Mentalstack

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is an Energy focused company that focuses on Infrastructure for Air Conditioning. We build software to support the tasks from the internal team. I am the Technical Leader

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We built our product from scratch and Mentalstack helped us providing Software Developers to build our frontend and backend. We built a software with cutting edge technologies that allows us to build fast and scalable applications for our team.

What were your goals for this project?

We had to cover an architecture that allowed us to maintain the Software in the future, focusing on Scalability and easiness both on the client side and the development side. We chose the AWS infrastructure and we built a suite of tools on top of that, which give our team a better vision of the components of the company and allows us to have a data centric application.

How did you select this vendor?

We found them at Upwork and they had a very good reputation. Their team passed our technical interviews with high quality work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They developed part of a frontend and backend application using technologies like AWS, Nodejs, Javascript, HTML5, CSS3, and Vuejs. Using a microservices and serverless architecture, they were able to deliver the APIs and tools needed by our team. We improved the requirements and architecture through the time and they adapted easily to all the changes that we proposed.

What was the team composition?

The team has provided multiple software developers with multiple profiles, including two backend developers and two frontend developers.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We wanted to build a solid team with general understanding of our stack. The level and complexity of the solutions we faced were high and the team responded in an excellent manner. After some months working with the mentalstack team, we decided to form a solid and long term team. Besides, the mentalstack team is able to scale up and down depending on our business and season needs.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The entire management and development has been always a co-participation since we have a dedicated team working with the mentalstack developers. In consequence, the management provided was a plus but was not our main business need. We like to have control of all our Software Development Cycle. Although, every time we needed anything, it was provided as soon as possible with an excellent cooperative spirit.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the developers is very good. We don't look all the time for developers focused in one or two technologies. We always look for people that can solve problems disregarding the technologies. We look for people willing to learn and adapt fast to new environments, and that's what we've found with Mentalstack.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We've had success in almost all the projects we've done together. The only thing that I would suggest is to enforce the necessity of cultural fit adaptation of their developers into other teams. Nonetheless, I believe that our situation might be unusual, because we like to have their developers working with our developers, both parts immersed. That's why I believe our projects have been a bit different, requiring extra requisite, with some struggle in a few occasions but always with a successful outcome. Thanks for all guys!

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a new startup for Skydiving and Parachuting industry. Our business will evolve around the mobile application we are developing.

For what projects/services did your company hire Mentalstack?

We hired Mentalstack to create a breathtaking, and unique design for our mobile IOS and Android application.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were for UI/UX design which will be implemented to our mobile app, which Mentalstack will also be assisting us with. We searched online for mobile application developers and compiled a list of 4 companies based on studies of their online presence and portfolios. After receiving proposals for 3 developers we were most impressed by Mentalstacks vision and well prepared proposal and decided to proceed with them.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online for mobile application developers and compiled a list of 4 companies based on studies of their online presence and portfolios. After receiving proposals for 3 developers we were most impressed by Mentalstacks vision and well prepared proposal and decided to proceed with them.

Describe the project in detail.

Mentalstack completed market research to make themselves aware of popular products in the same niche with the aim to best understand the user base. A Moodboard was delivered with ideas which could be applied as references for future design. Next step was building an in-depth mind map for user's paths. Finally, they made clickable prototype for whole app, the last thing was working on UI, color scheme, graphics and illustrations, and breathed life to rough wireframes.

Being a niche sport there were concerns about getting the right message across but Mentalstack handled it well and communication throughout was great. We were involved with the design throughout the whole process so very little revisions were required. The vendor offered their own opinions and guidance along the way and the end product fitted our expectations.

What was the team composition?

The design team was flexible but mainly consisted of a Project Manager, a Designer and an Art Reviewer.

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

Currently our mobile application is still in development but with a successful design stage now completed with Mentalstack, we will be continuing with development with the vendor.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Regular daily communications with the Project manager was completed using Skype and phone calls as and when required. Communications were always clear and efficient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by Mentalstack's vision and experience. Getting my ideas across and onto paper were easy and the final design represented their hard work and dedication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were very satisfied with their work along the way. We ended up with a beautiful final product and are eager to continue onto development with Mentalstack. Being our first venture into app development Mentalstack assisted us throughout the process and made things easy.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and founder of a development agency. We partner with agencies to develop products and services, in addition to engaging with our clients on internal projects.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

We needed help completing trial projects for two of our clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially brought Mentalstack onboard to assist with just foundational work, but as time progressed, they were involved in every facet of app development. One of the products that they helped us develop was a blockchain app that allows users to invest in cryptocurrency with ease. We gave them a mockup of the design, and they built to our specifications. They also helped us with an early web release and included more features that weren’t in our original vision

The second app was a winery platform that connected wine lovers to beverages with an algorithm that analyzes their disclosed taste palate. We didn’t provide raw mockups for this app, so they had to redesign the app concepts from our PNG files. They also helped us with an early web release for the blockchain app. They also included more features that weren’t in our original vision.

