Agency04

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Football Company is a startup with the vision to drive football culture through technology.

For what projects/services did your company hire Agency04, and what were your goals?

We have hired Agency04 to fully develop our next generation Football Fantasy Manager, and NFT Marketplace for digital goods from backend to native mobile applications frontend.

How did you select Agency04 and what were the deciding factors?

We have selected Agency4 out of several candidates. The agency had the right size, not too small, not too big. The first contact was very positive. We met the people remote and in person. They asked the right question and gave us the feeling they understand what we need and want.

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

We are working with real time data from an external data provider that we need to process and push to a huge audience in real time in order to give our users a vibrant experience.

The goal here was to create the fastest engine on the market. In order to achieve that we've built the backend with Java, Spring Boot, Micronaut, Rest API, k8s and use Firebase Cloud Messaging. We are also using ReactJS and Kotlin for the frontend.

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

We are working with a team of seven developers and one project manager. From Junior to Head.

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

The outcome is very good so far. Everything is working as expected and is built exceeding our expectations.

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

The project management is built based on our requirements. The team is basically self organized. Everything is on time and the communication is seamless.

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

Now we are coming to the most interesting feedback. Every person involved is very dedicated to the product they are building for us. We can feel a lot of passion, enthusiasm but also responsibility and everyone is self driven. Solution oriented by always finding a good solution to our challenges.

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

We have a very direct and open communication and fix things on the go. There is nothing to improve here.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the product owner for a product we are currently developing together with Agency04 for a client of us. My company is the cloud-based platform for product content to share accurate and reliable content with their partners and consumers. We additionally implement custom product content related solutions for some of our customers.

For what projects/services did your company hire Agency04, and what were your goals?

We have hired Agency04 for two projects where AG04 provided the whole scrum team besides the Product owner (several full stack developers, UI Designer, Scrum master). One project is already finished, the other one is still ongoing.

We now also have started to add some Developers from AG04 to some of our existing product teams. Our goal was to get more people helping us with the development as we didn't have enough internal people to cover all the work and specifically to cover the extra projects which we wanted to start.

How did you select Agency04 and what were the deciding factors?

I wasn't involved in the decision as I started at atrify after the selection of AG04, so I can't give information here.

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

We work with the scrum methodology in 2 week sprints. The scope is to create a web platform, which is supposed to replace an existing solution. We are providing every few weeks a new version to the customer to be able to test and verify our solution. The big milestone will be the goLive when all necessary features are done, so the old solution can be replaced.

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

On the first smaller project it was: Senior Engineer, Junior Engineer, two Solution Experts (one with DevOps background), UX/UI Designer and Scrum Master On the currently ongoing project it is: Senior Engineer, Professional Engineer, Qualified Engineer, Junior Engineer, two Solution Experts (one with DevOps background), UX/UI Designer and Scrum Master

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

We work closely together to develop a great product. The deliverables after each sprint are always good. There are misunderstandings which lead to needing to fix stuff, but this is why we work in short sprints to find issues early. The whole team is committed to the product and does their best to have good results.

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

Communication tools are defined from our side. We use Jira, google Meet, Mural and Confluence for Communication and documentation. As said before, timelines are defined by the sprint length and the main project management is done by me.

One issue for me is, that they took the DevOps out of the scrumteam, although we still depend on his work. To get clarification when he is going to deliver what is therefor very difficult. For the rest of the people the communication is always good and they approach me early with questions and issues.

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

The willingness to improve as a team. Openness for feedback and the real work together to find good solutions.

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

Seems the DevOps they planned to support us, has too much on his plate. They decided to take him out of the scrum team and to make im a supporting specialist, but this is still not working properly and adds work on my plate and things he needs to deliver often come later than agreed.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Sr. Principal Program Manager at a full-service digital agency

For what projects/services did your company hire Agency04, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop an app that our client would use to present their products in an exciting new way to their customers. This means access to whole product ranges and showcase of unique selling points - practically all relevant info for the customers in one elegant app.

How did you select Agency04 and what were the deciding factors?

