Q agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a German manufacturer of medical supplies. Our main concentration is medical compression stockings. We have three departments: medical, lifestyle, and fashion. Each part of the company focuses on compression technology. I’m the manager of online products, so I working in our IT department of about 50 people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

We had a new project about 2–3 years ago that required an iOS native app to communicate with an external piece of hardware. In our case, that was the camera of  Apple products. We brought their team on to address this problem.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, their job focused mostly on the technical aspects of app development. Later on, they assisted us with the conceptual parts of the project as well. They’re also concerned with layout and concepts within the app. At this point, the app is only for iOS and isn’t available to the public yet. We have a set of customers testing it for quality as well.

One of the main requirements of the team was the create something that communicates directly with our B2B shop. It’s able to measure 3D objects such as legs to assist us with our production of goods. This aspect of the work was complicated, paired with the communication between a native app and an online B2B shop. 

What is the team composition?

We have a small dedicated team with their company. That includes our project manager, who’s our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

When we read about their team on the web, we had a good feeling about their capabilities. After a successful first contact with a company representative, we decided to replace our prior development partner with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have a budget of €150,000 (approximately$164,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started together in Septemeber 2018, and our teams are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a provisioning model behind the app that accounts for both the hardware and the software using. Our customer base is growing over time. That’s why we decided to implement additional features to make this solution a standalone product. The app is successful. Our customers want to use it because it’s helpful. We’re still working on an Android version of the platform, so we’ll be able to offer that when our work is finished.  

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We started with a small development team but realized that we had to adjust our setup when we started adding more to their plate. Once we decided upon having a dedicated team, they assigned us a project manager and began working in an agile development style. We’re able to be involved in every stage of the project through Jira. Through our communication and in-person visits, we both grew and learned from each other.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really make an effort to understand our needs, even when they’re difficult to describe on our end. A company that we had worked with in the past was eager to create something. However, they produced a solution that we didn’t need. It didn’t align with our requirements. Their team asked the right questions to truly understand and clarify our needs. That was very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The main thing that needed to be addressed was our project management structure. They were able to adjust our situation very quickly when we needed it, so I can’t think of any negatives about their team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d recommend getting a dedicated team on their end. That way, you’ll have a set group of people who understand exactly what you’re trying to achieve. Then, give them the time they need to produce good results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager for commercial and strategic initiatives at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals. My role focuses on Europe “Cluster One”— a grouping of 11 countries, from Israel to the Baltics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

I was in charge of developing a customer platform for Switzerland. It would be a CRM that would facilitate our interactions with our customers, primarily Swiss healthcare professionals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Q agency developed a web application that allows for invoice and contract processing. Their tech stack included but wasn’t limited to SQL, PHP, Python, and HTML.

They handled everything from the frontend design work to backend development. With the frontend, they focused on streamlining the UX/UI, and with the backend, they created a small data warehouse that connects to our internal warehouse. There was a huge advantage to working with a company that could handle all fronts of the project.

What is the team composition?

The team consisted of around 4–5 people. There was one frontend designer, and 2­–3 working on the backend. There might’ve been more people working in the background.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

While I have limited information, I do know that they came highly recommended to my boss, the line manager. We sent an RFP to Q agency, and they came back with a great proposal.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been more than $110,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was kicked off in August 2019, and the project is ongoing. We had an MVP ready in December, meaning they managed to hit a very tight deadline. We’re still trying to improve it, though.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been very pleased with their work, and our experience with Q agency has been amazing. The partnership has been very collaborative; while they always take our requirements, we can also feel them thinking with us through the CX side of things. Q agency continuously helps us improve on our processes and understand what that means from a technical perspective.

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet in workshops and hold several web-calls. We communicate through email or chat. The informality of communication makes things very uncomplicated. We appreciate that they maintain very active communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility is remarkable. They manage to make it work with any requirement or solution. They think critically about ideas and provide excellent feedback or suggestions for improvement. They’ve been very comfortable with adapting to changes in scope and requirements as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. It’s been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be agile and flexible. I believe our teams had chemistry because we’re all young, adaptive, and open-minded about our ways. If you’re a conservative company with many hierarchical constraints, their working style might not be for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an independent senior consultant of commercial excellence for a pharmaceutical company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

Our customer processes are very paper-based. The pharmaceutical company in general lags behind other industries when it comes to digitization. We wanted to find another agency with success in other industries to help us get up to speed and digitize our processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created an online web tool that can be accessed as long as a user has internet and a browser. We wanted all of our processes to be online. This includes contracts, and users can check for how many products they’re ordering.

