Rubikal

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CFO of iSchool

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

iSchool is the #1 online coding platform for kids offering live classes with world’s best coding instructors. we teach coding with innovative courses such as AI, App Development, Game Development & more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Seamless User Experience
• Scalability and Performance
• Innovative Features Integration

SOLUTION

How did you find Rubikal?

• Online Search
• Tech. Community

Why did you select Rubikal over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Technical Expertise of EdTech

How many teammates from Rubikal were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

iSchool platform should offer an intuitive and user-friendly interface for both educators and learners. This ensures that users can easily navigate the platform, access content, and utilize tools without facing technological barriers. The smoother the user experience, the more likely educators and students will adopt and consistently use the platform.

As the user base grows, the platform must handle increased traffic without compromising speed or functionality. This also means that as more courses, resources, or tools are added, the system can handle the additional data without any hiccups. Platform often need to stand out from the competition. This can be achieved by integrating cutting-edge features such as AI-driven personalized learning pathways, AR/VR learning experiences, or real-time collaborative tools.

Given the sensitive nature of educational data, it's crucial for the platform to prioritize data protection. This includes ensuring that student data is protected from breaches, and that the platform is compliant with relevant regulations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Seamless User Experience: Achieve a user satisfaction rating of 90% or higher based on feedback surveys within the first three months after launch. 
• Reduced Learning Curve: 80% of new users should be able to complete core tasks (like enrolling in a course or submitting an assignment) without seeking help within the first week of registration.
• Loading Speed: Ensure that core pages and learning resources load within 3 seconds for at least 90% of the user base.
• Usage Rates: At least 70% of active users should engage with one or more of the innovative features monthly.
• Feature Onboarding: 85% of users should understand and be able to use the new features after completing an introductory tutorial or walkthrough. 
• Database Scalability: Database queries should execute in under 200 milliseconds, even with a 200% increase in data entries from courses, users, and resources.
• Integration Points: Successfully integrate with at least 5 major tools within the first year.
• API Uptime: Maintain an API uptime of 99.9% to ensure other integrated systems can consistently connect and sync with the platform.

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

Our experience with Rubikal project management has been nothing short of exemplary. From the outset, they laid out a comprehensive project timeline, detailing each phase, its deliverables, and associated deadlines. They consistently adhered to this schedule, delivering all items on or even before the agreed-upon dates. This punctuality was especially commendable given the complexity of our platform and the various challenges that arose during its development.

Communication was a strong point throughout the project. Their team held regular check-ins, providing us with updates and addressing any questions or concerns we had. Whenever we presented new requirements or sought modifications, they were quick to respond, showcasing a keen understanding of our needs. Their flexibility and adaptability were remarkable, as they not only accommodated our requests but also provided valuable suggestions and insights to enhance the platform further.

Rubikal went above and beyond in ensuring our needs were met, often proposing and implementing solutions before potential issues could arise. Their proactive approach, combined with their technical expertise, instilled great confidence in us.

In conclusion, Rubikal has set a new benchmark for project management in our eyes. Their timeliness, responsiveness, and genuine commitment to our project have been outstanding. We're deeply appreciative of their efforts and consider ourselves fortunate to have partnered with such a dedicated and professional team.

What was your primary form of communication with Rubikal?

Virtual Meeting

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

What stood out about Rubikal was their genuine commitment to our educational vision. They didn't just code; they immersed themselves in the ethos of our project, often proposing innovative solutions we hadn't considered.

Their innovative approach, combined with a deep understanding of our goals, transformed this from a typical client-vendor relationship to a true partnership. Their unique blend of technical expertise with a genuine passion for education makes them an exceptional ally in our endeavor.

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

Rubikal's professionalism and dedication left a significant mark, and we look forward to potential future projects together.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Partner for Accountants on Air

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

we’re changing the way of having your accounting needs addressed by combining personal support from our experts with the convenience of on-the-go technology. We’re a team of professionals that can help you take all of the hassle out of your accounting and tax obligations and give you more time to do the things you really love. Our team is highly skilled and can help to achieve your objectives in a more convenient, ethical and cost-effective manner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Application and Software
• Mobile App
• CRM

SOLUTION

How did you find Rubikal?

• Online Search
• Other

Why did you select Rubikal over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Rubikal were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The work included a full development to customized App. that includes Automation and certain criteria of matching professional to desired clients Nationwide

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcomes was horrible. The team were not familiar with the financial market in the country. Makes sloppy mistakes and grammar mistakes. English spelling mistakes across the site. 

