Oivan

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CIO if a small size bank, we focused in retail banking business operating Thailand, with our headquarter in Bangkok and a branch and lending outlet nationwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Oivan?

Our bank is growing fast and we need to assess our current state to ensure our IT infrastructure is able to cope with the business grow in the mid and long term.

SOLUTION

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

We have selected Oivan based on their experience and track record on their other undertakings. Oivan has demonstrated their full understanding of our needs and also having the right resource to assist in our requirements.

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

The project is a typical assessment where Oivan came in to gather the current situation; our existing infrastructure, stock take on our inventory as well as issues and pain points; we also provided a high level business roadmap as one of the key inputs towards our target IT architecture and infrastructure requirements. Oivan then provided a detail report laying out the future model and provided recommendations on the infrastructure development roadmap.

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

Three consultants were involved in project, where they have expertise in IT infrastructure and operations, IT security and Cloud computing and adoption.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Oivan's recommendations are clear and practical, all suggestions are based on their understanding of our situation and provide their advice accordingly.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow and operating rhythm is simple, we were restricted by the pandemic in which we are not able to allow Oivan's team to perform the study onsite, but we were able to collaborate via online meetings and it works out fine.

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

Oivan was flexible and resourceful, the project pulled in additional resource from other region to help on specific topics that we all need expertise advice.

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

It would be great if Oivan can further expand their local team here in Thailand with subject matter experts and best practice backing from headquarter and other regions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am co-founder of a company offering online and hybrid meeting services for companies and associations in need of specific set of tools to support decision making processes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Projects goal was to build up and replace our current MVP with the next production version of the service. Outsourcing major part of the software and web development to Oivan in order to focus on the business development of freshly found startup company.

SOLUTION

How did you select Oivan and what were the deciding factors?

We had worked on previous projects together with various service providers, but out of these options Oivan clearly gave us room for a wider discussion for the project planning phase.

Allowing us to start development of the product earlier. Thus enabling us to grow our customer base faster and start gaining more revenue with a more reliable version of the service.

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

We started by going through our MVP and creating new mockups for the updated version. We ourselves have a bunch of technical know how, so we could discuss and decide the full technology stack together based on the MVP and other tools we would use on the project.

We built up next version rather quickly with React.js and Node.js, switched new version to production and started testing features with real user data.

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

At the start of the project we collaborated with the management team and then we interviewed couple canditates to be dedicated on the project. From the first contact to a dev interview it only took couple days and we moved with rather fast pace which got the project to a good start.

For now we have worked mainly with two different developers, both experienced on different fields. It is great that we have a partner that we can rely on various needs, would it be a long term development project or a short term specific need for a very specialized competence.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We managed to create a new version of the product and turn that version profitable from day 1. We could actually bootstrap most of the development cycly while also gathering real user data from the service.

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

We created a slack channel for easier day to day communications and Trello board to keep up with the backlog for the starters. Sprints usually are for two weeks, in between the sprints, we have had meetings remote due the global pandemic.

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

Even when having a complex platform with a lot of localized legal burden we have managed to tackle most of the bugs within really short time period. Developers have been really friendly and helpful towards us. They do really show that the project also matters for them, it is not just about making a gig.

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

At the really start of our project, communications were a bit of a hassle - but we got over it quickly and found the ways that worked well for everyone.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Stufio, an early-stage startup. I’m also a technology director at Granlund, a real estate solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA Ltd?

We wanted to create a sustainable service built around a difficult message: encouraging people to not own stuff that they only use a couple of times. The original service developed by others was clunky and a little evangelizing. We wanted to redo the service as a platform with a slick UX and an intuitive UI. But we needed help with building a demo version of the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IWA built an InDesign demo of our platform. It explains the difference between us and what has come before us and shows people how to navigate through the different layers. We wanted to emphasize the visual experience and intuitive elements so that we can encourage people to come back to the platform.

The trickiest parts were how to communicate things once and how to make it user-friendly, especially when it came to searches. Users would search for items to borrow from other users. We added features like an express search that shows the top 10 most commonly search items. That way, users can click on the search phrase they want instead of typing it manually into the box.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–3 people, including a project manager and a UX person.

How did you come to work with IWA Ltd?

I met their CEO at an industry event. He seemed open-minded and interested in the potential of the industry. That made it easy to ask them to be a partner on this. I suspected we’d get more care and attention specifically because they recognized the market potential.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about €5,000 (approximately $5,400).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took 6–8 weeks from May until June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve gotten loads of good feedback from customers we’ve been pitching to. The demo is integral to our slide deck because it shows actual views from the app and lends credibility.