We wanted the system to be similar to e-banking. Nowadays, users are always aware of their current bank status. We want to introduce that to all pharmaceutical customers as well.

What is the team composition?

There’s just the four of us, but we’ve brought in subject matter experts for data and marketing.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

The commercial excellence manager’s wife worked with Q agency before. So we brought in three agencies to pitch the project, and we selected Q agency.

How much have you invested with them?

It was over €100,000 (approximately $110,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had really good customer feedback. We just implemented the MVP among nine testing customers. The platform is extraordinarily easy to use and simple. Our users often struggle with invoicing—it’s a total nightmare—but this platform makes it much easier.

Q agency understood exactly what we wanted to accomplish. They’re forward-thinking and always know what’s best, which is really cool. Even when our internal team can’t decide on specific, they’re able to just go on and build what they think is best. Nine out of ten agencies can’t do that. We haven’t worked with a vendor this good in years.

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s funny you ask that because they just Slacked me! They communicate very well. It’s really cool because they don’t stick to standard business hours. If something crucial comes up, we’re always able to text them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really understand what we want, and the team hasn’t changed since we started working together. As a result, we haven’t needed to take the time to get people up to speed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They did a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them do their job. Once you explain the project and they get it, let them take control. They’re experienced and innovative.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of an assessment company. We provide different evaluations to medium to large-sized corporations for employee development, team building, and selection.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

We needed a partner to develop our entire platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Q agency developed our assessment platform from scratch. Originally, they created our MVP. Then, their team built the product up from a simple platform that enables clients to take an assessment and score a result to an enterprise-level product. Primarily, they developed the platform using PHP. They created an Angular frontend too. Their team built a robust product with which we can accomplish several tasks including managing and billing our clients as well as customizing designs.

What is the team composition?

I had a dedicated team of four. Overall—including the different managers who oversee development—I’ve worked with probably 8–10 people.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

A colleague recommended Q agency. I was impressed with their pitch, so we created our MVP together. I was impressed with the results and continued working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $250,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together at the beginning of 2018 and Q agency provides ongoing work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Q agency did spectacular development work. Their team has powered my business. We’re doing well largely because our technology is solid.

I’m impressed with the work they've done. Their team has paid attention to security. Their ecosystem of technology and infrastructure complies with privacy and enterprise-level security standards. When going through vendor analysis as a client, Q agency has the standards to get through that process in one piece.

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication has been spot-on. Q agency has used Slack to remain in touch. I’ve worked with a dedicated team and have done my own project management. For the period of time that they did project management, their team did well. They have provided an experienced product manager who ran a tight ship. Their team includes more senior developers who have overseen and ensured that more junior developers are doing good, secure work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Q agency has provided good developers who don’t cut corners. They have accomplished work the right way. Unlike a lot of vendors out there, Q agency has been transparent and honest up front with the amount of work a project will take. Their work has been super high-quality. Working with them has been like having an in-house team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

This goes for anyone considering outsourcing development: Be really clear about what you want to build and communicate that as best as possible to the vendor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm in business analysis and delivery of projects for a publishing organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q Software? 

Our travel team wanted to launch a new e-commerce website in a 6–8-week time frame. We needed to hire an external resource to help with this challenge.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Q Software served as the architect for the entire site, taking on everything from the site design to the build and the hosting. They built the entire WordPress website and created the user interface and design. Some of it was fairly straightforward but they custom built plug-ins to scale up the features that we needed. They also set up a content management software. They took over the hosting of the website through Amazon when we were unable to do so. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with one designer and 6–7 developers. We had 50% of a project manager who served as our main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Q Software?

I'm not actually sure because the vendor decision was made prior to me coming on board. 

How much have you invested with them?

I only looked at the budget briefly, but we spent somewhere between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

Work formally kicked off in September 2018, and the initial launch of the site was in December 2018. The project is still ongoing, although it’s been paused because of some budget and time frame issues on our end.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Q Software's work is absolutely top notch. The quality is exceptional and free from errors. They’re probably the best software vendor I’ve ever worked with. However, our business case was always weak. So while we’re not seeing impressive business results, that has absolutely nothing to do with their work. 

Our internal team is quite pleased with the site. The fact they got the site done on time—when all the odds said they shouldn't—was remarkable. Everyone was thrilled that it was delivered on time. 

