Futured

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive for a firm that develops new technology for portable printing devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We engaged Futured to create a dashboard application that connects to our printers. Our printers don’t have displays, so our goal was to use the application to control printer settings and functions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured has helped us develop a mobile application to control the settings on our printers. They’ve used native technologies such as Swift, Java, and C++ to build iOS and Android applications. Although the team referenced one of our previous applications, they’ve built the application from scratch. 

Currently, we’re in the final stages of development, and Futured has been performing minor maintenance tasks. We’ve been preparing the app to launch on the market and have published one update so far.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about six team members from Futured, including project managers and developers. 

How did you come to work with Futured? 

We shortlisted 3–4 service providers in our area, and we selected Futured because they were professional and made a good first impression. They also had strong references and gave us one of the best quotes. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Futured in January 2022, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Futured has managed to follow our requirements closely and built an app that aligns with our needs. Although we haven’t launched the app yet, we’ve received positive feedback regarding its ease of use, which was one of our key goals. We’ve also measured success by evaluating the app’s ability to communicate with our printers, which has been good. The app has been able to follow our protocol to transfer images and content to our wireless printers.  

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

Futured has delivered their work on time, and we haven’t faced any major delays. We’ve met virtually via MS Teams, and they’ve also come to our offices to meet face-to-face. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Futured team is down-to-earth and cooperative. They know their business well, and they’ve been able to cope with our advanced features. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Futured could improve their pricing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend maintaining constant communication with Futured. It’s also essential to have a well-defined set of requirements to avoid change requests that could increase your spending.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of COOP MORAVA, s.r.o., a retail company. A COOP is a special nonprofit organization that has been here for more than 160 years. We’re a service company that helps COOP companies to provide retail services and sell goods to customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We needed to develop a mobile application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured has developed the frontend of an iOS and Android application for us. They’ve also done all the UX and graphics. The team has done everything from scratch using Kotlin, but they haven’t done backend development.

The app’s main functionality is to support our customers. Clients use the app when they want to win a prize. We have about 1,000 shops, and there are competitions available for our customers. The app supports these competitions and winnings.

Additionally, we use the application to display a map of our 1,000 shop locations. In the future, we want to add more functionality. We’re currently planning the second version.

What is the team composition?

We have two people working on Android development, two people on iOS, a project manager, and a UX person. In total, we work with about six team members.

How did you come to work with Futured?

We did some research and found that Futured was from our city. We looked at their website, and they had great references. We chose them for this project and weren’t disappointed.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $86,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December 2021, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We use the app when we announce winnings. We’ve already had two competitions, and the app was used by our customers. In the first competition, there were about 20,000 actual uses of the application with maybe 8,000–10,000 users. The second competition was smaller in terms of usage, with maybe 5,000 users in total.

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

They work with an agile methodology, so it’s easier for them. Futured is very supportive, not only with development, but also with timelines. They’ve hit all the deadlines we’ve set and fulfilled everything we expected from them. All in all, everything has been excellent.

They use Slack internally, but they don’t bother us with extra technology. We have a point of contact to communicate with; we coordinate with them whenever we need to do something.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked with other companies, but it wasn’t always as smooth. Futured is very collaborative; we feel good working with them because they’re calm. Also, their agile approach to development is outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t know where they can improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Project owner and delivery manager in Aspiro company. We provide market-leading expertise in Central Europe in profitability management, customer lifecycle management, programme/project implementation support, and complex corporate development programmes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our target was to build app that will reward users for their physical activity and healthy and responsible lifestyle.

SOLUTION

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

We chose Futured for their modern approach to mobile app solutions and they totally fullfiled our expectations.

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

The team we cooperate with was very experienced, cooperative and innovative. As a result, we were able to develop modern mobile app that respects all actual trends, is nice and user friendly.

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

We cooperate with small but agile team that consists of project manager, iOS and Android developers, designer and tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

iWatt has already more than 100.000 downloads just on the SK market and tens of thousands active users every month.

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

Communication with Futured is great, we use all modern tools to make it easy and effective. In general, we work on combination of agile and classic waterfall principle.

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

The Futured team is really skilled, with many good ideas worth implementing into the app. We work more as idea and development partners than customer-supplier.

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

It’s just my personal preference, but sometimes Slack is not the best tool for really important messages, sometimes old fashioned e-mail is better :-)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Bit.plus is a Czech based company that allows retail investors to purchase crypto assets and physical gold. As a CTO I try to provide our clients a pleasant experience when buying or selling these assets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to improve our mobile apps (iOs, Android) and add new features. The goal was to make the buying/selling experience more pleasant and to provide new functions to the apps.

SOLUTION

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

Futured were recommended by our former developers and we did our own due diligence.

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

After some product meetings, where we discussed goals we agreed on wireframes and final designs. Then we were in close contact to give feedback and make some last minute changes. Then we got the final version for testing purposes.

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

Mainly it was 5 people. A project manager, iOS developer, Android developer, a designer and a tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our ratings went up on both platforms thanks to Futured that fixed many bugs. Thanks to our new design and new features we gained many new clients.

