Go Wombat

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

RedBud provides SaaS products to a range of companies, as well as consultancy services. Specifically, our clients are website owners that sell advertising. I’m a co-founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Go Wombat?

We’d commissioned another development company to build our product, but it was built using the wrong set of coding languages and tools. It was missing a lot of automation so we put many processes in place to compensate.

We got in touch with Go Wombat to completely redesign our product, using systems and languages that made more sense, and to automate some of the manual processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our previous developer built everything in PHP, which wasn’t the appropriate language to communicate with databases. Go Wombat built everything on Python and helped us migrate off of a BigQuery database that wasn’t fit for purpose. We landed on an AWS database that is more in-tune with our requirements for the data that we hold and the queries we run on it.

What is the team composition?

We currently have four fulltime developers working on our team. We started with only one fulltime developer and a project manager, who addressed any language problems and made sure that the team was clear on what they needed to do. Their CEO has also been heavily involved from the start. The role of the project manager is less required now because I’m working directly with the four developers. The manager is still involved, but it’s more for admin queries.

How did you come to work with Go Wombat?

We engaged with three companies: one from Poland, one from the UK, and Go Wombat, from Ukraine. Go Wombat was the first one to understand what we wanted to do. We had a chat with their CEO and a couple of people from their team. A couple of hours after that chat, they sent us a process diagram explaining what they understood from our platform and how they thought they could improve it. They were the only company that grasped what we were trying to achieve and they were proactive in suggesting improvements.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re currently spending £20,000 ($26,000 USD) per month with them, and we were spending less in the beginning. We’ve spent around £150,000 ($196,000 USD) so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Go Wombat in October 2019, and it’s ongoing. We’ve decided not to hire in-house developers, so Go Wombat is our development arm.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first success metric is Go Wombat’s ability to stick to the roadmap we’ve built together. They’ve been great at delivering when they said they would deliver. We have a big release planned for the end of this week, and they’re on track. They’ve actually delivered everything already, which gives us time for additional testing.

The second one is more of a soft KPI: their ability to suggest new things. Go Wombat suggested using machine learning as a better way to solve a particular challenge we had.

How did Go Wombat perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a project manager from the start, who was on it. I’m quite hands-on, so I’ve taken up a lot of this role. They adjusted quickly and we now have daily calls, which are very productive. We each make lists of discussion points. Slack is used for communication and they’re transparent about any issues or possible delays.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s their ability to understand what it is we’re trying to achieve and come up with solid plans that stand out. They don’t just blindly execute.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One area they’ve made improvements on is the communication level of some on their team. They weren’t as clear as they could’ve been initially, but they’ve improved massively. I can’t think of any big areas where Go Wombat needs to improve today.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

What’s worked really well for us is to see Go Wombat as an extension of our team and not just as a supplier. This means that they’re more open to talking about any issues and that they’ve really bought into the project. Enthusiastic and proactive, having regular calls with and keeping the dialogue open is the best way to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief data officer and part of the management group in GlobalDataResources. We offer online targeting, but without the cookies and IDs that lead to a lot of privacy issues. 

We work with geographical areas rather than individuals. So, if a client wants to run an ad campaign for a certain car, we can easily identify the areas where it would have the best success—where people have the lifestyle that supports it, and where there’ve been a lot of sales of similar models historically.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Go Wombat Team?

We realized that we needed a self-service tool that would give people several degrees of freedom to customize their own products and connect them to some of the major platforms that support this kind of targeting. 

They could basically create their own audience, specifying income range, interests, and so on, combine all that data, execute campaigns based off of it, and evaluate the results through nice graphical illustrations. We engaged with Go Wombat to build this.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Go Wombat built the complete backend and analytical structure. They made sure that tweaks from the client would be implemented very fast, and made the connections to the platforms. The software is pretty much Python-based, and the part that I’m familiar with is run in AWS.

They helped us connect the platform with Google, Facebook, and Adform. We have a list of similar platforms we’d like to connect to.

We made wireframes on our end to describe the product. Go Wombat didn’t have an in-house designer, but they connected us with one they knew and trusted. That was the only external assistance.

What is the team composition?

They assigned one project manager, two backend developers — including a lead data scientist — and two frontend developers. A third frontend developer was assigned at one point.

How much have you invested with them?

We agreed on $55,000 initially, and we added another $10,000 down the road for improvements to the product.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Go Wombat in January 2020, and the initial scope was completed in June. We’re planning and negotiating versions 1.1 and 1.2, and we will start executing 1.1 in August with Go Wombat.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Go Wombat’s backend team was really good, and I’m really pleased with them. The frontend team was good as well, but the really creative minds were in the backend.  

There are a lot of places where they’ve helped us. We’re good statisticians, and we can program a little bit, but Go Wombat is in a different league. The structure and tuning of the databases was handled by them. It involves millions and millions of calculations that have to happen when a user does something like pulling a slide. 

