MVP Development Company | Asper Brothers

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the chairwoman of Go Silver - The Local Initiatives Foundation, a non-governmental organization that organizes a number of local and social events which aim to counteract the exclusion of older people and support intergenerational cooperation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ASPER?

We felt that as a success-driven NGO, we needed to have a proper image. The main idea was to develop a modern-looking website with the ability to connect our offline activities with the online ones. We were looking for good solutions on how to do it right.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to have a modern website that is easy to use for older people, who are our core audience. The old website was simple and outdated and needed to be replaced by a website with not only a new design but also mobile responsiveness as we have a lot of traffic coming from mobile devices.

We also had to be careful of not overdoing the technical and design aspects since the main audience consists of people with little technical skill.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had the opportunity to work with ASPER on another endeavor and were satisfied with their approach. When it came to selecting vendors for this project, ASPER was a natural fit thanks to their great ideas and solutions.

Describe the project in detail.

At the beginning, ASPER organized a discovery meeting to gather our requirements and expectations. On a second meeting, they presented their ideas and examples and we provided a detailed list of our needs. Combining our requirements, needs, and expectations, ASPER started working on the mockups of the designs.

During the design phase, we started working on the mechanical part of the project. ASPER showed commitment by offering not just design work and programming but also their experience, which they willingly shared.

We worked in two-week sprints from the beginning, an Agile approach from which we greatly benefitted. Their team listened carefully, made improvements, and solved bugs quickly at the beginning of every sprint.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of four people. The project manager delegated the work and was our primary contact. There was also a UI/UX specialist, a graphic designer, and a programmer involved.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

We implemented ideas and solutions together for features that could connect the offline activities of seniors with an online presence. They also recommended a management panel which has greatly saved us time. Our audience appreciates the new design and functionality as well.

How effective was the project management?

I can’t think of any situation where I wasn’t feeling comfortable during the project as they provided regular feedback on what was going on. With these kinds of projects, it’s normal to have delays but ASPER came up with solutions every time. We were mostly collaborating on Slack and e-mail and measured progress in Bitbucket.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What’s unique about ASPER is that they really care about their client relationships. Their communication is excellent and they really immerse themselves into the job. We could always count on their experience and knew that if we asked for something to be done in a certain way, it would be done.

What differentiates them from other vendors is that they often recommend open source and cost-effective solutions. They think of your business like their own.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

Our general feeling about them is very positive, so it’s hard to say what can improve. My only suggestion is to meet the project as professionally as they do. For example, if they ask you to test a certain feature, then do so in order to not hold things back.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We are a digital agency based in Hong Kong. We mainly offer web development and other digital marketing services to small- and medium-sized businesses in the Asia Pacific region. 

What is your position there?

I am a partner at the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ASPER?

We needed to complete a web development project for one of our new clients. The deadline was very tight, and our internal staff numbers were insufficient to carry out the project. ASPER was able to complete the project within the deadline while providing high-quality deliverables.

What were your goals for this project?

Since the website's administrators would not be tech-savvy, it required a user-friendly backend interface. The project needed a fair amount of PHP coding on the WordPress CMS. Since we foresaw follow-up projects with the same client, this first project was critical to maintaining our relationship with the client and supporting our business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We mainly identified ASPER through a Google search. We approached a few companies, but ASPER stood out for the impression of superior communication and technical expertise that we received from their website.

Describe the project in detail.

They designed a high-fidelity mockup based on the low-fidelity wireframe we provided to them, then enhanced the design further with their own suggestions. They then developed the front-end of the website very quickly and submitted it for our iterative review. Upon review, they integrated the front-end with the Wordpress CMS and made necessary amendments to enhance its user-friendliness.

What was the team composition?

Given project's relatively small scale, ASPER provided a a full-stack developer and a project manager for the team. ASPER suggested this team composition, and we agreed to it before starting the project. The size of the team was the same throughout the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

ASPER did a great job communicating with us, and they were able to complete the project in the defined timeframe. Throughout the course of development, they brought a consultative approach and often went the extra mile. We are looking to engage them again during a follow-up project for the same client. 

