IT CRAFT

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a business specialized in an emerging technology, namely crowdsourcing and crowdfunding novels.

What is your position?

I'm the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT Craft?

Part of our strategy involved developing a leading information portal as a way of branding ourselves as an establishing network. I hired IT Craft to build our web-based information portal. It included a large element of crowdsourcing information. There was a lot of technology built into the platform to allow the community to upload content. It was a sort of collaborative information sharing portal. It later established itself as the leading portal in this space.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

The technology they used was PHP, if I remember correctly, with MySQL databases. There was a team of six to eight people at its peak. They had a typical project team, consisting of a project manager, developers, and engineers for building the internal code, designers, and QA [quality assurance] testers. We then had an account manager, Tanya. We had Alex, the project manager, and he was very head on. We would speak to him on a regular basis. They would bring different people into the project, depending on what the current issue was.

We were based in Los Angeles, and they were in Kiev. Obviously, there was a big time difference. That was a limiting factor at times in the beginning, but we eventually got into a good workflow and it was fine.

How did you come to work with IT Craft?

I have a professional consulting background, with many years' experience in helping large companies make procurement decisions, mostly in IT [information technology]. I applied the sort of methodology that we deployed for those large companies. I contacted about eight contractors, selected four, out of which IT Craft and one or two others bid for the actual work.

I've had alot of experience in terms of how to manage the process, and how to sift the potential candidates.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was around $150.000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They only worked on the portal. However, the project's about five years old, and they've supported us from day one. They were involved from the conceptual design to the creation of a very detailed system management specification. We've also had a major facelift, which was another big piece of work. They've continued to support, maintain, and enhance it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The first thing to talk about would be my experience with them as a vendor. I was a professional purchaser coming into this, so I have high standards in terms of what I want. When we started the process, it was very structured. They built a 150-page document that very clearly outlined the details of the project from a design and engineering point of view. When our relationship was new, it was regimented around that. As time progressed, my confidence in them grew very high, and we moved to an agile development methodology. Progressively, I felt that they're an efficient company, and everything they built always worked. I can't remember anything that they built and didn't work after their extensive testing. They were very flexible with us after changing our minds on certain items. After a couple of years, I came to trust them so much that we didn't even go through specifications in a formal way. We were literally using agile techniques to build as we went.

Everything worked. They were certainly able to manage the time differences, so that never became an issue. They tend to start late in the day, and work late into the evening, so they found a good working window. They're very accessible.

They have an interesting style and culture. They don't move on until they understand exactly what you want. They took things very seriously. Sometimes, they felt like they might have misunderstood something, so they would keep my team on the phone until they'd understood it thoroughly.

How did IT Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was delivered before the project deadlines, and I don't believe they ever overbilled me. They've been very efficient with their time, and they always have very good justification for the work they do.

I can't remember specific names of tools we used, but we had ticketing systems. They're very regimented. They have a release methodology, and you're able to see the product in testing, before going into production.

At this scale, there are many entrepreneurs trying to build platforms, who have little experience with the technical work itself and with managing vendors. In this instance, even though I had much experience to apply, they'd be a good find for someone less so than me, in so much as the controls and methodology they use provide a framework within which lesser-experienced people can understand the work and watch its progression.

Is there anything IT Craft could have improved or done differently?

It's been some time since our last collaboration. Our relationship, at the moment, is minimal. I don't have a vested interest in overselling them but, apart from the fact that they have no sense of humor at all (which is sometimes not a bad thing because you know they're focused on the work), there isn't a lot I could say to criticize them. They've been very flexible, and they stayed with the business through bad times and good. They deliver what they say they will and don't overcharge you. I can't make up something bad to say.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I have a tracking and analytics product for marketers, which has been under development for a number of years. It’s kind of like Bitly, but designed specifically for marketers, with every type of link redirect in one place.

What is your position?

I’m the owner of the startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT Craft?