We were looking for a partner to help us scale our projects with a large client. We needed support especially in the area of ​​frontend development with Angular.

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

Development of a Progressive Web App that sales representatives can use during their customer meetings. Focus was on showing novelties and direct interface to CRM

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

Five people are working in our team: two Junior Frontend Developers, one Mid Frontend Developer, one Senior and a Project Manager. We plan to introduce more frontend developers in future phases.

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

The first project phase is about to launch in April. The reviews with the client were very successful. The feedback about our deliverables was great!

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

We used SCRUM with 4 week sprints. Communication tools were Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. Development Kickoff was in November. Go-live is April 1st

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

The motivation of each team member to achieve the best possible result is amazing.

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

The team did very well. An area for improvement would be to to favor the faster solution over the more flexible one.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide national IT services for universities and research institutions in Croatia, for almost 50 years. International projects also play a big part in our daily operations. I am the Head of Information Systems Department.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGENCY04?

We hired AGENCY04 to help us with development of national Current Research Information Systems (CRIS). We are in need of extra developers to give a helping hand to our own.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to create a new national research information system, which will be integrated or interconnected with a number of other information systems in Croatia and several international systems as well. It will consist of approximately 50 different modules, all implemented using Spring Boot.

How did you select this vendor?

For this project, the public procurement took place. AGENCY04 provided the best offer with regard to both value for money and the expertise and experience of their developers, which was important to us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They are helping design, develop, configure and deploy a number of modules for our system. Their developers bring the necessary experience and provide a valuable insights and suggestions to improve all of the key factors of each module.

What was the team composition?

The project team has about ten people, and some of them come and go depending on the skill needed at certain point in time. Their developers are integrated in our team as equals, with our own project manager. An agile development approach is taking place, with very frequent releases of new versions.

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

This project represents a national research information infrastructure. It is going to be used by all of the people in all the fields of science and research in the country, as well as many national agencies, ministries and other organizations.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is communicated via regular weekly meetings and daily via Slack, Jira, Confluence and GitLab. Their developers regularly inform about any possible delays and suggest other paths that could be follow. They are generally proactive and creative, thus giving the project manager more options and flexibility.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The most impressive part of our collaboration are skillful developers that they not only do what is expected of them, but also think ahead, ask difficult questions and yet try to find many answers themselves, communicate clearly and thoughtfully, and on top of that, understand the common goal we're working on.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only area of improvement would be to train all of their developers in social skills. We had some of them in our previous collaborations who were not so skilled socially, and that could generate a loss of time, which is our valuable asset.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're an R&D company developing proprietary computer vision technology optimized for realtime processing on mobile devices. Advanced neural networks and deep learning techniques are used to process the fastest and the most accurate text recognition locally on a mobile device. Therefore, we offer a variety of products as mobile SDK (software development kit) or Web API tailored for specific use-cases. We aim to completely eliminate the need for manual data entry on mobile devices, thus improving user experience and engagement. I work as a CTO and I'm also one of the cofounders.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGENCY04?

For software development services on verification project.

What were your goals for this project?

We're launching a new product and the goal of it is to be able to verify identity of the users of mobile and web apps online. Agency04 is helping us with software development on the iOS platform on this product.

How did you select this vendor?

We've known Agency04 for a long time but never had a chance to work with them. We reviewed several other candidates for this topic but Agency04's references, technical talent and the approach to software development looked as an excellent match.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Project consists of mobile (iOS and Android) and web components. Agency04 worked with us on the iOS side. They basically started from zero, and with collaboration with dedicated Product owner on this project, got us to a position to launch the product with the first client in 4 months. They were responsible for - SW development - SW Architecture - technical product steering - talking with the client - integration support

What was the team composition?

On the project we've collaborated with their Senior iOS software engineer.

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

With the results of the project, we're now working with several potential clients that are interested in using the product. The clients are in finance and banking sector. We expect to see return on investment with the first couple clients.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project managment was done internally by us. We're happy with the results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their technical knowledge, flexibility, work ethic, and culture are impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We're very happy with the work so far and wouldn't change anything.

