Ackee

Please describe your company and your position there.

AutoMat is a Czech NGO that promotes a better environment for a good-quality of life in the city. We support sustainable city development with the main focus on public, pedestrian and bicycle traffic (as well as the rational use of cars), human-oriented public areas and thoughtful urbanism solutions. My position is coordinator of Bike to work challenge as a tool for promotion sustainable development.

The project’s goal is to motivate as many people as possible to learn to use a bike as a regular urban means of transportation (alternatively to walk or run). If more people switch from cars to bikes and other non-motorised vehicles, they will not only improve their physical condition, mood and work relationships but they will also jointly contribute to cleaner air and more pleasant, safer and healthier cities where they live and work.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We have felt the need for a mobile application for several years. However, the budget of a non-profit organization is tight and we have never had a chance to allocate enough resources to develop the app. Fortunately, this year we partnered up with Ackee. They designed and developed the mobile application for us.

What were your goals for this project?

The main idea behind this project is to make the data entry and ride tracking much easier for the participants of the Bike to Work challenge. We wanted to acquire an user-friendly interface which will increase the engagement of the participants and will help them to keep track of their progress. In general, the user experience optimization was the most important aspect of the project.

How did you select Ackee?

This is quite interesting, because we didn't select the vendor, the vendor selected us! They contacted us with a message that they would like to support some meaningful non-profit project. They had already participated in our Bike to Work challenge in previous years and they support the idea behind it. So it was a natural match I think.

Describe the project in detail.

We already had our designs and design guidelines so they adjusted the app designs to our existing materials. They developed and tested the app for both iOS and Android platforms.

What was the team composition?

As the project is of a quite small scale, also was the team. We worked with 2 developers for each platform, 1 tester and project manager.

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

The Bike to Work challenge takes part in May every year. We haven't had the chance to evaluate the outcome yet. But to this point, we are more than satisfied with the cooperation. We are beyond happy that we could connect with such a strong partner and we are looking forward to using the app on a daily basis.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I would describe the cooperation as rather waterfall than agile, but given the scale of the cooperation, I would say it was an optimal choice. We were in touch exclusively with the project manager, we had regular remote meetings where we discussed the progress of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I really appreciated their overall positive approach to everything they do. I was even surprised by the level of enthusiasm they showed about the Bike to Work challenge. It was clear to us that they identify themselves with the project and they are truly willing to help.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CTO of Lidé PRO, and we are a political movement emerging in the Czech Republic. In my jurisdiction, there are five companies and freelancers, and I manage all the IT projects and IT and software development and activities.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ackee?

We needed help with backend and CRM development for our organization.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I hired them to do all the IT infrastructure and coding on the backend. They connected the existing software because we aren’t creating everything from scratch. Some parts of the system are purchased, but some code is written, and some are done from scratch by the development team. It is a mix of already existing software and our own proprietary software. They also consulted regarding the best solution for us. They helped us find what we really needed. We have a lot going on the website with online petitions and different parts where people can register as volunteers and other things. Ackee made all of that happen.

They’re also creating a CRM for us. They did the payment infrastructure for donations, and there is also a business intelligence reporting system. They did all the compliments that are running as well. We’re also going to use them for the next packs of software that we will be developing in the future. The first phase is now rolled out and live. We are entering phase two now and we have another two phases in the future.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Marek (QA Team Lead & Project Manager).

How did you come to work with Ackee?

I hired Ackee because I had a very good recommendation from a founder of a digital agency from Prague who I worked with two years ago.

How much have you invested in them?

We have spent between $25,000 to $30,000 so far. It will be around $50,000 by the end of the second phase.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on the infrastructure in October 2020, and we launched in December 2020. We are still working with them on the other phases.

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

The project was very successful. Even though the whole system was tested very hard in the last few days and there were some problems, Ackee fixed everything within the timeline so we were able to launch on the right day. We had 50,000 people on the website in the first two days and everything worked properly. For me, it was a successful delivery. We are very satisfied, and the cooperation was very good in that way.

How did Ackee perform from a project management standpoint?

They are really responsive through email, messenger, and Slack. They respond within a few hours, and sometimes in 15 to 20 minutes. They are really fast at solving every issue. We also communicated through Google Meet and we had a stand-up twice a week, on Monday and Friday, to talk about the work for the week. We tried to stick to the schedule. We also met 3-4 times in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are not just subcontractors but also business partners; they’re really involved in the process of making the infrastructure, planning, and roadmap. We are trying to find the best solution in a business way and the most effective way. They have really great ecomanagement. I think the best thing about them is that they really care about their customers and really try to help as fast and as best as they can.

