Algoworks

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Manager of Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an owners association designed to promote the health, safety and welfare of all members of TMVOA; establish, provide and maintain a desirable community and environment for all Owners, Lessees and Guests; and protect and preserve property, property values and property rights in Telluride Mountain Village.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Algoworks to accomplish?

• App development

SOLUTION

How did you find Algoworks?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Algoworks over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Algoworks were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our objective was to build a destination app for the cultural hub of Mountain Village, Colorado. Its stated purpose was to serve as a digital guidebook to Mountain Village and vehicle for promoting its businesses, amenities, events, resources and lifestyle. Our intention behind the project was to educate, involve and entertain residents and tourists alike about Mountain Village. 
We wanted to make enjoying all Mountain Village amenities and experiences as easy, convenient, and memorable as possible in an effort to facilitate the long term economic and cultural vitality of our town. The Mountain Village App was created to achieve this end. 
We began by establishing the functionality required for such an app. This was quickly followed by detailed creation of wireframes and outlining of UX/UI specifications. Our biggest hurdle was integrating with several third party softwares, including a brand new SDK containing a state-of-the-art mapping system for our pedestrian-only areas, as well as building an interface with local ski & weather data through an API. 
Algoworks was essential in this process as we held many interdepartmental team meetings to perform beta testing and troubleshoot any complications that arose during development. Main deliverables included: 

• Build connection to our destination website to pull data about Mountain Village businesses and amenities directly into our app 
• Search/filter/favorite local businesses & amenities 
• Build API integration with local ski resort ski & weather data to display live information inside our app’s UI 
• Utilize an SDK to embed a third-party map package inside our app 
• Create category-specific notifications targeted to tourists, locals or both Account personalization

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

App launch to iOS & Android app stores with full MVP functionality, interactive touchpoints & visually appealing UI.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Algoworks was an incredible development partner. They were extremely organized and meticulous in their project management. They were excellent problem solvers; they repurposed their previous professional experience to our project when confronted with challenges in our development process. They were quite timely and productive overall. 
As our particular project involved collaborating with multiple third-party software companies, our biggest obstacles appeared when coordinating complex interfaces between various applications. This ended up delaying our launch significantly, however, this was not entirely on Algoworks and often a result of our dependency on other partners.
In general, Algoworks was extremely responsive and accommodating when it came to setting up interdepartmental meetings and exploring potential resolutions. Communication was naturally more challenging given the vast time difference between our locations, but Algoworks was always willing to cater to our scheduling needs. 
Having a knowledgeable project manager from Algoworks’ side was essential, and we were so grateful to have Sanchi, who was familiar with our project inside and out and extremely responsive & proactive in her approach to project management. We couldn’t have done it without her. 
Nikhil, our project manager from upper management, checked in at key milestones and maintained accountability throughout the entire discovery, design & development process. He was incredibly attentive, organized and quick to resolve any conflict or questions we had. It was reassuring to have such talented leaders on our team, ensuring effective communication and strategic development.

What was your primary form of communication with Algoworks?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We appreciated Algoworks’ practiced approach to development. They were able to smoothly coordinate expectations between multiple teams to track deliverables in a clear & organized manner. They utilized several project management softwares, including Basecamp, Slack and Jira, which made the entire process far more seamless and transparent. We were also grateful for their integrity in honoring commitments made to us as we progressed through all stages of our project’s development.

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

One challenge of our project was, again, that there were so many different companies and software vendors involved. As such, the project took much longer than expected. 
Throughout our development, we were incredibly appreciative of Algoworks’ flexibility in pivoting with us as we backtracked at several points to make strategic iterations and revisions. However, as a result of our project’s extended duration, members of the team allocated to us by Algoworks ended up either on leave for health reasons, or being assigned to other projects, and we were forced to reeducate a new project manager on our requirements for a period of time. 
While we understood that many of these conditions were beyond ours or Algoworks’ control, it was a more challenging time in our development process as this new project manager was less familiar with our objectives. For us, this definitely underscored the value of having a single management team to oversee a project from beginning to end. 
We were so tremendously grateful that when circumstances once again allowed, our primary liaisons from Algoworks’ side were eventually returned and reassigned to our project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Business Development of TDC Life

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We're independent brokers bringing complex life insurance solutions tp professional advisors in many sectors and their HNW clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Algoworks to accomplish?