How effective was the project management?

Project management was effective throughout the project. We mainly used Trello and emails for our communication, with occasional calls with Appear.In.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

ASPER was great at communication and not afraid to speak out when it was necessary. Their technical skills were also impressive.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

Although not critical, it would be useful if they relied more on phone calls rather than email communication. This would be more effective for delivering certain messages.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical director of RedBullet, a web development company providing consultancy to organizations in order to find out how they’re using their business processes and how we can improve them. Normally, we provide an online technical solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ASPER?

We are client-based but a part of our business wanted to move into the product arena. We wanted to keep our internal team solely for client work while we expand and grow the product side of the business. For us to do that, we needed a cost-effective, offshore team that we could rely on. By splitting our resources and keeping the client and product sides separate, we could focus better and put more attention into the areas that required work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was imperative that when we took on a partner, they would be able to match our technical skills in order to have a degree of crossover and understanding. We are predominantly a Linux/PHP house, meaning that all our applications are built on the Laravel framework on the backend. On the frontend, our applications are built on Bootstrap and a mixture of AngularJS, Vue.js, and anything else necessary to make the products work for specific clients.

What is the team dynamic?

They assigned 3 backend developers and 2 frontend developers over the course of the project.

How did you come to work with ASPER?

We feel that everyone needs to have the right aptitudes as well as the right attitude in order to get through a working day and produce what we need to produce.

We wanted a partner that could seamlessly fit in with what we did, and ASPER came across as very competent and keen to undertake the work we were talking about. Some of the other companies we approached were also good but weren’t the right fit for what we wanted.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May or June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before we onboarded another company to oversee the development of our product, we needed to ensure that they were the right people. ASPER’s output so far has proven that and we’ve been able to build the product we intended.

We’re still at the beta stage, but it’s already being rolled out to a client. Although we know that there’s still work to complete, the feedback is very positive. We’ve shown demos to other potential clients who have also found it positive. We feel that they are punctual and the quality of the work is very good.

How did ASPER perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the things we addressed early on in the relationship with them was that we wanted to manage the project ourselves and only use their resources. This goes back to us wanting to work our way, and they were flexible in this regard, happy to entertain our structure.

Tools like Trello, Slack, Basecamp, and Bitbucket as a Git repository were things we both used anyway, so the collaboration worked seamlessly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their key strength is that they listen, so if we have a problem, ASPER will come back with potential solutions and suggestions. They are quite proactive in their way of working with us, and we find it to be a valuable part of our overall team. It took us a while to figure out how we would be working together, but it was addressed quickly and things are going smoothly at the moment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Certain developers weren’t strong in the areas we wanted, but this is true of any team. They’re not robots, so we have to work with the team we have. We’re currently looking to expand our team with ASPER going forward, and have talked to them about it. It’s a matter of finding the right person for the task, rather than a downside, which has gone pretty well for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide a portal which allows people to review and compare real estate agents in their areas. I am the chief executive officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ASPER?

There are many real estate agents in Poland without any certifications, so we thought that it would be useful for people to have insight into the knowledge and work of particular agents, before starting the collaboration. We needed help making our platform work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ASPER developed our platform. I'm not very tech-savvy, so I left the work itself up to them. In the end, it was a good decision, and I'm very happy with the results. ASPER assigned 2-3 developers for our project.

How did you come to work with ASPER?

ASPER's principals are close friends of my family, so they came as a recommendation.

How much have you invested with ASPER?

The cost of ASPER's work has been around $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ASPER in October 2016. The work has almost been completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My partner and I didn't have a lot of experience with this kind of project, so we approached ASPER with our idea and asked for their help. Our website was a result of this process, and we've been satisfied so far. ASPER is a professional group, and they've been able to give us good feedback and ideas. We let them know what we wanted the site to do and what it should look like in plain language, and ASPER translated that into a technical plan.

