DVC Solutions Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a sports tech company. We have a solution consisting of electronic muscle stimulation hardware and a training app.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DVC Solutions Inc.?

We needed help to build our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DVC has helped us build our app for Android and iOS. The app is connected to the hardware so people can control the device with it. Also, users can watch content and interactive training videos and track their progress over time.

When we started last year, we had a lot of discussions with DVC. They helped us narrow down the scope to the most important features, and we talked about the design process. They helped us with that, and then they went into the user flow and UX. Finally, they started development.

Additionally, they’ve developed our website with an integrated webshop. Initially, we had basic mockups and a rough idea of how it should look. We worked with our designer and DVC to create the perfect interface and used different programming languages.

What is the team composition?

We have a product manager, an iOS developer, an Android developer, a QA person, a backend developer, a designer, and someone on the website.

How did you come to work with DVC Solutions Inc.?

We looked at different agencies before choosing DVC. Our conversations with them were great from the start. They understood our product and where we wanted to go. Also, they could start right away, which was a crucial point for us.

Additionally, there was no time difference between our headquarters. We’d already traveled to Bosnia to visit them and work on the project as a workshop.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2021, and our relationship is ongoing. We’re constantly developing new features and using their tech support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They do internal testing rounds when they develop new features. Once they’re approved, we do our own testing round, and when we’re happy with the results, we go live. If not, we do 1–2 more rounds to improve it.

How did DVC Solutions Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication is great. We’re in constant contact with the project manager. We message each other daily and have phone calls often. Due to the complexity of the product, we don’t always meet deadlines. We can’t foresee how long it will take to develop the code.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re able to manage everything on their side. The project manager is amazing because he knows how to translate our wishes into particular technical specifications and communicate them with the team. It’s been great to have a project manager that’s already on board.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing we can improve is meeting deadlines, but it’s very difficult to achieve. In general, we’re happy with DVC.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Speak about the features and the future of the product. Although development has to be agile, set the deadlines that you want to meet. Also, I’d recommend a visit to their headquarters to have a workshop with the developers in person — it’s definitely a must from my perspective.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

V1 Workco Final@2x It all started with the idea of combining a collaborative business setting with world-class furniture design and sales. Blending those two ideas was a challenge that took time to overcome. How do you do it? Through amazing teamwork with the individuals below and countless others, we conceptualized, developed, and created Workco.

Today, we are a premier coworking space in downtown Birmingham with a retail showroom proudly displaying two amazing brands that define our space. We believe work is about collaboration between people, free-flowing ideas, and an atmosphere that inspires. Our name expresses that purpose by its flexibility; co/work/co. Our space is home to trailblazers, innovators, and game changers who are confident in achieving their goals.

Whether you are a small business, entrepreneur, or a corporate employee, we will help you work better by working together. Our vibrant culture attracts an energetic community of positive and open-minded thinkers who love to meet new people. The full program of events and the inspiring European design of our space makes our members feel at home while they’re at work.

At Workco, we make sure our community can focus on driving their business forward by taking the burden off administrative logistics and services. You take care of your things while we take care of everything else.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DVC Solutions Inc., and what were your goals?

Our website was originally created using a basic Wordpress template that was geared toward a basic coworking business (which many companies were already using) without any retail furniture showroom component. We worked extensively with DVC to plan and implement a cohesive project that would blend the two areas of our business into a complete package. The team at DVC did an excellent job understanding the challenges we faced, providing their input and ideas, and creating a website that is engaging and informative at the same time.

SOLUTION

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

We searched for vendors that were local to the product that we were selling (furniture from Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia) that could add local knowledge to the project.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss the project, introduce the DVC team and our key stakeholders, talk about objectives deadlines, and deliverables, budget, and goals. We implemented many technologies including WordPress, PHP, and several product features such as chatbox, Woo Commerce, Square integration, online ordering, inventory management, and custom product swatch options to name a few.

