SSA Group

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder of a two-person company focused on developing and self-publishing our own game-related mobile apps, based on our extensive experience in the AAA video game industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SSA Group?

We needed a partner to execute our vision for a new cross-platform mobile app. This app had a significant back-end component in addition to the front-end app itself, and we didn't have the bandwidth to execute both sides while still hitting our intended to-market date. We chose to develop the back-end services ourselves while partnering with SSA Group to develop the front-end.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was a professional-grade user-experience for a new product which needs to stand out against the competition. We would maintain the application ourselves once the initial development had been completed, so we needed to stay informed with the implementation decisions being made along the way. As a result we needed close communication with the development team.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

My partner and I interviewed various outsourcing studios for the role but SSA Group impressed with their understanding of the product and great-looking mock-ups presented during the interview. They had previous experience in projects with similar requirements, and expertise with the desired tech stack. Their local business contact was available for face-to-face meetings.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided SSA Group with an internally-produced functional prototype, and a full scope of desired work from which to create their task estimates. Once we agreed upon the project scope, we committed to an hourly contract and work began immediately. During the course of the project we generated detailed designs for each feature, including the interfaces between the front-end and back-end systems, and held design reviews for each feature in video calls with the development team. In the latter half of the project, we received frequent builds from the team distributed in a convenient method, allowing us to review the work on our mobile devices.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a project manager, a graphic artist, a front-end developer and a QA member. During the project a second front-end developer was added, with our approval.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Very few issues needed to be addressed once we received their final deliverables before publishing to the app stores. The app launched to positive feedback, with all 5-star reviews.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had direct access to all team members via Skype and we communicated daily. Document review was conducted via Google Docs/Sheets, which was very effective. Our collaborative workflow was very efficient, with only a few miscommunications due to the language barrier. Feedback response was swift.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

SSA Group's business contact and team leadership are eager to receive feedback in order to meet their client's needs. Their communication channels are always open and they actively seek out ways to increase customer satisfaction.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Project management could have been better as most tasks went over-time and a calendar of deliverables was not clear. In hindsight, better specs provided before task estimation would have helped to prevent the significant overages. Despite the initial excellent work with mock-ups presented during the interview process, we felt like the final visual quality didn't meet our expectations and we needed to be more hands-on that we would have liked.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a graphic design firm. We design projects, and work with Mage Devs for the development part.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mage Devs?

Our customer wanted to build a large individual shop system using Magento. We’re not developers, so we needed a team for this task.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The system is completely on Magento. It’s a CMS, online shop, and community, all in one. They began with preparing the documentation. It’s a really big system, with a large backend, and features that Magento doesn’t have out of the box. They made a large PDF detailing what we needed, then developed the whole thing. The design part came from me and the customer, while the backend was made by Mage Devs.

They implemented different features, including a Google Maps store locator. It’s a customized system where users can register and accumulate bonus points. For example, posting something on Facebook and getting 50 likes will give the user €100 on the website. There are other features, like implementing Instagram and Facebook grids on the site so that people can see posts directly.

What is the team composition?

They assigned two frontend developers, a backend developer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Mage Devs?

I found them online. Their prices were better than the ones in our local market.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from July 2017–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The customer isn’t promoting the site that much at the moment, so we don’t have any feedback from their side yet. It’s possible that we’ll change some things, but the customer is happy with the design.

How did Mage Devs perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly used Skype and email for communication. We had Skype conferences with me and the customer, in which Mage Devs performed pretty well. There were no communication problems. Everyone could speak English, at least a little bit, and they documented the project before we started, so the customer knew what budget they’d need. Everyone’s happy and I have no problems with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

If we had an important problem or a bug after working hours, we could call them, and they would fix it, even on weekends. Not every agency is willing to offer this. We can talk to Mage Devs, and that’s the most important thing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I would recommend talking to them, as sometimes that’s enough to know if a collaboration won’t work. With Mage Devs, it was pretty good—more human, and less business-oriented.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of Coudrees . We’re a fashion startup which is a matchmaking platform between tailors and different artisans for custom orders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppliKey Solutions?

I needed help with web development for my business. I wanted to detach myself from other sites, as the core of my project is custom work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

If someone places an order on the platform, they will be matched with someone who can create it for them. Everything is done online so people don’t have to call to find out the price or measurements, for example.

It was very important to me that wherever the user goes on my site, they can get information about what we do. I wanted to have a very user-friendly model. Made-to-measure is already something that is complicated, which is why there aren’t that many people who offer it. I wanted to facilitate the process as much as possible, and I think we reached this goal.