• Discovery of New Technology Application
• Execution of a Production Model
• Further Rollout of Changes and Updates

SOLUTION

How did you find Algoworks?

Referral

Why did you select Algoworks over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Algoworks were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We were looking to build a web portal with an encrypted AWS backend. Additionally, there would be 2 backend control tables: 

1. to manage conditions and the other 
2. manage user (advisor) access to the front end web portal. 

Only the administrator(s) will have direct edit access to the conditions table and the user table. Each table will have the ability to Add, Change, Delete, Inactivate, Search, and Export. A data reporting and access hierarchy will be implemented as part of the data model/design as follows: 

• Level 1: Main Team Will allow reporting access to all data contained in the database. 
• Level 2: Firm Will allow reporting access for all advisor/client data within the firm. 
• Level 3: Advisor Will allow reporting access for all clients assigned to the advisor. 
• Level 4: Client Lowest level of data available. 

This structure will be primarily used to control access to the information which will reside in the database and be accessible via the Web Portal. We asked to have them deliver Phase 1 of functional discovery, phase 2 of technical discovery and then phase 3 of development with a staging, as well as production, model to be delivered in a very short timeframe.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Total ballpark hours of just under 1200 for all web development frontend, backend, portal development, dev side testing, project management and DevOps. Including functional and technical discovery we requested a delivery time period of just 3.5 months. They completed on time!

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They delivered on time and with great attention to detail. They developed a complete project plan from design to deployment. They responded to needs, helped prioritize feature lists, identified functional requirements, used Mind Maps, used a detailed sprint plan with specific milestones, made recommendations for architecture and structure, and we discussed many additional other items in a timely fashion over Basecamp, via email, and through our 2x/weekly virtual check-ins.

What was your primary form of communication with Algoworks?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are a leading and innovating digital transformation services provider and were an absolute joy to work with from day 1. They delivered our solution with a team drive, agility, and passion that we felt could not be matched.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the Founder and CEO of a customer experience company focusing on a frictionless customer experience. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Algoworks?

We had plans to develop an application and sought the assistance of Algoworks.

We aim to eliminate the hassle of waiting in line to purchase controlled items at sports events, hotels, and other locations. We're currently involved in the sale of alcohol within the United States. In due course, we plan to expand our operations to include other regions and markets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We started the project by creating specifications and clarifying the requirements for developing a new app. Next, we collaborated with Algoworks on the official project plan and designed the architecture for both iOS and Android. After that, we built the app to perform the necessary functions. Additionally, we created a web-based back office to manage the app's service. Algoworks is currently assisting us with submitting the app to the App Store.

Our app sets itself apart from others by providing retailers with the necessary technology to sell directly on our platform. It works seamlessly with any vending machine and has a custom control box. Customers are presented with a menu of options when they scan the box. From there, they can easily make a selection, complete payment, authenticate their purchase, and check out, all in under 30 seconds.

Our platform offers native mobile apps for both iOS and Android. In addition, we utilize third-party technology through SDKs and APIs to enhance certain aspects of the app, such as authentication and validation of individuals. We've partnered with trusted third-party vendors for these services.

What is the team composition?

The team we work with has undergone some changes, although some members remain the same. We have an Android developer, an iOS developer, a QA specialist, a UX/UI expert, and two individuals responsible for back-end operations and architecture. We also collaborate with a project manager and a senior project lead. Depending on the current release, we may work with 1-2 members from the DevOps team.

How did you come to work with Algoworks?

I received a list of names from HubSpot, including Algoworks. Upon evaluating several developers, we ultimately selected Algoworks due to their impressive approach.

