What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
I’ve been very impressed with Net Solutions’ quality of work. Their UX/UI team is especially good. In certain cases, we couldn’t figure out a solution for fixing something, but Net Solutions did. I have no issues with them in terms of code quality or QA process.
How did Net Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?
We communicated via email and phone, but mostly via Skype voice and text. We also used JIRA to manage the project, which was the other main point of contact. Net Solutions used Basecamp on their end.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I could compare them with other people we’ve worked with, but it wouldn’t be fair, since those are Australian vendors. Net Solutions is the only Indian company I’ve used.
One thing I liked about Net Solutions was their flexibility. Our time zones are off, given that I’m based in the U.S. and they’re in India, but they were responsive. I could pretty much expect a response straight away, no matter when I sent them a message. The account manager there is good, and Net Solutions is proactive in what they do. They helped me out with a few issues in our own environment when we posted the application for testing.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Being an offshore vendor, Net Solutions is good in this space, but the communication would be improved if they were local. Basecamp is not the best tool to use, as it gives very little interactivity with the client, as a forum-like system. This is why we’ve had to move most of our conversations either to Skype or JIRA. The engagement system used by Net Solutions needs to be upgraded.
Secondly, the source-control integrations they have at their end could be improved. Their approach involved Net Solutions building all the code, and checking it into their own source code repository. Every 2-or-so weeks, they would check all that code into our repository. That process needs to be improved a bit.
Do you have any tips for helping clients be more successful with a similar project?
Have your requirements be absolutely clear. This is where Net Solutions helped us out a lot, since our requirements weren’t good at all. They took a lot of initiative, and worked through all the ambiguities. For other people considering this sort of project, the better they document their requirements, the better it will be for everyone involved.
The communication becomes a problem when working with an offshore team. Unclear requirements can potentially stuff up the whole thing.
Net Solutions delivered a high-quality solution on time. The team skillfully leveraged project management tools to ensure a smooth engagement. They proved to be flexible in the face of changing scope and were skilled builders. Their expertise and their ability to execute quickly were phenomenal.