Vention

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal product manager for an agency that provides digital rights management services and targeted advertising on social video platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt Group?

We were building out a new version of our software platform and were looking to augment our internal resources to speed up the development timeline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project involved expanding our digital rights management software from one platform that works with YouTube, to an extendable software that can connect to multiple social platforms, like Facebook.

We started with a general onboarding phase where we discussed the current state of our product and provided iTechArt Group with some necessary background information. We offer a niche service, so we took the time to help them form a good understanding of our customers, our users, and the problems we needed to address.

From there, the team worked in tandem with our internal resources to scope out the different components of the project. We released an internal MVP for our users to review video content for our customers on Facebook. Then, using an agile methodology, we started working on new feature sets with scheduled milestones throughout to help us track our project. We collected feedback on each update, made the changes, and continued developing in an iterative fashion.

The software’s front- and backend are built with Python and React. We’re integrating the system with both the YouTube and Facebook APIs, but, ultimately, the design will be able to accommodate any platform.

What is the team composition?

We work with about six developers: three in the US and three overseas.

How did you come to work with iTechArt Group?

I wasn’t involved in the process, but I believe that someone on our team of engineering executives had worked with them previously and recommended that we use them for this project. We still interviewed a multitude of companies, but iTechArt Group offered the most appealing arrangement. They provided a collection of resumes and allowed us to choose the individuals that we wanted to work with, rather than contracting an entire company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017, and the project is ongoing. Our current agreement is through the end of this year, but we’re hoping to get budget approval to continue the partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This product is pivotal for our business. iTechArt Group is helping us develop a niche experience that is scalable, accessible, and user-friendly. Externalizing this software will transform our company, allowing our customers to better review and manage their video advertising.

How did iTechArt Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Because we don’t have an assigned project manager, it’s a bit of a challenge for both sides. The developers take on a lot of responsibility, and everyone really has to pitch in to keep the project running on track. We plan to hire someone to take on that role within the next couple of weeks, which will be a huge help. iTechArt Group does a great job of organizing the workflow, but it shouldn’t have to be their focus.

Currently, we have a scheduled daily standup to discuss updates and address any questions; any other communication is done via Slack channels. We use Jira for ticketing, commenting on each task to note major decisions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work very fast, but still consistently deliver high-quality work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything specific. We started with a short-term contract and decided to extend it to over a year. We’ve been very happy with the experience.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend clients invest a decent amount of time in bringing the iTechArt Group team up to speed on the project, their business, and why the outcome is important. If they know exactly what they’re building, they’ll be able to ask better questions. They’re very thoughtful in their work, so its beneficial for them to have a well-rounded idea of how the product matters to its users.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and CTO for Dialogue. We provide telemedicine services as a corporate benefits package. We market our primary care services, mental health treatments, and other health services to HR managers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt Group?

We were growing very quickly. Nearly three years into our business, we were managing tens of thousands of patients. We were pressured in terms of delivering a quality patient experience and maintaining an appropriate internal support system. To help us operate at this scale and account for our continued growth, we wanted to recruit experienced software engineers to augment our in-house teams.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We conducted compressed, 30-minute interviews with resources from iTechArt Group that had the right skills to help our team, and were available to provide support. We made our selections based on past experience and their communication skills. We integrated the chosen resources into the four scrum teams in our development unit. The onboarding process was fairly quick. They met with their internal teammates for an introduction to the company, our expectations, and their responsibilities. Once they were informed, they started participating in two-week sprints with the rest of their team. So far, we’ve run several sprints with iTechArt Group’s resources.

What is the team composition?

We use six resources from iTechArt Group to augment our four scrum teams.

How did you come to work with iTechArt Group?