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

We had 2 people that we worked with on a regular basis but there was a team of people that provided design and other programming input.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had input from customers on the usability and flow of the website, traffic increased considerably based on analytics.

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

Excellent communication and support throughout the project from the front-end developer and the management team.

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

Their communication was excellent, and they always hit the deadlines.

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

We continued to enhance the website on an ongoing basis to add additional information that was key to our customers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a start-up. It’s an application for managing lab equipment, and the company is built around that application. It’s a spin-off of a traditional calibration laboratory. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DVC Solutions Inc?

We wanted to make an application that creates a relationship between the client and the service provider in this field of calibration. We were looking for developers that could take over the existing code. I mean, 80% of the code was done, but it was terrible. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took on the web-based application, which wasn’t working very well, and in a few months, performed development so we could do a soft launch. They took changed parts of the code, but they didn’t work from scratch. 

It works as a network so people from two sides can connect. It connects the flow of data between the service provider’s side and the client’s side. On one side, there are service providers measuring equipment. On the other side are the users of equipment such as industry laboratories and manufacturing plants. 

Features include a system of notifications and graphical representations of data about how instruments perform long-term that is aggregated throughout the years.

We spent a few months together working on getting into the old code, and then they started to work in two-week chunks. 

What is the team composition?

I wasn’t the main point of contact with DVC Solutions Inc. but I work with them on a daily basis. The team composition has changed and grown since the beginning. In the beginning, there were two developers and a project manager, and later it doubled. At one point in time, it was 3–4 members. 

How did you come to work with DVC Solutions Inc?

It was hard to find developers that would take on the system. It’s difficult to take over other people’s code. We had a few options, but we decided to go with DVC Solutions Inc. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around 50,000 euros (approximately $50,000–$199,999 USD) in their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around March of 2019, and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Right now, we have the application, and it’s actually very, very appealing to the users. We had the product, went to Brazil, and made a soft launch. It was perfect. Everything worked, and we weren’t sure it would be that way.

We’ve had excellent customer feedback from the first two weeks when we gave the application to users. I think they did their portion very well. They provided a reliable and functional product. The initial bugs were solved very quickly and thoroughly. 

How did DVC Solutions Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

At one point, it was obvious that we wouldn’t meet the deadline. They immediately doubled their resources and actually made that deadline. 

If a project manager’s main role is to serve as a bridge between the developers and ourselves, then their project management was very good. It was always on time and the developers were very well-informed about what they had to do (this was difficult because the system was already partially built). 

From our side, we were always informed about any problems or anything we had to discuss. When I send emails, the project manager will usually respond in 15 minutes or so. It goes quicker than we actually need or expect. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their reliability has been most impressive. If they say something will be done by a deadline, it will be. If it doesn’t work out, they will make the changes that they need to in order to meet the deadline. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was something I thought wasn’t good, but I changed my mind. In the months before they took over the development, we had to clarify what were some of the little features and details of the application. 

At first, I wasn't satisfied with the speed of their understanding. But, after we did all the work, we understood that it's a very, very complex application. It wasn't an MVP, it was much more, and it’s from a very, very specific niche. 

So if I had any sort of feeling that our collaboration wasn't perfect, it was in the beginning. But, now, I actually wouldn’t say that was their fault. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Veenner, a social and professional networking platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DVC Solutions Inc.?

I had an idea for a web-based platform that would connect people and businesses, but I didn’t have the design or programming skills to make it myself. I hired DVC Solutions Inc. to help bring my idea to life.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team designed the UX/UI of the platform and built each component from the ground up. They implemented a variety of features, including a messaging forum, a video sharing tool, and several other pathways for users to connect.

How did you come to work with DVC Solutions Inc.?

I was looking for a company with experienced developers and designers that was also known for effective project management. I contacted several people in my network, and was referred to DVC Solutions Inc. by a previous employer.

How much have you invested with them?

