Magora

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was a co-founder for an ambitious share-riding application company. We created a parking guide app, the idea being to provide an easy way for drivers in busy cities to find free parking lots. The company still operates, but I now work for another company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

Our idea was to let app users know about free parking lots. The main challenge was how to make people use such application and share the location of the free spots. We wanted the only thing they'd need to do is have the application on their phone and start the car—that's it. The whole process would be automatic: the app would connect to the hands-free hardware in the car immediately after the engine started, and the system would understand that this particular spot would soon be vacant. It needed to be a simple and straightforward process to inform other users searching for those free spots. The app would provide a person searching for a parking spot with the nearest free one in the area and build the quickest route there. Building the route was a big challenge as well.

We wanted to find a team that could do everything in-house themselves, a partner who could provide us with the guidance and advice on how we should proceed and what we should do.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did the whole solution, refining the details on how it should work, as there were some things we didn’t even think about. They did the design and development, advised on the hosting, built practically all the infrastructure, and provided initial support.

They offered different solutions, and we decided to go with Google Maps because it was most cost effective. They did a great job optimizing the application so the location was accurate. They natively built both the iOS and Android app. They used ASP.NET language for the backend, MS SQL for the database.  

What is the team dynamic?

There were about 6 people overall on the team. I communicated with a project manager, and there was 1 iOS developer, 1 Android developer, the backend person, and a tester. We also had contact with the account manager who did the finances and helped us with projects and timeframes.

How did you come to work with Magora?

We found them on Upwork. It was a tough choice, as we were inexperienced in the IT sphere. Our main selection criteria were the expertise and ability to provide us with full guidance, from start to finish, to launch the solution. Magora’s proposal included a vision of how they understood the product and how they would implement it. It gave us confidence that they could do whatever we wanted. Their price was affordable, especially at that time.

How much have you invested with them?

$50,000–$199,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2015 until September/October 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did everything within 3 months. There was a little bit of testing for bug fixes. Within several months after launch, we got around 10,000–15,000 downloads. We launched it in the U.S. and Europe. There were issues with the app at the beginning, but it was fine, as we had a support period from Magora. The average rating was 4.5, closer to 5, so we were very satisfied with the achieved result.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

It was very good. We communicated with the project manager and account manager through WhatsApp, and we also used Skype and email, all during non-working hours because of the time difference. Our project management tool was Asana. They provided us with almost daily reports in business language, not technical. Every 2 weeks, we received demonstrations for what they had achieved. We liked that they moved within the timeframe they initially quoted.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listened to what we wanted and gave us exactly what we expected. They dug deep into all the details to try to clarify and help. Their communication was impressive, the key to the success of our app. For us, it was difficult to speak technical language to communicate what was needed. They took our business requirements and transformed it into tasks and into the app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everything was perfect. Perhaps they could have more offices in different parts of the world; it would've been convenient if they'd had a rep office in San Francisco so we could've gone and talked to someone from their team. Overall, they did very good, and I can’t think of an area they can improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m currently on a contract for a company that provides a number of financial products, with our primary focus and area of expertise being hedge fund management. I’m in charge of Research & Development and all technical projects and innovation within our business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We were looking for a company to build a piece of software that was bespoke since there was nothing else on the market that could meet our needs and that we could then deploy to our customers as a tool for them to see the products they buy from us.

The ultimate goal was to have a system that could display data for our customers. We wanted this to be done in the form of tables and graphs, and once our registered users and customers could save funds in their portfolio, they could specify benchmarks, period of time, summarize and analyze the data for those financial products, build graphs, and look at the statistics. We could also specify the weight of each fund in the portfolio and generate monthly performance reports.

There are lots of features behind it, but what we wanted to do was give our customers some insight into how we are managing their money and how they are using the products they are buying from us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I started off with an initial requirements list about what it is we wanted to achieve and what we wanted to have an outcome. I did some Skype calls and they came back the next day with some questions.

Magora was contracted to look at our needs, analyze those needs, come up with a proposition to build our software, build it, and now they maintain it for us.

