Octal IT Solution

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the delivery lead for an entertainment platform. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Octal IT Solution?

As a product-oriented company, we had several releases and development changes for our Android and iOS products. As a result, we hired resources from Octal. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We announced several releases on our over-the-top (OTT) platform for new changes, movies, and payment options. The platform itself was divided into three parts, which were Android, iOS, and TV. We were required to do multiple code changes every time new features came out, and different teams handled this work — Octal helped us with the iOS and Android components. 

Moreover, our platform had both a B2B segment and a B2C one, and Octal was involved in developing both of these components. The requirements and documentation came from us, and the team had to analyze and discuss them. Octal resources made their own technical documentation on Jira, breaking their tasks into tickets, which went to different sprints. Every sprint had 15 days, and releases came every 15 days.

On top of that, Octal developers worked on several teams; some of them worked on payments, while others worked on B2B and B2C teams. Every release they did also involved various UI/UX changes — they worked closely with our design team to understand functional changes and programming requirements to bring up the designs. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with around 35–38 people for our iOS and Android projects. Octal’s resources were all individual contributors, and we had our own team leaders that managed them. In other words, we merged their resources with our internal team. 

How did you come to work with Octal IT Solution?

Our HR team searched for vendors. We received CVs and went through a round of interviews, ultimately selecting Octal. We conducted a written test, an oral test, and a technical test where we asked them to code.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $500,000–$600,000 per year. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Octal lasted from June 2021–March 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Octal had good resources, and I truly appreciated their effort, especially since the coding we required wasn’t straightforward. We used the highest level of security features and all the tech architects had over 20 years of experience in the field; they were involved with all of our developers on a daily basis. 

Moreover, Octal’s resources kept up with our demands and had the technical capabilities that the platform required. As a result, our app was consistently rated 4.5–5 stars. Our users appreciated how we’d come up with various new features and payment options — they were happy overall. 

How did Octal IT Solution perform from a project management standpoint?

We managed the project through Jira. To communicate, we used Teams, where we had different group chats. We also had meetings there. Our scrum calls were done through Jira, and our scrum master took care of all scrum meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Octal was ready for the project, and they provided valuable input instead of just doing their job. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They may need to hire more resources for their team, especially for large projects like ours. Whenever we hired resources from them, we always needed more senior-level resources. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go ahead and hire Octal — you’ll get sincere resources. The success of the engagement will depend on your organization. Octal has good resources, but they need somebody to monitor them and give them proper guidance and a good work environment. 

To be clear, their resources are sharp and can understand things clearly, and they can learn everything by themselves with little guidance. However, giving them proper product and business knowledge will help them take on any challenge. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Head of Product at Bazaar Technology Portal. We developed a price comparison platform for our UAE market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app and website for our users to access our content from their devices. Our goal was to develop a lifestyle app that would cater to the needs of the UAE market and give users a one-stop-shop solution.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for app development companies around the world and shortlisted 5 companies. After reviewing all the proposals we chose Octal based on their skills, cost and experience.

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

We had several meetings to discuss the project in detail and prepare a scope requirement document which was then followed for the entire project

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

a project manager was assigned along with a team lead. Then there were android, ios, api and web developers involved in the completion of the project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

the project has recently been completed and goals set at the start have all been met.

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

The entire team was very easy to communicate with. Special mention to the CTO Ritesh, Business Dev - Kamal and Team Lead Manish in ensuring that the project was delivered with all the key milestones.

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

They were always ready to understand the problems and work on overcoming those challenges.

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

yes, they can improve in giving accurate timelines for the project, there needs be organised system of knowledge transfer to the team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m Founder and CEO of this Company CrypTech Sixer Fantasy Private Limited is Sports Fantasy League Application Based on Fiat and Crypto.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired octal IT solution to build a fantasy sports app, but a few changes. We wanted them to integrate cryptocurrency wallet in the app which was a unique feature.

SOLUTION

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

We did a Google search and found Octal there. They had great domain expertise and had already built several such applications which motivated us to hire them.

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

After a brief overview, they started from scratch. Designing was good, and they build the app for Android and iOS using the latest technologies. The entire process was flawless with their project manager remaining in touch at everry step.

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

I worked with 2 front-end developers, a back-end programmer, a project manager and a business analyst.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app was ready to launch within 2 months, and I am completely satisfied with the outcomes. The quality of work is good, the turnaround time is quick and they are highly responsive.