To date, I’ve spent 500,000 kroner (approximately $58,000 USD) out of a budget of 1 million kroner (approximately $116,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in May 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product they’ve built captures every feature that I envisioned, and I’m eager to see growth continue.

How did DVC Solutions Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m amazed by how efficient their team has been since the outset of the project. They’ve been able to clearly articulate crucial information, which has made for an effortless collaboration. They manage development processes using the Scrum framework, and they always deliver on time, even when given short notice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve very much appreciated their honest and straightforward approach. In many instances, they’ve offered better alternatives to the features I’ve asked for, and they haven’t been afraid to speak up when my requirements haven’t made sense. Their ability to present different options without selling a larger project has set them apart.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At times, I’ve felt that they’ve been too conservative with their recommendations. I’ve felt the need to push them to explore their full potential.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Open communication is essential. Be willing to have a genuine two-way dialogue with their team, and let them offer their ideas. If you focus too much on your initial expectations, you will miss out on the creative support that they can provide.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of an intelligence, security, and investigations company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire DVC Solutions Inc.?

We needed to create a viable method for a civilian population to report critical data to the appropriate security force.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

DVC Solutions had done previous work for our company. Since we were happy with the quality and the price point of their services, we decided to work with them again.

Describe the project in detail.

DVC Solutions created a mobile application as well as the associated backend cloud management system. The app is capable of receiving important data from users and getting this data to decision makers efficiently. They developed our technology in stages. Our team was given a full demo upon completion.

What was the team composition?

We were in contact with the assigned project manager. We also had free access to other company personnel affiliated with our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

A municipal government is currently using the technology in Europe.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

communication was effective and timely. We were told of progress and kept informed of any issues facing the project. We did not have any difficulty with the time zone difference or the language barrier.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We’re impressed with their ability to deliver a workable solution at a targeted price point.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a technical manager for RB-Media, a Netherlands-based company that develops websites, web shops, and web applications. We have a team of developers, designers, and marketers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DVC Solutions?

We had a challenge in terms of capacity. We have a lot of leads, but we can’t develop all the projects our customers are asking for. DVC Solutions was looking for Western partners they could work for, so we were a good match.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We don’t work with open-source technology; we have an in-house framework. Two of DVC’s developers visited our office for a week. We taught them how to work with our framework and they apply that knowledge to our projects.

The first project consisted of the frontend development of a commercial website with a lot of functionalities. We delivered PSD files, which DVC sliced into HTML and CSS code, and implemented the work into our framework. They also used JavaScript and PHP.

DVC Solutions also provided frontend web development for a client working with the Dutch government. We started with only one client, but they’re now developing applications for multiple parties.

What is the team composition?

They've assigned one developer each for frontend and backend work, plus a project manager. We communicate directly with the developers, however.

How did you come to work with DVC Solutions?

We looked at a few companies in India and other countries, but we weren’t convinced. Someone referred us to DVC Solutions, and we had a Skype call with one of their representatives. They were looking for Western partners to work with, so we were a good match. We decided to give them a test project. The results were good, so we assigned them more work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000 and $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project with DVC ran between November 2017 and January 2018. We spent more time on it because of the holidays, but our collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their quality is very good. We have an in-house testing team, and DVC has scored high on the quality of the code. I would give them a nine out of 10 in this regard. Any bugs we encountered were fixed quickly by their team.

We have seen an increase in productivity, efficiency, and cost savings as a result of our collaboration with DVC. Our biggest improvement is the actual increase in capacity they’ve offered our company. It’s more about the time than the money.

How did DVC Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We use HipChat for communication and Jira as a project management tool. We also use Skype and email. We haven’t used them for large projects, but their performance has been good. They’ve come to our office, so we’ve gotten to know their developers well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a good combination of quality and speed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their planning wasn’t very good for one of our projects, but that was our fault as well. The deadline was reduced to one week because of this delay, but they were able to deliver the site in time. The quality was still very high, though.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Invite DVC’s team to their office so that they can meet each other in person.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of a software engineering company. I also work as engagement manager for certain international projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DVC Solutions Ltd.?

