Take2 Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are Frendy, a Social Commerce company, based out of Ahmedabad, India. We are driven by tech and I work as a Product Manager here.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Take2 Technologies, and what were your goals?

We have a community of resellers who promote our products and app. They are our micro-business partners. They come from tier 2-6 towns of India who have a limited access to the business knowledge due to several constraints. We came up with a training course plan which would enable these resellers increase their household income. For this course, we hired Take2 Technologies and they have successfully completed the project.

SOLUTION

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

We stumbled upon their profile on LinkedIn, talked to them over calls and meetings, looked at their portfolio and decided to go ahead with them based on their past performance.

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

The platform is developed on Moodle. It acts as a Learning Management System platform where we create courses for our Frendy Partners. Each partner has an individual account and progress in the courses. They get rewards, titles and certificates on completing the courses.

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

Mahendra S. as the lead developer and the coordinator. He is also the CEO of the company. He has a team who take inputs from him and get the work done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have completed the project successfully in the committed timeline with all the defined and agreed-upon deliverables.

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

We used to provide them with the project brief and they used to divide it into internal sprints of priorities. They took inputs from where there used to be any loose end.

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

The speed of project execution has been tremendous!

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

Nothing on top of my mind right now.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Orderline. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Take2 Technologies?

Our company had a development platform that was custom-built through another contractor, and it already reached its limited growth capacity. We were searching for another platform, and Moodle was one of the platforms that we looked at. We brought in Take2 to work on this Moodle development project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Moodle is an educational platform where we can host courses, show videos, link to books, do some scoring, testing, and certification tasks, and perform other things. Take2 has to build all of these into the platform according to our specifications and then integrate them with other systems, such as email marketing platforms, e-commerce platforms, and various digital dashboards.

They’ve also created APIs for other applications.

What is the team composition?

Mahendra (Founder) is our main contact. He contracts some of the tasks to other members, but I've never met them nor had the need to. 

How did you come to work with Take2 Technologies?

We researched a lot of different platforms. Once we found other Moodle sites, we asked for references, and Take2 came up. We qualified them through some of their past employers, and they gave the team glowing marks. After giving Mahendra a schematic of what we were going to do, he grasped it very quickly. We initially hired him to build our test case. After he'd done that, we let him work on the whole system.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $48,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in February 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. The Moodle platform is finished, and that’s phase one. We’re going into phase two, and Mahendra is going to be the manager of the next project we’re going to do. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Through his experience, Mahendra proved to us that Moodle would be the most appropriate platform for us to use. Currently, the platform is operational, and there are no glitches. When we find glitches, he suggests solutions and coordinates our resources to fix them, even if that isn’t his responsibility. 

Mahendra isn’t afraid to take on new challenges. He’s not one-dimensional, and he sees the whole picture, going well beyond Moodle development. He also works with many people within our company and with our contractors.

Because he's been able to do a lot of the things we didn't tell him to do, we don't need many technical people to be involved on our end. He's becoming the technical lead to this whole project. 

He’s also sourced other contractors for us. For instance, because we were using the Magento e-commerce platform, he found a Magento contractor for us. Now, we contract them independently of him. He's basically managing processes for us now instead of just developing platforms. 

How did Take2 Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

When dealing with foreign contractors, language could often be a barrier. However, that's not true in Take2’s case. Mahendra’s written grammar is better than mine, and he has a keen ability to grasp concepts and offer solutions. He also restates what I say in a better way.

