AMgrade

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Craft Music, a mobile app for musicians, visual artists, and brands to collaborate. The app features a marketplace, cloud storage, social media features, and a real-time audio and video recording and editing studio.

For what projects/services did your company hire AMgrade?

I hired AMgrade for backend refactoring and ongoing backend development in PHP/Laravel, as well as server management for my app.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to improve the slow performance of our backend/server and fix bugs left by previous developers.

How did you select this vendor?

I met Vlad from AMgrade online after he applied to a job post I listed looking for developers for my app. After describing the app and the tasks I needed completed, I invited Vlad and his team to look at the code. They gave me a detailed review document listing all the errors they found in my app’s backend and explained how these could create bugs, slow performance, and security issues. He recommended refactoring of the entire backend. Because I was in a hurry to get my app launched, I planned to postpone the backend refactoring until after launch and told him I would be in touch. Well, it turned out that Vlad was right. My server performance was so slow that the app wasn’t even functional and couldn’t be shown to the public. So I contacted Vlad again and he estimated it would take about 2-3 weeks for his team to fix all the issues. I hired his team and they finished in 2.5 weeks, within the deadline just as he had promised. Previously, my developers went weeks or months over deadlines. I was really happy I found a team that is reliable and fulfills their promises. I’ve continued to work with them since on ongoing backend development and maintenance.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project consisted of backend refactoring and server repair and maintenance for my app which was previously in very bad shape. Amgrade cleaned up the code and formatted it correctly, then proceeded to individually fix each file, move misplaced code, and rewrite poorly written/incorrect code that had been causing issues. It was a lot of work and I was amazed at how quickly they were able to do it. They also took on setting up and managing the new server. The app is so much faster now and safe from potential security threats. They also found and fixed bugs caused by previous developers.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of Vlad as the project manager, Dmitry as the lead backend developer, and Liza as the junior backend developer. Communication was very easy with all of them. They are knowledgeable and picked up on the app structure and functions very quickly.

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

I am so thankful for the AMgrade team! Vlad, the project manager, is always available and able to answer all of my questions in detail. He assigned the best developers for my project and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Dmitry is an amazing backend developer who refactored all of my app’s PHP/Laravel backend code and set up a fresh server in record time. My code was previously in a very poor state, messy and buggy, and the server performance was so terrible that pages would take minutes to load sometimes. Dmitry fixed all the problems and now my server is incredibly fast and I feel safe knowing that he handled all the security issues my app had as well. I’ve continued working with Dmitry and Liza, another backend developer from AMgrade, on all of my app’s backend needs because I’m very happy with their performance. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable, experienced, and honest team.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Vlad is the main project manager, taking care of assigning developers, billing, and answering my questions. Dmitry manages the backend development, both working on it himself and delegating certain tasks to Liza. Project management was very effective, everyone played an important part.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed by their honesty, knowledge, experience, ability to meet deadlines, and thoroughness. Other developers had agreed to work on the already problematic code, adding more problems to it. AMgrade saw the issues with the code and proposed a much better solution that would solve existing and future issues, and guarantee the health of the app over the long-term. They are the most hard-working and honest team I’ve met.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only way I think they can improve is if they clone themselves because we need more developers like them in this world!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am one of the partners of a public consulting agency dealing with the affairs of large companies. Our company is based in Dusseldorf, Germany. We have a team size of up to 10 people. We handle project management for large engagements, as well as design, development, website conceptualization and public relations items like advertising. For example, we provide consultation on whether a website needs to be changed or redone. Often, we start the work using partners, one of them being AMgrade.  

What challenge were you trying to address with AMgrade?

Our current work is for a tourist project focused on a specific rural region of Germany. It’s meant to increase interest in the tourist offerings in the area. The platform features stories written by journalists, a calendar of events, and tour offerings. It’s a new way of giving information to a peer group. Our team first developed a concept for the website using WordPress. However, we found that we had taken the wrong approach, so I contacted AMgrade.

What was the scope of their involvement?