We were looking for experienced and flexible development resources. We really appreciated the ability to conduct interviews and chose individuals on our own, not a lot of outsourcers offer that option. In that process, we noticed the range of talent within iTechArt Group’s roster and decided to work with their company.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay an hourly fee per resource. It adds up to over $50,000 each month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018 and its an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With their different skill sets, the iTechArt Group resources have made significant individual contributions to their assigned scrum team. They’re a great addition to our set of full-time employees. With their help, we’re able to run our integrations and deployments with more efficiency. Currently, we’re launching updates every two weeks.

How did iTechArt Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We treat them as part of the internal team. They are part of our Slack channels and have access to Jira. We have daily standups and communicate frequently. They’re very engaged in our development efforts and generally complete their work on time.

At one point, we had problems with an individual from iTechArt Group who was underperforming. We terminated that relationship and it didn’t have any negative impact on the partnership.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with how quickly they were able to integrate into our existing teams. Despite their remote locations, they’re already embedded within our internal operations. They easily adjusted to the dynamic and continue to manage a high level of communication to assure they’re always on pace with our full-time team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have to accommodate for time zone differences and language barriers, which slows the workflow and can sometimes result in confusion or misunderstandings. Their resources’ speed, quality, and dedication are at a slightly lower level than our employees and they are less willing to take initiative. Additionally, we would’ve liked if the cost of their services was eligible for domestic tax credits for research and development, but when outsourcing, it’s not possible.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend clients be clear on whether they’re looking for staff augmentation of a full staff. iTechArt Group can provide both, but it’s best to set the right expectations and understand the level of management necessary for each. I also suggest they take advantage of the ability to select their own resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Carson Living software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt?

We wanted the ability to rapidly get a team in place to do software development. We needed a skilled team that could quickly ramp up and stay for the long term.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First they held an exploratory meeting with their development person here in the U.S. We told them the scope of the project. They explained that they're not a project-based company, but we still wanted an estimate of cost and time for the initial project. Their proposal seemed reasonable based on the proposals we got from other companies. Once we were ready to proceed, they sent us the resumes of people they recommended to be on the team. We interviewed them and chose the ones that we liked.

For the project itself, they used various open source software including Django on the backend, Swift for iOS, and Kotlin for Android. It's primarily a native mobile application but is web-based as well. The app is a property management application for small residential buildings. It enables communication between property managers and residents. It has a robust API on the backend for integration with hardware like cameras, access control systems, online payment systems, and property management accounting systems. It also has to be user-friendly for residents and property managers.

What is the team composition?

Our initial hire was three people, and we ramped up to four.

How did you come to work with iTechArt?

One of our partners had previously used a team from iTechArt and was very satisfied. That was a big selling point.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in May 2017 and the beta version launched in January 2018. Development work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product is very successful and their work has been outstanding. The service they provide is outstanding. They’re excellent engineers who know all the tools.

How did iTechArt perform from a project management standpoint?

During development, we’re in touch every day as part of our daily stand-up. I communicate with them mostly through Slack and Trello. The team performed very well. They’re good employees, they show up for work on time, and they go the extra mile if needed. We treat them as an integral part of our organization. It's a very good arrangement.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their people are really good and they deliver consistent quality. An advantage to working with iTechArt is that they're big so that if one employee leaves, they have replacements at the ready. Plus, they don't bill us for the knowledge transfer time. We had one employee turnover but the transfer was completely seamless. When we wanted to add a QA person, they had a great resume for us the next day.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s a minor issue but I would like it if they switched from bi-weekly to monthly billing.

Any advice for potential customers?

Treat them like real employees if you want to get them excited about what you're doing. You’ll get the best results if you don't treat them like code robots.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering for a financial services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt Group?

We lacked the resources to accomplish a quick development project, so we outsourced the work to iTechArt Group.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

iTechArt Group allocated to two developers to help further develop a 401K retirement web app. Specifically, they created functionalities related to payroll processing and built isolated modules. The platform’s main function involved creating payroll files, breaking them down, uploading them to our system, and then processing them further. They built a validation system into the modules, produced stronger code, and performed the necessary testing. I dictated what technologies we wanted to use and they adhered to those specifications. We initially used spray, but later transitioned to Akka and Scala. They also used Slick to configure backend databases and learned Swagger during development. The goal was to transform the minimum viable product (MVP) to a platform that could be ready for production.