How much have you invested in them?

We've invested $325,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in September 2021, and it's ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measure the project's success by how consistently we reach our targets in terms of sprint priorities and the app's uptime.

How did Algoworks perform from a project management standpoint?

Our team holds two weekly meetings to discuss and manage any new needs using Asana. During these meetings, we track our progress and make sure everything is on track.

Overall, the Algoworks team has managed to meet the deadlines. Nevertheless, there have been a few cases where some tasks took more time than anticipated. However, it's worth noting that these delays are typically due to factors beyond our control involving third parties that we collaborate with. We initially used Zoom for meetings but then transitioned over to Microsoft Teams. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Algoworks team is incredibly hardworking and always willing to go above and beyond. They're excellent with follow-up, and overall, they're a pleasant team to work alongside.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wouldn't pin this on Algoworks, but we would benefit from having someone more buttoned up on our side of things. Having that person in place would ensure that Algoworks has everything they need at the right time in their time zone. While Algoworks is very accommodating with early morning and late evening meetings, sometimes time zone differences can cause delays.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As newcomers to the world of apps, having someone with a business mindset join the team would be beneficial. This person could focus on the end customer's experience and would be dedicated to promptly resolving any issues, whether on our side or theirs. There can be delays if we encounter a problem that requires attention from a customer experience standpoint. While this is not the fault of anyone in particular, having a dedicated team member for this task would help increase efficiency. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the co-founder and CEO of a mobile computing software products company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Algoworks?
We needed their development expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 
Algoworks has developed our mobile application on the iOS and Android platforms. Initially, I provided Algoworks with the user persona information I had put together; they came up with 6–7 design styles based on the user profiles and demographics I gave them. Algoworks iterated on a few of those until we picked one. Then, they used Figma to come up with various examples of what the app would look like.
I’ve relied on them to get us from the design phase through to getting it onto the App Store and Google Play Store, which has been the first phase. We’ve just kicked off phase two, which is to refine and make some edits to the application. They’ve helped develop the logo, some of the colors, as well as the design language that we use.
The app has quite a few features. The first core functionality of the app is a location-based system that enables users of the app to appear in real-time on a map. There’s also a chat function and voice and video capabilities within the app where users can connect and chat with each other using voice and/or video. The third core functionality of the app is the ability to create groups of users. The groups can either be private so other people can’t join the group unless they’re invited, or the group can be public, enabling any users to join. Within a group, users can create events, post pictures or comments, and like other pictures or comments that other users in the group have posted.

What is the team composition?
I’ve worked with Isha (Project Manager). On the technical side, there were a couple of teammates, including Pankaj (Senior Software Engineer & React Native Developer).
Unfortunately, the lead designer I was working with left Algoworks not long after we started working on the app’s design; however, Algoworks has found other resources to finish the project.

How did you come to work with Algoworks?
I was looking for a software development team to help me design and build the app. I have a colleague who runs a similar company to mine who was familiar with Algoworks and had good things to say about them. 
I did some research to better understand their capabilities and any similar projects they’d worked on in the past. I looked at case studies on Algoworks’ website and spoke to one of their business development teammates, which made me comfortable that they’d be a great partner to work with on this project.

How much have you invested in them?
We’ve spent between $120,000–$130,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?
The engagement began in March 2022, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve definitely seen an increase in traffic since launching the application. Algoworks’ design and UI/UX work has been very good. I’m not a software engineer, so I can’t judge the quality of the code they’ve written, but the app functions quite well from a user perspective.
I like the fact that Algoworks has a design team that’s nicely integrated with their software development team. That was one of the factors that I took into account when hiring Algoworks. Isha’s been absolutely fantastic, and the technical team’s been very good as well.

