Oxagile

Please describe your company and your position there.

East View Information Services Inc. is a leading provider of native and translated foreign language information products and services, including Russian, Chinese, and Arabic databases, print periodicals, books and microforms.

The company serves all geographies and many market segments, including academic institutions, government organizations, corporations, public and federal libraries and law firms. My formal title, Senior Manager, OnlinePublishing, can be translated as a combination of product and project management roles.

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

We needed to completely rebuild a very old online content product providing a complex and sophisticated way to work with Russian National Bibliography for books, journals, newspapers and other types of publications that have been coming out in Soviet Union/Russia since 1907.

The database contains millions of records, with a number of metadata fields for each linked to one another. The software behind the product was very old and weened to rework it and relaunch this product within quite short timeframe of less than 6 months. We met Oxagile at one of the major industry trade shows and hired them to complete this job.

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

We saw that Oxagile had great knowledge and experience working with Western European and North American customers which was important given the headquarters of our company is located in the US.

Another deciding factor was their approach to account and project management; from the very beginning we felt that we have a very transparent relationship with a very professional team. The team that worked with us learned specifics of our products and market very fast and that was another pleasant surprise down the road.

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

Building an online content product comprising of a number of bibliographical publications and millions of individual records in each if them. Providing users with an intuitive yet robust toolset for identifying the records they need and working with them, including comprehensive data modeling, faceted search and filtering, interlinking and grouping the records to simplify the users’ flow.

Complex authentication system identifying users both by IP-range and their individual credentials compliments the product. Technology used: Java, Solr, Oracle; Angular JS on the front end

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

A project manager coordinated the effort and was our main point of communication. 3 software developers worked full time on this project and more engineers, designers, database administrators or system administrators augmented the team as needed.

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

After launching the new version of the product we received a great positive feedback from our industry leaders and main customers. The update revitalized interest to the product and we saw a noticeable increase of new sales and renewals.

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

At the very beginning we agreed to use an Agile method for managing his project. The main reason was we had a short runway and a lot of details and requirements had to be clarified along the way. We used JIRA ticketing system to plan and manage individual tasks and group them into two-weeks sprints. Since the project was fully remote we used email and Skype for discussions and online conferencing.

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

Very well organized processes and project management. Highly knowledgeable and experienced team that was genuinely interested to learn more of the subject area to propose better solutions. They generally went above and beyond on the project, and we are grateful to them for this experience of cooperation.

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

As probably any customer we would like to have everything carefully planned and precisely estimated in advance. But knowing that we were not ready to provide all the details and requirements in advance we agreed to follow the Agile method (Scrum) in this project.

This led to certain increase of project budget and some scope reduction but I am not sure we could or needed to do anything differently. No apparent area of improvement is seen to me.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a social, video-based platform that’s built for the world of education. Teachers and school teachers can post short videos from their phone or computer and post them to different channels. They’d be contributing to discussions around certain topics, events, books, and more.

What challenge were you trying to address with Oxagile?

We relied on Oxagile to develop our platform.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started completely from scratch with them. We gave them a handful of Google Docs that outlined a rough structure of what we had in mind. They helped scope out the project for us and sort through the items. This process sharpened some features and omitted others, and some are still in our backlog.

We’ve been working with them for almost two years, now, and they’ve built out some of our main product features. I believe they use Java and some other technologies to build out our iOS, Android, and web platforms.

What is the team composition?

Currently, we’re working with 6 people. At our biggest team size, we worked with around 12 people. There are regular, full-time teammates, and there were others who we brought on for specific needs.

How did you come to work with Oxagile?

When we made the initial decision of creating a video-heavy platform, we googled service providers whose expertise was video integrations. After viewing Oxagile’s portfolio. talking to them, and getting an estimate, we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere near $2,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe the engagement began in February of 2018, and the project is ongoing. The platform launched in beta mode in February of 2020.

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

We have almost 1,600 users from all over the world since our beta launch. We’ve received feedback from users about how navigable and aesthetically pleasing the platform is. We’ve had an outside technology firm take a look at our product, and they echoed positive things about the platform’s architecture and code.

They’ve taken our ideas and improved upon them in their execution of the product. They’ve built what we’ve asked them to build while executing ideas and designs that we hadn’t thought of ourselves.

How did Oxagile perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager was the chief product management officer at Oxagile, and he was excellent. From the start, I’ve been very impressed with how everything has been organized. They were extremely helpful in guiding us through unfamiliar tech processes (especially since my background isn’t in tech.)

