App Gurus

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.
I am the Sole trader of Dr John Varney

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
Varney Rhythm is a rhythmic texture construction tool developed to show musicians rhythmic roles of various instruments and how overall rhythm structure should work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire App Gurus to accomplish?

• Provide guidance and a solution for my target market
• Design and develop Android & iOS mobile apps

SOLUTION

How did you find App Gurus?
Passed by their business

Why did you select App Gurus over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from App Gurus were assigned to this project?
2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
I contacted numerous companies but ultimately chose to pursue development with the App Gurus. From the outset, they understood my vision, and their enthusiasm and energy were palpable. They offered various options and provided an unbeatable quote, which was crucial for me as a startup working within a specific budget. They guided me through each step of the process, offering invaluable advice along the way. I'm confident I made the right decision choosing the App Gurus.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
I can comfortably say it has been a fun journey for me. The end product is exactly what I wanted and it has been perfectly branded to appeal to my target market. Music lovers are already enjoying our app immensely.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?
We’ve had numerous calls, occasional meetings via Google Meets and used Gmail and basecamp for written communication. Everything project related is dominantly on basecamp. Deliverables were all in timely fashion and when something was expected to take a bit longer, it was clearly communicated. Overall, the team responded to me fairly quickly to feedback or queries I had. 

What was your primary form of communication with App Gurus?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
They loved my concept and understood my target market really well. This was incorporated into the product design and development planning. Sam is really cool and is always sharing his ideas and thinking about the bigger picture with valuable input. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something App Gurus could have done differently?
My experience has shown me that I have a great team I can rely on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the National IT Manager of City Fertility

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

City Fertility provides IVF services to the public.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire App Gurus to accomplish?

• Create a Portal application, Both IOS and Android compatible
• Application will need to be fast and engaging for the patient
• Application will need to work with an api system passing up to date constantly feeding the application

SOLUTION

How did you find App Gurus?

Online Search

Why did you select App Gurus over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from App Gurus were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The task was to create an Androide and Iphone patient portal appliocation of City Fertility.  This envolved the patient being told there calendar appoints, mediactions and results of there cycle in real time.

The system would link into our current database via an API, and colate the data necessary to form the page on the application.  The patient portal will walk them through the patients daily drug taking routine when in cycle.

The functionality of the app consists of the following features. 

1. Identity verification, 2 step authentication
2. In Cycle daily tasks, including Calender appiontments, Drug intake, etc
3. Be able to view Doctors Treatment Plans, Stim plans and Results of the cycle
4. The digitally signing of the cycle consent forms
5. The ability to change profile / meta information in regards to patient details
6. Various links to other infromation

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The development team was in constant communication through the messaging app at each key deliverable.  As the the project was pass the 60% completion mark, there was daily communication.

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

As with all application development, the time always creaps as the scope changes, or what was designed didnt really work in the real world.  Overall, There was ample managment of the project by the development team 

What was your primary form of communication with App Gurus?

Email or Messaging App

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

The app developers head office was in Brisbane, and was able to see them face to face.

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

There was a couple of hickups to do with data transfer api.  By they where things that you would know until the time of testing and or experience.  There was just to much data to transfer in one api call.  api call was split up into multiple calls.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Systems Administrator of a tax firm.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is a boutique indirect tax firm with a focus on providing expert advice and practical, proactive solutions to get their client’s the best business outcomes for each situation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire App Gurus to accomplish?

• To design and develop a web solution to meet specific requirements

SOLUTION

How did you find App Gurus?

Online Search

Why did you select App Gurus over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from App Gurus were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

There are 3 main components to our platform: Admin, Employers, Workers. Each has their own dedicated panel. Information flow and management and data archiving infrastructure plays a crucial role. Our online solution is powered by Amazon Web Services as they are the global leaders for cloud solutions. The contractor toolkit has been configured to be at optimal performance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have met our requirements for phase 1. The platform is solid and a great foundation to what we are trying to achieve. We can’t disclose much information publicly, but based on our experience and research we know the solution we are offering will work.