AMgrade was in charge of changing and completely redeveloping certain frontend and backend modules based on our design. It was a reworking effort of an existing website, which had been in development for a few weeks. This made things more complicated. It’s better to start from the beginning, but it was not possible. We also made additional requests during the project. They gave suggestions when we asked for them, but we usually knew what we wanted in terms of content and design. We were always given an answer featuring 1–2 approaches.

We are currently in the process of upgrading the Drupal system and making it work better on newer devices. AMgrade’s team is dedicated to our project. While the developers are based in Ukraine, they also have 2–3 consultants working from Germany, including a project manager and a technical lead. They have a team of 90 developers and technical people, as well as marketing and design resources in Ukraine. I have access to them through my liaisons in Germany, which makes it easier for me to communicate since my English is not perfect.

How did you come to work with AMgrade?

I reached out to my community in order to find good Drupal developers, which we thought would be the right platform for the project. I received replies from companies all over the world. My first contact with AMgrade was an email response. They were also based in Germany. I immediately liked the tone of their email and website, as well as of our phone conversations later on. As a result, we discussed a very complex project with their management.

How much have you invested with AMgrade?

The cost of this project is $10,000–$15,000, split between several bills.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we started working with AMgrade in August 2014. The project ended in April 2016. I have no reasons to discontinue working with them.

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

AMgrade renovated an old house with great effort, developing a large website that had not existed for its region. The quality was what I expected. The site worked reliably since its launch, but we have identified a need to make it responsive on newer mobile devices. I don’t have statistics for it because Google Analytics was implemented only a few months ago. We had no data before that time.

How did AMgrade perform from a project management standpoint?

The team works quickly, and they give us fast answers. We maintain communication through Google Docs, Skype, and email.

During the initial process, the timeline changed somewhat. That was partly because we didn’t supply some information in time. Everything was done in English and German.

What did you find most impressive about AMgrade?

All in all, I am impressed with the speed of their team — it’s a quality I hadn’t seen before in Germany. They give feedback quickly and put in a lot of effort to find answers and solutions. All of this was, and is, extraordinary.

I appreciate their technical know-how. I don’t understand anything about this process, but AMgrade always had a solution at hand. I have worked with a few developers in the past, and AMgrade’s service was better than anything I’d known until that time.

Are there any areas AMgrade could improve?

I’m not a technical advisor, so it’s not easy for me to say.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a consultant helping different companies build websites. I am the sole owner of the company, and I am based in New York.

What challenge were you trying to address with AMgrade?

As a consultant, I had a business need relating to my own company, and not those of clients. I started to build it myself with new technologies like ReactJS, AWS [Amazon Web Services], and Firebase. I completed a prototype but didn’t have enough time to finish it myself, so I hired AMgrade for help.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I needed to convert the working prototype into a full product, which required a lot more functionality and build time. I hired a couple of developers from AMgrade for this task. They started with frontend work on ReactJS, and improved some of my code, fixed bugs, and built a number of new features. I was satisfied with the work, so I also asked AMgrade to help with the backend tasks which are hosted on the AWS Lambda technology. They also built a number of features for that area.

How did you come to work with AMgrade?

I am from Ukraine, and AMgrade is a Ukrainian company. I have some links and relationships with the development community there, and someone recommended them to me. I did a project with AMgrade when I was working for another agency, and they provided great work. I tried different companies in Ukraine, but I was never fully satisfied in terms of quality. I have continued to use AMgrade since the initial project.

How much have you invested with AMgrade?

We have a monthly agreement, and the overall cost has been between $25,000 and $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with AMgrade in September 2017. The collaboration is ongoing.

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

I am a developer myself and started my career as a QA [quality assurance] engineer working for other companies. When I received the results of the work, it made tests myself in order to see if everything was good. I was never satisfied with other providers because there were many bugs, and there was a lack of desire to create a feature in a good way. They could implement a task exactly as specified in the description, but didn’t try to understand what the client needed.

The number of bugs is very low with AMgrade’s work, and I haven’t spent as much time testing their deliverables compared to other companies. They’ve tried to deliver better results than what was asked. I like working with them because of these two aspects.

How did AMgrade perform from a project management standpoint?

