KeyUA

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the client angel for a time and attendance solutions company. We focus on JavaScript development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KeyUA?

We needed a Python developer that fit our client’s needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KeyUA helped with web and mobile app development of an internal task system for our client. They used Python, Django, JavaScript, Java, HTML, and CSS. The app is compatible with both iOS and Android. It’s able to show the client when logging in their schedules, location of tasks, the time spent on them, and details of the task completed.

What is the team composition?

There was a frontend developer, backend developer, QA engineer, and project manager.

How did you come to work with KeyUA?

I found them via LinkedIn and searched for their website. We reached out to their project manager and asked for help. They kindly responded and offered their services. We chose them because they’re good Python developers.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $35,000-$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is in beta testing now but it works completely fine. Our client liked their professional business approach. We will definitely continue working with them in the future.

How did KeyUA perform from a project management standpoint?

We had daily calls and everything was delivered on time. They were passionate about deadlines. We communicated via Slack, which went well from the beginning. It was strictly to the point, and they were professional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good Python developers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were no problems with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the program manager of a company in Moscow, Russia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KeyUA?

We needed a website developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KeyUA used Jungle to develop the front and backend of a website for us, which they later tested and fixed bugs on. Their team is really dedicated to their work, and it was a pleasure to work with them. They provided regular progress reports to keep us up to date on the project.

What is the team dynamic?

There were about 3 developers working on our site, and they were all really friendly. They were patient with us when we had a lot of questions.

How did you come to work with KeyUA?

I found that they were really professional with their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $18,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from March 2014-April 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is working well, and their progress reports during the project informed us on all stages of their work. When the website was finished, they fixed all the bugs we noticed within an hour. They’re really dedicated, and if I were asked to advise my partners, I would recommend KeyUA.

How did KeyUA perform from a project management standpoint?

I have no doubts in their capabilities. We were always online because of the number of subjects to discuss, and we mainly communicated via Skype or phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I noticed some bugs in the website and they fixed them very quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve had bad experiences with other companies, but KeyUA is very professional and I plan on continuing the relationship when I go back to work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the COO of a taxi service application started by my business partner. We decided to create an Uber-style application but for business needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KeyUA Ltd?
We had an idea for the application and searched on Google search for development teams in Ukraine. We needed to tell the product story, so they [KeyUA Ltd] created wireframes, specifications, and a project description for us as part of the presales process before we even had a contract in place.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
KeyUA developed our application using Python on the backend and Swift for the iOS application. In the upcoming months, we will also develop an Android version using Java. They mainly interacted with my business partner. I worked on the management side, deciding what to do for the next step. They assigned 1 developer for the backend, 2 for the iOS application, as well as a QA tester, a designer, and a project manager. It was quite a big team. Beginning in September 2017, 1Android developer and 1 frontend developer for our website will be added.

How did you come to work with KeyUA Ltd?
We started our research using different resources, and we field-checked Clutch.co, Quora, and some other sources for mobile developers. My partner only looked for mobile and web developers from Ukraine because our goal was to save money. British resources would have been too expensive for our startup.

We called KeyUA, and their QA manager responded, even though I believe he was on sick leave at the time. He was still able to help, and we had a Skype meeting the next day. The manager was able to communicate with him even outside of business hours, at 10 PM or midnight. It was the perfect start in terms of communication, and the schedule worked perfectly.

Their Clutch.co profile was the only stat we’d seen for KeyUA, and it was relatively new. They told us that they hadn’t used the site previously. We requested some references from one of their previous clients in the UK who had a project for a jobs platform, as well as one from the US. We emailed the customers and asked about their experience, but we had already decided to work with KeyUA regardless. We were comfortable with their team and rates.

