In February 2013, AgilityFeat began working with a U.S.-based edtech company that builds certification tools and professional development products for teachers. That engagement has grown into a partnership now in its 13th year.
The initial engagement was a nearshore development project to modernize the company’s legacy systems and support its growth from startup to established player.
We later transferred some team members directly onto the client’s payroll (based on the Transfer principle of our Build-Operate-Transfer model), while a separate group of developers, Scrum Masters, and QA specialists was embedded as an extension of the client’s team in a nearshore staff augmentation relationship. That arrangement is still active today, 13 years after it started. It’s one example of what nearshore staffing can look like when the model is allowed to evolve over time.
Initial Project Engagement: Legacy System Modernization and Process Simplification
The client needed to modernize legacy systems while continuing to serve existing customers and expand into new ones. AgilityFeat opened the engagement with a full week on-site at the client’s headquarters, working directly with their team to understand the product, the users, and the pain points on both the customer-facing and internal development sides.
That on-site assessment shaped everything that followed. It gave AgilityFeat a clear picture of the client’s mission and let both teams agree on priorities before any code changed.
A Custom Nearshore Team Built to Evolve
AgilityFeat’s engagement has moved through several phases over 13 years:
- Design and development services paired with agile consulting to reset how the client’s technical organization worked
- Rebuilding and reimagining core products, improving user experience, technical architecture, and reducing support issues
- Transferring some developers directly onto the client’s payroll under the Transfer stage of AgilityFeat’s Build-Operate-Transfer model, while others continued as nearshore contractors under a staff augmentation model
- An ongoing nearshore team of developers, Scrum Masters, and QA specialists working remotely across Latin America, supporting the client’s technical organization to this day
Key Success Factors
- Collaborative approach. AgilityFeat became an extension of the client’s team rather than an outside vendor. The client’s own staff have described the remote team’s communication and responsiveness as indistinguishable from an in-house team.
- Agile expertise. AgilityFeat brought coding and development skill along with agile methodology experience, helping the client adopt and refine its own agile processes over time.
- Cultural compatibility. Aligned company cultures made collaboration work even through difficult conversations.
- In-person connection. The initial on-site week set the tone for the partnership. AgilityFeat’s Latin American team members have made repeat trips to the client’s U.S. headquarters since, and AgilityFeat helped organize company off-sites where U.S. and Latin American team members combined strategic planning sessions with time to build relationships in person.
Results and Business Impact
Over 13 years, this partnership has delivered:
- A rebuilt product with a stronger technical architecture, better user experience, and fewer support issues
- Infrastructure capable of supporting the client’s transition from an early-stage startup to a growth-stage company
- A nearshore team with continuity across more than a decade
- A flexible staffing model that has shifted between staff augmentation and direct transfer as the client’s needs changed
Looking Ahead
The partnership continues, with AgilityFeat’s nearshore team still supporting the client’s technical organization today.
For companies weighing legacy system modernization or looking to build a dedicated nearshore dev team, this is one example of what a nearshore staffing relationship can look like.
Contact us to Build Your Team.