How did Q Software perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their team is brilliant. We only have half of the project manager’s time but he does a remarkable job. He’s always pragmatic and calm. He takes on every challenge that we throw at him. Just about everything that could go wrong from our side did go wrong, and he responds quickly and with a solution. He deals with everything in a timely fashion, and also with good humor to keep the relationship positive. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their attitude is excellent. Q Software is so knowledgeable about everything we ask of them. They always seem to know what they're doing. They’re good-natured even when we change things a million times. In addition, the quality of the products they deliver, and the speed with which they deliver them, is impressive. They’re always able to come up with not only a quick solution but a clever solution. Then they’re able to implement that solution flawlessly, which is rare among software vendors. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

There were a couple of times that we needed information from the CTO. He's so incredibly busy that it was almost impossible to get to him. Some sort of decentralized processes or mechanism to get that information is the only thing that could be improved. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Nothing springs to mind. They manage to come through even when we’re incredibly disorganized. So however you approach them or whatever you give them, they'll be able to respond. They make it quite simple from a client perspective.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm acting CEO of an education technology company. We provide learning technology for further education and corporate training.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q Software?

They’re our primary tech provider. We actually started our company directly with Q Software doing all of our entire development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Q Software is building a PHP-based Symphony framework that serves as the main interface for students. They’re also creating iOS and Android mobile applications. We provide strategic guidance and supervision.

What is the team composition?

We work with one member of their team for tech questions, and two others for business issues. There are currently seven developers and one designer assigned to our projects.

How did you come to work with Q Software?

One of our founders had previously worked with Q Software. Having that existing relationship made them an easy choice to launch a business partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had one client when we started. We made only $20,000 in license revenue doing a few one-off development projects for them. Now we have 10 clients and our license revenue is growing significantly. That's all a product of Q Software's work.

How did Q Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Their strength is understanding our business needs. They're very entrepreneurial in finding solutions within their talent pool to match the skill that we require. Our team manages the project in terms of keeping to a timeline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They stand out because they are entrepreneurs. They’re looking not just for customers but for partners. They've always treated us a true partner. They’re forward-thinking and they try to anticipate what's coming. They help us overcome our challenges and business hurdles. That's really unique and inspiring.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not with Q Software itself. Nearshore development projects always have challenges around how to work together to achieve our goals. For anyone we work with, we wish to find people that will fully commit to our mission.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It really depends on the type of project. The general advice that I would give is to have someone on the customer side that is really tech savvy. That person can support and manage the team at Q Software.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of an online company that provides software to recruitment agencies. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q Software?

Our objective was to create a platform that makes the recruitment process as seamless as possible for both employers and candidates. It utilizes not only web portals, but also mobile technology. We also offer workflow and job posting systems for employers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Q Software developed fully native mobile apps for iOS and Android. Technologies they used included React, Java, ButterKnife, ProGuard, and Ruby. Our platform features three portals. For the web app and employer component, we used Angular.js, Gradle, Gulp.js, Browsersync, Phantom.js, Raven.js, and pdf.js. 

The admin site uses the same technologies along with Zendesk. For the architecture, we used a MySQL database and Symfony PHP framework with Sensio. The backend includes a JMS bundle with a JWT authentication bundle. Everything is hosted on AWS. 

What is the team composition? 

Q Software assigned about 12 resources to our project. Our main point of contact and relationship manager is the VP of sales. 

How did you come to work with Q Software?

I found Q Software through word of mouth while I was part of an incubator program. They do a lot of outsourced work in the Belfast area. 

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we've spent $120,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project with Q Software started in March 2017 and is currently ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Q Software helped us bring a new product to market. After we built the MVP, we managed to get it through launch and testing to gather user feedback. Now, we can attract investors and make it in the marketplace. 

How did Q Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Our dedicated project manager is fantastic. We use InVision to launch all the releases and UX updates. Each week, we hold a call to discuss project status or any changes we make to the web portals or backend infrastructure.

Q Software makes sure resources with the right technical perspective for each stage are involved in our calls. During user acceptance testing, we reviewed the UX with iOS and Android experts. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I am most impressed by the speed and quality of Q Software's work. They translated the vision in my head into a solid architecture and technology build. As a startup, this talent was particularly helpful. They are also extremely skilled in the UX aspect of our project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no. I only visited the team's offices twice during the six months of the main project build. Q Software seamlessly handled everything else remotely.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Q Software has a fantastic office and ethos. I encourage future clients to visit the team in Zagreb. Doing so helped us build a genuine relationship with both the project manager and the development team. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager for an industrial group in the Swiss stock exchange.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q Software?

We needed a one-stop-shop agency that could support us on a new website project for our division. We wanted them to create our corporate website and handle a rebranding project at the same time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We requested a top-notch website with a flexible architecture. They had two teams involved, one for the branding work and one developing the website, which communicated with each other. The website runs on a new CMS, similar to WordPress and Drupal, but more advanced.