I had written the first version by myself, and I was running out of time to do other things. There was just way too much on my plate and it was overwhelming. I needed to get some competent developers involved to create a few new features and functionalities for me.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

The project wasn’t just making a website or an app, it was actually about inventing a new technology that I’d come up with conceptually. I worked with them, and they made it. I’ve since hired them to develop my custom software from that point on. For the past several years, I’ve had one person from IT Craft working for me full-time.

How did you come to work with IT Craft?

I posted a job on Elance for some server administrator tasks, and I hired them to do that work. They told me that they also do development, so I went back to them when I needed to leverage some development resources. At the time, outsourcing to Ukraine was quite cost-effective. I knew they had server admin people, and the project involved dealing with a lot of servers. It made sense to rope them in for this new piece of work.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I had one guy working full-time for a year at $15 an hour.

What is the status of this engagement?

The original version was launched in July 15, 2006.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The application was voted by customers as the best internet marketing product and won the Internet Marketing Product of the Year Award. The main work they did was on the installer, which allowed us to install the application directly from our server to our customers’ servers. Instead of having to download, then unzip it and configure it, they were able to do it within two minutes. Before they built the installer, the process wasn’t something that potential customers were willing to invest time in. I couldn’t even give it away. The installer completely removed that barrier to entry, and it went on to win that award. It was very technically challenging and had never been done before. IT Craft is the reason it happened, so I’m very pleased overall.

How did IT Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

When you’re inventing new stuff, it’s hard to put a definitive deadline and budget on it. You don’t know what challenges you’re going to encounter or how it’s going to be resolved. You’re basically blind and you figure it out as you go. You’ve got theories and ideas, but it’s not something you can accurately scope out or estimate.

What distinguishes IT Craft from other providers?

I’ve used over a dozen outsourcing firms, and I may get something done cheaper, but I always regret it. I’ve easily lost $100,000 with firms that just vanish overnight. With IT Craft, I’ve had the same people working on my team for nine years now, with no turnover. They’re very loyal and exceptionally talented.

They speak English well and take English lessons twice a week. They’re trained in numerous technologies. There are a number of things that are very different with them. The other firms I’ve worked with around the world have been disastrous at worst and misguided at best, but these guys have been consistently available, predictable and skilled. If they take sick days during the week, they come in on the weekends to make up the time. They’re loyal almost to a fault. 

Is there anything IT Craft could have improved or done differently?

There are always things people can improve upon, but I don’t have anything specific based on my own experience. I can tell you that because we have such a good relationship, I can easily bring things up to them, give them feedback, and expect them to take it into consideration for the future. They’re very good about adapting to client needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

It's a family organization, and we have six different retail businesses. Three of them are in the camera industry, and the other ones are scuba diving and camping. For the camera businesses, we do retail for photo equipment and rentals. In the scuba diving and camping businesses, it's retail only.

What is your position?

I'm the chief technology officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT Craft?

The scope of was small. We were working with a different agency beforehand, and we were very disappointed in their service. When we first decided to engage IT Craft, we gave them a small project to demo their skills. It was a fixed-price project, and they delivered on time and within our specified budget so we kept going from there. At some point later, we felt comfortable cutting the cord with the previous agency and starting working exclusively with IT Craft. We've worked with them ever since.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

We started out with two people, and today we are close to having the people full-time. We began with .NET development and it grew quickly into a continuous integration dynamic and a 24/7 monitoring team. We hired help from them for our system administrators. Today, they maintain a big part of our data center. We also have their division of PHP helping. We are using them as our main resource for pushing everything outside of the company. We outsource to them whatever we can.

I designed the team in a way that we have a unit in-house for project management, business analysis, and the UX [user experience] design. When it comes to development, testing, and monitoring, IT Craft is doing it all. The planning is done in-house, and the execution is done by IT Craft.

How did you come to work with IT Craft?

