Ready4S

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Hand Made is a full-service advertising agency in Krakow, Poland that has worked with clients such as Volkswagen and Nestle.

I working in the strategy department as a UX designer, leading strategy for the digital experiences our company offered. My role included helping project managers choose partners, leading functional design, and providing development oversight. Together with a project manager, I spent the most time with our development partners. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

Although we had some programmers on staff, we didn’t have anyone who was proficient in mobile apps. Our agency works in a pitch setting: we pitch ideas to the client, and they responded if they want to work with us.

We were hired by an FMCG [fast-moving consumer goods] consortium to create an app that would engage users and educate them about the impact of a particular product category on health. The project was a part of a larger strategy that included TV advertising and other means of reaching the end customer. We had to figure out the best mechanism to use within a given schedule, so we reached out to Ready4S. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with us on design and later handled development. This project was part of our biggest strategy for a particular client. We’d pitched the idea of creating an app but hadn’t given any specifics to the client yet. We brought in Ready4S at an early stage when we were thinking about what kind of app this could be.

The full scope of the project was large, as we needed full-stack development. We also needed to develop a strategy and create and shoot TV ads. We had a website and a knowledge center online.

The whole project had to do with the fresh juice industry. A consortium of fresh juice producers wanted to spend their collective money on promoting the idea of vitamins and juices being awesome for health. The intended users included the younger demographic and women who are mostly responsible for buying groceries. Because there’s an overrepresentation of women in the demographic that plays games like Candy Crush, we decided to put a spin on that and package it in a vitamin-friendly, graphic way. The app is game-style and involves joining different vitamins together so they create a bigger vitamin and earn points.

What is the team dynamic?

A project manager on their side made sure everything stayed on schedule and met our requirements. Throughout the process, Ready4S was always happy to advise us on best practices.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

We approached multiple companies for this project. We were in conversations with at least two other mobile developers. We might have met Ready4S at an event or through a referral from someone in our agency. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We and our client were happy with the work that Ready4S did. I can’t speak to the success of the app, but it did attract some downloads. The app was received well by the client, and the test users liked it. It wasn’t a huge hit, but it was a solid project.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

The project finished on schedule and within budget. We found a common language with Ready4S really quickly. We would definitely work with them again on other mobile apps or games.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ready4S positively surprised us with their proactive attitude. They offered to work with us on developing different ideas and were the most proactive of all the companies we approached for this project. They would readily visit our office and talk about different possibilities. They were really open about their workflow and the pricing of certain features. In a project with a fixed budget, that’s really important and allowed us to understand the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, the cooperation went smoothly. The app was a joint exercise between our team and Ready4S. If another mobile app project came our way, we would definitely consider them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a financial services technology-enabled business that's designed around improving the health and well-being of people and the environment by providing free bicycles and encouraging people to use them.

I'm the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We needed help with applications. More specifically, we asked them to build a iOS and an Android version of a geo-location app for us. We provide people with a choice of whatever free bike they'd like and by using their bike it pays for itself. It's like going into a car dealership and saying, "I'd like to use a car for 5,000 miles per year" and we give you a Fiat. Or you say, "I'm going to use it 15,000 miles per year" and we'll give you a Ferrari. It's the most unusual payment process paradigm that you could imagine. You use it and it's get funded because we know that it creates environmental benefits. People are encouraged to monitor their mileage because that's how the bike gets paid for. We have sponsoring companies that benefit when people who are healthier do that's that's why there's an incentive to record their mileage using our app.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

I discovered them purely from Internet-based research. I was scrolling around for a few different suppliers. I came across them and saw they there was a disparity between what they and others seemed to offer. So to a certain degree, there was some chance involved in that - it was not a personal recommendation.

We went through a few semi-formal rounds of conversation and it seemed like they could do what we would need. They had a good understanding of our requirements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We tasked them with our first version of the app which was specifically designed to be relatively low complexity but it uses the geolocation services provided by the mobile devices and the interface was pretty simple. We were setting the hurdle for improvement at a reasonable level. There wasn't a whole lot of complexity in terms of what we were doing. It was a simple interface which they worked very well with.

We will be using them in future to do further development. We made the first version simple because we knew that we had compressed time lines so it wasn't that we were at any stage concerned about their capability to deliver. The no-frills approach to the project was set more around our time line and the prioritization of that time line.

