Lunar Logic

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We offer a mortgage platform here in Switzerland. We offer the best interest rates on the Internet, and the process is 100 percent automated. It takes five to 10 minutes, depending on how well you know the property you want to finance.

What is your position?

I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Lunar Logic?

The original goal was to build the actual platform itself with full functionality. We're still developing the website incrementally, and improving the calculator, but the bulk of the foundational work is done.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They built everything, the website and the mortgage calculator. I wanted a designer who worked exclusively on this website because developers are very important, but designers are, too. That was one of the reasons why we went with Lunar; they have two or three full-time designers, and that was important.

How did you come to work with Lunar Logic?

I contacted different developers in Poland after discovering that the developers in Switzerland and Germany were far too expensive us. There are many suppliers in Poland, and I thought Lunar was the best and most experienced, so we went with them, and it was a great decision.

I conducted online research myself. I contacted them first with Skype, and then I went there to meet them in person. For a smaller project, I would have only used Skype but, for this project I wanted to see who I'm working with.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

To go live, it cost 200,000 Swiss francs, which is around $208,000. In the future, I will spend $60,000 to $100,000 a year to improve the website.

What is the status of this engagement?

It is an ongoing engagement. The biggest milestone was when we went live. Since then, we've made small improvements. We added landing pages and improved the mortgage calculator, added more banks, and improved the administration tool. Right now, we are just improving what we already have. We have two developers working with us now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I don't have any stats to share. The results from their work are very good. I'm still getting a lot of good feedback from other financial companies here in Switzerland. Some of them are interested in licensing our product. I believe our product is one of the best, if not the best in the industry. Competitors tell me that we are a step ahead of them.

How did Lunar Logic perform from a project management perspective?

Lunar Logic had two developers and one designer working on our project at the beginning. After three months, another developer and a tester joined the project. I managed them directly, so there was no project manager on their side. We had talks daily to discuss what we had to do and what's already completed. We went over budget, but that's not their fault – maybe our quality standards were too high. If you contact them, they always reply. For example, I wrote the owner an e-mail, and he answered right away. Also, you couldn't expect higher standards for working with an outside company regarding how they communicate with clients via Google Hangouts, and Skype. I think the way they deal with customers is great.

What distinguishes Lunar Logic from other providers?

After a few weeks, you feel like you're part of their team, and you have confidence in Lunar Logic. They're very creative. If you have an idea, they jump on it and offer different solutions for it. They don't just do what you tell them – they think about what they do.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

No, I'm really satisfied with their service. Sometimes, it takes a little bit longer to finish things than they estimate. I think that's normal, regardless of who you work with. Most companies are not always able to fulfill the deadline, so I don't think that's a Lunar Logic problem. It's also not a problem if you don't have a really strict deadline for something. They would deliver things ahead of schedule, too, so it balanced out.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The company was a sports betting startup.

What is your position?

I was the co-founder and CTO [chief technology officer].

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Lunar Logic?

We had a very small pool of Rails programmers in Dublin, Ireland, where our team was working. We had an extensive backlog of feature developments, but also general code refactoring and architectural work that we needed to undertake. We really needed experienced developers to collaborate with. I decided to outsource the job and brought on Lunar Logic after much consideration.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

At the time, they had a project manager working with us and a test engineer that helped automate the test suite. The technology we used was Ruby on Rails, and we used some CoffeeScript and JavaScript. We collaborated very closely with their resources, mostly sharing the complex, more demanding elements of the project.

How did you come to work with Lunar Logic?

I was looking for great developers and, one day, I came across one of their developers online, and reached out to him directly. I was really just basing Lunar Logic on the quality of the individual developer. It was kind of an added benefit that they were based in Poland, which was close in proximity to Ireland. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was hundreds of thousands of euros. It's been a little while, I don't really recall.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with one developer in November 2000, and then worked with them for a period of a couple of years. We had maybe six to eight developers working on the project at its peak. The collaboration with Lunar Logic has since ended.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We had them working alongside our existing development team, and I think that because our engineers respected them and worked well with them, we were able to deliver projects on time, and deliver the functionalities that we were looking for. That was far and above most other shops that I've worked with.