We shrunk our team a few months ago and were assigned a different PM. We were worried since we loved our old one, but the new teammate didn’t let anything slip. She’s been amazing; she’s especially done a great job of communicating and keeping us on track.

We have weekly calls with the PM, their business analysts, and the engineers for demos. We utilize instant messaging through Skype chat, but we also communicate via normal email. They’re very quick to respond.

What did you find most impressive about them?

While my partner and I consider ourselves to be fairly easy-going and respectful, we come up with ideas that need to be executed immediately. That being said, their team has been exceptional reactive to our whims and emerging needs. They’ve done a really great job of helping us help them in executing the product.

They’re also extremely collaborative and eager to go the extra unpaid mile to deliver for us. If it’s a strict deadline, they’re able to mobilize a couple of additional resources for us, free of charge. They’ve truly gone above and beyond to execute what we pay them for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any major complaints. There were some communication challenges earlier on. There were some things that we needed to know, or that we benefitted from knowing earlier on, that surprised us later down the road. That sort of miscommunication between us hasn’t happened in a while.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I definitely would recommend them and already have to a few different people. Try to openly share what you’re thinking and what you’re hoping to build. Don’t be worried about asking them a silly question or asking for a last-minute change, because they will work to try and make that happen.

Please describe your organization.

We are an e-commerce startup helping companies create a guided recommendation process. We offer a software-as-a-service product, partnering with e-commerce sites and helping them walk customers through the buying process.

What is your position?

I am the founder and chief executive officer of the company. 

What business challenge were you trying to address with StaffYourTeam?

We needed to get a prototype off of the ground. 

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

StaffYourTeam built our solution using JavaScript on the front end and Node.js on the back-end. Our software is hosted using Amazon Web Services. It's a web-based, mobile-responsive solution.

Initially, we had made some mockups for our idea using Balsamic and other prototyping software. StaffYourTeam helped us refine that vision, providing feedback. As an example, we had combined style and functionality for certain areas. StaffYourTeam advised us to separate the two, making the platform more modular.

StaffYourTeam has assigned us a three-person team consisting of a lead developer, project manager, and quality assurance tester. We employ both manual and automated testing for our app.

How did you come to work with StaffYourTeam?

We submitted a proposal to around 20 firms from across the globe. StaffYourTeam had a very thorough request for proposal process and their sales approach was excellent. They engaged with us and were thoughtful about the project and potential pitfalls. StaffYourTeam showed a much more thorough understanding than other firms I spoke with.

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

The total cost of StaffYourTeam's services has been between $75,000 and $125,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with StaffYourTeam in the spring of 2015. We have an ongoing relationship. StaffYourTeam has become a supplemental part of our team, augmenting our resources and helping us scale up the platform. We've gone from a prototype to an actual product, adding on features and making it more stable.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

StaffYourTeam has been very strong in terms of delivery. They've been a good partner from the beginning, helping us figure out the system and platform in general, also going forward and executing on it. We haven't had any major issues beyond what can be expected from a normal software development process. My biggest praise for StaffYourTeam is in terms of quality of work. We've had the same conversations with them as with our own engineering team, helping us understand trade-offs between depth of features, speed, and quality. StaffYourTeam has had key strategic conversations with us at a high level. In terms of productivity, StaffYourTeam is comparable to other teams I've worked with during my career.

How did StaffYourTeam perform from a project management standpoint?

With any software development project, there will be some parts that become loose, but StaffYourTeam have stuck to my expectations. We use JIRA for project management. I find it to be a more feature-rich tool compared to others I've used, and I've had a good experience with it.

The project manager from StaffYourTeam has very good written and oral communication skills. Given that they are a remote team, this was a concern for us, but StaffYourTeam has been excellent.

What distinguishes StaffYourTeam from other providers?

I have been pleasantly surprised in terms of how strategic StaffYourTeam has been. They're not simply coders, but also understand our vision for the direction of the platform. StaffYourTeam has provided thoughtful feedback that reflected this, taking into consideration how we could be affected in the future by what we're doing today. StaffYourTeam has provided recommendations without requiring me to provide user stories for every task.

Is there anything StaffYourTeam could have improved or done differently?

StaffYourTeam has a set of technologies with which they're familiar, and they have a modern approach. We're using Node.js, which is great. There have been times when we wanted to do something that the team wasn't comfortable with, given that they lacked expertise in that specific area. This wouldn't preclude me from recommending StaffYourTeam to anyone, but I have to be realistic in comparing them to generalist firms.

