LITSLINK

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CTO of a scholastic Sports & Activity software platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LITSLINK?

We hired Litslink to complete the rebranding of two software platforms we acquired written in PHP and Ruby to our branding.

SOLUTION

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

We sent an RFP to several firms and through discussion and review decide to go with Litslink.

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

They provided a full development team consisting of a PHP developer, a Ruby developer, a designer, a business analyst, and a project manager. Their first step was reviewing the platforms and formulating a plan for the rebranding. They then worked with our internal design team to lock down the UX/UI changes for each platform and page. They then executed on the project for several months. Finally, they supported the rollout of each rebranding.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We sent an RFP to several vendors we had either worked with in the past or were recommended to us. We then met with each to assess their team and capabilities to deploy quickly. From there we went to legal to ensure we were adequately covered given the sensitive nature of our platform's data. Finally, we talked with the team and made and ultimate negotiation on price.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was shipped within two weeks of the original estimated timeline which was projected 6-months in advance. A 14 day miss on a nearly seven month long project is great in my experience.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Highly effective. There was daily communication between our team leads and week full team collaboration.

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

Their ability to quickly swap talent if they were not meeting our expectations.

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

No, there is not.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering at Tembo Health. We’re a venture-backed startup out of New York City focused on the senior living healthcare space.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LITSLINK?

We’ve done a number of projects with LITSLINK. Essentially, they’ve helped us build our internal dashboards and infrastructure. They’ve also developed our B2B customer-facing dashboard and apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LITSLINK developed our internal dashboard from scratch. Our teams iterated the development using an agile approach. They also helped design it along the way. To do these, we created high-level product requirement documents that they used as a starting point. 

After that, I gave them descriptions of what we wanted to do. We then worked with their product designer and came up with sketches that we showed to our team. From there, we iterated on the process and developed the product. 

At present, we’re still deep in the process. Our teams have essentially created dashboards to manage our end customers; we’ve also created dashboards that enable our customers to self-manage. On top of that, LITSLINK has helped us create apps that allow our customers to make urgent telemedicine care calls to us. Moreover, the team has also created software for our clinicians to receive those calls and visits. 

In terms of tech stacks, LITSLINK has used Vue.js for the development of a single-page app. They’ve also used Cypress for testing. Internally, they use Firebase in their testing environment; they also host their own development environment. Meanwhile, the designers use Figma.

What is the team composition?

We work with a product designer, a project manager, and a group of developers. The designer helps us with the UI/UX of the apps and dashboards. 

How did you come to work with LITSLINK?

I searched on a number of places, including Upwork and Clutch. I also used LITSLINK before on a small project. They were one of the finalists when we searched for vendors. We ended up going with them since they had the capabilities we needed; we also felt comfortable in their ability to execute what we were trying to accomplish. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $120,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have specific customer-facing metrics, but we’ve launched three apps in production with LITSLINK since July 2021. A fourth one is about to launch next week. Moreover, I’ve also signed some new customers.

How did LITSLINK perform from a project management standpoint?

LITSLINK’s project management has been great. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with them; frankly, I rely on them more than I thought I would. Our primary communication tool is Slack, and we also do Zoom meetings from time to time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s overall management and designs are impressive. I’ve worked with two of their designers, and I’m happy with both of them. On top of that, I’m also pleasantly surprised by their engineers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I initially didn’t like one of their original engineers. However, they quickly fixed that. 

To be fair, this thing often happens, especially since I’m picky. They’ve handled this situation well. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your expectations; be direct and explain what you’re looking for and what you need. Moreover, don’t try to outsmart yourself and be clever. Sometimes, when people try to hire a team, they try to be tricky about it. Instead of doing that, just pick out people that are competent — that’s it. There’s no silver bullet for hiring people. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a mobile application platform with a web app integration.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LITSLINK?

We needed to have mobile and web apps developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we provided LITSLINK with wireframes and documentation. The mobile app development had already started before they joined the project, and it was in the first stages, so they continued the development. They also developed the cloud-based backend web services from scratch and connected the mobile app and the cloud services.

The mobile app has been developed in React Native and is available for iOS and Android. The QA is handled in-house, but LITSLINK provides ongoing maintenance services, including adding features to the app.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3 people from LITSLINK: a frontend developer, a backend developer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with LITSLINK?