Both apps are fullstack, so they’re available on all platforms including web, iOS, and Android.

What is the team composition?

We mostly interact with their project manager. Having multiple points of contact can be overwhelming, so we appreciate them for having one designated liaison.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

I discovered them while searching for app developers on Upwork. The project we initially hired them for was scrapped due to our client's funding. When future projects came along, we reached out to them via Skype and offered them the job.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little more than $65,000 to develop both apps.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been working on the apps since April 2018.

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

Mentalstack is very results-driven, so we do not doubt that their work will live up to our expectations. Everything that they’ve produced for us so far has been incredible, but a few small bugs have popped up. We understand that they don’t want to take attention away from core development, but it makes us look bad to our clients when they’re taking weeks to resolve simple issues. To prevent this, we hired an in-house developer to work with them on post-release bugs.  

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams have biweekly meetings to discuss which features are on the agenda for development. We used Jira to cross-reference the sessions with work tickets, and they used the platform to provide frequent updates on their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project manager was extraordinary at his job. They’re working with a dozen other companies, yet they make us feel like our needs are their top priority.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They tend to neglect smaller tasks, which could easily be avoided by bringing a designated engineer on board to resolve technical issues while the rest of their team works on new developments. We also don’t like how pushy their sales team are, but we understand that’s common for most companies.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager of a technology consulting company. One of the things we do is outsource development work for apps for our clients.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

Our client had an app that had been in development for a year. It was unfinished and had a lot of features that were missing. We took over the project and needed someone to take on the development.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The application is for both Android and iOS, and we hired Mentalstack to develop both, as well as to build out the API. The applications are native, for a client with a general membership of several thousand people that they want to keep in touch with. They also want to post news and get information from the members, conduct polls, and include some event functionality.

We didn’t have much from the original developers to provide to them. We had to schedule several meetings with the Mentalstack managers in order to explain the project. We had designs and wireframes which we gave to them.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

We found them on Upwork. We posted the project, and they were one of the biggest companies that replied to us. We felt safe giving the project to a larger software house.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2017 and the work is still ongoing. The project is in its later stages.

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

The project itself had a lot of features and a functional API already developed. They had to take all of that without any documentation. We were unable to provide them with any information about what the API did and where the bugs were coming from. They had to understand what they were doing and did it without our help.

They pay great attention to detail. Compared to the version they got when they started the development, the app is so much more usable and is now spotless.

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with them through their managers, but we have access to the help desk and we can see what they're doing. They have a lot of people on staff, besides the programmers, who take care of testing, reporting, and other things.

We pay them through Upwork, and through the Upwork platform there is time tracking for each developer, so we can pay them based on the hours they work. Additionally, they use HubSpot internally, and I use their HubSpot reports to complete my own reports based on the tasks completed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing is when we tell them about any new features or changes that the client requests from us, they are able to understand right away and do it without having to go back and forth.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be good to have a little bit more communication directly with the programmers because we mostly deal with the managers. I can communicate with the developers through Atlassian, the task management program that they use, but generally, if the developers have questions, they don’t ask; they ask their managers who then come to us.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a company that has developed an app that helps people find street parking.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

We needed to find an app developer to help us build our mobile platform for both iOS and Android.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mentalstack designed and developed an app for both iOS and Android from scratch, based on the specifications and requirements we provided. They also provided testing and worked with us closely throughout development, so we could make changes and adjust features as we progressed. They incorporated mapping components that communicate to our API and populate specific information on the map, so users can find available street parking.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with a developer and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

We posted the project on a couple different online forums and jobs boards and interviewed a few vendors that reached out to us. Mentalstack seemed like the best fit because they offered competitive pricing and could develop the app for both iOS and Android.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested $10,000–$15,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018 and they're still working on additional features in the app for us.

