QArea

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of eChannels Product Management of a financial services company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Ours is is an Islamic bank that offers innovative Sharia-compliant financial solutions, competitive products and high quality services. The bank is committed to applying high standards in corporate governance and risk management, and maintaining a strong capital base to achieve the greatest possible returns to shareholders.

The bank also strives to maintain and develop an efficient and professional staff, provide state-of-the-art technology to meet customer requirements, and contribute to community and economic development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire QArea to accomplish?

• Find bugs and defects
• Assess the quality of the app
• Provide feedback to developers
• Ensuring the app is ready for release

SOLUTION

How did you find QArea?

Referral

Why did you select QArea over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from QArea were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Scope of work: 

• The QA team will perform functional testing of the app. 
• The team will test the app on a variety of devices and platforms, and under a variety of conditions. 
• The team will use a variety of testing tools and techniques. 
• The team will report all bugs and defects to the development team. 
• The team will work with the development team to fix all bugs and defects. 

Summary of QA deliverables: 

• Test plan: This document will outline the scope of testing, the testing approach, and the testing schedule. 
• Test cases: This document will list the specific tests that will be performed. 
• Test results: This document will document the results of the tests, including any bugs or defects found. 
• Bug report: This document will describe each bug or defect found, including the steps to reproduce the bug. 
• Defect tracking system: This system will be used to track the status of bugs and defects. 
• Test summary report: This document will summarize the results of the testing. 

The specific deliverables may vary depending on the app, the stakeholders, and the release timeline. However, the deliverables listed above are some of the most common deliverables for QA testing. Here are some additional considerations for defining the scope of work and QA deliverables: 

• The budget and resources available for QA testing. 
• The time constraints for the project. 
• The risk tolerance of the stakeholders. 
• The target audience for the app. 
• The operating environments that the app will be used in. 
• The regulatory requirements that the app must comply with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Measurable outcomes are the results of a project that can be quantified. They are used to track the progress of a project and to measure its success. Measurable outcomes can be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative outcomes are described in words, while quantitative outcomes are expressed in numbers.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project manager was responsive to concerns and needs, and delivered the project on time and within budget.

What was your primary form of communication with QArea?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The most impressive thing about this company is their promptness, speed, and efficiency in testing.

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

Continue with the same level of support.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a digital asset management company, a media production platform for cloud-enabled teams. I'm the director of quality assurance at 5th Kind.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Manual and automation testing of the applications. Goals were to provide testing support throughout the software development life cycle.

SOLUTION

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

Based on professionalism, availability, technical skill and ability.

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

Being heavily involved in test planning during each sprint to provide the best testing solutions for both manual and automation testing. Supporting automation using Protractor.js and writing tests in TestRail.

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

There were 5 QA personnel in total. 3 automation engineers and 2 manual testers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The QArea team has been an indispensable asset for us, helping us to achieve many of the milestones and releases with not just speed but also with the utmost quality.

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

Their being well-versed in agile testing best practices enabled us to consistently ensure quality was being delivered for each project.

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

The QArea team would always go above and beyond the call of duty to support our sprints and impromptu client releases. It goes without saying that collaborating with QArea has been a great experience and I wouldn't hesitate to work with them again.

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

Not that I can think of at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm project manager for a popular shipping platform

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire QArea ?

We were looking for experienced and professional quality assurance engineers to test a multi-platform application (Web, iOS, Android) along with dozens of third-party integrations.

SOLUTION

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

We conducted interviews with about 10 firms and dozens of individual QA candidates. We interviewed QArea and found them to have the necessary engineers, skill set, and processes in place.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Team was responsible for testing hundreds of features (as documented in Jira) across iOS, Android, and Web. We use continuous development flow with rapid release cycles.

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

2 Full-time manual testing engineers 1 Full-time automated testing engineer 1 Part-time manual testing engineer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since employing QArea we essentially eliminated bugs in the application. Testing was methodological and thorough. No corners were cut.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We added them to our Jira board and they were able to start work on tasks set in Ready for QA.

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

Frankly, we were delighted that their standard was higher than we had expected. Originally, we had planned for their staff to be junior testers working under a senior tester in our company. However, they demonstrated that they do not need micro management.