We can work on a fixed price, project basis with AMgrade, delivering the full scope of work using project managers and QA testers, but I’ve mainly worked directly with the developers since I’m a developer myself. The estimates they provide are solid, and we can discuss why a task can take five days, rather than one. In most cases, I don’t have any issues with their justifications. From a development perspective, AMgrade has met deadlines and estimates in most cases.

I have a lot of experience working with remote teams, so I haven’t had a problem in this regard. I start my day around six or seven o’clock in the morning on New York time, when it’s the middle of the day in Ukraine. I have a chance to review what has been done so far, as well as provide comments and feedback which will be addressed by the end of the day. I receive finished results by 11 AM. I have also talked to developers from their homes, at 11 PM their time, which is 4 PM for me. Overall, the process works for me, and it’s simply one of the nuances of using a remote team. They won’t be available full time during local working hours, so I need to schedule my time around this. It can be a challenge to encounter a bug late in the afternoon after the working day has ended in Ukraine. Two or three hours in the morning, or even more, depending on how early I start, as well as additional availability over email and Skype later in the day, is pretty good for me.

What did you find most impressive about AMgrade?

For me, quality of work is important, and I feel that they’ve provided this as well as expertise. The technologies on my project are relatively new, and AMgrade has tried to stay on top of them.

Are there any areas AMgrade could improve?

There have been things which I needed to improve, but over time, I’ve gotten used to them.

The language difference is not relevant in my case since I speak Ukrainian. On one project, there was a need for one of AMgrade’s developers to speak directly to another one from the client’s side in English. That particular developer was not very good in terms of language skills. It also depends on the resources hired by the client, in terms of project management.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an online market place for services and offer every company the possibility to digitalize itself.

For what projects/services did your company hire AMgrade?

AMgrade was commissioned by us to develop a marketplace platform.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a functional platform that picks up our users in a modern and innovative design and controls the payment flow centrally via our platform.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose AMgrade because they understood us right from the start and provided us with a complete breakdown of our existing website within a few hours. Even in case of ambiguities you were able to give us far-sighted recommendations and support us in the decision-making process.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They supported us optimally from the beginning and guided us in this project. From the optimization of our idea, the processes, the implementation of various functions and the securing of a payment flow, everything was developed in a highly professional manner. We also received optimal support with regard to the server infrastructure and domains. AMgrade was very responsive to our needs and made everything we wanted possible. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

What was the team composition?

We had a main contact person for the project who took the lead. Among them was another leader, depending on the area of specialization, who coordinated the work and ensured that the timeline was met. In general, there was clean communication, which was supported by time charts and tasks.

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

Our platform has now been launched and has been very well received by our users. We are really convinced that AMgrade was the right decision for us. We have worked with other companies before, but none of them were as good in implementation as AMgrade. We will therefore continue to work with AMgrade.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

At AMgrade everything is planned and implemented quickly. If obstacles are encountered, they are discussed immediately and solutions are sought. As a client you are always in good hands.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Amgrade really has a very strong team with a lot of know-how and experience. Nothing seems impossible and you can feel the passion that the team members bring. Everything has always been communicated honestly and transparently, which we really appreciated. You really get a top service here!

Are there any areas for improvement?

It was all to our satisfaction. Maybe in certain situations Skype calls could help to explain certain points better at first go.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a real estate portal, I am the CEO

For what projects/services did your company hire AMgrade?

AMgrade is in the charge of the website development and ongoing maintenance of the site, edits and any activities related to our tech dev.

What were your goals for this project?

To have a clean, functional website that is flexible and can be modified easily.

How did you select this vendor?

AMgrade was very responsive and understood our needs very quickly. They were very fast in delivering a quality product to us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

All website-related services, the platform AMgrade picked is WordPress which makes it easy to add items to the site.

What was the team composition?

The manager, a project manager, and a developer are involved in the project.

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

This is our first site for our business as we are in launch mode. The website has been well received so far.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We are using both Skype and Trello, this has been working well for us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very accessible and I don't have to chase them for updates and to get the work done.

Are there any areas for improvement?

So far everything has been great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a medical oncologist working in the top cancer hospital in Canada, the Princess Margaret Cancer Center.

For what projects/services did your company hire AMgrade?

We wanted to move to an electronic database and tracker for our cancer research trials and hired them for the project.

What were your goals for this project?