Are there any areas they could improve?

For now, I am very satisfied. I don’t really think there are negatives. When something went wrong or if there were tickets that needed to be solved quickly, sometimes the co-founders and owners stepped in and did the coding themselves. It was really nice to experience such a commitment from a big company like theirs. I want to have more agile processes with them although I don’t know how it will be but they are trying to be helpful. I don’t think there is anything I am dissatisfied with now.

It isn’t a bad thing, but it might be good if they were a little more proactive when it comes to educational materials and more robust blogs and that type of thing, but education isn’t primarily their problem. It is my problem as the CTO to have all the information on hand and to be informed. It isn’t a bad thing from their side. They are really helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The biggest tip that I can give is to prepare the project documentation and anticipate more of the complexity that might evolve in the project because the team at Ackee is really helpful. Define your vision for your business and IT infrastructure, as well as precisely what you want to achieve. The better the preparation from the client-side, the better Ackee’s delivery will be.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was hired by company which organizing conferences. In this project I worked as a project coordinator.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We were seeking a sub supplier of a mobile application for the event of a lung cancer conference. We did research several solutions and we eventually decided to cooperate with Ackee.

What were your goals for this project?

Our objective was to help to navigate the visitors during the whole conference. To have in one place a large amount of information about the event and to have a tool to communicate with visitors directly. The conference covers a complex range of topics and program inputs so we needed a smart solution to manage the program.

How did you select Ackee?

We contacted them directly and asked about how their solution works. We found the offer very satisfying and reasonably priced, so we decided to use their services.

Describe the project in detail.

Ackee provided a white-label product with design customization for both iOS and Android. The solution is ready-made with basic functionality, so it was very easy for us to understand the development process. We were able to administrate the content through Airtable and Firebase. They then tested the application and provided support with administration.

What was the team composition?

There was one developer for each platform, one frontend developer, one tester and account manager.

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

Although the event must have been organized fully remotely according to the current regulations, we were very happy to have the app to help visitors navigate through the online program. We found it very helpful to have the possibility to send push notifications with up-to-date information about the event.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were in touch via email and phone exclusively with the Account Manager who informed us about the progress of the project. We appreciated the smooth run of the development process and flawless communication from their side.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their approach is absolutely professional yet still very personal. They ensured that we understood every step of the process and that we were very well informed.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The size of the project was rather small so there is nothing specific to be pointed out as everything went smoothly.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am medical doctor in Emergency medical service in Prague. Our company has about 600 employees.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

The idea behind the app is to provide all medical staff with accurate information about what to do in various emergencies. The doctors, nurses and other employees in healthcare are often specialized in one specific area and are not able to immediately help a patient with different urgent or even life threatening health issues.

Thanks to the app, they should be ready to provide accurate help in everyday life, in the hospital and during mass disasters too.

What were your goals for this project?

The overall goal is to provide anyone experiencing a sudden medical emergency, an informed and immediate help. To minimize the risk of misdiagnosis.

How did you select Ackee?

This project is empowered by a group of doctors from the 3rd Faculty of Medicine of Charles University. We did research various IT companies. Eventually, we decided to cooperate with Ackee as they offered a high quality service for a reasonable price. We even got the feeling that Ackee approaches the project as it is the right thing to do.

Describe the project in detail.

The greatest challenge for the developers was to integrate the algorithms and data structure. They came up with a clear data structure using Airtable, which for us is an easy-to-use solution. Then designed, developed and tested mobile application for both platforms.

What was the team composition?

One developer for each platform, tester, designer and project manager.

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

We are now testing the first version of the app in an actual environment of a local hospital. As far as we have the first outcomes of the testing, the medical staff is very well informed about how and when to use the app and that they successfully use it on a regular basis.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They adopted our communication system which is very different from their usual coworking software. They used a waterfall approach to manage the project and they introduced the most effective solution with a rather small budget.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are absolute professionals in what they do. We loved every proposal they have come up with. Also, we find it very impressive that they were able to get to understand the medical terminology and to adjust the data structure to it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing specific to be noted here.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Launch manager responsible for launching product in given countries. I am responsible for overall delivery and setting up the operations.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We were seeking a partner to extend our developer team. Originally we wanted Ackee to create a separate team but we were that happy with the cooperation that we invited them to complete our internal base. As the cooperation continued, we have trusted Ackee with another internal project - an app for fleet management.

What were your goals for this project?

We expected the developers from Ackee to help the internal team to fulfill their objectives and deadlines. It was essential for us that they get along and start delivering as fast as possible.

How did you select Ackee?

