Futured

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work in Product Management for an electronic consumer product based in Austria.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a new mobile app which is needed to use and navigate a new product we developed. Our goal was to create an intuitive and user-friendly app that looks modern and up to date.

SOLUTION

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

We searched and interviewes diffeernt app developers, We decided for them based on factors like skills and possibility to visit each others location for better working together.

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

At the beginning we had several meetings to determine what the app should be able to do and fixed must have and nice to have features. They then provided us with a click protoype and screens of the app. When we started implementation the must haves where implemented for iOS and AN. Adaptions and bug fixes were implemented and revised app versions were delivered. We then added new features that were not listed in the must haves from the beginning.

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

We have an assigned project manager as main point of contact throughout the project A designer creates screens for all ned features for us to approve before implementation. We have 2 developers at all time, one for iOS and one for AN, who develop the features we decided on. A QA employee tests all new implemented features and reports in a shared file which tasks are done for us to accept.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did not yet launch the product, but the feedback within the company, influencers and early users is very positive. We get the feedback that the app is easy to understand and use. The workflow of achieving the things the user wants to with the app is very intuitive.

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

We had meetings both at their and our office. We scheduled bi-weekly meeting to keep bth sides updated, to answer questions and to discuss. We used Notion as main tool of collecing informations (lists, tables). For communication we used a common Teams group and e-mail. Timeliness was very good, answers to messages were received quickly.

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

The designer and developers could make anything possible that we want. Furthermore, they came up with own ideas how to improve our app.

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

The project is done in english, as both speak different languages. In the beginning of the project this caused some misunderstandings. But throughout the project we figured out how to communicate and sometimes use very easy language so that everybody is on the same page.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Lead of Development in the company. I am responsible for grow and quality across whole development and teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Goal was deliver key initiatives (features) until important sport event. Second goal is still bring technical innovations on the table and make the best application on the market with new technologies and find the best way how to eliminate technical dept.

SOLUTION

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

We searched for cooperation with the company which focus only on mobile development. We chose this vendor based on very good flat communication and product based development experience (not just project).

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

Initiatives here delivered in iterative and incremental way via SCRUM. We have several brainstorming on iOS and Android chapters how to approach general modularization of application via product slicing techniques, architecture principles such as Domain Driven Design and Hexagon Architecture. Next steps was creating PoC with new architecture and implement those principles to current applications.

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

Five mobile developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Regarding completed initiatives I cannot share any details. What I can say we deliver those important initiatives in time with huge success. About technical goals we iterate to specific outcome/solution how we want eliminate technical dept and align standards from architecture PoV.

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

Communication is really flat and open. Developers to developers (UX, QA, BA, PO, ...). Delivery flow is covered via SCRUM ceremonies. For company-to-company cooperation we set up health check meeting ones per two weeks.

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

I really appreciate that flat communication and cooperation without any bureaucracy or process with open cards.

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

Some communication details and giving delta/negative feedback right away at the beginning of cooperation. How ever trust was build over time and delta/negative feedback come after some time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive for a firm that develops new technology for portable printing devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We engaged Futured to create a dashboard application that connects to our printers. Our printers don’t have displays, so our goal was to use the application to control printer settings and functions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured has helped us develop a mobile application to control the settings on our printers. They’ve used native technologies such as Swift, Java, and C++ to build iOS and Android applications. Although the team referenced one of our previous applications, they’ve built the application from scratch. 

Currently, we’re in the final stages of development, and Futured has been performing minor maintenance tasks. We’ve been preparing the app to launch on the market and have published one update so far.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about six team members from Futured, including project managers and developers. 

How did you come to work with Futured? 

We shortlisted 3–4 service providers in our area, and we selected Futured because they were professional and made a good first impression. They also had strong references and gave us one of the best quotes. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Futured in January 2022, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Futured has managed to follow our requirements closely and built an app that aligns with our needs. Although we haven’t launched the app yet, we’ve received positive feedback regarding its ease of use, which was one of our key goals. We’ve also measured success by evaluating the app’s ability to communicate with our printers, which has been good. The app has been able to follow our protocol to transfer images and content to our wireless printers.  

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

Futured has delivered their work on time, and we haven’t faced any major delays. We’ve met virtually via MS Teams, and they’ve also come to our offices to meet face-to-face. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Futured team is down-to-earth and cooperative. They know their business well, and they’ve been able to cope with our advanced features. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Futured could improve their pricing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend maintaining constant communication with Futured. It’s also essential to have a well-defined set of requirements to avoid change requests that could increase your spending.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of COOP MORAVA, s.r.o., a retail company. A COOP is a special nonprofit organization that has been here for more than 160 years. We’re a service company that helps COOP companies to provide retail services and sell goods to customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We needed to develop a mobile application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured has developed the frontend of an iOS and Android application for us. They’ve also done all the UX and graphics. The team has done everything from scratch using Kotlin, but they haven’t done backend development.