How did Algoworks perform from a project management standpoint?
They’re very good at project management. We use Basecamp for communication, and we constantly go back and forth discussing progress and milestones. We have a weekly call through Microsoft Teams, during which Algoworks updates me on what they’ve done over the past week and what they’ll be working on next week so that we can make sure the project is staying on time and on budget. We occasionally use email, and I keep in touch with Isha through WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?
The value for money and ability to get a high-quality development and UI/UX team at a reasonable price is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?
It’d be nice to get the work done more quickly in some cases. I’ve asked if we could accelerate the timeline if we put more teammates on the project; Algoworks’ response has been no, but I wonder if that’s really the case.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
It’s really important to make sure that you have regular and ongoing communication with Algoworks. I’m based in San Francisco, and they’re based in Delhi, India, so there is a 12–13-hour time difference. If you don’t have good communication, then the project isn’t going to work. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an executive at a ticketing services app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Algoworks?

We hired them to help us with mobile app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We tasked Algoworks with mobile app development and UI/UX design. Nonetheless, they asked us as a customer where we should put the site's components, like the login button and other things — thanks to this, the UI was a disaster. The UX was good, but that was just because of me. Moreover, they didn't build things according to the design and then said it was what we wanted.

I told them I hired them as consultants to tell me how to do things better because it's their job, and the experts are them, not me.

What is the team composition?

I was in contact with a project UX designer who was inexperienced. In addition, we worked with a lead developer and other junior members of their team.

How did you come to work with Algoworks?

I found them on Clutch, and I went with them because they were the cheapest option and had a great presale engineer who was very nice. In addition, they won the tender because of their low prices. However, they just made the hours longer.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $60,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them from June 2020–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

I expected them to come to me with solutions, not questions about where I wanted things. They somehow delivered at the end of the day, but the design was a disaster, so I lost a lot of cash in this experience.

How was project management handled?

Communication was very bad, they didn't meet deadlines, and we didn't receive consulting or advisory from their side. In addition to the type of questions they asked and the frequency of the questions, I knew that things were going downhill because I had to repeat myself repeatedly. Consequently, I felt that they tried to do quick and dirty fixes to shut me up.

Regarding tools, we used Basecamp and email for communication, but we didn't have daily or biweekly meetings. Overall, the relationship deteriorated, and it got super ugly — I was close to suing them, to be honest, and that didn't help the business relationship. 

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

The lead developer was a good architect, but unfortunately, whatever he did wasn't in the app. He was nice, did a good job, and was the only good thing about our partnership.

In what specific areas can they improve?

I don't think they can do anything. They need to engage in professional services, which are advisory prototyping and hiring professionals. They should come up with examples, suggestions, and recommendations as that is their main job, and they failed miserably with us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a food technology startup based in Boston, Massachusetts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Algoworks?

I have a very strong technical background. Still, I was looking for some development help to build an app that could connect independent cooks and artisan bakers with local consumers.

I was looking for expertise in two-sided marketplace development, and the options I found in the US were limited. Being a bootstrapped startup, I was also under a tight budget, so those options weren’t affordable. Thus, we decided to look for that expertise offshore, finding Algoworks as a result.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Algoworks has helped us design and build our app. As for the technology stack, we’ve used an Angular framework and JSON code. We’ve also developed some custom APIs and integrated multiple other third-party APIs.

As for the design work, we’ve used Figma to design the app entirely, including the storyboards and user journeys. Algoworks has a very good design team dedicated solely to that part of the project. They base their designs on our requirements, and we collaborate to go through user journeys and user flow.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with about 12–15 engineers from Algoworks over the last year. Their team includes senior backend developers familiar with API development and integration, frontend engineers familiar with Angular, JSON, and UI/UX design, project managers, and a product owner.

How did you come to work with Algoworks?

I searched on Google and interviewed about 20 different companies, both offshore and onshore, including Algoworks. Luckily, they were also a reference, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $170,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Algoworks has really partnered up with us through all of the challenges. Whenever launching usability tests into the real world for these kinds of apps, it is usual to find changes that need to be made. Algoworks has addressed those changes promptly. Furthermore, they’ve listened to our needs and understood the logic behind our requirements.