What is the team composition?

The project manager assigned to us was the one who dealt with all inquiries and requirements. There was another project manager in charge of the rebranding project. The communication between the two was easy and fluent.

How did you come to work with Q Software?

Since we’re in the industrial sector, it was essential for me to pick a company that had experience with industrial websites. Q Software had experience with a tools manufacturer, which was a good reference for me.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Q Software in January 2018 and decided to retain them as our primary supplier for the marketing department.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had positive reviews and responses from our stakeholders. The rebranding project was welcomed externally by the market as well as partners. We’ve also had a positive response among employees.

How did Q Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a face-to-face kickoff meeting and brainstorming session. After that, we’ve had regular communication through conference calls, email, workshops, and so on. We came up with new requirements as the project developed, so the initial budget was nowhere near what we ended up with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The process was structured with phases and milestones, and their responsiveness was very good. We’d often come up with last-minute requests for the rebranding, and they were quick to address them. Their team was really great and we’re happy with the brand's outcome.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We initially started with one project manager for the website project, who went into maternity leave and had to hand over the work to someone else. The transition could have been smoother in terms of tasks and follow-ups, but we know it takes a while for a new member to catch up. The outcome, in the end, was brilliant.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO and head of agency at Centerteam, an advertising agency specializing in shopping centers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q Software?

We needed help with the development of our website. After that, we wanted to develop a SaaS digital asset management platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started out with the website build, which was done in WordPress. After we saw their frontend capabilities during that project, we started discussing the idea of them being our software partners for longer-term projects.

We want to develop a SaaS digital asset management platform, as well as a tailored parked image library. Everything is written in PHP. We started with the core infrastructure for all our different software suites and then built everything from the prototype, through to the final launch.

Two out of our three software suites are up and running, with clients and paying customers. The first sprint for the digital asset management software lasted three months. We then progressed with the image library and spent roughly nine months on it before delivering the first fully functional version.

What is the team composition?

The first core team was three to four developers and two project leads. My main lead has been Vedran (COO, Q Software). We’ve had a couple of their lead developers working with us, Ivan (Senior Developer, Q Software) and Harry (Head of Engineering, Q Software).

How did you come to work with Q Software?

They reached out to our CEO looking for Norwegian clients due to their past successes with them. We had a different software developer in Poland that we had worked with, but we weren’t that happy. We did a small project with Q that worked well, so moved onto the larger one.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent 100,000 euros (approximately $115,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August 2016–August 2017. They still help with support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, the quality of the work has been great. They’ve made it easy for us to scale everything as now we have a proper software platform. It’s been an important touch point with new clients—we’ve just signed a new agreement with shopping centers, and the digital asset management software was one of the key deliverables.

How did Q Software perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s been a solid cultural fit. The communication is good and they’re responsive. We began with Trello and now we use Teamwork, as well as Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re proactive and test the business problem, rather than focusing solely on the software deliverable. They were actively involved in trying to understand our business, which was a big value-add.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had a slightly higher turnover on the people working on the project than we hoped. That’s been true on our end as well—it’s the reality of growing as a company. When we started with them, there were 50 developers and now they have more than 100.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t treat them as an outsourcing partner; align them to be your IT division.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT product manager for Artisa Group, a real estate building company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q Software?

We needed to outsource the development of our new apartments rental platform (web and mobile apps) in order to have a stable and usable product with as much flexibility as possible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our web platform from scratch using Symfony for the backend and Angular for the frontend. This first phase also involved building native iOS and Android apps. We’ve since moved to the second stage.

What is the team composition?

Overall, we’ve worked with around 20 people, but no more than 6–7 at a time. Q Software has provided a UX designer, a mobile team, and two front- and backend web developers. Our main point of contact is the assigned project manager, of which we’ve had two.

How did you come to work with Q Software?

After a few months of searching, I'd received eight proposals to choose from. We liked how Q Software was going to run the project in short, intensive sprints because it would give us alpha content to test at an early stage. They were proactive in taking care of our needs from the beginning.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$199,999 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're quite happy with the results they’ve given us.

How did Q Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve established good communication, speaking with each other daily and talking on the phone once a week. They provide reports and deliveries every two or three weeks and correct problems as soon as they’re made aware. I especially liked the three-day workshop they put on at their office so we could explain our needs face-to-face.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an amazing number of people with outstanding knowledge of digital trends.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had some initial problems with communication, but we solved the problem.  Other than that, we’re happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have clear ideas about where you want to go and what you want to develop from the beginning. If this isn't feasible, involve Q Software as much as possible to reach these conclusions.