Atta Systems

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder and CTO of EdXP. We’re a mobile application platform built to help students practice for online examinations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atta Systems?

Right now, we’re running a physical education center, and we’re trying to move our core services online. This will allow students to do lessons and practice questions away from our center. We needed a development agency to build our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Moving to the digital front was new for us, so we started by tasking Atta Systems to perform user research regarding students’ behavior online, both in Singapore, where we’re based, and around the world.

Moving into creation, they’re doing an end-to-end development and design, delivering everything from documentation, mockups, and planning to CMS and CRM integrations, a Firebase backend, and even a custom calculation algorithm. This last solution will allow us to diagnose a student’s aptitude for a subject based on their performance on a series of questions. They also integrated our existing question management system. Finally, they’re responsible for QA and deployment of the platform as well.

What is the team composition?

In the design stage, we communicated with Andrei (Co-Founder), a project manager, a UI/UX designer, and a user researcher. Andrei has remained involved throughout the development stage, and we’ve brought on a main developer, who’s become one of our main points of contact. That developer works with a team of four people behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Atta Systems?

One of our co-founders had a friend who’d worked with Andrei before. This person recommended Atta Systems for doing a good job. After looking at a couple of agencies, we decided to go with Atta systems.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent at least $40,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since March 2021. Our contract runs through January 2022, and there’s a great chance that we’ll be continuing to work on more features together in the new year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve really liked working with Atta Systems. They’ve contributed a lot of ideas and did research into topics that we would have left uncovered, like the best software technologies and student behavior.

They’ve been proactive in working on a lot of features. We all have full-time jobs on our side, so they help us meet our own deadlines.

How did Atta Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Based on how I’ve been working with Atta, they’ve delivered most of what we’ve asked for, with a few exceptions where we weren’t clear on features that are very common in our industry. Otherwise, Atta’s team has delivered on most of our requirements from the beginning.

My communication with Andrei is more informal and takes place on WhatsApp, but my communication with the developers about the website is run through Slack. It’s convenient to have both channels.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They possess a number of strong qualities; they are proactive, and their research and feedback processes stand out.

Additionally, they excel at recommending software solutions. Their Firebase backend and CRM feedback have been top-notch.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have a bit of a culture difference in how we approach education. They’re in Romania and we’re Singapore, and we had misaligned expectations of how features would be built and behave. It wasn’t too bad, and after they understood what we wanted they were open to changes.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

One of the few problems was our different expectations on features, so it’s best to align on them if possible. This is a common occurrence in all development work, and often causes costs to rise down the line.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Alux Inc, a media and technology company based in the US. We create digital content and e-learning courses. We’re currently developing an e-learning app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atta Systems?

Instead of building an app development team in-house, we decided to outsource so that our core team could focus on growing our brand and company. As a result, we hired Atta Systems to take care of our app development needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Atta Systems conducted user research and product design before developing the software side of our product. They were in charge of both front- and backend development of our Android and iOS app. The team also provided DevOps solutions using Firebase, AWS, and more. Overall, they were in charge of the design, analytics, and development of our app, and they assisted us in the development and structuring of our platform to ensure that we would have a good launch. The team completed the first version of our app, and we have an ongoing relationship because they continue to improve and add features to our platform.

Our app is similar to Calm and Headspace. In terms of features, our app enables users to sign up on the platform and they get access to daily audio lessons, which are delivered to their profile. The app also offers separate learning packs that users can purchase, and all of those are tracked and reported back to the users in their admin profile.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 10 people from Atta Systems and four of them are on the development side. Our main point of contact is Andrei (Co-Founder & Managing Partner).

How did you come to work with Atta Systems?

I met Andrei a couple of years ago and we discussed a possible development for Alux Inc, but it was never a right fit for us. In time, our relationship grew, so when we needed to develop our own app, they were our go-to company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in February 2021, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re really good and our app looks good. Since we just recently developed the app’s version, we only had a soft launch for a select few partners and all of them loved the app. We received positive feedback from our stakeholders, which is why we decided to continue the engagement to integrate additional features on our platform. Overall, we’re super pleased with their performance.

How did Atta Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a structured project management process, and we receive constant feedback from them. We communicate using Slack, Trello, and Zoom, and we also have in-person meetings with them.