The app’s main functionality is to support our customers. Clients use the app when they want to win a prize. We have about 1,000 shops, and there are competitions available for our customers. The app supports these competitions and winnings.

Additionally, we use the application to display a map of our 1,000 shop locations. In the future, we want to add more functionality. We’re currently planning the second version.

What is the team composition?

We have two people working on Android development, two people on iOS, a project manager, and a UX person. In total, we work with about six team members.

How did you come to work with Futured?

We did some research and found that Futured was from our city. We looked at their website, and they had great references. We chose them for this project and weren’t disappointed.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $86,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December 2021, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We use the app when we announce winnings. We’ve already had two competitions, and the app was used by our customers. In the first competition, there were about 20,000 actual uses of the application with maybe 8,000–10,000 users. The second competition was smaller in terms of usage, with maybe 5,000 users in total.

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

They work with an agile methodology, so it’s easier for them. Futured is very supportive, not only with development, but also with timelines. They’ve hit all the deadlines we’ve set and fulfilled everything we expected from them. All in all, everything has been excellent.

They use Slack internally, but they don’t bother us with extra technology. We have a point of contact to communicate with; we coordinate with them whenever we need to do something.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked with other companies, but it wasn’t always as smooth. Futured is very collaborative; we feel good working with them because they’re calm. Also, their agile approach to development is outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t know where they can improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Project owner and delivery manager in Aspiro company. We provide market-leading expertise in Central Europe in profitability management, customer lifecycle management, programme/project implementation support, and complex corporate development programmes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our target was to build app that will reward users for their physical activity and healthy and responsible lifestyle.

SOLUTION

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

We chose Futured for their modern approach to mobile app solutions and they totally fullfiled our expectations.

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

The team we cooperate with was very experienced, cooperative and innovative. As a result, we were able to develop modern mobile app that respects all actual trends, is nice and user friendly.

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

We cooperate with small but agile team that consists of project manager, iOS and Android developers, designer and tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

iWatt has already more than 100.000 downloads just on the SK market and tens of thousands active users every month.

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

Communication with Futured is great, we use all modern tools to make it easy and effective. In general, we work on combination of agile and classic waterfall principle.

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

The Futured team is really skilled, with many good ideas worth implementing into the app. We work more as idea and development partners than customer-supplier.

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

It’s just my personal preference, but sometimes Slack is not the best tool for really important messages, sometimes old fashioned e-mail is better :-)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Bit.plus is a Czech based company that allows retail investors to purchase crypto assets and physical gold. As a CTO I try to provide our clients a pleasant experience when buying or selling these assets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to improve our mobile apps (iOs, Android) and add new features. The goal was to make the buying/selling experience more pleasant and to provide new functions to the apps.

SOLUTION

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

Futured were recommended by our former developers and we did our own due diligence.

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

After some product meetings, where we discussed goals we agreed on wireframes and final designs. Then we were in close contact to give feedback and make some last minute changes. Then we got the final version for testing purposes.

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

Mainly it was 5 people. A project manager, iOS developer, Android developer, a designer and a tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our ratings went up on both platforms thanks to Futured that fixed many bugs. Thanks to our new design and new features we gained many new clients.

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

We were in close contact with the project manager who helped us not only with planning and delivering but was also a valuable advisor. Most of the project deadlines were met and if not we were warned in advance.

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

Every team member was a professional in his field. Thanks to corona virus and a distance between Futured and our HQ most of the meetings were done remotely, but they managed to maintain the same professional level as in in-person meetings.

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

We were satisfied with Futured's work, but there is always a way to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am security director and COO of Government company which is owned by the Czech Republic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our goal was to develop ticketing application in order to support ticketing in transportation area within Czech Republic. We developed whole system, which is able to integrate multiple Transportation companies into one simple ticket solution. Futured had to develop complete Android application to communicate with specified API and perform search and ticketing operations including validation and print.

SOLUTION

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

We have selected Futured based on my personal previous experience within Leo Express and other projects we have participated on togeather. One of the major key factors was Futured seniority in terms of complete App desing and implementation.

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

There was project management involved on the App developement. First steps were to clarify design, provide integration API , provide specific Andorid harware which enables QR scan and QR print, provide documentation and address key application outputs as specified above. There was several month period when Futured implemented app into the "testing" stage when we were able to test and comment outputs.

There were several rounds of meetings where we posted comments and provided feedback , several modifications have been made and at the end we have final product delivery. During 2020 and 2021 we required some "add-on" develompent to improve application in term of internal functions.