The project was a success and we’ve since extended our engagement with them. They currently provide frontend and backend development as needed. They also perform QA testing on any product we have.

What is the team composition?

We’re currently working with nine full-time developers from iTechArt Group. There’s also a local representative that fields our questions regarding logistics.

How did you come to work with iTechArt Group?

They were recommended to me by a colleague who worked with them previously. We evaluated multiple firms, but iTechArt Group seemed like the best fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve likely spent around $200,000, but I don’t have the exact number.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They gave us an advantage by getting the product to market quicker than we could have alone. They made an effort to learn about our business so they could raise insightful questions. The initial two developers performed so brilliantly that we’re now long-term partners and treat them as part of our team. Overall, our platform is growing and there’s a market for it. iTechArt Group’s contributions are responsible for a portion that success.

How did iTechArt Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with their developers daily as they’re a part of our regular stand-ups. We include them in product discussions, so they don’t have to approach a new project without the necessary background information. Working in different time zones is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. We’ve learned how to adjust our processes to facilitate a better experience for both parties.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If I have a question, they’ll jump on the issue and respond quickly with a solution. They proactively communicate changes in their staff or other occurrences that might affect our projects. I’m happy with the skill level of their team. Some of their team members are just as strong as our top internal resources and they perform to our expectations. Additionally, I appreciate the feedback they provide on the specifications we give them. That approach might not be for everyone, but I find it yields a better product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The cultural differences between our companies caused some communication issues. Everything runs smoothly now, but it did require an adjustment period. They’re currently taking classes to learn American culture and broaden their ability to communicate.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t treat them like remote resources and assign tasks without background information. Like any human being, they’ll burn out and won’t be emotionally attached to their work. If you spend the time to educate them on the project, they’ll deliver the results you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations for a software development firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt?

We needed to build a complex recruitment application for a client. As a young company, we wanted to avoid the costs of hiring in-house developers, so we reached out to iTechArt to create a MVP based on our specifications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The web-based application essentially removes bias from the recruitment process. It creates a job application form and various sets of questions based on key behaviors and critical criteria, improving the onboarding process for large companies.

To begin, we validated the business model with our client and provided a full specifications document prior to our engagement with iTechArt. We also worked with a local design agency to create wireframes. From here, we passed this information to iTechArt and they assigned a development team to build the MVP based on our needs.

With the first version complete, we're currently in the process of outlining the second and third iterations. We plan to create mobile iOS and Android version of the app and integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and two senior software developers.

How did you come to work with iTechArt?

We vetted between 20–30 offshore companies, but weren’t happy with any of them. iTechArt was referred to us by a business colleague. We were impressed by their portfolio, which included work with respected education platforms like Canvas and Blackboard.

We conducted a Skype call and talked about requirements. Their team was friendly, but also seemed to understand our project and asked the right questions. While other companies claimed to grasp our concept, their brief’s suggested otherwise.

We also appreciated that iTechArt provided a detailed project outline. They made a spreadsheet that gave a clear outline of phase requirements and a cost breakdown. Since this was an MVP, they understood the need to maintain a reasonable budget and were able to accommodate us.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $50,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between October 2017–January 2018. We plan to hire iTechArt to create the follow-up versions of the application.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re happy with the product. It functions almost exactly as we envisioned, and while there were some minor bugs, their developers addressed these issues immediately. The MVP has been passed to the client, who is now responsible for integrating their database before we create the second version and license the product out to larger companies.

How did iTechArt perform from a project management standpoint?

Their effective organization played a crucial role in the project’s success. We were very impressed with our project manager, in particular. She was professional, communicated on a daily basis, and answered any questions we had. She was also unafraid to ask us questions, if needed, to ensure she understood our needs.

iTechArt has guaranteed us the same project manager if we hire them to build the second and third versions of the application.

