Fively

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a Product Manager working at CYCLE. We want to revise the last mile delivery with the help of e-mobility technologies - our mission is to provide businesses and couriers with means for sustainable, fast, and safe delivery experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To build mobile and web applications (for both B2B and B2C clients), as well as develop internal tools for our operational team, we needed more specialists: a UX/UI designer to work with the layouts, and a QA engineer to carry out quality control on the projects. Our choice was to go for external experts and we hired people from Fively.

SOLUTION

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

We decided to work with them as they were recommended by our fellow engineers who had previously dealt with Fively.

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

Our system is quite complex and consists of a website and multiple apps for operational managers, mechanics, couriers, and clients. For this reason, the system has rich functionality, which we are constantly expanding and optimizing.

The QA engineer from Fively is controlling the quality of implemented features, such as company rebranding that included major redesign, multiple features to optimise mechanics' work and improve e-bikes fleet health, features for couriers such as coupons and bonus management and many more. In turn, the UX/UI specialist both created new designs and redesigned some older interfaces. They are managing tasks via Jira, Notion and ClickUp. All designs were made in Figma. For testing, the QA engineer is using DevTools, BrowserStack, Postman, and DogQ to run automated tests.

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

Now we have 2 people from Fively working with us, specifically the UX/UI designer and the QA engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work is still in progress, so it is a little bit early to talk about any substantial results. However, with the help of Fively we have already implemented and tested a couple of dozen new features (there are no complaints from end users so far) and prevented hundreds of bugs, so I can conclude they’re doing a great job. They've also created several new designs for us.

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

Even though they are not in-house employees, they are excellent at working as a part of our team. In addition to their affability, it is worth noting their professional approach to deadlines - all tasks are completed quickly and in seamlessly. Together we are rapidly making progress in developing our system. As a rule, we use Slack and Google Meet to communicate with each other.

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

Establishing trust-based relationships with external staff is anything but simple. They have to be supervised a little more, so managers often have more difficulties with such employees. But Fively is just the opposite case. They feel at home on the project and at the same time work as transparently as possible. Dealing with them is really easy and stress-free.

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

Not really. We see them as reliable and professional partners.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO and co-founder at Sellix, an all-in-one SaaS eCommerce platform trusted by over 250,000 sellers. Our product is a powerful eCommerce solution built for digital entrepreneurs. It provides all the functionality you need to start, grow and manage an eCommerce business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking for solid engineering support to implement brand-new features to our complex eCommerce product. We also wanted to refactor and update some of the older functionality. For these goals, we initially needed experienced backend developers.

SOLUTION

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

We posted an announcement on Upwork. Fively submitted their resume and it was stellar, which is why we went with them.

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

We hired an external team of engineers to develop new functionality, add 3rd party integrations, redesign the admin panel, fix bugs here and there, improve the web app speed, and get all sorts of technical support for our platform. They mainly used PHP, React, Node.js, MySQL, and AWS.

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

We’ve been working mainly with Alex and three other full-stack engineers. But we’ve also involved additional Fively employees (front-end developers, QAs, and PMs) as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

During the ten months we have been working with Fively, their engineers have redesigned some elements of our eСommerce ecosystem, improving its reliability and increasing the app's speed. They also implemented new functionality such as interface customization and 3rd party software integration features. However, the work on the product is still ongoing.

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

They’ve been working hand-in-hand with our in-house developers. All communication was conducted via weekly stand-ups, Slack, and emails. For status tracking, they used Jira. We have never had any problems with communication. They quickly became an essential part of our development team.

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

I’m impressed with their involvement in the project - they not only add commits in strict accordance with the deadlines but also suggest ways to improve certain aspects of our web platform. Even Alex is involved, as he participates in the project as a technical manager. We've been working with really experienced folks who can see the big picture, and it makes a difference.

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

Cooperating with them goes like clockwork. I don't think anything bothers me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am founder and CTO of bloXmove.com. We develop a blockchain-based platform to decentralize mobility as well as power grid services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were ramping up as a startup and needed help to develop frontend and backend components for the customer-facing parts of our blockchain platform. 5ly provided and is providing software developers in all of those fields

SOLUTION

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

5ly was recommend to us through one of their customers whom we trust.

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

We integrated the 5ly team into our development sprints and assigned them independent modules. Part of those where app development for a mobility app, part was reated to fleet and service backend. In addition they also provided web3 (DApp) development for our Blockchain-based Investor Portal

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

5ly deployed between 2 and 5 developers. The team was and is fairly evenly split between frontend, backend as well as web3 software.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With 5ly support we were able to develop within our plan and launch acccording to our schedule

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

We integrated 5ly into our own Sprint Planning. They took over independent modules and integrated smoothly and fast.