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

Not only did Mentalstack finish development on time, but they also provided high-quality work that's been well received by our users. They've been good about fixing any bugs quickly as they pop up as well.

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

We typically have a meeting over the phone with them every morning and manage project tasks through Trello. They've been able to meet our tight deadlines, so we're very happy overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In addition to their technical expertise, Mentalstack is also very flexible and easy to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would only recommend asking them about their holiday schedules before setting up a timeline since they're located in Russia and often take longer holidays than in the US.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief technology officer for an insurance tech startup.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

I needed additional development resources to help build out a service as a software platform on Microsoft Azure.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mentalstack worked with us from the inception of the company, facilitating most of our technology roadmap and staff augmentation. They worked within Angular JS, OCR engines, and Microsoft Azure frameworks, developing both frontend and backend designs for the platform on the cloud.

What is the team composition?

I work with Kirill (CEO and Founder, Mentalstack), Igor (COO, Mentalstack), and about 7 resources, including a project manager, someone in QA, and developers.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

I found them online and felt they were the best fit after interviewing a couple other vendors. 

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

Mentalstack has guided us through several series of successful rollouts, from wireframe inception to raising capital to moving forward with commercial pilots. We're very happy internally with their work overall.

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

We run a tight ship and work alongside their project manager through bi-weekly sprints. They've been very thorough in each sprint and are accessible through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're hardworking, knowledgeable, and diligent. Compared to many domestic developers, they also offer a great value for the investment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. Sometimes I worry about mitigating risk since we only work with about six developers and some are more junior than others. However, that's just part of working in a startup environment. I don't have any complaints thus far. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would encourage anyone to hire Mentalstack. It helps to have someone more technically inclined on your team involved in the process, so you can both collaborate more effectively.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the COO and CTO of a small startup which offers optimization, Google adverts, and software development.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

We don’t have our own in-house software developers and usually, we work with external partners for development.

We needed to build a web-based dynamic backend system where several applications could be added, such as a web-based operating system.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

The platform was a new concept. We started with an introductory call where we discussed what the project entailed. After that, they brought in some developers to think about the project and give us their recommendations. This helped us a lot on the concept side, as well as the development side. The developers know what they are doing.

They used Node.js, TypeScript, AngularJS and Angular 2, and Elasticsearch for deep search interface. For the database, they used MongoDB, and we were connected to some other existing libraries from the Google Cloud, IBM Bluemix, and from Amazon developer’s platforms, as well as used some of their services.

We currently have a demo application for some closed groups to show what we are doing. It is existing, but not available for everyone.

What is the team dynamic?

I have one contact person who was responsible for the whole project and the communication. If there are specific questions which go deep into development, I can also contact the head of development. There’s one head of backend development, 2 senior developers, and one frontend developer. We also have one QA engineer.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

I’d been looking for developers for 4 months and had tested a lot of them. I originally found their profile as well as their developers through Udemy [online learning platform]. I don’t like to work through Udemy, so I looked them up myself and I found out they had previously done some great projects. We connected via Skype. I found they have clear communication and are deep into the technology — they know what they are doing.

How much have you invested in them?

I have invested between 70,000–85,000 [currency needed].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in February of this year and the work is ongoing.

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

The user experience has been great. They created an icon for each function to make it clearer for the user to see where they need to click. They used colors to separate the different extensions of the system. The platform is very clean as it is based on the material design.

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is very good. Each project can be better — there is never 100% — but the project management from their side has been very good. We receive weekly reports from them outlining what had been done, some results, where they had allotted their time, and parts they struggled with. They also add a prediction of what would be done in the coming week, and when it will be completed.

We work on the Kanban system, set up with milestones. It is very clean and we know when work will be done. They deliver on time, and if there are ever delays in deliverables, it is from our side. Our direct communication is through Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they take the time to speak about any problems in order to really understand what the customer wants. For example, developers normally just try to understand what you want, and then want to go ahead and try to develop. Instead, they take the time to think, ask the right questions, and start developing when they are ready. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It is nothing big, but I would recommend that they host their own Slack system and bring customers onto their platform so that everything is already installed and ready for the project management. We use Slack from our side, not because they couldn’t do it, but it wasn’t done at the time, so I created it myself.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an incubator for different startup projects. I am the CTO.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mentalstack?

