What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Their collaboration with us has been really critical to our development as a company. As a manpower company, we had to build the quality of the processes in ourselves, so when we see problems, we build all the test cases, systematically define all the tasks associated with that process, and then figure out how to find and fix that defect at the root level.
Their team members and organizational systems have helped us to develop a ‘wash, rinse, and repeat’ strategy that dramatically increases our efficiency over those areas. It’s the only way we’ve been able to scale our business in a systematic and effective way.
How did Smartbox Media perform from a project management standpoint?
We use all sorts of tools to keep track of our work, from Test Rails and JIRA to GitHub for checking code, and we have regular meetings every day to support our Scrums. We work in an environment where we have tons of third-party extensions, and a lot of those develop bugs during updates all the time, so it’s always a cat and mouse game to keep our system up and running. Their project management is what allows us to do that at scale.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They are incredibly responsive for a staffing company. Any time I’ve needed somebody on short notice, their team has delivered. Even when it’s a graphic designer, which really isn’t in their area of expertise, they were able to provide me with one in under 24 hours. That level of service really helps you to fill the gaps and avoid real emergencies.
Are there any areas they could improve?
When you have a long-term relationship like this, you’re really always improving and resolving things. Nothing comes to my mind specifically because it’s not that there’s any one thing that sticks out. It’s just a continuous process of improvement.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I would suggest that anyone working with them have their own resources who can collaborate and keep code review transparent. When you’re working with a manpower company, you have to find the right partner, but it’s really just as important to be willing to put in the management resources, infrastructure, and time to set the project up for success.
The development resources supplied by Smartbox Media have critically supported and streamlined the operations of their client, helping to develop a standardized bug-fixing process. Their team is highly responsive and organized, using JIRA to review all code and service infrastructure.