We used Trello to coordinate the project, and this allowed us to monitor progress in real-time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The benefit of working with iTechArt is that it allowed us to focus on what we do best. We provided specifications for the overall concept and knew that their effective project management could take care of the actual development. They're an extremely professional company. We saw a consistent level of politeness throughout our correspondence, and because they kept us informed every step of the way, we could pass those assurances on to our client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We spoke with a different project manager while considering a separate project. We found that this manager lacked the level of communication and professionalism we had experienced with other iTechArt team members. The specification document, for instance, was not nearly as thorough. They could improve by ensuring consistency across their management team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as detailed as possible in your specifications. Make sure the developers understand the project’s priorities and your long-term goals for the product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and co-founder of a social platform that lets professionals within an industry connect with one another. It’s different from other similar platforms because the conversations happen both intercompany, interindustry, and intracompany—professionals can speak with others who work at similar companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt?

We needed help with software development, specifically our iOS and Android mobile platforms along with backend stack development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we first started, we employed a mobile and backend developer at 15–20 hours each to create a prototype of our current platform. We launched after about six months and attracted investors that allowed us to hire the developers full time. After another six months, we brought on additional developers to scale the project and build three main features: segmentation, analysis, and personalization.

Users provide a good amount of data when registering, both personally and through third party APIs we leverage on the platform. This data is then analyzed to place users in cohorts that are relevant to one another. iTechArt helped develop the algorithm that does that. The output is then personalized into a feed containing posts from other similar professionals based on their divisions, specialties, and titles. In short, the platform provides segmentation and personalization with an analysis engine that was developed with iTechArt.

The frontend consists of what you would expect for any traditional social networking interface. It’s a node.js core framework, and we use a MongoDB and node-sql setup for the backend that gives us flexibility. We need to maintain latency on our network and app, so we leverage an elastic database for some of the personalization and analysis layers because it’s a tremendous amount of data.

iTechArt also developed an email engine so we can deliver emails in high volume to our current and prospective users. We designed the engine and they developed the backend.

What is the team composition?

We have a team of five—three mobile developers, one backend engineer, and one QA analyst. They’re our primary dev team, led by our own project manager. iTechArt provides a set of developers, and we interview and select which ones we want.

How did you come to work with iTechArt?

I was introduced to them at my previous job. Another company was using them, so we decided to engage with them on a small project, and I was really impressed. When I started this company, hiring them seemed to be the best choice.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent upwards of $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in the summer of 2014, but the team has grown since then. They provide ongoing dev.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

More than 30% of U.S. management consultants are currently on our platform. For the industries we’re open to, we’ve gotten deep penetration at a quick rate. iTechArt allows us to iterate fast enough to appease user concerns, which isn’t possible if you’re a big company.

How did iTechArt perform from a project management standpoint?

iTechArt provides an account manager (AM), but we have our own project manager. The AM addresses the needs of the account and the company, responding quickly to our concerns. If we need a developer, the AM lets us interview a batch within a few weeks.

At a minimum, we have a daily check-in via Slack to make sure everything is going well. When we want to be more engaged, we’ll have a Skype call to discuss features for an hour or two. We also have one hour-long weekly meeting where all the developers review their weekly sprints with the project manager. In general, iTechArt works independently and requires little oversight.

What did you find most impressive about them?

iTechArt has a strong supply of grade A talent across numerous disciplines, which is important when you need to move quickly. They have high expectations for their employees, who deliver on time and are always professional. The individual developers are accountable and invested in our success—they want to please the client, which is unique these days. In many ways, they’re like an international extension of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The structure of their mobile account team isn’t necessarily unified. If you’re looking to replace or upgrade a developer, the teams are segmented so you have to specifically ask to go outside your team’s stable to find other developers. The assets are contained and constrained by the mobile team you’re assigned. They may have a reason for structuring it that way, though.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If the project is from early inception to late stage startup, iTechArt is a great choice. I can’t speak to big scale companies, but I imagine they’d perform well there, too.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Carlo Sansonetti. I’m the CEO of CGCircuit LLC, a video tutorial publishing platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt?

