From Poland with Dev

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of IT for New Lab, a platform for enabling pioneer technologies. We're a space for entrepreneurs in specific disciplines to work and collaborate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with From Poland with Dev?

We had a WordPress website that was built for our launch in 2016. We had lost touch with the developers that built it, and it needed a refresh. We also wanted to launch a new online publication.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

From Poland with Dev redesigned and redeveloped our WordPress site through an iterative process. They worked from wireframes that we developed in-house. They migrated the entire site to a new hosting arrangement to improve performance, stability, and reliability of the backend. They now support us with SEO and analytics.

What is the team composition?

It has varied over time as our website needs have changed. Initially, we had a small team working with us. At some point, it became clear that we needed a more comprehensive agreement with a dedicated account manager and more resources to focus on specific tasks.

How did you come to work with From Poland with Dev?

We looked at 5–6 individual developers and small firms. From Poland with Dev was recommended to us by someone who was working with us at the time and had worked with them before. It became clear through the interview process that not only would they be able to deliver what we wanted in the timeframe that we wanted but that they were professional and accountable. They were responsive to us in terms of what the project would require and how much it would cost. The other developers and firms we looked at didn’t convince us that it was possible to complete the project on budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2016, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we've been working with them, our site has been super reliable. Before that, we faced some security vulnerabilities, such as malicious URLs being embedded in our site. We haven’t had any security compromises, outages, or site performance issues in terms of responsiveness or page load times since we started working with From Poland with Dev.

How did From Poland with Dev perform from a project management standpoint?

At this stage, we reach out to them as needed. This is sometimes daily and sometimes weekly for small tasks. I have a biweekly check in with our account manager to review the status and hours of projects.

We have a single point of contact that coordinates their team. They’re incredibly reliable and accountable. They execute quickly. The time difference doesn’t get in the way. The more we engage them, the better the relationship becomes. It's a virtuous cycle.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s their reliability. With technology, things move really fast. People move around a lot. When you're trying to manage a business, it's important to maintain long-term relationships with trusted partners. It ensures reliability and accountability. I'm glad that they're there for us when we need them with the same people. They’ve cultivated institutional knowledge of us—they know what we need, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. When you're just hiring someone to do a single project, for example, you don’t get that. There’s not the same level of accountability.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. The language barrier is a little bit of a challenge but nothing that really needs to be addressed. It’s important to be aware that English is not their native language so communication must be precise.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just go for it. Talk to them and let them prove themselves to you. For us, it was clear from the beginning that they understood what we needed and could execute it on time and budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the growth marketing manager for a fashion company that sells shoes and other accessories. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with From Poland With Dev?

We reached out to From Poland With Dev for additional development resources to work on a variety of projects, including some frontend and backend development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

From Poland With Dev provides development support for a variety of projects, including CRO and auxiliary Shopify development. They've also made a lot of modifications to product page templates for new products we've launched; built landing pages as needed; helped transition our code base from one repository to another, and worked on-site suite optimizations. 

What is the team composition? 

We've worked with about four people, including the main developer, a QA lead, and others involved in conversion rate optimization. 

How did you come to work with From Poland With Dev?

I worked with them at a previous company, so I was already familiar with their quality of work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend an average of $6,000–$7,000 per month, so we've invested about $30,000–$40,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since around September 2018 and have them on a monthly retainer. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've helped us migrate to a new repository, which has made deploying changes and other development work a lot more efficient. They've also had a lot of success in testing new features, including some email capture units they added to our site. Overall, they've created a lot of great assets, and we've been very pleased with their work. 

How did From Poland With Dev perform from a project management standpoint?

Even though I handle the majority of project management, they've been great about hitting deadlines and communicating. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide quality work at a very affordable rate, considering what the same services would cost locally. They're also great to work with–highly communicative, responsive, and timely. They've even worked outside of normal business hours to get us what we need on time. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints. There are some challenges involved when it comes to working with a vendor overseas, but nothing atypical. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest working directly with Pawel (Director of Operations, From Poland With Dev) in the beginning because he's very organized and good at understanding client needs. Be direct about project goals and challenges so that he can place the most appropriate resources on his team on the account. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and managing director of Optilyz, a marketing software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with From Poland with Dev?

We wanted to build an offshore development team outside of Germany.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project started off with them recruiting developers to take over 100% of the process. From Poland with Dev does everything from recruiting to payment. We can fully rely on them for everything.

Their team works on a specific part of our application. We break up the software architecture into different microservices, and they work on the customer-facing part and the entire frontend. They’re specifically using JavaScript.

What is the team composition?

We started off a year ago with the first developer and then decided to create a full team of five to six people consisting of frontend React-Redux developers, as well as a scrum master, a designer, and a QA specialist. We now have a complete team that can work quite independently. We’re involved in the recruiting process because we want the developers to feel like part of our team. However, we only consistently interact with Pawal (Co-Founder/Director of Operations, From Poland with Dev).

How did you come to work with From Poland with Dev?

