Kultprosvet

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

I’ve been extremely happy with Kultprosvet’s work so far. They’ve made a few mistakes, but those are largely due to some communication glitches. I’m a busy client and sometimes forget to give them the full details. In other cases, the language barrier has gotten in the way of them understanding my requirements. Since we started working together, I’ve made it a habit to be more explicit in describing my tasks. After all, they can’t read my mind.

How did Kultprosvet perform from a project management standpoint?

Kultprosvet has been very open with the tools I’ve selected for project management. We use GitHub and another tool to track issues. The team always responds quickly over Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Kultprosvet has done a great job deciphering my code and replicating it in their own work—a very difficult task. We’re still getting to know each other, and I’m assessing how they respond when they make mistakes. From what I’ve seen up to now, they’re quick to acknowledge and fix any issues no matter whose fault it is.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The language barrier is by far the most challenging thing about working with Kultprosvet. I’d love to be able to manage the full-time junior developer I’ve hired myself, but they didn’t have the English language skills to make it happen. However, Kultprosvet handled it really well. I now have a senior developer for the price of a junior developer and access to a project manager for free. I’ve been impressed that they are so dedicated to finding a solution that works in my favor.

Any advice for potential customers?

Kultprosvet has been more than helpful, considering my exacting requirements. So long as I have the funding, they have my business. I wouldn’t think twice recommending their team. In fact, I already have.

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

The app has been downloaded around 80,000 times. We have about 250,000 unique visitors to the site each month.

How did Kultprosvet perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is mostly good. There are inevitable misunderstandings and bumps along the way, but I’d give them an 8 out of 10. We use Slack to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like having a designated project manager who oversees the developers and has great English skills. Nothing gets lost in translation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their QA toward the end of development could’ve been better, but I believe they have a new person in this role. When we received their work, we found a lot of bugs. However, QA seems better now.

Any advice for potential customers?

Plan your project out, know what you want to achieve, and communicate your expectations, so that there are no surprises down the road.  

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

My colleague was very impressed with their high professionalism. The timeframe was quick and there were no delays. Feedback has been very positive.

How did Kultprosvet perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very structured. The project manager handled it all and I almost never spoke with the developers.

We communicate several times a day. We use Slack and emails. Their project management is very efficient. It was perfect and I have no complaints. If I need an immediate answer, I can send them a WhatsApp message. They are available on holidays and weekends if I need them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like working with them because it’s very informal. The informality doesn’t hurt the quality of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

You must provide designs and descriptions. If you slightly change it, they increase the costs immediately. I would prefer that their price estimations allow for slight changes rather than cost changes while the project is already running.

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

We were 100% on schedule with the delivery, even with some challenging timetables, and Kultprosvet was a major part of this. We're saving significant effort and cost by working with them. 

How did Kultprosvet perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an excellent job. They were precise, honest on their estimates, and accurate in estimating things that weren’t easy to estimate. We came to them with all kinds of modules to develop, some of which were things we invented. They analyzed the work and typically made the same projections we’d made separately. They usually delivered on time. 

They weren’t reluctant to ask simple questions to make sure they understood the task. Kultprosvet’s members are confident enough to ask the right questions. There may be more questions than we expected at times, but that’s allowed us to avoid stupid mistakes.

They had a great contact person or project manager whom we knew we could trust to deliver our messages. We established different communication channels between our team and Kultprosvet’s team. We were delighted to have a project manager overseeing everything.

They have a seat at our product management table. We treat our outsourced contractors as though they are part of our team. We want to have a beer with them and not think of them as Skype or Trello contacts. This has especially paid off with Kultprosvet because they’re good people. They’re friendly in a way that’s not just part of daily business.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a sense of purpose. They care about our success, what we do, and who we are, and the results reflect that. They can deliver on points where I’m not sure other companies could.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should make sure that Kultprosvet’s team is part of the effort and not just hired labor. Secondly, clients should make sure they don’t hinder the team from asking a lot of questions. This can be annoying in the beginning, but, if we start that way, the time needed for QA will be reduced.