Academy Smart

Please describe your company and your position there.

I represent MyCredit company. We provide financial services via digital influence.

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

We needed help with the architecture of our application - My Credit. The main goal of the project was to change the achitecture to the microservices

How did you select Academy Smart and what were the deciding factors?

We have a big IT community in Kyiv and we knew Academy Smart for a very long time. They proved to be good partners, people who we could rely on and trust. So the deciding factors for us were the quality of the work that Academy Smart provided us with before, the speed of the work and their repsonsiveness.

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

First of all we needed an advice about the approach to use. So Academy Smart team firstly needed to investigate the existing appication and propose us a flow and timeframes for the architecture changing task. After the investigation, they proposed us project plan. After it's acceptance and agreeing about the scope of work they delivered the complete workaround of the acrhitecture. We used Java and Kubernetes.

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

• 2 Java developers
• 1 project manager
• 1 account manager
• QA Engineer

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

As an outcome we have received an optimized and upgraded application. The job was done within the timeframes that we agreed about, we just need a litlle bit more time for testing and tweaks implementation. But that was agreed in prior.

Overall, it was comfortable to for and discuss all the additional changes. The main result we got is the acceleration of the product, as well as the acceleration of the development process. Now we have an architecture with independent micro services that can be developed separately.

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

We were provided with project manager who took care of all the steps of the delivery. He was open and was sending us the updates about the work every week, which worked fine for us. For communication we were using Slack, Skype and Email. Project processes were managed in Jira.

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

Communication style. They always kept us updated and made us feel like we were in good hands. Means that they really care about the work the do and want the customer to feel comfortable.

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

Some parts of the app were taking a bit longer than expected to load in the very beginning, but after additional testing, tweaks and discussion those were handled quite good.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager of Meemaken, a workplace safety solutions company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Academy Smart?

We needed someone to develop a new mobile app because the one we had wasn’t sufficient for what we had in mind. The technology didn’t meet the requirements anymore.   

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had a very basic wireframe based on what the app looked like before. Based on the possibilities they told us, we made up a mockup ourselves. They developed a safety awareness app from scratch for both iOS and Android. They built a backend where safety, health, and environment officers can send safety alerts and tips for safe behavior.

They can also fill an in-app library with safety procedures and work instructions so they can have it online and offline. On the other end, workers in the field can ask questions and send reports. This includes the positions and risky situations they encounter. The app allows for registration of meetings that are required by the law in the Netherlands.

What is the team composition?

There are two people I met face-to-face. I met four people in Zoom meetings or GoToMeetings.

How did you come to work with Academy Smart?

My managing director found them after an extensive search online.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent 10,000-15,000 euros ($11,366–$17,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2019 and the work is ongoing.

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

They met all our set requirements. Clearly, they delivered everything as planned and on time. One customer wrote a testimonial stating that the new library functionality allows their field technician to easily access technical documents on their mobile phones and tablets. They said it’s simple, easy to use, and satisfactory.

How did Academy Smart perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is really great and I have no complaints. We worked in English. They met all our requirements. There’s a tool that allows us to make tickets and assign them to the appropriate person. When the issue is resolved, it gets reviewed one more time. We use Zoom and GoToMeeting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very efficient and very reasonably priced.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I’d have them improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You’ll be in good hands.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Academy Smart?

We hire Academy Smart for our own overload.

What were your goals for this project?

Goals were to convert an existing app in Android / iOS to a single ReactNative application. To improve time-to-market aspect of our client.

How did you select this vendor?

We selected them because of the firm relationship build and professional image we get.

One other important aspect for us was, if we were to have a long term dedicated developer he/she would need to be able to work at an office of the company, have a healthy environment and colleagues, with a perspective of growth.

Describe the project in detail.

After we chosen to work with Academy Smart we wanted a project which could proof our ability to collaborate, which it does after having a release planned after 3 months of work.

What was the team composition?

We hired one developer and the project manager was included. We ourselves represent Academy Smart when communicating to the end-client and the other way around.

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

The app is not released yet, but the fact that our team was able to hook in the app adding new features within an hour, demonstrates that Academy Smarts' developer was able to work against our standards.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was easy communicating, because they provided a private slack channel as wel as a jira board.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Communication was above expectation. The team demonstrated proactivity and the will to improve code quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Every company can improve, currently it's too early for us to see what improvements can be made from their side. Everything is going as planned.

Please describe your company and your position there.

For organizations that want to reduce privacy & cyber risks with a human factor, we offer privacy and security awareness training, which can be adjusted to the wishes of the customer, because all employees are different.

For what projects/services did your company hire Academy Smart?

We could not distribute our training to our customers in a way that left them amazed. Because there was no standard solution, we wanted to have it built.

What were your goals for this project?

