Futured

Please describe your company and your position there.

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

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Director of Hyperinzerce (company Inzeris)

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

We needed to develop a mobile app for the most extensive online marketplace in the Czech Republic where customers can sell and buy quickly and conveniently with a few clicks. It needed to be a modern, timeless and easy system for creating the offers and their administration.

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

We were looking for a well-experienced team that already has a similar project in the portfolio. The Futured team was able to deliver just what we needed in the time that was predetermined concerning the upcoming marketing campaign – we only had three and a half months. Moreover, they came with new ideas for the app as well.

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

The team had divided the project into four complex parts, which they proposed solutions. The moment all the observations were incorporated, the team started with the work.

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

The project manager (who is also a QA) was assigned to me and my team and was the primary contact during our cooperation. In total, two designers and two developers were working on the app with the occasional help of few other developers.

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

Within three and half months, the app was released. The team created a great app with features a modern app should have. As a shopper, you can search the app by categories, keywords, and even item distance. You can also sort the offers by price and the time seller added them. The app is an easy system for creating offers and their administration.

 The application also offers a simple messaging system where you can easily communicate with the buyer or seller directly.

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

Since we didn't have much time, the team came up with a proposal to make the process more efficient. We dealt with technical and business issues at Slack, where we were in daily contact. The team worked closely and resolved the topics and problems instantly. The app was delivered in time.

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

We were a demanding client, and the Futured team delivered fantastic results. We are glad that we have chosen them as the supplier, and I believe that our cooperation does not end with the release of the application, but on the contrary, it begins.

Further development of the application and possibilities awaits us, and we will be happy for long-term cooperation with the Futured team.

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

After delivery, we had a common meeting where we discussed the process. There is nothing for me I would change, cooperation was professional, but also full of ideas and inventions from the supplier's tear.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the mobile application team coordinator for Skoda Auto a.s., a car manufacturer in the Czech Republic.

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We needed someone to build a mobile application for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured developed a mobile app from scratch for iOS and Android. They also built web pages for administration on the backend.

The app shows how large our luggage compartments are. It includes an animation that teaches users how to load their baggage, as well as a tool that allows users to estimate if their baggage will fit inside by inputting its measurement. The app also recommends how to effectively load the baggage, suggesting positions for each piece.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five people: Jana (Project Manager), Lukas (CEO & Art Director), an Android specialist, an iOS specialist, and a teammate working on the backend.

How did you come to work with Futured?

We opened a vendor page about the project. Out of the five qualified companies, Futured had the best presentation, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We had spent 1 million Czech koruna (approximately $47,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–June 2019.

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

We conducted QA after accepting Futured’s code, and we neither had complaints nor did we find anything that needed fixing. We also tested the pilot version among our employees before sending the app to our production team, where it was incorporated into a bigger application.

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

Futured was cooperative and performed well once they learned our internal system. We used Jira and Confluence for the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Futured is a growing company with a young and friendly team that used agile processes. Working with them was easy, and they made it simple for us to add graphic proposals and implement changes on the app.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve their ability to adapt with different work systems. However, once we explained our system to their team, they performed better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Futured’s team is supportive, and they will help make the partnership become smooth and functional. They’ll deliver the product, even though they have a small team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder and CEO of Nesnezeno. We are a mobile app company that is fighting food waste.

What challenge were you trying to address with Futured?

We were looking for someone to develop our mobile app.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Futured is working on an existing app, as we had another developer before. The app is developed for both iOS and Android. 

When restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores have leftovers at the end of the day, they can use our app to sell these leftovers at a discount. Our users can buy cheap food and avoid food waste at the same time.

What is the team composition?

We are working with about seven people. 

How did you come to work with Futured?

Lukáš (CEO) asked us if we would like to partner with them. I knew their company and that they built good mobile apps, so we arranged a meeting — that’s how we started working together. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent about €100,000 (approximately $119,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in about January 2019 and it is ongoing. Futured has a small share in our company, and we are still developing the mobile app.

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

The cooperation is very successful. We have received a lot of positive feedback and good publicity. People like the idea that we are fighting food waste with our app.  

How did Futured perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a lot of meetings because we are in the same city. We also communicate through Slack, email, Messenger, and video calls. They are very good at meeting deadlines. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like the CEO’s ideas. He has good insights about how to build the app. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should present your idea and talk about it with them. You can brainstorm with Futured. I’d recommend them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Wandera provides a unified cloud security solution to protect this new way of working. We secure your data and devices against cyber threats, help you apply policies to filter internet access and reduce risk exposure, and enable zero-trust access to all your applications. We believe in making security simple. This is why we created a unified offering, managed through a single console and supported by the broadest range of ecosystem integrations.

For what projects/services did your company hire Futured?

Futured helped us to develop mobile applications on Android and iOS that we are going to use for internal and external validations of our new product offering. We continue cooperating on MacOS app development too.

What were your goals for this project?

We required and on time delivery of a functional set of applications that we could use to validate or backend development efforts. The main challenge was in the network area, SSO authorisation and working on UX together.

How did you select this vendor?

We looked at various options and Futured was favourable because of a very good response to our initial needs and proximity with our own teams - reside in the same office building.

Describe the project in detail.

The applications authorise using SSO and when connected to our backend they provide a high speed VPN services on a pre-selected set of domains.

What was the team composition?

We worked with Android, iOS developers and cooperated a lot on the UX, UI.

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

We achieved functional prototypes in a very short time. The final set of applications have been very stable and easy to use. We iterated a lot on the UX, UI part and Futured came with a very good design and usability options.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

This was very smooth. Helping each other, direct access to developers to agree on our needs. They were very willing to help and we integrated them with our teams easily.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Level of cooperation, very good and quick technical outcome.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing significant really.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO and co-founder of Grason, a restaurant recruitment platform that specializes in finding temporary staffing.

What challenge were you trying to address with The FUNTASTY?

The local restaurant market is missing talented workers for permanent positions. We hired The FUNTASTY to develop a mobile app that would inform others of new jobs in the industry. We wanted to engage with people who only use cell phones and not email.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before starting the app, we had several meetings where we discussed the business. The FUNTASTY came up with the complete design and workflow, developing our iOS and Android mobile app from scratch. They also built a backend, via which we can control the app. We can track what is sent to users and which ones log into the app.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six to eight people.

How did you come to work with The FUNTASTY?

I previously worked with five or six IT development companies, but the engagements weren’t successful. A friend recommended The FUNTASTY. We were hesitant because they’re located in a different city. After seeing their ideas and approach in several meetings, we knew we wanted to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with The FUNTASTY in February 2018. The app launched in April 2018 and their team provides testing and maintenance support.

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

Over the last ten months, we’ve made more than 20 releases of the app. The FUNTASTY team is exceptionally agile.

How did The FUNTASTY perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is young but smart. They’re fresh and have fantastic ideas. We communicate with The FUNTASTY though Slack and have daily standups.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their work ethic during our releases. There are no significant bugs, and their team can fix any issues within a few hours. They do a great job with testing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there are none that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should let their team do the work. We had a few ideas, and their team was able to use them in a way that works with the app. The FUNTASTY knows the rules of app development and helps our business move forward.

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.

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.

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.

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 :-)

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.

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.

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.

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.