Please describe your organization.

We are a custom software development company with two offices in San Francisco and California. Locally, we have a big focus on sales and marketing, while our development teams are located in Belarus and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. We are part of an international group of companies with multiple offices worldwide, including Moscow, Israel, and New York City. We are involved in a lot of research and development for home automation, healthcare, and internet of things solutions.

What is your position?

I’m the Director of Business Development.

What business challenge were you trying to address with StaffYourTeam?

We were working with an important client for which we ran multiple projects. We developed a learning portal for English courses aimed at Asian students. It featured chat technology for communication between students and their tutors. It's not a typical e-learning project because its specific idea was to feature teachers from the United States and the UK who would provide their services to wealthy students in Asia. The client's major requirement was to provide a decent-quality service with the ability to run multiple sessions with a certain level of security. In terms of business value, it's an important tool for the client, helping them to make more money out of education services.

We usually don't outsource projects to subcontractors, but we needed additional resources. In choosing a subcontractor, we focused on good references first of all, and also looked for relevant experience. StaffYourTeam had both those requirements.

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

The customer's requirements were for a TalkBox-based solution. In terms of core technology, the software was developed using .NET while, in terms of server hosting, we used Amazon EC2 cloud technology. The database was SQL.

The platform is an integrated video streaming solution also featuring an inbuilt calendar that can simplify lesson scheduling. It also has a unique system of evaluating tutors. Each tutor has a profile on which they can be rated by students for multiple criteria.

There were five developers, one dedicated project manager, and two quality assurance engineers assigned to our project.

How did you come to work with StaffYourTeam?

We were looking for a subcontractor with a development office in Eastern Europe, specifically in Belarus, as we have our own facility there. We know that the quality of resources and communication are good in that region. Relevant experience was also a factor. We were looking for past projects involving video streaming solutions, and ones within the e-learning business more specifically. StaffYourTeam had that relevant experience.

We also researched other possibilities through the internet and clutch.co. We asked colleagues and top managers of different US-based companies about the vendors that they were working with. StaffYourTeam received very good references from a person which I respected. It wasn't the deciding factor, but they had a good combination of a good portfolio, references, and technical expertise.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project duration was 4 months. The total development effort lasted 20 months.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

In our industry, the most important factor considered in terms of software development is the amount of bugs in the delivered work. We have our own corporate standard, which is pretty high. According to our internal review, the quality of the code delivered by StaffYourTeam was very good, much better than expected. Usually, it's important that the vendor simply deliver the work with working results, but their completed work was exceptionally clean. We were surprised by this.

How did StaffYourTeam perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered the work within time and budget. At the start of the project, we elaborated a timeline with multiple milestones. Each one was delivered in time. This was important for us because we were also reporting to our end-client. Any delay would have translated to problems on our side. Everything was perfect in terms of project management.

StaffYourTeam had a dedicated project manager. The only negative aspect I could mention was a lack of attention to detail on their side at times. Omissions in the comment section would be an example. This was not critical for the project, but some people are perfectionists and like looking at the general picture. It's a subjective issue.

We used Jira for project tracking, as a requirement from our side. StaffYourTeam worked within our tracking system, which we appreciated. They acted as our own team rather than a contracting company.

What distinguishes StaffYourTeam from other providers?

In our business, a partner doesn't need to be unique; they just need to offer a good-quality service on a consistent basis. StaffYourTeam has a very good balance between price and quality. This is important for me because I need to understand what I'm playing for. Their reporting was transparent and they provided us with any kinds of reports we requested. We had a very good picture of the project, including every milestone. We understood what we were paying for and StaffYourTeam definitely worked for their money.

Is there anything StaffYourTeam could have improved or done differently?

In general, they performed well. It could be due to the fact that it was our first project and they wanted to impress us. I can't speak for all of their projects, but in our case, everything was good. I hope that StaffYourTeam delivers the same grade of quality to all of their customers. A bit more attention to detail would have been welcomed at times, but that's about it.

As a general recommendation, any client looking to work with them should have a well-structured set of requirements. I remember that we came across a small issue at the start of our project in clarifying a few elements. If everything is specified from the start, there will be very good results in the end. If the client only has a general idea, it's best to itemize it in writing. This is a recommendation for any customer, even our own. We often have difficulties in imagining a project when only given a general idea. At least a few pages are required.

Please describe your organization.

We’re a leadership development and executive coaching firm with a global presence, based in Philadelphia. 

What is your position?