We rely on our internal team members with everything. When we have to hire, we prefer to hire people recommended by one of our in-house team members. We had interviewed, and we tried to do the research on new companies. One of our team members told us that his father works for an agency that is brilliant. What convinced me personally, back then, to give them a chance was that his father told me that they consider every project as if this was the first project for the company. This is something that I can confirm is still true today, and this is what convinced me to join them. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

In 2015, it will be in the range of $2.5 to $3 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2011, and we continue to use them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Every year, customers are grading the online stores in the United States. In 2014, we were number four, and there's a reason for that. All of our businesses are using the very same platform, which IT Craft developed from scratch. They started at the end of 2011 to rebuild everything and, at this point in time, it's 99 percent rebuilt.

The technical challenges of using the same platform for multiple companies is significant. It's as if you were developing your own open-source project. They were successful in building a platform like this and keeping it efficient, reliable and scalable. This means adding new features, maintaining, and making a high-performance website, which has great performance speeds. This gives me some indication about their quality.

One important thing is that we started a project back in May of this year [2015] with the goal to cut 50 percent of the load time on the site. We started at 6.85 seconds on average and, right now, they are 3.9. This is huge, and this is another measurable that I see with them.

Budget-wise, with several optimizations still in progress, we've got some improvements in 2015, about 1.65 seconds off of performance speeds, and one of them is 35 percent more for the same budget. In reality, due to the budget increase, we delivered more than twice as many projects as we delivered in 2014. This is also significant.

As with every offshore company, they are a resource. You can't just put in a quarter and get a Coke. It doesn't work that way. You have to work with them daily, and you have visit to their offices a few times a year. To be successful, you need to treat them as team members. The more they are going to be part of the game, the more successful both they and you will be.

How did IT Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

I give them many fixed-price projects. IT Craft has never, ever violated a budget or a deadline of a fixed-price project. Of course, when you're talking about time and materials, we had some expectations that were not always met. However, as we got more realistic and got to know them better, we got more accurate about the regular deadlines, not only fixed-price projects. I would say we are doing about 30 to 40 percent of our projects as fixed price, and the rest is time and materials. We use JIRA and JIRA agile boards as our main tools.

What distinguishes IT Craft from other providers?

I think I can summarize this with two points. Point number one, they take every single project with a beginner's mind. This is a great approach. I've worked with many companies, and usually you are just another item on a checklist that doesn't get checked off. With them, it's different. They consider who the best person is to manage this specific project, and I like that.

My second point is that they are realistic. They never promise something they don't believe is going to happen. This allows me to rely on them, and I know that when they do promise something, they will be able to deliver. The front-end of our scuba diving site was rebuilt by IT Craft. They gave us a promise towards the end of July 2013, that it would be live on November 1, 2013.

If we didn't trust them, we wouldn't have funded the project because it didn't make any sense that this could happen. However, the site was live on November 1. It was disabled because the company had problems providing data, so we enabled it on November 8, just in time for the holidays, and we had our best holiday season ever. Nobody believed this was going to happen, but they delivered it on time. These are the two things that I like about them more than other agencies.

Is there anything IT Craft could have improved or done differently?

I'll share two points I see. First of all, I have found myself needing to shake up QA [quality assurance] every six or seven months in the beginning. Everything was fine and progressing, and then we had a release that was problematic. I had to shake up the QA, then everything was fine for another six or seven months, and then I needed to shake them up again. This happened twice in the past.

Since then, I've been doing two things. First of all, I have a monthly meeting with the QA team, so it's never happened again. I don't want to imagine what would happen if I were not doing these meetings. The second thing is, we have a lot of information today. QA has fresh work to do and not the same testing again and again, so it doesn't happen anymore.

The second bad experience was due to bad users, and this was before we hired them for the 24/7 monitoring. Now the monitoring is owning the website, and they take care of every outage immediately. They implement tools for 0 percent downtime. Before that, sometimes they were not reliable in getting emergency support calls. I complained many times about it, and then they gave us the 24/7 service. However, we realize that they're human beings, and we cannot keep them up all night. We eventually hired the sysadmin [system administration] division, and now it's 24/7 monitoring. I can say that, on a scale of one to 10, we are now at a nine for our satisfaction. We have never been satisfied with our technology team as we are today.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a multinational biopharmaceutical company that offers a wide range of specialized medicines and clinical treatments as well as operates research and development facilities.

What is your position?

