Polcode

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Development Director of Spider Design, Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Spidr Design specializes in supporting corporate marketing department with digital solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Polcode to accomplish?

• We needed to develop a custom kiosk solution in a very short timeframe.

SOLUTION

How did you find Polcode?

Upwork

Why did you select Polcode over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Team depth

How many teammates from Polcode were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The need was to development a custom kiosk application with map interface to help the customers find a dealership in their area. The customer selects State/Province which to serve up information cards, including QR code / VCard with dealership information. 

Challenge at the trade show: low-to-no internet connectivity, so this solution needed to run locally on the provided Windows OS machines. Data refresh was required periodically based on last minute client requests. 

Deliverables included: 

• frontend design
• UX design
• frontend development
• application development
• a custom content management system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team's top metric was meeting the very short deadline. We had only a 4 weeks to come up with a working design and full application!

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

All items were delivered on time and as soon as possible. Each designer, developer left daily status updates to keep the project on track.

What was your primary form of communication with Polcode?

Email or Messaging App

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

They dig into the work and seem to enjoy the challenges presented.

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

Polcode did everything right... if there was anything that could have been done differently I would have to direct that to my team : )

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

As founder of BizzyOwl I am involved in the start of a completely new online application. I was involved in all steps of the process from structure, design to development issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Polcode was involved in the full development of the online App, the aim was to properly connect the various models and methodologies within a stable and clear online environment. And make it work as a synergy.

SOLUTION

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

After a selection of a few suppliers, it was decided to discuss further with Polcode. Flexibility, accessibility and Polcode's advice were the deciding factors.

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

After an extensive workshop we came to an agreement about the project details and the route. The application has been worked on in various phases. Each sprint was discussed in advance and assessed and discussed behind. Development is mainly done in PHP Laravel environment and SQL.

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

In total about 8 people have been involved in this project, as far as I have been in contact with them. From project and account managers to developers and specialized hosting and server specialists. The accessibility of specialists in the various fields is one of the reasons for choosing Polcode.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a new project, there is no measurable development to report, other than an achieved end result. Many further development and expansion phases will follow in the near future, but this is part of the business case.

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

I really appreciated their open and accessible management style. In an open conversation with project management, a project high about, to more detail with account manager and developers have helped to make this project more complete. Wherever it was always openly discussed what is feasible and essential.

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

the structure that was offered to properly discuss the sprints in advance in open feedback conversations. In addition to the extensive workshop prior to the project, this feedback resulted in the application being developed in a more complete and well-thought-out manner. Also with a view to future developments.

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

With a new project it is of course difficult to estimate exactly how much work is required to complete the tool. The link between what the client devises can be precisely translated into the UX design.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are the developer of a brain-sensing headband designed to offer real-time feedback on brain activity during meditation and sleep and insightful tracking over time. I'm the Software Engineering Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were starting the development of a new system that would require a Senior Ruby on Rails developer.

SOLUTION

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

We worked with Polcode before on other projects with great results and positive feedback from the team so we reached out to them when the new project came up.

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

The project involved the following main phases:

• set up the staging and production environments for the new Application.
• set up the CI/CD flow.
• development of API endpoints for data ingestion from the different third-party SaaS services.
• development of a dashboard UI, including the Customer Care dashboard and reports.
• development of content groups and tagging solutions to support our CMS.

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

1 Full-stack Ruby on Rails Developer working with us for the whole duration of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nothing to add here at the moment.

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

We had weekly sync meetings with the developer allocated to the project. We used Slack and Jira to coordinate and prioritize the work and releases to production which worked well for us.

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

Experienced developers that learn and adapt quickly to a new project. They are easy to work with.

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

I have nothing to add here.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a telecom services provider as a senior UI designer and developer for our enterprise SaaS portal.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We were trying to rapidly develop our SaaS platform with new features and capabilities. We have a very small, inexperienced team in-house, so we were looking to Polcode to add development capabilities and speed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Starting with the technology first, our website and platform runs on PHP Laravel, so we were looking for Laravel developers. Our assigned developer from Polcode works in an off-shore model, creating prototypes and concepts for us, but also coming behind the curtain and helping with code review and improvement, including with speed performance and the UX.

Pretty much everything we’ve done has been from scratch, but we did use a Bootstrap template as the base of the frontend. We’ve customized it heavily, however, and now, three years later, it’s no longer representative of the template.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 2–3 account managers, not including our one developer. We’re looking to add another developer currently. We’ve also interacted with a server expert who’s helped with the configuration of and troubleshooting on our web server.  

How did you come to work with Polcode?

We reached out to them through UpWork, and I met with one of their managers. They found a Laravel developer that seemed like a good match. They are also strong in HTML and JavaScript, which our site also use.

There was a very short onboarding process. The developer understood our project quickly and was able to install our project in their environment very quickly, contributing within a few days of us engaging them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $90,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work has been great, with a lot of it serving as templates for our developers to implement similar features with. We’ve been very happy with Polcode and our assigned developer.

