Avra Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of the software department for Advatech. We're a technology company in Poland that provides hardware and software services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Avra?

We needed software development for a large financial institution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Together with our internal developers, they worked on one of the core applications of the financial institution. It was a type of service bus based on REST technology, as well as Java, Spring, and some proprietary technologies.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two developers.

How did you come to work with Avra?

We hired them mainly because of their attitude, experience, and skill in software engineering.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them in 2016 and the collaboration lasted between five and six months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The two developers we worked with addressed some architectural problems and introduced a fresh look to the code quality—it improved significantly. They brought a lot of fresh thinking to the project, as well as some good innovations.

With their help, we were able to carry out the work and start the production on time. It was a great success for this institution. We've since continued using many of the practices we developed together.

How did Avra perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked together under our project managers. There weren’t any issues with deadlines: everything was done on time and sometimes quicker than expected. They were able to look at things from a different angle than us. It was easy to manage them and correct some bugs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were working with a technology that isn’t widespread across the market. They learned it quickly and were able to provide some innovations in this field in such a short collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Leroymerlin.pl is a European furniture company. I am responsible for our website, mobile applications, and data sources from our internal systems which Avra developed for us.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Avra?

Avra developed the database on Mule ESB and integrated it with our internal data sources apps. They also developed new functionalities and a graphical interface for an updated version of a social forum based in Java.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Avra has used Java as well as PHP, and they also have a good understanding of Databus ESB and enterprise versions. We have an open source version, but they proposed an enterprise to us. Although I’m not personally involved with the daily relationship anymore, my team is very satisfied with Avra.

What is the team dynamic?

They provided 2-3 developers for the project.

How did you come to work with Avra?

Leroymerlin.pl worked with Avra for 11-12 years, but they had a different name at one point. Avra already had a relationship with the company when I started working with them.

How much have you invested with Avra?

We spent 200,000 Euros [$23,5390] with them throughout the couple of years we worked on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with Avra in 2010, and the relationship is ongoing. They continue to do maintenance work for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are really glad for our relationship with them. They have grown from 3 to 40 people since we started working together, so their company is flourishing. They also collaborate with our external partners, including those in the Polish market, and we've received very good feedback from them.

How did Avra perform from a project management standpoint?

We work in Redmine, and now we have the same platform internally. They also use other tools.

What did you find most impressive about Avra?

They have a good business understanding, and every solution is optimally customized for our needs. They truly listen and understand us. They are also very reactive if there are any problems, which is important to us.

Are there any areas Avra could improve?

I don’t have anything negative to say. The relationship was good.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

PITax.pl provides online tax-preparation services for the Polish market. I am the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Avra?

We needed to build our system for calculating taxes and breaking down complex forms for end users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Avra is responsible for the development of our core Java system. They also help us with the design.

Most of the developers we're using from Avra's side have been Java specialists. We have used around six resources since we started working with Avra, three and a half years ago.

How did you come to work with Avra?

In the beginning, we were working with another company but didn't like their quality. We made a new search on the Polish market, taking into account that we couldn't afford another failure. On one hand, we needed a company which we could trust, and which could deliver, but, on the other hand, our budget was limited. After some research and by checking with multiple sources, we discovered that Avra could be a responsible partner, one which could deliver great quality and services.

How much have you invested with Avra?

We have invested more than €500,000 [approx. $528,000] so far. Not all the budget has gone to Avra, but a significant amount did.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Avra around four years ago. The core part of the system was finished two years ago. We are currently in maintenance mode, but, at the same time, we order new features and updates on a yearly basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have received a great number of positive comments from end users, saying that we have the best product in the tax preparation area. I can honestly say that the collaboration with Avra was always easy. There were never any significant misunderstandings around our expectations, and the quality of work was always good.

How did Avra perform from a project management standpoint?

When it comes to tools, we are using Avra's system, which is based on Redmine but was extended by the development team. On our side, we were not always strict about following rules, but Avra was always organized when it came to the documentation for our changes. I have even complained that the process takes too much time, but it was always helpful when going back to changes done in the previous years.

What did you find most impressive about Avra?

Avra has a very good team of engineers, and they are devoted to the work.

Are there any areas Avra could improve?

Avra has sometimes underestimated our work in terms of time. We have learned to work around this, though. It's not a significant issue.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We develop software-based tools for managing demanding humanistic knowledge-bases. I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Avra?

We needed to refactor our existing software after receiving a commission from a Polish local government.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Avra developed our solution using the Spring Framework and front-end technologies like JavaServer Pages, jQuery, HTML, CSS2, CSS3, and CKEditor. Avra adapted the Solr search engine specifically for our system. Existing detailed documents created with JavaServer Pages were transformed for the CMS [content management system] used by us, making it possible to manage using FreeMarker templates.

At its peak, our team from Avra featured 7 developers.

How did you come to work with Avra?

We found Avra through word of mouth within the IT community in Wrocław, Poland.

How much have you invested with Avra?

The cost of Avra's services has been around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Avra in 2011. We have an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have implemented our databases for different clients in different museums and government institutions. We maintain good relationships with our clients.

We have been working with a government client that is translating the Getty Institute thesaurus into the Polish language and has been using the database supplied by us. He has been satisfied by our software.

How did Avra perform from a project management standpoint?

I have been astonished by Avra's development speed. They have stable personnel, a good atmosphere, and a good system-development tracking system. We have used Redmine and another tool for controlling software development.

What did you find most impressive about Avra?

From my point of view, the most important thing is stable and qualified personnel which can adapt to different tasks. Over our 5-year collaboration with Avra, we have worked with the same people, which is perfect.

Are there any areas Avra could improve?

Avra has always been ahead of my expectations.