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

Their management style was easy to adapt to. We didn't have to speak with too many people to get the job done. I was mostly in contact with Sam, our project manager, and at times for some more technical reviews with Smit from his development team. They have always been quick to respond to our feedback and queries. 

Also, they are great at following up. There were times when we were inundated with work and couldn't be as quick as we would have liked to be, but they were patient. There were also some general unforeseen delays on both sides due to the pandemic or illness, but they did not significantly impact the timeline.

What was your primary form of communication with App Gurus?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their promptness to always find a solution. They were transparent and very communicative. Early on, we encountered some changes within our requirements. There were some technicalities involved but a couple of discussions and reviews got us moving in the desired direction.

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

We are very happy with the outcome and the service provided by App Gurus. We know that anytime we contact them, they will quickly tailor solutions for us. Simply put, they are easy to work with and great at what they do.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of PAL App

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A full suite of software that facilitates a seamless transition to digital workbooks and worksheets in every subject, every day tailored for Students and Teachers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire App Gurus to accomplish?

• To get advice and solutions on the best way to develop the app I envisioned
• Design and develop a mobile app for iPads and Android tablets
• Design develop web interface for schools and teachers

SOLUTION

How did you find App Gurus?

Online Search

Why did you select App Gurus over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from App Gurus were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

PAL app is not just an app but has a massive web interface for teachers, parents, schools and admin panel. App Gurus have tailored a scope based on my requirements, designed everything, developed and progressively evolved some functions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I am forever grateful to Sam and The App Gurus team for helping me realise the magnitude of my project and what it can become. They have been incredibly supportive and have worked hard in bringing the app to completion. The process of bringing my vision to reality has been an absolute joy and to see how helpful it has been for my son has proven the ability of the team to hear my ideas and bring them into reality. 

The app and web panels work seamlessly together and are intuitively designed. I have received promising feedback from teachers, parents and other key people that it will be a game changer. We are planning to expand to all primary schools Australia wide. I am thrilled to see the positive impact it will have on the kids' learning and development. Also, I am confident that this will open up more efficient methods for teachers and schools to enhance the learning experience for their students.

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

Initially we communicated through emails and moved to Basecamp when the project commenced. I found basecamp great to use sharing messages, videos and mockups and we would also touch base by phone which was great for building our relationship and feeling connected. 

The project has taken much longer than the proposed timeline. Covid created many challenges and overall, the project turned out to be more complex than anticipated. Whilst this might seem to be a downside, the timing of everything couldn't have been better as I have developed some incredible business relationships with key people that will help me with the roll out. The team was consistently responsive, and I've learned a lot throughout the partnership.

What was your primary form of communication with App Gurus?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their enthusiasm and mutual interest in my vision and determination to overcome any obstacle. There were some challenges in some areas of development but the team has persistently worked through to finding a solution.

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

It would have been great to know at the beginning that development was going to take longer than planned, however, timing worked out much better in the end. The guys have been great and have also helped out by covering costs for some changes that were invaluable. This was much appreciated and only came to realise once I have been hands-on testing the platform.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Relief Driver

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Driver placement bookings

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire App Gurus to accomplish?

• Design and build a mobile app

SOLUTION

How did you find App Gurus?

• Online Search

Why did you select App Gurus over others?

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

What was the size of App Gurus’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Objective was to develop an app to help eliminate the booking hassles and unreliability Owner Drivers and Relief Drivers often experience. Based on market research and identified issues in the industry we have tailored a one stop mobile application that will service the booking needs of Owner Drivers and Relief Drivers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The apps are fantastic. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome as they work exactly as I imagined smooth and fast. There was additional functionality I decided to have added well into development. This additional cost I didn’t account for but after speaking with people, I felt it was crucial to get it done.

I have realised that the possibilities with apps are endless and there is always more that can be done. Sam has helped me understand a lot of this, and has held me back from doing certain upgrades that weren’t necessary early on.

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

Basecamp is the project platform we used for written communication however we still had calls to reconfirm understandings of what was communicated and for things that required in depth discussions. As I was limited with time, I felt that this was efficient and didn’t see any need for having meetings. The development was completed on time however testing and bug fixes took a bit longer than expected, partially due to my availability as well.