I’m not privy to how much we’re making through the portal as a business, but I know we’ve obtained many more customers since Polcode came onboard. We’re very pleased with their work and are as satisfied as we could be. The portal wouldn’t be as feature rich and capable if we’d done it without Polcode.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s very easy to communicate with them. We speak through Trello and instant messaging, and GitHub acts as our code repository.

They’re very responsive. I can talk directly to the developer whenever I want, and they work later hours being over in Europe. They’ve adjusted to my schedule nicely.

We don’t have very strict timelines, and I know things are being done as fast as they can be. I’m happy with the turnaround.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The competency and expertise of their developers stands out. Their people are very qualified and knowledgeable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. I don’t have any suggestions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very specific in who you’re looking for and what skills you want them to have. After that, give them as much work as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of startup. We have created a marketplace for healthcare jobs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

I needed somebody with programming or coding ability to set up a website with a simple, straightforward, and intuitive interface.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Polcode developed our website using Laravel. While most of the content comes from our end, they’ve been extremely helpful at filling in the gaps.

What is the team composition?

I work with two people, including a programmer. Joanna (IT Business Manager) helps streamline the communication between the programmer and someone like myself, who has the vision, but not necessarily the language. She does an excellent job.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

I’d looked into taking on another endeavor. It wasn’t financially ready at the time, but I put my feelers out on Upworthy. Multiple people replied, including Polcode. Their approach made me feel comfortable: they were transparent as to what the cost might be, and they only provided estimatations after thoroughly looking into what I was hoping to achieve. They were also very timely in getting back to me.

When I began working on this project, I initially went with another firm. We agreed upon a contract, and they worked as hard as they could to deliver. However, I wasn’t fully satisfied, especially with the communication. I remembered how effective Polcode was at communicating, so I circled back to them.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

While we’ve been formally working together for 5–6 months, we’ve had a relationship for over a year. They took over this project in June 2020, and it’s ongoing. We will hopefully wrap up within the next two months. They’ve looked at taking on other projects for me as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Because we haven’t launched yet, I don’t have any user feedback. However, whenever we’ve met to discuss expectations and next steps, they’ve met if not beaten the timeline 100% of the time. They also give me timely feedback.

Working with the previous provider was a challenge, whereas Polcode is committed to being timely. 

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Polcode has been very transparent about expected resources and time allocation. They manage the project very well. They understand my limitations; I’m not a programmer, so I don’t speak their language. However, they always speak in a language I can understand when discussing tasks. They let me know how many hours the task will take and what date they can deliver by. Then, they deliver and bill me.

They communicate throughout the process. I let them know what I’m envisioning, and we have a conversation about what’s feasible and what’s not. They not only let me know what to expect from the deliverable but also communicate once they’ve completed something. Then, they give me time to look at what they’ve done to make sure it’s to my satisfaction.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparency is impressive. I made my budget limitations clear, and I think there have been times when they could have tried to charge me more to optimize a deliverable. Instead, they make it very clear what the cost will be, and they give me time to think about whether or not I’ll have those resources. Then, we move forward. 

The transparency has been huge because I’ve never felt that I’m not in control of my spending. At the same time, the quality of the work that they put in and the quality of the product that I get back haven’t been compromised. Although they’re not being paid to collaborate, they lend their expertise where they can. That’s part of what makes me really happy to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My lack of experience makes this difficult to answer.

Any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of their willingness to discuss in the plainest terms possible what you’re hoping to achieve. They’ve demonstrated to me that they have the capacity to bring your vision to life, whether or not you have programming expertise. Having worked with the previous provider and Polcode, I’ve learned that the clearer I am with my vision and expectations, the more precisely and quicker they deliver. I’ve found myself spending more than I would like to when I don’t accurately communicate my vision. 

I strongly recommend working with Polcode. Be upfront with them regarding your budget or time constraints. They’re very flexible in finding a way to work with you, such as by providing a more affordable programmer with less experience, which won’t necessarily compromise the quality of the work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Engagement Labs is an industry-leading data and analytics firm that provides social intelligence for Fortune 500 brands and companies. The Company’s TotalSocial® platform focuses on the entire social ecosystem by combining powerful online (social media) and offline (word of mouth) data with predictive analytics. I work there as the CTO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Polcode?

We hired Polcode to augment our development team and then maintain our existing TotalSocial SAAS platform. At that point in time development workload was sporadic and we needed flexibility in resources that only Polcode could provide.

What were your goals for this project?

Goals were two-fold: on the technology-side, have a strong partner who could take on an extensive pre-existing project and make any change, fix or improvement to it.

On the management side, have the flexibility to sometimes operate with a few part-time devs and then with a full-blown team when work picks up again.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Benchmarking Polcode against a few other vendors having good reviews - but the unmatched flexibility of Polcode really was the decisive factor.

Describe the project in detail.

Extend the development team of a SAAS analytics platform (Symfony + Backbone JS) - then maintain the application as the development roadmap stalled.

What was the team composition?