Please describe your company and your position there.

EdTech company with large user base.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGENCY04?

We were developing a content contributor platform and didn't have enough internal resources to build it.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to build the platform in iterations, from a prototype, over a functional closed beta version with friendly users up to a production version open to the globe.

How did you select this vendor?

We knew the team from projects in previous companies and as we worked well with good results it was an obvious choice to hire them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Developed a Kotlin+PostgreSQL backend and React frontend.

What was the team composition?

The project had three mid-level developer from the Agency to complement internal resources.

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

We had a tight schedule and the system was delivered on time.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

An internal developer was PM from our side and most experienced developer from the agency was doing code reviews and managing other developers from the agency. Initially we were all on-site and using tools like Jira, Confluence and Slack while after covid-19 measures we all switched to remote work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The developers from the agency are very adaptive. They were experienced in Java and had limited experiences with Kotlin. As our projects were all in Kotlin they quickly switched.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communicating how something will be developed ahead can reduce the number of iterations in development.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm VP Growth at Spotsie. Spotsie is a startup for improving conferences by applying innovative IoT ideas to make life easier for both attendees and organizers. Lots of conferences today have mobile apps that eliminate the need for printed material by pushing schedule updates or important announcements. But for Spotsie, that was not enough. Envisioning how to help attendees meet each other by matching mutual interests, and how organizers could act on real-time reports on congestions of conference space, Spotsie architectured a Bluetooth-based beacon system to handle indoor attendee location.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGENCY04?

For the system to work, the conference mobile app needed super-easy onboarding and opt-in user profiles, while providing a seamless configuration of beacons that come with conference passes. The complication is, this had to work no matter which phone an attendee was using!

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a white-label, feature-rich event app that will improve the visiting experience by applying IoT technology and using Bluetooth devices – beacons.

How did you select this vendor?

We made a shortlist of companies, including AGENCY04, and provided requirements.

Describe the project in detail.

We started with discovery workshops and result was visual prototype and mockups by UX/UI design team and even a list of additional features. We were concerned our requirements would be difficult to understand but we were relieved to see that team understood the concept of the product quickly. The application was developed natively for both platforms, iOS and Android.

What was the team composition?

iOS team - Senior, Mid and Junior Developer, Android team - Senior Mid and Junior Developer, UI/UX Designer, Senior Fullstack Developer, Junior Frontend Developer, Mid Backend Developer

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

MVP’s performance in real conference surroundings went smoothly. Ratings and adoption were high and users were engaged from the start to finish, which proves the simplicity and functionality of the app that is created by the highest world standards.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were highly professional, always providing the best tech and innovative solutions, which is certainly desirable while developing such a complex and sophisticated product that needs to impress and engage users and provide them with exceptional UX.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It was not just an Agile development of native apps. For the system to work, the mobile app had to have super-easy onboarding and had to have opt-in user profiles, while at the same time providing seamless configuration of beacons. Thanks to the AGENCY04 mobile team, their knowledge, skills, and dedication, this works beautifully.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The collaboration continues, the Spotsie team can’t imagine a better partner in developing such a complex and powerful product.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide IT Services to B2B customers in Switzerland. I am a project manager specialized in ECommerce solution implementation/integration.

For what projects/services did your company hire AGENCY04?

The planning/volume of the ECommerce solution to implement exceeded our internal capacity of staffing at the beginning of the project. We went to AG04 in order to find the extra resources we needed.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to setup the Digital solution that would enable our end Customer to activate its new activity in the B2B2C Market.

How did you select this vendor?

We already had very good experiences with AG04 and so asked them if they could help.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

AG04 provided a team of Backend (Java) And Front End (React) developers, coached by a AG04 project manager, that implemented sections of the solutions.

What was the team composition?

The project team went from 1 to 5 developers, with associated project management workload.

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

The project is still under development , but so far the quality metrics as reported by our end customer are excellent !

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Planning and reporting went as easy and precise as you could wish for, with the proper alerts at the proper times when needed (not much)

What did you find most impressive about this company?

