Ideamotive

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Senior Product Manager for JRPass.com. We’re a tourism and high-speed railway company that focuses on rail passes for Japan and other Asian countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ideamotive?

We weren’t making any more progress on our website that was created by previous developers, so we needed to find someone reliable to get us on track.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used Ruby on Rails for backend development and did narrowly-scoped frontend design as well. They upgraded our backend by focusing on payment methods. Before, we only took Visa and MasterCard, but in European markets, it’s important to have more options since every country has their own method. This specific project took six to eight weeks to complete. One specific feature we launched with them was original rail passes. Before, we only sold one pass for all of Japan, but we’ve added nearly 30 in different regions. Our most recent saw us change shipping providers, from FedEx to UPS. They’ve also created a mobile website for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a product manager, a frontend designer, and three different developers. We started with one, but after they left we started working with two other resources.

How did you come to work with Ideamotive?

They were introduced to us by the CEO of the previous company we worked with. We weren’t sure about them at the beginning, so we gave them a regional project to see how they did. Once they delivered it though, it was really good.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000-$20,000 every month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our conversions went up in multiple channels.

How did Ideamotive perform from a project management standpoint?

We get daily reports, so if we have questions, they answer in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our project manager had things taken care of and their backend developers had great technical abilities. They’ve been the best we’ve had so far. Both of those realities gave us the option to do things differently than we’ve done them before, which, for me, is very important. Compared to the company we worked with before, it’s a day and night difference; they’re brilliant.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the complaints I made to them is they have too many holidays, but that’s a national issue and not something they can change.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

GoGetty is a platform for visualizing diversity in management among companies around the world. I’m the CEO and founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ideamotive?

The platform was conceptualized and designed, but we needed it developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had our initial conversation on the details of how the project should be realized. I also met with them in Warsaw. Ideamotive then started to develop the platform using Ruby on Rails. Stripe is the payment module, with PostgreSQL database and Heroku & Amazon S3 as the backend.

The most important thing was illustrating the metrics. Each company on GoGetty is given a score based on how many men and women they have on their top management levels, which is illustrated graphically and technically. Our platform is like LinkedIn, but with full focus on diversity and inclusion. We're trying to attract talents to the platform.

What is the team dynamic?

David [Ruby on Rails Developer, Ideamotive] is full stack senior developer. Adam [UX Designer, Ideamotive] was also involved in the project, to make some refinements to provided Sketch design files. Jarek is project manager. Others help us with features not initially created by my graphic designer. I continue using Ideamotive for new additions on the platform. If we need to expand whatever project we’re working on, they carry on the spirit of the platform both technically and graphically.

How did you come to work with Ideamotive?

I wanted to investigate possibilities in Poland. Someone from my network suggested Ideamotive. They had an initial interview with my CTO, a highly experienced developer. The conclusion was that they had the relevant knowledge and experience and would be a perfect fit. They’re young, flexible, and a smaller company and team, all of which suits me very well.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent €15,000 [$17,400].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It took them two months to create the initial MVP. Just over a month after launch, we already have 200 talents registered. Our founder was nominated for local startup of the year. These are significant achievements, and they've absolutely contributed to that. It’s one thing to have it as a concept and design and another to have it developed. I was so happy with the graphical design and wanted it to be developed exactly the same, and it was.

How did Ideamotive perform from a project management standpoint?

There's a clear division of responsibilities. There's a programmer, as well as a project manager. It's nice being able to speak to a person who speaks human language instead of speaking only in technical terms.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed that they’re so young yet so knowledgeable. I've never felt I had to ask questions elsewhere on how the different elements should be designed in the backend because they can always recommend me. They give me options and recommendations of the best routes. It's very helpful. I don’t feel overwhelmed by something I don’t have much knowledge about.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should boast more about themselves, marketing wise. That way, they can grow bigger and attract customers. They have what it takes. It’s a matter of becoming more visible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Mediatask. We make floor plans and visualizations for real estate businesses. Our company currently manages a network of 100+ draftsmen and CG artists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ideamotive?

Since 2016, our company is experiencing very rapid growth. Our previous IT system, which we used to manage all of the orders from our clients was outdated and could not handle new business requirements. The challenge was to build a new, sustainable system that would facilitate our company's growth, by taking on an increased number of users, traffic and data usage, along with laying a stable foundation for key new features.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ideamotive helped us define the problem and identify key project goals. We started by examining our previous system to find its flaws and locate opportunities for improvement. Together, we developed a roadmap for the new system. They’ve shown expertise in developing the overall strategy. Our previous supplier worked with a linear, sequential development approach, which was just not suitable for our constantly growing and changing business needs.

Ideamotive introduced us to the agile approach, which turned out to be a great choice. We designed our new web app with them. They provided meaningful input to designing new features and worked with us to develop the user interface and the user experience. Currently, we’re developing our system on a monthly basis. It’s an ongoing partnership.

What is the team dynamic?

The project manager role was held by Michał [Co-Founder/Lead Software Engineer, Ideamotive]. We also worked with Paweł [Ruby on Rails, Ideamotive] for the full-stack development and with Miłosz [CTO, Ideamotive] who gave help with deployment into the cloud, servers and the manual directed tasks.

How did you come to work with Ideamotive?

