Fourity

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior project manager for a consulting firm and we help companies develop websites and mobile apps. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fourity?

We needed someone to support us with web app development and design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had won a bid with a client to build a web app. This app would help professors understand learning behaviors by incentivizing students through gamification, and we used Fourity as our main web development support.

The project was done remotely and we used tools such as ClickUp, Google Docs, and Microsoft Project. They started the development from scratch and once they understood the requirements, we worked through the design together with the client. Moreover, they used React on the frontend and AWS on the backend.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Ivan (CEO & Project Manager) and we also worked with three developers, a designer, and an architect.

How did you come to work with Fourity?

They were recommended to me by another firm.

How much have you invested with them?

With the support contract, we would probably be investing around $150,000 USD.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in February 2020 and we have an ongoing support contract for the next year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any metrics because we’re only piloting the app this semester, but the feedback has been really positive, especially from the professor that came up with the grant. They were very happy with what we’ve produced and told us it was better than what they envisioned.

How did Fourity perform from a project management standpoint?

I think they did really well from a project management perspective. The budget was within the range we targeted, and we were able to collaborate and turn the work around quickly. I was concerned there would be communication issues, but we didn’t experience any. 

They were able to understand some of the more complex rules and develop them well, so I was very happy with their work. We typically communicated through email and Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re very impressed with their communication because it let us understand each other’s expectations. If there were any misunderstandings, they would fix them right away and make sure we flush things out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they could improve one thing, I would say maybe they could offer better hours. We’re now in a maintenance contract with them and because there’s a time difference, we don’t have support during our normal working hours. We haven’t gotten to a point where we needed them for a critical issue, but it would be great to have somebody supporting us within our time zone to anticipate that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be clear with what you’ll be requesting, and discuss the scope early before kicking off the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager at a medical education company. We train people to become nurses, physicians, chiropractors, and so on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fourity?

We hired them to help us develop a web-based software for better-organizing our business. We have our own premises and teaching facilities in four cities in Serbia, but we also have lecturers in other locations. Previously, it was very difficult to organize students across these locations, and we needed software that would allow everyone to schedule and keep track of lectures.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fourity developed our app from scratch. It’s used for student and staff management, both teaching and administrative staff. Our organization has particular needs, so the application was fully custom-made for us. The app is for student and staff — both teaching and administrating — management.

The initial idea was to develop a planner or calendar for students, but we were satisfied with Fourity’s work, and we continued growing the app. Currently, it’s helping us with all of our school’s operations, including finances, where staff members work, and where students should attend class.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four of them initially, including two people from top management. From there, we scaled it down to people working specifically on the code and design. Fourity is quite flexible — when we’ve had rush points, they’ve given us extra resources and finished before the deadline, with enough time for bug testing.

We’re currently working with 4–8 people, and we’ll have two people working on maintenance and upgrades after the current milestone is reached. We’ll probably have several more phases.

How did you come to work with Fourity?

Serbia has several large development companies, but it’s not that great of a market. We looked at 3–4 potential partners. 

Fourity was one of the smaller companies, and my idea was that they’d be more willing to hear our needs. Bigger companies tend to go with standard solutions and don’t go too far outside of their comfort zones. Fourity was more likely to think outside of the box and develop the app in collaboration with us. I don’t regret the decision; in fact, I believe the collaboration will grow further.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost so far is about €30,000 (approximately $36,500 USD), if not a bit more. Including the second and third phases, the total will come closer to €50,000 (approximately $60,800 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Fourity in November 2019. We’ve finished the first phase of the project, and the second phase is in development. We’re currently using the software and are looking to develop it further. We expect the third phase to start in mid-2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We judge success based on the satisfaction of our staff and students. Before implementing the app, we had some bottlenecks in our workflow, and everything became much easier after we put the app into production. Students are very satisfied with the first version. The app was very big news for us and our students.

We managed to reach 110% of our student enrollment goals in late-2020. Part of this success definitely goes to the application. Our company was founded in 2017, and 2020 was the first year in which we managed to meet and surpass our key figures. This is proof enough of our satisfaction with Fourity.  

How did Fourity perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication is very much focused on the work, and it is both relaxed and business-like. We really enjoy having meetings with Fourity. We’ve had some pressure moments, but we always solved them after a meeting. They’ve managed to cope with all of the deadlines we’ve put on the table, and they’ve met or surpassed all of our expectations.