What was your primary form of communication with App Gurus?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were very quick to embrace my vision, providing me with endless solutions for anything I asked for, even for features that were ahead of time. I understand the tech talk and process better now. I have familiarised myself with the App Gurus workflow and communication has become easier as we progressed.

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

I never expect anything to be perfect, especially something completely new. There was some minor misunderstandings at times of what was communicated, but mostly due to my lack of familiarity with the tech and expectations. Very quickly with a phone call we got on the same page. I appreciated their promptness in wanting to resolve the matter and get clarity. I’ve always been looked after with the highest level of care and service has been amazing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of the iKnowa Dating App, where we help our users find a great place to take their date in SE QLD and NSW.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We engaged App Gurus to build an Android and iOS app from the ground up based on basic wire frames we had developed.

SOLUTION

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

Google search of App developers in Brisbane Australia. We met with a few developers and decided to go with App Gurus based on their feedback to our designs, overall approach to our end goal, price and understanding our vision.

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

Building an Android and iOS app, Back-end and website. As we were new to this industry, we relied on App Gurus to set the milestones which were wire frame designs, followed by app development then testing and commissioning.

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

We spoke solely with a single contact who was our case manager. Any changes, issues, quotes or feedback were handled by our case manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We ended up with 2 fully functional apps that were accepted on the app store within one week. After this process App Gurus were quick to help iron out any bugs and additional changes we required to head to market. The continuing support we have received after the completion of the product has been exceptional.

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

After the initial consult we used base camp for all communications and documentation transfer. Due to COVID there were understandable delays and this was communicated to us as best they could given the circumstances. Unbeknownst to us we were very ambitious with our project and made changes along the way which App Gurus were happy to accommodate. This did however add time to the overall build but produced the best overall product in the end.

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

The continuing support and being able to understand and share our vision.

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

For newcomers we set the bar to high and didn't understand the process and time it takes to program what we thought was simple and actually turns out to be very complex. Looking back I would have spent more time on my designs and did smaller chunks at a time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co owner of an app that brings social media influencers together with brands to collaborate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To develop a mobile app from start to finish

SOLUTION

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

The salesman was good at talking the talk.... nothing more.

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

We had a meeting and clearly outlined what we required to build our app. We were told we were in great hands. This was completely the opposite.

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

Who know, It was handed to 3 different companies that were completely under-skilled

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

App Gurus will play music to your ears right from the start and promise you the world. They will also claim they have a full team in Australia along with a corporate office (that you'll initially meet in to go over your project)

However, once you sign the contract and start developing, you'll soon realise that Sam is the only person in the company that is here in Australia, he also works from home while he farms all the work off shore to extremely unskilled so called developers.

Sam is extremely good at making you feel like everything is going to plan, when in actual fact you are losing months and years of your life while flushing your money down the drain. I ended up legal with this company and had to take the code to an actual company here in Australia where I have spend an enormous amount of money to fix the horrible code. I was even told by the new company that the code is the absolute worst code they have ever seen. The list goes on but I'll leave it here for now.

Please do yourself a favour and don't fall into Sam's sales tactics. I honestly from the bottom of my heart am warning you. I have also met 2 other people since leaving App Gurus that have had a very similar experience. In short, This company will take your money with a smile and produce you nothing short of a nightmare and all your dreams crushed.

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

We used base camp.

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

All areas. They should not be trading as a business and taking people hard earnt money.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hanson is a leader in building and construction materials with an extensive production and logistics network across Australia.

We use world-class technologies and service platforms to supply a comprehensive range of high-quality concrete, aggregates and sand. We also produce road base, asphalt and sustainable and recycled construction materials for civil construction and infrastructure projects.

Hanson is part of the HeidelbergCement Group, which employs over 59,000 people across five continents. HeidelbergCement is a global leader in aggregates and has leading positions in cement, concrete and heavy building products. I am the National Fleet Engineering & Innovation Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire App Gurus?