We contacted Ackee through ŠKODA Auto DigiLab. There was a standard competition of 3 different companies including Ackee. We made the right decision, they were simply the best choice.

Describe the project in detail.

They provided developers for iOS, Android, backend, frontend and devops. There was even a part of the project where we cooperated with one copywriter from Ackee to translate the app to Czech language.

What was the team composition?

At the start of the cooperation, there were 3 developers. As we continued with the project, the team had grown to 9 members. The composition of the team had been changing according to the current needs of the project.

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

The progress of the internal project we hired Ackee for was exceptionally fast. Their effectiveness was really impressive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They joined and adapted our internal workflow systems which are different from theirs. We communicated via Slack. The developers had been coming to our Berlin and Leipzig offices every two to three weeks for sprint plannings. However, most of the cooperation had been running remotely.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were surprised to see such fast progress when the Ackee developers joined our team. It was clear to us that the team was happy to work on our project and that they were giving it their max.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing to add here, we were really satisfied.

Please describe your company and your position there.

As the world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in nearly 100 countries. At every level, we collaborate with people around the world to develop and deliver innovative solutions that protect communities, wildlife, and the places in which they live. I work at WWF Germany as Project Manager for Websites and Apps.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

The "Greifswalder Bodden" on the German island "Rügen" is a popular tourist destination and at the same time the habitat of many organisms in and around the water. Until lately, the locals as well as visitors only had a paper manual to navigate through the restricted areas.

As you don't have any lines in the water, it's difficult to know where you are allowed to go and where not to go. It was clear to us that we wanted to provide an easier and more user-friendly solution to this problem. We decided to create a mobile app.

What were your goals for this project?

Our overall goal is to better protect the environment in the Bay. The objective is to increase the common knowledge of the regulations and to make it easier to navigate for the visitors, locals, anyone who is in the area.

How did you select Ackee?

We have contacted Ackee directly and invited them to the competition. They pitched a quality proposal and a reasonable price offer.

Describe the project in detail.

After an inital in person meeting and discussing open questions and details, they took care of the UX, UI, design and both platforms iOS and Android. They used firebase to launch the app and to configure the analytics.

What was the team composition?

The project team was rather small but effective. There were 2 designers, 1 developer for each platform, 2 testers and a project manager.

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

We are launching the app now. The android and IOS Versions are both ready to launch. This is a huge success and we are very happy with the outcome.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

At the start of the project, we met the designers for a kick-off workshop. After that, the cooperation continued mostly remotely. There were regular weekly updates with the project manager. The project manager was always great in communicating with us, keeping us updated and informed and try to match all our requirements and wishes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They introduced a technical solution that enabled them to develop a very complex app without any need for backend processing. They were able to keep up with the limited budget but still create an excellent outcome. The cooperation was efficient and functional just as the app is.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is always room for improvement. That lies in the nature of App development. But in terms of the scope that we agreed on, everything was delivered.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I used to be a project manager for PHC (Pears Health Cyber). They produce digital content, applications, and newsletters for pharmaceutical companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Ackee?

We needed a vendor who could build HTML5 presentations. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided them with information in the form of PDFs. These consisted of graphics, text, and interactive graphs. They took these to create HTML5 presentations optimized for iPad. They included the necessary integrations (such as Viva Platform) and ensured compatibility with all of the appropriate components.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with the project manager. There was a larger team of developers, behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Ackee?

They came recommended to us.  At the time, there weren’t very many companies who offered HTML5 presentation development.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between January – August 2016. 

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

Their output was extremely high-quality. I got the impression that their team consists of the best developers on the market. We were very pleased with the collaboration.

How did Ackee perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything ran smoothly. They were flexible and met very tight deadlines. Communication, conducted via phone and email, was always very good. We did use some project management tools for sending sources to them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d highlight their professionalism. We appreciated the in-depth expertise that their developers demonstrated. We could easily rely on them to deliver a phenomenal product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work closely with the project manager, and provide sufficient resources for them to do the job well.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are number one online advertising company in Czech and Slovak Republic. I'm the founder, owner and managing director. I'm also responsible for the product management of the website.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We hired Ackee for mobile app development - Android, iOS. We manage our website development internally and Ackee is the only one contractor we cooperate with. As our users are very conservative and don't like change, we needed an evolution more than a game changer.

What were your goals for this project?

Our users have started to visit our website via mobile phones more. We wanted to be ahead of our competitors and to offer our users flawless experience on their mobile devices. Also, by moving to this platform, we wanted to add new payment methods.

How did you select this vendor?

We looked at the biggest apps in Czech republic and who made them. Apps from Ackee was great. After that we have tried to find some web references.

Describe the project in detail.