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

Communication was very smooth. I remained in constant touch with them through phone, Skype and emails, and received timely responses.

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

The best thing is their communication and keeping the promises. I was eager to launch the app as soon as possible and they delivered it within 2 months. Also, their quality of designing is great. Overall a great experience.

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

Nothing of this sort. They are quite good at what they do.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a comparison site for construction plant hire equipments, my position is director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

we wanted to make a new site that was smart enough to crate a streamed lined way to provide the best services for a customers and clients. enabling the customers to see live prices and clients being able to put these prices up when it was convenient. Also we wanted to make a statement in the industry and by innovating the way people make purchases of the plant equipments.

SOLUTION

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

we searched online for various vendors, then we came across Octal solutions who had positive review of their previous work. whilst reviewing their site we manage to speak to someone who was really helpful and understood our vision and we was told it was achievable within our budget and thats when we decided to go with Octal

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

we started by laying down the vision that we wanted and started discussing further, we then WBS which laid out all the stages of the work and all the key information for the website was identified.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact, we also worked with the developers themselves to really make them understand what we wanted to achieve.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is launched and looking good bright and catchy, we have had a lot of positive review based on the structure and design . we have had a many traffic to the site.

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

we had daily meeting with the project manger Pyriak, and also Panjak who dealt with any issues we faced on a daily basis, we also had multiple emailing and skype meetings to resolve any issues we had faced .

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

The company has experience, the turn around time for the time scale was impressive too. They resolved any issues we had as quickly as possible, and the communication stayed constant throughout.

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

we had some few technical problems at the start, so maybe make sure all parties have full understanding throughout each stages of the development. However these issues were resolved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of the company and project manager, I was in charge to work through out the process with Octal IT Solutions Sr. Business Development Manager , Mr. Kamal Kishore and the Sr. Software Developer Mr. Dinesh Shilak.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Octal IT Solution?

We need them to develop a mobile app and a web application for our services that are incorporated into the app such as , fund transfer, payments solutions and publics services bill payments.

What were your goals for this project?

Reliability, Affordability, possible Scalability of the product , Security and Less Debugging.

SOLUTION

How did you select Octal IT Solution?

It was through a Google Search and phone discussion with the business development team.

Describe the project in detail.

The purpose of this document is to present a detailed description of the eWallet Application. It will explain the purpose and features of the system, the interfaces of the system, what the system will do and the constraints under which it must operate. This document is intended for both the stakeholders and the developers of the system. This document will be the base for confirmation of the delivery of the product as per the original requirements discussed and agreed by both the parties i.e. customer and vendor.

What was the team composition?

Business Development Team (2 people) UX/UI Design Development Team (3 people)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not only the entire team was professional, I will admit I was not sure whether they can profile the level of requirement we were looking for, but they did and went beyond. They were sometimes working outside regular's meeting time, to allow us to present our modifications request and others needs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was great and well organized all along with Mr. Dinesh Shilak and his team. He has to allow me to discuss directly to some of the developers to make sure, the delivery by meeting every single of our project's requirements

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They all speak English fluently, they have high level understanding of the technical work they do, and they are willing to make adjustments by providing options to enhance the project to the customers. They put themselves in the user's shoes as well as the product's owner's views and expectations.

Are there any areas for improvement?

For now, I didn't see any area of improvement because it was our first project with them, and we were 100% satisfied with the work done.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

'VedusHealth' is a tele-health web/mobile application by 'Corvus Health Pvt Ltd ' that enables powerful, multichannel tele-medicine for healthcare practice with real-time video visits, secure messaging and remote monitoring. I work as a Business analyst and a project manager for VedusHealth

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

VedusHealth had a third party video platform integrated into the system to enable video consultations for patients and doctors. In order to have a more stabilized and secure video platform, Vedushealth partnered with Microsoft for appointment bookings and video meetings.

Octal IT was recommended by Microsoft to integrate these services into our application Goal was to remove the older video platform and link Microsoft bookings calendar and teams into our application

SOLUTION

How did you select Octal IT Solution and what were the deciding factors?

For integrating Microsoft services through APIs into Vedushealth application we were looking for a team who has experience in similar kind of work and Octal was one of the recommended companies by Microsoft for this job.