The distance tracking interfaces with our core systems via an API, which we developed and Ready4S worked on. They performed well working with that framework. Currently, the app tracks start and finish locations and shows a record of the last completed trip. In a future version, we'll have data points throughout each activity so that we can recreate the ride in full. At the moment the only data we're collecting is distance, time, maximum speed, etc. The primary API that it interfaces with is our own API which interfaces with our core systems. Our core systems provide all sorts of managed information, such as the log in credentials, current mileage compared to what the user has pledged, etc. It returns to us details of the last activity that has taken place which we then aggregate to the rest of data.

What is the team dynamic?

Other than the project manager, the resources were primarily developers. I think they had someone doing design work to some extent, but to be honest, the design work was relatively contained since we provided mock-ups for what they needed. There was very little art work required. They had many developers working on the application itself, and then other resources working on the backend and API integration.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000-$30,000 USD by my estimate.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in the beginning of May. I wanted a usable version of the app by the beginning of July so they had two months to work it out. They achieved their timelines within a reasonable degree of tolerance. There was one feature that possibly miscommunicated during the specification process which became a little bit of a change request. It came down to their level of understanding and so that took them an extra couple of days. For all intents and purposes, they delivered on schedule to the requirements that we requested.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work that they've done has been very good. They've understood our requirements and I think it helps that our requirements were fairly well defined. They worked well to meet their time lines. They were always a pleasure to work with. Our experience with them has been a very positive one.

This was an operational proof of concept, so a lot of the "nice to have's" didn't make it to the requirements list. We haven't tracked any metrics. It's too early to tell how big of a success it will be.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They had a very good project manager on the project who was always very good in terms of communication. She'd pulled everything together. I think they probably had up to six different developers working on our project. We only faced with a single project manager which was absolutely ideal for us and she was very efficient.

I didn't see any evidence of project management tools, to be honest. I think in the early days they might have used Microsoft Project for a Gantt chart.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think they've been very responsive to us and I've been very happy with that. They're very prompt on all replies, including in the tendering process. We had had probably three or four companies that we shortlisted to speak to and they responded first. They met our time lines. whereas some other people simply didn't. Their standard of communication has been very good as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think there are certain things that maybe they're less familiar with that we would have expected them to know in terms of market knowledge. For instance, they didn't infer that we wanted the tracker to pause the recording if the user stopped moving at a traffic light. We had to show them that that was a feasible feature. That was the only area that I found was a bit odd, and it added to their development time line, but it wasn't a major issue.

What recommendations would you have for someone considering hiring Ready4S?

It's probably a good idea to have reasonably well-defined requirements because it allows them to work more effectively. I think part of why our project worked so well was because we had a quite good definition as to what we expect.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was updated on April 30, 2018 by the client. New content is below.

How has the project progressed since the time of your original review?

Ready4S completed our proof of concept in July 2017. Our product was in beta testing and has been approved to go live with a major client. It hadn't launched yet due to delays and communication problems. We tested the product operationally in conjunction with our other systems. Thankfully, it’s fully compatible. We’re now in full production mode and the number of customers using our bike program is beginning to ramp up.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

My main takeaway is that Ready4S is a great team for building a product. We had a positive relationship for most of the project. They allocated resources properly and quoted an accurate price. They excelled at the test and learn phase and built a strong proof of concept. They assigned us a strong team during the pilot development phase, but their depth of support resources is less than ideal. I hope they will provide a more desirable level of support to accommodate our growing user base.

How was project management handled?

Before our offering was live and operational, we worked ad-hoc and didn't notice any changes in the level of service.

Our Service Level Agreement allocates a set amount of developer hours we have available. The dip in service level came into focus in January once customers started reporting issues with the login function. Now, the iterations seem slower. Potentially, we focus too much on the performance timelines. We assumed their service quality would be consistent during the maintenance phase as an ongoing customer.

How have Ready4S structured their fees?

Our first investment was fixed price, which they adhered to. Now, we pay them a monthly fee for maintenance. Annually, that probably equates to 10,000-12,000 GBP ($13,500-$16,350) a year.

In what specific areas can they improve?

I'm less likely to recommend them for ongoing maintenance. It’s harder to resolve existing problems in a live environment. They made recent staff changes in January, and the original team was more responsive and easier to work with. Our account manager, who is responsible for much of our success, left the company. I’m not sure if our project manager is still involved. My operations manager has struggled to contact him and with the new team’s overall communication. This is a shame because they contacted us rapidly until 6-8 weeks ago.