Our end-users didn't really know that there was anything different going on. We were delivering the end product, and that's what really counted. There were some critical pieces of functionality that they built, and they built them successfully. They always got the job done. 

How did Lunar Logic perform from a project management standpoint?

We started with Pivotal Tracker, and then moved to their proprietary product management tool, which we found to be very useful. We rarely dealt with delays or miscommunications of any sort.

What distinguishes Lunar Logic from other providers?

It was Lunar Logic's skill set, the experience level of the developers they were able to staff on the project, and their reasonable cost, that really differentiated them. It really showed in the results, and our team really respected the engineers who worked on the project and the results.

My advice is really to bring them in as a trusted partner. I think they work best when you're really playing that key role. I don't think that they are looking for the typical kind of staff augmentation types of projects where they're not a trusted partner of whoever's trying to get the project done. I think the results that they're able to achieve, come from operating in a trusted capacity, and I think that it's helpful.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

We probably would have liked to have access to more developers than they really had available and, again, that's a factor of the quality that they're delivering. I understand it's hard to recruit such talented developers, so I don't have any very specific points there.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I run a nonprofit organization called HabitatMap and, primarily, we work with schools and community-based organizations to create planning and advocacy maps.

What is your position?

I am the founder and executive director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Lunar Logic?

Lunar Logic built our application for Android, a Web app for Air Casting, which is one of our platforms, and a HabitatMap Web application.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Lunar Logic did the technical development for all three products. In each case, I already had the wireframes beforehand and together we worked to flesh out the design beyond that.

We haven't done any user testing or quality assurance beyond the feedback Lunar Logic's developers gave us. We haven't contracted them to do a large-scale investigation of how, the user might be navigating through the app, or how that might be made better, improved.

How did you come to work with Lunar Logic?

I've been working with Lunar Logic since 2007, and the owner of the firm, Paul Klipp, was running the firm. I met him through the New York Tech Meetup group. I had gone through a couple programmers who failed to deliver, and I was investigating others who seemed like they had a good track record of producing products that were similar to what we were looking to produce ourselves, but most programmers were simply too expensive. The cost was a key determining factor when it came to choosing Lunar Logic.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

From the beginning in 2007, I would say it's somewhere around $250,000 to $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We still work with them. When we start a partnership with another organization, a certain component of the project requires the development of a new feature or feature set to support the work. That's when we tell the Lunar Logic guys, "Okay, Lunar Logic, let's do some work so that when we run this program, everything will be in place." That's basically how we work with Lunar Logic, and why it tends to be episodic and ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

They do Agile development, and it works well with the way that our organization works. When we launch products, we know that they're not perfect, and we improve them in time. For the most part, the success or failure of our products is more a result of marketing and engagement on our behalf than anything that Lunar Logic does.

Air Casting has been downloaded around 13,000 times since it was released in December 2011. The other sites get anywhere from 50 to 100 unique visitors a day. Our other products share similar success and overall we're very impressed with the user adoption and engagement rates.

How did Lunar Logic perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm the only one from my organization who works with Lunar Logic directly and I do a lot of project management. When I initiate projects with Lunar Logic, they have a project manager, but I'm doing 80 percent of that role. I've been able to scale back their project management hours in time because I take on a lot of that role, and their programmers tend to be competent and self-directed in a way that doesn't require a lot of direct micro management.

I'm usually dealing with anywhere from one to three programmers, so the team isn't overly large. They're mostly very responsive, but it can be difficult sometimes to schedule development work, because they're often servicing clients who have an emergency come up.

As I've worked with them, we've gone through three, four, or five different types of project management tools. Right now, we use Kanbanery, which is a product that they created. It's a program that I like so much that I use it for my other projects that aren't even Web-related. The development methodology we used all the way through our collaboration was strictly agile.

