Smart IT

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

Smart IT is basically part of our company. They’re pretty much full-time employees, just outsourced. It’s not project-based work but time and materials, with everyday tasks from maintenance and support, and up to big project launches. 

We’re satisfied with their delivery and adherence to our requirements. We don’t really measure the success rates of particular tasks or projects. The fact that we’ve been working with them for two and a half years — basically since we launched our business — is a good indication that we’re generally satisfied with the collaboration.

How did Smart IT perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re actually managing them with respect to their primary work. Their internal management is concerned with other needs, like extracurricular activities, motivation, inside reviews, and so on.

We communicate almost exclusively in Russian, though most of the team is capable of communicating in English. I’m fluent in Russian myself, so it’s easier for me, and communication is pretty much a non-issue. We keep all documentation and task descriptions in English, but the spoken and chat communication is in Russian.

In terms of management, they’re relatively quick to respond to my requirements. If I need to expand the team, I’ll get options relatively quickly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have very limited experience working with similar companies, but I can say that Smart IT is very focused toward our projects, and they have relatively low employee turnover. We started with a team of seven people, and six of those are still with the team. That’s one benefit from our perspective, and it speaks to the company’s management. Their people are motivated and don’t leave for other companies.

They have a creative approach to solving problems. There have been cases where we needed something urgently, with timetables that didn’t seem okay relative to the standard working hours of their people, and they were willing to work extra. Smart IT adjusted to what our company needed in order to deliver as necessary.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve only worked with three outsourced companies so far, and there are no particular downsides that stand out with Smart IT.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I’d definitely suggest that they go ahead with Smart IT, though it would depend on what expertise was needed. If it was purely about development, and Smart IT had specialists for that in their company, I’d definitely give a green light. 

If it was more about other technological requirements, they have some expertise, but we’ve hired an internal person purely for database administration, for example.

It’s important to have clear communication and set clear collaboration terms, so that there are no surprises in the future.

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

We use the software on a daily basis. There were some slight UI changes that needed to be done, which took some time. They met all the deadlines and did not go over budget. There was one small delay but that was down to our side because we missed one of the payments. There wasn’t a point in the project where I can say they let me down.

The feedback I have received from my team is extremely positive. The solution has saved us a lot of time and all they met all my expectations. There were some things I wasn’t expecting as well, and everything was positive. We’re very happy and we got a very intuitive system. New employees don’t have to spend a lot of time learning the system as it works straight away.

How did Smart-IT Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They gave us constant updates about what they achieved and what still needed to be completed, as well as regular calls. Communication was brilliant and we had no problem with that. They are very knowledgeable, and their English skills are very strong.

When I started speaking with them, they gave me some advice and suggestions on things that could be done in a better way. There were a few things, even nonverbal ones, that I noticed while we were discussing the project in the early stages, which kept me very relaxed in terms of their level of professionalism.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The whole IT scene in Belarus is fascinating. They have very creative developers. At the same time, they don’t cost as much as developers would cost here. They have that balance between quality and price which is unique. They meet all the requirements that you would normally expect, and there was no hassle in working with them. Being in the construction industry, I always expect something to go wrong as in many businesses, but we had no issues with their delivery.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They ask many questions, which is probably a good thing, but it did take a lot of time to answer them. They were very specific on exactly how we wanted it to look. It was lost time, but in the end, it was probably the reason why the end result was successful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get hold of their principal. He was the main reason we signed the contract. He was the best person to get in touch with. You can achieve whatever you want, as he will make it happen.