The solution needed to be safe and secure. That was our most important consideration. Second, we wanted the product to be simple and easy to use because we had a very wide demographic for our customers from young people to older, private individuals who are investing their savings or professional investors who are looking for wealth managers like us. We wanted it where possible to be very slick and modern, and we wanted it to be very useful. Traditionally, our business sent out spreadsheets every month, and we wanted something that would present our business to our customers in a way that made us look as innovative as what we are.

What is the team dynamic?

We were told that we had 12 people working on the project on and off. We were given a dedicated project manager who was available all working hours of the day. That project manager was responsible for doing weekly reports and a number of catch-ups that were pre-arranged every week. There was an analyst I spoke with as well with the project manager. There was also two designers, developers, and back-office architecture guys that worked on building the secure Amazon platform for us.

How did you come to work with Magora?

We found Magora through a search engine and we spoke to them and another company. We spoke to an Indian-based company first. It wasn’t me who did the initial reaching. I looked at the two companies that had been selected by my assistant, and the person that we dealt with at Magora was very on the ball. From the moment, we sent the inquiry in and they were keen to engage with us and find out what our needs were.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000 building the system. We’ve entered into an arrangement to maintain and support it and enhance it going forward which was on top of that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in April 2017, and the project was completed in July 2017. They still provide ongoing support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The ROI for this project in real terms is a measurable amount. It would take an entire week of work at the beginning of every month for 2 people to produce the reports, including downloading the data and producing Excel charts, data sheets, and graphs. The solution has saved a minimum of 80 hours a month which, in quantifiable terms, is quite substantial for us.

We’re happy with what they’ve built. We’ve received feedback from customers and they are really happy with what we’ve provided. In terms of usability, we’ve got excellent feedback with no criticisms. It’s the same with usability, functionality, and enriching the data. It speaks past customer expectations because these customers who are existing to our business were not pre-sold this product as part of our business. It’s effectively been given to them as an added value.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great and attentive. I felt that the project manager was the glue of the project. I’ve worked in software for quite a long time and I believe the project manager is the one that makes or breaks the business. They gave us a very good project manager, and I hope that she stays with Magora for quite a while.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What’s impressive is the consistency. From the very beginning to the end we were consistently serviced very well. I’ve had other experiences where companies are very good at selling but not good at delivering, and I think that Magora has done very well at onboarding us, selling to us, servicing us, as well as providing great post-service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only feedback I have would be unachievable. I’ve worked with quite a few software companies, and I’m really happy with them. I would use them again and not just here, but I’ll recommend them to whoever I go to next.

Do you have any advice for potential clients?

It’s useful to work out your idea before you engage your software vendor and to put as much meat on the bones as you can in terms of what it is you want to achieve, how you want to achieve it, how it will look, how it might work. A lot of work has to be done if that’s not the case, and I think that’s a good thing to do. The second thing is to look at companies’ recent track records. Not what they’ve done in the last 3 - 5 years, but what they’ve done in the last 3 - 4 months and talk to customers who have worked with them over the last 3 - 4 months. It’s important because how good a company was 12 months ago doesn’t necessarily mean that they are still performing to the same standard if people have left or if the business has changed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of a web service company that performs detailed analyses of other people's data. We analyze and present the data to the clients through our web service. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

Our main business challenge was that we needed programming resources to create web interfaces while also analyzing. We had a project that was a web presentation of data-specific analysis. We needed programming expertise. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an advanced report where we wanted to make the final specification as good as possible. Magora was supposed to implement a rather complicated calculation. There were a lot of aggregations and formulas.

We presented the report to one of their people and he thought he understood everything. He went back to Magora and we had a lot of interaction. He implemented the business logic of the report. This first part was analyzing the data and converting it into results to be stored in a structured database. After that, he was asked to present the results on a web platform. During the process, he got several smaller tasks that were well-defined and tried to fix errors and mistakes in the software. The main job he did was that big report though. All of the technologies were chosen up front. We had chosen the databases and the tools to use for the web interface. All of that was in place. They did not assist with the basic design.