I’m the Chief Executive Officer of the company.

What business challenge were you trying to address with StaffYourTeam?

We were trying to create a technology platform that would differentiate us, and add value for our clients by integrating the best of what we know in the coaching world with excellent technology. We came to them to get help building that platform out. They were responsible for the design and implementation of the platform.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

The project was to take an existing web application that we had and rebuild it in such a way that it can function as a SaaS model. They redesigned what we already had onto a new coding framework called Symphony. Then they also built out a robust backend that allows us to create subdomains for our customers who want to adopt our service on an annual basis.

How did you come to work with StaffYourTeam?

We really liked their responsiveness, thoroughness and cost. They’re not the cheapest guys in town but you get what you pay for in this business. I think they deliver a high quality product and they stand behind it. There’s also a high level of trust between us and them. 

Initially we wanted to integrate video conferencing on a very basic cloud platform using the API of a video conferencing service. We ended up connecting with that video conferencing service and asking them who would be the best developer for this. They referred us to StaffYourTeam. It turns out we did something totally different. We ended up not integrating the API, instead we built our own platform in a much more customized way than we had originally intended. 

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

The cost of the project is between $50,000 to $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started two years ago and the work is ongoing. I don’t know when we’ll ever stop. We have customers who love the platform. We do have a few ideas on how to improve it. We took a temporary pause and we’ll resume early next year.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I don’t have formal feedback from customers. Customers tend to like it, and it’s still very new so I don’t have that much feedback. My personal feedback would be that StaffYourTeam does a great job developing things that are very technical. Some of the things they do may not even exist through a plug-in or an API. They’re able to create something based on our requirements. I value their creativity and their ability to execute.

How did StaffYourTeam perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a very good project manager. She’s amazing. I think a lot of the success of the project is a result of her great work. A lot of it is due to the company and the processes that she adopts, but she’s been amazing for us.

Is there anything StaffYourTeam could have improved or done differently?

I think their front end design lacks. We use another designer for it. That would be an area I would say would be great if they could have the same level of quality on the front end as they do on the back end.

Please describe your organization.

We are KosLo, an online vehicle broker company that is just getting ready to launch. Customers tell us what vehicles they want to find, we find those vehicles in the marketplace, negotiate pricing, and bring back the best five deals to the customer.

What is your position?

I’m the Chief Executive Officer of KosLo.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Oxagile?

We were trying to build a system that could look through the internet and find vendors automatically. We wanted to build an automated system for communication between customer requests and vendors, and compile the information. That was the biggest hurdle and they did a great job.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They developed everything in the project, from the software to the website.

How did you come to work with Oxagile?

I did research online for software development companies, found a couple, had conversations with both, and gave them a little snippet of what I wanted to do. Oxagile seemed to be the most willing to dive in and create what I wanted. I had interviews with them, and they were the best choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May of 2014. We are just about to go live now. I still require them to do some maintenance and add to the system, but the bulk of it is completed.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our website has not launched yet, so there hasn't been a ton of traffic, but everyone who has looked at the website has been very impressed with its flow and how it connects everything.

What distinguishes Oxagile from other providers?

They're very responsive and very caring. They quickly take all of our requests into consideration and give us timelines on the things we add. Being very flexible and very responsive is what sets Oxagile apart.

Is there anything Oxagile could have improved or done differently?

The biggest thing is getting things done as quickly as possible, so, at times I would have wanted a bigger staff to get the work done faster. Although it could also be that I had very high expectations for them.

Please describe your company.

We’re an Internet company, and customers come to us looking for vehicles or motorcycles. The system that Oxagile is making for us searches the Internet and starts negotiating prices with them. Essentially, it finds the best price for our customers for cars, trucks, and motorcycles. They’re helping us design and develop that custom software.

What is your position?

I’m the founder and chief executive officer.

What was the main objective when you first approached Oxagile?

The original problem was knowing if we could design a system that can skim the Internet, find ads on the Internet, take that data, and send out emails to all of those interested users in order to get them negotiating price. That was the first hurdle, and I didn’t know if it could be done. Oxagile was able to find a way to make it happen, and develop the software that could handle that. For me, they were able to make the system, so I don’t half to have a ton of employees. They were always looking to make my life easier, to make my business successful. They helped me overcome that obstacle right away, which was at its core a technical resources challenge.