We decided that PHP would be a cheaper option for me, as browsers were a priority. We needed to be compatible with the latest versions of Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one manager when I did the design part but changed to another manager after we redefined the project. They were both great, but the second one I worked with was extremely good and had a high level of autonomy. If I couldn’t answer them right away, they kept on doing what they were supposed to which was very important to me as I can’t be present 24/7. I also worked with one developer although I wasn’t in contact with him. The manager was the intermediary between us.

How did you come to work with AppliKey Solutions?

They were recommended to me by someone who had worked with them on another project.

How much have you invested in them?

The final price was $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with them in May 2017 and the project is almost completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Those I have shown the site to all love it. The moment they saw the site, they wanted to be involved.

There were bugs, but I am happy with the results. For my project, their work was sufficient and on time. When we did re-adjust things, they did their best to make things work well. The contract was followed, and I received my project which I can present to my investor on time.

How did AppliKey Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The manager I worked with was always on-time, very human, and present. I am very happy with what they did. Any bugs that came up were fixed pretty fast, and I never had to ask them twice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to find the proper solution as I was struggling and didn’t know how to generate cash flow by myself. Without cashflow, any business model doesn’t make any sense. They proposed a solution to me and integrated Stripe on my platform and we have a very smart way to show the cost breakdown.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I had a very positive experience. I know that the owner of the company gave me one of his best managers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and CEO of an IT development firm. The company was created to make health, food recipes, and fitness apps. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applikey?

The goal was to create an iOS fitness app. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re doing the iOS version of the app. It has a lot of functionalities. It was hard in the beginning to create all the functionalities and designs so everything fits together. They’re using Swift. After we work out any bugs with the iOS version, we plan to create the Android version. 

What is the team composition? 

There are 4 developers, including Pavel [Project Manager, Applikey], who I work with, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Applikey?

I interviewed different companies then decided to go with Applikey. 

How much have you invested with them?

100,000–120,000 euros [$119,500–$143,400].

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is still under development. We are testing at the moment. 

How did Applikey perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great to work with. The communication is good and our developers are interested in the project, which is helping a lot. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had a company before who couldn’t move forward. They didn’t understand anything after I gave them all the details. It was easy to start the project with Applikey. They were very professional. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The budget was higher than we all expected, but it’s because of all the functionalities and there were some changes during the process. That’s normal in software development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an engineering project coordinator for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppliKey Solutions?

We were looking to enhance the development speed for features on some of our websites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AppliKey provided development and software testing.

What is the team composition?

They assigned three developers and one tester to our project.

How did you come to work with AppliKey Solutions?

They had expertise in the same technology we were using, could onboard developers quickly, and fit our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of their work was above $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with AppliKey in October 2016. We have an ongoing contract until the end of 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t released the platform; AppliKey is still working with our internal developers.

How did AppliKey Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication is great, and we have access to their project managers whenever there’s an issue. We share Slack with them, and they were fast to get onboard.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re responsive and could do the work we needed within our budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the founding members of Joyclean, LLC, a housecleaning marketplace. We connect residential owners with residential cleaners. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applikey?

We needed someone to develop our application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped me to implement the requirements for the native Android, native iOS, and website, including backend to facilitate the end-to-end transactions. We use Crashlytics to test the app on the non-mobile device. Applikey uses the language for native Android and native iOS. 

What is the team dynamic? 

Initially, there were 6 developers. We have one on backend, one on native, 4 on iOS, and one on Android, as well as some additional developers depending on the amount of work. Initially, there were a lot of requirements that needed to be coded. At some point, we had an additional developer helping us to facilitate the timeline expectation. 

How did you come to work with Applikey?

I looked on Upwork, Clutch, and other tech sites. We ended up using Upwork with an Upwork representative helping me finalize the top 10. I interviewed all the candidates. From there, I narrowed it down to my top 5, then 3, and then the final 2. The determination came down to if they could communicate clearly, if they understood the goals of the company, and if they understood the process. Part of the reason why I liked Applikey is they have a dedicated project management to help out in the execution of the end-to-end process. I had specific questions about the geolocation, such as how they would plan an algorithm. They provided some solutions, which I liked.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $100,000–$150,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016 and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app is now published on Google Play and the App Store. I’m happy with the outcome. In the middle of development, I was seeing the results on a personal basis and consulting some other actual customers or target audience. 

There were times that I needed to change the requirements. I’m impressed with how Applikey managed to deal with ambiguity and complexity of some of the tasks. They were able to adjust their timeline and still able to meet my goals and expectations, and align with our overall objective for launch, for example, testing with customers as part of the beta testing. 

How did Applikey perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m quite impressed with their diligence and professionalism. It's not like you’re working with one person; instead, there’s a whole group of individuals on the project.