They did come up with a design proposal for a very technically-detailed report. It's more for data display, but it was a good interface. 

What is the team dynamic?

We had one developer and one project manager. They came up with the design but there were other people involved. I think the dynamics were fine, but we don't have a lot of experience with that. The majority of the work was done by a single programmer.

How did you come to work with Magora?

It was done through various channels. Our programmer came from another company in the same area as Magora. We couldn’t work with them, so they recommended Magora.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $80,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in April 2015 and we finished in January 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have any statistics. The programmer worked hard and provided a lot of design help. People are happy with the design they came up with. They also created a great interface. It looks good, it works well, and our clients are happy with it.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive to our correspondence. Nothing was perfect, but they were definitely present. If we reported a problem, they reacted. I don't have anything bad to say about how that was handled.

Our programmer doesn't fully agree with me on all of these points, however, I think in general, our work with Magora went well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The design process went quite well. It was not something we had intended. Originally, we needed programming resources. The implementation phase after that did not go as well, but again, that wasn’t Magora's problem, maybe a little bit on our side. I don't think we can blame Magora. 

Do you have any advice for potential clients of Magora?

If you outsource programming work, make sure that you have a common understanding of what they're supposed to do. Magora is reasonable and sensible and can do many good projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have developed a web-conferencing platform which allows remote communication of different users. I am the CTO of the company. I am in charge of sourcing the people who can develop different pieces of the platform, and fitting everything together.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We needed to develop the mobile app which accompanied the web part we built in-house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Magora developed our app for iOS and Android. Our platform deals with VoIP connections. A high-quality sound from one app to another and to the web interface is important. Ease of use and reliability were extremely important. We needed clean code with no bugs, and Magora did a good job of providing QA.

We’ve developed different audiences for audiences and speakers and also have a database for collecting user stats in terms of usage and overall quality which we access through a web interface.

Magora has the ability to offer better and simpler solutions and ideas based on our requests. We have worked with developers who tended to overcomplicate things, but Magora is good at assessing user needs and they ask a lot of questions. They haven’t blown up the project cost.

How did you come to work with Magora?

We looked at different developers on Elance and found good references for Magora. I contacted the company and they came across as professional. Their costs were acceptable, so we gave them a chance. After the first project was completed to our satisfaction, we gave them a bigger project.

How much have you invested with Magora?

The total cost has been around $100,000 to $150,000 until now. The spending has varied depending on the issues we encounter on the mobile apps. We don’t use Magora on a full-time basis.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is ongoing. We’re continuing to work on the apps’ maintenance and updates, depending on the newer iOS and Android operating systems coming out. It’s a part of the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve had very good customer feedback for the platform, which is the best compliment we can get. I find that we provide a more reliable solution than most alternatives in the VoIP space, so I’m happy with Magora’s work.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate on a daily basis and use Trello for project management, which is a tool with several cards, each one corresponding to one task. We exchange several emails daily and also comment on the Trello cards. They’ve kept schedules quite well, and I’m overall satisfied.

I’m quite used to managing remote teams, and it’s surprising how well this can work. I don’t even meet the in-house developers every week. Compared to the cost of a team in Switzerland, for example, it makes sense to use offshore developers.

There has been interaction between Magora’s team and our own developers, but I’ve acted as a link for the most part. We also try to keep our platforms separate and have them communicate through APIs. There is not a lot of need for interaction between teams.

What did you find most impressive about Magora?

It’s quite easy to communicate with the developers. With larger teams, there is usually a project manager who will handle everything, but I’ve talked to the developers personally as well. Most of them speak English well, so the communication has been easy for everyone on our side. We haven’t had the need to rely on a single person from Magora.

Are there any areas Magora could improve?

The cost is always something we want to reduce. Magora isn’t a cheap company relative to Eastern European developers, but there’s always a compromise between price and quality. We are happy with them, so we’ll continue to use Magora.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Magora?