We needed external assistance to provide services to our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their engineers worked on application development as part of our team. We worked on a collaboration platform with project and billing management functionalities for which DVC provided PHP expertise. They had an active role in making decisions during the project implementation. We also worked on joint proposals for improvement based on the experience of both their engineers and our own.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a single resource for the full duration of the project, but we did occasionally receive help from other team members. We received support from their management when we faced an obstacle. The customer was quite challenging, which required discussions from time to time. They worked as part of the team based on customer requirements.

How did you come to work with DVC Solutions Ltd.?

I heard about them from a colleague who’d recently joined our company. She’d worked with DVC for some time on another project and recommended them as a potentially good partner.

How much have you invested with them?

Their billable hours amounted to around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2016 and completed the project in October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was satisfied with their quality of work, even when we required them to use new technologies and tools. They had no problem with exploring new approaches internally. They were very adaptive and responsive.

How did DVC Solutions Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They didn’t have a project management role. We used Jira and other communication channels.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a young team, but they’re committed. I enjoyed working with them. They remained positive even when things weren’t going well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need more experienced people who can deal with complex systems and architectures.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should give them a try. I know how hard they work and how devoted they are. They put the customer first.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of MHG Consulting. We do digital marketing, graphic design, some websites, and events for restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DVC Solutions Ltd.?

I needed help with development and decided to outsource. It’s hard to find good, reasonably priced designers in the United States.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do the graphic design for me and if the clients want, we can build the website as well. They are usually small websites, using WordPress.

They helped us with the website of a company that owns seven restaurants with three different names. It involved doing a lot of graphic design for them.

What is the team composition?

Our main contact is with the owner of the company, who I’ve known since he started the company.

How did you come to work with DVC Solutions Ltd.?

When they were starting their company I was also living in Bosnia. I’ve collaborated with them since their beginning 10 years ago, then when I moved to the United States, I continued working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

$25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The websites are functional and reliable.

How did DVC Solutions Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They can be reached all the time. I’ve never had an issue with them and was always able to reach them, even if I needed something fixed within 24 hours. We use email to communicate. Recently, they opened a branch in Chicago so now I have a few contacts there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re affordable, very professional, and we’ve never had any issues with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend them to so many people here. I can’t remember anyone ever complaining about them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and the head of the board for EXIT Centre, an NGO running a number of projects with the European Commission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of the Balkan region. We also have bilateral partners like the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DVC Solutions?

We received a project from the European Commission about citizen and NGO participation in cases of floods. As part of the project, we needed to develop a mobile app as an early warning system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We created an initial description of the product, and we worked together with DVC Solutions to develop the full system specifications. They produced wireframes of both the app and the dashboard for first response professionals in operation centers. We had a 15-day discussion about the UX, functionalities, and various scenarios for the app. Then, they started development on the Android app and web dashboard. The technologies used are JavaScript, Laravel PHP, MySQL, HTML5, and CSS.

DVC Solutions delivered an alpha version, which we tested using our own team. We came to them with bug reports and they fixed 95% of them over a couple of iterations.

The web dashboard is used in firefighters’ and civil protection units’ operation rooms. The mobile app allows users to send rescue requests in cases where they need evacuation, food, health aid, etc. We have also installed four telemetric units at the riverbed, which automatically send data about the river level. If it goes over a threshold, citizens get alerts on their mobile phones. The civil protection units send alerts on 4–5 danger levels.

Users can set their status, confirming whether they are okay or whether they need help. Those statuses are visible to close friends and family members. They can also send request inquiries to look for missing persons, objects, or animals. It’s also possible to volunteer assistance to the civil protection units. The units can send mass messages to volunteering members, organize them, and send them to specific locations. The dashboard is used as a field force management tool.