Have they been responsive to feedback?

I haven't seen any adjustments since we voiced our concerns, so I'm not happy leaving a positive recommendation for them when the quality is now lacking. We've been trying to get some traction out of them for a long time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is developing a system for in-game entertainment in sports games, giving the audience the possibility to participate in quizzes during the breaks in sports games. I'm the CTO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We were looking to get an app developed for Android and iOS, and it was an existing app that we needed to get ported to another technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The app is a list of events. When you are at one event, you get a code that you can enter and then participate in the games during that event. You have two quizzes during an event. If you participate in those and play the game, you put in your guess to our question. If you win, you can see what prize you have and get instructions for picking it up. You can also look at your results and compare yourself with other users who are playing.

There was an existing app, and they saw that. Then we had the wireframes, cutouts, graphics and visual identity ready for them. They initially provided app development services in React Native. The app integrates with a Facebook login. We already had our launch strategy and app marketing in place since we did that ourselves.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

At the time, I was looking at Upwork, comparing freelance consultants there. I got a recommendation from a Danish customer who got an offer from them. He was very positive about them, so I went with them.

How much have you invested with Ready4S?

$30,000 at the moment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in February. We'll be continuing in July, and then we will also be looking for investment. We will put the development part of the project on hold.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re not going live with the project until September, so we don’t have any success rates yet to disclose. It’s a bit too early for that.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was not something we used from them. We specifically asked to manage the development ourselves. Due to the nature of the project of deciding to be in direct contact with the developer, we haven't experienced that side of responsiveness, communication and keeping up with deadlines. It's minimal project management from their side. We haven't used their project management for anything else but for brief talks and time management.

We had some occasions where we were unable to communicate with the developer, and we reached out to Ready4S. They were good at getting back to us.

What did you find most impressive about Ready4S?

They’re pretty dynamic in setting up interviews and finding candidates. We talked with four different candidates, and it was quite flexible to work with them. We wanted to do a one-week testing project, and they agreed to that, so I find them pretty flexible to work with.

Are there any areas Ready4S could improve?

No, not from our experience. We haven't had a chance to work with their project managers, but have been very satisfied with their development services. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a media research company and I was the project manager for this app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We had to develop an iOS app from scratch within a month. We needed a reliable app developer who would be able to deliver good quality service and help us meet our tight deadline. We need them to build an API supporting the communication between our existing database and the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We knew the main features we wanted to implement and had created some preliminary wireframes. Ready4S divided the work into different stages, each lasting one week. They provided us with a detailed timetable and app specification document prior to the start of the project which outlined when each new iteration would be ready for testing. They also worked on creating designs for each phase, which we had to approve. We had a dedicated project manager with whom we were in contact daily.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

After a thorough research on different providers, we compiled a list of top 10 companies that matched our criteria. We contacted those companies for a quote. Most of them said they were not able to complete the project within the tight timescale we had. Ready4S, on the other hand, not only provided a very competitive quote but were also happy to take on the challenge. We were impressed by their professionalism during the initial calls we had with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with Ready4S for around six weeks. Phase one of the project, which involved the development of the iOS app, was completed on time and on budget. We plan to work with Ready4S in the future in order to add additional features in what would be phase two of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ready4S were very flexible in their approach to work. They simultaneously created the app designs and started the coding process at the beginning of the project to make sure they met the deadline. The first screens of the app were available for us to test in less than a week. Our feedback after each test cycle was implemented quickly and thoroughly while the developers were simultaneously working on the next iteration. We do not have download statistics as the app is not in the App Store yet.

What did you find most impressive about Ready4S?

Ready4S were very responsive to our needs. They initially reassured us that the app will be completed on time and they will put the right amount of people on the project to ensure this. This was in contrast to most of the other providers who just said the deadline of one month is too tight. Ready4S are overall a very reliable and professional company.

We were assigned a dedicated project manager who did an outstanding job, ensuring that everything ran smoothly, passing on our comments to the development team, and keeping us updated with the progress at all times. We were in contact with our project manager on a daily basis and we didn’t have to repeat our feedback twice as everything we asked for was swiftly implemented. We were able to review progress frequently and make changes along the way. Overall, we found Ready4S to be very responsive and flexible.

Are there any areas Ready4S could improve?