We use Trello, Slack, and email to communicate. This was helpful because it’s really clear where we’re at in the project. We have the transparency and visibility in that regard. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their key strength is being candid. There are times I provide requirements in layman’s terms and is able to explain those things would affect the backend, and what it would mean from a development perspective. They’re candid enough to provide us the clear picture and the hours that would be needed. For example, if I request a specific task, they try to provide an analysis, the budget, the hours, the minimum and maximum time that it would take, as well as their potential improvements on that idea. They provide us with a fresh view on our blind spot. 

Another strength is how they deal with ambiguity. This project was not very easy. There’s a lot of marching algorithm that had to be employed, such as with increased usage of text in the password and verification security for the payments as well as finding the best way. They’re able to manage those ambiguities. 

The third thing I was impressed with is the technical knowledge. There were times that I didn’t have a strong background in the cloud. We’re looking to the DigitalOcean, AWS Cloud, and other services available out there that potentially we can employ. They’re able to do some research and provide us with feedback on the pros and cons of different services. As a sponsor, I need to make a decision on what would make sense for the business. They’re candid, they deal with ambiguity, and they have good technical knowledge. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Early in the stage, they upgraded their developers. Given the size and complexity of the project, I think they realized they needed to assign more A+ developers in order to make the project successful. I’ve seen an improvement in the quality of the work. 

Their designers have also improved. Initially, we had to define the expectation and how the designers could implement that idea. That has the potential need for improvement. Overall, it’s what you’d expect from a service when you hire a company. The hard part here is everything is evolving and moving. Consistently investing in improving the project management and efficiency in communication would be good. It would also be nice if they had weekend availability and were available 7 days a week as opposed to 5. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

AllCorp Solutions helps tournament golfers with their golf game in pro play tournaments and to shoot lower scores. I’m the CEO and co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applikey?

We needed an iOS app developed and put into the App Store.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our iOS golf app.

What is the team dynamic?

We had one dedicated developer, as well a backend for web development.

How did you come to work with Applikey?

We found them through Upwork. After interviewing a couple of firms, we felt most comfortable with Applikey’s communication. Seeing how many hours they'd worked and ratings from other companies lowered the risk of doing business with someone we didn’t know.

How much have you invested with them?

Under $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're now in the App Store, and people love the app—all five-star reviews so far. Like anything, there’s bugs, but they fix them right away.

How did Applikey perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is solid and awesome, considering they’re an overseas firm. They all speak English really well. We used Google Docs, email correspondence, and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They care about getting it done correctly. Because they're vested in making the project successful, it doesn't feel like it was a business transaction but something more personal. They've gone through the whole thought process and included everything they could. They go the extra mile.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have a lot of holidays in their country. That's the only downside.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-director of a small company that focuses on developing apps. The company is based in the UK. It was formed a year and a half ago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applikey Solutions?

We’ve been working on four different products, one of them requiring the assistance of an external frontend developer. It focuses on music, working in parallel with platforms like Spotify. It makes it easier for any user to find music, mapping it based on popularity and geography.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Applikey Solutions provided frontend development for our app, based on the user interface graphics we provided. They connected the frontend with the backend we created. They used Swift as the main coding language.

What is the team dynamic?

Applikey assigned one developer and one project manager.

How did you come to work with Applikey Solutions?

We first came across them on Upwork, a freelance platform. We interviewed them, liked the team, and contacted them a few months later to develop the project.

How much have you invested with them?

The budget for Applikey’s frontend work was around $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We contacted them in April, and they started working on the app at the end of May 2017 after we finalized all development plans. We are coming to the conclusion of this project, but we would like to work with Applikey again.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The work has focused mainly on the development of the UI. We’re really happy with the results. The app works as expected, even though there were some changes during the development phase. We’d had a bad experience with another coder before reaching out to Applikey, but we are satisfied with the quality of the code and their communication approach.

How did Applikey Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicated well, allowing us to follow the project carefully. We’ve used project management tools like JIRA, but we’ve had a very rich communication in general. We chat on Skype all the time. We set initial sprint deadlines, which changed along the way but not through Applikey’s fault. We also had responsibility on the backend.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Based on the limited experience we’ve had, Applikey builds a good relationship with clients. They make us feel acknowledged and are open to suggestions. They also provide their opinions, which are always valuable to have. I’m not sure about unique characteristics since we have a limited experience. Compared to the others, Applikey’s communication, project management, and coding skills are high.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I think Applikey did well in terms of setting up the project. The only issue we had was with the forecasted hours, which were lower in the beginning. This was due to our side as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of an on-demand dog-walking app. We developed an app, which is a bit like Uber but for dog walkers with GPS tracking, app payment, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Applikey Solutions?

We needed someone to develop the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with them [Applikey Solutions] through one project manager who was responsible for our project. In the beginning, we had three developers working on it. Since I started working with them over a year ago, sometimes there’s one developer, sometimes two. It depends if it’s project-based or how exactly what we’re working on together. I provided them with mockups that were purely design-based in nature, and they implemented everything. Now they even do my design. They’ve really provided me with everything.