I'm a digital experience manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT Craft?

We had a series of very complex projects that required a lot more resources than we had available to us. As a result, we decided to find a company to partner with so we could leverage their expertise and capabilities. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Originally, IT Craft developed the website, and I was coordinating the project from Australia for a Danish client in the United Kingdom. IT Craft developed the entire portal from scratch, including the design.

They also developed from scratch a server-side application for my former employer in Australia. The application was browser-based and enabled us to create customized materials on the fly and utilizing preloaded graphics that we could move around the page.

We were also able to insert text and populate certain areas of the material that we were creating online dynamically. The output was a high-resolution PDF that we would then send to a printer.

They developed several online ordering websites for one of my clients. Simple ordering platforms with a CMS [content management system] for corporations to place orders with my client, which is a provider of staff uniforms. They have also developed ad hoc applications. 

How did you come to work with IT Craft?

They were referred to us while we were in search of vendors. We roped them into our evaluation process, and we felt they would be the best fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We maintain an ongoing relationship with them. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback from their involvement?

I don't have any exact figures to share. Some of the projects they were involved with didn't lend themselves to that kind of evaluation. For the most part, we have been very satisfied with their work. Our own clients have been impressed with the level of craftsmanship involved, and we've rarely had problems with bugs or defects. They do happen, of course, but they are usually resolved very quickly. 

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm always very happy with the service that IT Craft has provided me on an ongoing basis for the past five years. It's been a very successful partnership. 

Are there areas in which you think they could improve, or done differently?

Providing more accurate timing estimations would be the only thing. It isn't always necessarily on them because there were a few times when they needed documents or information from us, and we were delaying the process. But, it's always nice to have a good idea of when things will be completed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We operate SoundToast, a social music collaboration platform. Users can access the product through our website or by using the iPhone or Android apps. SoundToast offers a niche community, audio tools, and workflows tailored for remote collaboration. Musicians of all levels of mastery can participate in projects or start their own. It lets people easily share their recordings, jam sessions or the whole project privately with their friends or publicly to receive feedback from the wider community. We are currently in the production development phase.

What is your position?

I am the owner and CEO. On the technical side, I lead the product design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT CRAFT?

The SoundToast collaboration workflow is designed in such a way that users are provided only with the tools they require at a specific moment, nothing more. Therefore, we needed to create a suit of audio recording and processing functions that can be combined and fitted as smart audio tools for the specific project situation. We had to conduct research around available technologies and create a proof of concept before we rewrite and integrate the code into the staging environment. traditional outsourcing was not an option for us. We needed a remote team able to actually collaborate with us for a long period of time, initially to validate the proof of concept and then to build the functional components.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in more detail.

They collaborated with us throughout most of the process. We came to IT CRAFT with our proof of concept, but it was with them that we figured out the product specifications and really fleshed out the technical requirements, features, and timeline. They handled all of the technical development and the user testing. We would receive a finalized component and be able to test it ourselves and then give them feedback on feature improvements, bugs, and user interface workflows.

How did you come to work with IT CRAFT?

We needed both HTML5 and Flash versions of the same tools. Because Flash has been around for a long time, it wasn't too difficult to get specialized developers that had a lot of experience working with the audio configuration. On the other hand, HTML5 audio wasn't something we were as familiar with. Through our search, we soon realized that we are not looking for an HTML5 audio specialist but for a team of multidisciplined, creative developers that like exploring and building new solutions. After evaluating about a dozen responses to our project statement, IT CRAFT was the one who came up with a list of what they can do, what restrictions they expect and what they needed to check. They had no previous audio expertise, but they were proactive enough to read some relevant documentation and also consult with audio engineers.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We are currently at around $30,000 and increasing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with IT CRAFT on validating our proof of concept in February 2014. We are currently working on different areas of the project with them, including HTML5 audio tools, Ruby on Rails development, Heroku integration, visual design, and mobile development. We definitely plan to keep using them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did IT CRAFT perform from a project management standpoint?