I cannot think of anything in particular. I am very satisfied with the service provided by Ready4S.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a Canada- and South Pacific-based tech startup. We have 10 team members and we provide travel and lifestyle management services to overseas travelers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We have a health and personal safety console and we wanted to enlarge the functions or features of our app to provide a concierge service. In order to do that, we needed a separate chat window and backend e-commerce payment service.

We developed a digital platform that brings together diverse services for easy instant access by overseas travelers. The traveler gets what they want when they want it, and we take care of the details.

The solution required a robust infrastructure to deliver travelers' requests to a number of a call centers for instant deployment, bookings, confirmations, and e-commerce services. 

The complexity of the project required us to find a company with a large and talented team to work alongside our team to help bring the idea to life.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had extensive online meetings and consultations with Ready4S to satisfy ourselves they were all the best fit for our team and project. Afterward, they worked together with our designers, development team and software testers.

Ready4S project managed and worked on our website and our Android and iOS mobile application. The consensus was the Ready4S developers are very knowledgeable, friendly to work with, and ready to help at any time.

We needed some design work as to where we could place a concierge icon to give the user a good experience without having too many buttons on the screen. They also built the app implementing the new feature. We had our own design and submitted suggestions to Ready4S. They provided some feedback and their own suggestions, and then we agreed on a screen that we were happy with. It was a great collaboration.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

We spent a lot of time searching for developers. We had several companies look at the earlier software we had and that gave us some insight into their skill level. We narrowed the field and spoke to some people who had given reviews on Clutch. We spoke to someone in Poland who knew of Ready4S. Our senior developer and test were both happy with them. They had more contact with Ready4S than I did.

It’s been working well with Ready4S. We’re pleased with the results. We never would have found them without your platform; thank you for that. I think it’s great that you review the review because as a consumer, you put a lot of weight into that. That’s what you rely on when making a decision on who to select. I’ve recommended other people to look on Clutch.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them when we decided to make the shift to include the additional feature, to go from a health and personal safety service to including a concierge.

We launched our website and our mobile application is currently in beta testing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched the app yet. We haven’t completed testing yet because Ready4S is helping us with the console which hasn’t been completed yet. We’ve tested the app on automation with our tester. He’s satisfied with the app and signed off on it, but we haven’t tested it on the console.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They were responsive and kept us updated through daily contact. We had our own tester and developer, and they were constantly in touch with them to see how things were going. As the project moved along, we had new features and changes to make to the original scope.

What did you find most impressive about Ready4S?

We all were impressed with the collegial attitude they brought to the project. The teams melded well and we believe we achieved a great result. Currently, we are in discussions to work together with them on an additional feature.

Are there any areas Ready4S could improve?

I have to wait to see how the applications perform on the console. We’re satisfied with the build of the apps and website. How the app performs is how it communicates with the console and whether all the functions that we see in isolation on the app come to fruition on the console.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We provide a system consisting of a mobile application and a web service, which gives users information about the health condition of seniors. Our goal is to become a global company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We needed to develop our platform. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

Ready4S has developed our Android and iOS apps. These apps log the user's heart rate and temperature and provide reminders for seniors to take their medicine.

We were able to give them technical specifications for the features we wanted to have developed, and Ready4S' engineers calculated the total time required. Before starting the work, Ready4S always sent us step-by-step schedules of what they did, how many hours a task would take, and what its cost would be.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

I had met Ready4S' CIO three years ago when I started the company. We didn't maintain contact since we were focused on developing our device. A few months ago, we started looking for a software partner, so I contacted Ready4S' CIO and started a conversation.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The cost of Ready4S' work has been around €100,000 [$108,000].

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with Ready4S for around 18 months. We have a long-term plan for making our application experience better and adding additional features like data analysis. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have around 1,000 users for our application, which is to be expected since we are offering a niche product that costs €300 [$320] per unit. The application only serves the hardware device, so 1,000 users is a good number for our company.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

Ready4S always provided accurate timelines for our work, and they were never delayed.

What distinguishes Ready4S from other providers?

Ready4S is a professional group. They assigned a project manager who worked closely with our own and had good communication. Ready4S has many engineers for every technology segment, including Java, system architecture, and graphic design.

Is there anything Ready4S could have improved or done differently?

No, the collaboration has been good. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The Centre for the Thought of John Paul II is a self-governing cultural institution of the City of Warsaw, widely recognized for its implementation of large scale cultural and academic projects. It began its activity on April 1, 2006, with a mission to research, document and disseminate – in innovative ways – the teaching of Saint John Paul II. I am a Sales and Marketing Specialist. I was responsible for cooperation with Ready4S.     