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

• Project manager
• UX/UI specialist
• front-end and back-end developers
• QA/testing specialists
• security specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 6 month of project start we had the final product which was later on scope of ongoing improvement and upgrades. Outcome of the project is internal-only non-publicly downloadable Android App which is securied and running specific hardware . I was very happy about delivered quality and seniority.

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

Project manager delivered necessarry cooperation with our project management on time and using Slack, Phone, video calls, for small corrections was email used to send feedback. Project was managed in terms of time and desired outcome with very good overall quality.

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

As expected - development skills of Futured team were outstanding. But more over on the top, there was very high addedd value in terms of "opened possibility for Futured creativity". The team did a great job in terms of application design, ergonomics, and overall app speed response.

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

There are always some small things we can improve but overally there is nothing I can specificly mark as improvement needed. Price was quite high but absolutelly fits delivered quality and added value.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the payroll leader for Decathlon Česká republika. One of my responsibilities is taking care of benefits for our Teammates (employees).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app for our Teammates to use the budget for new benefit SPORT FOR ALL. We are a sport company so it makes sense to offer our employees a benefit connected with sport.

Everything we do is focusing on the end-user but happy customers can't be done without happy and healthy employees. That’s why need an application where every employee can log invoices of sports activities, and Decathlon will cover the costs.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online. We found about 7 companies and than we narrowed it down to final 3. In the end we decided for Futured because of the great previous experience.

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

We had about 2 or 3 personal meetings to discuss what is the purpose of our app. After we decided to collaborate with Futured, within two weeks we have seen the first designs. On our way to the iOS and Android app they have always incorporated our feedback. We ran a long beta testing to make sure everything is working properly.

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

Project manager Petra is my point of contact number one. But I also communicate with one of the backend developers Lukáš. They both have been amazing during our collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After we have overcome all the bumps on the road - the app was launched after 6 months of development and testing. Now we are using it for almost 2 months but the development haven't ended yet. Almost 500 hundred employees have already used the part of their yearly budget through the app.

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

Most feedback was done through email. But after a while it got confusing and messy so we decided to switch to Slack. Much more useful. We receive frequent updates and the project manager is really easy to communicate with.

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

This was a first project like that for me and I must say that their will to explain me everything (processes, etc.) was amazing. I'm very much satisfied with the communication despite my very high expectations and standards.

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

Sometimes it was hard for me to read if I should contact Lukáš directly (in the matter of some bug or something) or talk to Petra first (to keep her updated about how we are proceeding).

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of Skoda, a car manufacturing company. I’m mainly responsible for data analysis and quality assurance, as well as some tools dedicated to data collection from external customers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We were looking for a vendor to help us develop an internal app for gathering feedback.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured built and developed our internal mobile app that connects to a database where we can process and monitor data.

We started by discussing and finalizing the requirements and basic framework, which led to its actual development and implementation of functions. Once that was done, they delivered an app that was compatible with both the Android and iOS platforms.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with the project manager and technical director.

How did you come to work with Futured?

They were selected by our IT department as the best fit for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around €100,000 (approximately $109,900 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership ran from June 2019–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has been a valuable and beneficial addition, as it made our process more efficient. We used to utilize Excel Sheets in our operations, but we can now share documents, report findings, and attach files seamlessly straight from the app.

We were satisfied with our partnership with Futured because they were very crafty in coming up with their own ideas and solutions.

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well from a project management perspective as they strictly adhered to the timelines.

We used to communicate in person, but since the COVID-19 pandemic started, we mostly interacted through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their unique perspective on the project and agile response time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything as I was very content with the cooperation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to hire Futured because they’re the right vendor to be doing this type of project thanks to their creativity and unique development perspective.

Provide them with all the necessary information and be clear about your expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was a CEO of a Restu, a restaurant guide adn reservation platform, in Liberec, CZ.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed an app that would be an alternative to our web page service. I should allow our users to explore, book and review restaurants of their choice on the go, enjoing the the benefits of an mobile app.

SOLUTION

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

We had a good referrence from other project run by our then-owner. After discussing our ideas about the app with Futured team, we felt we're on the same page.

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

We had a kick-off meeting where we aligned on the key features as well as technology to be used. After that, the cooperation was more on a continuous improovement basis. Our team would provide wireframes and fedback from our users as well as request for new features. Futured would provide a solution and update the app.

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

We had a project manager assigned and a number of programmers for respective platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Both apps qot adopted by our users well, adding significantly to the traffic and conversion from the web app.

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

The communication has always been very open and timely. We used mainly Slack, Asana, as well conf calls if more detailed info was needed.

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

Technical skilled, strongly customer- and solution-oriented people. They thought about the product with us not only from the technical side but also from our customer's point of view.

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

Double-checking on some of the requested features might have saved some og the later hot-fixes, but nothing dramatic in fact.