Octal team showed confidence in understanding and integrating the application the way it was expected. The reviews by Microsoft helped us choose this team for the work

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

They helped in integrating Mircosoft bookings app into Vedushealth website by using Microsoft APIs. The team also helped us build the front end application screens to support the feature.

They integrated 6 APIs which were key for this project Two UI screens to support the integration which included a Calendar UI for 'Bookings'

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

There were 4 in the team including one project manager, two developers and a project lead

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Though there were some delays due to the pandemic, the team was able to finish the project pretty well and deliver the outcome that matched our expectations. The team had some very efficient developers who understood the requirements and came up with ways to implement the same.

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

The project was managed with emails and timely calls that required discussions. The time zone difference between both our teams gave some hiccups but the team managed it well and finished the project

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

This team has got some very talented and enthusiastic developers who are ready to explore and enhance their skills, take up new challenges and deliver them with quality

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

Overall the project was delivered as expected with good quality. We wish this team to grow and so recommend them to work on the importance of communicating and asking questions (on requirements or implementation) at the right time.

This can reduce duplicate efforts for their team, as we see this team is capable of doing more. We wish Octal IT best for future endeavors

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director and CTO at Madina Group of Companies, headquartered in Tanzania, East Africa. Our company has over 500 employees and we serve businesses, retailers, end consumers all over the country and other East African nations, i.e. Kenya, Uganda, Congo. Our services include transport/logistics, clearing & forwarding, real estate, petroleum services and financial/ digital payment services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Octal IT Solution?

We hired Octal to create a Personalised Core Banking System (CBS), Backend systems and front end mobile apps for our digital payment wallet named (PAYTZ) by Madina Group.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to see our mobile app function and developed in a manner that it would work as a mobile money/digital payment solution for people in Tanzania. Something similar to Paytm in India. We did receive the relevant approvals from the governing Bank and local regulators. We had everything in place, our aim was to build our own Core Banking System to suit our needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select Octal IT Solution?

My team and i searched online on google for top developing firms in India as we were aware that India was a good nation for developing as well as when it comes to labour affordability. We found out on many websites that Octal was ranked on the top list of developing firms, however i can confidently say that all was manipulated.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we selected Octal, we had several online meetings and physical meetings, i was speaking to a person called Santosh who was very good in dealing with clients and after several interactions we visited their offices in Jaipur and i was introduced to a person called Sandeep who was the project manager assigned to me and agreed to all developments, features and tasks to be considered as done. The project started from scratch, with wireframes and photos/graphics all the way to development which only started out smooth.

What was the team composition?

I had Sandeep as a our project manager throughout the project who would always comfort me as a client and say dont worry it will all be done and nothing to worry about. I had a backend developer, named Rahul who had mood swings so rather than me being a client asking for demands, i had to pause to pamper him sometimes just to get my work done and get out of the country. The iOS developer Deepak was very SMART and sharp, he would do everything well as tasked out. However, the android developer Rajkumar was lazy with no more words.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To be very honest, the outcome was POOR. We never used their code and began in house development from scratch. Their code was breaking at every point. They did not have relevant libraries and plugins in place. The code was so messed up and we just have a copy of their code on Github for proof that the work done by them was NASTY.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project started out very quick and went full on, however the Admin panel design they chose for us was not what we wanted. They chose it themselves and when we asked for our design they immediately talk about extra costs. They had many issues as there were several communication issues and understanding english was also a little difficult, because what i would tell Sandeep would not be correctly portrayed to the developers and hence, it meant that there were many issues in the code.

Whenever we raised concerns and created an excel sheet to explain issues in the App, they always marked the points as done but in reality it is not done. Whenever we tried to raise concerns to the senior managers, Sandeep would stop us and ask for last chances. In the end, Sandeep ruined the entire project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Nothing except the Marketing and pulling of customers by Mr. Santosh. The rest are to stay away from especially the boss himself Mr. Arun Goyal. Mr. Arun Goyal is just a man greedy for money and nothing else. Mr. Sandeep tries to take clients away from the Company and he would do side projects of the same clients with his own company "Core Apps Labs". I have evidence of invoices and WhatsApp chats to prove this. Everyone in this company is looking after their own pockets and the client suffers at the end.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No improvements, because when the BOSS himself is crooked how do you expect the employees to even perform good?