On the client side, there is a need to keep some control over what is being done and to set priorities. There’s a lot of work to be done in terms of updates and bug fixes, so it becomes easy to get lost. We use Trello specifically because we need to set priorities. This is true for any external developer, especially for bigger projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an information-systems team leader for a large Russian dairy corporation with an international presence. I am responsible for the mobile applications for our sales team, among other systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

Our company is responsible for any damaged products on store shelves and the overall presentation of the packaging. The packages, represented on the store shelf, should be without any damage; the product should be fresh. Product placement should be done according to the corporate standards.

We decided to organize the app to meet product freshness goals. The app would work as a hotline for all the merchandisers, sales representatives and managers to let them report any disorder quickly and easily. So, this application was done as a solution for all our needs. It was utilized for employee-feedback collection around issues with our products and store supplies. This information would be collected from personal devices and sent to the quality department, with the aim of creating action plans for fixing defects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Magora handled the design and development of our Android and iOS app. We discussed some best practices on the mobile app area, based on which Magora created several design options. We chose one which fit our brand based on an internal business discussion. The app itself is basic, with no QR codes or other scanners. It allows users to take photos, write descriptions of the issue, and send them online. I acted as the manager of this project.

How did you come to work with Magora?

We created a tender for the selection of a supplier. Magora was chosen because of their speed, professionalism, work quality and ability to answer questions in a timely manner.

How much have you invested with Magora?

Our project was one of the first in its category. It wasn’t expensive, but the cost could have been reduced if we had expertise on our side. All the work was done by Magora, and we had no options for cost-reduction.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Magora in October 2016. We finished in February 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We are satisfied, and have continued the work with Magora for a second part of the project. The app has collected many reports with photos and descriptions. This information has helped us improve product quality.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

I worked with a project manager from Magora’s side, and also had discussions with the development team. Their employees are very professional, and we had no issues.

What did you find most impressive about Magora?

I found Magora to be a professional team with a reasonable cost. I hope to work with them on other projects in the future.

Are there any areas Magora could improve?

I only worked with a small sample of Magora’s development team, so I can’t say if there is something for them to improve overall.

BACKGROUND

I'm the R&D Project Manager for a data recovery firm. We provide data recovery, hard drive repair, RAID repair, computer forensics, and other professional media services through a network of more than 40 offices across the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

As an additional service for the customers, we decided to implement a data backup solution. This required some custom software development for a vendor partner since we couldn't handle the extra volume.

SOLUTION

The solution is a desktop backup software that allows users to store data on a common public cloud (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Box.com, and OneDrive), on an FTP [file transfer protocol] server, or on a local network destination.

We found Magora Systems through an online search and decided to hire them. They provided design, development, and other advice. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Overall, working with the Magora team was a very comfortable experience. The company is skilled in development, responsive, and quick to fix any problems that arise. They should really focus on code quality, though, because that is one area for improvement. We found some bugs in the final deliverables.

I suggest that potential clients should give them clear instructions and manage the team closely to avoid problems. They are a very strong team but will make mistakes if you don't give them the proper project details. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a technology startup and we have developed a product which makes it possible to utilize a unique array of location-based advertising channels. I am the managing director and one of the founders of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We originally developed the core of our system but needed assistance with further development and implementations.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My team has been in charge of concept development for the platform’s features. We are using Magora for the actual development on a continuous basis. For mobile development, we are using Objective-C and Java. The web portion uses JavaScript and Node.JS. Our platform has some geolocation-based tools integrated.

They have offered to take on the design work, but we are using our own designers for now. Magora is performing business analysis, in order to ensure that we are taking the best approach to development.

How did you come to work with Magora?

We have a lot of experience working with freelancers. For the past five years, we have been using platforms like Elance, which later became Upwork. That is also how we found Magora, after making a job posting. A number of companies applied, and we looked at Magora’s track record. We had a Skype meeting, and it soon became clear that they were a good fit for our job.

How much have you invested with Magora?