Major Cyber Security mistakes that cost us $27900 to hire an expert to do internal review to any breach to our security. 

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

The project was supposed to be delivered and completed by Winter 2022. However, it was delayed for a year were it cost us losing our investors and not full-filling the promise to our clients. 

They intentionally put down our site twice for a delay in invoice which cost us more money that the invoice itself. 

What was your primary form of communication with Rubikal?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Didn't deliver the services that was promised in the initial agreement. The team were very unprofessional. 

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

 I won't recommend this company for any business or Organization that aiming to scale.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Concentrical, a software development firm primarily focused on developing tools for education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rubikal?

We needed to be able to scale our projects quickly but in a way that we could be deeply integrated with our teams to ensure we were using the same processes, regardless of whether our resources were from an offshore team or a staff augmentation team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rubikal was our development partner for a long time, and they worked on all the projects we were working on. On these projects, they worked with us through every step of the process, including ideation, strategic development, implementation, QA, and deployment. Their resources were deeply integrated into our teams.

The projects on which Rubikal worked included mobile apps and web apps. As for the technology stack, our whole infrastructure was hosted on AWS, and we used Elixir and Ruby on Rails for backend development. For frontend development, we mainly used React, and we used Swift and Kotlin for native mobile app development. Additionally, we used Python to some extent.

What is the team composition?

Throughout our engagement, we worked with 80–100 people from Rubikal. At one point, 50 people from their team were on my team alone. These resources included data engineers, backend developers, frontend developers, mobile developers, QA engineers, project managers, and engineering managers.

How did you come to work with Rubikal?

Rubikal started working with my company before I joined. Their founder and the founder of my company had worked together since our company’s first projects; they go way back.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $1 million–$5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

My company started working with Rubikal around 2014, if not earlier, and I joined in 2016. We ended our partnership around June 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The best success metrics for Rubikal’s involvement in our projects were the speed at which we released features and the number of projects we worked on at the same time. Their team worked at a fast pace and on a lot of different products. Towards the end of our engagement, we worked on a particular project where we developed a public-facing website, where we had really good metrics on SEO and site traffic.

How did Rubikal perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was great. We’ve usually found success in working with augmentation teams when they’re deeply integrated into our team, and Rubikal did so very well. They even helped us define, develop, and maintain processes. Additionally, they were very good at implementing our processes into their work while also providing feedback to improve them. For project management, we relied heavily on Jira, where Rubikal built some plug-ins for automation. Overall, working with them was great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Rubikal’s high-quality talent was impressive; they did a great job finding and recruiting talented engineers. Additionally, the collaborative spirit of those resources was outstanding. They were really great collaborators and team players.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of our biggest challenges was communication, which wasn’t necessarily bad. Still, it would have been great if they improved their communication and how they prioritized things.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at an international joint venture that handles a public bus system in Egypt. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rubikal?

Our buses are integrated with Google Maps, but we wanted to leverage Rubikal’s skills to develop a patented mobile application. We wanted users to be able to determine bus arrival times to help them plan their travel.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rubikal has helped us develop a cross-platform mobile application that passengers can use to plan their trips. Their team used Ruby on Rails for the backend and Kotlin for both apps; their team used the documentation that highlighted the requirements that we provided for the development. We’re currently working on the final quality checks; we’ll run an audit before launch. 

The app allows passengers to access our customer support, check bus arrival times and maps, and learn more about our company. 

What is the team composition?

I work with the CEO. 

How did you come to work with Rubikal?

We circulated our requirements to several companies we’d invited to submit proposals. We shortlisted several companies and then chose Rubikal because they had the lowest price for the work we needed to be done. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement began in August 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Rubikal are professionals — they have the expertise and knowledge to execute projects they haven’t done before. They built up the expertise to execute software they weren’t acquainted with before. 

Their team is good at taking our feedback into account; we’ve had several changes and requests accommodated. Some of the changes we made have led to crashes, but they’ve rectified them. About 90% of the bugs have been responded to within 72 hours of being reported. 

How did Rubikal perform from a project management standpoint?

I know they use Slack internally, but we don’t have access to it. Instead, we communicate through emails and WhatsApp. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I am impressed with how well Rubikal has been able to adapt their knowledge to fit our needs. Their flexibility and responsiveness to change requests are fantastic. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Rubikal’s CEO served as our point of contact, which meant sometimes they weren’t as focused on their response times. There were no other dedicated project managers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d highly recommend Rubikal to anyone. However, I suggest asking for a dedicated project manager and creating a joint project agreement. 