With foreign contractors, I'm typically the one who asks questions and restates what they're saying. In this case, he's the one asking me questions and restating what I say to make sure that he understands. He’s able to do that, while some other contractors can't 

The Take2 team is also always accessible. We can call them at night or in the morning, and they’re always awake — time doesn't seem to matter. We use Microsoft teams to do chats and video calls, and all of our people in the project communicate with Mahendra as required. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

My job is to sell applications to clients and to describe that application to developers. Often, I have to go into painstaking detail to explain things, but I don’t have to do that with Take2. I'm surprised at how little information I have to provide and how much information they can source on their own. They can come up with design parameters that exceed what I’ve originally done. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d rate Mahendra 8 out of 10 in spoken language and 9.5 out of 10 in written language. Those would be the only areas he could improve. His accessibility, dedication, honesty, and abilities are 10 out of 10. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Giving detailed aspects of the project is important. Have the time to sit down and discuss with Take2 what those aspects really mean. Let them ask questions and answer them because that builds their comprehension of the project. When they have full comprehension of the project, they’ll have an easy time implementing what the customer wants them to do. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the COO of the world’s first (since 2001) and still the only portal to free, accredited higher education.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Take2 Technologies?

We needed Take2 Technologies to take the lead of all technical as well as non-technical support requirements which include upgrading the existing website to a new version, migration of dedicated server to cloud-based hosting, handle day to day technical issues on-site, provide support to users having issues accessing the site or any other course-related query.

What were your goals for this project?

Take2 Technologies upgraded our website to a new version of the Moodle e-learning platform. They have migrated the old website from a dedicated server to the Amazon AWS cloud. They are currently working on new feature enhancement and providing technical and general support.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had searched for the best Moodle IT companies and Take2 came in the first few results on Google. We reviewed Take2’s proposal and as compared to other contractors, it was meeting all our requirements.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Initially, they upgraded the obsolete Moodle version to a new version without losing any user and course data. They moved the second website course data to the primary one. They also created a new theme to freshen the face of the website. They polished all the courses to create a better learning experience.

What was the team composition?

I worked directly with the technical lead who managed the team internally at Take2. The tasks were discussed over a weekly meeting. We are using issue a tracker to manage tasks and communication.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is working well, and students are using our courses.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They worked directly with our COO and with joint effort, they came to a solution which was beneficial for everyone including volunteers who engaged with us for a short term basis. The tasks are managed using an issue tracker tool.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They generally respond within 24 hours.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Video conferencing is a little difficult because of time zone differences, but they always make it work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of a nonprofit organization that works with adolescents, youth, and women in India.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Take2 Technologies?

We hired to Take2 Technologies create a website from scratch.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a user-friendly website for better outreach and visibility.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking for a qualified developer. After interviewing several candidates, we chose Take2 Technologies.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Take2 Technologies created our website based on our instructions and basic requirements. They continue to provide IT support.

What was the team composition?

We communicate with the main developer for all of our queries.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website has helped us increase the visibility of our organization. It allows us to reach out and showcase our work to more people.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Take2 Technologies delivers everything within the timeline. We use Google Drive and WhatsApp to keep each other informed about the work. Take2 Technologies gives us clear instructions on what needs to be completed and what content is required for the website. They make sure that we are actively involved in decision-making.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They excel at dealing with people like us who don’t understand tech terminologies. They present their ideas clearly, which help us make an informed, collaborative decision.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can't name anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a product manager for an internet-based education service that provides classes and books.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Take2 Technologies?

We needed Take2 Technologies to migrate one of our major sites to the latest version of Moodle. We needed a very capable developer. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Primarily, Take2 Technologies migrated our highly-customized website to the newest Moodle management system using PHP. Their team cleaned thousands of lines of code and created solutions to 500 technical errors that arose. Throughout the migration process, they built enhancements and feature requests to the website. They also developed a mobile app for Android and iOS for the platform.

Take2 Technologies is our current technology consultant. They currently not only develop additional features but also advise on technical issues. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is their lead developer, but I also work directly with their other developers.

How did you come to work with Take2 Technologies?

We were searching around for developers and interviewed some companies including Take2.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $10,000 for the Moodle migration and over $100,000 in total with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in Fall 2013 through November 2014 for the migration but are continuing to work with them on different projects to this day.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They handled the migration very well and everything is working as planned. It was a very complex job and they made the necessary changes using our user assurance test (UAT) feedback. They finished the migration on time and continue to produce quality enhancements for us.