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

Their initial scope was purely software development, website, and app development. Since I’ve started working with them, though, they’ve been amazing to work with, so they’re not only making the system, helping build the apps and the website, but they’re also helping with marketing of the company, too. They’re helping me make an animated video for the company and a prelaunch website. They helped me design all of that, and things like helping with the business plan. I’m going out to get investors, so their marketing department is helping to make sure my business plan is up to snuff. They’re helping me from top to bottom with my company, to make sure I’m successful and what they’ve designed is successful.

How did you come to choose Oxagile as your partner?

I had searched on the Internet for some highly qualified software development companies. I had called a bunch, talked to a couple, and I felt most comfortable with Oxagile. They just seemed like they had a good reputation online and some serious experience under their belt.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

It was probably $200,000 to date.

What is the current status of the project?

The relationship is ongoing.

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

They have set up a whole bunch of parameters to measure it once it’s launched, so I’m looking forward to seeing those but, until it’s launched, I won’t be able to measure that type of stuff. I’m very satisfied. They’re very responsive. There is a big time difference and that concerned me when we began, but they have been very responsive anytime I have questions, concerns, or updates. If they don’t agree with me, they’ll talk me through it, and there hasn’t been a single time in which we’ve had a disagreement that didn’t end up being productive somehow. The project manager is primarily the only contact I’ve been having, and I haven’t had any issues with project management or workflow. I prefer not to talk to multiple people, but rather have a head person to make sure things are going well, so I’ve enjoyed it this way.

When working with Oxagile, is there anything that you would consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

The one thing that amazes me about Oxagile is how willing they are to do whatever it takes to make my company successful. They are even willing to help me with digital marketing. They go the extra mile for their clients, and that means a lot.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?   

Don’t be scared of the time change and where they are. It can be easy to fall prey to the horror stories, but with these guys, it’s different. They are extremely flexible and always remain responsive to their client needs and requests.

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We're a media management and digital distribution service provider that caters to the media and entertainment industries. I was responsible for global project management. I was overseeing their mobile development team.

What was your position at the time?

I was a VP of project management.

Could you describe the business challenge(s) you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with Oxagile?

The broader challenge was maintaining quality assurance across several different projects of various sizes and complexity. Oxagile was involved in most of these projects. They functioned as an extension of our development team, because we simply couldn't invest more resources in permanent staff. 

Could you describe the scope of the work delivered? For instance, did it involve custom visual design, backend development, training, support, etc.?

The project that comes to mind, which was for a client in the publishing, media, and entertainment arenas, was development of an online Android environment. They were involved in terms of providing the custom backend development for the online and media delivery systems. The objective was to conceive and deploy the product in the European markets. They provided custom development and data analysis services. Most of the work was done with HTML5. 

How did you select Oxagile as solution partner?

The owners were actually already a partner with the client. The selection process was based on technical capability, development approach and methodology, turnaround timeframes, geographic proximity, presence in multiple countries and, of course, affordability.

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

It was $1 million plus.

When was this project was completed?

I believe it was deployed at the very end of 2012.

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they've delivered?

I don’t think there were any statistics or figures tracking their performance. In my own experience with Oxagile, they have an extremely talented and capable staff. They were heavily involved in the creation of some of the core components of this particular platform. They had a deep understanding of the technologies being utilized. They're well versed in their domain and in web and mobile development. They're extremely diligent. They always ensure their assignments are delivered ontime, within budget, and of the highest possible quality. Their final products always met our expectations. 

When working with Oxagile, is there anything you would consider unique or special about them compared to other vendors you’ve worked with?

Their engineering and software development skills, if I were to compare them to their Indian counterparts, aren't even close to comparable. Oxagile was always very frank and upfront when they didn’t get something right. They’re not simply saying yes the whole time, nodding their heads and billing us by the hour. We would approach them with our project specifications and requirements, and they would critically evaluate each and every component. They really wanted to ensure that we knew what we were asking for and that we really needed it. The majority of vendors will simply take what you ask and continue on until they produce the solution, even if the solution itself isn't necessary or appropriate. That isn't how Oxagile operates, and we've been impressed by that. 

In terms of constructive feedback, are there areas you think they could improve upon, or are there things you'd do differently as the client before approaching this type of project?

It's always necessary to have somebody who is well versed in English. They do have some resources in place to function as a conduit between clients and their development teams, but these resources are limited. It's extremely important to have a project lead or analyst in place to ensure that communications are received and well understood, otherwise you're bound to run into scoping and deployment issues. 

Please describe your company.