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

A mobile app Thoughts of John Paul II (JP2) was developed by Ready4S for the Centre for Thought of John Paul II on the occasion of the canonization of the pope in 2014. We wanted to shape the memory of Pope Pail.The Thoughts of John Paul II app is rated highly both by its users and social communication specialists. It was also presented as one of the best and most user-friendly religious apps in Poland during a great number of meetings and thematic symposiums in Cracow in 2017.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ready4S was involved from the very beginning of that project. Together we worked on ideas and features which should be implemented into the application, and then, Ready4S was assigned to prepare app prototypes, app development for iOS and Android, testing and publishing on app markets. They also provided us with technical support.The cooperation between the Centre for Thought of John Paul II and Ready4S was renewed in 2016 before the World Youth Day in Kraków. It included adapting the app thematically for this event as well as adding a new functionality – readings from the Bible.

The application includes daily quotations from John Paul II as well as a 26-day challenge which aims to bring his teaching closer to users. The challenge encourages its participants to complete a series of tasks inspired by the life and teaching of the pope, and its goal is to help users follow the lifestyle he promoted.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

Ready4S was chosen from many companies. They had a holistic vision of cooperation and ideas for the future development of the application. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The cooperation was started at the end of December 2013, and it is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything is great. The JP2 app is rated highly both by its users and social communication specialists. It was also presented as one of the best and most user-friendly religious apps in Poland during a great number of meetings and thematic symposiums in Cracow in 2016.

What did you find most impressive about Ready4S?

Yes, Ready4S is characterized by great professionalism and a high culture of contacts. Meetings, emails, and phone calls have always been extremely successful.

Are there any areas Ready4S could improve?

Probably not. The application has achieved enormous success in the Catholic market. Bigger than we initially assumed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide loans to entrepreneurs and companies. Our product is competitive to bank loans and credit, but we don’t require so many documents and guarantees like a bank loan. We are based in Krakow, Poland. I am the COO of this company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We needed a reliable web and mobile app developer. Our need was to create a management system which will follow all security recruitment as the data we collect are quite sensitive. We wanted to make our processes work better and faster, so we decided to create a tool for that. We needed to create an app which will help our salesmen to find potential customers. We also needed it to be able to search for the Poland Land Registry and give a big amount of data to analyze information. There’s a function to search by filters such as ownership of the land and some information about entrepreneurs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The challenge here was to combine Scrum architecture with good UX/UI [user experience/user interface] so people can easily use the app. We knew the main features we wanted to have in the app, and the rest was up to Ready4S. The work included creating designs. We needed web and mobile apps for our sales department. We have the web development app, but the mobile is still ongoing.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

We started working with Ready4S because we know them well. We work in the same business cluster in Krakow. The idea of the cluster is to engage small corporations between companies, so we used it to find our partners for development quickly. We also used some reviews, and we had a recommendation from a CEO who worked with before.

How much have you invested with Ready4S?

We have invested about $15,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in October 2016, and we already have the web app. Now, we are working on a mobile Android app. The project is about to be completed by the end of March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The partnership is going really smoothly. We got our web project on time. Ready4S started the project very quickly and created wireframes for us in a week after the project started. It was something that made us feel that we had chosen a good partner for the project. The quickness of the work seems to be really good compared to other companies.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

Ready4S work on project management. We’ve got a dedicated project manager and a bunch of developers assigned to work with us. It was a lot of people. We have weekly meeting updates, but we are also updated via email, phone, and a management tool we got access to.

What did you find most impressive about Ready4S?

I like everyone there. They’re really nice, and they have a quick response time. Every time we want them to fix something, ask for new features, or new ideas, they are able to give us the answers quickly, sometimes within minutes. Communication is one of the most significant benefits of working with Ready4S.

Are there any areas Ready4S could improve?