How did ASPER perform from a project management standpoint?

Our offices are close by, so besides email and phone calls, we were able to meet ASPER's team in-person during important stages of the project.

What did you find most impressive about ASPER?

I didn't have a chance to work with many other companies of this sort, so I don't know if there is anything distinguishing about ASPER. I found them to be professional. ASPER handled everything we needed and came up with additional features and solutions for our product. I have nothing but positive feedback for them.

Are there any areas ASPER could improve?

ASPER could work a bit faster. I know that they run multiple projects at the same time, and we did let ASPER know that we weren't in a rush for our work. There's nothing else worth mentioning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and co-owner of Zniżki Studenckie (Students Discounts). We are one of the largest online coupon platforms for students in Poland. Our site provides excellent tools for saving money such as codes, coupons, and other promotional offers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the challenge that you were trying to address with ASPER?  

We had a few challenges. Number one was to create a user-friendly site where students can find the best offers all in one place. Second, we wanted to provide a space for business owners to share their discounts with our users. That's why we decided to create not only student accounts but client accounts as well so that companies can put their discounts and offers on our platform. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our goal was to make our site easy to use and useful. It was a huge project and we used different elements to make it work. ASPER was responsible for the whole project, from wireframes, and design, to front-end and backend development. They assigned 2 developers to our project—1 front-end and 1 backend developer. Our platform was made in LARAVEL (PHP) and MySQL, obviously. ASPER is also handling several smaller projects for us.

How did you come to work with ASPER?

At first, we created an e-mail briefing for a few agencies we’ve heard about. ASPER was the most professional of these agencies. In their first message, they suggested a number of solutions and showed enthusiasm for the work. Then we had few business meetings where we saw their plans for the project. That's how we started to work together.

How much have you invested with ASPER?

We paid between $10,000 and $50,000 for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in January 2016 and finished at the beginning of May 2016. Our relationship is still ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very happy with their work. A big base of over 100,000 users came from our fan pages. We work with a few big affiliation clients and our business is still growing. Right now, I can't share any statistics with you as I am on my Christmas break. Hopefully, I'll be able to send some data to you at the beginning of next year.  

How did ASPER perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their project management was of the highest level. We're really happy with the solutions ASPER recommended and the way they managed the whole project.

What did you find most impressive about ASPER? 

There were 3 things that really stood out. The first was their enthusiasm to work on this project. It's hard to find an agency with such an optimistic and passionate attitude. Second, we were impressed with their knowledge. It was great that we could totally rely on their expertise and skills. And last but not least, their work was always on time.  

Are there any areas that ASPER could improve?

We wouldn't do a single thing differently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Director at a web design and development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Symfony Development

SOLUTION

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

Vetted several companies, conducted interview and requested a proposal showing us how they'd approach the project.

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

Symfony Development to develop a SaaS app.

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

1 developer 1 operations person

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm very happy with ASPER BROTHERS' overall approach, professionalism, and Symfony development skills.

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

The project management exists on our side, but they have an operations person overseeing the project, who has been very responsive and helpful.

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

Their professionalism across the board. You can tell it really matters to them and they work hard at it.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm CEO of a US based tech startup

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ASPER BROTHERS?

We hired Asper Brothers to provide staff to augment into our team to help us in the building of our product

SOLUTION

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

We decided to work with the brothers because the talent they offered was superior to the competition and they were great people to work with in general.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They provided engineers at the start of our project, who we decided to manage internally. All in all was great talent.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

Our recruitment process involved CV review, initial tech test, interview with CTO then final call with Co-Founder. This process was adhered to with the talent from Asper Brothers. All hires from them passed these stages.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The talent was great. Honestly very little else matters when it comes to staff augmentation.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great!

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

The seniority of the talents was great!

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

No need for improvement anywhere