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

Nothing major comes to mind. The first agreement they sent to us was a bit strange. We provided them our agreement and we were able to agree on terms.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Partnerships Director of a custom software development company that provides a range of services including dedicated teams, product development and R&D to start-ups, SMBs, and enterprise clients globally. I'm responsible for expanding our partner network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire QArea ?

QArea has augmented our staff with resources in UI/UX design and business analysis.

SOLUTION

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

QArea's transparent pricing model and flexible terms made us decide to partner with them, and the level of professionalism of the talent they provide keep us engaged with them on an ongoing basis.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We invited several talented BA and UI/UX resources into the teams and began the onboarding and integration process. Throughout the entire process, we had excellent support from our Business Relationship Manager. These new team members then began working on our projects (online learning and healthcare platforms).

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

Interviews.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

QArea was able to quickly provide key resources for the team. This allowed our team to grow quickly and meet the market need.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

QArea engineers were embedded directly into our teams and participated as equal team members with our other engineers. Communication, collaboration, and workflow was incredibly smooth.

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

The QArea engineers assigned to work with us were excellent team members. We can rely on their team to deliver what's needed.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the managing partner of a software engineering company that helps clients with the full-cycle development of software projects. From initial work with C-Level executives to build project roadmaps to providing development, QA, and deployment services to take clients from ideation to product launch. I'm responsible for expanding our partner network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire QArea ?

Our company works with QArea to fill key positions in our development projects with qualified developers and QA engineers.

SOLUTION

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

Every developer and partner we work with goes through a thorough vetting process to ensure both their hard skills (development or quality assurance) and their understanding of Agile and Lean practices. QArea had to provide information about the qualifications of their engineers as well as complete a questionnaire that would help us understand whether their understanding of and approach to Agile/Lean. After this vetting process we began working with engineers from QArea.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Each developer and QA engineer we are working with is part of a development team working on one of our clients' projects. The scope of work and key deliverables is different on each project. So far we have worked with two QA engineers and four Node.js developers.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

Interviews.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our work with QArea’s engineers is still ongoing, but they have become integral parts of their individual teams and have been instrumental in helping us deliver software projects for our clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicate over email, Skype, and Slack. Everyone on their team follows Agile best practices.

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

From my experience, QArea employs skilled developers and QA engineers that understand Agile and Lean best practices. They've managed to fit in seamlessly with our entire team.

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

Although we have had a positive experience with each engineer we have worked with, the initial vetting process took more time than usual.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO at Markupus. We provide UI design and Wordpress development services for business owners and bigger agencies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We’ve got a client that requested us to develop an eCommerce project with microservice-based architecture. Diving into the technical requirements of a future project, we discovered the need to add a Golang developer to our team for this project.

Considering we didn’t employ one at the time, we decided to find a company providing outstaffing services. That’s where we turned to the QArea team, which quickly replied to our request and introduced us to their pool of available Golang developers.

SOLUTION

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

In the past, we’ve heard good things about QArea developers and testers, that’s why we decided to check if they can help us with our project. Since the first time we contacted their team, we had a very positive experience, everything was managed in the most professional manner from QArea’s side.

Also, their reputation and a diverse portfolio full of eCommerce-specific projects became the last decision-making factors towards working with them.

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

The scope of work we wanted QArea Golang developer to cover included microservice components development and some technical consulting for architecture-related decisions on the project. Considering these requirements, the QArea team recommended us to hire a strong middle- or senior-level specialist, and we followed this recommendation.

We rate the results of his work with us very positively: from responsive and open communication to high-quality reusable codebase written up to the most modern industry standards.

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

We needed one experienced Golang developer that would fit our already existing team. We described the scope of work to be done on the project, as well as outlined some expectations of soft skills we’re looking for in a developer.

People from the QArea team quickly formed a pool of 3 developers we could choose from. He was later introduced to our team and worked as a part of it till the product release.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Golang developer we hired from QArea has demonstrated high performance and productivity results when working with us. Not only did he manage to deliver all the microservice components assigned to him on time, but he also actively participated in the backend development process consulting our team. The valuable background he shared with us during the development process had a positive impact on our project. As for the actual code quality, the code reviews we ran during the development showed continuously good results with this particular developer.