We did our MVP launch in February 2022, and the response from the users has been great, helping us achieve lots of traction. Algoworks has also taken the time to do research on their own and sat down with us for frequent check-ins after releasing the product.

How did Algoworks perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Jira to log all of the bugs, and Algoworks has an engineer assigned to manage those bugs. We typically refine those bugs according to the severity level to be handled in order of priority. We also use Basecamp to store the documentation and Confluence to build the user stories.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Algoworks seems truly invested in our success. They do frequent check-ins to revise how many users are onboarding and interacting with our app and see the functionality of its features, which has been very beneficial for our product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be great if they had onshore resources because the time differences are always challenging. However, I know that it isn’t always possible, and they’ve been able to overcome those challenges thanks to their promptness.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the engineering and CX operations manager for a tech startup building an e-commerce marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Algoworks?

They’ve been working on a Salesforce integration to support retailer management, order management, and inventory management.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re building customer support tools on Salesforce and integrating them with our proprietary CRM. In doing so, we don’t have to build them on our own site.

They’ve also designed a custom frontend UI inside of Salesforce for us.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a project manager, two integration developers, a QA engineer, and occasionally a UI designer.

How did you come to work with Algoworks?

We were considering several affordable off-shore options and selected Algoworks because they were the most robust. They could do everything we needed to complete the project.

We liked that they asked questions and were very thorough in their proposal. They communicated well and understood our project. They were more affordable than other firms offering the same level of service.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They kicked off the project in July 2020 and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their work is very high and is comparable to our internal development team. We’ve found very few bugs during testing.

How did Algoworks perform from a project management standpoint?

We follow an agile framework and they’ve performed very well. It’s been a very collaborative experience. Generally, we write the requirements and they develop them into a solution. Then we provide feedback and go back and forth until we meet our final deliverable.

They’ve delivered everything on-time unless we impacted the timeline by changing our requirements. We use Jira and Slack to communicate with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their requirements definition process is extremely thorough. I’ve been really impressed with their suggestions because they go above and beyond our initial requirements. They always find the best way to go about solving a problem.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t anything they need to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

New clients can get things moving quickly by preparing ahead of time. They should be able to answer Algoworks’ questions at the beginning of the project because they go through a very thorough planning process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and operator of Scutella & Sons, LLC. My business isn’t directly related to what they made for me. It was an idea that I came up with, namely a booking app for service providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Algoworks?

I brought them on to create an app. The app was initially geared toward a specific business provider, but I thought that it would be more feasible if any type of service provider could use it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Algoworks designed and developed the booking app for iOS and Android. They worked based on my ideas and pretty much did it all. It was just for grooming services initially, but it has a broader range now. It’s basically a platform for any kind of independent service provider.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one of their members during the initial estimate, and I had another point of contact after that. I communicated with a couple of other people on the team.

How did you come to work with Algoworks?

I searched for app developers, and Algoworks had good reviews. They gave me a fair price, and I thought that they’d be a good company to work with.  

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $22,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Algoworks in June or July 2020, and we finished up in December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Algoworks did an amazing job of bringing my ideas to life. The only questionable part was extending their service time after the app was done. 

I know that they have maintenance contracts, but my lawyer pointed out that once the app was completed, I would need them to maintain its functionalities. I feel that offering six months of service would be warranted when someone spends that type of money. Everything else was amazing.

How did Algoworks perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good with all the deadlines. We communicated through email, we had Zoom meetings once a week, and we talked on the phone sometimes. We also used Basecamp as a collaborative tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their creativity was impressive. Having an idea is one thing, but bringing it to life is another. Algoworks built the app as I wanted in terms of design and functionality. They did a good job of putting my words on paper and making it work.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

The after-service was the only thing that stood out to me. Because I was new to this, they were going to put me with a marketing agency. Having some kind of in-house marketing could be something for Algoworks to think about, strictly for the apps they develop.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Having a game plan in mind will make it easier for everybody. I went into this on a whim, so I made a lot of changes over the course of it.