We initially thought that communication would be very difficult, given our internal procedures. However, Fourity has always managed to keep a nice and warm tone with us, and they’ve helped us overcome any difficulties. This is a very big plus for them, and I hope we’ll continue working like this.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a young group of people, but they’re very experienced. When we put a problem on the table, the most impressive thing is the time they take to come up with a solution. Fourity has come up with solutions that we didn’t think were possible. Their ability to meet deadlines is another impressive aspect of our engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should just continue growing and working on projects while maintaining the standards they have right now. We considered 2–3 much bigger companies before Fourity. I think that once Fourity reaches those numbers, they will crush all of the competition.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Customers should tell Fourity exactly what they need and not be afraid to unload everything on their shoulders. Fourity will come back with a solution. This is what they did with us, and I expect nothing less with everybody else.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an IT company which provide custom developments to different companies and fulfill maintenance tasks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fourity?

Our client had an obsolete custom software for scheduling employees shifts and support training their employees. It was required to recreate a new custom software with similar functionalities and add some more features. It is planned to extend the functionalities continuously. Now it is a specialized intranet.

What were your goals for this project?

Application have to work in browser on client side. Microsoft platform used. IIS, Dotnet and MS-SQL Custom integrations were needed with client's other custom softwares. Native mobile applications for several specific tasks. Create a highly specialized privilege system in the application. Implement local country legal requirements regarding scheduling shifts of employees. Separate access to the system to more companies since more companies using the clients system and they can not access each others data.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We worked together with some of Fourity developers previously, so we were aware of their capabilities.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Fourity was the developer and technical designer of the system. We provide them the client requests, main design (look and feel), functional guidelines. They provided the working application which fulfills the client requests.

What was the team composition?

We needed mainly developers and on this project. Number of developers changed as timing and our deadlines requested. (between 2 and 5)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our client is planning to extend the application with other functionalities.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Fourity was flexible in timing. We used 'Teamwork' and Skype for communication. We communicated mainly in English because of different native languages.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Flexibility and deep knowledge in different development areas. (Mainly SQL) They are proactive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a web design and development agency, based in Novi Sad. My current position in the company is Marketing and Office Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Fourity?

Fourity was hired to work on design and development for an Aerial Stock Photo and Video company based in Australia.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to update the current e-commerce website and also develop a custom software solution for image and video processing.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Fourity was selected as a company with a portfolio that fit perfectly with what was needed for the project. We also had previous experience with some of the employees and knew their expertise and strengths.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project included a fresh design of the frontend of the site, as well as a full custom software solution for importing and processing of images and videos.

What was the team composition?

Most of the project was done by a core team of 4-5 persons, with other team members doing work as and when needed. This included a graphics designer, front-end developers and a senior back-end developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project has allowed us to expand our portfolio and offer extra services to our target marketplace.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Most of the project management was handled by the team at Fourity, with some general input provided by us. The team have regularly notified us of current progress so we were able to follow through the whole process with no issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Fourity has proved to be a great asset during the project. They were on time, always keeping us informed of progress and have a team of people ready to implement whatever was needed. They were very flexible in terms of any changes and updates during the process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that we experienced during the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a software development company that offers full-stack development, DevOps services and staff augmentation for Fortune 500 companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Fourity?

We wanted to find a partner that will enable us to scale quickly to be able to fulfill our client's needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They work with our development team and run all of our projects in an agile manner. They provided us with a dedicated team that attends scrum calls, provides project updates, and manages development.  They mainly work with us on AWS and serverless developments, API gateways, lambda functions, Java, and JavaScript applications.. We work with them on a day-to-day basis on various projects.

What is the team composition?

We work with 10 fullstack developers.

How did you come to work with Fourity?

We were looking for a partner in Europe that can help expand our operations whilst providing the more affordable and better quality work than what we can find in the US.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2016 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, all the work they’ve done for us has been flawless. They’re very detail-oriented and reliable. Our biggest focus when we hired them was their scalability, and they’ve been able to do that.

How did Fourity perform from a project management standpoint?

One of the developers acts as a team leader, and we get status updates on a daily basis from him. We haven’t had any issues with communication or delivery, and they haven’t missed any deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their accessibility, delivery, and scalability are what’s most impressive. It’s easier to ask them to bring on additional develops than it would be for us to hire them ourselves.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they were in the same time zone, but other than that, they’re great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

More companies are turning to teams in Europe. If you’re planning to outsource there, do it soon while they can support the demand.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Overlap is an architecture studio specialised on archviz and product visualisation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Website development, customisation, support and integration.

SOLUTION

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

Refferal.

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

We had a visual in mind, we needed a good developer to help us out with integrating our design, and Fourity exceeded our expectations.

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

1 - not known their position in the team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website works flawlessly and we have support whenever we need. Thank you!

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

We communicated over Skype, and the timeline went just as planned.

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

Their personal approach in solving our problems was impressive.

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

To be honest, no. After 6 months working with Fourity, I cannot find a flaw.