We expected to have 2,000 downloads before the project ended, but the platform is in the process of being taken over by Bosnia Civil Protection. Users can download the mobile part, but they cannot connect to the civil protection units. The dashboard is not finished yet.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a mobile team and a web team, each with three developers. They also assigned a UX/UI designer, an internal tester, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with DVC Solutions?

I met the owner of the company at the recommendation of a friend. He was running an initiative to set up an ICT cluster of companies in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina two years ago. We gradually developed a collaboration.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their programming and design work was around €50,000 ($60,000 USD). We paid an additional €20,000 ($25,000 USD) for consultation services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration officially started in April 2017. The development and testing took six months to complete. We continue to perform occasional work on the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Out of 59 competitors, the app won the European Youth Award in Austria in the water category.

How did DVC Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They used Scrum methodology. We had a well-defined dynamic for when our regular meetings were set up and who the contact point for each side was. We had a younger project manager in the beginning, who was later replaced with a mature professional. We exchanged Word documents and monitored Trello boards for the project progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have run my own software development company for 10 years. The most impressive thing about DVC Solutions was their project manager’s ability to handle some of the challenges that came up. They made mistakes, but when I confronted him, he didn’t react negatively and offered to look into the matters.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Testing could be improved. They should be more careful when delivering projects to clients for the first testing. However, they have recently introduced QA team and things have been improved.  

I would not be as kind to clients as DVC Solutions’ CEO sometimes is. I believe that he’s sometimes swallowed some bitter pills from the client side in order not to jeopardize relationships.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to specify testing in the contract and to accurately describe what an alpha version entails.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m CEO of amondi, a Munich-based full-service marketing agency. We develop websites, apps, and software, as well as provide marketing services like social media management and print design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DVC Solutions?

We needed development and some graphic design support on a number of web and software projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DVC Solutions has completed a couple of websites as well as design collateral and a more complex software platform.

They develop primarily WordPress websites based on our PDF requirements. They start with design mockups, which we discuss, modify, and select with the customer. Then the move to the backend work.

The websites may be simple one-pagers or may have more complex functionalities like user registration. One of the projects— a mixture of a website and software—was an online platform for a car manufacturer that featured user registration and automatic insurance-number generation.

Most of the work is development-based but they’ve also provided graphic design. They have built design portfolios for logos and other items.

What is the team composition?

We initially worked with their CEO with whom we discussed the larger projects. We interacted with a project manager for smaller tasks. We also communicated with one of their designers.

How did you come to work with DVC Solutions?

My company is based in Germany but I am originally from Croatia and I live there. I’m near Bosnia and have some friends in the region who introduced me to DVC Solutions. We have multiple partners like them for this type of work.

How much have you invested with them?

Their work has cost between $25,000 and $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with DVC Solutions around January 2017. The latest project was finished in 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Product quality is very high. We haven’t had any after-sale issues with the website. DVC Solutions built a structured backend, which makes additional development work easier. I am not a designer myself but I know that our customers have been happy with DVC’s graphic design work.

How did DVC Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We are using email, Trello, and Slack for the collaboration. We exchange requirements and quotations through email. Any questions I have are usually answered within a few minutes.

Based on our larger projects, I’ve found their team to be very organized. They don’t need a lot of input outside of the main requirements, and they finish on time. For me, this is a perfect collaboration. I like working with DVC Solutions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Something that has made DVC Solutions stand out in comparison to other companies we’ve worked with is that they’re very structured and fast. After discussing a project, I always receive clear deadlines from them and they’ve always delivered early. This is uncommon in our field so it’s a significant plus for me. Programming projects are always a pain, but DVC Solutions has performed well in this area. I can simply tell them what I need and they will deliver on time.

Another uncommon advantage is having team members who can think on their own. I haven’t needed to explain every single detail, which is helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

DVC Solutions has done a good job so far. We have only worked on web development and design so I can’t speak to their performance in other areas.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to feature detailed project overviews in the inquiry email. This will allow DVC Solutions to deliver an appropriate quotation. Communication is very important in our kind of business.