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on August 22, 2018.

Ayyaz Ahmed

CEO, Payment Wallet App Startup

 Financial Services

11-50 Employees

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

$50,000 to $199,999

Jan. - Aug. 2018

Project summary:

Octal IT Solution developed a scalable mobile wallet app that allowed users to charge their accounts and make purchases. In addition to development, they also provided some legal counsel.

Feedback summary: 

The app performed well in all rounds of testing, supporting about 10,000 users while still running seamlessly. Octal IT Solution demonstrated extensive technical and domain knowledge, which inspired confidence in their abilities. Their success on this project has led to further collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO of a payment wallet startup set to launch in Tanzania. We aim to be the leading e-wallet and mobile payment processor, pioneering the payment systems industry in the country.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Octal IT Solution?

We were looking for a company that had the right understanding of the payment wallet business domain in addition to proven technical expertise. Octal IT Solution demonstrated their domain and technical expertise, so we approached them to develop our mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

Security was the major goal, but we also wanted to ensure that the payment wallet was highly scalable in the long run.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

As I mentioned, we decided to go with them based on various factors, including their previous experience with financial apps and technical ability.

Describe the project in detail.

While we can’t go into too much detail, the app is similar to other mobile wallet apps. Users can add money to buy products and services from other users. Merchants within our network can also use the app to accept payments. Beyond development work, they assisted us to ensure legal compliance and currently continue to provide ongoing maintenance.

What was the team composition?

They assigned eight developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve done multiple test runs in preparation for our launch. We had 100 users in the first alpha release, 1000 users in the second beta release, and now have 10,000 concurrent users. Although there were a few glitches, they provided real-time support, and the app continues to work perfectly well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The communication was excellent. They used all possible communication tools to smooth our coordination.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They performed well from the start. From the documentation phase to the final proposal discussions, it was outstanding to interact with them. They understood our expectations and gave us confidence. Furthermore, they exhibited an excellent understanding of both the e-wallet domain and the legal aspects of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, nothing comes to mind. They should continue doing what they’re doing because things are going really well.

Star Ratings

Overall rating: 5

Quality: 5

Schedule: 5

Cost: 5

Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company developers cybersecurity solutions and I am the Chief Technology Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We are encryption subject matter experts and cryptographers. We hired Octal to be our mobile app supplemental software development team.

SOLUTION

How did you select Octal IT Solution and what were the deciding factors?

We did an RFP (request for proposal) and we reviewed the proposals from several companies. Octal ultimately was awarded the project because they have the expertise in the mobile app development space and their proposal was well written and thorough.

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

The project involved developing the mobile app from scratch. At a high level, the steps were:

1. Review and approve the project scope.
2. Review and approve the software project specifications (SPS).
3. Develop the Phase 1 features.
4. User Acceptance Testing.
5. Handoff the software source to the company's software development team.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for Phases 2, 3, and 4.
7. On-going maintenance and support phase.

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

I estimate that about 6 people from the vendor team worked with my company and me. Their positions were Android/iOS software developers, QA tester, and software lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the project milestones were either met on time or we were notified promptly when a milestone would be missed.

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

Our project management style is straightforward. We define the project milestones and expect daily or updates 3 times a week. For challenging milestones or important delivery dates, we had a brief, daily status update.

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

Octal was always willing to go beyond what was asked to get the project done successfully.

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

I do not have any improvement recommendations. Octal is a good partner and we recommend their services.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of an Australian insurance tech start-up. We have been in business for a couple of years now, but during the last two years, we’ve focused on building new kinds of insurance products and the technology to support them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Octal IT Solution?

We needed to build out the next version of our insurance technology platform, moving forward faster and at a smaller cost. Our goal was to build key components in our platform from end-to-end, including distribution, marketing, and claims.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Octal IT Solution’s main focus was an income prediction tool, which people can use to gain coverage for when they’re sick and miss work. It’s a web application. We needed to provide a fully digital experience to our customers. Insurance in Australia is still sold by brokers, but we wanted to build a more consumer-facing product. Additionally, the goal was to create a start-to-finish experience for customers buying policies. Another requirement was that the platform needed to be built in such a way that we could distribute it to other businesses in the future via an API; there is a huge demand on the B2B side.