At the start of the engagement, their design team took the time to understand our brand and culture as well as what we were hoping to achieve. They created a very detailed breakdown of the entire process, which made it easy for us to see their development schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to solve problems has been impressive; they analyze and provide effective solutions to their customers. We encountered several issues that we thought were the best option for us, but Atta Systems helped us come up with small solutions that outperformed what we believed to be the right choices.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re doing great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to them in as much detail as possible. In our case, we’re very detail-oriented, so they know exactly what we want from them. Once they know what you need, they can make things happen through their tools and expertise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder and managing partner and founder of Founder 5. We basically work with entrepreneurs to build startups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atta Systems?

We needed a development team to build a management and marketplace app for beauty professionals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re developing an iOS app.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with a project manager and developer.

How did you come to work with Atta Systems?

I found them on Clutch and appreciated their flexibility and responsiveness.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020 and our project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, we’re happy with how the app has turned out. It has been approved for the App store, but we’re working on a few development aspects before we launch it.

Feedback has been very positive so far.

How did Atta Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve delivered within our timeframe and have communicated well using WhatsApp and Jira. They proactively reach out if they can’t meet a deadline and explain why.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re more like partners than an external developer. Our specifications have changed throughout the project and they’ve been accommodating. Additionally, they offer competitive rates.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their documentation processes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product manager for the digital platform at a financial research organization. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atta Systems (formerly AB4 Systems)?

We had an existing digital platform, but we wanted it to be mobile-friendly and engaging. We needed someone to develop our mobile apps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Atta Systems developed our iOS and Android app. One of the main key features we wanted was a nice display of our current publications which is papers, books, articles we produced, etc. We also wanted to have an engaging platform. We have content flowing through our engaging partners. 

They built the apps from scratch because we had a bad experience with the previous developer of our platform. The coding was terrible. When we started with Atta Systems, we tried to consider the possibility of working with the code but it would have been a bigger mess than starting with scratch.

We gave them our requirement documents. They gave us wireframes and the design of the whole project before we started. We went back and forth with changes. They also gave us advice.

What is the team composition?

We worked mainly with Andrei (Co-Founder) and Stefan (Software Engineer). We created a Slack group with all the members there. There were five maximum.

How did you come to work with Atta Systems (formerly AB4 Systems)?

We looked online and sent out emails to people randomly. We had them set up a quotation and their biggest work. They came up to be the most suitable.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $30,000-$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February-October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our current users and internal users all speak positively of the app. It won’t be possible for 4-5 months to see the ratings. Atta Systems completed the apps within the timeline.

How did Atta Systems (formerly AB4 Systems) perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Slack to communicate. The main difficulty we had was with the time difference. Their response was very quick; it speaks well of their engagement. They normally responded back to us daily. We’d have video calls. We used Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their commitment was very high. Atta Systems showed that no matter what it takes, they’re willing to accommodate. They made sure they understood. They’d ask for details.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We didn’t feel they had 100% control over the system. What we demanded of them was done properly though. Just if they wanted to notch it up a bit.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open when working with them. They’re experts and know what they do. Have good communication with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a technology travel startup.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AB4 Systems?

We needed help with frontend development. It was a technically challenging project. There’s a lot of work that goes into building an MVP. You have to build your data infrastructure. Then you have to present it in an easy-to-use UX for first-time users. 

The challenge we had was that the previous group that we’d been working with wasn't equipped to take the logic and build it into a custom-made database.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After getting our MVP up and running, we found AB4 Systems and engaged them to take over the work that had already been done and essentially finish it. The driver of the MVP was an itinerary database in MySQL. 

It was being served on a website through PHP and HTML on the frontend. AB4 Systems picked up the work that had previously been done there.

The project manager we worked with at AB4 Systems had to learn what we were trying to achieve, understand the mess of the frontend, and also help us plan the sprints and implement them.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Andrei (Managing Partner), a frontend developer, and a contractor because our platform wasn’t easy to work with. The contractor was someone who Andrei had worked with before to clean up his backend.

In addition, we’ve interacted with the other co-founder. He was less involved in our project down the track, but it wasn’t an issue. 

How did you come to work with AB4 Systems?

We found them on Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €25,000 (approximately $28,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2019, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was time-consuming and difficult, but they did it and they did it really well. We’re very happy with their work. I was genuinely impressed by the time they took to understand the work that had already been done and then to actually complete it to get it up and running. 

It wasn’t an easy project but AB4 Systems did it very well. They listened to me and the other people in the company. They took a lot of time to understand what we were asking and evaluate different options together. 

I really felt all the options were on the table. The user feedback was also very good. People were really impressed with how it looked and the fact that it worked. Before that, we couldn’t launch because there were too many bugs.  