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

We organized our work on the project by Scrum methodology. The QArea developer was well familiar with Scrum principles and rules, so his adjustment was quick and seamless. Our project manager was absolutely satisfied with how this Golang developer organized his time and tasks. Also, the communication between us was always responsive and friendly, regardless of the distance.

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

We were very impressed that in QArea, solid technical skills are backed with industry-specific expertise. In our case, this company managed to find us a developer who was not only skilled with a particular technology of our choice, but was also experienced with eCommerce product development. The strategic vision he brought to our project was really valuable in the long term.

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

It would be great if QArea expanded their team even more in terms of members number and technical coverage. Other than that, we see no area to improve from QArea’s side.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m working in the Marketing Department at bvblogic -a technology development company with a passion for innovation. We develop and implement efficient IT solutions in six key domains: Agriculture, Logistics and Transportation, eCommerce, eTickets, Retail and FMCG, Marketing and Advertising. The company has more than 10 years of experience in the IT-outsourcing market. 800+ successfully implemented projects. 500+ satisfied clients from all over the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire QArea?

We approached QArea with a staff augmentation request. We were already working on a project that urgently needed a developer well versed in Angular and Ionic 1, so we decided to augment our staff with a developer from QArea.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to hire an experienced developer who would cover the technical needs of our project and be able to quickly integrate their workflow with our in-house developers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Among the many candidates interviewed, in our opinion, the developer from QArea was the best. He had relevant experience, was able to join our team quickly, and his rate was within our expectations. This was a perfect match for us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The developer was hired to help us build an online platform for automation of the marketing operational projects of any complexity. It is an online service which allows setting marketing task and attracts hundreds of performers to do it at any time and anywhere without the involvement of any agencies or intermediaries. The developer joined the project after its start.

His work was divided into 2-week sprints, each followed by a round of testing and feedback. During each sprint, the developer finished his tasks and on several occasions made valuable suggestions, improvements, and contributions to the overall project.

What was the team composition?

Middle Web-Developer, who works with both Angular and Ionic 1 technologies. We were looking for a person with more than 3 years of software development experience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to the work and contributions of the developer from QArea we were able to finalize and deliver the project within our customer’s deadlines. Our initial goals were achieved by 100%.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication and management were handled by our in-house Project Manager. The developer from QArea participated in our weekly meetings, which made communication efficient. We used Skype and GitHub for communication and knowledge-sharing.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

QArea was able to find an ideal developer for our team despite the niche tech stack we were looking for. With 250+ developers working at QArea, we were given several candidates for our team, and we were very pleased with how quickly their developer was able to join our team for this project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are very satisfied with their work and hope to work together on future software development projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an intelligence-led risk management and mitigation company that helps companies identify and mitigate risk in the cyber and physical spaces. I’m the principal of intelligence operations and one of the owners responsible for the development of services to our clients facing increased risks in these spaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with QArea?

We needed to develop a software platform that would scale our ability to deliver the insights associated with our core services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It started as a full-stack Drupal development process, but it was customized and tailored over time. It also has a mobile app component that syncs with the web application. In the beginning, we provided QArea with basic wireframes, design concepts, and intent.

Their team regularly engaged with us, asking targeted questions to make sure they were getting what they needed in order to deliver what we wanted. While the core was built on Drupal, most of it involved custom PHP and related languages. We also provided design image files in PSD or Adobe Illustrator.

The platform provides organically-derived intelligence to travelers and businesses operating all over the world, helping them quantify and qualify threats in the cyber and physical spaces. It also allows the organizations responsible for these people to track where they are, communicate with them, and set different geo triggers or conditions.

For example, if there is an emergent event, they would receive an alert based on geographic proximity. Then, the end users could set up emergency requests for help that would go out to all pre-designated people for time to rescue and remediation.

What is the team composition?

It was an effective team with an engaged project manager and technical lead. While I had my primary contacts, I was able to get to know most of the team over the course of the project.

How did you come to work with QArea?

We didn’t have the internal staff or resources to build the capability organically. We knew that we wanted to take a look at potential outsource partners. Our initial search was domestic, but I looked at other geographical areas. I read reviews on UpWork and interviewed many different companies. For many of them, I went into detail regarding the project but ultimately chose QArea.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost around $190,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged with QArea from June 2015–February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the core of the work is done, we’ve paused before we continue working on other iterations with QArea. Overall, I’ve been extremely pleased and happy with the engagement.