We have several start-ups going on at the same time, and although we have some in-house developers, they were busy on other projects, so we used Mentalstack to fill in the gap.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We're building a website that is a perfume personalization tool for mass market. The idea behind it is you can get online and go through a journey of finding the scents that you might like and personalize. We recommend a scent based on user's selections, and we allow to personalize the packaging. Users get the perfume bottle with custom name engraved on it. There are no other people doing anything like that on the market. We partner with one big perfume house that's making the perfume for the customers, but we are doing everything on the technology side and making recommendations. It's a website, and it works on desktop and mobile, it's a Node.js application with Angular 2 on the front-end.

How did you come to work with Mentalstack?

Originally, we were looking for freelancers, but we came across a few agencies. We evaluated their prior work and spoke to them on Skype several times. It ticked all the right boxes from technical and managerial points of view. We decided to get an agency rather than individual freelancers because we feel it works better from the responsibility point of view, tracking and for assurance. Sometimes, freelancers just disappear or you have little visibility and control on what's going on. The price was right, so it was a great choice all round.

How much have you invested with Mentalstack?

The project cost around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It's in the final stages. It's not completed yet. It's completed to a certain degree, but we're doing some final changes. It's a live product now. We received feedback from customers, so we're making changes. It may carry along for some time.

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

The project is delivered, the site is live. We’re always tracking all project activities. We’ve also done some external QA to validate the quality.

How did Mentalstack perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was excellent. One of the things we've enjoyed most was working with our project manager. He was quite involved, and he was there all the time when we needed him to be. He gave us timely project updates, and the estimates were quite precise, so we had great visibility. 

What did you find most impressive about Mentalstack?

Compared to freelancers, it's a different category. It's a full stack agency – people with a variety of knowledge sets and skills. The team also made a great effort to deliver the project on time and flexible with working long hours and weekends. 

Are there any areas Mentalstack could improve?

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an R&D Directory at Fornova. We deliver BI Servies for the hotels and the mobility industries.

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

We were lacking skilled developers, and I've reached to Mentalstack as an outsourcing development service provider. We were looking for looking to create a strong frontend development team.

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

We've interviewed the suggested candidates and found they express the skills required. In addition, Mentalstack is committed to the success of the process. They have provided support, review, and verified that the team is delivering the expected results.

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

1. forming a development team ( interviews, technical tasks, communication, and setting expectations )
2. defining workflow ( mutual work of Fornova & Mentalstack ) and building trust.
3. Control - we have weekly meetings with Mentalstack, which are used to set goals, and discuss issue.s

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

1 team lead + 6 developers

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

Forming a new team and building trust is always a challenge. Mentalstack was committed to the process and we were able to meet the goals for this project.

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

Our management style is Agile Scrum, we have a group leader at Fornova working with the team. The team from Mentalstack feel and act as they are part of Fornova, they are doing their best to meet our expectations.

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

The human factor. Their uncompromised commitment to making sure that the team works in synergy has been excellent.

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

no, we're really happy working with Mentalstack

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Cloud Engineering at a Real-Time AI company.

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

We initially hired Mentalstack to backfill a web development position. We were very pleased with their developer and decided to tackle a long-desired application redesign project. By doing this, we are hoping to improve the user experience and increase conversions.

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

We searched online for web developers and interviewed several candidates. After interviewing them, we chose this vendor based on their professionalism and cost estimates.

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

We started with some basic web enhancements, and as the developer showed his expertise moved on to more complex web features. After seeing some improvements to the UI recommended by their UX team, we decided to engage them in a full redesign of our application. We had the standard kick-off meeting to discuss our current site and share some competitive research. Mentalstack provided a mindmap, wireframes, UX kit, and full-fidelity wireframes. After we had the current application design, we engaged them to design and development new features in the application.

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

We initially started with one front-end developer and eventually grew to 2 front-end developers, one designer, and one project manager.

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

We have not yet released the redesigned application but expect to do so shortly. Our team is very excited about the new look and feel of the application.

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

We have meetings twice a week to discuss the site redesign's progress with their designer, and to review and provide feedback on the new designs. Their developers join our team's daily standup and report on development progress. We use Jira, slack, and GitHub.

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

I'm most impressed with the front-end developers. They are excellent, and they feel like a part of our team. They set up the entire react application and are regularly suggesting improvements to our code and process.

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

I can't think of anything at this time.