How did you come to work with Applikey Solutions?

I did a lot of research back then when I wanted to develop my app, and they were referred to me by a friend from Switzerland who had worked with them. You’re always more happy to go with a reference, especially if you know they’ve already done good work. They left a good impression from the first time I talked to them. They were very helpful, especially for someone like me who has no clue about technology. When I started, I was pretty clueless, but they were prepared for that. I had my vision and ideas, but I didn’t really understand the other side of it or whether it was actually possible to do it or not. Unlike other companies, they were very approachable and took their time really to listen to what I wanted.

How much have you invested with Applikey Solutions?

We’ve spent $20,000 so far with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2016, and the project is ongoing. Our first sprints have been completed and we thought we wouldn’t continue working with them. That was our plan before we even started, but we continue to work with them because we’re really happy, and it’s working well. They know what we want, and I know how they operate so we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Even for an MVP, it’s a highly performing product, so they really delivered. Feedback is good and there’s nothing to complain about here.

How did Applikey Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. I had the same project manager from the beginning. They were very professional from this point of view. I have one project manager who’s really product-focused, and another person who’s in charge of all the financials including bills, invoices, etc. It’s a good setup because you know that the project manager really focuses on your product and wants to get the best out of it. She’s reachable all the time, she’s fluent in English, and gets back to me very quickly. In the beginning, my colleague worked with them on a platform that was through their admin but now we communicate through Trello. They’re flexible in terms of how we communicate, sometimes via emails, sometimes via phone, and they’re not too techy.

What did you find most impressive about Applikey Solutions?

I’ve never worked with anyone else so it’s hard for me to say what’s different about them, but from talking to other people who have outsourced in the Ukraine or India, what I really appreciate about them [Applikey] is how reliable they are. I’ve never met them, but I hear they’re more reliable than other companies, and their product is great. I was part of an accelerator at one point, and when I showed investors my product, they were positively surprised at how well it had been done. They had all had experiences with outsourced developers, which were much worse than mine. It was done very well.

Are there any areas Applikey Solutions could improve?

I don’t think I could specify one particular thing. We learned to work together. In the beginning, they had to become familiar with our work style, but there’s nothing I would say now that they should have done differently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the chief executive officer and founder of the company. We provide a private social network for teams and events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AppliKey Solutions?

We have limited bandwidth and capacity in terms of in-house development, so one of our challenges was using our time for managing the platform's architecture and looking forward at the same time. We needed to outsource our technology needs to someone who could help us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

AppliKey Solutions has developed our solution using Ruby on Rails, RabbitMQ, and a host of different technologies. We have a robust social network that requires various integrations to work in app or desktop form. During our two-year collaboration, we've worked with three project managers and 4–5 developers.

How did you come to work with AppliKey Solutions?

We talked to various providers and eventually settled on AppliKey Solutions. In order to get a sense of which would be the best fit for our company, we tried working with various developers from India, Pakistan, and Ukraine. After an initial probation period, we found AppliKey Solutions to have the best communication.

How much have you invested with AppliKey Solutions?

The cost of AppliKey Solutions' work has been around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with AppliKey Solutions in the summer of 2015. The development has been completed, and we're in QA testing mode right now. We plan to have an ongoing relationship with AppliKey Solutions. They will be our go-to source for any technology needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The metrics we've looked at in terms of the quality of the product are downtime, bugs, or issues of that nature. We have a 99.5% reliability on the platform built by AppliKey Solutions. When bugs did occur, AppliKey Solutions acted swiftly in fixing them.

In terms of skillset and work quality, AppliKey Solutions' outputs are some of the best I've seen. They've done an excellent job of making our vision come to life. We could find less expensive options, but AppliKey Solutions' price is fair for what we've gotten in terms of additional benefits.

How did AppliKey Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email for the most part and haven't used any specialized solutions for this purpose. We did use software like Skype for videoconferences and sharing screenshots. AppliKey Solutions gave us daily email updates whether there was a need for it or not. It was important for us to receive feedback and updates for a project like this, and they were excellent in that regard. When dealing with overseas developers, there will sometimes be a time or communication barrier, but we didn't have any of these issues with AppliKey Solutions.

What did you find most impressive about AppliKey Solutions?

There are developers galore on the market, but what separates AppliKey Solutions from the rest is their ability to communicate efficiently. Not only can we reach out to the 2–3 project managers on a daily basis, we can even communicate with the company owner.

Are there any areas AppliKey Solutions could improve?

AppliKey Solutions could leverage more technologies to help with the actual implementation of our scope of work. These technologies could also improve their collaboration with our in-house developers. We rely on them for the heavy lifting, so we haven't pushed the issue.