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

We were in close contact with the project manager who helped us not only with planning and delivering but was also a valuable advisor. Most of the project deadlines were met and if not we were warned in advance.

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

Every team member was a professional in his field. Thanks to corona virus and a distance between Futured and our HQ most of the meetings were done remotely, but they managed to maintain the same professional level as in in-person meetings.

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

We were satisfied with Futured's work, but there is always a way to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am security director and COO of Government company which is owned by the Czech Republic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our goal was to develop ticketing application in order to support ticketing in transportation area within Czech Republic. We developed whole system, which is able to integrate multiple Transportation companies into one simple ticket solution. Futured had to develop complete Android application to communicate with specified API and perform search and ticketing operations including validation and print.

SOLUTION

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

We have selected Futured based on my personal previous experience within Leo Express and other projects we have participated on togeather. One of the major key factors was Futured seniority in terms of complete App desing and implementation.

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

There was project management involved on the App developement. First steps were to clarify design, provide integration API , provide specific Andorid harware which enables QR scan and QR print, provide documentation and address key application outputs as specified above. There was several month period when Futured implemented app into the "testing" stage when we were able to test and comment outputs.

There were several rounds of meetings where we posted comments and provided feedback , several modifications have been made and at the end we have final product delivery. During 2020 and 2021 we required some "add-on" develompent to improve application in term of internal functions.

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

• Project manager
• UX/UI specialist
• front-end and back-end developers
• QA/testing specialists
• security specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 6 month of project start we had the final product which was later on scope of ongoing improvement and upgrades. Outcome of the project is internal-only non-publicly downloadable Android App which is securied and running specific hardware . I was very happy about delivered quality and seniority.

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

Project manager delivered necessarry cooperation with our project management on time and using Slack, Phone, video calls, for small corrections was email used to send feedback. Project was managed in terms of time and desired outcome with very good overall quality.

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

As expected - development skills of Futured team were outstanding. But more over on the top, there was very high addedd value in terms of "opened possibility for Futured creativity". The team did a great job in terms of application design, ergonomics, and overall app speed response.

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

There are always some small things we can improve but overally there is nothing I can specificly mark as improvement needed. Price was quite high but absolutelly fits delivered quality and added value.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the payroll leader for Decathlon Česká republika. One of my responsibilities is taking care of benefits for our Teammates (employees).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We wanted to develop a mobile app for our Teammates to use the budget for new benefit SPORT FOR ALL. We are a sport company so it makes sense to offer our employees a benefit connected with sport.

Everything we do is focusing on the end-user but happy customers can't be done without happy and healthy employees. That’s why need an application where every employee can log invoices of sports activities, and Decathlon will cover the costs.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online. We found about 7 companies and than we narrowed it down to final 3. In the end we decided for Futured because of the great previous experience.

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

We had about 2 or 3 personal meetings to discuss what is the purpose of our app. After we decided to collaborate with Futured, within two weeks we have seen the first designs. On our way to the iOS and Android app they have always incorporated our feedback. We ran a long beta testing to make sure everything is working properly.

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

Project manager Petra is my point of contact number one. But I also communicate with one of the backend developers Lukáš. They both have been amazing during our collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After we have overcome all the bumps on the road - the app was launched after 6 months of development and testing. Now we are using it for almost 2 months but the development haven't ended yet. Almost 500 hundred employees have already used the part of their yearly budget through the app.

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

Most feedback was done through email. But after a while it got confusing and messy so we decided to switch to Slack. Much more useful. We receive frequent updates and the project manager is really easy to communicate with.

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

This was a first project like that for me and I must say that their will to explain me everything (processes, etc.) was amazing. I'm very much satisfied with the communication despite my very high expectations and standards.

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

Sometimes it was hard for me to read if I should contact Lukáš directly (in the matter of some bug or something) or talk to Petra first (to keep her updated about how we are proceeding).

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of Skoda, a car manufacturing company. I’m mainly responsible for data analysis and quality assurance, as well as some tools dedicated to data collection from external customers. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We were looking for a vendor to help us develop an internal app for gathering feedback.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured built and developed our internal mobile app that connects to a database where we can process and monitor data.

We started by discussing and finalizing the requirements and basic framework, which led to its actual development and implementation of functions. Once that was done, they delivered an app that was compatible with both the Android and iOS platforms.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with the project manager and technical director.

How did you come to work with Futured?

They were selected by our IT department as the best fit for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around €100,000 (approximately $109,900 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership ran from June 2019–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The app has been a valuable and beneficial addition, as it made our process more efficient. We used to utilize Excel Sheets in our operations, but we can now share documents, report findings, and attach files seamlessly straight from the app.

We were satisfied with our partnership with Futured because they were very crafty in coming up with their own ideas and solutions.

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well from a project management perspective as they strictly adhered to the timelines.

We used to communicate in person, but since the COVID-19 pandemic started, we mostly interacted through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their unique perspective on the project and agile response time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything as I was very content with the cooperation.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to hire Futured because they’re the right vendor to be doing this type of project thanks to their creativity and unique development perspective.