How did QArea perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, their team is exceptional. They’re easy to work with. I was impressed with their professionalism and patience, as well.  While there were delays because of busy schedules, a lot of the work was driven by their team. Their persistence made it an excellent partnership.

The team at QArea provided reports while working in the Scrum methodology. We used Redmine for tracking before they moved on to a different, more sophisticated system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their proactiveness, command of the space, and overall professionalism. Those attributes provided the ability for them to develop and deliver the vision we had in mind for the software. Without their team, our project wouldn’t have turned out as well as it did.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there are always hiccups along the process. But with anything like that, they always picked up exceptionally well and recovered strong. I had no concerns. In my mind, that is the defining characteristic of a partnership; you make sure you get it right. I was very impressed and knowing I had them on my side put us in a good place.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d highly recommend them for their great results and great communication. Clients should leverage QArea’s professionalism and depth of the space. The more that a company communicates with them, the more that they can bring to the table and meet client expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO at Milethos Technologies S.L. We are a consultancy company that deals with projects in hi-tech sectors like transportation, defense, consumer electronics, and air traffic management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire QArea?

We were looking to outsource the development of a custom application that would allow us to conduct unit-testing on a distributed system. It allows us to define test cases, pick taste suites, and create custom testing modules.

What were your goals for this project?

Provide an automatic test solution as well development support for a video-based surveillance system

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I conducted research of outsourcing vendors on my own. QArea seemed like a qualified team, so I decided to try working with them. At the beginning of the collaboration with QArea we had serious doubts about the success of the software development projects because of the distance and the cultural differences, but we can proudly state that we were WRONG. I don’t regret our decision to work with them.

Describe the project in detail.

Our surveillance system is devoted on the early threats detection using IR cameras for close water areas in critical infrastructures. It is made on several applications with different purposes. The QArea's goal has been to provide a test solution for the whole system using technologies such as REST-API, XML-RPC, etc. and the development of several modules.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of two developers who worked on the project as well as a project manager whose job it was to oversee the development process and ensure its timely delivery.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

QArea’s development team was able to deliver the project we requested, and its consistent use within our company is a testament to their high-quality work.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Despite the physical distance between our company and QArea’s developers, there were no problems with communication or project management. Their in-house project manager was overseeing the development process, and handled this responsibility very well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Quality and commitment have been the cornerstones throughout these four years of collaboration.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I am happy with every aspect of our work with QArea.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead developer, CEO, and CTO of a company that develops custom software for enterprises. Our solutions help companies optimize their clients’ workflows. I handle all the strategic planning and development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with QArea?

Lacking sufficient manpower in-house, we needed help to develop software for bookings and reservations in the construction sector.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

QArea developed an intuitive and easy-to-use web console. They mainly focused on the frontend part of our software using React.js. The team optimized the template we gave them quite professionally. We dedicated the last month to polishing the software by fixing minor issues and adding new features. Since we completed the project, I’ve taken on the development work.

What is the team composition? 

We worked with three people in total from QArea. The project manager made sure all our requirements were completed. A frontend developer implemented all the functionalities. An additional QA resource was responsible for testing and bug fixes.

How did you come to work with QArea?

We reached out to multiple freelancers and companies. After finding QArea through Upwork, we selected them based on their offer and reviews. 

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our four-month collaboration with QArea lasted from March–July 2018.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our software solution needed to go live within a very tight deadline. QArea delivered on their promise to promptly deliver, which meant a lot to us. It was a great success. Other freelancers we’ve worked with in the past failed to stick to our schedule. 

The code they wrote is quite nice. QArea afforded close attention to the quality of work they produced. Their project manager collaborated with us to establish clear requirements. The QA tester signed off on each new feature we implemented. By asking consistent questions and providing feedback about the testing, they ensured the software was bug-free. 

How did QArea perform from a project management standpoint?

QArea did a great job. They quickly responded and always kept me updated on how the project was going. We used Jira as a project management tool. Communication and delivery were at the highest level. The team kept our project professional, and I was happy with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

QArea is very responsible and pays close attention to detail. They really cared about the work they did for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t come up with anything.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I made sure to give QArea clear, unambiguous requirements that aligned with our desired product. When the scope is unclear, the client is actually to blame if they don’t receive what they want.