For the most part, one senior back-end developer and one senior front developer. A project manager is also assigned to the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our support system shows that bugs have been fixed while respecting our SLAs. We also saw less and less issues over time - to the point that we had to stop our engagement.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Given that we still have technical know-how internally, we were able to interact with Polcode developers over Slack, as if they were in our own team. We could review commits and pull requests on Github.

Polcode has picked-up our Agile project management sofware even though they did not know of it before. It really worked seemlessly as a team augmentation.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flexibility and Quality. Flexibility as the ability to scale up and down the workforce and to adapt to our own tools, practices and workflow. The quality of their work, dedication, and professionalism set them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Can't think of any right now.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company is Trinsey Apps and we create sports applications for volleyball coaches in order to help them track statistics and coach better.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We wanted a development partner to handle simple coding and execution of our app. I was part of the Olympic volleyball coaching staff in 2016, but I didn’t have the technical skill to develop the tools that I knew coaches needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed and built two apps for us, both of which help coaches to keep track of statistics in a way that doesn’t require being a trained statistician or a really experienced coach. Originally, we developed just for iOS, but our second app is cross-platform as well.

Since then, we’ve expanded quite a bit to include a web platform that hosts a community where people can post videos or questions and interact with one another around a variety of volleyball related topics and content.

What is the team composition?

Joanna (Project Manager, Polcode) is the main person that I interface with but there are about four other members of their team working behind the scenes. Joanna coordinates with the designers and developers who have the specific skills that we need for whatever we’re working on at the time.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

I posted my project on UpWork and they submitted a good proposal, so I started working with them from there. Things went well so we expanded our involvement over time.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of the project overall has been around $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and are continuing to develop a variety of apps and functionalities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The main result I care about is the fact that we were able to smoothly develop the product and launch it, and that it has been selling since then. Users really like the product, and while we’ve obviously had to patch things, we haven’t run into any major problems with bugs, so it’s been pretty successful overall.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills are very impressive. We originally communicated through Upwork but have set up a teamwork platform that we now use to keep track of developments and make sure everyone is on the same page, which works very well for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think they are really strong communicators, which is incredibly important when you are outsourcing a project. If you’re in a different time zone, or even in a different office from a part of your team, communication is really critical, but they are always responsive and comprehensive in their messages to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the challenges of being a small team is that you may not have the developer you need right away, which can cause things to take a little bit longer. However, that’s just a side effect of how their business model works, which has its own advantages as well, so I’m not sure it’s something they really need to fix.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be clear about what you want. If I set out precise parameters of the task I’m asking them to do, then it is done very well, but if I’m vague, then there tend to be several rounds of back and forth that maybe could have been avoided.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner for workITaround, an IT company for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Polcode?

We needed someone to develop a data management system for our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Handling design and development, Polcode created the data management system according to our business requirements. We let them choose the technology because it didn’t matter to us. The technology just needed to be secure and easy to use. Their team created screen mockups and core data-collection features.

What is the team composition?

We were in contact with an account manager.

How did you come to work with Polcode?

We contacted a few Polish companies and conducted trial projects with each one. Polcode was the easiest to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested €50,000 (approximatively $54,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017, and the work is ongoing. Currently, we’re working on six projects together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re pretty happy with the results we receive from them.

How did Polcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We use email and Trello to correspond. Their team always delivers within acceptable ranges. The account manager tries her best to keep everybody happy.

We handle project management on our end by collecting business requirements and making plans. The process is very clear. First, my team goes to a customer and collects business requirements. Then, I transcribe the requirements and put them on a Trello board. Next, Polcode gives us an estimation and plan as to when they’ll be finished with developing our requested functionality.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re very happy with Polcode — that’s why we’ve stayed with them all these years. They’re flexible and always try to do their best. Processes are not always easy because of missing resources, but Polcode does their best for us and that’s good enough.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we miss or forget to answer something, they don’t send a reminder. I’ve found that they’ll just leave it alone. When it comes up again, I check and find out that they asked questions a week or two ago without sending a reminder that it was urgent.

This doesn’t happen all the time. For some projects, the account manager notifies me of urgent tasks. It’s not really negative because my team should follow up more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise them to visit Polcode in-person, this helped us a lot. Make sure to have a good understanding of your account manager.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president and executive director of a digital and social media marketing firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Polcode?

I hired them for routine maintenance and additional client support.

What were your goals for this project?

The primary goal is to make sure client websites are backed up in the event of a hosting failure.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A former web development partner recommended them upon her retirement.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They perform site backups and platform updates on a quarterly basis. They also provide on-demand website development for several clients, implementing the most current platforms and the most up-to-date security.

What was the team composition?

I work directly with a programmer and a project manager from Polcode. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I am confident that my clients are receiving excellent support and recommendations. This has allowed me to significantly expand my website development business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We communicate regularly via email, and everyone I work with is prompt and professional.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They always deliver excellent results. I especially appreciate the expertise and recommendations the programmers provide when we encounter complications. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

I love working with Polcode. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone in need of website development support.