I found them on Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $48,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around December 2019, and our engagement is ongoing. The app went live in September 2020, but we’re still working on some elements and adding new features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

LITSLINK’s mobile development and backend solutions have been done in a professional manner.

How did LITSLINK perform from a project management standpoint?

LITSLINK does a good job of project management. We have access to the project manager and the developers, and we communicate via Slack, email, and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

LITSLINK is stable and consistent, and they have the ability to extend the size of their team when needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve included the project manager in their initial pricing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your specifications and requirements. The clearer you are, the better the project is going to be. Decide who the product owner is, as it will determine the approach taken.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Head of Product and Experience for a software development consultancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LITSLINK?

I needed to find a UI designer to translate my low-fidelity UX mockups into pixel-perfect UI designs.

SOLUTION

How did you select LITSLINK?

Selected this vendor after an extensive search. Their portfolio and experience on UpWork stood out from the crowd.

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

To start I provided UX mockups, user stories, supporting research, a brand guide, and brand assets. From there we discussed the project and what I was trying to achieve. I provided guidance on what type of look and feel I was looking for based on existing work.

From there the team came back to us with UI designs and we have iterated on them as needed. Very smooth process.

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

Two resources worked with us. One designer and one project manager. Both were fantastic to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still in development internally, but the UI deliverables from the vendor exceed our expectations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Smooth as can be. They are on top of the project from a time management perspective, and we help them out by providing clear guidance/requirements.

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

The team is able to turn around the UI assets quite quick, and they have executed our vision perfectly.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an early-stage startup that helps caregivers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LITSLINK?

As we’re in the process of building a web application, we wanted to do the UI design for both our website and mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The main service LITSLINK did for us was designing the UI of the web and mobile app. We had a mock-up of the design that showed us what the final product would look like. Our backend also had some API documentation, which they were able to use so that they didn’t have to do much research.

What is the team composition?

We had a two-person team. One of them was the project manager, and the other was the UI designer.

How did you come to work with LITSLINK?

We selected them through this website called Upwork. We wanted a team that had the technical knowledge of design that can be applied to the web and mobile platforms. We wanted a team that could understand the big picture, the app’s purpose, who our targets were, what our roadmap was, our budget, and so on. Additionally, we wanted a team that has good project management skills, and is efficient with managing their time.

We also required a company that could pull in experts to meetings if we needed feedback. On the interaction side, we wanted someone who was easy to work with and was flexible enough to work with our changing design requirements. Moreover, we needed someone with good English speaking skills and offered competitive pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We went with an hourly contract and invested $5,130 in the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership ran from January–April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

LITSLINK's design skills were very high quality. We had weekly meetings so we could keep track of what was going on, and it was very interactive. The overall quality of the partnership was very good.

How did LITSLINK perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager was very good. They were able to plan ahead and bring in some experts for questions on the technology platform. We had weekly Zoom meetings where they would show us the progress of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed by the quality of their work and how they were very easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. They did exactly what we wanted them to do, and they were able to provide good ideas. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to give them as much information as you can, so that it’ll be easier for them to plan the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a founder of a startup venture.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I have started creating a state-of-the-art, SaaS recruiting platform based on a unique logic. The challenge is to implement custom ML solutions to accommodate the special logic around text parsing and analysis.

SOLUTION

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

I have selected this vendor based on their experience in the area, their flexibility and ability to implement custom solutions within a favorable price-range.

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

Firstly we went over the project details, roadmap, identified key milestones and agreed deliverables. We have used several different technologies to build up the supporting database (Django), UI and Machine Learning algorithms (Python).

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

• 1 Account Manager
• 2 Python Developers
• 1 DB Developer
• 2 PMs

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Outcomes were up to the standards identified at the project start. With ML algorithms which are not "battle tested" and not easy to predict, we were able to achieve a strong success ratio upon user testing.

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

Communication and timeliness was always punctual, reliable and detailed.

Tools used:

• Upwork
• Drive
• Jira
• Trello

Regarding Business Analysis there were some gaps at the beginning in terms of thoroughness, however the company made up for it with flexibility throughout the development phase.