The cost of working with Magora will most likely be between $50,000 and $100,000 overall.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Magora in February 2017. We are working intensively with a dedicated team of four to six people, depending on the workload. We plan to have a long-term collaboration with Magora.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Magora is using Bitbucket to upload our code base. We have insight into it and perform quality checks. We plan to start regression testing shortly and will launch the app to 300,000 users. The real tests will happen in a matter of weeks.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s nice to work with Magora. They have great communication skills, getting in touch with us three times per week. The quality of work is good, and they deliver on time, which is an exception among the freelancers we’ve been using. It’s pleasant to work with a team like Magora’s.

What did you find most impressive about Magora?

So far, we’ve been very satisfied, especially since we had been working with Indian freelancers and companies in the past, for the most part. Our experience with those was that they always failed to deliver on time, and had bad organizational structures. Besides technical qualities, Magora has a very structured approach.

Are there any areas Magora could improve?

As of now, I don’t think so. We need to take the platform live in order to really see if all the technology is working perfectly, but the process of working with Magora has been very nice.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Magora?

They are a serious and dedicated development team, so I would recommend Magora to companies with a bigger budget, and which also require more quality and follow-ups. Someone with a small budget should probably go with smaller, more independent freelancers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Golod is one of the most ambitious projects in Moscow. The mobile app allows the fastest food delivery in the world. We successfully tested the business model, delivered 10,000 lunches, and are growing quickly!

I the CEO of Golod.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora Systems?

We approached Magora Systems to create mobile apps for iOS and Android. In Moscow, as well as many large cities, food delivery has a one to two-hour wait. We offered a concept to save waiting time: lunch delivery "up to the sidewalk" with a choice of two dishes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Magora Systems was in charge of finalizing the terms of reference, designing a mobile application structure, designing the architecture of the whole system, creating the code, and handling testing.

How did you come to work with Magora Systems?

In order to select Magora Systems, we first compared prices for the services we would receive, their experience in mobile apps engineering, and experience with mapping services.

How much have you invested with Magora Systems?

We have invested between $50,000 and $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work began September 1^st, 2015 and ended June 1^st, 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

They created three ready-to-use apps, including iOS and Android-based clients’ applications and one separate Android app for the couriers. Additionally, they’ve provided a detailed server solution and admin panel with a web interface. We successfully tested the business model and delivered more than 10,000 lunches.

What did you find most impressive about Magora Systems?

What we have found most impressive about Magora is that they can handle dense work and have an account manager available 24/7. Also, their ability to perform the full range of tasks within a company is great.

Are there any areas Magora Systems could improve?

Two project managers were replaced during the project implementation.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a kitchen faucet manufacturer based in California. The company has been in business since 1999. "Made in America" is kind of our big thing.

What is your position?

I am the creative director of the company. I'm responsible for all our marketing material, the websites, the packaging, store displays, and so on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

We needed a backend login for our rewards program. All our dealers in the US have sales people working the floors, selling our faucets. As an incentive, we give them commissions; in order to register those commissions, they need to login to our website and enter a claim.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Magora has developed a backend web portal with secure logins and a database for recording claims. We use that information for cutting checks to all the sales people when the program is over.

I gave Magora a rough outline of what I wanted, and they came back with a very detailed business proposal, including suggestions of what would work better. They handled all the coding and also designed the interface.

The second phase hasn't gone live yet, so Magora is also helping me upload the platform to the servers, making sure everything is running right. This was above my initial request.

How did you come to work with Magora?

I had worked with American developers on two occasions in the past, and I'd spent thousands of dollars only to be burned. Someone told me about a website called Upwork, describing it as being almost like a dating website where I could pick out companies. I looked at 10 candidates and found Magora to be the best fit. I gave them a very small trial project, and it went great. We went from there.

I was a little reluctant to go overseas, but I hadn't had much luck with the Americans. From my experience at least, American companies were expensive and unreliable.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The cost of Magora's work will be between $13,000 and $15,000 overall. They were dead-on in terms of estimates.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Magora in mid-December 2016. Our deadline was the middle of February or end of March, which Magora hit with no problems. I gave them an additional project for making modifications to the original platform, which is what they're working on now. We plan to finish this third phase by next week.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The platform has around 1,200 users across the US and Canada, and it works exclusively as an internal system. We don't have any relevant metrics yet, but I'm sure that it will work better than it did in 2016. An issue we've had with the initial version was that sales people weren't able to log their claims, so they gave up on the process. The new version will be much smoother, everyone will be happy, and we will hopefully boost sales.