SoundToast wasn't really a project that can simply be outsourced and managed. From my experience, I can recommend IT CRAFT to those who have some challenging and creative development initiatives that last for extended periods. I was lucky to have worked with a fantastic team for 18 months continuously. The more time we spend together, the faster we got and the more their communication improved. Once the payment and communication system is set on mutual trust, you can really collaborate with those high-value minds and get fantastic results while enjoying the process.

All messages are responded to in a timely manner and informational exchange within and among projects was flawless. Both customer relations and developers do their best to help you out with your deadlines, but I suggest leaving some more room, if possible, because your patience will be rewarded with high-quality work.

What distinguishes IT CRAFT from other providers?

Based on the current standing of the project, I can testify to the fact that they surely have exceptional capabilities when it comes to integrating HTML5 Audio into a custom Heroku environment. With IT CRAFT, we did not just work on a finished product design. We built the platform from proof of concept to an end product. IT CRAFT really excels when it comes to challenging and dynamic development projects. Most of all, you can tell the responsibility, joy, and confidence from the results they deliver. It's high quality.

What advice, if any, would you give to a future client of theirs?

Definitely be able to explain the ultimate goal and the intention as early and clearly as possible and use collaboration tools well. Plan in advance for the next milestones and give continuous feedback. If you do this, they will probably meet or exceed your expectations. My IT CRAFT team always comes up with insightful suggestions, ideas, warnings, and feedback. They can take on challenging initiatives and they are bold enough to take the lead whenever required.

In hindsight, is there anything IT CRAFT could have improved or done differently?

No. We initially needed some time to get the remote collaborative system working as efficiently as possible, but that's just a part of the process. Once we had a workflow established, it was very smooth sailing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a U.K.-based company called SharpeDezine. We also have a company in the Netherlands. We work in the entertainment industry, and we build websites.

What is your position?

I am the managing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT Craft?

One of our flagship sites is a social networking site. We started the website in 1999. We moved toward using social to gain new users in about 2005. In about 2013 or 2014, we wanted to upgrade our legacy systems because we wanted to make use of newer technology and have a better workflow.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with IT Craft?

We looked at quite a few companies to do this. There were a few companies that were cheaper than IT Craft, but IT Craft just seemed to ask us the right questions about what we were trying to do, and what we were trying to achieve. They had more detailed questions about our business, our current workflow, and how we felt it could be better. They also made suggestions on how they felt our workflow could be improved. I've been working with developers since 1999, and I like developers who ask a lot of questions. It means that they are willing to learn a little bit more about my business so there are no surprises. IT Craft took the time to understand what we were trying to achieve.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We are talking about anywhere between $40,000 and $50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2014, and we are still working with them. They've just worked with us on one project, and we do want to work with them again. We have other things we want to do in the future, and we will definitely work with them in the future to get that done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did IT Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

I didn't have the entire codebase, but just core items out of bigger blocks of code. I had them evaluated by an in-house developer, and he said the code is very good. They used a lot of best practices, and I like the way they work.

Initially, they were giving me daily reports. Every day, I'd get an email from the project lead telling me what they've done. For me, personally, it was hard to digest smaller chunks and keep a tag of what was done and what wasn't done, so I had them revert to weekly reports. They were receptive to that and did that really well.

IT Craft goes out of their way to make sure that they've got a very detailed understanding of what needs to be done. Their SRS [software requirement specifications] are brilliant; I can refer back to it at any time and point out some small bit of the project that they forgot. They're just really easy to work with.

What distinguishes IT Craft from other providers?

Their communications are very timely. If I had a question during work hours, I would generally receive an answer back the same day. I usually keep really long hours, so if I thought about something to ask them later on in the day when they weren't working, I'd get an answer first thing the next morning. Their communications are excellent. I've worked with so many developers and, for some reason, developers seem to have this knack of being really bad at communicating.

They have a salesperson that I first spoke with, and then they have the lead developer who managed the team that was handling my project. The salesperson was in touch with me as well. She would email me every few days asking if everything was going according to plan, making sure that I was happy. She didn't just sell me the company and move on to the next prospect. She checked up with me throughout, always asked me if I was happy and if things were going according to plan, which I thought was a nice touch.