After attempting frontend and development with our internal team, we hired iTechArt to expand our platform and complete the project faster. Our main product is a platform that can be used to publish videos or text tutorials. The site’s UI design is catered to teachers and students.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

iTechArt provided frontend and backend programming to assist us with three projects in our pipeline that we needed to finish by the end of the year. Despite my initial apprehension, I was relieved to find I could entrust them with any task and expect great results. Two of our three projects involved an unforeseen amount of work, yet the team went above and beyond our requests.

The team not only helped us with programming, but also installed new software for our servers. After updating our website’s outdated CSS library, they adjusted the look and feel accordingly. They created an entirely new interface, scripts, and backend of the database, and the site features volume purchase and discount options.

During the months we worked together, iTechArt helped us mitigate an unexpected hacking attack. After promptly engaging a security expert, they created a document that outlined and tracked all the issues on our site, and fixed them very quickly. We haven't had any security problems since then.

What is the team composition?

Nadia Zhuevskaya [Account Manager] was our point of contact, and facilitated all communication related to pay and budgeting. We worked most closely with the lead programmer, Arthur Sianuk, along with other expert developers. A security specialist provided additional support for two weeks.

How did you come to work with iTechArt?

My wife works as a marketing manager, and her company uses iTechArt. She recommended we use them, as well. We considered one other vendor in New York, who we’d worked with five years ago, but iTechArt had a better proposition. They were very well priced, and passed an initial assessment especially well.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested roughly $30,000 in iTechArt’s work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June of 2017, and our project was completed by that December.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

iTechArt helped us establish the ability to offer volume discounts and volume purchases, which are specifically aimed at companies and schools. We've already spoken with three companies that are interested in using this option. I definitely believe that this development is going to enhance our capabilities. We’re looking forward to the new opportunities their work will generate.

How did iTechArt perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was impeccable; we are super happy. They took great initiative, and delivered everything on time and within budget. Understanding our constraints as a small company, they willingly negotiated prices.

After we held meetings to assess their comfort level with English, since they're based in Belarus, we established that communication wouldn’t be an issue. Our point of contact was great at conducting calls. We mostly used Slack to keep in touch, and the team sent daily email reports. Each morning, the main programmer relayed what he planned to work on, and recapped what was successfully completed by the end of the day. During our six-month project, we only had about three calls. Everything was so smooth that we rarely had to speak on the phone, aside from invoice questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to help was their strongest asset. They were always on top of the schedule. I never had to wait more than 12 hours for a response. Innovative solutions made our process work better. The team was open, flexible, and willing to help out in any way we needed.

I was especially impressed by their technical abilities. Arthur, the lead programmer, seamlessly transitioned from frontend to backend. He powered through tedious tasks without ever complaining, and showed a great ability to learn. We requested technically challenging work he’d never done before, and he was able to quickly study, understand, and create great quality products.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you need to discuss technical aspects of your project, request that a technical expert with fluent English skills can join the call.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a founder and senior partner at Ramp Catalyst, which provides consulting for AI machine learning. I’m in charge of all product management and engineering for our development shop arm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt?

We needed supplemental organizational skills and external resources to scale up over time with an elastic workforce.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We do in-house development and work with other firms, including iTechArt. They have done multiple projects around AI, ML and VR spaces. Generally, we initiate a new engagement during the upper funnel stage when the client contracts us for a specific project. We interview their staff to select team compositions and project manage development ourselves. They provide supplemental support to our development arm for a one-time deliverable or different interactions of an initial project. Often times, the work is speculative and there are no known solutions, which requires intense R&D.