How did AB4 Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is very good. The project manager is very intelligent and capable. We always spent a lot of time planning before executing, which seemed to really pay off. We had situations where we had to pivot or make changes. 

I don’t consider myself an easy customer. I change my mind frequently, but the team is always available for communication. There’s never been a situation where I didn’t hear back from them the same day. 

They work hard for their customers, making sure we have access to the people in their team that have the best skillsets for our technology stack, which is amazing. I’m really impressed with them. Their frontend teammate had the ability to do truly modern and cutting edge work. Overall, we are so happy with the people we’re working with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their sophisticated development expertise is impressive. They have an intuitive business mindset. I’m impressed with them. I think they’re going to grow a lot because of the quality of their service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Invest the time into the planning process and get it right. When you hand it over to them, it’s a really relaxing feeling to know that you’re in good hands and that the project will get done. Let them finish their work, and don’t bother them in the middle of a sprint.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

United Pencils is a consulting studio with focus on design, branding and communication. We work with a wide range of clients, from start-ups to corporate brands. Owlight is a start-up based in Alba Iulia, România. The company is about to launch an innovative light system for bicycles. United Pencils is responsible for marketing strategy, branding packaging and so on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AB4 Systems?

Owlight needed a simple and clean website with focus on the features of the product. The time was short, the budget was tight.

What were your goals for this project?

To deliver a simple website with focus on the features of the product. The design was a key aspect of the project, as Owlight has a very minimalistic approach and philosophy in terms of design and function.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have been working together on several other projects.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

First of all, AB4 Systems team understood exactly our needs and constraints. They were in charge with design, development, SEO and WIX configuration. The new website is wix based and met all our requirements in terms of deliverables, timing and budget.

What was the team composition?

Andrei Blaj was the interface between us and the developer and designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our objective was to have an online presence in a matter of weeks and everything went as planned. As the product is yet to be launched, there were no other metrics.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Our communication with Andrei and the AB4 Systems team was very effective. They quickly understood our needs and delivered in time. After one round of feedback, the website was public.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

AB4 System works more like a department and less as a tech supplier. They are product-driven and capable of understanding the clients business. Everything went smooth and according to our initial planning.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We didn't have any glitches.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner and managing director of Octopus Translation. We are based in Bucharest, Romania and we have been in business since 2004. We are doing technical and specialized translations in several languages worldwide for a variety of corporate customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AB4 Systems?

I had the idea to create an audio guide for tourists around the world. The first step will be to cover Bucharest and then expand to other destination cities, and AB4 Systems is our development partner for that project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They are developing an iOS and Android mobile application, starting with design drafts and populating those with content from people working in the tourism industry. From there, the plan is to work closely together on the frontend of the application and to develop a backend structure that can support the interface that we want.

What is the team composition?

At the moment, there are three different people working on the project, which includes a lead developer, a project manager, and the owner of the company, all of whom we meet with regularly.

How did you come to work with AB4 Systems?

We examined the market a little bit and found their company in Bucharest. We liked that they were close by and had the skills and knowledge necessary for this project, so we decided to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Our plan is to spend about €30,000 (approximately $32,500 USD) on this stage of the development.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2019 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We feel great about the work that has been done on the project so far. AB4 Systems understood our idea from the beginning and have delivered exactly what we wanted, so it is clear that everyone is on the same page.

The quality of their work has been very high as well. There are some competing apps in the market at the moment, but the product we are constructing is not even comparable to them in terms of features and usability because of the hard work of their team. We have received really positive feedback from many of our friends and business partners.

How did AB4 Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Our offices are less than a kilometer apart, so we do exchange emails but most of the time we prefer to meet in person to discuss any significant parts of the project.

They are incredibly responsive to all of our communication and have consistently demonstrated real enthusiasm for the project itself. They frequently work ahead and come to us with ideas or perform steps to improve the product without having to be asked about them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have consistently appreciated the way they approach us not simply as a client, but as a partner working on something they are just as excited about. We had this idea and put it on the table, and they connected to our idea immediately, which shows in their preparation for meetings and the discussions we have.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they are doing a great job, so I don’t have any suggestions for them to change.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s very important to communicate your vision to their team because if they are excited about the project, there is no end to the flexibility and communication that they will bring to the table. You just have to be able to get them on board.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of Anim’est International Animation Film Festival.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AB4 Systems?