How did IWA Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

It worked really well. Our team is spread out, but IWA has offices in our city. It suited both our teams to have our side work in their offices. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

IWA really got into our solution, the problem it solves, and the challenges we face. They understood the principles quickly and helped brainstorm the customer journey. Their team even expressed interest in using our service, identifying themselves as ideal customers of the platform. Whether they meant it or not, that really helped in the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

On our side, we’re still finding the perfect way to scale the solution up. However, we’ve had no trouble with the demo work. It was a small investment, and I felt like we got the things we needed.

Any advice for potential customers?

We came into the partnership with a really good feeling of what we wanted in identity and flow. We also had 5–6 examples of what we wanted from parallel industries and services. It then was up to them to take it and put our brand on it and scope it for ourselves. We might have come in too many ideas, actually, which would be a credit to them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and director of Justin Guitar. I teach guitar to people online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA Ltd?

I was looking for a web developer to remake my website. I created the previous site. I do a little bit of coding with HTML and basic PHP. I’d been doing it for 10 years, but I couldn’t deal with things like responsive websites. I needed a custom CMS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked with another developer to build a framework, and most of the UX was already done. I had a good, tight brief for them, which changed slightly during the project. We decided to go with a custom CMS. Their team of developers built the site from scratch.

We did it in a few phases. Phase one was to build a framework that was roughly the same as the old website and import all the data but make it responsive. Then, I started working on the data while they were working on phase two, which was incorporating a user dashboard and ability for users to sign in. Phase three was to make sure everything was right and responded well, tweaking the UX. We’re currently working on phase four, which is incorporating new features for the users.

The big part was making a user dashboard. When a user signs in, they can save favorite lessons for later. On the dashboard, they can find where they were on their guitar learning journey easily, whether it was in progress or completed, and find the songs that they like. The dashboard also tracks if they made donations to the site or if they purchased anything through the site.

What is the team composition?

I had one main lead developer. There were at least 5–6 people involved who I didn’t communicate with directly.

How did you come to work with IWA Ltd?

I’d worked with the owner of IWA on another project for another company in the guitar sector. He was the first person I seriously thought about employing to do the job.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Loads of positive feedback indicate that everybody loves the website. In guitar land, there are a lot of internet nerds and programmers that seem to like the guitar as well. I get a lot of strong, opinionated feedback, and it was overwhelmingly positive for the new site. The few people who didn’t like it were older people that didn’t like change and found it confusing.

How did IWA Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

They were exceptionally flexible. I change my mind if I think of a better way of doing things. They’re great at dealing with me doing that because it’s probably a frustrating thing for a developer. They had positive ideas and concepts that I hadn’t thought of that turned out to be excellent.

They were on budget and on schedule. A lot of things were finished sooner than we thought, which was great. The budgeting was spot on. It was a fair price and wasn’t biased one way or another. They gave me a quote on the initial agreement of the project. There were some additional charges for things I added that were way off target. I felt happy and it was good value.

I had a Skype conversation with the lead developer every week, and sometimes, twice a week. We chatted and explored ideas through Skype. We also used Asana, which was the best way to communicate things to make sure everyone had a clear understanding.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re nice people. They really cared compared to other developers I’ve worked with. They cared about it being a successful project. It’s possibly the best guitar resource for anybody wanting to learn guitar. It’s the best you can get, but it’s free. They embraced that and made sure to give me a good value because they liked the concept.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were some communication problems with the DevOps doing the hosting and technical stuff. They were sometimes a bit slow when I needed results right away. I was a little frustrated with the developers hoping things were going to get done sooner, mainly when we got to the testing stage. It wasn’t a big deal and was resolved quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the investment director at a real estate investment company based in Finland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire IWA Ltd?

We’re currently in the process of setting up a new hotel and apartment business, so we needed resources to develop a property management system.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to define the system’s functionality and design architecture.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A colleague referred them to us.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

The project involved three phases: first, they collaborated with us to understand our business’s functionality needs. They then designed the architecture for the system. Finally, they defined a roadmap for the development, providing both work and cost estimates.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a senior architect/developer and a UI developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

IWA performed really well over the project. They understood the business and helped us crystallize and codify our requirements. Furthermore, they were very good at putting all of this down on paper and defining a plan to develop the system.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their team managed the engagement in a hands-on way. We worked through weekly or bi-weekly sessions, and we communicated over Slack. Overall, this worked very well.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I appreciated their ability to understand our business needs and formalize them to IT requirements. They excel at communicating the system’s needs and the limitations and development challenges caused by them.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the web content specialist for a religious institution in Finland. I produce content for our websites, plan new web services, and organize social media services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA Ltd?