How did Take2 Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Github to track the source code and issues that arise, and we use third-party platforms to track billing. We handled the overall project management but gave them milestones with priorities. They manage their own work and keep on track with our deadlines. They are always available for requests or questions, and their team always adapts their work to our feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had worked with several other contractors and companies like them before, and we had several issues with availability and response times.

Take2, in comparison, is committed to what they do. They are always available for us 24/7 and understand we need them during training times. Other companies sometimes neglected our needs, but I never had that problem with Take2.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really don’t have anything. We are a great team together and often celebrate together the completion of our projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust in Take2 and value what they do for you. It’s a two-way street, you must recognize and build that culture between the companies. Give them feedback and they will always listen to you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a principal software engineer at a company that creates enterprise products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Take2 Technologies?

Most of our requirements were related to web technologies. We wanted them to review our VMWare vCenter component, which involves JavaScript, HTML, and Java. The work required creating designs and translating them into live interfaces.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We developed wireframes jointly. They started with mockup reviews, which they converted into interactive interfaces.

One of the products they worked on is already on the market. It integrates with vCenter and provides storage optimization for virtualized environments, especially VMWare. They used Angular 4, HTML5, CSS3, and Java.

What is the team composition?

Two internal engineers and I worked with them directly. It was a joint effort between our companies.

How did you come to work with Take2 Technologies?

We hired their lead programmer as a contractor for one of our projects. He had already worked with me, so I knew that he was good and had experience with the appropriate technologies.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Take2 in October or November 2017. We have undertaken the development and maintenance of the storage optimization project internally. Take2 Technologies finished the work on it within 4–6 weeks. We still engage them for additional requirements that we cannot handle internally due to insufficient resources. We are currently engaging them for a company-wide project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still developing an integration with VMWare vCenter. During the initial integration, we’ve had challenges that required them to follow up with VMWare support and resolve critical issues. They did it in good time, which helped us—and is still helping us—a lot.

How did Take2 Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira for project management. We track story points and assign them to Take2. They transparently manage the tasks assigned to them, and send work back to us for review. Our work is mostly iterative, so we follow this model. We’ve been happy with the progress so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like their quick turnaround and focus. They’re proactive, and they remain on task until completion. They ask very good questions and offer solutions that improve the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We host a virtualized environment in the U.S., and there is a lot of latency between their place of work and the data center. It takes a long time for us to deploy new work to the data center for testing and cycle completion. This is one issue we’ve found while working with them.

We don’t currently have enough hardware resources for them to post to our in-house environment. The environment is pretty complex, requiring their investment to get anything done. They could improve by spending more money on company infrastructure and task setup environments. That would make things a lot easier for them and us.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s good to talk with the Take2 technology team, who can provide good ideas and perspectives. They have worked across different domains and know what their other customers want from a product. They can also align things to work for the current product. Maintaining a discussion and taking suggestions from the development company will benefit both parties.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder & Designer

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

My company creates handcrafted textile fashion and home accessories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Take2 Technologies to accomplish?

• Website development

SOLUTION

How did you find Take2 Technologies?

Referral

Why did you select Take2 Technologies over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Take2 Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Take2 has been super cooperative developing our website and have helped whenever required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A full E-commerce website was created listing about 20 prouducts

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

They've Been very cooperative, and helped every step off the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Take2 Technologies?

Virtual Meeting

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

They've been reachable and easy to work with

Are there any areas for improvement or something Take2 Technologies could have done differently?

NA

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a Cloud Technology company helping customers with Workload and Data Mobility.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Take2 Technologies, and what were your goals?

To build a cloud catalog marketplace dashboard. The goal was to build a user friendly dashboard with a very aggressive timeline.

SOLUTION

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

We had worked with Take2 founder in the past and his work ethic’s, creativity were the deciding factors.

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

Designed, implemented and deployed. Engaged in every step of the project.

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

There were 2 people and other in the background.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to launch the project and we’re the first vendor to do this on the IBM Cloud platform, due to the excellent work done by Take2.

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

Excellent

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

Creativity, teamwork, willingness to work and be present at any hour regardless of the time zone

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

Our project was done flawlessly. Perhaps this is a better question in a follow on project.