Oivan

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the development manager for Rakennustieto, which provides building instructions and knowledge material for all members of the Finnish building industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA Ltd.?

We were developing a digital distribution channel for our customers. Our informational products came initially in printed form, but they are now PDFs. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IWA provided consultation and developed the user interface [UI] for our service. They have been our main strategic partner in creating the current digital UI. IWA helped with both design and execution on 3–4 digital-service projects for us, overall.

What is the team dynamic?

We've used several research methods. The development has been running for about a year, during which time we’ve collected user feedback and used third-party UI designers. The final version was done in collaboration with our company and IWA.

The size of the team has varied, and I would estimate up to 5 people are currently assigned to the project. 

How did you come to work with IWA Ltd.?

Our company was collaborating with IWA before I came onboard.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with IWA around 3 years ago. The start date for this project was March 2015. We have a couple of ongoing projects with IWA, including our distribution service. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a close collaboration with their team. IWA has been able to understand our needs and business logic quickly, and we’ve discussed development challenges. So far, our clients have been happy with what we’ve created.

How did IWA Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a great project manager and know each other very well. We have face-to-face meetings every 2 weeks and communicate via emails and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are reliable, and we enjoy a close collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. I’m very happy with IWA. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We do software for electric vehicle charging stations. As the chief technical officer, I'm responsible for technology services and product development.

One of our products is an app used by people who have electric vehicles. The app is native and available for Android and iOS. It displays city maps with the locations of charging spaces for electric vehicles. You can use the app to check the prices offered at each the station and pay for charging. The app shows connector information and pictures of the stations. You can also see the status of a station — if it’s free, in use, or broken.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA Ltd?

We hired IWA to help us develop different mobile applications. We had some initial projects with other companies, but we wanted to make improvements on our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is native, and it’s available for Android and iOS. We had an initial version of the app, but the current version has been rebuilt completely. We’re not using the original app that much anymore. We had some ideas for the app, and then IWA helped us do the final design.

How did you come to work with IWA Ltd?

Initially, we talked to 3–4 companies. We did small pilot projects with a couple of them so we could get an idea of how they worked and if they would be good partners for us. IWA seemed like the best option for us, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with IWA Ltd?

We’ve invested about $250,000–$350,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working around March 2015, and our work together is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have the actual numbers, but I would guess we’ve had 3,000–5,000 downloads. We’ve had good feedback about the app, both from users and the companies we’ve been working with. People are saying the app is easy to use, and they like using it. There are always areas to improve, but the general feedback has been good.

How did IWA Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

In this case, I guess the project management has been more on our side. We mainly use Slack, chat, and Skype calls. They are located near our office, so we also have meetings in person at our premises.

What did you find most impressive about IWA Ltd?

One thing we were looking for when we chose IWA was a flexible partner. Our business is in a new area, so things move and change quickly. Whatever we think we’ll do next month will probably change. We were looking for partners who could adapt quickly and work in a flexible manner with us. That was one of the reasons we chose IWA, and they’ve been good for us. They are able to do whatever we need, when we need it.

Are there any areas IWA Ltd could improve?

There are small things. It took us a while to get a person who had the exact qualities that we needed. I guess that’s the only thing I can think of: get the right people from the start when you're working on projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Talokeskus, a service company in Finland that works in the real estate business. We have our own system, the Tampuuri ERP [enterprise resource planning] solution. It’s widely used here in Finland for real estate. Approximately 1.9 million inhabitants are living in homes that are managed by our software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA Ltd?

We were developing a digital real estate rescue plan system. In Finland, we’re legally required to have rescue plans on real estate, so there was a demand for this service.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IWA developed the software from scratch. The core of the solution was developed on a Ruby on Rails backend framework. It includes comprehensive administration functionalities, including tools for adding new rescue plans and conducting specific safety audits properly. It's web-based, so it can be used on any device. It can also be integrated into a customer's website. We're doing the marketing for the software, not IWA. We also use Google Analytics and have our own user logs.

Previously, IWA did another mobile development project for us, an app for household inspections. That app is currently in production.

How did you come to work with IWA Ltd?

After interviewing a few companies, IWA seemed to be the best provider for our needs.

How much have you invested with IWA Ltd?

We’ve spent between €100,000 [$116,516] and €200,000 [$233,031].

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started working with them in 2015. The rescue plan project started in 2016, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Dozens of organizations are currently using the software for hundreds of real estate properties. For example, we are working with a company that is the largest private household real estate investor in Finland. They use our service to make real estate plans. Our customers all love the software, and there are plenty of positive comments about it. The quality was good all the time, and I didn’t see any problems.

How did IWA Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was good, and everything was done on schedule. Our deal with them was arranged so that we didn’t go beyond the timeframe.

We’ve worked with 5–10 people from IWA. For communication, we use email and Skype around once a week. Sometimes, we also meet face-to-face.

What did you find most impressive about IWA Ltd?

They're technically skilled people who are easy to communicate with. The project went smoothly.

Are there any areas IWA Ltd could improve?

Of course, there is always room for improvement. For example, they could have given more information about where we're going in some of their emails. But on average, everything is good.