We scoped out the project into three phases: business analysis, development, and user acceptance testing. The business analysis took place internally, but a resource from Octal IT Solution reviewed our work for any gaps. Once that was complete, we moved onto development, and then user acceptance testing.

They also integrated Stripe, so users can purchase policies with a credit card. It was a fairly painless process.

Aside from what the customers see, there’s an internal console where we manage the different elements of the web app, like pricing. Insurance is a highly regulated industry — a human has to manage the backend. Typically, those people don’t understand the technology, requiring the tool to have a very simple UI. There’s an order manager, as well as a built-in CRM that lets us capture marketing leads and monitor abandoned carts. There are reporting capabilities. Our product is connected to a large insurance provider, and we have to submit a monthly financial report to them detailing new customers, cancelled policies, and renewed policies. The management side of the web app that Octal IT Solution built handles all of this.

We worked with the LAMP stack, which is a fairly standard piece of AWS. We also used Elastic Cloud 2 for cloud storage. Octal IT Solution was comfortable working with AWS and LAMP technology. The application was built using PHP.

What is the team composition?

Two developed worked with us full-time during the project. One was a senior developer, and one was a junior developer. For the user acceptance testing, members of my team tested the software and reported back to the two developers to get issues resolved.

How did you come to work with Octal IT Solution?

We’re a start-up and a small company, so we didn’t have the large capital investment needed to work with on-shore developers, but we didn’t want to sacrifice speed or quality. Those are the considerations we made when choosing to work with Octal.

We’d worked with one of their account managers when they were at a different company. I personally knew him really well and had confidence that he’d deliver on time and on budget. Initially, I reached out to understand his current team and their capabilities. I realized that the whole group was competent.

We work through an internal ranking and criteria process when choosing suppliers for our team, and Octal IT Solution turned out to be the right partner out of several options.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent between $10,000 –$20,000 AUD (approximately $7,700–$15,000 USD)

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May–June 2019, and the project ended around October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Internally, we look at a number of success factors, including customer experience, meaning the frontend and design of the solution. Octal IT Solution could improve a bit in this regard, as could most off-shoring companies like theirs.

We’re not as demanding about the backend because its main function is just to handle the reporting back to our suppliers. The criteria here was more pliant, allowing Octal IT Solution’s engineers greater flexibility.

We really forced them to get to the place we wanted them to be, which quite challenging, to be honest.

How did Octal IT Solution perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m experienced in working with outside teams, so I set clear expectations. They were happy to work according to our Australian time zone, ensuring overlap and support for our customers as they purchased our products. In the instances that they couldn’t accommodate this — local holidays or another similar reason — we made arrangements for alternate days. All of this was established beforehand.

We used GitHub as a shared code repository. Octal IT Solution’s developers shared the code with us for review daily. We also had daily stand-ups and communicated via Slack and Skype. They prefer Skype, so we used what they were comfortable with. Project tracking took place on Trello and Jira. Finally, we did some short maintenance activities post-launch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Regarding technical skills, they were extremely strong with PHP; I would give them an A+ there. In terms of non-technical abilities, they had strong communication skills, particularly in their account managers and project managers. They were eager to explain any roadblocks in the project. I would use them again for any PHP project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I will make two statements. The first is that their software engineers were full-stack engineers and worked across the frontend and backend, but they weren't the strongest with design or aesthetics. Fonts, layouts, and CSS were areas of improvement for them. Design differentiates products today, rather than the backend.

The second statement is that the engineers doing the actual work could have communicated better. It was good, but I believe that being more direct with my team in Australia or with me would have been good, rather than relying on the account manager or project manager. I don’t know what their structure was like, however, and this may have been a requirement for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do a thorough job with the business analysis upfront and make sure that there is no ambiguity. This is very important, as you have to tell Octal IT Solution exactly what you need otherwise it will be very hard for them to imagine what you need. I think that is a big risk requirement when working with any distributed or offshore team.

Timeline and budget weren’t huge considerations for us when working with Octal IT Solution. They hit every mark in these regards.

Firmly set expectations at the beginning about what they’re doing, the outcome, and the business impact they will have. Make sure that everyone understands this, and not just the project manager or account manager.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an entrepreneur and founder of this magento marketplace which I cannot disclose much details on given that it hasn't officially launched yet.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I hired Octal for web and app development. I came to them with my business idea, we wrote about the project scope together, and they recommended that we go with Magento web development and thereafter install an app extension to get the native apps.