I like working with Polish developers because they’re very reliable, their English level is quite good, and they have very similar attitudes as Germans do. A developer that worked for us knew Pawal and said that he was very reliable. I liked his entrepreneurial spirit and enjoyed working with him from the very beginning.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €200,000–€300,000 (approximately $224,650–$336,976 USD) so far. We pay on a per-person basis, taking into account each person’s capability.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re a major part of our main development team and of everything we do, which means that they’re also part of our entire success. We have a long-term relationship with them. They’re now taking over the entire frontend.

How did From Poland with Dev perform from a project management standpoint?

We do most of the project management from Germany, telling them what their specific tasks are. Communication is good, and we have daily meetings and several calls with the tech team. I’ve met with Pawal in Poland as well as here. We normally speak once or twice per month depending on how many candidates we have in the pipeline and what the process is. Our HR department is also in contact with Pawal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility is outstanding. Whenever we have new needs for certain profiles, they’ve been responsive and adjust accordingly. We want to make sure we hired certain types of people from a cultural perspective. We also wanted very driven and motivated people. Taking this into account, From Poland with Dev handled the entire recruitment process for us really well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to expand the skillset for their available resources. About two-thirds of the profiles weren’t really what we were looking for. In the end, we found the right person, but it took some time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be really sure about the city you want to recruit in and of the capabilities that are there. Stay close to the people and try to build a good relationship with them. Don’t try to take control of the process, but do have someone who is really involved. Also, take over the project management if you have them as an extended team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of web marketing and engineering for Zenefits, an HR benefits payroll platform. I oversee our main marketing website. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with From Poland With Dev?

We needed a dev partner that could augment our internal team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

From Poland With Dev collaborates and interacts with our internal team, serving as an extension of them. We’re currently building a new website, so that’s what they’ve mainly been working on. They’re able to quickly increase our dev time and scale appropriately without having to go through an entire hiring cycle.

What is the team composition? 

I interact directly with the dev team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in April 2018, and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The partnership has been working out great for the redesign and relaunch of our main site.

How did From Poland With Dev perform from a project management standpoint?

I handle project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re able to scale quickly and find people who have the necessary technical skills and who are easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we have a good system right now.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Customize your partnership according to your unique business needs and projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Design of Business & Finance

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Event creators and Publishers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire From Poland with Dev to accomplish?

• Redesign Website
• Web development support

SOLUTION

How did you find From Poland with Dev?

Referral

Why did you select From Poland with Dev over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from From Poland with Dev were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

WE brought a new design visual to the guys and they seamlessly took implemented it into our existing live site with no disruption at all.
Tholw whole experience was quiet enjoyable and we continue to use the guys as our web developers when ever we need them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Increased traffic, better user experience and a a better functioning CMS for the website.

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

Yes we already worked with the project manager before the redesign project and he was super responsive to our questionms and emails and explained everything with great detail.

What was your primary form of communication with From Poland with Dev?

Email or Messaging App

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

I have peace of mind with asking for something to be changed or fixed.
From Poland with Dev will always do good work and be on time.

Are there any areas for improvement or something From Poland with Dev could have done differently?

I struggle on this question, Maybe come back to me. LOL

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Programs of The John Paul II Project

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide powerful immersive formation programs for youth and young adults.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire From Poland with Dev to accomplish?

• Design and create 3 new pages for our existing website

SOLUTION

How did you find From Poland with Dev?

Owner/Manager

Why did you select From Poland with Dev over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from From Poland with Dev were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Design and create 3 new pages for our existing website. Copy and photos were provided and while general layout was already in place from a previous page, some pages required the layout creativity.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Pages published and look great!

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

Great. We were mostly responsible for any lag time. Slight delay in backend technicality where they thought pages were published but then I discovered they weren't. However, they very quickly fixed the issue and we were very satisfied.

What was your primary form of communication with From Poland with Dev?

Email or Messaging App

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

Their responsiveness, professionalism, alignment of values, and quality of work are remarkable.

Are there any areas for improvement or something From Poland with Dev could have done differently?

Nope! Very highly satisfied and grateful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of an external accounting firm that works in an international environment. We’re responsible for calculating taxes, accounting, and payroll.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire From Poland with Dev?

We needed to develop a more sophisticated website than what other accounting firms have and hired From Poland with Dev for the task.

What were your goals for this project?

We mainly wanted to encourage our potential clients to hire us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We reviewed a number of vendors and decided to hire From Poland with Dev as they seemed to be the most genuine and nice team with a great background of successful projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

From Poland with Dev handled our website’s development. They communicated all the necessary input we had to give them as well as their expectations regarding the solutions they used.

What was the team composition?

I’m not sure about the exact number of team members since we only had contact with an assigned project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our clients have had positive remarks about the website.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

All deadlines and expectations were met. We had real-time updates and effective communication through email and phone, which was much appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

From Poland with Dev’s willingness to support their customers is amazing. They offered great suggestions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. Everything was perfect.