The software is computation-heavy, and Go Wombat suggested and implemented the framework. I’m really happy with how it was done. They worked with APIs for connecting the backend and different external systems to the frontend.

We didn’t have a clear idea of how to build this database and manage this amount of calculations, and Go Wombat came up with those solutions. It’s working really well, and the experience for the user is seamless.

How did Go Wombat Team perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager followed us all the way through. He made sure tat we had daily updates all through the four-month process. They implemented both a project management tool and a Slack account. We were well-connected and able to follow up on everything.

The lead data scientist was easy to communicate with and quickly understood the complicated setup we were trying to build. He came up with helpful suggestions on what to do and not to do.

We had short daily calls with them of 5–10 minutes, which gave us a very clear understanding of what the team was working on and why. We were able to solve problems very quickly, and we had 24/7 Slack communication. 

We had some issues that were down to our knowledge. There were things that we didn’t prepare correctly, but their project manager navigated around that. He changed the plans a couple of times to utilize the team in the best possible way, and he did it with limited or no impact on our product. We had people waiting to get clearances from us at times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the reasons for choosing Go Wombat over some other people we talked to was that they were willing to do the job. They didn’t want to start with two weeks of workshops and other things, and we needed someone who could execute without getting too creative. 

They did that, but they were also really good at coming up with solutions on things that we had limited knowledge of, including database structures. They really helped us with the area that hadn’t been well-defined in the beginning.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really like the team, and we’re giving them the best possible rating in continuing with them. The backend team was superb, really world-class, while the frontend one was simply what was needed. I saw that there was a difference between the backend team, which was very competent, and the frontend one, which just did the job. It’s the only thing I can come up with.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The hours spent preparing for a project like this will save the client money. We were just not suitably prepared. We were in a hurry to get this done, so we started without having all the boxes ticked on our end. That ended up delaying the project for a month, but Go Wombat was very flexible around that.

I also recommend that clients start the project at a time when they can visit Go Wombat in Ukraine, and not during a coronavirus lockdown. It’s good to just say hi, have a chat with them, and get to know each other.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of operations for an advertising company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Go Wombat Team?

We are developing a platform from scratch and needed help developing it from the basic set up we had done.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Go Wombat Team redeveloped our existing platform. Some of the work is under non-disclosure, but in short, they developed a tool that creates digital ads and then uploads those ads in an automated way to social platforms. They also created data-collecting elements within the tool. They connected the tool to Facebook. 

What is the team composition?

There was a frontend developer, a backend developer, and a project manager. Our main point of contact was Mike (CBDO, Go Wombat Team).

How did you come to work with Go Wombat Team?

Go Wombat Team worked with a friend of the business who does technology consulting for us. He had worked with them before, and they came recommended through him. They were a good fit. They were also much cheaper than local London-based developers, and we got a full team from them rather than just one developer.

How much have you invested with them?

My company spent £25,000 (approximately $32,500 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July 2019–January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the work was good. If there was ever a bug, they fixed it pretty quickly. We don’t have any complaints.

How did Go Wombat Team perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was really good. We used Jira to track everything. We briefed them on tasks we wanted within the tech tool, and then we had daily standups to check in on the progress of the project. They gave us updates when we needed them.

It was a slow start with some onboarding that needed to happen. Go Wombat Team was really keen on asking the right questions, and they got up to speed quite quickly after the initial phase of learning about Facebook and how to work together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They came recommended.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re not based in the UK, and sometimes there could be a language barrier with their developers, but overall it was really smooth.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of a Delivery Solutions Company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Autonomous Delivery Systems

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Go Wombat to accomplish?

• Backend Python Development
• AWS Infrustructure
• Web Front-End

SOLUTION

How did you find Go Wombat?

Online Search

Why did you select Go Wombat over others?

• High ratings
• Good candidate interview

How many teammates from Go Wombat were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Building various services, over AWS Lambda and AWS ECS, including heavy-logic backend, APIs, DB, inter-service communication, CICDs, Testing, Automation, Robot Control, 3rd party API integrations, system design and documentation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• New code modules at good pace and quality
• Complex design and architecture implementation
• Bug resolusion
• Deep insights on project technological stack and direction 
• Consistent communication
• Rapid deliveries

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

While I did much of the project managment (this was my request), go wombat's PM was always there when I needed, helping me with tips and changes to methods of work when necessary. They made sure, I got what I needed. Also, the Go Wombat employees were quite independant and knowladgable, so project managment was not a big challange.

What was your primary form of communication with Go Wombat?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They adapted exactly to the type of work we need done. After. couple of month of continous successful BE work, we expanded to do also FE work with them and were suprised again by the high quality of employees they had attached to this!
We delivered everything we expected to, in the time we expected.

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

Not much. Their people and work were excellent.