How much have you invested with KeyUA Ltd?
It would be hard to say overall, since we plan to develop a web portal and an Android app as well. So far, we’ve spent $50,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?
We first contacted KeyUA in early September 2016, and we communicated for a long time before starting the project. The development will continue until the end of summer 2017, after which we will start the next phase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
We have seen very good results, and they finalized sprints even earlier than we requested. We are building almost the same application as what Uber currently has, but with a different approach. We have been able to save a lot of money through KeyUA.

Our application is already running on iOS, but it’s not yet available on the App Store, since we’re only starting to promote it in the autumn. We have a working demo for investors, and I’m excited to start promoting it in Ukraine, Russia, and beyond. We will cover every location perhaps with the exception of the United States.

How did KeyUA Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?
We have weekly meetings and receive daily reports.

What did you find most impressive about KeyUA Ltd?
The management was good on a high level. They have good pricing and very good quality.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a development agency. I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KeyUA Ltd?

We hired them to develop a real estate web application for a Spanish market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The application is built in Node.js, a framework of JavaScript, for the frontend, and Python for backend. We’re also using automated testing. There are five resources working on this project: two backend developers, one frontend developer, one designer and one project manager. In the future, we will be working with a testing person.

How did you come to work with KeyUA Ltd?

My friends advised me to speak with them. They said they are doing great work and they’re a great company. I’m glad to work with them; it’s been a pleasure.

How much have you invested with KeyUA Ltd?

We have spent $60,000 so far for this project. I’m currently paying $10,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in January 2017, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t give you the results because the project is under NDA. KeyUA is doing their work and doing it properly. We’re having great business at the moment.

How did KeyUA Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re using JIRA for project management. It fits me and it’s great.

What did you find most impressive about KeyUA Ltd?

Everything suits me. They’ve given me regular reports about the work they’re doing. Everything is working great. The quality is clear and readable and understandable. The website is working properly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager for a startup related to the healthcare industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KeyUA?

We had a rough idea for a web and mobile healthcare application and went to KeyUA for development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KeyUA helped us build our platform from scratch, starting with the initial concept. The platform is aimed at private clinics in the UK; it allows patients, doctors, and administrators to create and manage bookings. It makes appointment reminders and tracks the history of each patient and doctor, based on their accounts.

They used 4 Django developers for the backend of the website. We used AngularJS on the frontend and later migrated to Angular 2. For the mobile applications, we used Java for the Android version and Swift on iOS.

How did you come to work with KeyUA?

We found them through online research.

How much have you invested with KeyUA?

The cost of their work has been approximately $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with KeyUA in the summer of 2015 and finished around November of 2016. The project lasted for a year, and we’ve spent a lot of time on design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a product manager, I have been completely satisfied with the quality of their work. KeyUA had separate development teams for iOS and Android backend and frontend work. They also provided free-of-charge architecture through an experienced resource. We had 2 designers who worked perfectly with us. I’m very happy with the results of their work. We stuck to the estimated timeline, and their price estimation was good as well.

In terms of quality, we had a code review with our customer, using their technical specialists, who reported that the code worked well.

How did KeyUA perform from a project management standpoint?

We have mostly used phone calls but also incorporated Viber. Our manager was on business trips at times and relied on that tool. We also used Skype, email, Slack, and JIRA, which was very convenient for our project due to its ability to save history.

What did you find most impressive about KeyUA?

I am not a developer, and I haven’t worked with other teams, but I was happy with KeyUA.

Are there any areas KeyUA could improve?

Using separate developers for each portion of the job would be an improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a crowdfunding platform for contemporary arts which allows artists to share profits with their backers, after selling their works. I am the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KeyUA?

Before our model pivoted, we built a website featuring art, where users could save pieces into their collection, give likes, follow artists, and so on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KeyUA helped us build a social network for the arts using Django Python. We worked with one full-time developer from KeyUA; my understanding is that he was supervised by a senior person. The developer was assigned to us, so we weren't involved in the selection process.

KeyUA also helped build the crowdfunding system for the website, providing Stripe payment integrations as well as other functionalities related to the model.

