Pragmile

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Corporator, an innovation-based software company. We develop platforms for clients worldwide. Customers can use our off-the-shelf platform to build solutions themselves. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pragmasoft Sp. z o.o.?

We wanted to deliver value at a faster rate. I needed to onboard competent people to help us work more efficiently.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pragmasoft is providing development support for a new software we’re about to launch. We’re programming the product using React. It is JavaScript-enabled and uses a Redux store. We’ve worked with several different vendors to create a variety of components. Pragmasoft is helping us integrate all these aspects into the software. They’re making sure each one is representative of our brand’s style. 
 
What is the team composition? 

Pragmasoft’s team includes four people with competencies in frontend and backend development.

How did you come to work with Pragmasoft Sp. z o.o.?

We’d had little success trying to hire resources in the competitive Norwegian market. I looked through all the LinkedIn invites I received over the past year. Pragmasoft was one of three vendors I reached out to. I met with their CEO and CTO to discuss our company, products, and business challenge to see if they were a good fit. They had the most solid references and made the best impression.

Based on the work we showed them, they assembled a team and sent us an offer. Pragmasoft is co-located in Warsaw, which is rare for an outsourced company. Many competent vendors provide the right resources, but their teams don’t necessarily work together in the same location. Having an agile, cooperative, and focused team was essential to us. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pragmasoft worked well with our in-house developers and delivered great results. The quality of their code is always very high. Compared to our internal employees, their teammates aren’t lacking in any way. My QA testing team in Norway had provided very good feedback. Pragmasoft focuses on solid principles of coding. They're highly involved in our project.

How did Pragmasoft Sp. z o.o. perform from a project management standpoint?

Pragmasoft is very tidy and presents hours in an orderly format. Their billing is wholly transparent. I put a lot of trust in the team since I have no way of tracking their work hours online. I feel comfortable paying their invoices and rely on them to deliver.

We use Scrum to plan tasks. Our close engagement includes a constant dialogue with the developers in Norway and Poland as well as the QA team is in Romania. They all work very closely together using collaboration tools and video meetings. They contribute their share and offer useful critiques. I treat them as if they are our own employees, even though they’re located abroad. Our method works very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with many companies before, and Pragmasoft is the most easy-going one. We are very well matched. They’re agile, spirited, performance-focused, and committed to delivering great results. Pragmasoft is a great partner for us, and I’d recommend them to anyone else. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything specific to point out. We have a strong collaboration. As we go along, they could challenge our team and each other more. They offer critiques if we plan incorrectly, but they could be even more vocal. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Global Development Manager at an EdTech company. We provide a learning management system for students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Right now, it hosts 2.5 million users worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pragmasoft?

We contracted Pragmasoft to expand the amount of Scrum teams to work on our SaaS learning management system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

By using multiple teams of developers, Pragmasoft is able to independently target specific areas within our platform that need attention. Over the course of our project, we’ve relied on them for general maintenance and the implementation of new features. The projects have centered on file cloud storage solutions, data warehousing, advanced reporting, and predictive analytics, among others.

What is the team composition?

At the peak of our project, we’ve had as many as 4 scrum teams working with us. A team composition has a 4:1 ratio of Software developers and QA, in addition to an onsite Scrum master.

How did you come to work with Pragmasoft?

We were familiar with the work of one of the owners – a Senior Software Developer.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2014 and have ongoing projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the main areas they have contributed to is the reporting system. They have provided great user experience on the reporting feature in the LMS, making it easy for users to see grades for each person or per course, allowing teachers or administrators to track progress or lack of progress. We have received excellent feedback on what Pragmasoft has delivered.

How did Pragmasoft perform from a project management standpoint?

We operate using Skype, Jira, and Confluence. We have worked alongside them from the beginning, so we have built a culture and developed expectations together. We appreciate that they aim to produce quality work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take pride in the quality of their work, and they are dedicated to helping us accomplish our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Being part of a bigger project cross many sites, we need all sites to be transparent – over the years working with Pragmasoft we have needed to work harder to create more openness between this site and the others. Today this has improved a lot, so working side by side helps build a common culture for transparency.