In addition to the excellent team spirit and commitment, the reactivity and the flexibility of the management was much appreciated when we needed to adapt AG04 team stize to stick to our daily reality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Still need to think about that...nothing pops in my mind

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of custom software development and work in the near real-time sector for Končar. We primarily work for utility companies.

What challenge were you trying to address with AG04?

We required help with two software development projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team is developing two custom software programs from scratch. Additionally, they’re testing the platforms for bugs and issues.

What is the team composition?

The AG04 team provides 3–4 dedicated individuals for our project.

How did you come to work with AG04?

I used my connections within my network and contacted several developers. After three months of research, I interviewed the entire AG04 team and chose them for the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $350,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2017 and the project is ongoing.

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

The work they’ve produced completely satisfies our expectations.

How did AG04 perform from a project management standpoint?

To keep up with the fast nature of the project, we worked in the same location and formed strong connections. They have a solid, unique approach and our process is smooth because of it. Their team communicates with us daily through email and in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate that the team has remained consistent throughout the project. They have a strong understanding of our needs because they’ve been involved since the beginning. They’re eager to learn from us and solve our issues creatively. Overall, they're a great team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can educate yourself about software development by working with AG04—they’re a strong team to learn from.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Product Development for XebiaLabs, a company that develops continuous delivery software.

What challenge were you trying to address with AG04?

We needed to scale up and acquire developers with certain technology knowledge.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our company has three products, which we continuously improve and extend. AG04 is working on two of them. They help us develop the new features we add to the products.

One of the products, called XL Deploy, deploys software toward different environments. The other is called XL Release. They started building integrations. The product grew suddenly, so they moved into the core team. They’re now a mature contributor to these two products’ core engines.

All the features they build are great. We build a new feature, add it to the project, do first rounds, get some user feedback for about half a year, and then start adding more new features. They participate in the process. We use Java, Scala, React, and Angular.

What is the team composition?

They now have two autonomous teams working on our products. We use everyone, from junior engineers all the way up to senior engineers. The senior engineers usually lead the team’s progress in the role of Scrum masters. We don't use any project or product managers.

Those are located at our headquarters in Hilversum, Netherlands, but reach out often to the Croatian team. They run two independent software development teams and are responsible for maintaining our quality standards. They’re valuable contributors, and they also improve the core process and delivery. We just have engineers with different levels of knowledge and experience.

How did you come to work with AG04?

They were working before I joined the company. Even before they join my team, AG04 trains their junior engineers using our framework and process. That’s a great benefit. Another thing that distinguishes them is that they always have seniors in the team who onboard the junior engineers to our process. It’s not only the technology they own, but also the way of working which is helpful. People get used to how we work.

They’re happy to be a part of our team. They made a long-term commitment, which I really like. The teams and people are stable, and they participate in the events we organize. They’re a part of the organization, not just a contractor.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2014 and the work is ongoing.

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

We have been pleased with their knowledge and capabilities. They perform like our in-house team. They’re mature and participative. They have a lot of domain knowledge and can solve really difficult customer issues. Their senior engineers are dedicated to helping us. They’re just part of the family.

How did AG04 perform from a project management standpoint?

We moved from classic project management to an agile methodology. They run independent teams. Every release has been a mini-project, which they run very well. They do project delivery estimation themselves and reach out to us if they have questions. We use Jira and email, and HipChat for day-to-day integration with the teams in India and the Netherlands. It’s a daily stream of communication. We put a little bit of documentation in Confluence.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The management team wants long-term commitments, which I really like. They really understand technologies and know what the new frameworks are, what conferences you have to go to, how you should train your people, and how to determine quality in software development. They’re committed, knowledgeable, and capable of managing an IT team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

A company that is extremely technology-minded can sometimes struggle to grow. They have difficulty growing and finding the right people. We’re on the journey together, and we can challenge each other.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t go to them for a couple of cheap bodies. Go to them because you see value in having a full team to help you build your products. Every relationship requires a little time and investment. Take the time and engage with them.