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

Flexibility, great communication, timeliness, ability to provide custom solutions in a timely manner.

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

More thorough product analysis at the beginning and better project progress tracking.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO/Co-Founder of a startup company, based out of Silicon Valley.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LITSLINK?

Our AI taxonomy consists of an algorithm that puts together outfits based on a user’s activity style, local trends and climate.

SOLUTION

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

Shortlisted 5 companies, and picked them due to their extensive experience with startups & AI

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

Trained with quality and quantity data, our AI analyzes social feeds for past fashion data, checks out the customer demand and preferences to identify market trends.

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

We worked with 3 AI engineers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After processing the data, the AI tool gives accurate details on trendy styles and outfits within seconds for accurate local fashion. (Normally this would otherwise take days or even months, and require many stylists.)

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very reliable team of experts, and amazing communication

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

They have worked hard to produce high quality of work. fast turn-around

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

We are super happy with them, and definitely continue working!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder and CEO of a digital solutions company. We provide digital experience solutions for warehouses, and particularly for companies who use Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing (SAP) ERP.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LITSLINK?

Companies that implement SAP or ERP use SAP tools to manage transactions in their warehouse do it on their own computer and total the different transactions that go in the warehouse. That takes a lot of time.

The SAP system is not user-friendly, and the interface is very difficult to use. Staff who are in charge can also make quite a lot of mistakes since they're typing a lot of data manually into the system on a desktop. As such, we thought of creating a mobile app that can make the process seamless. 

We had another company that created the proof of concept (POC). Then, when we got approval from the customers, we started developing the solution.Since we didn't have in-house developers yet, we contacted LITSLINK to do all the development for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

LITSLINK developed our mobile app, and the team was in charge for both the backend and frontend solution. They built a digital experience solution for the warehouse which was composed of two components. The mobile app also had the ability to communicate with the SAP ERP system. 

In the solution they created, end-users who were doing the processes in the warehouse could do their work without using a desktop. This time, they could do their work processes in the warehouse using our app. 

Another very important aspect that we dealt a lot with was barcode scanning. We developed full support for barcode scanning, and the reason our customers used our solution was to minimize shipping mistakes which could be very costly.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 developers. It really depended on how many resources we needed. Sometimes we needed two full-time resources or only part-time resources. We also worked with some project managers.

How did you come to work with LITSLINK?

I did some research on the internet. Initially, I started searching on Upwork. However, since I wanted to get some additional data, I looked at Clutch and two other review sites. I made a decision based on the reviews I saw. In the end, we chose to work with LITSLINK.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our partnership in January 2020, and the app was finished in April 2020. We completed that scope and delivered it to the customer.

We're still working with them on a part-time basis just for smaller requests. Based on the requirements of our customers, we're considering which scope to continue further.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverables were of good quality. We had very good developers working with us, and we had direct access to them. They also remained flexible with our requirements, especially on the people resources that we needed. We also had the help of project managers along the way.

End users saved a lot of time because they didn't have to manually enter data into the system. The app made it easy for external stakeholders to update their ERP systems. Overall, LITSLINK's impact was very meaningful to our customer.

How did LITSLINK perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was great from a project management standpoint. The communication was good. When we had a larger team and full-time employees, we also had a project manager, and everything went very well. They were very familiar with different project management methodologies like Agile and Kanban.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There were two impressive things about LITSLINK: their high-quality development and flexibility. Those were very important to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have a criticism about LITSLINK because everything flowed well during the engagement. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd definitely recommend working with them. Before starting our partnership, I spoke to other companies who had worked with them. I haven’t used all of their services, but they have good project managers and a development team. I'm sure that they have different methods of work on how they manage their projects. 

They're open to letting you work with their own developers, and they can even give you a dedicated developer. Overall, you just need to be clear on your requirements. In our case, companies like mine work with outsourcing mostly because we want flexibility; we don’t want to hire internally. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of a video interview platform. We provide the software that allows recruiters to conduct video interviews with their candidates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LITSLINK?

We were trying to build our MVP so we hired LITSLINK as our long-term software development partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a kickoff call with LITSLINK’s project manager, who oversees the entire relationship. At that point, they listened and made note of our requirements and then put together a 25-page scope that explained the project in detail. The brief was good and contained exactly what we wanted. 