We thought it’d be good to have an app for the festival to attract new audiences. However, we needed to outsource the development work to a different company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our iOS and Android mobile applications. It contains detailed descriptions of all the films and programs we have. There’s a synopsis for each of the programs as well as the trailers for the films. They also linked the app to your ticket company. Users could buy tickets and passes through the app. Their team also modified the resolution of the trailer and posters that we provided for the app.

What is the team composition?

Andrei (Managing Partner, AB4 Systems) worked on our interface. There was one staff member that specialized in iOS and another on Android. Another person worked on content for the app.

How did you come to work with AB4 Systems?

We met 3–4 small companies about developing our mobile app. After this process, we decided to work with AB4 Systems. We saw their portfolio and got a recommendation from a good friend who worked with them on a previous project. They knew about the festival and had a plan for us during the initial meeting we had with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April until October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just finished the festival and it was great. It’s a bit too early to determine statistics on ticket sales and downloads. We had more than 120 foreign guests at the festival this year. All of them told us the app was a great addition. They particularly liked the mobile badge scanning feature.

How did AB4 Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was really good. We had to rush a bit because we decided in June and the festival was in October. We didn’t have much time to do the project, but they managed it quite well. It was great they knew about our festival already, so we didn’t have to brief them from zero. We had a meeting once per month. Otherwise, we communicated via phone, WhatsApp, and email. If there’s a problem, they quickly respond.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re really fast, which is great because everything happens quickly in our industry. For example, this year we had a very late confirmation of one automation field that we needed. We figured we weren’t going to have it for this edition, but they confirmed it at the last moment. Within two days, it was on the app. Their speed was really good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I can think of for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They know what they’re doing. The communication is really fast. If somebody wants to have a product and want it fast, they are able to do a very big job in a short time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Coordinator of a voluntary community development group

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire AB4 Systems?

To create an app to allow people access the heritage of our village

What were your goals for this project?

Simple accessible online heritage trail brochure

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Websearch

Describe the project in detail.

Digitise photos, text and audio as well as online mapping

What was the team composition?

Team leader and tech leader

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Super reaction to the app. Very well received.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. Andrei and Stefan were very quick to reply to all concerns and questions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed and simplicity of their service is very impressive. Excellent value for money

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a former product manager at TME Studios, a mobile product company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AB4 Systems?

We wanted to diversify our business. We had 15-20 in-house developers, and they were all working on projects that were already making money and growing the company. We wanted to expand on the kinds of apps we were building and publishing.

We also wanted to build apps quickly. This would require testing new iOS apps, and we didn’t have an iOS developer in-house. We hired AB4 Systems because we didn’t want to take time from our in-house developers who were already bringing money to the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The main project that we completed with them involved developing an iOS and Android app that lets users send industry- or field-specific stickers in their own language. They created an animated sticker tool that integrates with other chat products like WhatsApp and Messenger.

We created the animations, and AB4 Systems built the mobile products. For the iOS version, they developed the keyboard from scratch. It has the same functionality as the native iOS keyboard and can suggest stickers to add based on what you are typing. The Android version provides a floating bubble on the screen that users can access whenever they want.

AB4 Systems also guided us in terms of identifying web services and implementing search functionalities. We wanted to manage everything in-house, but they had experience with some technologies that we were less well-versed in. We completed another large project with them as well.

What is the team composition?

There were four developers. We had both a full- and part-time developer for the Android version, and the same for iOS.

How did you come to work with AB4 Systems?

I heard good things about them from colleagues, some of whom have worked with them directly. I knew they would manage the project well, and that was one of our main requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €45,000 (approximately $50,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2016 until May 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Using our in-house team, we had tried to develop a third-party keyboard on iOS, and it was very poorly done. With the keyboard developed by AB4 Systems, the metrics were two times as good, and it only went up from there. It was properly developed, and people loved it.

How did AB4 Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

I was very happy with the project management. We had very little to worry about. They respected every deadline and sent us updates every two days. We had a meeting every 2–3 weeks, usually through a video call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated how one of the founders would often step in with suggestions. He’d send recommendations for improving things that were outside of the scope, like creating a better onboarding experience. He went above and beyond to support our business. Also, the quality of the development work is better than other outsourcing companies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was very happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Treat them as consultants rather than an outsourcing company. The best way to work with AB4 Systems is to reach out to them when you don’t have a very clear idea of what you want. Discuss it with them, because they have the expertise to help you.

They’ll do research and will find the proper way to develop your product. They’ll find the optimal approach with cost-effective servers and infrastructure. You might not get the best value if you come with a set plan for them to execute.