SOLUTION

How did you select Octal IT Solution and what were the deciding factors?

I found Octal on Clutch given its high ratings. I reached out to it amongst others, but I decided to go with Octal in the end given its excellent sales person that I had complete trust in. She was super detail-oriented, spoke excellent English and was very tech-savvy. Octal was highly ranked on Clutch and others, and so I believed I was in good hands.

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

The web was built on Magento 2.4. I had to purchase several Magento extensions and have the team install and customize them for me. I bought them from CED Commerce, and Octal team had CED install them themselves. What was left for Octal to do was customizations as per my project scope, but they had failed to do that. To be honest, from the minute I had paid, I was contacted by a developer who had no understanding of my project.

Throughout the months I urged him to read the scope, and he claimed he did though it was very obvious he didn't given the questions he had for me and mistakes he made on the website. For instance, my marketplace is multi-vendor and auction-based - 4 months down the line, he asks me if vendors will be shipping or admin. Furthermore, if you check the website, you will see that product listings have a price tag on them even though I explained a million times that they are all auctions.

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

I was only in contact with one person, Priyank, who was in charge of the development. I kept the sales person who I had worked with on the scope initially in the loop, begging her to make sure Priyank understands the scope.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team never delivered. After having the project delayed for 2 months, they demanded that I pay for a milestone that hasn't been delivered. Of course, I wasn't willing to do that because by contract, they had to deliver on their end first. I wasn't pleased at all with the work in progress, and had no intention of paying them upfront for incomplete work. So they said they will place my project on hold until I pay. Here is my feedback of the work in progress:

Poor Design: In terms of design, it's a complete mess. The homepage looks horrible, there are unnecessary buttons, aligning isn't right, etc. It's not just the homepage, all pages need a lot of work in terms of design. Just have a look yourself and tell me what you think. Isn't there a designer who should be in charge of this?

I've mentioned this repeatedly to Priyank, and he keeps saying that we will deal with design later, and that I will have to tell him what needs to be done. But to be honest, that's not my job. A designer should be there to take care of all this - how buttons should look, where they should be placed, alignment, etc. Besides, a UX designer should know how to make the best user experience, not me..

Missing Functionalities: There are still functionalities that aren't there which he claims that he will get done by "end of this week". He has been saying that he has all the functionalities there since end of January. He even asked me to pay the milestone 3 payment on Jan 27, claiming that all is done already. However, it is now end of March and still no where close to completion. Some functionalities he has just discovered a couple weeks ago and requested a call to understand them better

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

They reply quickly to emails, and they always assure you that everything is going smooth and there is nothing to worry about. Yet when I ask about actual results, they keep delaying. One week after another, until it was 2 months delayed and they decided to place it on hold. The project timeline was 3 months, after 5 months I get an incomplete horrible result. The project is extremely delayed, and had I seen good quality work I wouldn't care much about the time. This project should have been very straightforward, it's a matter of installing the extensions and customizing them.

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

The initial sales was impressive - but once you pay and get stuck with them, everything goes down the drain. They sell you perfection, but the actual results is nowhere close to that.

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

Yes, they could have been honest. They shouldn't sugar coat the project and assure me everything will be done as planned and to the best quality, and then give the worst quality work there is. And despite all the delay, I was patient and gave them all time they need, hoping that the work will get better somehow. In the end, they decided to break our contract and put this project on hold until I make a payment.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on March 26, 2021.

We offer heartfelt apologies to the client for the inconvenience he has faced.

We understand there were some problems that we have faced during the development phase.

First of all we want to clarify the project is not terminated it is on hold until the payment is made.

We understand there were issues, but we are not ready to be backlashed for it. We offered the client to continue with Magento 2.3 version as it has external support and libraries to offer. The client wanted to move to Magento 2.4 which had a little external support.

The third party could not integrate the version for almost 2 months and the delay was caused. Further there are a few plugins that aren’t confirmed from the client end that are causing the delay. The theme given was integrated with the requested plugins. We were expected to integrate and deliver the plugins instead the client wanted us to customize the design for free.

We understand the delay cannot be accepted, but we would proceed further only with the client’s approval. We would be grateful if the clients could understand that technical glitch from third party cannot be blamed on us.

Looking forward to resolving the confusion and delivering the product soon.