Provide them with all the necessary information and be clear about your expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was a CEO of a Restu, a restaurant guide adn reservation platform, in Liberec, CZ.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed an app that would be an alternative to our web page service. I should allow our users to explore, book and review restaurants of their choice on the go, enjoing the the benefits of an mobile app.

SOLUTION

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

We had a good referrence from other project run by our then-owner. After discussing our ideas about the app with Futured team, we felt we're on the same page.

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

We had a kick-off meeting where we aligned on the key features as well as technology to be used. After that, the cooperation was more on a continuous improovement basis. Our team would provide wireframes and fedback from our users as well as request for new features. Futured would provide a solution and update the app.

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

We had a project manager assigned and a number of programmers for respective platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Both apps qot adopted by our users well, adding significantly to the traffic and conversion from the web app.

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

The communication has always been very open and timely. We used mainly Slack, Asana, as well conf calls if more detailed info was needed.

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

Technical skilled, strongly customer- and solution-oriented people. They thought about the product with us not only from the technical side but also from our customer's point of view.

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

Double-checking on some of the requested features might have saved some og the later hot-fixes, but nothing dramatic in fact.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The National Museum is the largest museum in Czechia with collecting, scientific, educational and methodological functions. I am Head of Department of Information Systems responsible as a Project manager for development of the new mobile application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

As a cultural organization we are dependent on public procurements. Therefore we were thrilled when Futured won. We hired them for development new mobile app for our National museum.

The new app replaced the old one and offers our visitors Tours with Audioguide, Navigation, and a possibility to Buy a Ticket and skip the line when entering the museum. Last but not least we are also preparing Augmented Reality for presented exhibits. The key goal is to develop a modern mobile app that will meet and exceed the world's largest museums' apps.

SOLUTION

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

They won the public procurement that was divided into two parts – 50% price, 50% qualitative criteria. Altough the price was higher, they presented the best offer consisting of excellent references, detailed analysis, modern UX and design, and latest frameworks.

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

We meet every friday on a regular two-hour status. In the beginning these were affected by the pandemic situation due to the covid-19. First six months were therefore online meetings. But that hadn't affected the motivation and enthusiasm Futured showed at every meeting. The project was divided into three parts and is currently still in the last phase.

We started with meetings to discuss our goals and quickly moved to wireframing that was presented to us every week. The project managment was agile and our feedback was projected into the app every time. Futured used Kotlin for Android app, Objective-C for iOS with AWS hosting. Local development uses Docker. The CMS for the app is also integrated with Aruba Meridian Editor that is used to deliver a Bluetooth Low Energy navigation via BLE beacons inside the buildings.

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

A project manager was assigned directly to our project, that changed once during the year but it hasn't affected the development in any way. Transfer of information was flawless. Then there were dedicated one backend developer, one UX and graphic designer, one iOS developer and one Android developer. If needed additional programmers were added to the project.

Overall we communicated with 5 to 6 people during the whole project. What really impressed me was regular message from the CEO if we are satisfied with the current status.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The mobile app is currently still under development and hasn't been released yet. So there are none measurable outcomes that we could provide.

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

Klara with Vladimira were both really easy to communicate and we enjoyed working them. They've always delivered what they promised. Also, informed us in advance if a deadline wasn't going to be met. We had regular status meetings every friday. For quick messages Slack was used. If necessary phone calls were user. Documentation of the project management is in Notion.

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

I have to emphasize their tolerance to cultural organization that has a very complex structure as ours. That can sometimes project into requested changes. They also showed very professional experience with aquiring any framework or technology that was needed to meet our goal.

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

The segment of cultural organizations can be sometimes tough and full of changes. But Futured showed their interest in solving any challenges that occurred. It was a pleasure to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Czech radio is a national public media broadcaster in the Czech republic. I am the Project Manager for the online projects..

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Wi hired FUTURED for development new news app IROZHLAS. The new app replaces the old one and offers many news services like listening radio brodcasting and news podcasts, Customization, offline content etc.

SOLUTION

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

We hired Futured as the winner of the public procurement. They presented the best services, product references and price.

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

The project consists of two phases. The first was to create new hybrid app, the second phase is to develop and implement new services. New app wes developed in three basic steps: finishing and explaining technical documentation of the project, development and testing.

The app has been released in October 2021 and now we are getting ready to start the second phase including online subtitles of live broadcasting or usage of synthetic voice and other features.

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

A project manager, who changed during the development, but it has not affected the development in a negative way. Tha architect and iOS lead developer, the lead of Android version development and the UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 12 days we have had 35K active users with this new app and the trend is growing. in 2 years we woul like to get over 100K active user and 300K downloads.

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

We meet every weekend usually with all development leads, UX designer and the project manager. For the communication we usually use Zoom and Slack, occasionaly phone calls. Till these days we did not have to solve any project management problem.

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

They have good skills and are open to accepting requested changes by the client. Also, change them to keep the application fairly consistent.

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

The world of news is different and specific, new voice services and other AI technologies require constant self-improvement on both sides.