How did you come to work with KeyUA?

KeyUA was recommended to me by someone else working with them. We appreciated the value offered, as well as the fact that KeyUA's team speaks the same language as I do. I also found KeyUA's quality of work to be high. Our project was quite complex and started from scratch, so I needed someone who could guide me, despite my lack of experience in IT.

How much have you invested with KeyUA?

The cost of KeyUA's services was $2,500 per month. KeyUA was engaged on a monthly basis; they were basically a part of our team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We aren't developing any new features, but KeyUA is currently maintaining our platform, working on occasional bugs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're still in the early stages of the platform and have only funded a few campaigns. KeyUA's work has definitely helped us increase our audience during the launch. We will definitely work with KeyUA again in the future.

How did KeyUA perform from a project management standpoint?

I found that taking over the communication with our developer was helpful, reducing misunderstandings. I created the design myself and spoke to him over Skype. Working through a project manager is where many communication problems arise, especially with startups.

What did you find most impressive about KeyUA?

I haven't worked with other development teams, so it would be hard to comment on this. KeyUA has been responsive so far, and I'm happy with their service.

Are there any areas KeyUA could improve?

KeyUA could improve the development speed. Certain tasks took too long to complete at times. I felt that, in some areas, our developer wasn't very experienced, taking longer to reach a goal.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with KeyUA?

I advise clients to hire an internal CTO or project manager who can keep track of the tasks and have regular reviews of the work, finding bugs and fixing them in a prompt manner. I wouldn't leave this for external sources. It all depends on the stage of the startup.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're trying to build a new recruitment solution for millennial users on a global scale, while also creating a better experience of creating job seekers and employers. One of our companies owns our intellectual property, while the other acts as a trading arm for the software that we're building. I am the owner of both companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with KeyUA?

We are looking to the KeyUA team to build both our mobile assets and portal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

KeyUA developed our solution using the Django framework and Adobe PhoneGap for the mobile platforms. We are using MySQL as a database. We have worked with 3 developers and a project manager from KeyUA, who acted as my liaison.

How did you come to work with KeyUA?

I found KeyUA through an existing relationship. I've worked with offshore companies in the past while I was running my own offshore business in India and Indonesia, so I'm familiar with the territory. The conversation with KeyUA went well, so we started working together.

How much have you invested with KeyUA?

The cost of our project with KeyUA was around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with KeyUA almost 2 years ago. The platform is live at this point, but we're moving forward with continued enhancements and feature development. KeyUA is currently working on some white-labeling opportunities for the platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We use a general scrum Agile methodology, so there are no particular numerical metrics I could cite. We were a startup, so by definition, we didn't have all the answers. As I discovered new things around our client base, KeyUA was asked to respond, creating appropriate tools. Having this way of working is appropriate for out type of solution. There are lots of small iterations, instead of a waterfall approach. I am not interested in how many lines of code per day we write; everything is based on functional requirements and business needs. The collaboration has been going well in this sense. KeyUA has been very supportive.

How did KeyUA perform from a project management standpoint?

We have used tools like Trello in order to support our communication, but we generally talk via Skype and email and simply get the work done. I've also used Balsamiq for wireframing. Some people may be uncomfortable with this way of working, but I prefer to have KeyUA build iterations which are put into staging, allowing me to check out functionalities and quality assurance issues. I need to make sure that a functionality will work from a business point of view first. Running off of specification built 6 months previously is too slow.

What did you find most impressive about KeyUA?

KeyUA has good-quality engineers who are able to pick up ideas. Not all of them are strong in terms of English skills, but this hasn't been a major barrier. Everything has generally worked well.

KeyUA's team has been involved in a number of past projects, so I've been able to ask for their advice on certain issues. I've gotten back some good ideas on ways of moving forward. KeyUA pays attention to what's happening in the market.

Are there any areas KeyUA could improve?

There's nothing specific I could mention.