We worked on leading-edge voice agent technology. They recently built an AI agent with Ph.D.-level research and development skills; the result was a breakthrough for that industry. We’ve generated several recommendation engines for products in the VR space and are near selling a start-up built with iTechArt resources. Currently, there is no live project.

What is the team composition?

It varies, but it’s usually on the scale between 2 – 5 engineers.

How did you come to work with iTechArt?

They operate in a competitive market, but stood out among our list of vendors when we compared their skills and financials. Also, an executive at a major company recommended them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Engagement started December 2016 and ended November 2017, but they are our preferred vendor for future projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their skill sets helped us secure important cutting-edge industry work. We may be selling a start-up that we built with them. We’re expecting a 10x ROI if the sale goes through, which is significant for the minimal resources we put into it.

Additionally, they exhibit high levels of professionalism. I’m comfortable putting them in direct contact with our clients, which is unusual for our industry. The dynamic feels like they’re a part of my team, not outside vendors. Even though they’re based in Minsk, I’d be happy to work with them over a local firm.

How did iTechArt perform from a project management standpoint?

They are world-class developers that regularly deliver on-time and under budget. We have daily stand-ups for every project and use Slack, Google Meet and Google Suite; I run a “no email” shop. Using these tools, the team is flexible and can pivot quickly as the project requirements change often.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their engineers is phenomenal. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some native English speakers may find the language barrier tough. They speak English well, but I did recommend that they provide additional language training because it would help their marketability. Since I didn’t speak French very well when I worked in Europe, I’m aware that higher language proficiency can make foreign companies more successful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work closely with their customer support so they understand the requirements, deadlines, and scope. The more you interact, the more they can help your project. Also, the more you treat them as part of your team, the better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Tigertext is the premier clinical messaging system for healthcare providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iTechArt?

We were refactoring older software in order to make it more secure, improve our DevOps and address some bugs. The primary goal was to move the software to a newer platform we had built. We hadn’t worked with an external developer before. We do have inside resources, and hired iTechArt to supplement them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

iTechArt was integrated into our team, and given requirements through GitHub and JIRA. One concrete example of our refactoring was something we call our paging service, which is a Twilio gateway microservice. The scope of the project was to upgrade the interface with Twilio, and refactor the software, using modern JavaScript, adding a UNIX web and other similar things.

In terms of new functionalities, iTechArt worked on another project, a file-attachment feature. It worked similarly to managing an Instagram profile, and allowed for uploading and cropping images and posting them through a RESTful API as profile avatars.

What is the team dynamic?

Altogether, there were 2 fulltime JavaScript developers from iTechArt assigned to the project, and a business developer who helped manage communication, and handled the contract and invoicing. One of the developers was excellent, on par with our internal members, while the other was very good, but younger. I talked to Valerie, the business developer, told her what skillsets we needed, she arranged a series of interviews, and I ended up picking those 2 resources. The interviews were done via Skype, and I had a hands-on coding challenge using Codeshare.io.

I managed the developers directly, and we communicated via Skype. I generally entered tickets in GitHub, and usually synced during local nighttime. iTechArt was also available between 9 and 10 AM Pacific Time as well, in case we needed them in the morning. We interacted on a daily basis. I received status updates and answered questions regarding our RESTful API.

How did you come to work with iTechArt?

I had worked on a startup project of my own 3-4 years ago. We had a big screening, since all our developers were remote. We looked at 20-30 shops, mostly in Eastern Europe, and some in Latin America. It was clear that iTechArt had skilled developers in their team. I met with their CTO, who seemed to be a sharp, technical person. I also interviewed a few of their developers, who were all bright, and had good JavaScript and C# skills.

iTechArt was the number one choice at the time, so, when I needed some temporary resources for the team this year, I went to them. They had many resources available, so it was easy. I accepted 2/2 of the developers I screened, so the quality was good. The developers were ready within a week, but the contract details took a bit longer. 

How much have you invested with them?