Is there anything IT Craft could have improved or done differently?

No. Not really. This is one of the few times when I've actually been happy with a provider. It honestly is. I've worked with quite a few developers and lost money with several. This is one of those times when I can honestly say that I'm happy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a Web-based medical correspondent management platform. We help health care providers that have to release protected health information to other individuals when they receive an authorization and request.

What is your position?

I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with IT Craft?

We needed to get our platform built. Originally, we had hired another developer, but he did not have the expertise to build our ASP.Net application. After that, I turned to Elance and that's where I found IT Craft. The initial challenge was getting the first version of our website built.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Our company was a BizSpark startup, so Microsoft provided us with the tools and platform and technology. Because we were dealing with protected health information, security, and data encryption was essential for us. We used SQL servers because they have the most robust platform for securing information. Because we used SQL we had to use ASP.NET as the front-end application.

The visual design was the result of collaboration between IT Craft, and myself and we worked together on the layout, look, design, and feel of the user interface. I gave them the wireframes and templates that they ultimately implemented.

They provided me with a finished product, which we reviewed to make sure that it was what we needed. There was a lot of time and effort put into the first version to make sure it was done correctly. IT Craft had a project manager, QA [quality assurance] specialists, and developers. The issues were never about functionality, the issue was always about implementing a vision. They always delivered everything to spec pretty well.

How did you come to work with IT Craft?

When I fired the first development team, I went to Elance and I searched for Eastern European developers. I posted a project and got three good responses. I paid the three firms to do a code review based on what the previous development team had done.

IT Craft came back with the best proposal. They liked the database design, but said that they would want to scrap the code even though they could have worked with it. I thought that was a well-thought out path, and that's what got them the initial contract. Since then, we've done multiple versions and iterations of the software. When I chose them, I was looking for a long-term development partner.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I don't have any exact figures, but we've spent a lot of money with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our relationship is ongoing. We've been working with them since February 2010, so it's been an extensive relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

In terms of pricing, their cost estimates have been pretty spot on. For the most part, during the five years we've worked with them, the budget was always within 10 percent of what their forecasts were. I would say any IT [information technology] project that's within 10 percent of the estimated budget, even with changes, and on a consistent basis, is a good metric.

Concerning their code, I'm not a developer myself, but people who I trust that do know a lot about code say IT Craft's code is very clean, professional, maintainable, and well-documented.

In terms of usability, there are always things you can do better. Software is always evolving and as new technologies or new methodologies come into play, we try to implement them on an intelligent basis.

How did IT Craft perform from a project management standpoint?

There weren't really any issues with delays. They've always had resources available in a timely manner.

I filled the project management role. Initially, we used Elance to manage the project. Then, we used a program called Mantis, and now we use Redmine for bug tracking and features. They've always been accessible to us. Communication has been easy with email, chat, and Skype, and that has been critical. When there's something wrong, I take a snapshot of my screen and send it to them as a JPEG file. They're good at communication, considering English is not their first language. Also, they make their upper management available on the technical side. I have a relationship with their CTO [chief technology officer]. If something isn't working, I'll send him an email, and he steps in and communicates the issue to the team.

What distinguishes IT Craft from other providers?

It took a while to build our relationship with them. They were afraid that when I requested changes that were not in the original scope or they did something that needed to be reworked, that they wouldn't be paid for it. Once they understood that I would pay them and they could worry less, our relationship became really good.

I always felt that IT Craft invested a lot of time and effort, they were always truthful, always upfront about things, and never hid anything from us. I don't have a lot of experience with other outsourced developers because I found one that works for our company, and like I said, we've worked with them for more than five years now, and I don't see that changing. Many times, they've provided input and suggestions around ways to implement our solutions better. I think that stands out because it makes them more of a partner and less of a traditional vendor. If you ask them to give feedback, they will. If you don't want it, they won't.