These types of projects can look great on paper, but Magora's work was actually good as well. Everything worked and it was what I was looking for, or even better. The platform is functional, fluid, and user-friendly. It was also delivered in a timely manner. I will definitely use Magora again.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

I appreciated Magora's dependability. We had weekly Skype calls, I was kept up-to-date about our status, and they met deadlines.

What distinguishes Magora from other providers?

Magora is a friendly team, and they all speak English well. They're very professional, too. The reliability was the most important thing for me.

Is there anything Magora could have improved or done differently?

This was a very complicated database, so I should have paid more attention to it in the beginning. There were a couple of things which were misunderstood, which I didn't relay very well. Magora did their best with what I offered, but I made some assumptions about what would be self-explanatory. Magora's team didn't want to deviate too much, though. They made some suggestions, but they didn't go out on their own. In the future, I plan to be more specific up front and make sure that the communication is dead-on from the start.

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with Magora?

One issue I've had with Magora was financing. Upwork is great because it works almost like a version of PayPal, so I was comfortable in knowing that I wouldn't be giving Magora some money only to have them disappear. However, they did want a big sum up front, 80% of the total over two months. I was a little uncomfortable with that, so I talked them into doing it in thirds as we reached milestones. I was happy with our first delivery halfway through, so I released a new payment, and I've sent Magora the money for our last phase only yesterday. It was a big trust issue for someone I'd never worked with before, so I would suggest working out milestone payments with providers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director of a live chat provider for the automotive industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Magora?

I wanted to produce a live chat solution which is on par with the best of the market. It’s a portal solution, so it's inherently complex in every way.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I basically just had an idea when we started the project. They took it from an idea and turned it into a physical, working solution. The technology is cloud scalable, yet it’s on seven servers, so it’s quite a large project for a live chat system. The project involved an understanding of MongoDB, JavaScript, PHP, and various other programming skill sets. It took around nine months to get to this stage. It’s come together quite nicely and is working as expected.

How did you come to work with Magora?

We used an online marketplace to look through different companies. We looked at their feedback and made sure they had done good work in that marketplace. We also spoke to a sales rep to gauge their level of comfort with this kind of solution. We basically vetted them and identified that Magora was compatible with the project.

How much have you invested with Magora?

I imagine it will end up costing around $200,000 with an ongoing cost for features and support.

What is the status of this engagement?

It’s been around nine months, but the work will be ongoing in some shape or form. We’re still in development and the solution is functioning well, but there are still features that need to be added, tweaked, and changed. It’s going to be an ongoing project for the next 6–12 months, and then it will eventually turn more towards maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

I thought that taking it from a concept would be a tricky thing to do because I personally know an awful lot about live chat systems, where the developer may have a broad knowledge of the technologies but not necessarily about what’s really needed from the live chat solution. However, Magora has been very good through the entire process and has understood the end user needs.

How did Magora perform from a project management standpoint?

Progress has been quite quick, especially with only three or four developers working. You can see what’s being done, and you feel like they’re working as fast as they can while still getting the job done properly. We use Redmine to track what’s going on behind the scenes and to help me make sense of who is working on what. Everything they’re doing is in line with the wireframe and the documentation I’ve created. Everything is tracked well through Redmine, even their hours and expected completion dates.

What did you find most impressive about Magora?

What I most like about Magora is their ability to take a concept, identify the technologies needed, and produce a working system to the exact specification.

Are there any areas Magora could improve?

At this point, because we’re halfway through, I can’t think of anything that they could really improve on because they’re tracking so well. They’ve performed very well thus far.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Magora?

As always, with any type of development, you need to give the developers as much information about the build before going into it, including wireframes, documentation, or anything that can help the team produce without having to ask too many questions to understand the scope of the project. Our build started early and without much of the necessary information, but Magora made it work. Obviously, the more you support them, the quicker the project will be completed and the solution will be more accurate.