We wanted to provide a service for adults that didn’t finish confirmation school as teenagers. We wanted to offer course completion materials via a computer, smartphone, or iPad. We needed them to make a new version of this service to replace an older version which they completed in 2011.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We planned the upgrade from scratch with IWA. They developed and designed a responsive website that’s compatible with any device. Since they provided the old service, they had the background knowledge, which was helpful. We spent a lot of time talking about our idea and the service, making sure we weren't going to make mistakes. I appreciate that they wanted to deeply understand the idea. 

What is the team composition?

The team included the project manager and a designer.

How did you come to work with IWA Ltd?

We had already worked together; they knew our needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €34,000 ($41,876 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between May–October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The improved services received positive feedback for improved accessibility and navigation. Users found the new system more intuitive and efficient.

How did IWA Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager was friendly, open-minded, and responsive. We met nearly 10 times during the engagement. Otherwise, we communicated via email and digital project management platforms.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were professional and genuinely interested in the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The team could’ve responded faster to some situations. But they tried their best to juggle simultaneous projects. Overall, they were a pleasure to engage.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at an education marketplace where our goal is to match up tutors with students who are looking for private sessions. It’s especially focused on teaching second languages.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA Ltd?

We wanted a mobile app that could match supply and demand in an organized way, where tutors could set the time that they want to work and students can choose one of those set times.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed and developed a native app for iOS and Android; it was a full-stack engagement. I worked alongside IWA in the implementation of the app, as well as with the logo, design, and the color palette selection.

What is the team composition?

Our main contact was the project manager but there was also a developer and a product manager involved.

How did you come to work with IWA Ltd?

I explored freelance and company-based options and chose IWA due to the experience and knowledge they offered.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April to October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a soft launch with a small group to gather feedback. One of the suppliers asked to acquire the app.

How did IWA Ltd perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great in this regard. It was a remote engagement so we mainly used Skype to communicate. They delivered quality work on time, all the while being very supportive and cooperative whenever we asked for changes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with their performance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to expand their team and market themselves more.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder of BookTheArtists.com.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA?

The challenge was building our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

IWA developed our website using the Listify WordPress theme. We chose the platform and had a clear vision for going forward, so what we needed from IWA was some PHP coding. The task was not that difficult since the Listify WordPress platform already delivered 80% of the functionalities. The whole service was built on top of the CMS [content management system]. There was some tweaking involved with the payment functionality, WooCommerce.

We didn’t provide wireframes in the classic sense, but we did have sketches, a full description of the process in bullet points, and examples of similar logic from other companies. Based on our input, IWA created our wireframes. Since one of our co-founders is a graphic designer, they didn’t handle graphic design, except for some tweaking. IWA handled the user experience, user journey, and interface development. They also built a calendar functionality.

What is the team dynamic?

We were in touch with three people from IWA, but only one was doing software development. I don’t remember that person’s name because we only talked a couple of times, but I remember that he was based in Thailand. Another person from IWA acted as the project owner.

How did you come to work with IWA?

Before we worked with IWA, we’d hired some staff through Upwork, Codable, and other platforms. I looked at Finish IT software companies and noticed IWA. They mentioned human-centric digital solutions, which was the first indication that I would want to work with them. We had a meeting with the founder of IWA, Rami Korhonen. It was a happy coincidence that we came from the same neighborhood.

I checked a few other options, but IWA was slightly smaller than other companies, similar to the one I was working for myself. It made them an obvious choice. When we met with Rami, it was clear that they were not just software developers—they actually understood the business model and logic behind the service.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was $6,000–$7,000. We had a very good deal.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with IWA in August 2015. The service was launched at the beginning of 2016, around January. It was a fast delivery of a minimum viable product, taking into account that my team and I had other full-time jobs at that time. The site is live, but we are not doing anything actively with it because we ran out of money.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We collected feedback constantly from artists and clients alike to determine what was doable. The feedback from artists and customers was positive. They found the site easy to use and liked the design. People wondered why no one else had done something similar before since it made booking live performances for weddings or company parties so much easier. Many of the artists told us that the site allowed them not to keep a band website anymore.

How did IWA perform from a project management standpoint?

