Great teams build great software. We build both.
Test Double is a consulting agency whose top-tier developers are deployed as remote additions to our clients' teams. Your tools and technology, our empathetic and flexible developers.
The software we write is different. We build the thing right, and we build the right thing. We’re experienced practitioners who are also guiding the entire team’s shared success. So you achieve maintainable software with better planning, more productive collaboration and better visibility.
If your team could use some extra help and you share our goal of improving how people write software, we'd love to talk to you!
Focus
Portfolio
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Reviews
the project
Full Stack Ruby on Rails Dev for Media Agency Outsourcing
"We could always count on them being there."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the senior VP of engineering for Orange Barrel Media, a media agency.
What challenge were you trying to address with Test Double?
We were looking for help with development. We had acquired a product line, and there was a team that was already working on it, but they didn’t have the necessary expertise or structure to develop a full-stack fully scaled software as a service (SaaS) product.
What was the scope of their involvement?
By hiring Test Double, we brought in some expertise, structure, and discipline to the team that was already in place. They helped us get the team where we needed it to be to bridge the gap until we were able to recruit and hire our own.
The product is a sidewalk kiosk for big cities. In the kiosk itself, we run Ubuntu Linux with a Chrome browser that runs JavaScript applications. On the backend, we’re using Ruby on Rails.
What is the team composition?
Their co-founder acted as the project manager to help stabilize things. When I ended up joining Orange Barrel Media, I took over that role and worked directly with two of Test Double’s software developers.
How did you come to work with Test Double?
They were already on board when I began working at Orange Barrel Media, but I had worked with them during my time with another company where we used them for staff augmentation. I originally met one of their co-founders when I was building a previous team, but he was already busy trying to form his own company. We got to know each other, and, ultimately, ended up working together in more of a contractor/client relationship.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from October 2017–May 2018.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Their work was high-quality and very professional. We go back to them because of the results they deliver.
How did Test Double perform from a project management standpoint?
From a project management perspective, with me as project manager, they were good to work with and managed their time well. When needed, they’d work late and long hours when there was a customer issue. We could always count on them being there.
We used a pretty typical agile framework with sprints about every two weeks. We used Pivotal Tracker for our workflow management and communicated through email, Slack, GitHub, and Zoom.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They provide qualified staff augmentation; you can get top-rate developers that merge with internal staff and come up to speed pretty quickly. Sometimes we needed more bandwidth, and they were able to provide that for us.
Are there any areas they could improve?
They should be careful as to not dilute their quality as they grow. It’s hard to expand and continue to offer the same expertise.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Make sure to establish the desired relationship with them up front. Know project needs and communicate that with them before starting the collaboration. This holds true whether you're strong in your practices but need staff augmentation, or you're a company that does not have a lot of experience with software development and need process and project management.
High-quality deliverables, professionalism, and stellar time management are highlights of their work. Test Double’s willingness to work overtime when issues arise and the availability of their top-level developers who catch on quickly during projects make them the preferred partner for future work.