BACKGROUND

Do you have any advice for Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of internet services at a startup that offers a platform for aspiring video game developers to learn more about video game development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rubikal?

We brought them on to develop an initial version of our web-based platform at a faster pace than we could achieve internally.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a pilot version of our platform using Ruby on Rails on the backend. Over time, we’ve migrated the backend over to a Node.js and JavaScript foundation. There’s also a PostgreSQL database. The tool is a project management system that guides our customers through the game development process.

What is the team composition?

We work with five people dedicated to our project, ranging from backend developers and frontend developers to project managers.

How did you come to work with Rubikal?

They were recommended to us.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was around $125,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since February 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is very positive and of high quality.

How did Rubikal perform from a project management standpoint?

They stay in-line with timelines and meet our budget. We collaborate over GitHub and Monday.com and speak on Slack and Google.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very nimble.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, as we’re very happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to be clear about the structure of the responsibilities, like who’s going to be in charge of project management.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

RunnerCity launched day one of the pandemic shutdown as a direct response to the economic state of the community due to massive job loss, business closures, and the need for a wide range of essential services. A new community was born bringing people together from furloughed/unemployed locals, struggling local restaurants, students, delivery drivers, rideshare drivers, laborers, and many other local businesses that needed an immediate solution. The result, a Social Gig Cooperative where Customers can connect with Runners, peer-to-peer, to get stuff done while eliminating the dependency of other fee gouging apps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Work with our UI/Creative team to build and launch a WebApp/Website that functions like a mobile app. Then to also build a mobile app for Apple/Android.

SOLUTION

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

I was initially referred by another colleague I worked with who mentioned Mohamed @ Rubikal were outstanding performers.

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

We used Slack to communicate, Zoom for meetings, and collaborated with their team of intellectual creators. We worked through UI issues together, API integrations, and roll outs. We bounced ideas back and forth and that was key. They cared bout our mission and gave some great ideas which we implemented to make our product better.

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

There were about 5-10 on on their team dedicated to our project:

• UI experts
• front end
• back end
• coders
• project managers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within the first week of our phase 1 soft launch we crushed out goal of user signups by navigating through the sophisticated API tech we implemented. Now we are constantly growing and its only day 6.

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

They were professional and always available, which gave us the security to feel our project was in good hands.

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

Everything. The communication and dedication to hit their deliverables. We have either been ahead of schedule or on schedule the whole time.

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

I hope they expand their team with more rock stars like who I am working currently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and chief product officer at a Seattle-based startup that specializes in AI and machine learning. We’re a small organization and we’re one year old.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rubikal?

We were building a platform where developers could build AI models and enjoy opportunities for text stream automation in different business workflows and digital transformation projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Rubikal outsourced developers for us. The platform that they built with our team is basically an interactive machine learning platform where developers can build effective AI models even without any expertise or background in machine learning. They used C# and .NET for the backend and React.js for the frontend.

Rubikal also designed our website. We provided the content and they conceptualized and implemented a new layout for us. 

What is the team composition?

Rubikal has provided three developers for the project. Their CEO is my main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Rubikal?

When I started the company, I looked for outsourcing agencies that could help me just until I could hire full-time people here in the US. I was in the process of conducting technical interviews with vendors when a former student of mine connected me with Rubikal. I gave them a shot and found that they were the best among the 5–6 providers that I had talked to. I ended up landing the deal with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested a little over $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Rubikal in December 2020, and it is an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The developers Rubikal has provided have been great. They’ve contributed greatly to the development of the product and its different features. 

How did Rubikal perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is still a bit of an issue as the Rubikal team is not very responsive. I sometimes need to chase them for additional information. Their HR is great at coming up with candidates whom I can interview, but these candidates have, for the most part, not been very good communication-wise. 

I usually reach out to them via email and WhatsApp. We also set up calls over Microsoft Teams or Zoom. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of the developers they’ve provided so far has been great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Rubikal is somewhat unable to hire the same caliber of developers on a consistent basis. It would be very beneficial if they elevated their standards when it comes to recruitment. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend working with Rubikal for simpler projects. It’s okay to outsource an entire project to their team and let them manage it, but I don’t think they’d be able to independently handle a sophisticated project such as the one we’re working on. The best thing for you to do is to thoroughly interview the candidates, take only the developers that match your needs, and manage them closely from there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief digital officer of a photography company. I head product and webshop development as well as IT development for our webshop sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Rubikal?