Bottom line, I think they do a great job. They bring excellent value and they're conscientious of their clients' needs, objectives and limitations. They were a very good cultural fit for somebody that lives in a Western society.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

It's hard to say because they've really been a solid partner. When we migrated the servers last time, we had a lot of latent issues during the server migration. They spent a lot of time figuring that out. Even though server configurations and hardcore IT infrastructure may not be their forte, IT Craft worked with us to get the problem solved as best as possible.

I would also recommend that they become a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner if they can. I think that would give them a lot of leverage in the marketplace. I think they produce code and services on that level. I think it would help their business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive of The Download, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

BibleLytics is a faith-based wellness app, that bridges that gap between your emotions and the Bible. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IT CRAFT to accomplish?

• Create mobile application

SOLUTION

How did you find IT CRAFT?

Online Search

Why did you select IT CRAFT over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Personable client partnership manager

How many teammates from IT CRAFT were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

• Design Phase
• Landing Page Functionality
• Web application for Admin (Dashboard)
• Bible App Mobile Application

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Completion of milestone based on timeline
• Consistent communcation for feeedback loop
• Weekly meetings
• Open communication 
• Transaparent communcation 

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

Vlad(project manager)was extremely procative and professional. He understood the vision from the beginning. All milestones were met in a timely fashion, and if there were any issues with my requests, he made it very clear on whether or not they were within scope. He never heistated to ask questions for clarity and ensured that I was comfortable with moving forward with next steps. 

What was your primary form of communication with IT CRAFT?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I partnered with IT CRAFT to develop a mobile application, and the experience exceeded my expectations from start to finish. Their end-to-end app expertise was clearly exhibited in every phase of the project, from initial discovery and strategy to deployment and post-launch support. I was completely new to this process, so it felt comforting to have such a supportive team, who understood my vision from the very beginning. Overall, I highly recommend IT Craft to any organization seeking innovation, quality, and a truly strategic digital partner. Thank you Kate and Vlad! You’re the best! 

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

For the design phase, I wish there was a bit more creativity. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-founder of Dream One Project SRL

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Dream One Project is building a fantasy motorsport app that helps racing fans compete with friends and enjoy the sport in a new interactive way

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IT CRAFT to accomplish?

• App validation
• MVP
• App launch

SOLUTION

How did you find IT CRAFT?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select IT CRAFT over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from IT CRAFT were assigned to this project?

10-15

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

IT Craft handled the full MVP development process, including:

• Business Analysis and UI/UX design
• iOS mobile app development
• Backend development and API setup
• Infrastructure setup (AWS, Docker)
• QA testing
• Project management and launch preparation

The main deliverable was a fully functional reduced MVP with core fantasy features, user management, scoring logic, and backend infrastructure ready for beta launch

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The MVP was delivered in accordance with the agreed-upon scope and timeline. We received a working product that allowed us to start market validation and prepare for user onboarding.

The BA phase helped clarify our product vision and create a clear roadmap for development

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

Their project management was structured and professional. The team followed a clear sprint structure with defined milestones, which kept the project organized and on track. They delivered on time and were proactive in recommending improvements. Communication was smooth, fast, and very professional throughout the engagement. For the next phase of app development, a specific deadline had been agreed upon in advance, and the team completed and delivered the work ahead of schedule, demonstrating strong planning, efficiency, and commitment to results.

What was your primary form of communication with IT CRAFT?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They have deep expertise in fantasy sports development. They understand both the technical and business sides of sports apps.

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

Nothing to add here. We are satisfied with the cooperation and would recommend IT Craft as a reliable development partner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of NJ Vipers

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a youth sports softball organization  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire IT CRAFT to accomplish?

• Mobile App
• Website Design

SOLUTION

How did you find IT CRAFT?

Online Search

Why did you select IT CRAFT over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Service & Personal Connection

How many teammates from IT CRAFT were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Mobile App copncept, design & launch via App Store.  Company website design 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Project scope and many delivery dates and most to all were hit on time or early.  

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

Yes.  On time or early 

What was your primary form of communication with IT CRAFT?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their follow-up and communication were outstanding.

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

nothing that I would improve...they are awesome!