We had monthly or biweekly 30-minute meetings with Rami, but the communication was mainly done via email. As they are software developers, they implemented and gave us access to Trello, which works similarly to Slack. However, I don’t like those platforms, so I mostly used email.

We worked with a junior project manager who did very well, in my opinion. We gave him a good LinkedIn recommendation based on his work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was critical that we be on the same page from the beginning, and they were able to provide good business advice, not just technical knowledge. Fortunately, we had a fruitful start. Based on my discussions with other IT or tech people, this is not typical. Rami understood the business side as well, which was nice. We had an initial chat with him, looking to see how his company could help, and he understood what we were after immediately. He lived in the US and understood what was happening in Silicon Valley, so he brought value from that point of view.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As with any smaller software company, it’s understandable that there will be some prioritization in favor of bigger projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an Advisor of the Children and Digital Media Team at Save the Children Finland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to reach out to young people to provide them simple online help and support from police officers, social workers, and crime-victim support personnel. There were multiple professionals with the same problem, which was finding young people who needed help. We got together and determined we needed some kind of mobile app, then decided to build it with IWA.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially built an Android version of the app, and then built an iOS version. We didn’t have a design, but I did bring in a clear idea of how the app should work. We had to make some fixes to IWA’s work later on, but not many.

There is a WhatsApp-style communication functionality on the app where a young person can send a message, then it’s taken in to identify the problem. It’s either then replied to by us or forwarded to the appropriate support, such as a police officer. This functionality was bought separately from a Finnish service called Ninchat, and IWA embedded the tool.

There is a schedule that details which online services, for young people, are currently open. Users can click on a particular service and go directly to it, and it’s an easy way of finding online counseling. It works based off of the Google Calendar system, which is embedded in the app. The other functionalities were built from scratch by IWA Ltd.

In addition, there are some informational pages about, for example, what to do in the event of cyber-bullying. We can also embed some videos there, and it functions as a self-help tool that provides easily accessible knowledge for people who are in trouble online or offline.

The heavy work was done around the message board system, through which all messages are delivered to us and other members involved (police and victim support professionals). They can see the same questions and can forward them to appropriate people. We can see replies and further progress for each question through a log, which was tricky to build and was something we’ve worked on since the beginning.

We faced the problem of not being able to see questions being addressed to police officers because of Finnish law, which caused us to have to build another version. After making this correction, police officers could see all the posts, but we couldn’t see the messages intended for the officers.

What is the team dynamic?

All details, from graphic design to general look, were done together with their team. We had frequent online and face-to-face meetings at their office in Helsinki. I met IWA at least 3 times before going on maternity leave. We had a close collaboration with their design team, as well as with the people responsible for the technology and coding work.

There was one project manager assigned to us from IWA’s side who coordinated a group of developers from Thailand. He was located there, more or less.

How did you come to work with IWA Ltd.?

We were doing some benchmarking through other NGOs, as well as conducting Google searches and asking colleagues about developers who were creating similar apps successfully. When we met IWA, it was a match made in heaven. They understood what we wanted and were open to collaborating, as well as rethinking our concept. IWA pushed us to reconsider some of our hopes and wishes, and it was easy to work with them from the beginning. We met some other companies as well, but it was not really successful.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was approximately €80,000 [$95,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with IWA in July 2015. The iOS app was published in February 2017, which ended the main part of the work. The project is still ongoing, and we’re able to contact them for support concerning any bugs or technical issues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The download count has been in the hundreds. We’ve had some problems with the police force where they haven’t been able to use the app as much as we’d hoped. We haven’t been marketing the app very much in 2017 since we’ve been waiting for the police force.

We’ve had both excellent and subpar feedback. Most of the negative comments have revolved around a phone number issue. If someone wants to chat with the police, they have to enter their phone number, and young people are not keen on providing this to the police. When they’ve done it and received help, they usually leave positive feedback and mention how the app helped them. They tell us how great it is to have people available that will help them and answer questions.

The Ninchat tool has an embedded rating system, and around 70% of the feedback is positive. After a young person chats with one of our professionals, they can then rate the app.  

How did IWA perform from a project management standpoint?

The development project went well, and I was responsible for designing the mobile app until I went on maternity leave. Someone else then took over the project, but I learned that it was successful and that it was easy to work with IWA.

Things were delivered on schedule, and it was budgeted well, so it was a good project from an economic perspective. The amount of money we invested was well spent, and the product was useful.