We are a digital marketing agency, predominantly specializing in the pharmaceutical industry.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the technical director, and I manage the delivery of development, quality control, and IT services. I managed the project with Oxagile. I did everything from find them, set up the commercial relationships, handled the contract, set up the team, handled all the communications with the team, and managed the relationship.

What was your goal for working with Oxagile?

On an ongoing basis, we have a team of seven people working full time. The original goal was to build a flexible and scalable team at a lower cost than in the U.K. Contractors in the U.K. are very expensive and very flexible. Employees in the U.K. are less expensive, and not flexible at all. Going out to Oxagile, there was an opportunity for flexibility and very competitive costs.

Please describe the scope of their work?

We require two skill sets: A Microsoft technology called ASP.net and a Web technology called HTML5. Those two skills are a prerequisite, and we have two small teams – one with the ASP.net skill set and the other with the HTML5 skill set. It’s ongoing work, and they have completed a number of large projects for us: Websites and iPad systems, but it’s ongoing work across a number of projects.

What was your process for selecting Oxagile?

We did some Internet research and talked to them by phone, and then we met face to face. That happened before we signed any contracts. My backup supplier didn’t work out, so I selected a primary supplier. While I was visiting them to get everything set up, I also met with Oxagile. We discussed potential working arrangements. I was let down by the primary supplier, so we moved our results to Oxagile.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Some of the projects range in size from 20 days, which is 400 hours, up to this latest one, Oxagile’s involvement was about 4,000 hours. When compared to a permanent U.K. developer, their cost is about two-thirds, including all of the associated costs, such as licenses and office expenses. When compared to a contract developer in the U.K., Oxagile is slightly less than half. When compared to someone with the same level of flexibility, they are under half the price.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

The last milestone was a few weeks ago. Oxagile’s involvement ended about mid-November 2013 on a large Intranet project.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

Without them, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the amount of work that we’re delivering. The team at Oxagile is the same size as a development and testing team in the U.K. We simply couldn’t meet our delivery targets.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Their work ethic is fantastic. Oxagile is always willing to go the extra mile. They were totally focused on our goals in terms of delivery, quality, and efficiency. They are always focused on making sure it works for us. They work tremendously hard when we need them to be extremely flexible. Their work ethic is extremely good.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

We’ve been working on communication. With a team of seven or eight, I want everyone on the team talking directly to my people in the U.K., because we sometimes work very closely on the same projects. We need to brief in tasks, as well as work forwards and backwards. That communication is getting much better. Getting both teams in the U.K. and Minsk talking to each other constantly is very important. They’re building a great rapport now, and that has improved in the last six months.

Please describe your company.

Our company is an online service where hairstylists come to you. We needed someone to build the website for it. The website has three different parts. The first is the customer site where the customer can sign up, and notify the stylist that is coming to them. It's a reservation platform. The stylist site allows the stylist to manage their appointments. They can see customer notes, and they can manage their schedule. The scheduling works on both sides. The administrator side allows managers to manage the flow, such as copy on the Web page. The site is 100 percent self-service so that non-tech people can handle it.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the founder of the company. It's a startup. We have five employees.

What was your goal for working with Oxagile?

They didn’t do the website design, we crowdsourced the design from 99 designers. They took the static images and built it that way.

Please describe the scope of their work.

Oxagile helps us out when we need it. We put everything together, we wanted to add more iterations to the site. They were small enough where they did it for free, and stayed with us, even though the project was over. Even though they’re in Belarus, they’re responsive. It was nice working with them because they didn’t end the relationship after the project was over.

What was your process for selecting Oxagile?

We interviewed many different companies. We spoke to some in the U.S., some in other countries because they were less expensive. We know someone with an office in Belarus, so they checked out their office location in person. It was an in-depth process. They have a big team, including a team of QA people and developers. It's fairly big, but I'm not sure how many people they have. The CTO was very responsive, we worked with everybody from the project manager to the CTO. They took good care of us.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We did everything in approximately three months, and the total cost was $50,000.

When was the latest milestone completed for that work?

They finished the work in September of 2012.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

I don’t have any quantifiable stats right now. The users like the design and the implementation. It loads well. The stylist site was built well with text notification features. I like that I can change things without being tech savvy.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

They’re very good with feedback, and you can speak to anyone from the top of the company on down to junior staff members. They will respond to your email.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

This is a minor issue, but sometimes they may be a little pushy. I wanted to have someone look at the code, and they didn’t want me to do that because they wanted to meet the person first to make sure they weren’t going to mess up the code. That’s understandable, but it's part of the service. It may just be me not liking the suggestion.