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

What impressed me the most are their work ethic and flexibility to adapt their services to our needs. above and beyond the quality of the code they provided.  Even when we needed to change direction, scope or required capacity. This is very valuable for a young startup like ours and much appreciated - and also quite rare in my experience.

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

I would be hard pressed to find room for improvement. What I would point out is, that I believe they could shift their services even higher up the value chain, if they were to provide full solution development, e.g. by providing a team under the management of a solution architect.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO at a custom retail technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fively?

We needed their resources to support our software engineering efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged Fively to join our scrum team in generating deliverables on software engineering. Their engineers built the front- and backend of our client application, utilizing a technology stack that includes tools like Ruby, JavaScript, React, and Node.js. They also helped our onshore team to integrate UI enhancements across our software products.

What is the team composition?

Four engineering resources from Fively joined our team.

How did you come to work with Fively?

We were already working with two outsourcing companies when I joined the team, and one of those was Fively.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration ran from October 2020–October 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fively’s resources integrated themselves well into our team’s processes. They contributed insightful ideas and professional feedback that helped us refine our products and technical processes. We evaluated their performance regularly and found them to be a self-sufficient team capable of producing high-quality results.

How did Fively perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicated via Slack and relied on GitHub for project management. Fively efficiently delivered our needs on time — we made the right decision by scaling up our team with their resources.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Fively has highly capable engineers who showed dedication to helping us accomplish our goals. Overall, their team not only provided reliable upscaling services at a fair price point but also adaptably accommodated our decision to scale down on resources when necessary.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our nature of work was a bit foreign to their team during the first few months of our engagement, but they managed to adapt well and incorporate their own expertise into our processes as we progressed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear in defining your needs and expectations — Fively is a reliable company to work with, and they’ll help you meet your goals on time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a SaaS startup focused on selling compensation software to the people in the HR department, and I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fively?

We needed help with building our MVP, so we hired Fively.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Prior to hiring Fively, we were only working with one developer. Now, Fively makes up two-thirds of our development team. They are helping us develop our application using React and Node.js

What is the team composition?

Our initial contact was Alex (CEO & Co-Founder), who then went on to bring 1–2 more developers. He continued to expand his team to include other folks from his circle, so we are now working with four people from Fively.

How did you come to work with Fively?

We found Alex through Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

Thus far, we’ve spent $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership started in May 2020, and it is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In general, the people who’ve used our software like it. Fively has been good about going with the flow throughout the development process. We’ve had to do some refactoring during the initial launch, and their team has been responsive and quick to get the job done.

How did Fively perform from a project management standpoint?

They know what they’re doing and are just good engineers, overall. We do daily stand-ups as well as weekly meetings to talk about the existing programs to be delivered and the new stories to be launched. Their team communicates with us via email and Slack. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing that truly stands out is the really good working relationship between our team and Fively. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are times when Alex is spread thin and can’t really give us his full attention. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure to stay on top of the project. Commit to daily meetings and set clear expectations for Fively. Make them a part of your team instead of treating them as independent developers. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a text message software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fively?

Fively helped us build software and rework our server infrastructure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team helped us scope projects and set deliverable dates. For any tech issues that came up, they provided frontline support. Our platform is on Shopify, and it allows merchants to send text messages to their customers. It can be used on any browser.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four developers, which included three full-stack developers and one DevOps.

How did you come to work with Fively?

I believe it was through a Google search, and then I had a call with their founder.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2020, and they’re still doing maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team always delivered results on time. When our customers began using the platform, we didn’t experience any bugs or major issues.

How did Fively perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they were 10 out of 10. We used Trello and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with their communication. They were happy to get on a Zoom call at any time to talk through anything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything at the top of my head.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of engineering at Avi Medical GmbH, a medical startup in Munich.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fively?

We needed to build mobile applications based on designs we already had. We didn’t have enough in-house staff, and it was hard to find resources quickly. We hired Fively to help us with that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Another agency provided the app design, and Fively works with us on the implementation phase. We use React Native to build the app. They’ve implemented, tested, and launched 40 versions of the app. We have a new release every 2–3 days.

What is the team composition?

Three React Native developers work with us.

How did you come to work with Fively?

We found them on Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There’s a trust that’s implicit between the development team and the product team. They get things done and don’t cut corners. We’ve worked with another company, and they cut a lot of corners.