Ideamotive was recommended by a friend. We considered other suppliers, interviewed them, and asked to fill out a detailed survey where they proposed which methodology for development is best. Ideamotive excelled at this stage of our process. Using examples from their experience, they have convinced us to switch to the agile approach for development and choose industry standard solutions: Ruby on Rails for the backend and React for the frontend. From the start of the conversation, we quickly developed an internal language and we knew that they understood our needs. It was a no-brainer to choose Ideamotive.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $75,000-$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together October 2016 and the work is ongoing. We think of adding additional developers as our needs grow along with our business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With Ideamotive's help, we’ve been able to automate many tasks such as task assignment, invoicing and other back-office processes. One of the features they developed was an automated document generating tool, which enabled us to cut down the licensing costs for our software to up to 60%.

How did Ideamotive perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed perfectly. They make sure they understand us and that we understand them. They encourage us to take part in the planning and deciding what our priorities are. I have a constant view of the project and can provide feedback on how the work is going. Ideamotive makes sure that the development work is planned at least one month in advance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re really great with communication. They are very flexible in terms of providing the number of developers that are needed for a specific time frame. They let us plan ahead and are flexible if, for example, we need two additional developers for two months and then go to an idle state for a while. It’s convenient to scale their involvement up and down when we need it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have been handy to know about them sooner, so they could probably work on their marketing reach!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a tour operator that specializes in winter events such as skiing and snowboarding. Right now, we are the biggest forest company for skiing and snowboarding events for young people. I am the project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ideamotive?

We needed a software house to manage our dedicated reservation system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were looking for a developer. For three years, we had developers in-house, but then ideamotive convinced us to have an external software house. Though we initially planned just to use ideamotive for maintenance, we were so satisfied with the quality of their service that we decided to give them our biggest project of creating a completely new website and organizing our reservation system. Regarding technology, they are a Ruby on Rails development house which was the language that our system was made in. I’m not a software guy, but I think they are up to date with technology because they upgraded our entire system.

How did you come to work with ideamotive?

We published a job offer for a Ruby on Rails developer and they answered.

How much have you invested with ideamotive?

Until now, for development we've spent something around $50,000 to $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with ideamotive for one year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

For me, the most important statistic is the fact that we are really satisfied with ideamotive already after one year. While previously we worked with mid-level developers, now we have senior developers that are up to date with technology and care about delivering quality code. They changed a lot of our system to make it work faster and more efficiently. Based on the feedback from the people who use this system in our office, the improvements are visible. Overall, the most important factors for me were improving the quality of the code, the speed of the system, and bringing it up to date.

How did ideamotive perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication with ideamotive is very good. They listen a lot, and they provide their own feedback. They also have a lot of insight and offered some improvements to what we originally proposed. They are always open to offer advice on doing something better or more efficiently. Since I've been working with them, I know that we are implementing the best solutions. They are not only doing what we ask them to do, but they also propose improvements and functionalities that are better suited to us.

What did you find most impressive about ideamotive?

They are very responsive in the way of the service. Any small bugs will be fixed in 10 - 15 minutes which is important to me because the reservation system works all day. Very often, people buy trips when they are at home in the evening, which are not normal working hours in Poland. If there is a serious problem in the evening, or in the middle of the weekend, or on a holiday, ideamotive has no problem fixing them. For me, this factor of having really, really responsive maintenance and service is very important.

Are there any areas ideamotive could improve?

It’s the best software house I've worked with, but I think that they need to hire people to do more projects. We are very satisfied with the cooperation because we work with both the junior and senior developers. As of now, I have no complaints about their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Operations of Story.london

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Office furniture solutions for fit-out companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• backend and frontend support
• e-comerce with custom solutions

SOLUTION

How did you find Ideamotive?

Referral

Why did you select Ideamotive over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Ideamotive were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Building the e-commerce platform based on Woodmart template. Implementing the Configuration solution to the platform. Creating custom features based on the brief.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've launched the platform within the agreed deadline

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

we've worked on the basis of predefined sprints. The project was divided into milestone parts precisely described with dates. The works were finished within the agreed time. I appreciate the culture and quality of the communication during the process.

What was your primary form of communication with Ideamotive?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Suitable tools for project management, clear updates of the progress, clear communication, and engagement.

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

I am happy with the provided service.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I run a creative agency that focuses on branding and marketing. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired ideamotive to help us design and develop a website redesign for one of our clients. The goal was for them to the design and development process and allow us to manage the client and project expectations. 

SOLUTION

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

I have worked with Ideamotive in the past and they never dissapoint. 

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

We needed a redesign of an exisitng website. This was a very big and complex website to redesign. We discussed the new direction for each page and then proceeded to build low fi wireframes which then turned into web design layouts and the finally to the full development. 

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

Atleast three or four. We have an account manager, a project manager, and the lead designer and lead developer. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far we are very happy with the design they provided and the final development. 

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

We use slack to communicate. They are very good at tracking their efforts and keeping us up to date with our budget and the needs of our project. 

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

They worked very hard to fulfill our needs. They also provide a very comforting environment. We have reached a very good relationship which allows us to carry projects in a fun and enjoyable way. 

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

I think just continuing to excel in their field and providing clients what they need. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was a Product Owner at a food company that aims to develop a delivery service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app for users to go through our own distribution channel. We needed the help of Ideamotive to create the app and make its features fit our needs.

SOLUTION

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

I was not there at that point.

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

Develop from A to Z the mobile app.

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

During my time, 1-2 front end dev and 1 backend dev as well as 1 project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team delivered great results as they were able to give us all features that we requested for MVP.

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

Our project manager was great as he centralised all tasks and dispatched them to the devs while still understanding the complexity of each task and warning us about priorities.

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

Professionalism

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

-