Complete solution for mobile devices. Android and iOS mobile application. UX/UI optimization for mobile devices, technical solution. We also needed analytics based approach to UI adjustments in order to maximize income from paid services.

What was the team composition?

There is project manager assigned for us, then developers, designers, testers. About 5-7 people constantly working on the project. It depends on particular scope at the moment.

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

At this moment, we have 500.000 active Android users and 100.000 active iOS users. In the last 30 days, there were 409.000 unique active users of the mobile app. The app is very well ranked in stores, about 4.65 stars.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our single point of contact is the Project Manager. We cooperate mostly remotely, as our companies are based in different cities. We use ticketing system in Redmine. At the start of the project, we were directly in touch with the developers, but it's not needed anymore.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We really appreciate their genuine interest in the app. They are sympathetic and they understand our specific customers. They take care of the customers, answer rankings in stores and they take customer needs into account.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an online marketing agency. We work for dozens of clients from various innovative industries. Our creative and performance teams consist of 15 people plus specialised project collaborators. I'm a founding partner of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

We need to maintain our internal and client security passwords on daily basis. We had struggled with password management. Originally, we had used a Google spreadsheet. As our company grew, we had concerns about security and also wanted to limit the access to certain passwords.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have a tailor-made solution so we could integrate it further into our CRM. We wanted also to store all data in our cloud infrastructure. For us it was important to have a web app that would be usable across devices.

How did you select this vendor?

We already had good experience with Ackee from previous projects. We were satisfied with their work so we asked them again to cooperate.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Ackee has developed a progressive web application (PWA) that stores our company and clients’ credentials. The app runs in our cloud infrastructure. Ackee had created the design, frontend implementation, and backend implementation. They also helped us with data migration from our existing Google sheets into the new application. They maintain the application remotely.

What was the team composition?

We were in contact with their project manager, the rest was managed internally by Ackee.

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

We have switched to this web app internally and also for all our clients. We can't imagine to manage passwords any other way now.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We appreciate the project manager proxy Marek who was always available to us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The delivery was really fast, price-effective, and on a very high UX/UI level. We didn’t need to push them to redraw some of the graphics as we liked it at first sight. It was obvious to us that they had spent plenty of time on the design even before they approached us with the solution.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It was quite a small project so but I believe if the project was larger we would need to do more iterations. This was about the limit of a fixed price and scope delivery.

Please describe your company and your position there.

HOPI is the largest logistics company with focus on food transportation in Czech Republic with operations in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania. It is a family business established in 1992 with more than 1000 employees. My role is project leader.

For what projects/services did your company hire Ackee?

HOPI makes a great effort to be environmentally and socially responsible company. We introduced several methods to make our routes more effective and considerate to the environment. Before e-Driver, almost all documentation about the transportation was written on paper form. It was not „easy“ to track online in one system. We needed to create a system for our drivers and dispatchers to plan, track and report everything about goods and transportation. Overall, to digitize all of our processes.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to digitalized all process that makes it easier to track and report. Eventually, to get access for customers to track their goods on their own.

How did you select this vendor?

We relied on recommendation and previous work experience. We found Ackee to be proactive, with good previous experience and reasonable pricing. Project manager, Department managers and board members were involved in selection process.

Describe the project in detail.

To this point, they have worked on first two stages of development. First, a platform for dispatchers to track the vehicles and communicate with drivers. We gained a perfect overview about all transportations. Very important feature for us is an integration of SAP. All data we get from the app is synchronized in SAP, which is very helpful. Second, app for drivers called e-Driver. Android app enables the drivers to report their work hours, manage their routes, communicate with dispatchers, report defects and more. The transportation is more effective, ecological and safe. It was very impressive that Ackee's UX developer spent a significant amount of time actually in trucks with our drivers to get a perfect knowledge of their work and habits. We are currently working on next stage of the development, which is a platform for customers.

What was the team composition?

At this moment, the team consists of 2 backend developers, 2 android developers, UX designer, tester, project manager and analyst. At the start of the project, there were another 2 backend developers and a web designer.

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

Drivers are excited in that we are one step closer to dispose of paper work. Most of all, they appreciate that he knows about his job before he starts his shift. Possitive feedback of our drivers is the biggest succes.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our main point of contact is Project manager. We also meet the developers when it is needed. We use Redmine to track the workflow. After six months from the first workshop, there were first test ready outcomes. That I consider remarkably fast progress considering the size of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Although the project and specifications changed on the fly, co - workers from ACKEE have always been able to adapt quickly and deliver solutions in a very short time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They are open to any feedback so that are able to improve continuously. Nothing specific to be named here.