or with others (eg friends), and split payments automatically among all participants. The party goer can also request a reservation with in-app venue partners. The venue and/or promoter can receive the request, approve or reject based on availability and receive payments already split among all party goers

SOLUTION

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

selection criteria was based on:

• capabilities: JS Guru showed great capabilities from the very beginning, in particular with a detailed architecture study and a great UI/UX design. The onboarding phase was quick and smooth
• flexibility: JS Guru was very flexible in ramping up quickly resources to meet our challenging timeline. They were able to select the best technologies for our purpose to optimize CAPEX and OPEX costs
• trust and willingness to partner long term

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

Scope of work: whole app, incl. front-end and back end, UX/UI design), in both iOS and Android. Project steps: RFP, contract signature, onboarding (architecture design), UI/UX design, design of sprints, development, release to stores, market launch Deliverables: app and related documentation Technology: flutter for front end, AWS and Firebase as back end

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

CTO, Project manager, COO, payments expert, senior full stack developer, UI/UX designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

App is up and running, we were able to develop it in only 2 months

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

simple and easy to use tools, like google drive spreadsheet, made the work easy and traceable - Daily touchpoints with PM and weekly steercos. Timeline were respected.

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

Flexibility in fullfilling challenging requests. They've almost never said no to our challenging requests.

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

no

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is an online marketplace + fundraising platform. We are a start up and I a co founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

As a start up, we partnered with JSGuru as our CTO to help us develop and bring to market our product. Our goal is employ technology to innovate and disrupt a traditional market sector. We looked to JSGuru to create a market-ready technical solution. We have engaged them as a full-service provider/partner.

SOLUTION

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

We placed a lot of significance on selecting the "right" tech. partner. Initially we looked to partner with a local company (we're in Toronto). Toronto is a tech start up hub and we were able to do extensive research. We came to learn that greater value could indeed be found off-shore without compromising quality (most local firms outsource development anyhow).

The determining factor is whether you can communicate effectively, whether they understand your business goals and the market you wish to operate in. I was referred to JSGuru and after interviewing them, I actually flew out to meet them. I spent a couple of days discussing the project, meeting the team and learning more about their operations. After my trip, I was able to make my decision with confidence.

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

As a partner, JSGuru has been engaged from the ideation stage, through to product development and mvp launch. The were instrumental is creating mvp scope. They built wireframes and then we moved to product development. We've taken an agile approach, allowing us to pivot, enhance and optimize along they way. We have also engaged them for Brand development (brand standards, guidelines and graphic and motion graphic design).

Technology: We are relying on microservices technology powered by AWS infrastructure that gives us flexibility and scalability as well as continuous integration and deployment. Our platform is developed with NodeJS (NestJS) framework for creating fast and scalable network applications. This gives us the power of non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient, perfect for data-intensive real-time applications that run across distributed devices.

For storage, we are combining on RDB (PostgresSQL), NoSQL (MongoDB), and S3 as file storage and CDN. This combination allows us to take everything for all three worlds and create a reliable, scalable, and fast platform. We have just completed the mvp and are preparing for launch in the Fall.

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

Although we have been dealing directly with different team members at different stages - our primary and consistent contact is the CTO. We meet regularly to sync and determine next steps - he in turn engages with the team of developers and designers.

As we engaged with JSGuru as a full service firm, we dealt with different team members on different aspects of the project. For example, for initial product strategy, we worked with the CEO, for the banding work they did, we worked with their Head of Marketing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are pleased not only with the progress of the project, but the actual product itself. From a project perspective, we have met the deadlines for all key milestones and are on track to launch. From a product perspective - we're proud of the unique product we've built. It's a net new consumer process. We've made enhancements throughout the build, as all sides took any opportunity to embrace good ideas and pivot as required.

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

We meet virtually through Google Meet and communicate primarily through email. We use Trello for project tracking. What I valued in there project management style is that they were eager to accommodate and use the tools I preferred. We assign tasks at the end of every meeting - and connect if there are questions that arise in between. Timelines are all met.

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

They take a partnership approach to everything. They have positive and professional energy and are highly supportive. They took the time to understand our business goals and challenges. This has been profoundly important in the product development process - as they are able to add value through tech solutions. They are a full-service provider and have a team of professionals to assist on all aspects of the project - from Branding to Strategy.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-founders of BoobFairy. We are an independent marketplace for connecting parents with maternal and child healthcare services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JSGuru?

We're a new startup, and we were looking to go to market. We didn't have a great tech presence, so we hired JSGuru to help us with our mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

JSGuru is working on the Android and iOS apps for us. We signed up for a three-phase project: alpha, beta, and gamma. We’ve been working with them on building our marketplace application, and I’ve been coming up with basic wireframes.

From there, the team works on building the project. One of their UX designers take my basic wireframes and makes them look better. We then pass that on to their engineering team, which has been implementing the designs and doing the coding.

JSGuru has also been helping with our DevOps environment and giving us feedback on the overall hierarchy and structure of the app. We use them as a thought partner to make sure that we’re building our technology the best way possible. Soon enough, they will also be doing a web-based version for us as well. 

What is the team composition?

It varies depending on the task, but we typically work with about five teammates. Usually, it’s the UX designer, two junior engineers, and a senior engineer. The CTO or VP of engineering has also been stepping in with a lot of strategic advice.

How did you come to work with JSGuru?

I was an entrepreneur in residence for the Swiss government. They had a program in several countries that partnered entrepreneurs with local technology companies. I was actually placed with JSGuru to help them grow their business.

I worked side by side with them for three months, and they treated me like family. I got a good feel for working with them, so when I started my own startup, I decided that I wanted to work with them. I trusted that they had my best interests at heart. 

How much have you invested with them?

To date, we’ve spent around $60,000. My guess is that by the time we’re done, the total will be around $220,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with JSGuru in October 2020, and we’ll probably go on until the end of September 2021. We just concluded the alpha and have started on the beta version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to get the alpha done on time, and JSGuru made sure to get it up and running without any errors. We haven’t launched the product yet; we’re going through the testing phase right now.

How did JSGuru perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve been using Trello for the project management, and we communicated via Slack. They’re a very responsive, knowledgeable, and helpful team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I enjoy about the relationship is that JSGuru is very willing to be honest and straightforward about what tools are best and what methodology or database we should be using. I don’t like “yes men;” I prefer to know their suggestions. 

They act more like a strategic partner than just doing whatever I tell them. I've received a lot of great feedback from them because they're looking out for me. Many companies out there offer services that are not necessary or that could take twice as long. 

Since we're a new startup trying to get to market with an MVP, we're looking for the quickest, simplest solution. If I'm coming up with an approach that will take too long or isn't the best way for us to save money, JSGuru will let me know about it. 

They're not just billing hours so that they can make money; they want to see me succeed. I feel like I have a partner that's looking out for my wallet and making sure that we get things done in the best and fastest way possible. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Put all your cards on the table. JSGuru wants long-term relationships and people they can work well with. They will give you good advice as long as they know all the information that you care about. Be open and honest about the goals of the project, and the team will adapt to your needs.