My company was trying to extend our product line, as we wanted to offer new products in our portfolio. We needed multi-backend and frontend code to help us extend our product offering. My team didn’t have the expertise in-house, so we needed external expertise and more capacity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We told Rubikal what we needed and gave them the requirements. We have a large database of videos, and Rubikal’s team developed a backend tool and code so that we can process a lot of videos at scale. The tool enables us to edit and render the videos, such as placing watermarks and adding metadata. 

They’ve done some frontend coding, but most of their work has been on the backend. They primarily use Python. Since we’re very happy with the results, we’re now planning bigger, more long-term projects with them.

What is the team composition?

We worked with one business development manager and 2–3 developers.

How did you come to work with Rubikal?

We looked at 15–20 companies that could offer software development services. We discussed specific projects with 6–7 of those companies, and Rubikal had the most professional appearance and fairest market price.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent $2,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Rubikal delivered high-quality work. They acted very professionally from the very beginning until the end. Now, we’re discussing more projects with them. 

How did Rubikal perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was very well documented and clearly structured so that our developers could work very well with them. We prepared some documentation for them beforehand. When we had questions or needed to add things to the project, they reacted quite quickly. They were always available to discuss the progress of the project. They saved us a lot of time and were well-prepared.

We mostly coordinated via email and Slack, and we had meetings once in a while. They professionally scheduled calls with us. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Coordination with them was very easy. We’re in Germany and they’re in Egypt, and they spoke very good English. They communicated efficiently with us. Everything was easy and straightforward.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were only minor points, such as 1–2 things they didn’t document or lock in the code at the beginning. We had to ask them about it, but it was minor and they corrected it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take an extra day to prepare the project and document everything very well. That will save them a lot of clarification or correction calls later on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

HUED is the first and leading Innovation and Design consulting company in KSA I am a senior service design and innovation lab manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Rubikal was hired to develop a web platform for our client

SOLUTION

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

Local or semi local studio with designers in the same time zone, arabic speakers and delivering high quality outcomes at a fair cost

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

The scope of work involved HUED designing the high fidelity screens for the platform on Figma, us sharing the designs and Rubikal implementing them in sections. There was testing and multiple iterations included

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

I interacted with 3 key people: the project manager, tech lead, and a developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The designers went above and beyond and even did some fixes that we didn't notice they were needed during the high fidelity designs. Good quality designs overall

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

Timely response and working after hours to deliver in time We communicated well over slack and whatsapp Lean project management

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

I appreciate their flexibility and how approachable they are. They always offer solutions and quick turn around of design fixes. Definitely looking forward to work with the Rubikal team again.

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

I think working with different time zones may affect some developers not being available

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a business consultant. EVC has the capabilities and expertise to provide specialized consultancy services and implement diverse strategies that help our clients make critical decisions and deliver sustainable results

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Rubikal?

Hajj is one of the greatest groups gathering events worldwide, on a yearly basis millions are heading to Mecca-Saudi Arabia to join this holy ceremony.

With the impact of COVID-19 spreading multiple precautions and considerations to be applied for Hajj-2020 and going forward, this should include health and hygiene instructions and tips in addition to social distancing policies enforcement and access permission to Hajj major activities.

For that Smart Hajj ID aims to achieve a safe Hajj for all pilgrims by providing an online platform that supports both authorities and pilgrims to have a quiet and smooth experience while ensuring safety and health policies for everyone.

What were your goals for this project?

Making a high-quality product in a very short time

SOLUTION

How did you select Rubikal?

by referral

Describe the project in detail.

The system consists of three components each one serves a specific group of users

• Pilgrims Mobile App A mobile application where pilgrims to:

1. Do login and have permission to Hajj with QR code.
2. Know the Journey agenda with information about the program.
3. Choose meals from each day “Break Fast, Lunch, Dinner”.
4. Contact the group guide.
5. Direction for (Gather point - Arafat - Muzdalefa - Mina).
6. Give feedback about Hajj.
7. Have access to request support from 911.
8. Receive general notifications.

• Hajj Authority Mobile App A mobile application for Hajj/Haram Authority to:

1. Scan QR code of pilgrims to allow access

• Admin web Dashboard A Dashboard for Admins to:

1. Manage and control pilgrims access
2. Manage and control Authority access
3. Provide notifications

What was the team composition?

Web and mobile developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Outstanding! we received the project on time and in very high quality.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were replying on time and very dynamic

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The commitment and innovation are very impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

having more variety of technologies