I had done my own research about the implementation of a video capture on different mobile devices and operating systems, but they supplemented it with knowledge on how to make the entire system seamless for the user. LITSLINK even answered some of our additional questions, and we eventually worked out the quotes and the wireframes. 

When we signed it all off, we then got introduced to the team that would be working on the project and went into development about two months later. 

What is the team composition?

We’re working with seven people, and our main point of contact is Oleksandr (Product Manager).

How did you come to work with LITSLINK?

I put the project on Upwork and narrowed our choices down to three companies, to whom I gave the same pitch and brief. We chose LITSLINK because they understood the project the best. I’m quite a technical person, so I appreciated that their team spent a lot of time doing research to understand the complexities of the challenges. We felt that they could deliver a long-term solution that would give us a viable business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first reached out to LITSLINK back in April 2019. This project is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Generally, we’re looking at the success of a business based on the secured investment from the previous year, and we’re doing really well. It wouldn’t have been possible without LITSLINK’s extremely high-quality work. Their team is pretty much an extension of our own and it has been really important that we’ve been able to keep working with the same key individuals throughout the whole relationship. 

What I really like about them is their solutions. They're always exploring the most cost-effective way to do things. I’ve worked with partners in the past that will find any old solution, but LITSLINK never gave up to provide something better. It was nice to see that they shared that mindset.

How did LITSLINK perform from a project management standpoint?

The first six months of our partnership were quite difficult, but teething issues are to be expected with a new project. After that, everything has been awesome. They’ve gotten really good at managing both their team and our expectations. We have a stand-up call every Thursday and release new features every two weeks. 

We use Trello, Slack, and Jira, but email the team if we need to scope out a big project or need to send invoices. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

LITSLINK has a really strong understanding of the different aspects of running business. They’ll bend over backwards to make sure that it is commercially viable for us to continue working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there is anything for them to improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you give LITSLINK everything they will need to fully understand your business, not only what you’re trying to do, but also why you’re trying to do it. The most important part is setting the foundations and letting the team come back to you with a full understanding of the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Managing Director of a web development agency. We design build and support websites for a range of clients across various industries, B2B & B2C.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Due to our team being fully resourced, we needed a competent developer to take on the support and maintenance of one of our clients websites. The ambition was for them to seamlessly integrate into our team get up to speed on the project quickly and then take ownership of the project in terms of all support and change requests directly from the client.

SOLUTION

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

I found LITSLINK from an online resource as the requirements for the role were quite specific. The reason we chose to go with them was the comfort of having another agency rather than an individual who's circumstances may change. We needed a guarantee of continuity from the chosen developer and the backup of a full development team should the need arise.

From talking with the LITSLINK team it become clear that they were fully capable of taking on the project and in a good position to deliver to a high standard. The development skillset is to a high standard and the initial tasks set were delivered quickly and competently.

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

The project that we hired LITSLINK for is a legacy website that has been running for a number of years, so the main goal for this project was the improvement and maintenance of the codebase. It is built on Ruby on Rails with a Vue.js frontend, Kentico Kontent and hosted with AWS.

We had a couple of initial calls to discuss the structure of the websites, how they fit in with one another, the technologies used and what our expectation of the chosen developer would be. We have a set number of days per week that the developer works on this project and this is on-going.

We have an open and transparent line of communication with the client and the developer works with the client to manage deliverables, gain further detail on tasks and also manage the delivery pipeline through to testing and deployments.

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

I have worked with two people from LITSLINK, a project coordinator and a developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To date we have received positive feedback from the client on the level of tickets that have been resolved month on month, the level of communication from the developer and the quality of code being implemented.

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

I opted to take on the project management of this particular engagement due to my relationship with the client. The LITSLINK developer has integrated into our ways of working, communicating with the client through Trello and our internal team through Slack. They have been a very positive addition to the team and have integrated seamlessly. He is pro-active in providing solutions and alternative fixes.

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

They have taken on a complex website and portal that has had many different developers working on it over the years and got themselves up to speed quickly to start producing fixes and updates. There is a good line of communication and they are always willing to help out where needed and go the extra mile. They have provided stability to what has been previously and unstable website.

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

I have no complaints to date.