How did Fively perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is done internally by us, but we use Slack for day-to-day issues with the developers. It’s a time and material cooperation, and we judge them by the milestones. Their workflow is quite transparent. They give us their timesheets and meet them responsively. They’re also flexible if we need to change the scope. They’re responsive and trustworthy, so I’m happy with them. We see them as partners who help us meet our goals rather than just contractors.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They navigate between the mobile and web tech stack quite seamlessly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could take more than what’s on their plate, like helping the team run a retro or breaking down requirements for another team member. I know they’d be willing to do that If I asked them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The clearer your goals, the better. It’s not too critical for them, but it’s helpful. They're great developers, but it does help to have clearly assigned responsibilities.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO at SaaS company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I was looking for a strong outsourced tech team that could help our SaaS company as it grew. I interviewed dozens of agencies on Upwork all to no avail as the previous Upwork agency we used destroyed a year long project. Fively came in and completely took over the project professionally and even upgraded the tech, in a fifth of the time. I ended up retaining Fively to replace another developer for our Chrome extension and also for a desktop application.

SOLUTION

How did you select Fively and what were the deciding factors?

Alexey, Fively CTO, is brilliant at understanding both your project needs technically and your business goals that coincide. Having both these skill sets, puts Fively above other agencies who usually only focus on the technical deliverables, and not the ever changing business side of things. Their development team are top notch, and are genuinely a pleasure to work with.

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

Chrome extension Windows/Mac Desktop app SaaS application Angular React Nodejs

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

5 developers 1 project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Quality code Quick delivery Satisfied CEO Satisfied Customers!

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

Dedicated project manager from Fively. Trello Slack Daily updates from ALL team members and project manager. Complete with daily updates, diligent project managers and the team will go the extra mile when you need them to.

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

They prioritize quality and it shows. What can you expect? Well co-ordinated, high-level technical work. I almost don't want to recommend them so no one else snags them!

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

Really I can't say there is. Maybe if I found them earlier?! :D

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a fintech company in Los Angeles. I have a software engineering background and performed part of the work alongside Fively. I've spent the last 20+ years in and around early-stage technology companies, and have used many remote teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Fively built the frontend for our web-based fintech platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select Fively and what were the deciding factors?

I met Kiryl on the Los Angeles Design and Development Slack group. I could tell from our online discussions that he was passionate about the product and had an expert-level team for my project. Other members of the Slack group endorsed Kiryl.

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

After having a kickoff meeting via Zoom, I assigned Kiryl and his team tasks via Notion. The technology stack was GraphQL backend (that I managed) and a TypeScript/React frontend that Fively built and managed.

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

I've worked with Kiryl and two other team members, Konstantin and Alexey, all of whom were highly skilled and great communicators.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app works, what else can I say, they did a wonderful job!

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

Slack, Notion and Zoom.

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

Great communicators and a love for good product.

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

No, they're wonderful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was CTO at FriendlyData. FriendlyData helps enterprise companies make data accessible for non-technical people by providing natural language interface to databases.

I was leading the engineering team, setting up the development process, communicating with customers and translating business needs into software requirements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fively?

At FriendlyData we were developing NLQ technology to simplify access to structured data. While we were doing well with the technology itself we decided that along with existing API solution we the customer facing part.

So we hired Fively to help us to build GUI for our technology as well as optimize our database structure.

What were your goals for this project?

We had existing API based product and we wanted to provide our customers with some GUI to help them better communicate with our technology and to help them to configure it on their own.

SOLUTION

How did you select Fively?

For some time I lived in Belarus and I have many friends there, including software developers. I am conversant with the CEO and some of the engineers in this company. This was the main reason why we decided to work with them.

Describe the project in detail.

We had an onboarding meeting where we discussed our needs and Fively described us their vision of the solution. In the next two weeks they provided us with the MVP of the GUI and several valuable database advices(which we implemented).

After we accepted proposed MVP Fively continued to provide on-time releases of the Front-End solution as well as helping us to make it work better with our existing database architecture.

What was the team composition?

I worked regularly with two people, but depending on the tasks to complete, their number varied. They were mainly front-end developers and database engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working together, we have created a high-quality and cutting-edge product that has been in demand all around the world. The contribution of Fively in this project is that they were able to provide us with all the necessary advice in terms of designing and developing databases, as well as engineering of frontend for our software.

They were involved at all development stages and without their assistance the result would be completely different. The most trustworthy prove of the high product quality is the acquisition of FriendlyData by ServiceNow in October 2018. It shows how good our product was.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were always in touch. If questions that required speedy resolution arose, they immediately let us know. We did not have a language divide and the communication process was never difficult.

Of course there were things that needed to be done as soon as possible. And even in such situations, they always met deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

These are people who are really good at what they do. We did not have to spend time on error checking or something like that. Their team delivered their work to the highest standards as it was expected.

They also advised us on technical issues and in many aspects we relied on their professionalism.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We never encountered any problems, so I'm not sure I can say anything specific.