What distinguishes Lunar Logic from other providers?

Given the turnover they've had in the years since 2007, I'm surprised that the programmers I've worked with have done a very good job of creating continuity, making sure the project is handed off from the person who is leaving to somebody new.

I'd say 80 percent of the time I've been able to work with people who are competent beyond what I'm paying them. A couple of times I've had bad experiences with a few of their programmers, but they've been responsive when that's been called to their attention.

Generally speaking, there is some ability to choose who you want to work with from their team, at their discretion. Lunar Logic gives its programmers some leeway for them to choose what projects they're working on. For me, it's been a mostly positive experience in terms of the programmers that I've worked with.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

I think that having personnel available to do one or two days' worth of work quickly would be a huge improvement as far as my own business is concerned. Often, I'll have anywhere from one to five days of work for one programmer, and it can be very difficult to get them interested because of their other projects.

There's a certain kind of natural conflict when a client has episodic but not necessarily monetarily lucrative work and the programmers are busy with other projects. If you're only doing one to five days of development, it's not as interesting as doing three months worth of development. I think that sometimes it can be difficult to get a few days' worth of work done when they have other priorities.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of SquareShare, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Startup looking to launch sports betting app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Lunar Logic to accomplish?

• Build platform for unique sports betting app.

SOLUTION

How did you find Lunar Logic?

Email from Lunar

Why did you select Lunar Logic over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Lunar Logic were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Help design and build a working platform for desktop and mobile from ideation to launch. Deliverables include an MVP version of a working product and help with QA and testing to ensure functionality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Clickable prototype --> Working MVP

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

Very responsive to all requests and feedback. Communicated on a daily basis and had regular standup meetings for updates and blockers 3x per week.

What was your primary form of communication with Lunar Logic?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They understand our needs immediately with little to no need for revisions. They asked the right clarifying questions to ensure that they understood the assignment and were very quick to delivery 1st iterations so that we could move forward in the right direction as opposed to continuously having to revisit and redo any tasks.

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

Nothing that sticks out to me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Done by One

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We create software for independent hair stylists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Lunar Logic to accomplish?
do a feesabality study on a new software

SOLUTION

How did you find Lunar Logic?

Referral

Why did you select Lunar Logic over others?

Good value for cost

How many teammates from Lunar Logic were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We hired Lunar Logic to scope out a new product for us, they helped identify the tech stack, conducted customer interviews, and consulted on paring down the idea for an MVP.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Lunar Logic delivered a really concise package fully detailing the proposed app idea, including a proposed budget for moving forward.They worked really hard to help us pare down the idea to it's most important parts which was very welcome.

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

They were very punctual and great communicators.

What was your primary form of communication with Lunar Logic?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Communication.I think they did a really great job of listening and distilling our ideas into their most straightforward part. Plus ongoing communication was prompt and thorough.

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

There was nothing they needed to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of a software company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Project Management Software for Renewable Industry

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Lunar Logic to accomplish?

• Software Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Lunar Logic?

Online Search

Why did you select Lunar Logic over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Lunar Logic were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Develop Various New features as well as analytics dashboard

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Weekly Progress 
• Feature Releases

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

Project Management was not part of this collaboration

What was your primary form of communication with Lunar Logic?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The developer who works for us is the main reason that we continue working with this company. They are very organized and talented.

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

Not at this time

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CTO of an early stage start-up

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I need additional developers to help us deliver our MVP on a desired timeline. My goal was to have reliable, but flexible partner who could augment my team.

SOLUTION

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

Lunar Logic is well-known and established company in Poland. I personally knew people who work there so it was a warm intro.

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

The part of the project Lunar Logic developers were assigned was to create several React single page app components.

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

2 frontend developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We launched on time!

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

This was team augmentation, so there was minimal management overhead from the vendor side.

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

I appreciated how good they are at finding and converting people from other professions into good programmers.

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

No.