Confidential. The cost was reasonable. Every hour of work seemed to be productive.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the current project with iTechArt at the end of March 2017, and continued for 4-5 months, until mid-August.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us refactor and modernize 4 of our projects. iTechArt freed up the rest of the team, allowing them to focus on our primary strategic project, which was time-sensitive. We were working on a brand-new product, and didn’t want to distract the inhouse developers with refactoring work. iTechArt helped improve performance and stability on our current product.

How did iTechArt perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always clear in terms of expectations. Anytime I assigned a new task, iTechArt chimed in on Skype and gave a time estimate. They never dragged anything on, were very clear, and, surprisingly, figured things out faster than we expected. We had some legacy spaghetti code which was not well-documented, but they did reverse-engineering and figured things out. We’ve had to onboard some new developers here, and there was always handholding, so I was impressed with iTechArt.

Communication was very good. One of the devs had perfect communication skills, while the other, although capable of speaking English, wasn’t as forthright. He needed more prodding, and to be asked specific questions. The time zone issue was the most challenging, but I’ve worked with remote teams a lot. ITechArt was as flexible as they could be, and shifted their schedule so we could communicate in the morning. There’s always a bit of a gap, and we have to anticipate that, and make sure everyone’s onboard by the time we go to bed, so that they can be productive during the night.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The ability to reverse-engineer and figure things out blew me away. I was worried that there would be a lot of handholding and downtime, but iTechArt took on tasks with very little description of what was needed. I could basically spell out what the components and objective were, and, within a day or two, they would have a good start, and always pretty much read my mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As an organization, there isn’t anything I could say. The junior dev is working on improving their communication skills.

Advice for prospective customers?

They’re effective in taking on tasks, using highly-skilled engineers. iTechArt is good at scoping out projects, delivering on time and acting as a strike team which can jump in and sort out things, especially with less glamorous refactoring work. They were very eager and thorough in their work. The whole experience was very positive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a software startup that offers B2B solutions, providing a business phone number for your cell phone.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ITechArt?

The primary aim was to get a fully native application for iOS and for Android in time for our market launch. For that, I needed experts on iOS and Android as well as a testing team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

iTechArt was an extension of the team that I had in-house. We started with the development of a second phone number application for iOS and Android. It’s a dialer app that also lets you do messaging. You can respond to your contacts via SMS and even send photos. It has dialer contact management, SMS discussion, threaded conversation views, and other features.

iTechArt selected the candidates for our team. I only had 1 iOS developer and 1 Android developer. I also had 2 testers from iTechArt who checked those apps. They also tested the website that we were building in-house. I included iTechArt in the daily stand-ups that we did with the team. Most of the planning and communication happened day to day. Our in-house designer determined what the screenshots would look like.

How did you come to work with ITechArt?

I found iTechArt through a friend who had used them before. I’ve had other vendors in the past, but I was not very happy with most of them.

How much have you invested with ITechArt?

We spent around $150,000 on this engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October or November 2016. The app was completed in February 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

All of our clients have been a big fan of the app. iTechArt did an excellent job of building what we needed, and I liked the way they structured it. Their people had the skill sets we needed.

How did ITechArt perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered everything on time and within budget. iTechArt’s people effectively acted like they’re on of our team. We had a daily stand-up, which was a conference call with everyone. We used Slack a lot too.

They also have managers at iTechArt, but you don’t really interact with them much. I did have a local contact who was effectively my account manager. I would speak with him every 2–3 weeks.

What did you find most impressive about ITechArt?

There was no management layer between us and iTechArt’s people, which was a very good structure. Some of the individuals on the team were very good technically. They were excited to be on the team. Their developers also had internal support from like-minded developers on other projects.

Are there any areas ITechArt could improve?

The only thing I ever told them to improve on was that they didn’t really have candidates on the test engineering front. Their testers do manual testing, which is fine for some things, but eventually, you want automated testing.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with ITechArt?

I think they’d be in good hands.