I don’t have any big tips for something that they do wrong. One idea I have is about information. Sometimes, it’s hard to understand the technical language they use in emails, but it’s a small tip.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product management for an independent human capital management [HCM] software vendor. Our company provides talent solutions to more than 2,300 organizations in over 70 countries. These solutions enable organizations to engage and nurture the best talent in an ever-changing and demanding global environment. I was personally responsible for that project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

As we already had an iOS version of the app, our challenge was to port it to the Android platform. We needed to provide full synchronization between web and mobile app. The app had to give people instant access to all relevant information on their Android devices, which were directly connected to our database. The app had to be available in multiple languages. Finally, it had to bring a personalized recruitment experience to all types of users—focusing on engagement, efficiency, and go-anywhere collaboration. Our challenge was also to have it done within budget and on time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ready4S provided us with full app development solution, including creating wireframes and app specification, redesigning screens, development, tests, and support. We got a dedicated project manager for the project and the development team. They completed their task with great success. We were always in touch with the development team via e-mail, task management tools, and Skype calls. In the end, we got a fully developed, smoothly working Android application.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

We were looking for a particular provider, so we sent an RFP [request for proposal] to a couple of companies in the UK and Poland. Ready4S came to us with a very attractive price. They were very professional in terms of providing the details and what they can deliver within the timeframes. I really appreciated their plan and methodology.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is for internal use, so the only user feedback we have is from within the company. So far, we haven’t had any complaints. It was just a lot of positive feedback saying that at least we have an app now for Android users—so basically for two OS’s [operating systems]. They also compare it to what we have in iOS. So technically, it performed well. It is a very good, very stable app that served our specific needs. We are very satisfied with Ready4S’ performance. It was a really good experience for us, beginning with creating schedules with milestones, to communication, until the end product and its quality. They completed every task within schedule. I highly recommend Ready4S as a professional partner in mobile applications development.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

I like working with them. Their iteration timeframe is very short so we can review progress easily and often. It's not like you’re requesting some work and, after a couple of months, we are getting something that we may not be satisfied with or something that deviates from our initial idea. Their process is very iterative and you can influence and get the feedback from every stage, which I really like.

What did you most impressive about Ready4S?

From a financial perspective, it is good that despite having a fixed contract, we are only paying for the work that was done. Anytime we are not satisfied with the work or if we think that it’s not going in the right direction, we could cancel the contract.

Are there any areas Ready4S could improve?

Nothing specific. To be honest, I was very happy working with them. I have nothing negative to say nor can I think of anything that I would recommend for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a public relations company. I’m a Project Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ready4S?

We had an app project that we had started. We needed a developer for it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a program, which encourages people to live a healthier life. We just invited people to go outside to walk, cycle, or run and collect the energy, and then the app counts the energy that the person produces. Then it shows how many people in different cities are doing those things. Then we can see who the winner is, and after that, we give a prize and so on.

The app was created for that, but it was the second year we had the same app. This year, it was developed a little bit better. We just continued the project from the previous year. For the previous years, we had another company; I don’t know why, but for this year, this company was chosen. The app was for citizens from all of Lithuania, so it doesn’t matter what you are doing or if you are a student or you work in different companies; it’s for everyone. It is for iOS and Android.

How did you come to work with Ready4S?

We just started to work with Ready4S just because they were hired by our colleagues in Poland. We didn’t choose them; we just work with them because our colleagues from the same project worked with them. They suggested continuing working with them.

How much have you invested with Ready4S?

I don’t know how much it cost because I was not the person who paid for that. It was another colleague, because it was a project for Baltic countries and Poland, and the main manager of this project was our colleague from Poland, so I don’t know those things.

What is the status of this engagement?

It is still ongoing. It started at the end of July, and it will end in the end of October.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything is okay. We had some bugs when we started this project, but with the help of Ready4S we managed them, so now everything is okay. In the beginning of the project, we had about 300 users. At this moment, I don’t know what the number is.

How did Ready4S perform from a project management standpoint?

I am very happy with Ready4S' work. I am just a beginner in this, so they help us a lot and have very professional management from their side. We are really happy. Also, they reacted very well to all situations, and we didn’t have questions which weren’t solved or answered. 

What did you find most impressive about Ready4S?

I don’t know if I can say that they have something unique, but this company is very reliable. They react very quickly and very professionally to all situations, letters, or questions which we have, compared to other companies. I can say for Ready4S, the work was done on time and really in good quality.

Are there any areas Ready4S could improve?

I don’t know. I think that they are doing everything quite well. I just noticed that in this whole process, some people changed, but it is normal. They could change less, but they can divide the work very good. But in our collaboration, the person change two or three times for the same position. In the end of the process, we had a very good person who was responsible for this project, but they could choose the person who will be responsible from the beginning until the end.