I’m not sure what the organization or roadmap approach was initially, but for the iOS version, we used Trello to communicate. It was a good tool for assessing the project situation, what needed to be done, and what IWA needed to know. We also used Slack, had weekly online meetings, and one face-to-face meeting with the project team in the beginning. We already knew each other, and the current app was based on the Android version, so it was a matter of redoing something we already had. It was easy work, from my perspective as local project manager.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked on other technology projects, and they tend to require too much time, energy, and money. The collaboration with IWA was nice, and not at all painful.

With previous IT projects, I’ve never had the feeling of being listened to. IWA has tried to understand the customer’s POV and keep their promise of offering support. I’ve mentioned them to other NGOs who inquired about our app. They stood out by really understanding our needs and by delivering good products. It was easy to work with them, and they have a pleasant customer service attitude.

Are there any areas they could improve?

From the project reports, there seems to have been no negative feedback. IWA's team did their best.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO and founder of Flioz. We are a small startup based in Finland, developing an iOS app for private investors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with IWA?

We made a revision on our product and service, and needed an outsourced technical developer for the task. We’d had a previous collaboration with a small team, but needed to change them. We came up with IWA, and started working with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We discussed different technical options with IWA. I am not a technical person, and neither are my colleagues, so we relied on their judgment around the backend and frontend solution. We built the app natively for iOS, using Swift code. From the backend perspective, it was more their proposal, and it’s been working well.

The graphic design was done more or less in-house, so the project was more about fine-tuning the concept and creating a live version. We needed help with technical development and some launch activities.

The app is a service for private investors. We aim to help them find profitable ventures, benchmark their current investment performances, and develop better ways to invest. We have a variety of investment portfolios which are provided for free, and there is also some premium content. Investors can create their own portfolios from scratch, as well as compare and benchmark their investment performance with our preferred portfolios.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with 4 main contacts, including one of the founders of the company. We also had a dedicated project manager, a main frontend developer, and a second one who helped during the project. We had 1 lead backend developer, and a service and operations person. Overall, there were around 6 people helping us out.

How did you come to work with IWA?

I googled companies with experience in the finance capital area, and came up with 5 options. I knew some of the companies beforehand, but IWA was new to me. I met with several of the groups, and found that I had a similar background to IWA’s founders, and had worked on similar projects in the early 2000s. I understood their previous work, and knew that they had some good experience in the area. They also offered us a good proposal.

IWA worked on the minimal viable product [MVP] version of our app. We had a high-level architecture and wireframes which had been developed in-house by our designer. Based on those, IWA carried out a short initial concepting project, creating a more detailed wireframe. Based on that result, we went forward with the development.

How much have you invested with them?

The investment has been around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with IWA in September or October 2015. We had a first version and some updates completed a year ago. We did some additional updates later on. I’ve been in contact them a lot regarding some certificates. We’ve maintained constant communication, but the main development was done in 2016. The relationship is on-and-off; if we need technical help, IWA is still our main contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The performance and feedback after launch were quite good. We made an online survey within the app, and also held some interviews in the U.S. People like the approach, and the ability to have modified portfolios which they can compare and benchmark. We have a steady flow of downloads, but we haven’t put any money into this, so it’s quite flat. The general feedback has been good, with hardly any negative comments.

How did IWA perform from a project management standpoint?

It was quite a long relationship, 6-8 months altogether. We’ve had some updates, and their performance was pretty good. There were some challenges in the beginning, in terms of communication, until we were up-and-running. After we came to know each other, it went quite smoothly.

In general, the communication has been good all the time, with hardly any challenges. However, there will always be challenges when working across different time zones. We are based in Europe, but also have activities in other countries. Our data was coming from the U.S. exchange, which put some extra challenges on the project, but, in general, it was quite good.

We had weekly face-to-face meetings in the beginning, since we are situated close to each other. We also used Slack, Trello, and email. We tried to formalize our communication, in order to be on top of activities and see the latest developments.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project teams didn’t have too much experience in the financial sector before our project, but they were fast to learn and became familiar with the topic. The project ran smoothly in general, in terms of collaboration and communication. If there were minor challenges with the schedule, IWA was willing to assign an extra person on their end, so that they could deliver. This has been good to see.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Even though there were some challenges now and then, the project ran fine. IWA was growing fast as a company during the project. They doubled their personnel, and I can understand what this is like, having worked in startups. When we started, IWA was a reasonably small company, but they’ve come to grow significantly, and have developed their processes quite well. They were always eager to get our feedback and make things smoother and smoother. I have no particular topics to address.