Firstly, we needed to create an online database and tracker that’s custom built from a medical perspective. We also needed the app to be built for both iOS and Android platforms and have the ability to provide us quick metrics to assess the workload.

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through a personal contact that had a great experience with them. We were looking for a company with a successful track record that we could have a long-term relationship with. From the moment we had the first call, I knew how professional they were.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, built and help manage the electronic database and tracker for our cancer research trials. It includes features for allowing multiple users to go in, track, and update studies, and follow up with cancer patients throughout their treatment. It also has security access, an activity log, statistics with important metrics, and more.

What was the team composition?

We had a stable project manager during the project. Their CTO was also kind enough to give us amazing feedback on how to create our project. The team at AMgrade took their time to assess our needs before implementation to ensure efficiency and a great outcome.

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

Our launch was amazing. We’re now paperless and have more automated functions than ever before. The workload is also less given that the tracker increases our work efficiency.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

AMgrade always respected the deadline and budget and went above and beyond to ensure the highest work quality. Communication was phenomenal and super fast.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They truly want clients to be happy with their work. When they realize some things do not add up or are not functioning as their client wants, they go back to their boards, think things through, and come back with great solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There’s nothing they could improve that I can think of at the moment. I’m truly satisfied and happy.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder and CEO of Pedaru, a bicycle sharing startup. We share unused bicycles with users who need transportation over a short distance. 

For what projects/services did your company hire AMgrade?

We hired AMgrade to develop our iOS mobile app, which enables our users to locate, unlock, and ride our bicycles.

What were your goals for this project?

They developed our mobile app and an admin panel that tracks user info, creates user accounts, sends push notifications, adds bicycles, adds parking spots, controls pricing information, and monitors ride and bicycle usage data.

How did you select this vendor?

We looked for vendors online, but another entrepreneur highly recommended AMgrade. They responded quickly to the introduction and made an offer.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The app included specific features, such as bicycle tracking capabilities and integrations with Google Maps, Stripe, and Facebook. An external resource created our designs, but we wanted to add extra screens and an explainer tutorial. AMgrade helped us fix our existing designs and create new ones. They also made the app bilingual for our English- and Japanese-speaking users. 

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a sales representative who compiled technical reports and provided cost and timeline estimates; a project manager who assigned tasks; and the designers and developers who did the leg work. The size of the team remained consistent. When our project manager took a vacation, the CTO took over her tasks and updated me every day.

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

The quality was great and everything worked well. This app kickstarted our operation, received good feedback, and showed tangible results to our existing and potential investors. It will definitely take our startup to the next level.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We used Slack, Skype, and WhatsApp to track tasks and keep our communication on point. Since everything was well-organized, we didn't have many issues with the language barrier or time difference. The app was released behind schedule, as texting took longer than expected, but that was acceptable. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They always made sure we were happy. This was our first app, so we didn't know how to write perfect technical documents. We worried about finding a trustworthy developer who understood our business while meeting our requirements and tight budgets. However, we always understood our tasks because they explained them in layman's terms. They kept the project on schedule and gave us valuable feedback about how we could make our application run smoother and look better.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of technical world general consultation and x clicks is part of technical world organization

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

To develop app and website

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Been recommended from friend however in 1st meeting the vendor shows the capability and the interest to develop and to be creative,, which helped me to decide to proceed with project

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

The project is to fully develop app and website from scratch to end.

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

I’m dealing with CEO, Project Manager and 2 developers

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

From day one the team was committed to work hard to deliver the project. The team is very creative with a positive mindset

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

The project manager is very well cooperative and well communicating the updates

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

The team is a very cooperative and positive mindset

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

None

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of Grapevine, an ML-powered SaaS Digital Concierge for Business Travel.

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

We needed a solid frontend developer to deliver a project for us.

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

We went to the market and they provided a high-quality developer at a very reasonable costs.

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

They needed to deliver a Vue.js frontend based on designs.

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

• CEO
• Lead developer

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

I'm really happy with their work.

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

We asked to have a direct relationship with the developer and they were happy to provide this, which was great for transparency and accountability.

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

They are quick to respond, happy to help, and produce really high-quality work.

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

None.