We hired App Gurus to develop a digital platform to replace a paper based system for managing our heavy vehicle driver daily compliance paperwork and fault reporting system.

What were your goals for this project?

Eliminate paper based systems and provide proactive alerting through digital means on exceptions, rather than having numerous teams having to manually review 2000+ pieces of paper each day.

Current paper based system requires us to manually review all drivers paperwork each day to ensure compliance has been met. This equates to 220 man hours per year to perform this review.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After reviewing current market offerings in this space, it was found that all either had gaps, or limited ability to transform without impacting existing customer base. The decision was made to find a suitable partner to aid us in developing our own digital platform.

After an exhaustive review of vendors, the decision was made to go with App Guru’s. This decision was based partly on them being local to our main head office, but predominately because they showed a passion for what they did, and were enthusiastic about the challenge we posed to them, and showcased a keen desire to work with us.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

As we do a reasonable amount of in-house development, we had already built a high level functional specification document. After decision was made to progress this project with App Guru’s, we had an initial onsite meeting to discuss requirements, review functional specification document, and collectively agree that our goal could be achieved.

From their further refinement of the functional specification and requirements were discussed, and an overall fixed price budget was agreed upon. The team then went to building a proof of concept for sign off by designing a digital platform for review.

This project will eliminate a very manual intensive workload at present to one that will provide desired key exception alerting where needed so that users only had to respond to exception alerts, rather than reviewing all paperwork to ensure none existed.

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of 3 staff from Hanson's side, a main project manager from the app guru side, and their development team. Overall project management was run by Myself for Hanson task, and App Gurus Technical Manager for their side.

Our main point of contact has been the Technical Manager. I prefer projects like this where we have a single point on either side, rather than multiple, as this tends to lead to missed information

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Once fully deployed within our business, it is estimated the digital system will eliminate 220 man hour days currently used managing paper based system. An additional significant cost saving will be realised through elimination of dedicated print runs for current paper books.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Project management was co-ordinated by Lead Techincal Manager at App Guru's with input from Hanson on deliverables and assistance with testing and sign off. Overall most communication was managed through Basecamp, which provided effective, with the occasional phone meeting to review and discuss more complex situation.

While the use of Basecamp as the primary communication tool was new to Hanson, it has proven that this mechanism can be quite effect to ensure all parties are able to be included. We have certainly adopted some of this style of project management internally now. Contacting App Gurus through out the project has been an easy process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their passion and desire to help us achieve our goals is what attracted us to this firm originally. Our engagement through the project has also provided us an opportunity to gain valuable insights into doing things we may not have thought about if we had not had their guidance.

There did not seem to be any challenge that was too large or complex. They always participated in helping us understand what is possible and provided feedback on different ways to achieve the same goal.

Are there any areas for improvement?

While the project has taken longer than anticipated, i think this was more of our lack of understanding of mobile application development, and unrealistic view on how quickly it can be done.

Ultimately as a business we aim for delivering quality products, and believe this is what we have. This digital platform will form the building blocks of a system that we will expand upon over the coming years, and certainly look to use App Gurus to develop those expansions plans.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of 4X4 InDistress, a recovery app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with App Gurus?

I needed to hire someone to develop my mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, I gave App Gurus a rundown of my requirements, and they responded with their outline. Their team built the cross-platform app for iOS and Android. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with the two owners of App Gurus.

How did you come to work with App Gurus?

I searched online for app development companies. I chose App Gurus because they are close to my location. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2018, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re getting close to 20,000 downloads now. I’m satisfied with how they developed the app. Although we had a few problems at the beginning, I’m happy with everything they’ve done to get the app to where it’s at today.

How did App Gurus perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style is good. We communicate by phone, in-person, and use Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re always available, so if anything urgent happens they work with us immediately. Even if it’s 10 pm, I can send them a message. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing to improve; I’m happy with everything they’ve done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what you want from the beginning. If you spend time explaining your idea, they’ll have a better understanding of the scope. We changed our ideas halfway through the project, which caused a delay. Knowing what we wanted at the start would have prevented that.