We've listed all our wishes for the functionalities and the timeline that we were looking for. This project will be the key service we offer to our customers, so we were more looking voor quality then quantity.

How did you select this vendor?

We were looking at a few vendors when Academy Smart contacted us in a very friendly way. And we just had a connection. Unlike the 4 other vendors they challenged us and thought with us to have the best possible features in the project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We gave our description and goals to Academy Smart. They fine tuned those into smaller working products. Then everything was developed, configured and designed.

What was the team composition?

During the whole project we had the same projectmanager. She really helpt with the whole thinking process and getting all the feature in line. And off course demo the products. There were some developers and designers working on our project. One developer was always present during our demo meetings. I don't know how many were on the team. Sometimes it felt like a whole army was working for us, and that felt great.

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

During development we added more features. We thought they were too important not to have, because you can only make a good impresion once. Sinds we have shown this to some of our customers, they are actually amazed.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

As described earlier, the supplier's project manager is the best we have ever worked with. She has delivered more than could be asked of her and exceeded expectations on multiple occasions. Communication was done via google hangouts, email and Slack We never had issues caused by language barriers or time difference.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What we find most impressive is that they always think with you to create the best possible product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Of course there are points of improvement. However, these are not so much with the supplier, but with us. In the next project that we are going to do with Academy Smart, we will clarify the definition of done by product / feature even more clearly. Now, for example, we only have the documentation at the end of the project. We will also ask for the additions to nice to have features at the end of the project. This naturally shifted the completion date. Again these are not improvements for Academy Smart but for ourselves.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the former VP of product at Cloudyn, a company that developed software for cloud cost management and governance. Cloudyn was acquired by Microsoft in June 2017, and I currently work as a Microsoft program manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire Academy Smart?

Initially, we hired them for testing cost automation. Eventually, they began working on software development for the product.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted support for the ongoing development of our flagship product.

How did you select this vendor?

I received a recommendation from a consultant that I respect. The consultant had represented the team in Israel prior to our engagement.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The team implemented various modules in our flagship product. Before beginning software development, they tested automation for the cost management software. Then, they participated in the product design, taking over frontend development for the system UI.

Their work included analyzing the business logic, as well as performing backend development. Specifically, they worked on AWS data collection, Microsoft Azure connectors, and Google connectors. They also helped develop a collection engine.

What was the team composition?

The team grew from two members to the 11 people we work with today. It has consisted of test automation engineers, UI developers, as well as Java backend and full stack developers. The team of engineers has become an integral part of our development team.

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

The team played a role in the development of virtually every feature we released.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Smart Academy brought on two local team leaders who report to the VP, research and development, or another team leader. Internal stakeholders were in direct contact with all team engineers.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They deliver high-quality results, as their management ensures all engineers add value. The team maintains a service-oriented working style.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In some cases during the beginning of our engagement, we experienced miscommunication about business requirements. However, internal resources were also to blame. As the partnership has developed, our communication has become much more efficient.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of IT Soft, an IT firm in Israel.

What challenge were you trying to address with Academy Smart?

We typically outsource projects to Ukraine and Academy Smart is one of our vendors.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Academy Smart does development and design work for us. They find people with the right expertise in particular technologies to work on our projects.

What is the team composition?

I work with their CEO, CTO, and HR manager.

How did you come to work with Academy Smart?

I found them on Upwork.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2014, and the collaboration is ongoing.

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

Most of the projects we’ve done together have been successful. Everything was accomplished and there haven’t been any big failures. While there can be issues in every project, they eventually straighten things out.

How did Academy Smart perform from a project management standpoint?

They put the right people in charge of managing projects. They’re able to manage our timeframes and the tasks that need to get done. We’re in contact on a daily basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re committed and failure is not an option with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They just need to continue keeping up with technologies and doing the great work they’re doing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Oleg Rudenko. I am the CEO of Volidar KG. We primarily do software development.

What challenge were you trying to address with Academy Smart?

We were looking for highly qualified specialists to work with us on backend and frontend development for several projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked on the server-side, providing development in Java and Scala. They also provided frontend development using Angular JS and React, along with mobile application development.

What is the team composition?

There are at least five people currently involved in our projects.

How did you come to work with Academy Smart?

I found them through my own research. We hired them to work on a small project initially, which they did well. We have hired them for many more projects since.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $250,000-$500,000 with the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2017, and it is ongoing.

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

I’m satisfied with the results.

How did Academy Smart perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed well. I was highly satisfied.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were willing to work outside normal business hours and were quick to respond to me. I’m grateful for their developers who are willing to go above and beyond for a timely delivery.

Are there any areas they could improve?

In some of the projects, the person provided was not a perfect fit. However, they were open to solving the problem when it was addressed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should have open communication and express what is and isn’t working. Be clear about your vision and ideas for the project.